CHAPTER VI.
Our young people landed on the bank of what appeared to be a broad river; so broad that one could just discern the opposite bank by a faint, blue line. Along this river stretched house after house of peculiar design, none more than one story high and each and every one extending over so much ground that it gave the appearance of a little village connected by long and short halls. The inside they found to be furnished with only useful things—stiff, unhomelike furniture, and no upholstered or rocking chairs so dear to the American heart.
“What, homely, sour-looking faces they have, and long noses, thin lips, scant hair and small suspicious-looking eyes,” said Ione.
“I really don’t feel like stopping here, I feel so depressed, and everything looks so uninviting,” said the little Princess.
Mercury explained that Saturnian people were strict disciplinarians and also very conventional; and that they did not believe in allowing the young to sit in easy chairs for this encouraged a lounging, lazy habit most unbecoming.
Our young people pitied the children who lived here. They had to sit erect in stiff-backed chairs so as to counteract the tendency which all Saturn children have to stoop or lean forward. They also are compelled to go from one task to another with clock-like regularity while even their games are governed by rule or stated hours which seemed to take all interest and freedom out of them.
“I am afraid I should want to drown myself in the river if I had to live here and endure this tread-mill existence,” said Harold.
The walls of most rooms in the houseswere lined with rows upon rows of books. There were schools and schools and schools; while lessons and lessons and lessons were being studied everywhere, recitations being presided over by tall, lank-looking, stoop-shouldered professors with straight, black hair, spectacled eyes, and stern visages. This constant study and grind made the children look older than their years warranted, while their heads were all too large to be supported by their poor, thin, shrunken-looking little bodies. Most children begin their studies at three years of age on this island.
“I have seen enough. Have you, Princess?” said Ione.
“Yes, and more than enough,” answered she.
Mercury now mentioned that there was a most interesting, novel part of the island called “the Black Belt,” which received this name from the color of the ring which encircles Saturn at this part. There are seven openings into this region called “The Gates of Hades.” These openings resemble themouths of caves from which red lights shine, reflected from the inner fires.
“If you wish to visit the interior of this planet, now is your opportunity,” said Mercury. “A guide will be sent with us and will insure our safe return.”
Of course the boys were wild for this adventure but the girls were afraid to go until assured over and over again that there was absolutely no danger and that they could return whenever they wished. So at last they started in a most curious air-ship built like a bird which was named “The Sky Lark.” It could be made to fly as a bird and to alight or to arise in the air with equal ease. They all enjoyed the ride immensely, especially when they would alight on some huge tree which looked like the Banyan tree of Asia. Travelling in the air gave them a splendid chance to see all beneath them and the island looked very beautiful from this height because of its numberless bodies of water sparkling in the distance.
“Who invented this novel bird?” asked Harold.
“The most wonderful and experienced inventor that now lives,” said Mercury. “He is centuries old but by the aid of a magic liquid he keeps himself alive and he is always inventing or harnessing nature’s forces to do his bidding until there is no telling when he will stop. One of the most unique things he ever invented was an artificial elephant so like life that even live elephants themselves were deceived and thought it alive like themselves. This elephant could travel on land, in the water or on its surface, with the speed of the wind.”
“Stop, stop!” cried Harold. “What became of that elephant and its inventor?”
“Well,” resumed the guide, “he took a notion to go to Earth, taking the elephant with him and I have never heard what he afterwards did with it, but he is back again at his beloved laboratory on Uranus working incessantly on another invention that will astonishthe universe, so he says, when he completes it.”
“And what is it to be?” cried the Prince.
“Another air-ship, but of such large proportions and ease of handling that few people can even imagine anything as perfect.”
“I am sure you would like to know what became of the elephant he took to the Earth,” said Harold, “and I will tell you. That elephant belongs to me and it is now on the Mercurian Island.”
“What!” exclaimed the guide, “You own the elephant and it is now on the Mercurian Island?”
“Yes,” replied Harold.
“But will you kindly tell me how you ever got a big heavy thing like that up in Star-land?”
“Certainly. The balloon carried it up.”
“Balloon! Who ever heard of a balloon in connection with an elephant? I never did.”
“Well, there was one and a very good one at that,” said Harold.
“I believe you, of course, but if any oneelse had told me that a balloon could be strong enough to carry an elephant that size I would not have believed it possible, but I can believe anything any one tells me about what that wonderful old man can do.”
They had now arrived at one of the gates of Hades.
“Now let us start down through this first gate, make a tour of the interior and come out at the seventh gate,” suggested the guide.
Just then a burst of flames and the suffocating fumes of sulphur poured out of one of the caves near by and nearly choked them. This settled the girls. They decided to remain where they were.
“I hate to have you go down, dear,” said the Princess; “the fumes may suffocate you.”
“Oh, no,” said the new guide who had arrived, “those fumes only arise when the fires are being replenished. These holes are like chimneys and no one can be entirely overcome. Attendants take good care ofthat for they are instructed to prolong the sufferings of their victims but not to kill them.”
“What relentless, cruel people these long-faced, sly-looking Saturnians are,” exclaimed Ione.
As the boys disappeared through the opening, the girls called after them, “Do be careful and hurry back.”
Down and down they went, choking and coughing the while as they penetrated farther and deeper into the very bowels of the planet. The air grew hotter and hotter and peering over the narrow, winding stairway, they could see at the extreme bottom a red hot mass of seething, burning matter.
“Hark! I thought I heard the Princess scream,” said the Prince, abruptly stopping on his way.
“I heard no one,” said Harold, “so I guess you are mistaken, or it might have been the voice of some one down below.”
“Perhaps so,” replied the Prince; but love’s ears are sharp, and he had heardaright, though he was overpersuaded and continued on his way.
The Princess had screamed because directly in front of her the ground had suddenly opened like a big door and out of the opening had come a red-clad figure with horns on its head and a staff in its hand.
Ione was too astonished to move and sat there staring at the newcomer, with eyes and mouth wide open. Bitterly she repented her suggestion, which both girls had acted upon, that they remove their magic robes and appear once more to each other as the American girl and the little Oriental Princess.
“I have come for you,” said he. Neither girl moved an inch.
“Come,” he continued, “or I shall have to carry you.”
Still neither girl moved or knew what to do. Stiff with fright, they vaguely wondered what he would do if they refused to go with him.
THE GIANT RAISED HIS SWORD(p.50)
THE GIANT RAISED HIS SWORD(p.50)
THE GIANT RAISED HIS SWORD(p.50)
They soon found out, for he struck the ground three times with his tail which rattled like that of a great rattlesnake and immediately the ground opened as it had before and out jumped a figure in scales of green. He gave Ione one look, and then at a signal from the other lifted her in his arms which were as strong as iron and followed the red sprite, who had picked up the Princess. It was no use to struggle, thought the girls, and maybe the boys had sent for them, anyway they decided not to do anything until they found what was going to be done with them.
The two sprites approached a large, flat, white stone and both stepped upon it at the same instant. Down it went, taking them with it into the very center of the planet. Not a word was spoken while they were slipping through the long, dark shaft, and the stone platform on which they were standing stopped after a time, while a door at one end of the shaft opened and they found themselves in Hades, proper, as this portion of it was called.
The girls blinked like bats at first whenthe vivid light flashed into their eyes but they soon became accustomed to it. They were now put into wheelbarrows that looked as if used for carrying coal, and were wheeled along without a word. The Princess found a chance to whisper, “Do you think they are going to burn us as they would coal?”
“I am sure I don’t know. Oh, for our magic robes!” said Ione in a similar whisper.
Presently they began to pass dismal cells in which were chained wicked-looking men and women, and over each of these cells was an account of the deeds each had committed, cut in letters which gleamed like coals of fire. All around them blue, yellow, and green devils were working, stirring the already hot fires, throwing on more sulphur or adding fuel, refusing ever to give the poor inmates the cool draught of water for which they were continuously begging.
Over one of the cells they read the account of a most brutal murder, over another the inhumantreatment of wife and children, and so on past hundreds and hundreds of cells until they were sick at heart to know that such cruelties could exist and had to be in some way punished. Of course they could not but hear the moans and groans of the victims and their horrible language as well, but deaf ears were turned to all pleadings and the girls felt that it would be useless for them to beg to be taken back to the surface and daylight and were beginning to lose their courage, when to their surprise and delight they saw Harold and the Prince coming down a broad passage just ahead of them. What then was the astonishment of the boys to see them being trundled in wheelbarrows down in the very depths of Hades?
“What do you mean by bringing these ladies down here?” said the boys’ guide to the sprites who had carried away the girls.
They explained that they had been told to bring down two people whom they would find in a certain place, and as the girls were in this place they of course brought themdown. With many and profuse apologies for their mistake, made in a language not one word of which the girls could understand, these sprites retired.
The guides now asked them if they would like to investigate further for there were numerous divisions to Hades which they had not as yet seen. These divisions were graded according to the atrocity of the deeds committed. The most wicked criminals were sent to the lowest depths, the punishments there being the most severe, while they lessened as each higher division was reached. The boys declared they had seen all they cared to and as for the girls, they had witnessed much more than they wished to, so they were quickly conducted to the open air.
“This is the very way we were taken down,” said Ione.
“Sure enough, it is,” replied the Princess. “Did you ever see such an elevator in all your life?” for with a one, two, three,they had reached the open air, while just before them fluttered their air-ship.
“Now where shall I take you?” asked their attendant, “I have orders to show you the sights of our island.”
“Thank you, but we must not tarry longer,” said Harold.
“But surely you will like to visit our satellites and luminous belts which we are very proud of since ours is the only planet in this solar system that has luminous belts.”
“I am sure they must be worth seeing, but we have already stayed so long that we must hurry on now,” said the Prince and, thanking the guide for his courtesy and kindness, they quickly donned their wishing-robes and started for Uranus, glad to leave the gloom of Saturn and relieved to get away from a place where they had not heard one merry laugh.