CHAPTER XX
It was like turning into a hothouse from a keen winter walk, ourarrival at the beautiful but nerveless city after my life amongst thewoodmen.
As for the people, they were delighted to have their princess back, butwith the delight of children, fawning about her, singing, clappinghands, yet asking no questions as to where she had been, showing noappreciation of our adventures--a serious offence in my eyes--and,perhaps most important of all, no understanding of what I may call thepolitical bearings of Heru's restoration, and how far their archenemies beyond the sea might be inclined to attempt her recovery.
They were just delighted to have the princess back, and that was theend of it. Theirs was the joy of a vast nursery let loose. Flowerprocessions were organised, garlands woven by the mile, a general orderissued that the nation might stay up for an hour after bedtime, and inthe vortex of that gentle rejoicing Heru was taken from me, and I sawher no more, till there happened the wildest scene of all you haveshared with me so patiently.
Overlooked, unthanked, I turned sulky, and when this mood, one I cannever maintain for long, wore off, I threw myself into the dissipationabout me with angry zeal. I am frankly ashamed of the confession, butI was "a sailor ashore," and can only claim the indulgences proper tothe situation. I laughed, danced, drank, through the night; I drankdeep of a dozen rosy ways to forgetfulness, till my mind was a greatconfusion, full of flitting pictures of loveliness, till life itselfwas an illusive pantomime, and my will but thistle-down on the folly ofthe moment. I drank with those gentle roisterers all through theirstarlit night, and if we stopped when morning came it was more fromweariness than virtue. Then the yellow-robed slaves gave us the wineof recovery--alas! my faithful An was not amongst them--and all throughthe day we lay about in sodden happiness.
Towards nightfall I was myself again, not unfortunately with theheadache well earned, but sufficiently remorseful to be in a vein tomake good resolutions for the future.
In this mood I mingled with a happy crowd, all purposeless and cheerfulas usual, but before long began to feel the influence of one of thosedrifts, a universal turning in one direction, as seaweed turns when thetide changes, so characteristic of Martian society. It was dusk, alovely soft velvet dusk, but not dark yet, and I said to a yellow-robedfairy at my side:
"Whither away, comrade? It is not eight bells yet. Surely we are notgoing to be put to bed so early as this?"
"No," said that smiling individual, "it is the princess. We are goingto listen to Princess Heru in the palace square. She reads the globeon the terrace again tonight, to see if omens are propitious for hermarriage. She MUST marry, and you know the ceremony has beenunavoidably postponed so far."
"Unavoidably postponed?" Yes, Heaven wotted I was aware of the fact.And was Heru going to marry black Hath in such a hurry? And after allI had done for her? It was scarcely decent, and I tried to rousemyself to rage over it, but somehow the seductive Martian contentmentwith any fate was getting into my veins. I was not yet altogether sunkin their slothful acceptance of the inevitable, but there was not theslightest doubt the hot red blood in me was turning to vapid stuff suchas did duty for the article in their veins. I mustered up ahalf-hearted frown at this unwelcome intelligence, turning with it onmy face towards the slave girl; but she had slipped away into thethrong, so the frown evaporated, and shrugging my shoulders I said tomyself, "What does it matter? There are twenty others will do as wellfor me. If not one, why then obviously another, 'tis the only rationalway to think, and at all events there is the magic globe. That maytell us something." And slipping my arm round the waist of the firstdisengaged girl--we were not then, mind you, in Atlantic City--I kissedher dimpling cheek unreproached, and gaily followed in the drift ofhumanity, trending with a low hum of pleasure towards the great whiteterraces under the palace porch.
How well I knew them! It was just such an evening Heru had consultedFate in the same place once before; how much had happened since then!But there was little time or inclination to think of those things now.The whole phantom city's population had drifted to one common centre.The crumbling seaward ramparts were all deserted; no soldier watch waskept to note if angry woodmen came from over seas; a soft wind blew infrom off the brine, but told no tales; the streets were empty, and,when as we waited far away in the southern sky the earth planetpresently got up, by its light Heru, herself again, came tripping downthe steps to read her fate.
They had placed another magic globe under a shroud on a tripod for her.It stood within the charmed circle upon the terrace, and I was closeby, although the princess did not see me.
Again that weird, fantastic dance commenced, the princess workingherself up from the drowsiest undulations to a hurricane of emotion.Then she stopped close by the orb, and seized the corner of the webcovering it. We saw the globe begin to beam with veiled magnificence ather touch.
Not an eye wavered, not a thought wandered from her in all that silentmultitude. It was a moment of the keenest suspense, and just when itwas at its height there came a strange sound of hurrying feet behindthe outermost crowd, a murmur such as a great pack of wolves might makerushing through snow, while a soft long wail went up from the darkness.
Whether Heru understood it or not I cannot say, but she hesitated amoment, then swept the cloth from the orb of her fate.
And as its ghostly, self-emitting light beamed up in the darkness withweird brilliancy, there by it, in gold and furs and war panoply, huge,fierce, and lowering, stood--AR-HAP HIMSELF!
Ay, and behind him, towering over the crouching Martians, blockingevery outlet and street, were scores and hundreds of his men. Neverwas surprise so utter, ambush more complete. Even I was transfixedwith astonishment, staring with open-mouthed horror at the splendidfigure of the barbarian king as he stood aglitter in the ruddy light,scowling defiance at the throng around him. So silently had he come onhis errand of vengeance it was difficult to believe he was a reality,and not some clever piece of stageplay, some vision conjured up byMartian necromancy.
But he was good reality. In a minute comedy turned to tragedy. Ar-hapgave a sign with his hand, whereon all his men set up a terriblewarcry, the like of which Seth had not heard for very long, and as faras I could make out in the half light began hacking and hewing myluckless friends with all their might. Meanwhile the king made atHeru, feeling sure of her this time, and doubtless intending to makeher taste his vengeance to the dregs; and seeing her handled like that,and hearing her plaintive cries, wrath took the place of stupidsurprise in me. I was on my feet in a second, across the interveningspace, and with all my force gave the king a blow upon the jaw whichsent even him staggering backwards. Before I could close again, soswift was the sequence of events in those flying minutes, a wild mob ofpeople, victims and executioners in one disordered throng, was betweenus. How the king fared I know not, nor stopped to ask, but halfdragging, half carrying Heru through the shrieking mob, got her up thepalace steps and in at the great doors, which a couple of yellow-cladslaves, more frightened of the barbarians than thoughtful of the crowdwithout, promptly clapped to, and shot the bolts. Thus we were safefor a moment, and putting the princess on a couch, I ran up a shortflight of stairs and looked out of a front window to see if there werea chance of succouring those in the palace square. But it was allhopeless chaos with the town already beginning to burn and not a showof fight anywhere which I could join.
I glared out on that infernal tumult for a moment or two in an agony ofimpotent rage, then turned towards the harbour and saw in the shine ofthe burning town below the ancient battlements and towers of Seth beginto gleam out, like a splendid frost work of living metal clear-cutagainst the smooth, black night behind, and never a show of resistancethere either. Ay, and by this time Ar-hap's men were battering in ourgates with a big beam, and somehow, I do not know how it happened, thepalace itself away on the right, where the dry-as-dust library lay, wasalso beginning to burn.
It was hopeless outside, and nothin
g to be done but to save Heru, sodown I went, and, with the slaves, carried her away from the hallthrough a vestibule or two, and into an anteroom, where someyellow-girt individuals were already engaged in the suggestive work oftying up palace plate in bundles, amongst other things, alas! the greatgold love-bowl from which--oh! so long ago--I had drawn Heru's marriagebillet. These individuals told me in tremulous accents they had got aboat on a secret waterway behind the palace whence flight to the mainriver and so, far away inland, to another smaller but more peacefulcity of their race would be quite practical; and joyfully hearing thisnews, I handed over to them the princess while I went to look for Hath.
And the search was not long. Dashing into the banquet-hall, stilllittered with the remains of a feast, and looking down its desertedvistas, there at the farther end, on his throne, clad in the sombregarments he affected, chin on hand, sedate in royal melancholy,listening unmoved to the sack of his town outside, sat the princehimself. Strange, gloomy man, the great dead intelligence of his raceshining in his face as weird and out of place as a lonely sea beaconfading to nothing before the glow of sunrise, never had he appeared somysterious as at that moment. Even in the heat of excitement I staredat him in amazement, wishing in a hasty thought the confusion of thepast few weeks had given me opportunity to penetrate the recesses ofhis mind, and therefrom retell you things better worth listening tothan all the incident of my adventures. But now there was no time tothink, scarce time to act.
"Hath!" I cried, rushing over to him, "wake up, your majesty. TheThither men are outside, killing and burning!"
"I know it."
"And the palace is on fire. You can smell the reek even here."
"Yes."
"Then what are you going to do?"
"Nothing."
"My word, that is a fine proposition for a prince! If you care nothingfor town or palace perhaps you will bestir yourself for Princess Heru."
A faint glimmer of interest rose upon the alabaster calm of his face atthat name, but it faded instantly, and he said quietly,
"The slaves will save her. She will live. I looked into the book ofher fate yesterday. She will escape, and forget, and sit at anothermarriage feast, and be a mother, and give the people yet one moreprince to keep the faint glimmer of our ancestry alive. I am content."
"But, d--- it, man, I am not! I take a deal more interest in the younglady than you seem to, and have scoured half this precious planet ofyours on her account, and will be hanged if I sit idly twiddling mythumbs while her pretty skin is in danger." But Hath was lost incontemplation of his shoe-strings.
"Come, sir," I said, shaking his majesty by the shoulder, "don't bedown on your luck. There has been some rivalry between us, but nevermind about that just now. The princess wants you. I am going to saveboth her and you, you must come with her."
"No."
"But you SHALL come."
"No!"
By this time the palace was blazing like a bonfire and the uproaroutside was terrible. What was I to do? As I hesitated the arras atthe further end of the hall was swept aside, a disordered mob of slavesbearing bundles and dragging Heru with them rushing down to the doornear us. As Heru was carried swiftly by she stretched her milk-whitearms towards the prince and turned her face, lovely as a convolvulusflower even in its pallor, upon him.
It was a heart-moving appeal from a woman with the heart of a child,and Hath rose to his feet while for a moment there shone a look ofresponsible manhood in his eyes. But it faded quickly; he bowed slowlyas though he had received an address of condolence on the condition ofhis empire, and the next moment the frightened slaves, stumbling undertheir burdens, had swept poor Heru through the doorway.
I glanced savagely round at the curling smoke overhead, the redtendrils of fire climbing up a distant wall, and there on a table by uswas a half-finished flask of the lovely tinted wine of forgetfulness.If Hath would not come sober perhaps he might come drunk.
"Here," I cried, "drink to tomorrow, your majesty, a sovereign toast inall ages, and better luck next time with these hairy gentlemenbattering at your majesty's doors," and splashing out a goblet full ofthe stuff I handed it to him.
He took it and looked rather lovingly into the limpid pool, thendeliberately poured it on the step in front of him, and throwing thecup away said pleasantly,
"Not tonight, good comrade; tonight I drink a deeper draught ofoblivion than that,--and here come my cup-bearers."
Even while he spoke the palace gates had given way; there was ahorrible medley of shrieks and cries, a quick sound of running feet;then again the arras lifted and in poured a horde of Ar-hap'smen-at-arms. The moment they caught sight of us about a dozen of them,armed with bows, drew the thick hide strings to their ears and down thehall came a ravening flight of shafts. One went through my cap, twostuck quivering in the throne, and one, winged with owl feather, caughtblack Hath full in the bosom.
He had stood out boldly at the first coming of that onset, arms crossedon breast, chin up, and looking more of a gentleman than I had everseen him look before; and now, stricken, he smiled gravely, thenwithout flinching, and still eyeing his enemies with gentle calm, hisknees unlocked, his frame trembled, then down he went headlong, his redblood running forth in rivulets amongst the wine of oblivion he hadjust poured out.
There was no time for sentiment. I shrugged my shoulders, and turningon my heels, with the woodmen close after me, sprang through the neardoorway. Where was Heru? I flew down the corridor by which it seemedshe had retreated, and then, hesitating a moment where it divided intwo, took the left one. This to my chagrin presently began to trendupwards, whereas I knew Heru was making for the river down below.
But it was impossible to go back, and whenever I stopped in thosedeserted passages I could hear the wolflike patter of men's feet uponmy trail. On again into the stony labyrinths of the old palace, everupwards, in spite of my desire to go down, until at last, the pursuersoff the track for a moment, I came to a north window in the palacewall, and, hot and breathless, stayed to look out.
All was peace here; the sky a lovely lavender, a promise of comingmorning in it, and a gold-spangled curtain of stars out yonder on thehorizon. Not a soul moved. Below appeared a sheer drop of a hundredfeet into a moat winding through thickets of heavy-scented convolvulusflowers to the waterways beyond. And as I looked a skiff with half adozen rowers came swiftly out of the darkness of the wall and passedlike a shadow amongst the thickets. In the prow was all Hath's weddingplate, and in the stern, a faint vision of unconscious loveliness, layHeru!
Before I could lift a finger or call out, even if I had had a mind todo so, the shadow had gone round a bend, and a shout within the palacetold me I was sighted again.
On once more, hotly pursued, until the last corridor ended in two doorsleading into a half-lit gallery with open windows at the further end.There was a wilderness of lumber down the sides of the great garret,and now I come to think of it more calmly I imagine it was Hath's LostProperty Office, the vast receptacle where his slaves depositedeverything lazy Martians forgot or left about in their daily life. Atthat moment it only represented a last refuge, and into it I dashed,swung the doors to and fastened them just as the foremost of Ar-hap'smen hurled themselves upon the barrier from outside.
There I was like a rat in a trap, and like a rat I made up my mind tofight savagely to the end, without for a moment deceiving myself as towhat that end must be. Even up there the horrible roar of destructionwas plainly audible as the barbarians sacked and burned the ancienttown, and I was glad from the bottom of my heart my poor littleprincess was safely out of it. Nor did I bear her or hers the leastresentment for making off while there was yet time and leaving me to myfate--anything else would have been contrary to Martian nature.Doubtless she would get away, as Hath had said, and elsewhere drop afew pearly tears and then over her sugar-candy and lotus-eating forgetwith happy completeness--most blessed gift! And meanwhile the foresaidbarbarians were battering on my doors
, while over their heads chokingsmoke was pouring in in ever-increasing volumes.
In burst the first panel, then another, and I could see through thegaps a medley of tossing weapons and wild faces without. Short shriftfor me if they came through, so in the obstinacy of desperation I setto work to pile old furniture and dry goods against the barricade. Andas they yelled and hammered outside I screamed back defiance fromwithin, sweating, tugging, and hauling with the strength of ten men,piling up the old Martian lumber against the opening till, so fiercewas the attack outside, little was left of the original doorway andnothing between me and the besiegers but a rampart of broken woodworkhalf seen in a smother of smoke and flames.
Still they came on, thrusting spears and javelins through every creviceand my strength began to go. I threw two tables into a gap, andbrained a besieger with a sweetmeat-seller's block and smotheredanother, and overturned a great chest against my barricade; but whatwas the purpose of it all? They were fifty to one and my rampartquaked before them. The smoke was stifling, and the pains ofdissolution in my heart. They burst in and clambered up the rampartlike black ants. I looked round for still one more thing to hurl intothe breach. My eyes lit on a roll of carpet: I seized it by one cornermeaning to drag it to the doorway, and it came undone at a touch.
That strange, that incredible pattern! Where in all the vicissitudesof a chequered career had I seen such a one before? I stared at it inamazement under the very spears of the woodmen in the red glare ofHath's burning palace. Then all on a sudden it burst upon me that ITWAS THE ACCURSED RUG, the very one which in response to a careless wishhad swept me out of my own dear world, and forced me to take as wild ajourney into space as ever fell to a man's lot since the universe wasmade!
And in another second it occurred to me that if it had brought mehither it might take me hence. It was but a chance, yet worth tryingwhen all other chances were against me. As Ar-hap's men came shoutingover the barricade I threw myself down upon that incredible carpet andcried from the bottom of my heart,
"I wish--I wish I were in New York!"
Yes!
A moment of thrilling suspense and then the corners lifted as though astrong breeze were playing upon them. Another moment and they hadcurled over like an incoming surge. One swift glance I got at thesmoke and flames, the glittering spears and angry faces, and then foldupon fold, a stifling, all-enveloping embrace, a lift, a sense ofsuper-human speed--and then forgetfulness.
When I came to, as reporters say, I was aware the rug had ejected me onsolid ground and disappeared, forever. Where was I! It was cool,damp, and muddy. There were some iron railings close at hand and astreet lamp overhead. These things showed clearly to me, sitting on adoorstep under that light, head in hand, amazed and giddy--so amazedthat when slowly the recognition came of the incredible fact my wishwas gratified and I was home again, the stupendous incident scarcelyappealed to my tingling senses more than one of the many others I hadlately undergone.
Very slowly I rose to my feet, and as like a discreditable reveller ascould be, climbed the steps. The front door was open, and entering theoh, so familiar hall a sound of voices in my sitting-room on the rightcaught my ear.
"Oh no, Mrs. Brown," said one, which I recognised at once as myPolly's, "he is dead for certain, and my heart is breaking. He wouldnever, never have left me so long without writing if he had beenalive," and then came a great sound of sobbing.
"Bless your kind heart, miss," said the voice of my landlady in reply,"but you don't know as much about young gentlemen as I do. It is notlikely, if he has gone off on the razzle-dazzle, as I am sure he has,he is going to write every post and tell you about it. Now you go offto your ma at the hotel like a dear, and forget all about him till hecomes back--that's MY advice."
"I cannot, I cannot, Mrs. Brown. I cannot rest by day or sleep bynight for thinking of him; for wondering why he went away so suddenly,and for hungering for news of him. Oh, I am miserable. Gully! Gully!Come to me," and then there were sounds of troubled footsteps pacing toand fro and of a woman's grief.
That was more than I could stand. I flung the door open, and, dirty,dishevelled, with unsteady steps, advanced into the room.
"Ahem!" coughed Mrs. Brown, "just as I expected!"
But I had no eyes for her. "Polly! Polly!" I cried, and that deargirl, after a startled scream and a glance to make sure it was indeedthe recovered prodigal, rushed over and threw all her weight of dear,warm, comfortable womanhood into my arms, and the moment after burstinto a passion of happy tears down my collar.
"Humph!" quoth the landlady, "that is not what BROWN gets when heforgets his self. No, not by any means."
But she was a good old soul at heart, and, seeing how matters stood,with a parting glance of scorn in my direction and a toss of her head,went out of the room, and closed the door behind her.
Need I tell in detail what followed? Polly behaved like an angel, andwhen in answer to her gentle reproaches I told her the outlines of mymarvellous story she almost believed me! Over there on thewriting-desk lay a whole row of the unopened letters she had showeredupon me during my absence, and amongst them an official one. We wentand opened it together, and it was an intimation of my promotion, amuch better "step" than I had ever dared to hope for.
Holding that missive in my hand a thought suddenly occurred to me.
"Polly dear, this letter makes me able to maintain you as you ought tobe maintained, and there is still a fortnight of vacation for me.Polly, will you marry me tomorrow?"
"No, certainly not, sir."
"Then will you marry me on Monday?"
"Do you truly, truly want me to?"
"Truly, truly."
"Then, yes," and the dear girl again came blushing into my arms.
While we were thus the door opened, and in came her parents who werestaying at a neighbouring hotel while inquiries were made as to mymysterious absence. Not unnaturally my appearance went a long way toconfirm suspicions such as Mrs. Brown had confessed to, and, after theyhad given me cold salutations, Polly's mother, fixing gold glasses onthe bridge of her nose and eyeing me haughtily therefrom, observed,
"And now that you ARE safely at home again, Lieutenant Gulliver Jones,I think I will take my daughter away with me. Tomorrow her father willascertain the true state of her feelings after this unpleasantexperience, and subsequently he will no doubt communicate with you onthe subject." This very icily.
But I was too happy to be lightly put down.
"My dear madam," I replied, "I am happy to be able to save her fatherthat trouble. I have already communicated with this young lady as tothe state of her feelings, and as an outcome I am delighted to be ableto tell you we are to be married on Monday."
"Oh yes, Mother, it is true, and if you do not want to make me the mostmiserable of girls again you will not be unkind to us."
In brief, that sweet champion spoke so prettily and smoothed things socleverly that I was "forgiven," and later on in the evening allowed toescort Polly back to her hotel.
"And oh!" she said, in her charmingly enthusiastic way when we weresaying goodnight, "you shall write a book about that extraordinarystory you told me just now. Only you must promise me one thing."
"What is it?"
"To leave out all about Heru--I don't like that part at all." Thiswith the prettiest little pout.
"But, Polly dear, see how important she was to the narrative. I cannotquite do that."
"Then you will say as little as you can about her?"
"No more than the story compels me to."
"And you are quite sure you like me much the best, and will not goafter her again?"
"Quite sure."
The compact was sealed in the most approved fashion; and here,indulgent reader, is the artless narrative that resulted--an incidentso incredible in this prosaic latter-day world that I dare not ask youto believe, and must humbly content myself with hoping that if I failto convince yet I may at least claim the consolation of
having amusedyou.
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