The Last American

by John Ames Mitchell

"But the Mehrikans of gentle blood," I asked, "had they no titles?"

  "Neither titles nor gentle blood," he answered. "And as they wereall of much the same origin, and came to this country simply to thrivemore fatly than at home, there was nothing except difference in wealthon which to establish a superior order. Being deep respecters of moneythis was a satisfying distinction. It soon resulted that thosefamilies who possessed riches for a generation or two became thesubstitute for an aristocracy. This upper class was given to sportsand pastimes, spending their wealth freely, being prodigiously fond ofdisplay. Their intellectual development was feeble, and they wieldedbut little influence save in social matters. They followed closely thefashions of foreign aristocracies. Great attentions were paid towandering nobles from other lands. Even distant relatives of titledpeople were greeted with the warmest enthusiasm."

  Then I said to him, "But explain to me, O Nofuhl, how it was possiblefor so shallow a nation to become so great."

  "They were great only in numbers and too weak to endure success. Atthe beginning of the twentieth century--as they counted time--hugefortunes were amassed in a day, and the Mehrikans became drunk withmoney."

  Whereupon I exclaimed, "O Land of Delight! For much money ischeering."

  But the old man shook his head. "Very true, O Prince; but the effectwas woful. These vast fortunes soon dominated all things, even theseat of government and the courts of Justice. Tricks of financebrought fabulous gains. Young men became demoralized. For soberindustry with its moderate profits was ridiculed."

  "Verily, that would be natural!" I said. "But in a land where allwere rich who was found to cook and scrub, to fetch and carry and totill the soil? For none will shovel earth when his pockets arestuffed with gold."

  "All were not rich. And when the poor also became greedy they becamehostile. Then began social upheavals with bloodshed and havoc."

  A Street Scene in Ancient Nhu-Yok (The costumes andmanner of riding are taken from metal plates now in the museum atTeheran)]

  _20th May_

  An icy wind from the northeast with a violent rain. Yesterday wegasped with the hot air. To-day we are shivering in winter clothing.

  _21st May_

  The same as yesterday. Most of us are ill. My teeth chatter and mybody is both hot and cold. A storm more wicked never wailed about aship. Lev-el-Hedyd calls it the shrieking voices of the hundredmillions of Mehrikans who must have perished in similar weather.

  _16th June_

  It is many days since I have touched this journal. A hateful sicknesshas been upon me, destroying all energy and courage. A sort of fever,and yet my limbs were cold. I could not describe it if I would.

  Nofuhl came into the cabin this evening with some of his metal platesand discoursed upon them. He has no respect for the intellects of theearly Mehrikans. I thought for a moment I had caught him in acontradiction, but he was right as usual. It was thus:

  _Nofuhl._They were great readers.

  _Khan-li._You have told us they had no literature. Were they great readers ofnothing?

  _Nofuhl._Verily, thou hast said it! Vast sheets of paper were published dailyin which all crimes were recorded in detail. The more revolting thedeed, the more minute the description. Horrors were their chiefdelight. Scandals were drunk in with thirstful eyes. These chroniclesof crime and filth were issued by hundreds of thousands. There washardly a family in the land but had one.

  _Khan-li._And did this take the place of literature?

  _Nofuhl._Even so.

  _20th June_

  Once more we are on the sea; two days from Nhu-Yok. Our decision wasa sudden one. Nofuhl, in an evil moment, found among those accursedplates a map of the country, and thereupon was seized with anunreasoning desire to visit a town called "Washington." I wavered andat last consented, foolishly I believe, for the crew are loud forPersia. And this town is inland on a river. He says it was theirfinest city, the seat of Government, the capital of the country.Grip-til-lah swears he can find it if the map is truthful.

  Ja-khaz still eats by himself.

  This afternoon we reclined upon the deck, the _Zlotuhb_ drifting gentlyin a southerly direction. Land could be seen on the starboard bow, afaint strip along the western horizon.

  It was about the middle of the afternoon, while passing the ruins of agigantic tower--perhaps a lighthouse--that Nofuhl, of a sudden,clambered hastily to his feet and looked about him. Then he called toGrip-til-lah, asking how many leagues we were from the harbor ofNhu-Yok. Grip-til-lah's reply I forget, but it filled the old man witha gentle excitement. I observed an unwonted sparkle in his eyes, alsoa quivering of the fingers as he pointed to the ocean around about,and exclaimed--

  "Beneath us, the bottom of the sea is covered with iron ships--thewrecks of stupendous navies--the mightiest of all human history!"

  At once we all became interested.

  "What navies?" I inquired. "And what compassed their destruction?Was it a battle?"

  _Nofuhl._A battle of whose magnitude no Persian has conception; a conflict inwhich the sea was tossed and the heavens rent by thunderings of ironmonsters. Any one of them would have blown to atoms a fleet of_Zlotuhbs_.

  _Ad-el-pate._Verily! A tale easier told than believed. But I would readilyventure my head in the _Zlotuhb_ against any of these nursery-talewonders.

  _Nofuhl._And with wisdom. For the loss of thy brain, Ad-el-pate, could notaffect the nature of thy speech.

  Whereupon there was laughter, and Ad-el-pate held his peace.

  _Khan-li._But tell us of this battle, O Nofuhl. I remember now to have readabout it at college. These details of ancient history I am prone toforget. How came it about?

  _Nofuhl._I have spoken of the Mehrikans being a greedy race. And their greed,at last, resulted in this war. By means of one-sided laws of theirown making they secured for themselves a lion's share of all profitsfrom the world's commerce. This checked the prosperity of othernations, until at last the leading powers of Europe combined inself-defence against this all-absorbing greed. They collected anarmada the like of which was never imagined, neither before nor since.Then, across the ocean, came the iron host. And here, upon this veryspot where we are floating, they met the Mehrikan ships.

  _Khan-li._How many ships in all?

  _Nofuhl._The Mehrikans had eighty heavy ships of iron, with a number of smallercraft. The allies had two hundred and forty heavy battleships, all ofiron. They also had smaller craft for divers purposes.

  _Khan-li._Allah! A bad prospect for our greedy friends! And being a nation oftraders they had no liking, probably, for the perils of war.

  _Nofuhl._As to that historians differ. According to the Mehrikans themselvesthey were mighty warriors. But certain writers of that period give adifferent impression. Noz-yt-ahl is sure they were cowards, weak inbody as in spirit, but often favored by fortune. In my opinion, thisbattle throws considerable light upon that matter.

  A day like this, it was, also in June, as the Europeans, comingnorthward along the coast to seize Nhu-Yok, met the Mehrikan AdmiralNev-r-sai-di with his eighty ships. And the struggle was short.

  _Khan-li._Verily, I can believe it! With three ships to one I would give theEuropeans about half a day--a summer afternoon like this--to sendthe greedy ones to the bottom.

  _Nofuhl._Thy guess is good, O Prince, as to the hours of fighting. It lastedjust one summer afternoon. But the Mehrikans it was who sent theirenemies to the bottom. And the sea beneath our feet is strewn withiron hulks.

  _Khan-li._Bismillah! If that be a true tale--and I doubt it not--thesegreedy ones were not so contemptible, at least when there was profitin it.

  _Lev-el-Hedyd._At what period did this occur?

  _Nofuhl._Early in the twentieth century. I cannot recall the date, but it wasnever forgotten by the Mehrikans. Surely a just pride, for on that daythey accomplished wonders. The Admiral Nev-r-sai-di on his ship the_Ztazenztrypes_ was at one time surrounded by a dozen German men-of-war.And lo! he demolished all! And of Frank and Russyan vessel
s heput an end to as many more; also sundry Talyans and British.

  _Lev-el-Hedyd._Bismillah! But that was good! What, O Nofuhl, is the Persian of thatname _Ztazenztrypes_?

  _Nofuhl._None can tell with certainty. To the Mehrikans it signified victory,or something similar.

  Other miracles were achieved by the Mehrikans that day. _Nofli-zon-mee_,a little craft with a pointed prow, jammed holes in nearly a score ofmonster ships, and the waters closed over them. There figured also along and narrow boat of Mehrikan devising, the _Yankyd-Oodl_. Thisastonishing machine sailed to and fro among the foreign shipsupsetting all traditions. Much glory befell her commander, the CaptainHoorai-boiz.

  _Grip-til-lah._And how many ships did the Mehrikans lose?

  _Nofuhl._Reports are contradictory. According to one of their own writers ofthe period they suffered no loss whatever in vessels. Yet at the sametime he asserts, "We gave them Haleklumbya," which must be the name ofa ship.

  _Khan-li._A gallant fight! But can you explain how such an inferior peoplecould become heroic of a sudden?

  _Nofuhl._According to 'Ardfax, an early British historian, they were addictedto surprising feats upon the water. And this statement is borne out bya Spanish admiral, Offulbad-shoota, who maintains that the Mehrikans,being a godless people, were aided by the devil.

  _2d July_

  We are on the river that leads to "Washington." Grip-til-lah says weshall sight it to-morrow. The river is a dirty color.

  _3d July_

  We see ahead of us the ruins of a great dome, also a very high shaft.Probably they belong to the city we seek.

  "We see ahead of us the ruins of a great dome, also avery high shaft."]

  _4th July_

  A date we shall not forget!

  Little did I realize this morning when we left the _Zlotuhb_ in suchhilarious mood what dire events awaited us. I landed about noon,accompanied by Nofuhl, Lev-el-Hedyd, Bhoz-ja-khaz, Ad-el-pate,Kuzundam the first mate, Tik'l-palyt the cook, Fattan-laiz-eh, andtwo sailors. Our march had scarce begun when a startling discoverycaused great commotion in our minds. We had halted at Nofuhl'srequest, to decipher the inscription upon a stone, when Lev-el-Hedyd,who had started on, stopped short with a sudden exclamation. Wehastened to him, and there, in the soft earth, was the imprint ofhuman feet!

  I cannot describe our surprise. We decided to follow the footprints,and soon found they were leading us toward the great dome moredirectly than we could have gone ourselves. Our excitement was beyondwords. Those of us who had weapons carried them in readiness. The pathwas little used, but clearly marked. It wound about among fallenfragments and crumbling statues, and took us along a wide avenuebetween buildings of vast size and solidity, far superior to any wehad seen in Nhu-Yok. It seemed a city of monuments.

  Through the Streets of "Washington."]

  As we ascended the hill to the great temple and saw it through thetrees rising high above us, we were much impressed by its vast sizeand beauty. Our eyes wandered in admiration over the massive columns,each hewn from a single block, still white and fresh as if newlyquarried. The path took us under one of the lower arches of thebuilding, and we emerged upon the other side. This front we found evenmore beautiful than the one facing the city. At the centre was aflight of steps of magnificent proportions, now falling asunder andovergrown in many places with grass and flowers.

  The Ruins of the Great Temple]

  These steps we ascended. As I climbed silently up, the othersfollowing, I saw two human feet, the soles toward us, resting upon thebalustrade above. With a gesture I directed Nofuhl's attention tothem, and the old man's eyes twinkled with delight. Was it a Mehrikan?I confess to a lively excitement at the prospect of meeting one. Howmany were they? and how would they treat us?

  Looking down upon my little band to see that all were there, I boldlymarched up the remaining steps and stood before him.

  He was reclining upon a curious little four-legged seat, with his feetupon the balustrade, about on a level with his head. Clad in skins andrough cloth he looked much like a hunter, and he gazed quietly uponme, as though a Persian noble were a daily guest. Such a reception wasnot gratifying, especially as he remained in the same position, noteven withdrawing his feet. He nodded his curious head down once and upagain, deeming it apparently a sufficient salutation.

  "He remained in the same position, not even withdrawinghis feet."]

  The maintenance of my own dignity before my followers forbade mystanding thus before a seated barbarian, and I made a gesture for himto rise. This he answered in an unseemly manner by ejecting from hismouth a brownish fluid, projecting it over and beyond the balustradein front of him. Then looking upon me as if about to laugh, and yetwith a grave face, he uttered something in an unmusical voice which Ifailed to understand.

  The Feet upon the Portico.]

  Upon this Nofuhl, who had caught the meaning of one or two words,stepped hastily forward and addressed him in his own language. But thebarbarian understood with difficulty and they had much trouble inconversing, chiefly from reason of Nofuhl's pronunciation. Heafterward told me that this man's language differed but little fromthat of the Mehrikans, as they wrote it eleven centuries ago.

  When he finally arose in talking with Nofuhl I could better observehim. He was tall and bony, with an awkward neck, and appeared at firstglance to be a man of forty years. We decided later he was underthirty. His yellow skin and want of hair made him seem much older thanhe was. I was also much puzzled by the expression of his face. It wasone of deep sadness, yet his eyes were full of mirth, and a corner ofhis mouth was ever drawing up as if in mockery. For myself I liked nothis manner. He appeared little impressed by so many strangers, andbore himself as though it were of small importance whether weunderstood him or not. But Nofuhl since informed me that he asked amultitude of questions concerning us.

  The Man]

  What Nofuhl gathered was this:

  This Mehrikan with his wife and one old man were all that remained ofhis race. Thirty-one had died this summer. In ancient times there weremany millions of his country-men. They were the greatest nation uponthe earth. He could not read. He had two names, one was "Jon," theother he had forgotten. They lived in this temple because it was cool.When the temple was built, and for what purpose, he could not tell. Hepointed to the West and said the country in that direction wascovered with ruined cities.

  When Nofuhl told him we were friends, and presented him at mydirection with a hunting-knife of fine workmanship, he pushed out hisright arm toward me and held it there. For an instant Nofuhl looked atthe arm wonderingly, as did we all, then with sudden intelligence heseized the outstretched hand in his own, and moved it up and down.This was interesting, for Nofuhl tells me it was a form of greetingamong the ancient Mehrikans.

  While all this was going on we had moved into the great circular hallbeneath the dome. This hall was of vast proportions, and there werestill traces of its former splendor. Against the walls were marblestatues entwined in ivy, looking down upon us with melancholy eyes.Here also we met a thin old man, whose hairless head and beardlessface almost moved us to mirth.

  At Nofuhl's request our host led the way into some of the smallerrooms to show us their manner of living, and it would be impossible toimagine a more pathetic mixture of glory and decay, of wealth andpoverty, of civilization and barbarity. Old furniture, dishes ofsilver, bronze images, even paintings and ornaments of great valuewere scattered through the rooms, side by side with the most primitiveimplements. It was plain the ancient arts were long since forgotten.

  When we returned to the circular hall our host disappeared for a fewmoments into a room which he had not shown us. He came back bringing astone vase with a narrow neck, and was followed by a maiden who boredrinking-cups of copper and tin. These she deposited upon a fallenfragment of the dome which served as a table.

  This girl was interesting. A dainty head, delicate features, yellowhair, blue eyes, and a gentle sadness of mien that touched my heart.Had she be
en ugly what a different ending to this day!

  We all saluted her, and the Mehrikan spoke a few words which weinterpreted as a presentation. He filled the cups from the stone vase,and then saying something which Nofuhl failed to catch, he held hiscup before his face with a peculiar movement and put it to his lips.As he did this Lev-el-Hedyd clutched my arm and exclaimed:

  "The very gesture of the ghost!"

  And then as if to himself, "And this is July fourth."

  But he drank, as did we all, for our thirst was great and the odor ofthe golden liquid was most alluring. It tasted hotter than the firesof Jelbuz. It was also of great potency and gave a fine exhilarationto the senses. We became happier at once.

  And here it was that Ja-khaz did a fatal thing. Being near the maidand much affected by her beauty, he addressed her as _Hur-al-missa_ (themost angelic of women), which, of course, she understood not. Thiswere well had he gone no further, but he next put his arm about herwaist with intent to kiss her. Much terrified, she tried to freeherself. But Ja-khaz, holding her fair chin with his other hand, hadbrought his lips almost to hers when the old man raised his heavystaff and brought it down upon our comrade's head with cruelswiftness. This falling stick upon a solid skull resounded about thedome and echoed through the empty corridors.

  Bhoz-ja-khaz blinked and staggered back.