Making his way forward, Freddy found a narrow gap around the closed landing ramp. He put his mouth to it and gratefully sucked pure air. Kneeling down, he discovered that it was possible to see below. It was getting dark, but they appeared to be passing over a considerable body of marshy water. As he watched, a high, rocky island hove into view, the greater part of it clothed with a good-sized town. At its heart and towering above it was a mighty citadel of stone and bronze.
Others joined him.
'Looks like the Venusian capital,' observed Charles.
'Why do you say that?'
'Pretty obvious, surely?'
'Yes, it is Faluaan,' said the Captain. 'See in the middle? That is the Royal palace.'
'What will happen now?' asked Freddy.
'We die, I think,' said the Tuuntu grimly. 'Or worse.'
'Let the Jalaapa do its own work,' admonished the Captain. 'If we are to avoid its embrace we must make a plan. I suggest we use our key to release the thaalid. When we land, we will expel them onto the landing ground. By then it will be night and in the resulting chaos we may be able to pass unseen. There are those in Faluaan who might be prepared to help us, if we can get to them.'
'And what of the slavers?' asked the Tuuntu. 'They know we are loose, and they are armed.'
'That is true, but only one can pass at a time through the trap-door, and there we will be waiting for him. I think it more likely they will stay out of harm's way and try to attract the attention of the guards. That may gain us a little time. Come, we must begin.'
He passed the key to a lieutenant who began to open the cages, holding a sleeve to his face against the stench from their occupants. Soon they were knee-deep in scuttling juveniles; their older brethren wandering dazed and confused among them.
Amid all this, one of the ishtaarid hustled forward the slavers' crippled servant, who'd been lurking somewhere out of sight. The Captain began angrily to address him in Venusian, but drawing himself up as best he could, the creature responded in a quiet and dignified manner, occasionally glancing at the two Earthlings and ending with a defiant 'Vinapoo Voorni!'
'I understood that all right,' said Freddy, 'but what was the rest of it?'
The Captain looked puzzled. 'He asked to speak to you. I told him I should rather break his neck for betraying his master, to which he had the temerity to reply that he served first his goddess and was not afraid to die for her. He then offered to hide you when we land, and if possible return you to Dameefu so that you might continue your search for her. What do you think of that?'
'It is absurd,' sneered the Tuuntu. 'How can he do such a thing? He is dangerously ijaanu and should be killed. And where did he learn such good Venusian? Certainly not in Dameefu.'
The Captain laughed. 'Nor from these Hakiid, I think! However, he does not lack courage, and I admire that, even in a thaal. Since we have nothing to lose by it, I suggest we accept his offer. Be sure I will leave him in no doubt as to his fate if he fails us.'
With a small bump, they put down on the rapidly darkening landing field, the hiss of the engines falling slowly silent. The ishtaarid immediately lowered the ramp and began to drive the terrified juveniles out of the aircraft, thus obliging the adults to follow. Meanwhile from the safety of the navigation deck the slavers set up a great hue and cry.
'Do you know the bathhouse in the Fountain Gardens?' asked the Captain.
The Tuuntu nodded. 'Yes, of course.'
'That is where this creature will meet us if we are separated. It is a good choice, for it is little frequented at night. Not that I intend to let him out of my sight.'
But already shadowy figures could be seen running towards them in response to the slavers' cries, and indicating which way they should go, their mysterious benefactor shambled off into the night, followed by the others. Weak with hunger and exhaustion, Freddy tried his best to keep up with them, but his leg so pained him from the ant-sting that he could scarcely walk, and he almost immediately lost them amongst the confusedly milling thaalid. A few yards away a spaceship began to take off in a dazzling blaze of light, its noise deafening him. It was only after it had departed that he heard Charles's voice raised in outraged protest and saw his familiar silhouette struggling with several others. As Freddy moved uncertainly to intervene, the ground disappeared from beneath him and he found himself tumbling head over heels into inky blackness.
Later he thought he must have been knocked briefly unconscious, for the next thing he knew, the shouts and screams from above were much diminished and there was a painful rising bump on his head. Feeling about him, he deduced that he had fallen headlong down a flight of steps into what appeared to be a narrow alley. Caring only that it seemed to lead away from the landing-field he stumbled to his feet and groped blindly onwards.
Eventually, after several maze-like twists and turns, he noisily encountered what, judging by its shape and the smell of its contents, could only be a Venusian dustbin. It was standing, as dustbins are wont to do, beside a door set in the alley wall. After straining for a while to hear what might be on the other side, he at last gave it a diffident push, revealing a large courtyard, gratefully illuminated by topiary shrubs in pots. At first he shrank back into the shadows, but fearful of pursuit and emboldened by the peaceful domestic air of the place he eventually stepped inside.
Across the courtyard, a further door led into what proved to be a substantial town house, its cool and spacious rooms with their piles of cushions and intricately woven carpets speaking of somewhat oriental comfort. Tasteful arrangements of new-cut foliage continued the soft light of the courtyard.
'Hullo?' called Freddy. 'Is anybody there?'
But no-one answered, and desperate now to fill his belly at whatever cost he set out to find the Venusian equivalent of "below stairs." A faint redolence of thaal eventually drew him to a kitchen and a well-stocked pantry – such abundance! – where he dined hurriedly off some cold meat and most of a large loaf of paan, washing it down with something that tasted pleasantly of sherbet.
Thus fortified, he continued his exploration, finding what he assumed to be a street door in the conventional place at the end of a long hallway, and an equally conventional staircase. Up this he made his way, eventually entering what a washstand with strop and razor told him was a man's bedroom. Here, rooting through a large press, he exchanged his rags for some outrageous purple knickerbockers, orange stockings, and a type of collarless shirt that he'd seen the Tuuntu wearing during their voyage from Earth. All were rather too large for him in his emaciated state, but fortunately the trouser belt was well supplied with holes.
In a corner of the room, behind a curtain, he was surprised to find, standing open, a thick and heavy door, fitted with a stout lock and two bronze bolts. Over it was chiselled a rune-like inscription in what he assumed to be Venusian script, the first he had ever seen. He felt that it must have some special significance if he could but read it, but all he found within was a little self-contained suite, its single bedroom clearly belonging to a young woman or nearly grown child. Shelves and a dressing-table were spread with girlish clutter, a pretty dress was flung across the comfortable-looking bed, and neatly tucked under its brightly embroidered counterpane was a large rag doll such as any Earth-child might have.
For a few moments Freddy stared bleakly about that pleasant little room, then succumbed at last to grief. Sinking to his knees beside the bed he wept long and bitterly for the brave little maid whom he had come to love – just as this child was so clearly loved – but had left to die all alone in the wilderness. In a rare moment of despair it seemed to him entirely possible that he was now the only one of his party left alive, a lone fugitive on a strange world, many millions of miles from home. Even if his friends had somehow survived, how could he ever hope to find them again? It seemed more likely that he would soon be joining sweet Agnes in heaven, if St Peter would let him in.
But thoughts of heaven soon brought to mind, as they always did, his lost wartime pals; old Basher
Barstow who'd been gassed and little Jimmy Turner, shot at Verdun, and countless others. Not for them the luxury of giving up when the going got hard. They had, perforce, fought bravely to the bitter end, and he somehow felt he would be letting them down if he didn't do the same. He ought to anyway, for Agnes' sake
He considered his unwitting hosts. It appeared they were civilised folk. At any rate they were clearly not entirely devoid of the finer feelings. Might they not be prevailed upon, if not to help him, at least to set him in the right direction? He had only to wait until they came home, and perhaps in the meantime have a little sleep. He desperately needed to sleep. But then he heard, from somewhere outside, the muted sound of voices. Furtively parting the heavy drapes at the end of the room, he discovered not a conventional window but the merest embrasure, such as one might find in a mediaeval castle, opening inwards in a V shape in the considerable thickness of the wall.
It was then that he recognised the peril of his situation. This was Venus, where a family's most valuable possession was their precious daughter, the future head of the house, who must be protected at all costs from undesirable suitors and those who would carry her off into imprisonment and forced marriage. Yet here he was, a strange male, wandering in what must surely be her secret and fortified apartment.
Freddy ran. Better to be discovered anywhere than there! Crossing again the bare boards of the landing and looking out of another, more conventional, window, he saw two thaal servants, smartly clad in matching breechclouts and little caps. They were in the courtyard below, engaged in altercation. It seemed by their gestures that one was upbraiding the other for leaving open the door through which he had entered. Even as he watched, it was crabbily slammed shut and locked. No escape that way. Perhaps he could hide somewhere until everyone was asleep? But tiptoeing downstairs he discovered another thaal in the very act of letting a fat and prosperous-looking man – no doubt his master – into the house. Seizing his chance, Freddy made a dash for it, shoving past the startled pair and limping away as fast as he could down the darkened street.
Terror leant him wings, and he didn't stop until he found himself in a broad and busy boulevard, lined with pavement cafès and little open-fronted shops. Only now did he look anxiously behind him. No-one appeared to be following and, exhausted, he threw himself down upon one of the many public benches. Although it was night, the shops and eating places appeared to be doing a brisk trade, the street thronging with brightly dressed people, all illuminated by the glow of tall, handsome trees.
For a while he was quite overwhelmed by the sights and sounds of this busy town and could only sit and stare, his heart still pounding under his ribs. But eventually he decided he had better move on, if only to avoid attracting attention. Everyone seemed to be moving in one direction, so Freddy did the same. Indeed, he would have had some difficulty in fighting against the human tide. Most were on foot, but some were riding a deux in the Venusian equivalent of a sedan chair, each borne along by a team of thaalid. There appeared to be no wheeled traffic or even any pack animals, their place being taken by a multitude of slaves, many carrying heavy-looking loads upon their backs or slung between them on poles.
Ahead, he could see that the street terminated in a large open space, dominated on the far side by the towering walls of the Royal Palace, and it was with some relief that he discovered great fountains playing, their drifting spray wonderfully cooling the sultry night air. Perhaps the crippled thaal's rendezvous was not far off?
Then he heard the music. Not just any music but a passable rendition of "I'm sorry Sally," or something sounding remarkably like it, and wondering how on earth it came to be in such a place he was carried by the crowd into a huge marquee. Here he found the band, comprising a dozen or so thaal performers, high on a flower-bedecked stage. Many of the instruments he failed to recognise, and some of those playing them seemed not to be very proficient, but all in all he found their eccentrically syncopated version of that popular tune quite appealing, almost hypnotic. This was as well, for in the half-hour he spent there, they never once played anything else, or stopped playing. All around him, people were dancing. Indeed, there appeared to be several dances of various kinds going on at once, all seemingly without reference to the music.
Weaving among the dancers, as if dancing themselves, were the sedan chairs. Each invariably contained a young woman and another d'un certain âge, perhaps her mother or a chaperone. Once in a while, a chair would stop before the stage and its younger passenger disembark. Slowly ascending to the band, she would turn often to acknowledge the clapping, whistling and catcalling that her appearance invariably provoked. Then, standing before them, she would preen and curtsey and blow kisses to the multitude, the applause rising to a crescendo until, at a sign from her older companion, she would blushingly return to the chair and make way for the next "performer." All were dressed in recognisably Earthling garments, ranging from Victorian crinolines to the fashions of a generation ago, but always with the uniquely Venusian addition of bright, often clashing, colours. The more modern those fashions were, and the prettier the wearer, the more applause she got. Meanwhile, the dancing would continue. It was all very queer.
After a while, Freddy began to notice that he was attracting some inquisitive glances and decided to look for the bathhouse before he got into trouble. As he turned to go, he noticed a group of Purple ishtaarid, readily identified by the Venusian fighting man's uniform of doublet, hose and leather codpiece. He began to hurry towards the exit and was alarmed to note that the soldiers did the same, pushing the revellers aside in their haste to keep up with him. All seemed lost, when suddenly his path was blocked by one of the sedan chairs, and a rather peculiar voice squeaked, 'Get in.' Its curtains were closed but Freddy slipped between them and crammed himself with some difficulty into the vacant seat. Turning, he saw beside him a huge woman, so swathed in purple chiffon that he could see only her eyes. The chair immediately set off again, borne by its panting team of thaalid.
'Good evening, Earthling,' said the woman. 'I am very pleased to make your acquaintance. I fall.'
Freddy sighed with relief. 'And a very good evening to you, Tuuntu Borsu. How did you find me?'
Looking a little put out, the Captain of Ships drew aside his veil. 'Ha, of course! You know my smell. Call me Veldo if you wish. It seemed likely that you would find your way here, and Venusians do not shave their heads.'
Freddy ran a rueful hand over his balding pate. 'Well I'm very glad to see you again, Veldo. Where are we going?'
'By your leave, the bathhouse. I have no other plan. But first we will make a little journey to confuse those who would follow us. You must allow, it is a clever disguise of mine, for none dare trouble a respectable matron of the Purple.' He leant forward. 'Imish!'
But the soldiers were not so readily shaken off, and more seemed to be joining the chase. Outside the marquee the crowd was thinner, and one of their pursuers, clearly an officer, managed to get in front of them, obliging the thaal bearers to either stop or run him down. 'Please do not be alarmed, Mr Carstairs,' he said. 'We wish only to talk to you.'
The Captain of Ships kept their curtains firmly closed. 'If you persist in detaining me, you ruffian,' he said, in his high-pitched woman's voice, 'I shall be obliged to call for help,' and he immediately began to cry out and make a terrible fuss in Venusian. After a while, people turned to see what was going on. A few youngsters tried to peer inside the chair but the women in the crowd began to surround and rebuke the officer for his impertinence, one of them even stabbing a finger at his chest for emphasis.
'Imish, baan!' Hissed Veldo. And seizing their chance, the bearers swiftly moved away into the crowd. At first they had to fight their way among the milling revellers, but soon they turned into a maze of darkened residential streets and there was silence, save for the pattering of eight horny feet.
Freddy wondered how the officer had learned his name. Surely not from Charles? But then he remembered Tuuntu Haramu. Such
was his fear of the jalaapa that he would probably tell his interrogators anything they wanted to know.
One of the streets seemed uncomfortably familiar. 'Tell me,' said Freddy, scarcely daring to look out. 'What would happen if one were to be inadvertently discovered in a young woman's bedroom? Speaking hypothetically, of course.'
The Captain of Ships roared with laughter. 'This old man is what I shall one day be! Young eh? Was she unmarried? Her father would have caused you to lose all interest in such adventures; that is, if her thaalid didn't get you first. I must advise you not to try it again, my friend. Ah, the bathhouse.'
They climbed stiffly out beside a nondescript stone building, Veldo dismissing the chair with a wave.
'You do not see my men? Good! They are concealed all around us, those who were not recaptured. Let us enter.'
From across the park they could faintly hear the music in the marquee, but in the bathhouse it was very dark and silent. Freddy could discern little but the occasional glint from what he assumed was the central pool. He imagined swimming must be very popular with the urban Venusians, in order to gain some relief from the planet's relentless heat.
'Don't fall in,' chuckled Veldo.
'Tell me,' said Freddy. 'What were those peculiar celebrations?'
'The presentations? It is the Queen's official birthday.'
'But the Queen is dead.'
'Be careful what you say! The Voorni never dies.'
Freddy was about to make some sort of apology when he was suddenly aware of strong, furry arms pinioning his own against his sides. He wondered if the creature had understood his unfortunate remark.
'A harsh voice whispered something in Venusian, immediately followed by a sharp yelp of pain.
'Dija taas!' snapped Veldo. 'How am I supposed to promise anything with your revolting hand in my mouth?' Freddy felt the arms holding him relax. It seemed they had been accepted for what they were.
There now began protracted and somewhat heated negotiations, eventually resulting in the surviving ishtaarid of the blue being called in. Alas, there remained only two. At length the whole party moved off, plunging into what appeared to be a steep-sided open drain, fortunately almost dry.
Storm on Venus Page 21
