He went on: “At first I was jealous of you, and quite naturally so.
Satan was a particularly loyal henchman of mine, and it was my influence
that fostered and perpetuated his original hostility toward you. But now
Satan is dead, so let the past stay gone. I no longer bear you any ill
will, for I have seen that the Princess Lilla is even more averse to the
stranger from Minos than she ever was to her devoted cousin. So now I am
willing to take a chance on you as a rival, and enlist your support and
assistance in my efforts to rescue our beloved princess from the
Formians, and return her to her own country.”
All this he hurriedly told me in the room into which he had dragged me.
Of course I was horrified at the part which he had played; but,
appreciating his change of heart, I assured him that I was willing to
help him rescue the Princess.
Then he outlined his plans.
_9_
the rescue
The idea was for Yuri to return to Cupia, as that would make the ant-men
less suspicious. Ever since the Department of Eugenics had changed their
plans with respect to the princess, Yuri had been carefully watched for
fear that he would do the obvious thing and try to return her to Cupia.
In fact, although he had made up his mind many days ago to enlist my
support, yet he had been so closely shadowed that it was only now that
he had been able to make my acquaintance and snatch a few hurried words
with me. And even now every moment that we spent together rendered the
danger of our detection just so much more imminent.
“On my return to Cupia,” he said, “I shall wait at the Third Gate, where
the guard will be duly bribed to let you through if you should succeed
in reaching it. Of course, the Formians will trust Lilla much more
freely with Myles Cabot than they would with Prince Yuri, due to their
intense desire to perpetuate the race of Minos, so you will have plenty
of opportunity to convey these plans to Lilla and to arrange for her
flight.
“All the details have been carefully thought out. I will leave my
kerkool behind at the kerkool-ool at Wautoosa for you to use.
“One of the city gates opens directly from the kerkool-ool onto the main
traveled highway, and the guard there is a henchman of mine, who has
already been instructed to let you pass. I have even had the forethought
to prepare a forged passport which will get you and Lilla safely by
ant-men who might see fit to stop you and question you on the road.”
I assented to all these arrangements. How glad I was of an opportunity
to be of service to Lilla! Yuri might be willing to take a chance with
me as a rival, based on the well-known fact that the princess had
greeted me with horror at our first meeting and had with difficulty been
induced to associate with me even after my triumphant return from Mooni
with my means for radio communication. But Yuri did not know how
splendidly we had been getting along together during the past few
sangths, and I thought it just as well not to tell him. Here was a
chance to do a favor for Princess Lilla and at the same time free myself
from my ant captors.
So I assured Yuri that I would cooperate to the utmost.
We patted each other’s cheeks to bind the bargain; and then, he first
and I a few minutes later, sneaked out of the room, without either of us
being observed.
I hastened to the quarters of the princess and told her the entire plan,
to which she gladly agreed.
A few nights later it was an easy matter for Lilla and me to meet by
prearrangement at the city kerkool-ool. With my false antennae and
artificial wings, I looked very much like a Cupian as it was; and, with
the addition of automobile goggles, which the kerkool-oolo
(garage-keeper) supplied me, I would have been willing to challenge
anyone to tell me from the genuine article.
Yuri’s kerkool was very similar to the ant-man’s kerkool in which I had
returned from my ill-fated bee hunt, but it was smaller and provided
with seats very much like those of an earthly automobile. This was a
great relief, as it was very tiring to drive a kerkool standing up, as
is the habit among the ant-men.
We settled ourselves in the car, thanked the attendant, and soon were on
the open road headed for the Cupian boundary and freedom.
Thus far our plans had been carried out like clockwork, and yet this
fact made it seem all the more likely that there was trouble ahead. I
was filled with suspense and excitement; and evidently my companion was
under much the same strain, for she clung to my left arm with both her
little hands. I could feel her heart beating heavily and rapidly against
my side, and every now and then she would shiver, although the night was
warm. I longed to draw her to me and comfort her, but the kerkool
demanded all my attention; and besides she was a princess of the royal
house of Cupia, and I—why, I was probably merely an educated animal.
Yet her intimate presence thrilled me, and her confiding trust gave me
courage to face any dangers. No longer was she the haughty regal
princess; she was now merely a very frightened little girl; and,
manlike, I gloried in my protective strength.
It was a long time since I had taken an automobile ride with a girl. The
night was warm and moist and fragrant, as are all nights of Poros. I had
not been a drinking man on earth, and on the planet Venus I have never
chewed the saffra root, but I can never wish for a more intoxicating and
exhilarating experience than that ride through the warm fragrant velvet
blackness of the Porovian night, with my princess snuggled close at my
side.
There wasn’t much opportunity for conversation, however, for I was such
a novice with these machines that I had to keep pretty much of my entire
attention on the control levers and on the road ahead.
All went nicely until at a turn of the road I saw a Formian standing
ahead of me, holding up one paw as the signal for us to stop. So I
halted the kerkool.
“Who are you?” he asked.
But I had already prepared the replies to such an expected catechism,
and so answered readily enough: “We are Jodek and Janek, students at the
University of Mooni, now bound for the Royal University of Cupia.”
Jodek and Janek being two very common names on Poros, like Smith and
Jones on the earth.
“This road does not run from Mooni,” said the sentinel, “but rather from
Wautoosa; and I well know that there are no Cupians at Wautoosa.”
“Then that very piece of knowledge of yours,” I countered, “should
convince you that we are not from Wautoosa. As a matter of fact, we are
from Saltona”—which was the name of the farming village where I had
hunted the whistling bees—“where we were sent by the university
authorities to study a new breed of green cows which has been produced
there. We left Saltona early this morning and came through Wautoosa
about an hour ago. See, here is our pass.”
And I showed him an official Formian pass signed by one of the Council
of Twelve, and authorizing Jodek and Janek, with one kerkool and their
baggage to leave the country by the Third Gate.
So far as I could see, there was not the slightest flaw in my story, nor
even anything to arouse his suspicion. But evidently the ant-man thought
differently, for he proceeded to question me in detail.
“Whose kerkool is that?”
This was a question which I had not expected. It suddenly occurred to me
that, as this was Yuri’s kerkool, it might bear some identifying royal
insignia which I had not noticed. And yet it would probably be unwise to
admit that it was his, for such an admission might suggest to an
intelligent sleuth hound such as my inquisitor seemed to be, that my
companion might be the Princess Lilla.
What seemed a happy inspiration came to my mind, and I answered: “This
kerkool belongs to Prince Toron of Cupia, now assigned to the same
department in which we have been studying at Mooni.”
“And what department may that be?”
“Agriculture, of course.”
“Is that how you came to be studying the cows?”
“Yes.”
I heard Lilla gasp, and felt her hands tighten convulsively on my arm.
Evidently I had made some misplay.
Several more questions he asked, at which I got more and more rattled.
Then abruptly he said: “There is something wrong here. For some
unaccountable reason I suspected you from the first, and evidently my
suspicions were correct. Your passport is invalid. It is dated three
days ago and purports to be signed by No. 340-7-11. Yet he ceased to be
a member of the Imperial Council over a sangth ago. Then this is not the
kerkool to which I have been accustomed as Prince Toron’s. You see, I am
recently from Mooni myself. Prince Toron is assigned to the electrical,
and not the agricultural, department; and, anyhow, they don’t teach
about cows under the head of agriculture. Accordingly your entire story
breaks down, and I shall be compelled to hold you until I can notify my
superiors. You see—”
I saw all right. And I didn’t intend to permit him to finish his
harangue. So while his attention was still directed upon his own good
opinion of himself as a detective, I threw the car into full speed
ahead, thus putting an end to the sentry’s conversation. In fact, it
nearly put an end to the sentry himself. But, instead of having sense
enough to run him down, I instinctively steered around him.
Of course, he immediately gave the alarm, and soon Lilla informed me
that she could see the lights of a pursuing kerkool behind us on the
road.
Then I began to have difficulty with the controls of the car. It started
to wabble uncertainly, although it did not decrease its speed.
“Do you understand these machines?” I asked.
“Yes,” she replied, “I frequently have driven one.”
“What seems to be the matter with it now?”
She thought a moment intently, and then answered: “It seems to me that
the gyroscopes are slowing down. If this be so, we must come to a stop
directly, or the kerkool will overturn.”
I decided to take her advice; and so, stopping the kerkool as quickly as
possible, we each seized a small spotlight with which the car was
equipped, and struck off into the dense woods that lined the road.
A few moments later I heard the pursuing car crash into our deserted
one. I had hoped that my maneuver might effectively wreck our pursuers,
but apparently it did not do so, for soon I heard the sounds of ant-men
following us through the wood.
As we were not using our lights, they could not follow us by sight, and,
as we were not talking, they could not follow us by sound, for of course
they could hear nothing but radiations from our antennae, regardless of
how we crashed through the underbrush. Luckily I thought of this and so
did not waste any time in trying to be noiseless.
The sound of the ant-men grew fainter and fainter behind us, until
suddenly we stumbled into a network of ropes. It was an old and stale
spider’s web. Immediately a bright idea occurred to me, and flashing on
my light, I hunted for, and found, the spider’s cave; and into it I led
the princess.
The tunnel of the spider was about four feet in diameter. I crawled
ahead on my hands and knees, and the princess followed me.
“They’ll never think to look for us in a deserted spider nest,” said I
in a low voice, and was just about to add some more reassuring words
when Lilla broke in with “Quick, Myles there’s something following us!”
“Get behind me,” I cautioned as I hurriedly wheeled and crawled past
her.
True! Something was following us down the passage. I switched on my
flash-light, and found myself face to face with a huge spider. So the
nest had not been deserted after all!
The spider steadily approached. I held my ground, and Lilla cowered
behind me. One touch of his horrid spit meant certain death, as I well
knew, and yet how could I combat him? At least, I could die fighting.
And when he had killed us both, there was the satisfaction of knowing
that Yuri would never learn what had become of us and would always
picture us together somewhere, safe from his clutches. And who knows but
perhaps he would be right, if God provided the same heaven for both
Cupians and earth folk.
All these thoughts ran through my head in much less time than it takes
to set them down. And then I prepared to defend myself, or rather to
defend the beautiful creature who depended upon me.
I had no weapon. I did not even have anything to use for a weapon,
except the folding umbrella which hung at my side.
These umbrellas are of a very light but strong construction. The ribs
and handle are made of alloy steel of a great springiness. The covering
is remarkable opaque silk cloth. When open they are about four feet in
diameter and closely resembled an ordinary parasol such as we have on
earth. But when closed they are scarcely larger than a rolled-up copy of
a magazine.
Accordingly, in the folded condition in which it hung at my side, it was
not likely to prove of much value for defensive purposes; so I
endeavored to extend it to its full length, and had to open it first in
order to do so. The opened umbrella entirely filled the tunnel, with its
point toward the spider and its handle toward me. In an instant I
realized that I had effectively blocked the way against my adversary.
The umbrella, although not much good as a sword, might prove quite
valuable as a shield.
And so it turned out. The spider hurled himself against it, rending the
silk cover, but driving the ends of the ribs firmly into the walls of
the passageway. The spring steel proved strong enough to withstand his
onslaught, so Lilla and I withdrew out of reach of his legs and waited
further developments.
We had not long to wait, for soon we heard the radiations of ant-men
outside the entrance.
“They must have gone in here,” said one, “for it is here that I saw
their lights flash and heard the scream.”
A light appeared at the opening, and I could see that the spider had
turned around and was now facing the other way.
Evidently our pursuers could see this, too, for one of them remarked,
“The spider has got them cooped in there. Come, you keep his attention
diverted while we go around behind and dig them out.”