inches deep, they looked about eagerly but in vain for some sign of the
_Sphere_, or of their erstwhile companions.
“There is nothing for us to do but to plod on against the wind until we
reach the point where we left the _Sphere_,” said Robert. “We should be
near where we slipped down before.”
“Lead on,” said Taggert.
* * * * *
Once more they plodded ahead, keeping close to the ice blocks on their
left. The now fine snow drove directly into their faces with stinging
force, making it almost impossible to keep their eyes open enough to
see.
For half an hour they pursued their way painfully. Only the exertion
kept them from freezing in the increasing cold. The fierce wind whined
about them hungrily, pitilessly, as if eager to make an end of them,
while the eddies and drifts of snow round each depression or rock grew
steadily deeper and more nearly impossible for them to plow through as
their strength waned.
Robert realized that ere this they should certainly have reached the
vicinity of the _Sphere_, but the snow restricted their view to a radius
of less than ten feet. Unless they were fortunate enough to run right up
on the _Sphere_, their chances of sighting it were remote. Even now they
had lost touch with the border of ice, and, but for the uniform slope of
the ground, and the general direction of the wind, would not have known
whether they were still following the shore in the original direction or
not. They shouted together many times but got no response. The snowfall
and howling wind so muffled their cries that they despaired of being
heard. Having continued on for some minutes longer they decided finally
to go no farther, as they were convinced that they had already passed
the point where they had left, the _Sphere_. A convenient rock, some ten
feet high and of about the same breadth, offered temporary shelter.
“If Professor Palmer fired a shot we should hear it here,” Taggert
suggested.
“I doubt it,” replied Robert. “This hubbub and the muffling effect of
the snowfall might drown a report within a hundred yards.”
Here a startling thought occurred to Robert. What if the Martians took
advantage of Professor Palmer’s isolation and made off with the
_Sphere_?
“Why the silence and corrugated brow?” queried Taggert “An idea?”
“An idea, but no good,” Robert responded, forcing a grin.
“Well, you needn’t grin about it. I don’t see anything comical about the
prospect of being buried under several tons of snow,” chided Taggert.
The wind had fashioned a sheltered hollow in the lee of the rock where
they had taken refuge. The intense cold which prevailed in spite of the
heavy snowfall, however, made it imperative that they keep in motion to
avoid being frozen. Already Robert recognized a warning feeling of
drowziness. He shook himself alert with an effort.
“Can’t sit here,” he said, suiting the action to the word by rising and
stamping his feet. Stabbings as of a thousand needles seemed to run
through them at first. If only there were some fuel! Matches they had in
plenty.
Taggert struck a listening attitude. A familiar humming was faintly
audible above the whine of the blizzard!
Together they listened with bated breath as the humming grew plainer.
Alas, a few moments later it passed away, and with it went their hopes.
“Missed us,” ejaculated Taggert, with an involuntary oath.
The realization that the _Sphere_ had just passed them by in a vain
search for them brought their already drooping spirits to zero for a
while. Here had been safety and comfort within perhaps a few rods, and
they had been unable to make their presence known. Robert pictured
Professor Palmer’s anxious gaze as he peered downward into the veil of
flying snow.
“Cheer up, Tag,” Robert admonished, with an attempt at enthusiasm which
his feelings belied. “The professor will be doubling back trying to find
us. He’ll run up on us yet.”
“Maybe he will--if he doesn’t bounce the old ball into the lake,”
replied Taggert, doubtfully. “Say, I wish one of us had brought a ‘gat’
along so that we could signal him if he gets near us again.”
For several minutes they stamped about their cramped shelter, beating
their arms round their bodies in an effort to keep up their circulation.
As the time slipped by without further sound of the _Sphere_ their hopes
dropped still lower. The situation was becoming desperate.
Their dismal reflections were abruptly interrupted by a resumption of
the humming sound, heralding the approach of the _Sphere_ again. Both
men stiffened, listening intently, the spark of revived hope burning
again within their breasts as the fleeting moments passed. Would the
_Sphere_ come close enough in this game of blind man’s buff to discover
them? Or would it pass them by again, leaving them finally to their
doom?
The prospect of freezing to death in the arctic region of a strange
planet seemed a dreadful thing. In the heat of battle a man may find
death in the midst of wild enthusiasm and patriotism. But here, hemmed
in by a wall of beautiful, but deadly, flying flakes, there was no
excitement to mask the death awaiting them--only a fearful realization
of their fate, millions of miles away from their countrymen--alone! Yet
in those fateful moments Robert’s thoughts were mainly of Zola. Would he
ever see her again?
With leaping heart he realized that the _Sphere_ was coming
closer--closer than before. He strained his eyes as he endeavored to
pierce the intangible walls of their vast prison. Ah, what was that dark
blur hurtling through the white froth? It was passing them by again. He
joined with Taggert in his shouts. Fools, to think their muffled cries
could rise above the tumult of the gale and the whir of the _Sphere’s_
machinery, piercing its thick, metal walls!
The fast-fading blur seemed to pause in its flight a moment. But even as
they dared to hope, it passed out of sight again. Then quite abruptly it
appeared again, this time moving toward them slowly, less than a dozen
feet above the ground. The _Sphere’s_ bulging walls plowed through the
snow as it swooped down, sending up a great flurry of the fine flakes.
Robert caught himself idly likening it to a cannon ball fired into a
great bin of flour.
His next recollection was of stumbling up the short flight of metal
stairs into the comfortable warmth of the _Sphere’s_ main chamber, aided
by Professor Palmer.
The Martians seemed genuinely concerned over their plight, and offered a
confusion of advice. Fortunately, neither Robert nor Taggert had
suffered any serious damage from their severe buffeting in the elements
and were soon quite comfortable.
Robert, unable to shake off a strange feeling that the princess was in
danger, and anxious to return to her in all haste, insisted on operating
the _Sphere_ again. The big metal ball fairly quivered as he utilized
its maximum power to reduce the distance between them and the capital as
rapidly as possible.
Exerting the full power of the disk, Robert shot the _Sphere_ upward.
Suddenly they emerged from the gray twilight of flying flakes into the
sunshine. Beneath them the turbulent mists boiled and tumbled as if with
anger over the escape of their prey.
A few minutes later Robert checked the _Sphere’s_ upward flight, darting
southward toward the metropolis and his princess at a terrific speed.
Darkness came on quickly after leaving the pole as they passed into the
night which had long since enveloped that part of the planet toward
which they were headed. Like a cannon ball the _Sphere_ roared
southward, the dim topography of the planet swaying dizzily below.
Prevailed upon by Robert, the others had decided to snatch some rest
after a light repast. But he felt no fatigue in his anxiety to reach the
princess.
The sun’s edge was peeping over the horizon once more as they neared
Svergad. The others woke up and watched their approach interestedly.
Soon the spires and domes of the northern metropolis appeared in the
distance. A few minutes later they were drifting preparatory to landing.
Suddenly one of the Martians gasped.
“The enemy!” he cried, pointing.
All eyes followed his outstretched arm. Thousands of tents dotted the
level plain beyond the city’s distant boundary, extending in all
directions and partly encircling the city!
19
Upon their arrival in the palace, Robert and his companions found the
royal household in an uproar. The emperor’s army, vastly superior in
numbers and weapons, had already fought its way round two sides of the
city and was fast surrounding it. Striking with unexpected promptness,
and transported swiftly the greater part of the distance by rail, the
advance forces had appeared before the city shortly after the _Sphere’s_
departure for the pole. Thus did the emperor elect to reply to Hakon’s
ultimatum. In another day the Svergadians expected to be in a state of
absolute siege.
It must not be supposed that the Martians had done away with arms and
soldiers, even though they enjoyed one universal government. Rebellions
were not unknown, and the central government had its hands full keeping
all factions quiet. Emperor Kharnov, himself a usurper, maintained a
strong army, ostensibly for policing and preserving order, but in
reality to protect himself against the aspirations of his numerous
enemies.
With but some seventy hours of food supply within the city boundaries,
the situation seemed desperate. So far, Kharnov had made no specific
demands, but it was expected that the conditions which he would dictate
after encircling the city would hinge upon the possession of Zola.
It was in this hour of impending disaster that Robert had greatness
thrust upon him. With implicit confidence in Robert’s ability, Hakon
begged him to take charge of his forces to resist the invader. Zola’s
trustful belief in him and her urging decided Robert. He became chief
commander of the besieged forces.
Immediately upon his appointment Robert in turn appointed Taggert as his
aid and placed Professor Palmer in charge of the palace defenses. His
next step was to organize an immediate surprize counter-attack upon the
invaders. Though he had not slept in many hours, during which time he
had endured much, Robert felt no desire for sleep. The excitement and
emergency confronting him buoyed him up for the time. He refused to rest
until forced to.
Another hasty ascent in the _Sphere_ revealed to them the exact
situation. The emperor’s main army had pushed northward along the
fertile region of one of the two great parallel canals. It had stopped
south of the metropolis, sending out smaller contingents in either
direction to begin the encircling movement. This movement had already
made considerable progress, encountering little resistance in the nearly
deserted, small outlying towns whose loyal defenders had all rallied to
Hakon’s main forces in Svergad. The right spur of the invaders had made
the most progress, having succeeded in pushing more than half-way round
the metropolis.
It was at this right spur that Robert decided to strike first, in an
attempt to take it by surprize, cutting it off from the main army, with
the hope of defeating it before the main army could come to its aid. He
also planned to launch an attack simultaneously upon the main army in an
effort to divert its attention from the spur.
A brief council of war with Hakon and his leaders followed, in which the
exact point of attacks were determined upon. Also, orders were wired to
all loyal pumping stations situated near the southern edge of the
regions loyal to Hakon to shut off the water supply. This would deprive
Kharnov’s supporters in the region of the equator of all water supplied
by ducts leading from the northern polar cap; thus the emperor’s armies
and his present supporters would soon be confronted with the difficult
problem of existing without water in many regions. An ultimatum,
demanding the immediate withdrawal of his forces and informing him of
the discontinuance of the water supply until his retreat was well under
way, was dispatched to Kharnov at once.
A system of signals from the _Sphere_ was decided upon. It was agreed
that, as a weapon of destruction and direction, the _Sphere_ was their
most powerful aid. The greatest concern was over the dwindling supply of
petrol in its tanks, and the extreme difficulty which Hakon’s best
chemists were having in obtaining enough of the planet’s meager supply
of mineral oils to produce any quantity of this fuel. Robert was facing
the alternative of either remaining to help defend Zola and her people
with the possibility of never being able to return to the Earth, or of
returning at once with the now barely sufficient supply of petrol to
make the trip. He felt that he owed his companions the chance to decide,
though he himself was determined to stand by the princess in any event.
“Old man, I’m with you to the finish. Aren’t we all partners in this
adventure anyway?” was Taggert’s reply when Robert told him of their
quandary.
And Professor Palmer echoed him.
Without further delay the attacks were launched. Lacking any means of
observation from above, the invaders were at a disadvantage in spite of
their superior numbers. The separation of the spur from the main body
was accomplished as planned, and a second body of Hakon’s men striking
at the head of the column of invaders completed their rout, killing many
and taking the rest prisoners.
The arms captured were a welcome acquisition; but the problem of feeding
several thousand prisoners was a difficult one. Fortunately, a small
food supply train was captured with them. They were immediately put to
work throwing up earthworks and conveying heavy equipment about.
One general and several other high officers were captured. A special
guard was set over these valuable hostages, for their possession would
be of advantage to Hakon when terms came to be considered.
During the attack Robert had directed his forces by means of a simple
smoke tube apparatus with which the _Sphere_ was equipped, and by means
of which long or short puffs of dense black smoke were ejected by
manipulation of a plunger. The smoke was produced in a small oven
chamber from ignited briquettes.
As the attack progressed perfectly, Robert did not utilize the terrible
destructive force of the Norrensen Tube. Owing to the small reserve of
petrol and consequently of electric energy depending upon it, he decided
to withhold all knowledge of this weapon from their enemies until a
particularly opportune time for its use presented itself. The enemy was
not so considerate of him, however. Several times projectiles fired by
their artillery screamed uncomfortably close past the _Sphere_.
Fortunately these had no means of bursting, there being no explosives
available on the planet.
The immediate effect of their successful attack upon the invaders was
the latters’ withdrawal of their left encircling spur, and an evident
preparation for a concentrated frontal attack.
Having looked to all important details of preparation to resist such an
attack, Robert snatched a few hours of sleep. He lay down with his
clothes on, exacting the promise that he would be wakened upon the first
signs of an actual attack. Pickets were posted so that the enemy could
not approach closer without their knowledge. The _Sphere_ had been
brought down again and Robert and his companions rested in their
quarters within the palace.
It was not till close upon dawn that Robert was aroused by Taggert’s
shaking him vigorously.
“Hate to do it, Bob,” he was saying, as Robert sat up suddenly, “but
those Wops are getting ready to raise hell again. Old Kharnov has sent a
note of defiance, stating that as he will shortly be in possession of
Svergad the temporary shutting off of the water supply doesn’t matter.”
Robert was on his feet in a moment and was striding through the doorway
when he became aware of a hesitant restraining hand upon his arm. He
turned to see Zola at his side. She crept into his arms.
“Darling!”
“Ah, my Robert, they would not let me come to you because Zola’s love
does not matter when everyone is so busy fighting. But I couldn’t let
you go away again without seeing you.”
“Little ghost! You come and go like a dream. How did you get here at
this time?”
“Taggert, he helped me. No one else knows but my maid.”
“Good old Tag! But now I must hurry, dear, to help fight for you.”
“Take me with you, Ro-bert.”
“Not now, sweetheart. Stay here in safety till I return, and then you
shall go back home with me if you wish,”
“And be with you always, my Robert?”
“Always!”
Here Taggert appeared suddenly, as from nowhere.
“Sorry to interrupt your tête-à-tête, people, but we must be getting
on.”
A hurried leave-taking followed. Zola placed in Robert’s hands a small
package, which he did not have time to examine then.
A thick haze hung over the dark landscape, which was just visible in the
dim starlight. A tense quiet prevailed.
The _Sphere’s_ stall was readied quickly. All was well, and a few
minutes later Robert and Taggert were rising rapidly in it above the
sleeping city. The package given Robert by Zola was discovered to
contain a small bottle of excellent wine and some _lana_, a nutritious
cake, both of which were quite welcome, as he had not eaten anything for
several hours.
Rising to a height of about four thousand feet, Robert allowed the
_Sphere_ to drift slowly over the enemy’s lines. With the ports open,
the sound of activity below came to them with startling clearness. It
was plain that preparations were being made for an attack on the city.
Robert had reduced the speed of the gyrostats to a minimum in order that
the invaders might not be aware of its proximity. Every light in the
_Sphere_ was extinguished. It hung above the busy Martians--a great,
dark globe of unsuspected menace.
Suddenly a sharp command rang out below. Immediately there followed a
series of flashes accompanied by a corresponding series of dull
thuds--sounds of the curious Martian electric artillery in action.
Robert’s heart sank as he thought of Zola’s danger.
With the first thuds of the artillery below and the answering fire from
the metropolis, the entire plain seemed fairly to seethe with activity.
Bugles were blown, and commands rang out above the other sounds.
Robert switched on the _Sphere’s_ giant searchlight. A blinding shaft of
light shot down upon the broiling mass of humanity beneath. A great cry
of consternation was wafted up to them.
“Not exactly elated at our presence,” remarked Taggert, dryly.
“We’ll be about as welcome as a plague a few minutes from now,” remarked
Robert.
Swinging the reflector about, he followed every movement of the army of
invaders, pausing at intervals to flash instructions to the defenders by
a prearranged code of signals corresponding to the smoke signals of the
day. Already the enemy was swarming upon the small force of defenders in
the outskirts of the metropolis.
Several projectiles sang past the _Sphere_, indicating that the invaders
were not going to submit to its presence idly. A number of smaller
searchlights were directed upon it from beneath, almost blinding Robert
and Taggert as their eyes sought to pierce the darkness below. The
invaders were not without defense.
Adopting a swift, staggered course, Robert managed partly to avoid the
blinding beams of light. Instructing Taggert to continue these tactics,
Robert prepared to use the _Sphere’s_ powerful weapon, the Norrensen
Tube, against their enemies. He prayed only that it would not fail him
now, and that their power would hold out long enough.
Calling out to Taggert to steady the _Sphere’s_ course, Robert carefully
aimed the tube into the thickest of the invaders where Taggert played
the searchlight’s shaft back and forth. Robert pulled the lever
releasing the lightning bolt!
A blinding flash, and a rending crash followed! The _Sphere_ vibrated
like a violin string. Only the goggles which they wore made it possible
for Robert and Taggert to look upon the jagged pillar of incandescent
flame which spattered upon the plain below with terrific force. So swift
and brilliant was its course, that almost ere it had registered upon the
retina of their eyes, it was gone, leaving them nearly powerless to see.
When they were again able to see and hear with fair distinctness, they
became aware of a great hubbub below. The firing of the artillery had
ceased and the attack of the invaders had turned into a rout. Hakon’s
men were driving them back like sheep!
“God!” ejaculated Taggert, for once jarred out of his habitual
sangfroid.
Robert was silent.
A vast pit was visible where the bolt had struck, and the bodies of
hundreds of men were strewn round it. The demoralization of that
division for the present was complete. The destructive force of the bolt
was appalling, but the spectacle it presented had been even more so. The
invaders were terrified beyond control by panic fear of this leaping
bolt of fire from above.
Robert had no desire to take lives unnecessarily: If the first bolt was
sufficient to cause the invaders to retreat or to cease fighting, he
determined not to release a second one. He studied closely the movements
of the armies. As if afraid to antagonize the _Sphere_ further, the
invaders had ceased to play the beams of their searchlights upon it.
In the east the first faint flush of dawn was visible. Already the tall
spires of the metropolis were touched with coral.
Robert became aware that the _Sphere_ had settled too close to the
ground for safety in case of further firing from the hostile artillery.
“Better raise her another thousand, Taggert,” he called, turning to the
latter, who was operating the machinery.
“Just what I was trying to do, old man, but she doesn’t respond.”
A swift examination proved Robert’s fears--that their reserve of power
had been virtually exhausted by the tube! The speed of the gyrostats was
perceptibly slackening. The _Sphere_ was sinking!
Feverishly they turned to the engine which drove the dynamo. With this
running, enough current soon would be generated to lift the _Sphere_ out
of danger. It was then that the extent of their calamity was discovered.
The engine stubbornly refused to start, for one of those mysterious
reasons to which engines are addicted. It persistently defied their
combined efforts to diagnose the trouble.
In order to avoid crashing upon the plain, now less than a thousand feet
below, Robert swung the disk upright and opened the shutters from its
entire face. Even with its weakened power, unaided by the dying current,
it would be almost sufficient to balance the _Sphere’s_ weight, as long
as the gyrostats were turning slowly. Thus the crash might be averted,
but at the same time it was impossible to utilize any side pull of the
disk to carry them beyond the enemy’s lines. They were facing
capture--perhaps death!
Finding that each was in the other’s way, Taggert, who had a knowledge
of engines, continued to tinker with it while Robert looked on from a
window, where he kept an eye also on the plain below.
The _Sphere_ continued to settle slowly, though they knew not what
moment the gyrostats might stop, allowing them to crash down upon the
plain. With each hundred feet of descent their hope grew stronger; but
that they would fall into the enemy’s hands was now inevitable, for they
were sinking into the very center of the camp.
Off to the south the sounds of fighting had ceased. Stretcher bearers
were bringing in the wounded from that direction. Robert wondered dully
how long it would be before he and Taggert would fall into the hands of
the invaders.
Curiously enough, the Martians below were equally perturbed at the
approach of the _Sphere_. Having witnessed its terrible destructive
power, they felt absolutely at its mercy, and feared even to train a gun
on it for fear that they would be wiped out immediately in retaliation.
So far they did not suspect that the _Sphere_ was not descending at the
will of its occupants.
Realization of this occurred to Robert.
“Maybe we can bluff it through, Tag,” he said, hopefully. “It’s our only
chance.”