THE NEW PRINCE, HUPOR JASOR
On the day before the betrothal-feast Croft finished his magneto,
tested it out before Robur's eyes, and obtained a good, fat spark.
Hastily connecting it with the now assembled motor, for which workmen
were building a chassis such as Palos had never seen, he filled a
testing-tank with spirit, primed the carburetor, that he had somewhat
changed for the use of the different fuel, and then laid hold of the
crank.
It was a tense moment, and his voice showed his realization of the fact
as he spoke to Robur: "Watch now, Rob--watch!"
He spun the crank around. For the first time on Palos there came a
motor's cough. Again Croft whirred the crank, spinning it to generate
the life-giving spark. He was answered by a hearty hum. The motor
quivered and shook. A staccato sound of steady explosions filled the
room in which it stood. Like gunfire its exhaust broke forth. The heavy
balance-wheel Croft had arranged for the trial to load it to safety
spun swiftly round and round.
A commotion rose in the shop. Captains and subcaptains ran from their
work to view the success of that for which they had worked. They stood
staring at the throbbing, quivering engine. Croft straightened and
stood, pale of face but with blazing eyes, before them. He had won!
Won! Robur's face told him he had won! It was a face filled with a
mighty wonder and delight.
And suddenly the crown prince spoke: "Back--back to your work. Work as
ye have never worked before. Complete the frame for this to ride upon,
the wheels. Make all ready, men of Aphur, and spare no effort to the
aim. A new day has dawned in Aphur--in Tamarizia. Inside the hour there
shall be a new prince. Salute him, _Hupor Jasor_, who thus has served
the state."
They lifted their hands in salute, those captains, and turned away.
Croft looked into Robur's eyes. "Rob," he stammered, and put out his
hands--"Rob--"
"Aye," Robur said. "Such is the order of Aphur's king did the test we
were to make today succeed. He will himself confirm it tomorrow night.
In the meantime I am told to bid Jasor to the betrothal-feast of Naia
of Aphur to Cathur's prince. What now of caste my friend?"
Croft quivered. He shook in every limb. The gulf was bridged--that
gulf of rank between himself and the girl of gold at the shrine of
whose sweet presence his own spirit bowed. He opened his lips yet found
himself overwhelmed with emotion, unable to speak.
Robur cast an arm about his shoulders as the two men stood. "Jasor, my
friend," he once more began. "Means this thing so much to you? Why?
What things have you in mind I know not of?
"Speak. Know you not, Jasor, that I love you?"
"Aye," said Croft. "Yet Rob, I may not speak of those things as yet."
Nor did he feel that he could at present confess the thing in his
heart. "Later you shall know all," he declared. "As for the rest--you
are my dearest friend."
"Speak when you will," Robur replied. "Tomorrow at the house of Prince
Lakkon, Jadgor shall name you Hupor before the nobles of Aphur. So is
it planned. And when this motur of ours is completed, you shall drive
it to Ladhra and take with you the noble rank for Sinon, since he has
served his state in bringing about your birth."
Tomorrow night at the house of Prince Lakkon! The words rang in Croft's
brain. Naia--his beloved should see him exalted, made a noble of
Aphur. What more auspicious meeting could he desire than this? It was
fate--fate. Suddenly Croft felt his face flush and his eyes took on a
flashing light. "Rob," he cried. "This is only the beginning. What we
shall do for Tamarizia Zitu only knows."
"Would Zitu had sent you before this then," Robur growled.
Croft noted his change of manner with amaze, and plainly Robur was not
unmindful of his regard.
"I question not the wisdom of Jadgor, my father," he went on quickly.
"Yet like I not this sacrifice of a virgin maid to the lecherous son of
Cathur's king."
"Rob!" Croft cried, as his friend and comrade paused and caught a
single lung-filling breath and went on. "Zitu himself must frown upon
such a thing."
Robur eyed him with mounting interest, and suddenly Croft raced ahead
in eager question. "Rob--how long between the night of betrothal and
the marriage itself?"
"Hai!" Robur narrowed his eyes. "A cycle, my friend. By royal custom
these things are never matters of haste."
"A cycle!" Croft threw up his head and laughed. "Rob, could we make
Tamarizia strong beyond any dream of her wisest men inside that cycle,
what then?"
Robur frowned. "A promise is a promise, my friend."
"But," said Croft, "Much may happen in a cycle--and Zollaria plans."
"What mean you?" Robur seized his arm in a grip like iron. "Jasor--you
are a strange man. Twice now have you spoken of Zollaria's plans. What
do you have in mind?"
"To watch Cathur's prince," said Croft. "Hold, Rob--the priest, Abbu,
is my friend. He will help us in this. Magur, too, must give us aid.
Let us watch--and work."
* * * * *
Work--yes, work. With a Sirian year in which to work for such a prize
what could a man not do? Croft threw up his face and met Robur's
questioning gaze. "Aphur shall show the way to the nation," he cried.
"Zollaria's plans shall come to naught, my friend."
"Zitu!" Robur gasped. "After tomorrow night we must speak of these
things to Aphur's king. Jasor, I am minded that Magur is right. Zitu
works through you to his ends."
The motor coughed and died, having used up its fuel. Croft smiled, and
called Robur back to work. Through the day they toiled, and by night
the engine was bolted to the chassis, wheeled into the assembling-room
by the workmen that afternoon. There remained now no more than the
assembling of the clutch and the transmission before the body should be
affixed to complete the car. And the body was ready and waiting to be
bolted fast.
Croft worked throughout the night. Robur offered to assist, but he
refused. He wanted to be alone--to think--think--plan the future steps
of those things he would do inside the coming year. He had sworn to
make Aphur strong. And as he assembled the final portions of this first
work of his genius, he considered that.
The answer was plain. Aphur must arm--and Nodhur--and Milidhur from
whence came the gentle, sweetly sympathetic Gaya, Robur's wife. And
of arms he knew little, but--he could learn. Only he had to return
to earth. There, not many miles from his own town, was the home of a
man who before now had won fame as a maker of arms. Indeed, as Croft
knew he had designed weapons afterward adopted by the royal nations of
Europe and made by them on a patent lease from this man, Croft's friend.
It would be easy, then, to learn what he desired; to bring back the
plans of those self-same weapons and make them here under the patronage
of Aphur's king. Then--well--let Zollaria plan and hold what bait she
would before Cathur's eyes. Croft chuckled to himself as he worked, and
the captain assisting him in Robur's place thought him pleased with
their progress and smiled.
"This motur of thine will surely draw the car in lieu of gnuppas, my
lord?" he inquired.
"Aye," said Croft with a nod.
"By Zitu! Never was anything like it dreamed of in Tamarizia before thy
coming," the captain rumbled in his throat.
Croft nodded again. "Tomorrow I shall bring you orders to start all men
working on those parts they have made for this, in untold numbers,"
he returned. "And hark you, captain. Each man shall make but the one
part--which he makes the best. So shall we make many and build them
together at once and produce a vast number of cars, and other motors to
drive boats on the Na."
"By Zitu! Then shall Aphur rule the seas indeed."
"Tamarizia shall rule," said Croft with an assurance not to be denied.
The captain gave him a glance. What he read carried conviction to his
mind. "My lord," he said. "My lord."
"Lord." They called him that now. Croft chuckled again to himself and
went to work. Lord. And tomorrow night--no, the night of this day as it
would be on earth--they would call him "lord" before Naia herself. He
would meet her--speak to her, perhaps. He called upon the captain for
assistance and redoubled his rate of work.
And as the first rays of Sirius began to gild the red walls of Himyra,
he finished filling the fuel tank with spirits, told the captain to
open wide the doors of the building wherein they had toiled through the
night, and seized hold upon the crank of the engine he had built.
The motor roared out. Croft sprang to the driver's seat. He let in his
clutch. And slowly--very slowly the car moved toward the open doors.
One glimpse Jason had of the captain's face--a thing wide-eyed, agape
with amazed belief, and then he was outside the massive walls of that
foundry womb in which the car had been formed. He was out in the
streets of Himyra, riding the thing he had made--the first of many
things as he had determined during the night.
For a moment visions of marine motors, tractors, airplanes, filled his
brain; then as a night guard at the throat of the street caught sight
of him, and wavering between fear and duty, yielded swiftly to the
former and fled with a yell of terror, he came back to the matter in
hand.
He gained the river road and opened the throttle notch by notch.
Swiftly and more swiftly the new car moved. The sweet air of morning
sang about his ears. The throb of the motor was a paean of praise--a
promise of what was to come. He reached the palace entrance and turned
in. Straight to the steps of the king's wing he drove and brought the
car to a stand.
Like their fellow of the street, the guards shrank back in amazement
from this strangest of chariots they had ever seen, until Croft, rising
in his seat, ordered them to send word to Robur and Jadgor himself,
that he waited their inspection of the car. He himself was thrilling
with creative fire, divine. It was in his mind to demonstrate the
new creation in the vast court, deserted thus early in the day. He
throttled down and sat waiting while a guardsman hurried away.
Then into the midst of his elation broke the voice of Aphur's prince.
"Hai, Jasor, my lord, this is a surprise. Now I see that which last
night you planned."
Robur had hurried forth with Gaya by his side, and behind him now came
Jadgor, between a double row of guards. While Croft rose and gave a
hand to Robur and Gaya in turn, and bowed before the king, the latter
advanced quite to the side of the new, and to his experience, wonderful
machine.
* * * * *
"You came here in the motur itself?" Robur asked.
"Yes," Croft replied. "And well-nigh frightened a night guard out
of his wits when he saw me bearing down on him, as well as carrying
consternation into the minds of even soldiers here."
Robur laughed. "I can well believe that," he agreed. "Had I known not
of it I fear I should have been sadly disturbed myself."
Jadgor smiled. "If it carried fear into the hearts of Aphur's guards,
might it not do likewise to an enemy's men as well?" he remarked.
"O king, it is in my mind that it would do even that," Croft returned,
sensing the deeper meaning back of the mere words as applying to a
specific enemy. He gave Jadgor a meaning glance. "May I show you the
motur in action, O King of Aphur?" he asked.
"Yes," Jadgor agreed.
"Wait!" Robur cried, as Croft resumed his seat. "Wait, Jasor, I shall
go with you. Gaya will be the first woman of Aphur to ride in such a
chariot."
Gaya smiled. Like most of the Tamarizian women, Croft had seen she
seemed devoid of any particular fear. She took Robur's hand and stepped
into the car. Robur followed with scant dignity in his eagerness to put
this new mode of travel to the test.
Then Croft engaged his clutch and the car moved off, rolling without
apparent means of propulsion in circles about the great red court while
the guards and Jadgor watched. For some five minutes Croft kept up the
circling before he brought the machine to a stand before the king, and
once more rising, bowed.
"Your words were true, O Jasor," spoke Jadgor then. "In this I see
great service to the state. Hail Hupor!" He caught a sword from the
nearest soldier, and advancing, struck Croft lightly upon the breast
with the flat of the blade. "More of this tonight," he said, stepping
back. "In the meantime arrange to build as many of these moturs as you
may--also for those which shall propel the boats."
Turning, he withdrew with his guard, disappearing into the palace.
Gaya smiled at her husband and Croft. "I, too, shall withdraw now,"
she began. "I can see you are eager to be alone with this new toy. My
thanks, Lord Jasor, for the ride. All my life long I shall remember
myself the first of Tamarizian women to mount your wonderful car."
Robur helped her to get out, then sprang back to Croft's side. His face
was alight. "Now--go! Let us ride!" he exclaimed. "Let us leave the
city along the highway to the south and test the motur for speed."
Nothing loth, Croft once more advanced gas and spark and let in the
clutch. Outside the palace entrance he turned south along the Na.
Robur, beside him, seemed strangely like a boy. "Approach the gate
slowly," he chuckled as they rode. "Let me see for myself what effect
we have on the guards."
His wish was granted in a surprisingly short time. As they neared the
gate, not yet open to morning traffic, a guardsman appeared. Plainly he
was watching, yet he made no move. He seemed practically paralyzed at
the sight which met his eyes. In the end, however, he suddenly lifted
his spear as though expecting to meet a charge with its point. His face
was rigidly set. He appeared one determined to die in the path of duty
if die he must.
"Open, fellow!" Robur shouted with a grin.
His voice wrought a change in the man. He caught a deep breath, dropped
his spear and flung himself toward the levers which worked the gate.
"My lord," he said, as Croft drove past where he now stood at attention
with the gate swung wide. "My lord!"
Robur flung him a bit of silver and a laugh. Then they were out of
the tunnel through the wall and rushing up the well-built road. "That
fellow thought us Zitemque himself, to judge by his expression," he
chuckled. "Jasor, my friend--go faster--let--"
"Let her out!" Croft could not resist the expression of earth.
"Aye," said Robur, staring. "Let--her--out. Where got you that form of
speech, my friend?"
"I--it was used on the moment to express the idea intended," Croft
replied. "It is as though one released the reins and allowed the
gnuppas to run free."
Robur nodded. "Yes, I sense it. Let--her--out."
Croft complied. They sped south. Without a speedometer Croft could only
estimate their rate of progress, but he judged the new engine made
thirty miles an hour at least.
Robur was amazed. So were others after a time. The speeding car met the
first of the early market throng and cleared the road of everything
it met. Men, women, and live stock bolted as the undreamed engine of
locomotion roared past. Their cries blended into an uproar which tore
laughter from Robur's throat. Croft himself gave way to more than one
smile.
Swiftly they passed the area of cultivation and entered the desert road
where Croft had seen the sarpelca caravan on his first Palosian day.
On, on they roared along the level surface between dunes of yellow
sand and across golden arid flats. The exhilaration of motion was in
their veins. Head down above his wheel Croft sent the car ahead, until
dashing between two dunes they came to where a second road joined that
on which they ran.
Robur cried out. Croft flung up his head. One swift glimpse he had
of a team of purple-plumed gnuppas reared on their haunches, their
forefeet pawing the air, their nostrils flaring, their eyes maddened
with fright, and of a burnished carriage behind them. Then he was past,
throttling the engine, seeking to bring the car to a stand. While from
behind the sound of a strong man shouting, came hoarsely to his ears.