A SUMMONS FROM ZITRA
At the end of the fourth month the first rifle was done. It was an
odd-appearing affair. Tempered copper took the place of earthly
steel in barrel and other metal parts. Copper formed the shell for
the ammunition, over which Croft had experienced more trouble than
in anything else. Lead was very scarce on Palos. But there were vast
quantities of gold. That explained the enormous use made of it in
draperies and the common trades as he had learned.
Yet it was with some compunction due to the opposite conditions on
earth and their lifelong effect on his brain that he finally hit on
an alloy from which the bullets were made. Powder had troubled him,
too--though in the end he managed to make it. And for the fulminating
centers of his cartridge complete, he was compelled to spend several
days on earth.
In the end, however, he held the first completed weapon in his hands,
and gloated over its finished lines. Taking Robur in a car, he drove
out along the south road to a place where he knew vast flocks of
water-fowl were wont to frequent the Na.
As a boy he had been a good shot, until such time as he waked in his
soul a repugnance for killing the natural creatures the One Great
Source had made, save as necessity arose.
He gestured to the wild fowl floating on the yellow water more than a
bow-shot away. "Now watch, Rob," he said, and took the rifle in his
hands.
Vaguely by now Prince Robur understood the design of the new instrument
of destruction. Yet it was hard for him to comprehend fully a thing
such as he had never dreamed before Croft put it into his mind. He
smiled. "Had we not better draw a little closer, Jasor, my friend?" he
inquired.
"No." On the word Croft fired. Nor did he fire blindly into the flock.
He chose a bird swimming to one side. And hard on the sound of his shot
that bird jerked in the spasmodic fashion of a sorely stricken thing,
struggled for an instant and floated away, half sunk in the yellow tide.
The entire flock rose at the new strange sound on the silent air. They
swarmed across the sky. Pumping up a fresh cartridge, Croft lifted
his rifle swiftly, chanced another hit--and scored. One of the flying
creatures checked its rapid course, slanted drunkenly downward and then
spun dizzily over and over to fall not far from where the two men
stood in the car.
"Zitu! Zitu!" Robur exclaimed, springing from the machine to retrieve
the fallen bird. Croft watched him run toward it in very unprincelike
haste. Then he was coming back with the dead thing in his hands,
staring wide-eyed at the drops of blood on its feathers, lifting his
face with a strange expression to Croft, as he climbed back to his seat.
"Are you convinced, Rob?" Croft laid the rifle aside.
"I am convinced Zitu himself but uses you as his agent. These things
never came from a mortal brain alone," the Prince of Aphur replied.
"Man comes by Zitu's will, why should not Zitu use man for the things
it pleases him to do?" said Croft.
"You do not deny it?" Robur spoke in almost startled fashion.
"Nay. Have I not already said that all I did was by Zitu's grace?"
There were times when Croft found it hard to avoid a direct avowal of
the actual state which was his, times when he hungered to make some
human soul a confidant concerning all that had occurred. And he loved
the strong young man by his side.
Now, however, Robur laughed in a somewhat unsteady way. "There are
times when you cause me to stand in awe of your power, Jasor, my
friend," he said.
"Think you not Zollaria will stand in awe of our weapons when they are
in the hands of our men, on foot or mounted in the cars I have armored
and pierced with holes for the barrels of the rifles?" Croft asked.
"Aye, by Zitu!" Robur shouted. "Turn around Jasor--and 'let her out.'
We must return to our work."
* * * * *
But that night Croft drove out to the mountains, taking his rifle
along. Others were being assembled now, and he had seen Jadgor himself
and arranged for the beginning of the army they must raise. The thing
would be started by a public demonstration, at which Croft should show
the power of the new weapon. The men of Aphur, and Nodhur, and Milidhur
would be invited to join. To each who did so a rifle would be given
wholly as his property for all time to come, and a certain wage would
be given also while they were being trained.
Fired by the thought, Croft asked for a copy of the Tamarizian
alphabet, found it not unlike the ancient Maya inscriptions in Central
America and had taken it to the shop and set his pattern-makers
to forming molds for the making of type. He intended printing
proclamations of the coming call for volunteers and posting them about
the streets, where those who knew how to read might understand and
impart the knowledge to their fellows.
Thus to his inventions he added the printing-press, crude, and for
large work only at first, but printing none the less. He had taken all
this up with Jadgor, and advised waiting another month, until many
rifles were finished or being made, since the civic and royal guards
would form the nucleus of the army and must be armed before a call for
volunteers. Jadgor had listened to all he said, gazing at the dead
water-fowl Robur had insisted on lugging into the palace. He examined
the wound made by the bullet and agreed to all his son and Croft had
asked. Now at the end of the day Croft was speeding forth to show
the woman he loved the thing which should win for them their heart's
desire, and wreck Zollaria's plans.
Lakkon himself met him as he descended at the door. Despite his resolve
Croft's visits were growing more and more frequent and Lakkon was not a
fool.
"My lord," he said, giving his hand, "what brings you again thus soon?"
Croft drew himself up. "Success," he returned. "I came but to prove to
you the power of the first of the new weapons we have made. And having
done so I shall return to Himyra so soon as I may."
"Nay." A trouble expression waked in Lakkon's eyes. "Take not my words
amiss." He seemed suddenly abashed. "The weapon does all you said?"
"Aye. I shall show you and the princess, if I may."
Lakkon's eyes flashed. The meaning of this wonder-worker's statement if
proved, which he did not doubt, swept all else out of his mind for the
time. "What do you require?" he asked in a tense tone.
Croft glanced about. Below him near the lake in a mountain meadow were
some of the strange sheep-like cattle, knee deep in grass. He gestured
toward them with his hand. "Permission to slay one of those."
"Granted, so be you can do it," Lakkon smiled. The distance was twice
the range of any bow.
Croft reflected the smile as he made answer. "If the princess may be
summoned." He turned and took the rifle from the car.
Lakkon eyed it with unconcealed interest. He called the Mazzerian from
within the door and directed that Naia be bidden to appear.
While they waited, Croft opened the magazine and extracted a bullet.
He was explaining it to Lakkon when Naia hurried forth. "A powder
within the shell furnishes the power to propel the ball in the end," he
finished in time to greet her. "And now Prince Lakkon, to take you at
your word." He lifted the shining barrel.
"What would you do?" Naia exclaimed.
"Behold," said Croft and fired.
Far below in the meadow one of the woolly creatures appeared to
stumble, to stagger a pace or two forward before it sank into the grass.
"Zitu!" came Lakkon's voice.
Croft smiled.
Naia approached. Her face was devoid of color--as white as though the
bullet had pierced her heart instead of the body of the unknowing
sacrifice to developing science, now lying in swift dissolution beside
the lake. Slowly she put forth a finger and touched the shining thing
in Croft's hands. "This is the new weapon?" she said in a sibilant
whisper, and lifted her face to his.
"Aye. And having shown Lakkon its power, I must return to Himyra."
Croft turned toward the car. He hoped she would understand his
abruptness, since after Lakkon's words he was afraid to meet the glance
of her eyes.
"Return?" she cried protestingly. "Must you go so soon, my lord?"
"The need presses," Lakkon cut in. "Lord Jasor came but to show us the
last fruits of his wonderful knowledge. I called you to witness the
test. You need not remain."
"You see," he went on as Naia turned with a quivering lip and slowly
mounted the stairs.
"What?" Croft met him eye to eye.
"That my daughter is a woman, Jasor of Nodhur, and that your name is
a word on every tongue in Aphur, and that the princess is pledged to
Cathur."
"Who will foreswear his pledge," Croft interrupted, knowing Jadgor must
have told the counselor what they had discussed.
"If your words be true?"
"You doubt them?"
"Nay--yet Lakkon is a name of honor, and a pledge is a pledge until
broken indeed."
"And should it be so broken?" Croft leaned a trifle toward him from the
hips.
"Aphur would refuse you nothing," Prince Lakkon said.
Croft laughed as he sprang into his seat. "Forget not those words,
Prince Lakkon," he flung back as he started the car.
* * * * *
He drove to Himyra in a rage. Before him floated a vision of Naia's
purple eyes gone black with hurt misunderstanding, of her quivering
crimson lips. But his rage was as much with himself as with Lakkon, to
tell the truth. He had been indiscreet after promising discretion. He
had gone to the mountains too often. He had let eye and voice speak too
plainly those things in his soul. Lakkon had been blind not to see what
was ripening under his nose. And Lakkon was a man of honor according to
his code.
He drove to the palace, found Gaya, and told her the whole thing from
beginning to end.
"You mean that the maiden loves you?" she cried.
"Aye," Croft said.
"You have told her of your love?" Gaya seemed a bit breathless as she
paused.
"Aye." Croft inclined his head.
"You are mad!"
"Nay--I am in love. It comes to the same thing." Croft smiled.
"Ga and Azil help you both," Gaya returned. "I can do nothing. And--you
must not imperil her honor, my lord. But--I shall make it my task to
see her and explain the manner of your return tonight, and," her color
deepened swiftly, "to assure her of your love."
"Thank you, sweet Gaya." Croft rose. "You are a blessed hypocrite--and
a true woman."
He bent and gripped her hand.
And Gaya smiled upon him because he was a strong man and she was a
woman indeed.
For the rest as the days and weeks dragged away, Croft sought to drown
himself in attention to his work. All day he toiled and oftentimes
far into the night. Jasor's splendid physique stood him in good stead
during the months of preparation.
There were no labor troubles in Aphur. The state fixed the scale of
wages, and those who would not work were summarily sent to the mines to
dig the metals needed by their more energetic fellow citizens. Thus the
fifth month passed.
Rifles were being turned forth in a glittering array at Himyra and
Ladhra and stored with their ammunition for the time of need. Croft
finished his printing-press and struck from it the first bulletins
which should appeal to the men of three states to come to their
country's need.
"Citizens of Tamarizia," Croft wrote. "Shall Tamarizia weaken or grow
strong? Recall the heritage your forebears left. Yours is the Central
Sea. Yours is a government of the people, for the people, under liberal
heads of state, who express the people's will as set forth once in a
cycle by the state assemblies you by your votes elect. But a government
by the people is strong only as the people themselves shall make it.
Citizens make Tamarizia strong as never before.
"Let each man step to the fore and agree to serve as a soldier for one
year. To each shall be given a weapon which he may keep. Ponder on
this. If each year each man of good health and a certain age shall for
one year win his weapon and learn concerning its use, how long before
Tamarizia shall be so strong in the strength of her men that she shall
be safe in the possession of the proud station those brave men your
forefathers left to you in trust? Ask of your civic captains concerning
this. Enroll yourself as citizens of Tamarizia under them."
These bulletins were posted in Aphur, Nodhur and Milidhur, and in the
capital of each state a public demonstration of the new army weapon
was held by a picked squad of Jadgor's royal guards whom Croft had
taught to shoot. At each a herd of taburs was slaughtered, singly and
in groups. All southwest Tamarizia gasped. The word flew from mouth to
mouth. The stories fired men's hearts. They flocked to the captains of
the city guards.
Croft began teaching the royal guard and the guard of Himyra, the
school of the company and squad, marksmanship and a simple manual of
arms. They learned quickly and inside a month he sent many of them as
special instructors to all Aphur and the other southern states. Thus
far things had progressed to the end of the ninth month, when the
imperial throne at Zitra interfered. A messenger arrived, commanding
Jadgor and all others responsible for the warlike activity in Aphur and
Nodhur to appear before Tamhys with the least possible delay.