THE CRAG REMAGALOTH.
The sun was slowly setting, blazing in a hundred hues through the
many-coloured windows, and filling the great Hall with a mellow glory,
as we were conducted back to our chamber, surrounded by an escort of
twenty troopers. Kaosp led the way; we could see that his heart was
heavy, and that he sympathised with us in our great trouble. We were
weak and faint from want of food. The reaction had come after the
excitement of the day, and not one of us spoke to the other as we
walked along with drooping heads and faltering steps. It was a great
relief to escape from the noisy multitude and find quietness in our own
chamber, where, left alone in our sorrow, and as dying men, we could
rest and be in peace. There seemed no mercy whatever for us; not the
remotest chance of escape from the horrid doom to which we had been
condemned. Suicide, it is true, was left, as our revolvers were still
hidden in our pockets; for it was a remarkable fact that no one had
shown any desire to search us since we had been made prisoners, and we
were still unwatched. And yet each one in secret still hoped to escape
even now, though he dared not to breathe his thoughts to the rest.
Had we not three days! What could we not do in them? Oh! hope, when
does man really abandon thee? Only with life. Not even the rejected
lover, the ruined gambler, or the man who faces certain death--to the
last we all of us cling tightly to thee, Pandora's priceless gift to
trouble-burdened Man!
Food was brought to us almost immediately; and we were glad to see that
Kaosp continued at his post, as commander of the guard.
"Be ye of stout heart, O men of Ramos. Be not so cast down at
misfortune! Death is the portion of us all; and mark ye, the King may
yet relent his anger, if he doth but see Perodii's perfidy before three
more suns have set," said Kaosp cheerfully, as he shook us by the hand
and went his way.
"I am afraid, Doctor, you must feel very bitterly against me," said
Graham, as we sadly ate our meal. "Both you and Temple must blame me
for all this misfortune. I have no regrets for myself, but it is sore
grief indeed to see you fall with me."
"Regrets are useless now, Graham," said Temple. "Besides, I did all I
could to further your suit with Volinè, for I believed it wise to do
so; I do not blame or reproach you. But we must escape! When, or how, I
know not; but, Graham, we must escape."
"Ah! all very well to say that, Mr. Temple, but we are too well
guarded, and too closely watched. We had best sleep on the matter now,
and consult together in the morning, when we are more refreshed."
"Graham," said the Doctor, who from the moment the King had pronounced
our doom had not spoken, "Graham, if we, by any remote possibility,
escape from this peril, take my advice on one thing--leave the women
alone for the future. I am older than you, have had more experience,
and have invariably found that they are the root of all mischief."
Graham answered not a word, but a vision of Volinè, in all her splendid
beauty, rose up before him as the Doctor spoke. He saw her as she
nestled in his arms, bashfully confessing her love for him in that
garden of Siccoth, and in his heart he vowed that nothing but strong
Death itself should tear them asunder.
The hour was now late, and we sought to drown our sorrow in slumber.
Sandy had already gone to rest, and lay asleep with Rover for his
pillow. The nearness of death did not seem to trouble him, for we
had explained to him the King's last words of doom. Perhaps our many
escapes from great peril had made him careless of danger, and inspired
him with the confidence of being able to evade his enemies. Strange
to say that now we knew our fate we were more inclined to rest, and
speedily we sank into a deep slumber.
* * * * *
"Thou sleepest heavily, O man of Ramos, even with Death beside thee,"
whispered Kaosp, as he shook Graham roughly in his efforts to awaken
him.
"Why, Kaosp, where----what seek you?" said Graham, starting up confused
from sleep.
"Hush! Let silence keep thy tongue. Thy comrades sleep. Put on thy
garments and follow me. Volinè would see thee!"
"Volinè! Volinè? She here? Good Kaosp, conduct me to her quickly! How
can I repay or thank you for such a boon as this?"
"By holding thy peace! I hazard honour and face death to serve thee.
Haste thee! Spend not thy precious fleeting moments in catechising me;
for she whom thou lovest awaits thee, and thy time is short. In but an
hour from now the guard is changed, and thou must be back again!"
"I dressed in silent haste, and followed Kaosp through the larger room
out into the corridor. The worthy soldier had managed well; for not a
guard was there; and we crept along until I felt his hand tighten on my
arm, and heard him whisper:
"'Tarry thee one moment, for I would assure myself that all is safe.
Should'st unfriendly eyes see us here, my life would be the cost.'
"He listened intently for a moment, but all was still. Then, by some
means unknown to me, he slid back a panel in the side of the corridor,
and a puff of cold, damp air rushed into our faces. A dark, yawning
gulf was before me, and I drew back with an involuntary shudder; but
Kaosp bid me enter.
"'Haste thee down these steps,' said he; 'they will take thee to a
passage, which follow until thou reachest the garden of Siccoth-trees;
and there Volinè awaits thee. I will meet thee here when thou
returnest. But heed thee well the fleeting time.'
"In another moment Kaosp had closed the panel, and I was groping my way
down the steps in perfect darkness. Thirty-four deep steps I counted,
and then I came to a passage with a smooth floor, which I walked along
with caution, feeling the walls on either side as I went. For fifty
paces I walked thus, the damp, poisonous air well-nigh choking me; and
then I could hear the playing of the fountains, and directly afterwards
I beheld the bright stars shimmering before me.
"I waited and listened for a few seconds, before venturing from the
passage out into the open garden; but, with the exception of the
splashing fountains, all was silent as death. Then I walked stealthily
onwards, with eyes striving to penetrate the gloom, now on this side,
now on that, and seeking to discover her whom I loved. Presently, I saw
her coming towards me with fleeting steps, down a broad pathway between
the shrubs. I ran to meet her, and in another moment we were clasped in
each other's arms.
"'Harry!'
"'Volinè!'
"And so we met again; and as we uttered each other's name, in our
reunion joy, I rained kiss after kiss upon her soft cheeks and willing
lips; and the hot, scalding tears of grief, that trickled down her
white, sorrow-stricken face, ploughed, as with molten fire, across my
own. Oh, the joy and yet the agony of that midnight tryst! We had met,
yet only to say good-bye. I and my darling were to love no more in
life, for in three fleeting days I must die. Then a great mad thought
came unto me; and I planned, in a moment of time, that Volinè and I
would flee--that I would take her with me to some far distant place,
where we could live and love without fear.
"'Darling, we meet once more, but our lives are cloaked with sorrow.
You know my fate. It is your royal father's will that I and my comrades
die at sunset, three days hence. Death is dreadful to me since the hour
I saw and loved you. I, who have met this grim majestic thing called
Death in a hundred shapes without fear, do now see it approach with
craven nerveless terror, for it comes to part me from you. Dear one,
this shall not be. Let us haste away together to-night, let us fly from
Edos now!'
"'Harry, thou sayest that which is impossible, which cannot be,' she
sobbed. 'Knowest thou not that every way from Siccoth is guarded well;
nay, doubly guarded since I prevailed upon the King, my father, to let
thee and thy companions wander therein.'
"'Volinè, your words ring like knells of death and cold despair across
my heart.'
"'Nay, then, give not such freedom to despair. Thou knowest I love
thee; but thou must not show a woman's weakness, or, methinks, I should
despise thee. Brave men know not fear, and dangers flee affrighted
from advancing courage,' she answered, woman-like, striving to excite
a confidence and daring she by no means felt, although cunningly
concealing her fears.
'"Your words, dear one, have robbed all sting from death, and make me
look fearlessly upon my doom.'
"'Harry, dear, thou shalt not meet it. The ring I gave thee shall
deliver thee from death. How or where, I know not; but Echri's ring
shall save thee!'
"'Truth in its virtues grows stronger and stronger within my heart.
But, darling, the moments are speeding on, and we have much to
say. Pray, tell me now of this braggart Perodii. He called you his
affianced! He has dared to use your name as a synonym for shame, before
a hundred thousand citizens of Edos, and his lying words found favour
with your father.'
"'Thou speakest truly, yet heed him not. My father now knows that I
would rather die than mate with him, prince and noble though he be.
I have braved my father's wrath, and I laughed to scorn Perodii's
cowardly blow at my honour, because I love thee! Perodii's arms have
never held me thus; his lips have never met my own. When he calleth me
his, he lieth; Harry, mark thee well my words--he lieth!'
"'My precious one,' I whispered, 'your words are as strong wine unto
me! Tell me also what your father says concerning us, and of our
discovery by Perodii, near the arbour.'
"'His wrath,' she continued, 'was terrible to witness, and I quailed
before his bitter words! I told him but the truth, that thou hadst
found favour with me. But, Harry, that ring of Echri's shall save thee,
although my father and his soldiers dare to defy its sacred charms. So
long as that ring shall circle round thy finger, death may not strike
thee in violence, therefore guard it well for my sake as well as thine!'
"'As life itself, for ever and for ever,' I whispered in her ear.
'But, dear one, it seems that I have only brought pain and trouble on
you, even caused your precious name to be shrouded in dishonour among
the public throng--estranged your father from you. Now, after all you
sacrifice for me, our happiness is turning but to wormwood and to gall.'
"'And hadst it not been for me, thy comrades and thyself would now
be free; for Kaosp tells me the King was in a pardoning humour until
Perodii spoke. But the sands of the hour are nearly run, and it is time
for thee to go. We must not imperil Kaosp by tarrying here. He risketh
much for us.'
"As Volinè spoke, what this our parting really meant, burst upon me in
all its awful nakedness, and a great sigh of agony escaped unbidden
from my heart. The hour had sped, and we must part. In all human
probability, we were to see each other no more! No more! I clasped
her yet more tightly to me, and felt her lovely form trembling like
a frightened bird's in my embrace. Her bosom heaved in sorrow, as I
tenderly kissed her tears away, and smoothed her yellow tresses, which,
like a web of spun gold, hung loose and careless over my arm. For a few
brief moments thus together in silence, and then, as I kissed her once
more, she broke gently from my embrace, and in sorrow walked slowly
away, turning round as she did so, and sobbing said:
"'Keep a stout heart, dear Harry. My prayers are said for thee;
for I am all thine own. Remember Echri's ring, and fare thee well.
Beloved--fare--thee--well!'
"She was gone! and I, with arms stretched out in entreaty towards her,
stood desolate and alone in my sore despair! For several moments I
stood as though turned to stone, calling her name in the empty garden,
and repeating aloud those touching words of Byron's:
"'Fare thee well, and if for ever,
Still for ever, fare thee well!'
But only the stars and the trees and the fountains heard me--she whom
I addressed, was gone! Like some fair meteor she had rushed across my
path, dazzled and attracted me during her fleeting stay beyond all
power of resistance, and then as suddenly vanished from me, and left me
in a chaos of misery and sorrow!
"'May God in His mercy to me blot out from my memory the agony of this
parting in the garden of Siccoth; for I can never know happiness again
so long as its terrors haunt me,' I prayed aloud in my woe, with face
turned upwards to the starlit sky.
"How I got back to the archway, and crept along the passage and up the
steps to the sliding panel, I know not, for I went my way as one in a
walking sleep, with all strength sapped from my trembling frame.
"Kaosp was awaiting my return in great anxiety, for the hour was
already gone, and every moment he dreaded to hear the tramp of the
guard coming to relieve him and his men.
"'Keep silent, and follow me with haste,' he whispered, 'or too late
I shall repent me of lending willing ears to a woman's supplications.
By great good fortune the guard is late, or this night's work would be
known to my ruin!'
"'I am really sorry, Kaosp, that I have rewarded your good nature by
jeopardizing your safety and your honour--but the hour has seemed so
short!'
"'Ah! 'tis always so. Lovers heed not time. But the hour with me hath
seemed an age.'
"We walked stealthily back again, not meeting a living soul; and I
crept to my couch without waking one of my comrades. They all slept on
in ignorance, and I resolved to keep my own counsel. The episode was
too sacred and too painful to take anyone into my confidence; besides,
no purpose would be gained, and I had nought to tell that would be of
service in our dire necessity. Kaosp shook me by the hand before he
departed, and a few minutes afterwards, as I lay awake in my misery,
thinking of all that had taken place within the past hour, I heard the
new guard arrive and station themselves in the corridor beside the
outer door!"
It is unnecessary, for the purposes of this narrative, to record our
doings during the three days of grace that were allowed us. We neither
saw or heard anything of the King, Volinè, or Perodii. We were entirely
shut off from all outside affairs, and we knew nothing of what was
being done either in the palace or among the people of Edos. We were
treated precisely the same as before our trial, with the exception of
being allowed to walk in the garden of Siccoth. That privilege was
denied, and we were kept close prisoners to our rooms.
Two things occurred, however, which call for special notice. The first
was the withdrawal of Kaosp and his men; he and they being replaced by
an entirely new set of guards. The reason we could not discover. We
sorely missed our old friend and his cheerful ways; and Graham, at
least, had some misgivings at his absence. Had Kaosp's breach of trust
in aiding Volinè and himself to meet after the trial become known,
and his treachery punished? We could not get any information from our
new warders. Each one of them maintained a stolid silence, and never
addressed a single word to either of us during those three dreadful
days of suspense. The second thing worthy of mention was the fact that
we were now watched day and night incessantly. There were always two
guards with us, and every movement on our part was closely observed.
But in spite of all this extra precaution we were never searched, and
our little personal belongings remained untouched.
Wearily the days passed on, and we were filled with an agony of
suspense, as our last few hours of life ebbed slowly yet surely away.
Not one of us appeared fully to realise the awfulness of our impending
fate, for each in secret was buoyed up with the hope that our doom by
some means would be averted. We hoped and hoped as the time slipped
on; yet nothing occurred to warrant even the remotest thought that we
should be saved. As usual, the Doctor was most cheerful; Temple and
Sandy were becoming exceedingly cast down; Graham had secret faith in
Volinè and her mystic ring, which he still wore upon his finger.
The fatal day dawned at last. But our guards exhibited precisely the
same stolid demeanour, and breakfast was served to us as usual. We ate
little, but drank deeply of a liquor somewhat resembling still hock,
the effects of which were exceedingly stimulating and comforting. We
had only had this "wine" at our noonday meals before, and we concluded
that our captors had been kind enough to furnish us with this liquor to
brace us for the coming ordeal at sunset. We little suspected that the
"wine" was drugged, and had been given to us for a purpose!
Half an hour after the meal was over, each one of us felt a sickly
stupor creeping over him, numbing his sense of feeling, and in subtle
sureness robbing him of all use of his limbs. The early effects of the
poison were by no means unpleasant. We were filled with a luxurious
languor; a delicious feeling of rest, of freedom from anxiety came over
us, but soon the poison had other effects, and we became speechless;
the brain seemed a mass of molten fire; we appeared to be swelling into
absolute giants; everything around us grew distorted, and every muscle
seemed to become scorched and withered, until we sank into a complete
state of coma!
From this moment we remembered no more until we were awoke by a cool,
fresh wind blowing on our faces, and a hum and roar, like that from
some excited multitude, dinning as distant thunder in our ears. We
tried to rise, but in vain; for every limb was draped in brass chains,
and we were bound and helpless in the hands of our remorseless enemies!
Graham and Sandy recovered quickly from the effects of the drug when
once we regained consciousness, but we must have lain for many hours in
a helpless state of stupor. We found ourselves in a tent, the entrance
to which was folded back, but only the sky was visible, and this was
hidden every few moments as the giant form of a soldier passed to and
fro on guard outside.
"Curses on the refinement of their cruelty," said Graham, as he looked
round at his helpless comrades, and felt the brass fetters on his own
legs and wrists.
"Damn their cunning! Why could not they lead us out like men? Upon my
soul, it's something to be proud o'! They must ha' feared us, or they
wouldna' ha' done this, Mr. Graham," said Sandy, in rage.
Temple and the Doctor did not speak. The drug seemed to have blunted
all their powers of perception, and they lay helpless and still, as in
a waking dream.
"If we could only break these, Mr. Graham, we would at least die
fighting, and show the incarnate devils that we dinna' fear death,"
said Sandy, as he tore savagely at his chains; but, strong man as he
was, their polished links only clanged and jingled in mockery.
"It's no good, Sandy," Graham answered; "these brass chains were made
to hold stronger men than you or I----"
"Men of Ramos, the sun is setting, and the hour approaches when ye must
die," said an officer, as he pushed the tent-door still wider open
and walked towards us, followed by half-a-dozen soldiers. "Troopers,"
he continued, "strike off the fetters from their feet and bring these
prisoners forth."
Our feet and legs were soon set free, and we were bidden to rise.
Graham and Sandy were on their feet directly; but when the Doctor and
Temple tried to stand up they reeled like drunken men, and had to be
assisted out of the tent by the guards.
One by one we passed through the doorway out into the open air. Were
we still unconscious? Were we still under the influence of a subtle
poison? What wondrous magic, what enchantment was this? Edos, the
palace, the well-known gardens of Siccoth--all had changed, as in the
twinkling of an eye to us, and we found ourselves transported to the
midst of a savage wilderness. How we had come hither we knew not;
whilst drugged and helpless and unconscious we had been borne to this
terrible place to die.
We stood on a steep rugged hillside, some twenty yards or so from the
summit. Below us was a vast multitude of people, congregated in the
form of a horseshoe round the mountain; around us was a cordon of
soldiers, whilst at the very top of the mountain we saw the _Sirius_,
how or when conveyed thither we knew not. Escape seemed utterly
hopeless, and for the first time we realized that we were really about
to die.
The wild grandeur of that sunset scene can never fade from our memory.
All round us were mountains whose rugged peaks were illuminated by
the rays of the sinking sun, the snow gleaming on some of them like
sheets of polished silver. A volcano, with a thin wreath of blue smoke
curling gently skywards crowned the sides of the distant valley, and
the ground all round us, and as far as we could see below us, was
strewn with fantastic shaped boulders and masses of rock, but not a
trace of vegetation could be seen amongst them. Everything was desolate
in that vale of bitterness and death; hideous the doom that condemned
this strange place to barrenness and ruin. The face of the mountain was
scarred and furrowed as with a vast despair, and the grey ghostly plain
below seemed full of a horrid phantasm. No streams of water trickled
down the hillsides; not a living thing was nourished by the barren,
fruitless soil! Beyond the summit, at a much higher elevation, hung a
vast bank of gloomy vapour, like a bitter teardrop on the face of the
desert wilderness, its surface gleaming in gold and frowning in grey as
the lights and shadows played upon its constantly changing surface.
[Illustration: ... THE SIRIUS ... BOLDLY OUTLINED AGAINST THE SKY.]
As soon as we had all got out of the tent we were conducted up the
mountain-side towards the _Sirius_, which stood boldly outlined
against the sky at the summit. When we got to the top the scene was
even more awful, enough to curdle the blood of the stoutest-hearted
with horror. We stood upon the crag Remagaloth, a jutting rock which
arched and overhung in awful grandeur a vast lake of seething molten
fire! Five thousand feet below, in one clear terrible plunge, the cruel
cliffs dipped down to this lake of flame; and on the brink of that
rugged crag, jutting out like an index finger above the gulf, was the
_Sirius_, looking as if the slightest touch would overbalance her, and
hurl her downwards into the fiery depths.
The surface of this molten lake was remarkably still; here and there a
tongue of flame shot upwards, and then sank again; here and there the
seething mass heaved gently, as though simmering and swelling in sullen
rage. The reflection lit up the surrounding rocks, and gleamed upon the
armour and the faces of the troops, making them look like fiends in
human guise.
What words can describe our feelings as we stood chained and helpless
on the brink of Melag, awaiting our hideous doom! The sun already was
half-hidden below the mountain-tops behind us in the distant west, and
the plain of desolation below was fast cloaking its horrors in the
gloom of night. Earth shone as a pale star in the clear sky, and our
eyes looked out with yearning love across the realms of space towards
her, our home! Alas, home no more! In a few more fleeting moments all
would be over! We thought with horror of the death before us, of the
actual time when the _Sirius_, after falling five thousand feet like a
winged and helpless bird, would strike with a dull gurgling sound the
molten lake below; and then of what we should experience in that one
brief, dreadful moment between life and death, when the ocean of living
fire should surge over us in its pitiless embrace.
We had little time for thought, however, for almost directly we reached
the jutting crag the same commander stepped forward and said----
"Men of Ramos, it is here that by the King's commands ye are to die.
It is his royal will that this strange carriage in which ye came to
Gathma shall be consumed with ye; so that ye and your evil works may be
entirely destroyed."
As he spoke a loud tumultuous shout of approbation rose from the
assembled hosts below us, and then a silence as of death came over the
expectant throng as they watched in breathless excitement the closing
scene of this awful execution. Once more our feet were chained, so that
we were utterly helpless.
Not one of us spoke as we were assisted up the ladder into the
_Sirius_. As we entered one by one we noticed a score or more stalwart
troopers standing round, evidently waiting for the signal to hurl us
over into the lake as soon as all was prepared. Sandy and his dog were
taken first, then Graham, then Temple, and last of all the Doctor. As
Graham was going up the ladder, Perodii stepped forward. We had not
noticed him before, but he had come to see the death of his rival, and
to mock and triumph over him in his helpless agony.
"See, thou boasting fool, Volinè hath deserted thee in thy hour of
need! She comes not to see thee enter eternal fire! Her shame is deeper
than her love; and even her magic ring cannot help thee now! That
silly, soul-saving Echri, and his wondrous magic are impotent before a
few brass chains and stalwart troopers!"
"Coward! Breathe not her dear name to me, and keep your blasphemy for
those who may appreciate it. Were but my fetters loose, I would make
carrion of your carcase; and I die breathing curses on your lying
tongue," Graham answered with wonderful coolness.
"Begone! Leap thee into Hell, and take thy punishment for meddling with
things that concerned thee not," Perodii continued, unable to conceal
his mortification at his vain effort to rouse Graham into a display of
open anger.
Graham was stung to madness by Perodii's bitter taunts, and as soon as
he got inside the _Sirius_ he tore at his chains like one possessed.
The muscles of his arms swelled out like knotted ropes, and the veins
on his hands seemed about to burst as he wrestled with the strong brass
fetters. His strength seemed supernatural, and at last with a mighty
wrench he snapped the links asunder, and with a cry of joy rushed
down to the engine-room. Already we heard the signal being given;
the _Sirius_ was toppling over, but instead of falling, the motors
sped round and we rose upwards towards the clouds, triumphant over
our enemies. A terrible cry of rage and disappointment came from the
spectators. In his excitement Graham forgot his manacled companions,
and hurried out on to the balcony to taunt the baffled crowd below. As
the _Sirius_ slowly mounted through the air, a shout rose up from the
cowed and frightened soldiers----
"It is Echri's magic ring that hath worked this marvel, and delivered
these men of Ramos out of our hands. Woe, woe unto us for defying him!"
"We shall meet again, Perodii," shouted Graham at the top of his voice,
"and when we do I'll make you answer to me for all the evil you have
wrought."
The voices of the crowd were now only as a distant murmur, and soon
after we were too far away to hear any sounds at all. Graham soon found
tools and released us from our fetters.
"Thank God, for once again delivering us from peril," said Temple
reverently.
"The ring, the ring you all despised and scoffed at, has saved us,"
said Graham; "for the hand which carried it found more than a giant's
strength. Call it superstition, if you will, but I solemnly swear that
my unaided strength was not equal to those chains."
"The best thing to do," said the Doctor slowly, and with some
impatience in his voice, for he was yet feeling dazed and weak, "is to
settle where we are going. I am certain the _Sirius_ cannot carry us
three hundred miles."
"Let us put as much distance as possible between Edos and ourselves,"
Temple suggested.
"Very true, Temple, but unfortunately we know not in which direction
Edos lies," the Doctor answered.
And so we sped on, we knew not whither, but keeping a sharp look-out.
Our course was nearly due north, a point or so east. The country,
so far as we could judge in the deepening gloom, was forbidding in
appearance, and the reflection from the lake of molten fire shone on
the heavens for a vast distance. We seemed to have left all fertile
lands behind us, and were hastening into regions of desert barrenness.
Two hours after our escape from Remagaloth, our stock of electricity
showed signs of becoming exhausted. We had not the wherewithal to
generate more. We were now quite two hundred miles away to the
north-eastward of the fire-lake, and here we were compelled to descend.
We dropped gently down on what seemed to be a vast plain, barren of
vegetation; and there, safe in the _Sirius_, we ate a hearty meal,
enjoyed the luxury of a cigar, and went to sleep, all eager for the
dawn to disclose to us the nature of the country we had entered.