IN THE TRACK OF THE STORM.
Sedai, who had been such a prominent figure in the first part of the
journey, and who had played such a part in the real cause of the
expedition, had not been forgotten since reaching the Land of On, but so
many new and strange things had come up to occupy the time and minds of
our friends, and so many attendants had been placed at their disposal,
Sedai had not been called upon to perform the many little duties to
which he had become accustomed, and he was left to enjoy himself much as
he saw fit. He had accompanied the party on the first part of the
journey, but the King wished to send word back to the city, of the
change in the programme and of their intention to proceed to the far end
of the country before their return, and Sedai had offered to carry the
message. Not that native messengers were wanting, but Sedai seemed to
find more enjoyment in the delightfully cool and comfortable city than
he did riding through the somewhat heated country.
But he had been too long accustomed to the march, and the white
companions of the past few weeks had become too dear to him, to long
remain away from them; so after spending one day in the city, he
determined to start out and overtake the party. But now a strange thing
occurred. Far off in the west, just creeping up from the horizon, rose a
dark cloud, at first no larger than a zebra, but growing in size each
moment and fast approaching the city. It soon overcast half the heavens
and the entire populace was standing in the streets gazing at this
wonder. The cloud had cut off the twilight completely and now, while it
was yet early, darkness was over all, a darkness which was appalling.
The populace exchanged looks of wonderment, but offered no explanation
of this strange freak of the elements.
Sedai, who had long been accustomed to seeing these fearful electric and
wind storms, was surprised to see the wonderment in the faces of these
people. Turning to one who was near him, he said:
“Why do you gaze at the heavens in that way; have you never before seen
a storm?”
“Many of them,” answered the man, “but never at this time of the year,
and never at any time as fierce a one as this promises to be.”
“It does indeed look very threatening,” said Sedai.
The night grew even darker, and then the lightning broke through the
black clouds for a moment illuminating the beautiful city which the
inhabitants had for the first time in their lives, failed to lighten.
The thunder rolled up from the west, making a deafening roar, and still
the people stood gazing, so overpowered were they by this strange event.
And now the fitful gusts of wind reached them, and then a few drops of
rain fell; and listen: what is that fearful sound. It is not thunder,
for the thunder is roaring peal on peal and cannot be mistaken. This is
something else. It can be heard only when the thunder rests for a
moment. And it is growing nearer, and a little longer and it seems to be
almost on them.
Like a flash it comes to Sedai.
“It is the simoon,” he cries, in such an alarmed voice that all look at
him in surprise. Again he called out, “the simoon.” And now the natives
all crowded around asking him what he meant. He had not learned the
language sufficiently to make them understand by words, but by making
signs he explained to them how the great winds sweep over the earth,
leveling houses, trees and all else to the ground. Even then they showed
no signs of fear. But one of them happened to remember the King, and
that he, with the strange guests, was somewhere in the country, over
which the storm was now approaching.
“The King,” the man cried, and then, the others catching his meaning,
and realizing the King’s danger, the cry of “the King” rose high above
the roar of the storm.
Sedai grasped the situation at once and knew that the King and his
friends must be in imminent peril. The storm had come up just at that
hour of the evening when the party, having rested during the heat of the
day, might be expected to be on the road. If this was true and they were
near no villa at the time, they must have fallen victims to the storm.
But the populace was also fully aroused now, and already men were
appearing in the streets astride of zebras, waiting only for others to
congregate when they would hurry on to the rescue of the King and his
party, if it was not already too late.
Sedai also brought out his zebra and joining the party, they started for
the shore of the lake, knowing that somewhere near this would be found
the King and his party. They started down the Avenue of On with the hope
of reaching the King and his friends in time to help them, but the air
was now becoming thick with sand and even sticks and stones, and the
rescuing party were riding right in the face of this merciless
hurricane. The zebras held their heads far down and moved on
determinedly. Their riders lay close to their necks, endeavoring in this
way to protect their faces. But it grew worse. The zebras, now
thoroughly blinded, stumbled on, making heroic efforts to keep up the
uneven struggle, but their pace was growing slower and slower and there
seemed to be no chance for their getting much further. Suddenly Sedai’s
zebra turned to the right and left the avenue, the others followed. The
party dared not open their eyes to see where the zebras were taking
them, but after a little while noticing a cessation of the pitiless rain
of sand and gravel, they opened their eyes as well as they could, and
found that the animals had left the road and had sought shelter from the
fearful storm near one of the farm villas. They had stopped under the
east wall which protected them to some extent.
The men hurriedly dismounted and led the zebras to the large stable in
the rear. All realized that it was useless to try to proceed further in
the pitiless storm; it would only be death to do so, and they could not
help their friends if they were in such a condition as the storm
promised to put them in if they continued. Another hour of that fearful
onslaught of gravel and sand, and small sticks and twigs, and every man
would be dead. So they determined to wait until the storm would abate,
when they would hurry on and give assistance to their friends, if it was
not forever too late.
The inky blackness of the night, lit up only occasionally by the
lightning, the fearful peals of thunder, the roaring of the storm as it
rushed madly on, made the night one never to be forgotten. It must have
been several hours past midnight before it abated in the least, and
after it had once spent its wild fury it died quickly, and in a very
short time it was perfectly calm.
Sounds of wounded and distressed animals could now be heard, pitiful in
their mournful cries; trees could still be heard falling, and the
night-birds which had escaped the fury of the storm, again took up their
flight, giving out most dismal screeches. But the storm had passed, and
Sedai and his party were again moving slowly along the avenue, for the
night was still dark and many fallen trees now covered this beautiful
highway.
So hurrying was out of the question, but the zebras, who had had their
eyes washed out in the stable, and keen-sighted and sure-footed now,
they went along at a good pace, considering the condition of the road.
But it was so dark, and they had now proceeded far enough on their
journey to expect to meet couriers from the King and party, if there
were any left to tell the tale. Torches had been procured at the villa
at which they had sought shelter, and lighting these, they carried them
high above their heads with good effect. The lights threw weird shadows
along the avenue as they picked their way through the debris. The storm
seemed not to have touched the avenue or the grand trees bordering it,
but had taken a course parallel to this, the outer edge of which had
come very close to the southern border of the avenue. It was not, then,
the avenue shade trees which occasionally lay across it, but the forest
trees which covered the fields on each side. So close, however, had the
tornado or cyclone come to the avenue, that some of the branches of its
bordering trees had been cut off as with a knife.
Occasionally, in the glare of the torches, a wounded or dead animal
would be seen. In one instance, a deer had been killed by a falling
tree, and its mate, which had probably been with it at the time, now lay
beside its dead licking the eyes and face. Again, a zebra had been torn
and lacerated by the fierceness of the storm, and as it saw the lights
and the familiar forms of the zebra in the cavalcade, it made a painful
effort to rise and follow. Sedai seeing its suffering, dismounted and
killed the poor beast, thus putting it out of its misery. The onyx
pavement was covered with dead and wounded birds, the storm having
played greater havoc among the winged inhabitants, than among any of the
other.
At last faint streaks of dawn lighted up the eastern heaven, and
gradually it grew lighter, until the great hot sun burst forth, its rays
disclosing a scene of fearful devastation. But our friends had but
little time to notice all of this. They were looking for the wounded or
dead bodies of the King and his party. But look as they might, they
could not see either a wounded or dead zebra or elephant, in this part
of the avenue. This was probably because these animals had stables, into
which they could run if they chose, and as all the buildings were of
onyx, and built to stand for centuries, the storm’s violence had no
effect on them.
The rescuing party’s progress had necessarily been slow, for they were
not only hindered by fallen trees and other debris which strewed the
avenue, but a great deal of time had been taken up in looking over the
ground carefully, they fearing that if they did not do this, they might
pass some of their wounded friends. They had now reached the lake, and
the numerous inlets, or bays, which stretched into the mainland for a
short distance, showed, from the appearance of their banks, that they
had also received harsh treatment by the storm. Near one of these, lay,
with its body half twisted in two, one of the sea monsters which had
been sucked from the stream and hurled against a neighboring tree. Many
fishermen’s boats were strewn along the banks smashed to splinters. The
villa in which the King and party had spent the night of prayer, was
visited by the rescuers, but the bewildered attendants here could only
say that the King and his party had left the morning before, and had not
again returned. Then Sedai, and those with him, after exchanging their
poor, tired zebras for fresh ones, and after a hasty meal, pushed on.
They might reasonably suppose that the party had reached a point at
least twenty miles farther to the northwest before the storm broke in
its fury; but it might have been that they saw the storm approaching
even before those in the city did, and fearing serious consequences had
turned back. In this case the rescuers might expect to meet them at any
time now and especial care was taken to look behind each fallen tree or
pile of debris.
An elephant had been taken along from the last villa in hopes that he
might be able to sooner detect their near approach to any of his
companions used by Onrai and his party. These animals are very sagacious
and their senses are very acute, they being able to hear the slightest
noise or see the most minute object, while their scent is only equaled
by a bloodhound.
Carefully this great beast picked his way, stepping gingerly over the
fallen trees and testing each bridge with his fore legs before venturing
to cross it. The distance between the villa and where our friends might
expect to be found, if safe, was now half covered and the rescuers had
gained heart with each step forward, for if those whom they were seeking
were not found within the next few miles, they would know that they were
safe. Suddenly the elephant stopped, and sniffing the air gave a sharp,
quick cry. Looking to the left the party saw the huge body of an
elephant, and beside it that of a woman.