AGAIN IN THE WORLD OF LIGHT.
The ice-cutters, for it were they, had never before in their lives been
surprised. They saw coming out of that inky blackness, from far up that
windy quarter, where none of their people had ever dared to go, a party
of half-clad human beings, who staggered on as if intoxicated and, at
last, falling at their feet. They hurriedly gathered about the fallen
fugitives and throwing restoratives in their faces, tried to make out
who they were and if they were any of their people, but these had been
rolled about the floor of the windy cavern so long, that what with
bruises and dirt, they were unrecognizable. Onrai, who still had enough
life left to whisper a few words, motioned for one of the men to stoop;
the man did so and started back with still greater surprise, as Onrai
said:
“Hurry, get us out of here into the sun. Don’t you know me? I am Onrai.”
The man could not speak for a moment, but then, regaining his senses,
said:
“It is Onrai, the King, and his guests; hurry or they will perish.”
In an instant those about them began to take from their bodies the warm
garments and place them about the half-frozen bodies of our friends.
Then, taking them in their strong arms, they hurried towards the
entrance of the cave. This was soon reached, and in the villa just
outside, the attendants were soon working hard with their benumbed and
bruised bodies. They were first plunged in a bath of warm water and then
rubbed down thoroughly; then their wounds were dressed, after which they
were placed on comfortable couches and made to rest. The poor
underground native was treated likewise, and a suit of the cool silk was
thrown about his body after his wound was dressed. He could not
understand why all this was being done to him, but he could appreciate
the delicate touches and the comfort which he was deriving from the
treatment. Everything was strange to him; the peculiar white light of
the sun, the green fields, the great shady trees, the high elephants,
which he could see from his apartment stalking about the garden, and
this grand house, to which he had been brought. And the food which they
had given him was so different from the fish, which had always been his
only diet; and the cooling honey wine, which they poured down his
throat.
There was comfort in all this though and very shortly, his wound dressed
and pain gone, his weary body soothed by the bath and treatment which
the natives had given him, he fell asleep at last; his troubles ended,
with no care on his wearied mind.
It had been early morning when our friends had emerged from the cave and
after being thoroughly revived, they fell asleep and it was late in the
evening before they awakened.
“Onrai,” said Harry, “will you ask one of the attendants what day this
is?”
Onrai did so, and turned to him and said:
“We have been gone just six days, according to your method of measuring
time.”
“Six days,” exclaimed they all in chorus, “impossible.”
“But then,” continued Mr. Bruce, “when we consider how far we have
traveled, we can hardly expect that we have been gone less time than
that.”
“Yes, it has been just six days,” said Onrai, “but remember where we
were when we started and see where we are now. Why, our friends are
three days march from us, that is, easy marches, but I think we can
overtake them in two days by not taking too long rests.”
“But when shall we start?” asked Mr. Bruce, “our friends must be worried
about us.”
“Just whenever you wish to,” answered Onrai, “to-night if you choose.”
“Why not to-night?” asked Harry, “we still have some hours left and
going through the cool avenue at night would be grand.”
“Well, so it shall be,” said Onrai, “we will travel with elephants so
that, if we get sleepy, we can rest in the howdahs.”
“And can I go with you?” asked the stranger.
“You can, my good man,” said Onrai. “Our friends would want to see and
thank the one who has saved us; for if you had not helped us out that
night, or day in the tunnel, we might have been wandering until now and
on until death relieved us, in that awful hole.”
Elephants were brought and the party again took up their way. The
elephants had been kept in an easy gait and had covered many miles and
our friends hoped soon to reach the rest of the party.
“When shall we take up the journey again to the fields of diamonds,
Onrai?” asked Mr. Bruce, as they rode along.
“Just as soon as you are all ready to start,” answered Onrai.
“And how far are we from the field,” asked Harry.
“Fully two hundred miles, as you would compute it,” answered Onrai.
“Then it will take us about ten days, will it not?” asked Harry.
“Yes, unless we make longer marches,” said Onrai, “and that is hardly
necessary.”
“Not at all necessary,” answered Mr. Bruce, “and we can, by taking easy
stages, better see the strange country through which we are passing.”
“Yes,” said Onrai, “and the scenery will be wilder and different in some
respects.”
“Ten days to go and fourteen days to return,” said Harry. “That will
take pretty near a month.”
“Yes, it will be fully that long before we return,” said Onrai, “and
besides we will return by a different route, which will take us
considerably longer. The new route will be over the regular macadamized
roads, which, for many miles, are used very infrequently; but they are
always kept in first-class repair, so that we will experience no
discomforts for having left our onyx-floored avenue.”
“It is surely delightful riding over this perfect avenue,” said Mr.
Graham, “everything though is delightful in this fair land. How
different from that fearful country far down below us.”
“Probably only to us who know the difference,” said Onrai. “They may
have their pleasures and comforts and hopes and Day of Resis. We know
only what this man has taught us, and he has told us little.”
Again Onrai had mentioned The Day of Resis. What did it mean?