TREACHERY.
The pandemonium of battle was punctuated by the staccato reports of
the men's cannonlike mattorks as Grandon reached the interior of the
men's sleeping quarters. He mounted to the topmost chamber from which
Joto directed the activities of the two mattork crews while he shouted
orders to the defenders.
Here he found Vernia and Rotha, and could not but notice the difference
in the expressions of the two girls as they viewed the attack. While
Vernia, daughter of a thousand fighting emperors, maintained a calm
demeanor in the face of that oncoming horde, Rotha, pale and trembling,
looked this way and that, like a hunted wild thing.
"See," the marsh-girl cried, "they come by thousands and tens of
thousands. They cover the entire landscape. Our defenses will be
crushed."
"You forget that they are only brutes, Rotha," replied Vernia, "and as
such may be overcome by creatures of superior intellect. Men are the
lords of creation, not sabits."
"But they are wiser than all other animals--"
"Except men." She turned to Grandon smiling. "We are going to win this
battle, are we not, Robert Grandon?"
"Most assuredly," he replied. "However, I am not so positive that we
will be able to hold this building. This is hardly a safe place."
"You forget," said Vernia, "that I, too, am a soldier. I prefer to
remain here, and if necessary, take part in the fighting."
"I am sure you are too good a soldier to disobey orders, and I am in
command. You are ordered below."
A quick flash of resentment came to her eyes at his tone and words.
"You presume to command me? To dictate to the Princess of Reabon? I
only command. Others obey."
In outraged dignity she turned her back on him and walked toward the
ramparts--that is she started toward them, but a strong pair of arms
picked her up, armor and all, and carried her struggling and kicking
down the runways and to the foot of the stairway, while Rotha, passive
and thoroughly frightened, trailed behind. Grandon set Vernia gently on
her feet and, taking her by the shoulders, turned her so she looked up
at him with flaming eyes and heaving bosom.
"That is a man's fight out there," he said softly, apparently
unperturbed by the storm of anger he was creating. "You would only be
in the way, and would more than likely be carried off by the sabits.
Now will you go forward peaceably or must I carry you the rest of the
way?"
A slight flush suffused her cheeks. When she raised her eyes to his
there was a new look in them--a soft, melting look that gave him his
answer even before she spoke. The woman had conquered the princess, and
the man had conquered the woman.
She saluted stiffly, and there was a slight catch in her voice as she
replied:
"I will go, my commander."
"Spoken like a true soldier," he said, and paused for a moment to
admire her, walking gracefully with Rotha down the passageway. Then he
turned and took the steps three at a time, to join in the fighting.
* * * * *
In one of the more remote underground chambers, Tholto, the mighty
man of the mating pens, was haranguing a group of twenty followers
recruited from the army of marsh-men. His first plan had been the
overthrow of Grandon and Joto and the establishing of himself as ruler
of the new community. Later, when he had discovered the way out of the
valley, he decided on flight and the establishing of a community of his
own. He felt it was the wiser course, not only because his following
was inadequate to cope with the guards of Grandon and Joto, but because
it was his belief that the sabits would eventually win the battle for
domination of this valley.
Since the night when Grandon rescued Vernia from his clutches in the
mating pens, he had secretly harbored a hatred that was none the less
violent because of his apparent passivity.
Fate played into his hands when he discovered the secret way out of
the valley, and he was not slow to take advantage of the opportunity
offered. His co-plotters had been hastily summoned from their various
posts, and now awaited his orders.
He instructed the men to place provisions and water aboard the boat
at once, then await his coming in the passageway which led to the
armory. When all had departed he lowered his visor and started down the
passageway when he saw Vernia and Rotha approaching.
Quickly leaping to a vacant position in front of one of the hexagonal
columns, he assumed the pose of the empty suits of armor that were
similarly placed in front of the other columns, and stood in breathless
silence until they passed--then followed with the patient stealth of a
tiger stalking its prey.
He saw the two girls enter the fountain room and seat themselves on the
edge of the fountain where they bathed their hands and faces in the
clear, cold water. As he stood immobile before a column he could hear
the ring of their silvery laughter mingled with the soft, splashing
murmur of the fountain.
As the minutes passed he fidgeted uneasily. What if some one should
come? What if Grandon should discover his absence, or Joto should
notice that there were twenty men missing?
As the time wore on, and no one put in an appearance from the direction
of the men's sleeping quarters, he regained confidence. The boat would
be provisioned by now and the men waiting his coming. He chose a moment
when neither of the girls was looking his way--then stepped boldly into
the room and approached them.
Vernia looked up inquiringly.
"I bring orders from Grandon of Terra," he said, bowing low.
"What are his orders, soldier?" she asked.
"We cannot resist the sabits much longer. Many of our soldiers have
been slain, Joto among others. There is a secret way out of this valley
which all the survivors must take. I have been ordered to convey you
and Rotha thither and await his coming."
"A secret way out of the valley from here? Surely you jest, soldier! By
what miraculous means may we escape from the very center of the valley,
surrounded by thousands of sabits?"
"There is an underground stream which will carry us safely under the
cliffs. A boat of the ancient Albines is provisioned and ready. But
come. Explanations can wait until later. We must hurry, for it is the
order of our commander."
All unsuspecting the two girls followed Tholto down the long passageway
that led to the armory. Before the hexagonal columns to the right and
left of them stood the figures of warriors, though here and there a
suit had been removed to do service in Grandon's army. As the three
entered the doorway of that great storehouse of weapons and engines
of war, twenty silent figures stepped from before as many columns and
closed in behind them.
There was the sound of many mailed footsteps followed by the screams of
two frightened girls. Then the rough gutturals of the men, the voice
of Tholto issuing commands, the scraping of a metal keel on the stone
dock followed by a splash, more commands, the dip of the paddles in the
water which quickly died away in the distance, and once more the great,
empty walls of the armory echoed only the roar of tumbling black waters
that came through the ancient Albine door which Tholto and his men had
not troubled to close.
* * * * *
Grandon found the lower floor of the men's sleeping quarters well
defended, so climbed once more to the top of the structure where Joto
was directing the battle. As far as he could see in every direction
the ground swarmed with sabits. In a comparatively short time the
brown-mouthed sabit community was overwhelmed and its buildings where
razed to the ground, as were three of the outer structures of the white
sabit community.
The men in the central building held their own for a considerable time,
but their outer ring of sabit guards were killed and torn to pieces
almost instantly. At length it appeared inevitable that this building
must fall. Sabits were gnawing their way through the walls and more and
more soldiers were required to hold them back.
"I will take a force to help them," said Joto.
"No. You are doing very well here. I will go to their assistance,"
replied Grandon.
Taking fifty men from the reserve force in the storeroom Grandon led
them through the low underground runway. As they arrived the guards
were being driven to the inner chambers, but they rallied with the
aid of the new reénforcements and once more drove the sabits from the
building.
Sheb, the captain in command here, was on the roof directing the
mattork crew, so Grandon climbed thither after assuring himself that
the first floor was well defended. He found the crew standing idle
while Sheb, fuming and cursing, was attempting to dislodge a jammed gas
clip from the breech of the weapon.
"Are you all so witless that you insert a clip backward after having
been told the proper way a thousand times?" he roared. "For the price
of a bowl of wine I would have you stripped of your armor and thrown to
the sabits."
"Let me try," said Grandon coolly. "I believe I can get that clip out
for you."
Surprised at the sudden appearance of his commander, Sheb stood up and
saluted hurriedly. With the point of his sword Grandon gently pried the
recalcitrant clip, turned it, and closed the breech. Once more the crew
sprayed bullets into the ranks of the attackers.
* * * * *
A soldier rushed up from below.
"The outer walls are nearly gone," he gasped. "In a few minutes the
building will cave in."
"Order a retreat," said Grandon. "There is no use in defending this
shell."
"The king and queen sabit prisoners--shall we take them with us?"
"Leave them behind. I fancy the attackers will take care of them. Their
followers are all dead, anyway, and I don't believe any of our people
will care to nurse their fantas."
"If we leave them we will have no sabit slaves," said Sheb.
"Plenty more can be captured if we successfully withstand this attack,"
replied Grandon.
Another messenger arrived from below.
"The sabits have burrowed into the runway," he cried. "We will not be
able to return to the other building."
"Every one below at once," shouted Grandon. "Bring the mattork and
ammunition. Hurry!"
The building trembled and one of the walls collapsed as they rushed to
the ground floor.
"Into the runway, every man of you," he commanded. "Let the mattork
crew go first and clear the way."
Soon the men were all crowded into the narrow runway while Grandon and
Sheb, standing abreast, fought off the sabits that attempted to follow.
The entire structure collapsed a few minutes later, crushing not only
the imprisoned ruler sabits and their green cattle, but many of the
attackers as well. The entrance to the runway was completely bottled up
by fallen débris.
Shouldering his way through his crowded soldiers, Grandon at length
arrived at the point where the sabits had burrowed into the runway.
Here the mattork crew worked desperately, flanked by a half dozen
soldiers. The cut in the runway was more than twenty feet across, and
swarmed with sabits. Across this breach he could see Oro and his men
fighting to keep the attackers from entering on the other side.
Meanwhile the sabits on the ground above the runways were burrowing in
a hundred places. Something had to be done quickly or their place of
refuge would first be turned into a trench, then a shambles. Already a
third of the men who guarded the central building had been dragged away
by the attackers. It could not be long before the others, including
Grandon, must share their fate.
* * * * *
Some men lose their wits completely in moments of extreme stress.
Others do their keenest thinking at such times. This was the case
with Grandon. After a short conversation with the captain Sheb he
suddenly ran across the twenty-foot breach the sabits had made in their
defenses, leaping this way and that to avoid the snapping forceps.
Oro and the others welcomed him with enthusiasm.
He ran swiftly through the passageway and, upon coming up, quickly
placed crews in the ancient Albine fighting chariots he had sent
from the armory some time before. Taking a place with the men in the
foremost machine, he led them through the door straight into the army
of sabits, the guards standing aside to let them pass. They formed a
flying wedge with Grandon's machine at the apex, cutting a wide swath
in the ranks of the attackers.
The efficacy of the machines was surprising, even to Grandon, who had
formed some idea of their possibilities. The whirling knives and clubs
literally cut the opposing sabits to ribbons.
Arriving at the mouth of the runway which held the imprisoned men, they
quickly drove back the attackers, then kept them at bay by running
in a circle about the breach while Sheb led his followers to safety.
When the last man had crossed they formed a wedge once more and cut
their way back to their comrades, entering the door amid shouts of
acclamation from the defenders.
Night fell, and the fighting continued by torchlight, while Grandon
made further plans. There were more than a hundred of the machines in
the armory, and he planned to press them all into service as soon as
possible. Taking the entire force of reserves with him, he hurried
thither, not noticing the absence of Vernia and Rotha who he supposed
had retired to their bedchambers in the women's quarters.
He was surprised at sight of the open exit door, as he remembered
having closed it on his departure, but decided that he must not have
pushed it far enough for the lock to catch, so he closed it once more.
The machines were quickly dragged from their ancient resting places
and provided with crews. Within a half hour they were assembled in
the building, ready for the charge. One by one they emerged from the
doorway, spreading out in a great line six hundred feet long, then
"Forward!" shouted Grandon, while Joto on the roof withheld the mattork
fire.
The charge was irresistible. With every fifty feet of progress a
thousand sabits perished. They cut completely through the sabit army,
turned their machines and charged again, breaking down the resistance
of those who had instinctively filled in the lines. Back and forth they
drove through the thinning ranks of the attackers until the survivors,
seeing that further resistance was futile, turned and fled.
Thus was the power of the sabits forever broken in the valley.
Thenceforth, though there would be desultory fighting for some time to
come, men should rule its fertile slopes in place of monsters.
When Grandon entered the building with his victorious machine-crews,
the people cheered until they were hoarse. Posting a guard at the
entrance, he called them to attend what he had to say to them in the
great audience chamber of the ancient Albines.