LAYTHE
The pursuers were not yet in sight, but I knew from the nearness of the
sound of approaching footsteps that it would be impossible to complete
the splicing of the spears, to find a secure place for the hook above,
and for me to scramble upward to the rim of the crater and haul Moh-goh
after me before they should be upon us. Our position looked almost
hopeless. I could think of no avenue of escape, and yet I tried, and as
I stood there with bent head, my eyes cast upon the floor of the tunnel,
they fell upon the neatly coiled rope lying at my feet, one end of which
was fastened securely about my waist. Instantly there flashed into my
mind a mad inspiration. I glanced up at the overhanging rim above me.
Could I do it? There was a chance—the lesser gravity of the Moon placed
the thing within the realm of possibility, and yet by all earthly
standards it was impossible. I did not wait, I could not wait, for had I
given the matter any thought I doubt that I would have had the nerve to
attempt it. Behind me lay a cavern opening into the depths of space,
into which I should be dashed if my mad plan failed; but, what of it?
Better death than slavery. I stooped low, then, and concentrating every
faculty upon absolute coordination of mind and muscles, I leaped
straight upward with all the strength of my legs.
And in that instant during which my life hung in the balance, of what
did I think? Of home, of Earth, of the friends of my childhood? No—of a
pale and lovely face, with great, dark eyes and a perfect forehead,
surmounted by a wealth of raven hair. It was the image of Nah-ee-lah,
the Moon Maid, that I would have carried with me into eternity, had I
died that instant.
But, I did not die. My leap carried me above the rim of the crater,
where I lunged forward and fell sprawling, my arms and upper body upon
the surface of the ground. Instantly I turned about and lying upon my
belly, seized the rope in both hands.
“Quick, Moh-goh!” I cried to my companion below; “make the rope fast
about you, keep hold of the spears and I will drag you up!”
“Pull away,” he answered me instantly, “I have no time to make the rope
fast about me. They are almost upon me, pull away and be quick about
it.”
I did as he bade, and a moment later his hands grasped the rim of the
crater and with my assistance he gained the top, dragging the spears
after him. For a moment he stood there in silence looking at me with a
most peculiar expression upon his face; then he shook his head.
“I do not understand, yet,” he said, “how you did it, but it was very
wonderful.”
“I scarcely expected to accomplish it in safety, myself,” I replied,
“but anything is better than slavery.”
From below us came the voices of the Kalkars in angry altercation.
Moh-goh picked up a fragment of rock, and leaning over the edge of the
crater, threw it down among them. “I got one,” he said, turning to me
with a laugh, “he tumbled off into nothing; they hate that. They believe
that there is no reincarnation for those who fall into a crater.”
“Do you think that they will try to follow us?” I asked.
“No,” he said, “they will be afraid to use their hooked poles here for a
long time, lest we should be in the neighborhood and shove them off into
the crater. I will drop another rock down if any of them are in sight
and then we will go upon our way. I do not fear them here in the hills,
anyway. There is always plenty of broken stone upon the level places,
and we of Laythe are trained to use it most effectively—almost as far
as I can throw, I can score a hit.”
The Kalkars had withdrawn into the tunnel, so Moh-goh lost his
opportunity to despatch another, and presently turned away from the
crater and set out into the mountains, I following close behind.
I can assure you that I felt much better, now that I was armed with a
spear and a knife, and as we walked I practiced casting stones, at
Moh-goh’s suggestion and under his instruction, until I became rather
proficient in the art.
I shall not weary you with a narration of our journey to Laythe. How
long it took, I do not know. It may have consumed a day, a week, or a
month, for time seemed quite a meaningless term in Va-nah, but at
length, after clambering laboriously from the bottom of a deep gorge, we
stood upon the edge of a rolling plateau, and at some little distance
beheld what at first appeared to be a cone-shaped mountain, rising fully
a mile into the air above the surface of the plateau.
“There,” cried Moh-goh, “is Laythe! The crater where lies the entrance
to the tunnel leading to the city is beyond it.”
As we approached the city, the base of which we must skirt in order to
reach the crater beyond, I was able to obtain a better idea of the
dimensions and methods of construction of this great interior lunar
city, the base of which was roughly circular and about six miles in
diameter, ranging from a few hundred to a thousand feet above the level
of the plateau. The base of the city appeared to be the outer wall of an
ancient extinct volcano, the entire summit of which had been blown off
during some terrific eruption of a bygone age. Upon this base the
ancient Laytheans had commenced the construction of their city, the
houses of which rose one upon another as did those of the Kalkar city
from which we had just escaped. The great age of Laythe was attested by
the tremendous height to which these superimposed buildings had arisen,
the loftiest wall of Laythe now rising fully a mile above the floor of
the plateau. Narrow terraces encircled the periphery of the towering
city, and as we approached more closely I saw doors and windows opening
upon the terraces and figures moving to and fro, the whole resembling
closely an enormous hive of bees. When we had reached a point near the
base of the city, I saw that we had been discovered, for directly above
us there were people at various points who were unquestionably looking
down at us and commenting upon us.
“They have seen us from above,” I said to Moh-goh, “why don’t you hail
them?”
“They take us for Kalkars,” he replied. “It is easier for us to enter
the city by way of the tunnel, where I shall have no difficulty in
establishing my identity.”
“If they think we are Kalkars,” I said, “will they not attack us?”
“No,” he replied, “Kalkars often pass Laythe. If they do not try to
enter the city, we do not molest them.”
“Your people fear them, then?” I asked.
“It practically amounts to that,” he replied. “They greatly outnumber
us, perhaps a thousand to one, and as they are without justice, mercy or
honor we try not to antagonize them unnecessarily.”
We came at length to the mouth of the crater, and here Moh-goh looped
his rope about the base of a small tree growing close to the rim and
slipped down to the opening of the tunnel directly beneath. I followed
his example, and when I was beside him Moh-goh pulled the rope in,
coiled it about his waist, and we set off along the passageway leading
toward Laythe.
After my long series of adventures with unfriendly people in Va-nah, I
had somewhat the sensation of one returning home after a long absence,
for Moh-goh had assured me that the people of Laythe would receive me
well and that I should be treated as a friend. He even assured me that
he would procure for me a good berth in the service of Ko-tah. My
greatest regret now was for Nah-ee-lah, and that she was not my
companion, instead of Moh-goh. I was quite sure that she was lost, for
had she escaped, falling back into the crater outside the Kalkar city, I
doubted that she could successfully have found her way to Laythe. My
heart had been heavy since we had been separated, and I had come to
realize that the friendship of this little Moon Maid had meant a great
deal more to me than I had thought. I could scarcely think of her now
without a lump coming into my throat, for it seemed cruel, indeed, that
one so young and lovely should have met so untimely an end.
The distance between the crater and the city of Laythe is not great, and
presently we came directly out upon the lower terrace within the city.
This terrace is at the very rim of the crater around which Laythe is
built. And here we ran directly into the arms of a force of about fifty
warriors.
Moh-goh emerged from the tunnel with his spear grasped in both hands
high above his head, the point toward the rear, and I likewise, since he
had cautioned me to do so. So surprised were the warriors to see any
creatures emerge from this tunnel, which had been so long disused, that
we were likely to have been slain before they realized that we had come
before them with the signal of peace.
The guard that is maintained at the inner opening of the tunnel is
considered by the Laytheans as more or less of an honorary assignment,
the duties of which are performed perfunctorily.
“What do you here, Kalkars?” exclaimed the commander of the guard.
“We are not Kalkars,” replied my companion. “I am Moh-goh the Paladar,
and this be my friend. Can it be that you, Ko-vo the Kamadar, do not
know me?”
“Ah!” cried the commander of the guard, “it is, indeed, Moh-goh the
Paladar. You have been given up as lost.”
“I was lost, indeed, had it not been for this, my friend,” replied
Moh-goh, nodding his head in my direction. “I was captured by the
Kalkars and incarcerated in City No. 337.”
“You escaped from a Kalkar city?” exclaimed Ko-vo, in evident
incredulity. “That is impossible. It never has been accomplished.”
“But we did accomplish it,” replied Moh-goh, “thanks to my friend here,”
and then he narrated briefly to Ko-vo the details of our escape.
“It scarce seems possible,” commented the Laythean, when Moh-goh had
completed his narrative, “and what may be the name of your friend,
Moh-goh, and from what country did you say he came?”
“He calls himself Ju-lan-fit,” replied Moh-goh, for that was as near as
he could come to the pronunciation of my name. And so it was that as
Ju-lan-fit I was known to the Laytheans as long as I remained among
them. They thought that fifth, which they pronounced “fit,” was a title
similar to one of those which always followed the name of its possessor
in Laythe, as Sagroth the Jemadar, or Emperor; Ko-vo the Kamadar, a
title which corresponds closely to that of the English Duke; and Moh-goh
the Paladar, or Count. And so, to humor them, I told them that it meant
the same as their Javadar, or Prince. I was thereafter called sometimes
Ju-lan-fit, and sometimes Ju-lan Javadar, as the spirit moved him who
addressed me.
At Moh-goh’s suggestion, Ko-vo the Kamadar detailed a number of his men
to accompany us to Moh-goh’s dwelling, lest we have difficulty in
passing through the city in our Kalkar garb.
As we had stood talking with Ko-vo, my eyes had been taking in the
interior sights of this lunar city. The crater about which Laythe is
built appeared to be between three and four miles in width, the
buildings facing it and rising terrace upon terrace to a height of a
mile at least, were much more elaborate of architecture and far richer
in carving than those of the Kalkar City No. 337. The terraces were
broad and well cultivated, and as we ascended toward Moh-goh’s dwelling
I saw that much pains had been taken to elaborately landscape many of
them, there being pools and rivulets and waterfalls in numerous places.
As in the Kalkar city, there were Va-gas fattening for food in little
groups upon various terraces. They were sleek and fat and appeared
contented, and I learned later that they were perfectly satisfied with
their lot, having no more conception of the purpose for which they were
bred or the fate that awaited them than have the beef cattle of Earth.
The U-gas of Laythe have induced this mental state in their Va-gas herds
by a process of careful selection covering a period of ages, possibly,
during which time they have conscientiously selected, for breeding
purposes the most stupid and unimaginative members of their herds.
At Moh-goh’s dwelling we were warmly greeted by the members of his
family—his father, mother and two sisters—all of whom, like the other
Laytheans I had seen, were of striking appearance. The men were straight
and handsome, the women physically perfect and of great beauty.
I could see in the affectionate greetings which they exchanged an
indication of a family life and ties similar to those which are most
common upon Earth, while their gracious and hospitable reception of me
marked them as people of highly refined sensibilities. First of all they
must hear Moh-goh’s story, and then, after having congratulated us and
praised us, they set about preparing baths and fresh apparel for us, in
which they were assisted by a corps of servants, descendants, I was
told, of the faithful servitors who had remained loyal to the noble
classes and accompanied them in their exile.
We rested for a short time after our baths, and then Moh-goh announced
that he must go before Ko-tah, to whom it was necessary that he report,
and that he would take me with him. I was appareled now in raiment
befitting my supposed rank and carried the weapons of a Laythean
gentleman—a short lance, or javelin, a dagger and a sword, but with my
relatively darker skin and my blond hair, I could never hope to be aught
than an object of remark in any Laythean company. Owing to the color of
my hair, some of them thought that I was a Kalkar, but upon this score
my complexion set them right.
Ko-tah’s dwelling was, indeed, princely, stretching along a broad
terrace for fully a quarter of a mile, with its two stories and its
numerous towers and minarets. The entire face of the building was
elaborately and beautifully carved, the decorations in their entirety
recording pictographically the salient features of the lives of Ko-tah’s
ancestors.
Armed nobles stood on either side of the massive entrance way, and long
before we reached this lunar prince I realized that possibly he was more
difficult to approach than one of earthly origin, but at last we were
ushered into his presence, and Moh-goh, with the utmost deference,
presented me to Ko-tah the Javadar. Having assumed a princely title and
princely raiment, I chose to assume princely prerogatives as well,
believing that my position among the Laytheans would be better assured
and all my interests furthered if they thought me of royal blood, and so
I acknowledged my introduction to Ko-tah as though we were equals and
that he was being presented to me upon the same footing that I was being
presented to him.
I found him, like all his fellows, a handsome man, but with a slightly
sinister expression which I did not like. Possibly I was prejudiced
against him from what Nah-ee-lah had told me, but be that as it may, I
conceived a dislike and distrust for him the moment that I laid eyes
upon him, and I think, too, that he must have sensed my attitude, for,
though he was outwardly gracious and courteous, I believe that Ko-tah
the Javadar never liked me.
It is true that he insisted upon allotting me quarters within his palace
and that he gave me service high among his followers, but I was at that
time a novelty among them, and Ko-tah was not alone among the royalty
who would have been glad to have entertained me and showered favors upon
me, precisely as do Earth Men when a titled stranger, or famous man from
another land, comes to their country.
Although I did not care for him, I was not loth to accept his
hospitality, since I felt that because of my friendship for Nah-ee-lah I
owed all my loyalty to Sagroth the Jemadar, and if by placing myself in
the camp of the enemy I might serve the father of Nah-ee-lah, I was
justified in so doing.
I found myself in a rather peculiar position in the palace of Ko-tah,
since I was supposed to know little or nothing of internal condition in
Laythe, and yet had learned from both Nah-ee-lah and Moh-goh a great
deal concerning the intrigues and politics of this lunar city. For
example, I was not supposed to know of the existence of Nah-ee-lah. Not
even did Moh-goh know that I had heard of her; and so until her name was
mentioned, I could ask no questions concerning her, though I was anxious
indeed, to discover if by any miracle of chance, she had returned in
safety to Laythe, or if aught had been learned concerning her fate.
Ko-tah held me in conversation for a considerable period of time, asking
many questions concerning Earth and my voyage from that planet to the
Moon. I knew that he was skeptical, and yet he was a man of such
intelligence as to realize that there must be something in the Universe
beyond his understanding or his knowledge. His eyes told him that I was
not a native of Va-nah, and his ears must have corroborated the
testimony of his eyes, for try as I would, I never was able to master
the Va-nahan language so that I could pass for a native.
At the close of our interview Ko-tah announced that Moh-goh would also
remain in quarters in the palace, suggesting that if it was agreeable to
me, my companion should share my apartments with me.
“Nothing would give me greater pleasure, Ko-tah the Javadar,” I said,
“than to have my good friend, Moh-goh the Paladar, always with me.”
“Excellent!” exclaimed Ko-tah. “You must both be fatigued. Go,
therefore, to your apartments and rest. Presently I will repair to the
palace of the Jemadar with my court, and you will be notified in
sufficient time to prepare yourselves to accompany me.”
The audience was at an end, and we were led by nobles of Ko-tah’s palace
to our apartments, which lay upon the second floor in pleasant rooms
overlooking the terraces down to the brink of the great, yawning crater
below.
Until I threw myself upon the soft mattress that served as a bed for me,
I had not realized how physically exhausted I had been. Scarcely had I
permitted myself to relax in the luxurious ease which precedes sleep ere
I was plunged into profound slumber, which must have endured for a
considerable time, since when I awoke I was completely refreshed.
Moh-goh was already up and in the bath, a marble affair fed by a
continuous supply of icy water which originated among the ice-clad peaks
of the higher mountains behind Laythe. The bather had no soap, but used
rough fibre gloves with which he rubbed the surface of his skin until it
glowed. These baths rather took one’s breath away, but amply repaid for
the shock by the sensation of exhilaration and well being which resulted
from them.
In addition to private baths in each dwelling, each terrace supported a
public bath, in which men, women and children disported themselves,
recalling to my mind the ancient Roman baths which earthly history
records.
The baths of the Jemadar which I was later to see in the palace of
Sagroth were marvels of beauty and luxury. Here, when the Emperor
entertains, his guests amuse themselves by swimming and diving, which,
from what I have been able to judge, are the national sports of the
Laytheans. The Kalkars care less for the water, while the Va-gas only
enter it through necessity.
I followed Moh-goh in the bath, in which my first sensation was that I
was freezing to death. While we were dressing a messenger from Ko-tah
summoned us to his presence, with instructions that we were to be
prepared to accompany him to the palace of Sagroth the Jemadar.