A MEETING WITH KO-TAH
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, 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.