his best behaviour. Ivanta had insisted that there should be no more
fighting or quarrelling with his neighbours, and no more cruelty and
oppression within his realm. Thus the tyrant's 'occupation was gone,'
and he had little left to him to do save to occupy himself and his
select circle with such more or less harmless amusements as the
circumstances permitted.
For one thing, he had become a great collector of curios of all kinds,
animate and inanimate. That is to say, he had got together the finest
collection of curios and zoological and botanical specimens of any upon
the planet. Some of these had been contributed by Ivanta--brought by
him from distant planets, Earth and Saturn--who possibly thought it good
policy to encourage his restless vassal in so blameless a hobby. Thus
the gardens surrounding the palace formed a sort of glorified Zoo and
Kew Gardens rolled into one. His palace, too, was filled to overflowing
with the most remarkable works of art that money could buy and the
countries of his globe could produce. The fame of his collections had
spread throughout the world of Mars, and people travelled immense
distances and made long pilgrimages to see them.
It is scarcely a matter for surprise that such a man should now be
bitten with a craze for diamonds, with a burning, overmastering
desire--which later on became a determination--to become the possessor
of the finest collection of jewels upon his planet.
Now, it so happened that while Agrando's desires in this direction had
been growing and growing until they had almost reached the length of
becoming a sort of madness, Ivanta's thoughts had been working in an
exactly opposite direction. By degrees he had come to wish he had never
troubled himself about precious stones at all. Certainly, what he had
done had been planned with the best intentions; but his sagacious
instinct now began to lean to the idea that for once in his life he had
made a great mistake. Therefore, he was casting about for some plausible
excuse for undoing what he had travelled all the way to Earth specially
to accomplish.
Already, during the voyage home to Mars, he had noted many incidents
which his keen insight into human nature had told him were the little
seeds likely to grow into a big crop of future trouble. He had seen,
with sorrow and alarm, that even his most trusted councillors and
dearest friends were beginning to give their chief thought and attention
to 'dividing up' the cargo of diamonds they were carrying back. Already
envy, covetousness, and greed were raising their ugly heads where before
all had been amiability and goodwill. And if this were so even before
the distribution took place, what was likely to be the state of things
afterwards?
This alteration in his views had been greatly strengthened by his
conversations with Armeath. That honest sage, also deeply experienced in
human nature, fearlessly expressed his own opinions on the subject. He
gave Ivanta endless illustrations and 'modern instances' of the crimes
and misery which a covetous greed for precious stones might be expected
to introduce into his world.
Ivanta--convinced, yet, as an honourable man, hampered by his own
promises and undertakings--gladly jumped at Armeath's suggestion of
making artificial stones in such quantities as to render them as 'common
as pieces of glass.' Then, as Armeath had argued in his talk with
Monck, nobody would bother himself to be the possessor of any of the
'gems,' whether real or artificial. For none could tell the former from
the latter when manufactured by Armeath's process.
The great difficulty now seemed to be to get a sufficient quantity of
the necessary mineral; and to do this Ivanta would have to pay a visit
to Saturn, that being the only place he knew of where it could be
obtained.
Meantime, Ivanta had decided to keep the cargo he had brought locked up;
and to postpone its distribution until his return from his projected
journey.
Unfortunately, however, the mischief had already been done; the seeds of
serious trouble had been sown, and were now growing to a far larger
extent than King Ivanta knew of.
King Agrando, in particular, was hatching a double plot, which, if it
succeeded, was not only to gratify his newly-born craze for a big
collection of jewels, but to restore him to his former position of
independent ruler. Even, perhaps--who could tell?--it might raise him
to the position now occupied by Ivanta himself!
Into this conspiracy Zuanstroom had entered. That, at first sight, may
appear a little strange; but the so-called Diamond King had newly
awakened ambitions of his own. He saw that, as the owner of this great
cargo of precious stones, he was in a position which was absolutely
unique in the world of Mars. Upon Earth he had only been the Diamond
King in a relative sense; here he was actually entitled to that name.
But why should he stop there? Why should he not use his unique position
to make himself a king in actual fact? Upon Earth, even with the help
of all his diamonds, he could never aspire to such a height; but here it
was different. Ivanta, he knew, would never fall in with such an idea;
but Agrando, if approached in the right way, might--and he did.
The result of the conferences between the two plotters may be summed up
thus: Agrando had said, 'Let us use your diamonds to depose Ivanta and
put me in his shoes, and give me the biggest share of the treasure; and
I will then put you into a position similar to that I now myself occupy.
You shall be king over a large tract of country, subject only to me as
your overlord.'
And Zuanstroom's ambition and unscrupulous nature had determined him to
seal the compact and risk the consequences.
The visitors to Agrando found plenty to amuse and interest them during
their stay. The palace gardens alone were a never-ending source of
wonder and delight to the two chums. Rumour had not exaggerated when it
had spread reports of the marvels to be seen there. The friends spent a
good deal of their time exploring and investigating--for the gardens
were of very great extent--and every day they came upon something fresh.
At the beginning, Monck had given them this curious warning: 'Kazzaro
has asked me to put you on your guard,' said he. 'King Agrando
remembers the dangers which you, Gerald, so narrowly escaped during our
journey in the _Ivenia_; and he does not wish that a similar unhappy
occurrence should cast a reflection upon any of his people here. So he
has instructed Kazzaro to remind me that there are many specimens and
scientific curiosities in the gardens which may be dangerous to
strangers unacquainted with their characteristics--not merely among the
animals, and reptiles, and so on, he says, but even amongst the trees
and plants. For King Agrando has devoted an immense amount of money and
trouble to collecting and cultivating specimens of most out-of-the-way
kinds, some of them with qualities never known or heard of before.
Apart from this consideration, you have the king's permission to go
about freely wherever you choose!'
Later on, Gerald asked Jack his private opinion of this warning. 'What
does it mean?' he asked doubtfully. 'Is it genuine, do you think, or
does it conceal some crafty trick?'
'Sounds straightforward enough!' Jack declared. 'Where can the trick
come in?'
'I don't know,' Gerald mused. 'I have no right, perhaps, to suspect any
trickery; yet, somehow, I don't trust the Ogre!'
'No more do I, for that matter! We'll keep our eyes open!' said Jack.
A few days later, Alondra, wandering alone in the gardens, one morning,
came upon an immense round glass-house, the door of which, he noticed,
was standing open for the first time. He had paused at the place two or
three times before; but the door had always been shut and locked.
Moreover, there was a label upon it, which read: 'Private. Contents
Dangerous.'
Naturally, such a placard had aroused his curiosity, and he had made
attempts to see what was inside; but everywhere the glass was screened
off within, and he could discover nothing. Here, this morning, was an
opportunity to see for himself what the mysterious 'contents' were. He
had his trident with him--he had carried it every day in consequence of
the warning that had been given--so what had he to fear?
He passed through the open door, and came to a second door at one side.
Opening this, he made his way amongst a lot of thick shrubs, and came
out in an open space paved with white marble. In the centre was a large
marble pool, with steps leading down into it. In the pool a fountain
was playing; the whole looking very cool and inviting. It had the
appearance of a plunge-bath; and seemed to tempt the stranger to take a
dive into its bubbling waters.
Alondra looked round. Nothing was to be seen on any side but flowering
shrubs, the scent of which filled the air. But the most beautiful
blooms of all, he noticed, were some large white lilies growing amongst
clusters of immense leaves in the pool.
Surprised and fascinated at the extreme beauty of these blooms, the like
of which he had never seen before, he walked down the steps as far as
the edge of the water, and put his hand amongst the green leaves to
pluck a flower. Immediately the leaf curled over upon his hand, and to
his astonishment and dismay he found he could not withdraw it! Not only
that, but the leaf was exercising a distinct pulling power; it was
steadily dragging him towards the water! Then he put the other hand
down to try to free the first one, when another leaf curled round it,
and he found himself held as though his hands had been tied together
with a strong rope. He struggled hard, but he could not cast off that
deadly grip; and, little by little, the horrible leaves dragged him
forward until he was forced into the pool. Other leaves then began to
curl round his body, and forced him down, down, step by step, until the
water encircled his neck!
*CHAPTER XX.*
*THE DEATH POOL.*
It was well for Alondra that Gerald and Jack happened to be walking in
the gardens that particular morning. They had, in fact, strolled out to
look for him, and Providence must have led them into the neighbourhood
of the large glass-house just at the critical moment. They also
noticed--as he had done--that the outer door was standing open; and they
were reading the warning notice with great curiosity, and considering
whether, in despite of it, they should venture on a peep inside, when a
terrible cry rang out from within, a cry as of some one in urgent need
of help.
'It's Alondra's voice!' exclaimed Gerald. 'He's inside there, and must
be in some trouble! Come on, Jack!'
The two pushed open the inner door and rushed along the pathway amongst
the shrubs.
A moment later they came in sight of the pool with the fountain playing
in the middle; and there they saw Alondra--or, rather, his head, for
that was all there was above the water--with a look of terrible, deadly
horror upon his face.
'Help me quickly!' he gasped. 'Some awful thing is clinging round me
and is dragging me down! Your knives! Get out your knives! But be
careful, or you may get drawn in yourselves--both of you!'
The two friends acted upon the hints thus given; and, drawing their
knives and joining hands, Gerald went boldly down the steps and seized
hold of the young prince just as he was being drawn completely under the
water.
The task of setting him free, however, proved a tougher one than they
had expected. The clinging leaves, as though directed by some dreadful,
sinister intelligence, closed upon Gerald's extended arm, and,
exercising a strength and tenacity which had about it something almost
superhuman, endeavoured to drag him in too.
A terrible struggle for dear life ensued between the three, on the one
side, and the horrible, silent power which they had to fight against, on
the other.
Gerald managed to free one of Alondra's arms, and gave him his own
knife, taking Jack's in place of it. The two then hacked and slashed at
the slimy, slippery, but wonderfully tough leaves. As fast as they cut
themselves free from some, others laid hold of them; and it seemed at
one time as though all three would be dragged bodily into the water.
Just then Jack caught sight of a coil of strong rope lying upon the
floor in a corner, and he made a dart and possessed himself of it. In a
trice he had passed one end to Gerald, and secured the other round one
of the columns supporting the roof.
Gerald, in his turn, managed to slip the end round Alondra and pass it
back to Jack, who caught hold of it, and, standing himself on the steps
out of reach, hauled with all his might. This enabled the two who were
struggling in the water--for by this time Gerald had also been drawn
in--to use both hands. Little by little, step by step, they struggled
backwards, until at last they reached the water's edge and were free.
Panting and exhausted, the three sat down on a low marble balustrade,
and looked first at the pool, then at one another. Then they stared
once more at the treacherous pool, where all now was silent and still,
save for the bubbling and splashing of the water as it fell from the
fountain.
'Jupiter!' cried Jack at last. 'Of all the awful death-traps I ever saw
or heard of, commend me to this! A horrible death pool! But what in
the name of all that is fiendish is that awful plant?'
'It's some kind of cannibal plant, I suppose,' said Gerald.
'Yes, that is right,' Alondra agreed. 'I have heard there are such
plants on our globe in some remote corners, but I have never seen one
before.'
'What does anybody want to keep such a monstrous, uncanny affair for?'
queried Jack indignantly.
'I never heard that they grew to such a size,' Alondra added. 'This
must have been growing here many years to become so large, I should
say.'
'A nice sort of pet to cultivate and pamper!' Jack grumbled. 'What do
they feed it on, I wonder? Such a thing ought not to be allowed! It's a
public danger!'
'There's a warning on the door,' Gerald reminded him. 'After all, it's
our own fault, I 'm afraid people will say, for coming here.'
'My fault, you mean--for I was the one who yielded first to curiosity,
and so drew you here,' Alondra confessed.
'Oh, we should have come in on our own, you may be pretty sure of that,'
Jack declared. 'We were just discussing the point when we heard you
call out.'
'It's a very beautiful flower,' Gerald observed, looking attentively at
the large, handsome blossoms, 'and the scent is delicious. Who would
imagine that anything so lovely to look at could be so treacherous--so
deadly?'
He walked cautiously up near to it to get a clear view, and Jack
followed him--partly, as it seemed, to satisfy his own curiosity, and
partly to see that his chum did not become too venturesome and get
unwittingly caught again.
Meantime, Alondra was evidently thinking deeply. He began to look and
search about, first in this direction, then in that. Presently the
others noticed his proceedings, and, leaving the side of the pool, went
across and asked him what he was doing.
'Before I tell you,' was the reply, 'you must promise that you will say
nothing to any one else. If what I am thinking of was mere fancy, I
don't wish to be laughed at; and if it turns out that it was not
fancy--well, then I still wish that nothing should be said about it just
now. Do you understand?'
The two friends readily gave the required promise. 'Well, then, what is
troubling me is this: Just as I called out--when I was struggling up to
my neck in the water--when, as it seemed to me, I was at my last gasp,
and all hope had gone--I saw, or imagined I saw, some one peering at me
from among those thick bushes!'
'My stars! That sounds funny!' was Jack's comment. 'D'you mean to say
that there was some one in here, some one so cold-blooded as to stand by
and look on at you, and never offer to help?'
'That is my--er--impression; but'----
'Who was it, then? Anybody you know?'
Alondra hesitated. Then he said slowly, 'I cannot say. I could hardly
see more than the eyes, if I saw any one. But, understand me, I cannot
declare positively that I saw any one at all. I was in such a state of
horror that I may have imagined it. I was ready to imagine anything.'
Jack looked at him attentively.
'I don't think you are one to lose your wits to that extent, my friend,'
he declared, shaking his head, 'though I admit it would be no discredit
to you if you did. I can't imagine a more frightful predicament, or one
better calculated to try the nerves of the bravest man.'
'Let's all set to work and have a good hunt round,' suggested Gerald.
'If any one was here, he must be somewhere in hiding now, unless there
is another way out. If there is, let's find it!'
They searched the place in all directions, but for some time could find
nothing to reward their trouble. They could see no trace of any person
other than themselves having been there.
They were about to give it up and go away, when Jack suddenly uttered a
cry. 'See! What is that on the floor!' he exclaimed. 'Ah, I thought
so! A diamond--a small diamond!' He exhibited upon the open palm of
his hand a little sparkling stone. While his companions were busy
looking at it, he went on to examine attentively a number of slabs of
carved marble which stood up from the floor some four or five feet,
forming a many-sided enclosure. They made a ring, as it were, fifteen
feet in diameter or thereabouts, and upon each slab were figures or
scenes carved in bas-relief.
It was not unlike a huge, many-sided flower-pot; and it appeared to be
intended for a similar purpose; for the space it enclosed was filled
with mould up to the level of the top of the slabs, and this again was
thickly planted with large shrubs.
Jack walked all round this affair, peering keenly into the dense leafy
screen. It was so thick that nothing could be seen of what was in the
middle. Then he returned to the starting-point--that opposite to the
place where he had picked up the diamond. He caught hold of the
branches and pulled them apart. Then he uttered a low whistle. 'Come
and look at this!' he cried.
The other two ran up to the place and peered in. There, upon the loose
mould, could be seen a footprint, and a little beyond it another.
Jack pointed to one of the bas-relief figures on the slab. It was in a
kneeling position, and the head formed a convenient step to any one
wishing to mount to the top of the slab. 'Do you see?' he cried. 'This
has been used as a step! You place a foot on it--thus, take hold of
these branches--so, pull them apart--so, and you can spring up and
through quite easily. Then the branches close up after you and hide all
trace. But the last one who passed this way was in a great hurry. He
was in such haste to get through that he snapped off a twig--here it
is--and another twig caught against his breast, and tore off a little
diamond, and cast it on to the floor where I found it.'
While talking, Jack had suited actions to words, and shown, by practical
illustration, how easily what he had suggested might happen.
'Where, then, is that person now, do you suppose?' asked Gerald, in a
low tone. 'Hiding in the middle of those bushes?'
Jack shook his head. 'I should say not,' he replied. 'I should say
there must be a secret passage leading to this curious place, and that
those bushes conceal the entrance to it. However, that's a question
we'll soon put to the test. I 'm going in to see what's in the middle.
You fellows come after me!'
*CHAPTER XXI.*
*A SECRET TREASURE-HOUSE.*
Jack's theory proved to be well founded. In the middle of the clump of
bushes they discovered a portion of an old tree-trunk. It was about
three feet high by, perhaps, four feet in diameter. A glance over the
side showed that it was hollow, and that inside it there were some steps
leading downwards.
Jack pointed to them in quiet triumph. 'Are you going to explore
farther?' he asked Alondra, in a low tone scarcely above a whisper.
'Because, if you are, I should suggest that we go very quietly.'
'Yes; I 'm going to find out what it all means,' said Alondra firmly.
'What about arms?' queried Jack dubiously.
'I have my trident, or I had,' Alondra answered. 'I must have left it
somewhere about on the floor.'
Jack went back to look for it, and Alondra followed; but it was nowhere
to be seen.
'It has disappeared!' exclaimed Alondra, bewildered. 'What can have
become of it? I remember putting it down when I went, towards the pool
to pick one of those terrible flowers. Are you sure you have not picked
it up, either of you?'
'What should we do with it--put it in one of our pockets?' laughed Jack.
'No; this is one more proof that what you saw was reality and not a
vision of your fanciful brain. Some one was here--some one who coolly
looked on while you were struggling for your life in the grasp of the
dreadful floral monster beside yonder pretty-looking fountain. Some one
who wears diamonds on his breast, and was in too great a hurry to notice
that the bushes had scratched one off in passing. Some one, finally,
who has walked off with your trident.'
'True. But why did he take that?'
'It seems to me that the reason is not difficult to guess at. It tells
a little tale to me by itself. He considered that you were as good as
dead, and would have no further use for your trident. So, as it is a
very beautifully ornamented one, he thought he might as well have it.'
'I 'm afraid you must be right!' Alondra rejoined, with a slight shiver.
'Yet, I don't understand it! However, let us see what we can find out.
As to arms, who would dare to lay a hand openly on me?'
As Alondra asked this last question he drew himself up proudly, and his
eyes flashed.
'It's not for me to say,' Jack remarked, with a philosophical air.
'Gerald and I have our own arms--what we call revolvers when we are at
home. They're not like yours, though. They hurt if they are used
properly, as you know.'
The two went back to where they had left Gerald, and a little later they
were all three creeping noiselessly down the steps inside the hollow
tree-trunk. At the bottom they found themselves in another passage,
which they calculated must run under the floor of the glass-house, and
then under the garden. It was in darkness, save for a little glimmer
which came down the steps they had descended.
'Now, I wonder where this goes to?' muttered Jack. 'It doesn't seem to
me to lead to the palace. I fancy it runs in the opposite direction.'
Alondra produced from his pocket a little electric lamp, and by its aid
they followed the passage for some distance. Then they came to more
steps, which went much farther down into the ground. They also came to
other side-passages, which branched off in different directions. Soon
the passage became wider and higher, and finally ended in a heavily
barred door, which, however, was standing ajar.
They listened cautiously, and, hearing no one about, pushed it open, and
suddenly found themselves in a blaze of light. Yet it was certain that
they were not in the open air.
They stared around, and then up, in wondering astonishment. They seemed
to be in another glass-house, for certainly there was some kind of
transparent or semi-transparent roof overhead. But the light was not the
light of the sky exactly. It was a strange reflected light, such as
puzzled the three who gazed at it.
Then an idea flashed into Jack's mind. 'I know what it is!' he
whispered. 'We are looking up through water! This place is built
underneath the large lake in the gardens.'
'Yes, you are right. It must be so,' Alondra agreed. 'But why? This
must be some place constructed in this strange fashion on purpose that
its very existence should be kept a secret! Now, why is that, I wonder?
I do not believe that my father even knows of its existence. But why
all this secrecy? There seems to be no one about. Let us try to find
out what it all means.'
One thing they found it undoubtedly was--a treasure-house. They quickly
saw enough to convince them that Agrando had a great store of treasure
here. But there were also roomy chambers, and a spacious central place,
with a great dome as large as a good-sized theatre, and not unlike one,
having banks of seats around, one behind the other, arranged like
semicircular steps. The use of this building seemed very doubtful, as
did that of some small, dark side-chambers--mere cells--of which there
were quite a number about.