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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b46bcf9 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #67121 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/67121) diff --git a/old/67121-0.txt b/old/67121-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 22a1cb1..0000000 --- a/old/67121-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9067 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Polaris and the Goddess Glorian, by -Charles B. Stilson - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Polaris and the Goddess Glorian - -Author: Charles B. Stilson - -Release Date: January 7, 2022 [eBook #67121] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK POLARIS AND THE GODDESS -GLORIAN *** - - - - - - Polaris and the Goddess Glorian - - By Charles B. Stilson - - _Copyright 1917 by Popular Publications, Inc._ - - - - - Introduction - - -In the antarctic wilds far below Ross Sea, Polaris Janess (Polaris--of -the Snows), was born, of a mother he never knew, and grew to manhood's -years knowing one human face only, that of his father. When that father -died, the young man set his face to the north, to find the world of -men, of which his father and his books had told him; and to deliver -to the National Geographic Society in Washington a packet containing -scientific data compiled by his explorer sire. - -Journeying through the silent wastes with his dog team, the son of the -snows found Rose Emer, an American heiress, who had strayed from an -exploring party, and who waited death in the icy wilderness. - -Hurled southward again in a breakup of the ice floes where they had -camped, Polaris and the girl came upon the kingdom of Sardanes--a -valley girded by volcanic hills which warmed it, and peopled by a lost -fragment, some two thousand strong, of the ancient Greeks. - -The adventures of the man of the snows and the American maid in -Sardanes; how they escaped thence; how their love bloomed amid -the eternal snows; and how they won at last to America, where the -Geographic Society hailed the dead Stephen Janess as the first man to -set foot on the Southern Pole--all these things have been related. - -Zenas Wright, friend of Polaris's father, and a celebrated student -of volcanic phenomena, told Polaris that the fires which had warmed -Sardanes for centuries were passing away from the valley, and that all -life in the ancient kingdom must perish. - -Chartering the United States second-class cruiser _Minnetonka_, -Polaris, Wright, and Captain James Scoland set sail to rescue the -Sardanians. Scoland, who loved Rose Emer, deserted Janess and Wright in -the wilderness and went back to America to woo the Rose-maid. But Rose -Emer refused him, and gray Marcus, Polaris's dog, protected her from -Scoland's profaning lips and tore the recreant captain so horribly that -the man went mad, and in his madness revealed his inhuman treachery. - -Again the _Minnetonka_ turned her nose to the mysterious South, and -Rose Emer went down the bitter seas to find her sweetheart. - -Meanwhile Polaris and old Zenas Wright found Sardanes a waste of snows, -its volcanic girdle cold and dead, its people, led by the mad priest -of Analos, gone to their doom through the fiery "Gateway" of their -god Hephaistos. Only Minos, the kind, and his bride, the Lady Memene, -remained alive, hidden in a cave in the hills. Those four, Polaris, -Wright, and the two Sardanians, were picked up by the _Minnetonka_ near -the Antarctic Circle as they were making their perilous way northward -in a small launch which they had found in the wreck of Captain -Scoland's supply ship. - -In the story which follows will be related the tale which was brought -back to America by old Zenas Wright--what befell Polaris and his -companions after the _Minnetonka_ turned northward--homeward. - - - - - CHAPTER I - - THE GOLDEN STRANGER - - -On the bridge of the cruiser _Minnetonka_ stood Minos, the Sardanian -king, staring southward in the wake of the ship, southward where his -lost, dead kingdom lay buried under the soft, cruel snows beyond the -unchartered antarctic seas. Ahead of the ship, full of promise, full -of hope, was America. For the _Minnetonka_ had rounded the Horn that -morning and was on her long straight course for the port of home. - -Below him, in her cabin, was the girl bride of Minos, the Lady Memene, -so strangely won and saved from the crowning horror of his kingdom's -fall. It was mid-forenoon of a cloudless day. Gay voices echoed along -the decks of the cruiser. Gladness was in the very air the voyagers -breathed--the gladness of the homeward-bound. - -But the mien of the king was somber. There was a shadow on his brow -and deeper shadows in his dark eyes gazing so steadily into the south. -Bright as were his prospects, memory still whispered sadly to him of -the only spot on earth which had been home to him. He could not forget. - -Far away on the dancing, sparkling waters something caught the eye of -the king, a something which flashed and disappeared and flashed again, -as the wave on which it rode dipped and arose among its fellows. Minos -watched it curiously. - -Leaning against the rail beside the king, so close that their elbows -almost touched, was Lieutenant Irwin Everson, commander of the -_Minnetonka_, trim in his naval blue. Minos touched his shoulder and -said: - -"Yonder--something shines on the water." - -Everson followed with his eyes the course indicated by the pointing -finger of the king. Again the distant object flashed in the sunlight, -far away on the starboard quarter. "Might be ice; but I've seen enough -of that lately to know that it isn't," muttered Everson as he, too, -caught the flash, "and no wave ever shone like that." - -Stepping into the pilothouse, the lieutenant returned with his glasses. -Their lenses revealed to his eyes a glittering patch from which the -rays of the sun were reflected as it rose and fell with the waves. But -even the powerful binoculars were inadequate to distinguish the form -and substance of the thing. - -"I can't make it out," Everson said as he lowered the glasses. "But -here comes the keenest pair of eyes on the ship." He leaned from the -bridge and called down to a tall man who was crossing the deck below. - -"Oh, Mr. Janess! Can you spare us a moment? We need your eyesight." - -Polaris turned a smiling face in response to the call. He, too, was -glad of the home-going; no man on the ship more so. In a moment he -joined the king and the lieutenant on the bridge. - -Though he was not so tall by the breadth of a hand as the Sardanian, -who was indeed a giant, the tawny head of the son of the snows was -inches above that of the young naval man. As they stood one on either -side of him, Everson involuntarily stepped back a pace. He felt puny -and absurd, and he was by no means a small man. - -For the half of a minute, Janess gazed through the glasses, altering -their focus slightly. He lowered them suddenly and swung on his heel to -face Everson. - -"Put the ship--" He stopped and his face flushed. "I beg pardon," he -continued. "It is not mine to give orders, but yonder a man floats. He -lies face downward across a piece of wreckage." - -Lieutenant Everson hurried into the pilot house, and down to old -MacKechnie among his boilers was flashed the signal which swung the -gray cruiser off her course in a long arc to the southward. - -"A man, you say?" the commander queried as he rejoined Polaris and the -king. "But what is it that glitters so?" - -Polaris, with the glasses at his eyes again, did not at once reply. -When he did, the answer was surprising. - -"It is the man that glitters. If he be not of metal himself, then is he -clothed in it from head to toe, and it glimmers--" He turned to Minos -and lapsed into the Greek of Sardanes. "It glimmers, Minos, as did that -suit of armor which thou didst leave behind thee in the cave on the -Mount of Latmos," he said. - -The king stirred to quick interest. The eyes of the naval lieutenant -widened with amazement as Polaris repeated his remark in English. - -"A man clothed in metal! In armor!" he exclaimed. "And floating here -in the South Atlantic! What can that mean? Poor chap; whoever he is, -he will never tell us. He must have been dead for days. But it's well -worth the investigation." - -Impatiently the three men stood at the rail of the bridge as the ship -swung on. - - * * * * * - -At an eighteen-knot clip, the _Minnetonka_ cut swiftly through the -waves, nearer and nearer to the flashing burden of the waves. Soon -other eyes not so keen as those of Polaris could descry the strange -objective of the ship. Forward along the rail, sailors clustered, -shouting their surprise, and staring at the unusual spectacle of the -glittering man afloat. - -Presently, with a deep thrumming of her valves, the _Minnetonka_ slowed -down. With a word to Everson, Polaris left the bridge and hastened -across the deck. As a boat was swung over the side in the davits, he -sprang into it with the sailors. Less than two-score strokes of the -oars took the boat alongside the floating mystery. - -Then, indeed, had the sailors cause to stare with open mouths. - -On a crisscross tangle of slender beams, oddly twisted and broken, lay -the body of a man. So small was the raft of wreckage which supported -him that his head and feet projected at each side, and as the waves -tossed his unstable craft, first his face and then his heels were -dipped beneath the water. Very wide of shoulder was the stranger and -powerfully framed, if the outlines of the garb he wore did not belie -him. - -From crown to sole he was dressed in jointed armor, cunningly fashioned -and decorated, and the whole of which gleamed in the sunlight as only -burnished copper or red gold can gleam. His hands only were bare; -smooth, strong hands, clenched fast about two of the broken beams -beneath him. - -But it was none of those things, and they were strange enough, that -caused the coxswain to cry out hoarsely as the boat wore alongside, or -that caused Polaris Janess, bent over with outstretched hands, to draw -them back from the floating stranger, while his lips parted and his -breath came hard. - -"He's alive! By the grace of God, he's alive!" cried the coxswain. - -Face downward the stranger lay, as Polaris had said, loose-flung and -inert, and sprawled as though some force had pitched him there. But -though his head was more often under the water than above it, his broad -shoulders heaved and fell regularly. He was alive. - -The supreme wonder of it, and that which awed Polaris and the sailors, -was that _the man breathed when his head was under water_! - -When a wave tilted the raft so that his face was raised, his breath was -expelled with a wheezing, whistling sound. When he was submerged, a -stream of small bubbles arose about his neck and clung to the surface -of his metal helmet. - -For a long moment Polaris stood and looked down at this amazing thing. -Then he reached out and very gently took the stranger by the shoulders -to turn his face to the sky. So tight was the clutch of those strong -bare hands about the two beams of the raft which they held that the -entire structure tipped when the son of the snows laid hold. In vain he -tried to loosen that grasp. It was not to be done without breaking the -man's fingers. To make an end of it, Janess took an axe from the hands -of the coxswain and cut through the beams. - -Still gripping the wooden fragments, the man turned over on his back. - -Then the mystery of the stranger's breathing was partially made clear. -Under the flare of the helmet he wore his brow was hidden. His eyes -were fast closed. Fitting tightly over the bridge of his nose and -extending down so that it covered his mouth and part of his chin, was -a projecting masklike contrivance of metal and leather. Its straps -covered the man's ears and were made fast somewhere at the back of his -head under the helmet. So tightly was the mask affixed that its straps -cut into the flesh of the man's cheeks. It much resembled the masks -worn by the soldiers in modern warfare to protect themselves from the -gas attacks of their enemy. - -Through its mechanism the breath of its wearer hissed and whistled like -escaping steam. - -Alive though the man was, and under circumstances which made his -discoverers marvel, he was near death. Above and below the confines of -the mask he wore, the bones of his face seemed almost thrusting through -the flesh. The flesh itself was wasted and puckered by the action of -the sea water, and the skin was cracked and raw. His hands, which clung -so tenaciously to the bits of broken wood, were bleeding about the -nails, and his wrists were gashed and water-eaten. - -"Now, here is work for Dr. Marsey," Polaris said. He gathered the limp -form of the stranger into his arms and lifted him into the boat. - -At the rail of the _Minnetonka_ as the boat was shipped, a curious -crowd met the advent of the man from the sea. Carrying him as lightly -as though he had been a child, Polaris laid the man on the deck. The -ship's doctor pushed through the wondering sailors and bent over him. - -"Not dead?" he exclaimed when he saw the stranger's face. "A most -amazing thing!" - -"What resurrection from antiquity have we here?" said old Zenas Wright, -falling on his knees beside Polaris, who was supporting the man's -head. "No museum I ever saw boasted a suit of armor like this one." -The scientist ran a finger over the delicate tracery on the glittering -corselet of the stranger. - -Polaris sought and found the catch which released the chin strap and -laid the open helmet on the deck. Another chorus of exclamations -greeted the appearance of the stranger's head. It was covered with a -mass of wavy red hair, so red that it shone like flames in the sunlight. - -Rumors of the wonder on deck had drawn the grizzled MacKechnie up from -his beloved engines. - -"Mark me, yon laddie's a Scot--if he isna' of the wild Irish," was his -dry comment when he saw the fiery head on the deck. - -Undoing its buckle, Janess next laid aside the odd mask from the face -of the stranger. Except that he had a high, bold nose and a mouth that -closed in a thin, firm line, little could be made of the features of -the man, they were so damaged by his long immersion in the sea and -impressed by the tightly drawn trappings of the mask. But he apparently -was a young man, of not more than thirty years. - -In vain Dr. Marsey endeavored to force the man's clenched teeth apart -so that he might apply the neck of the brandy flask which a steward had -fetched. The jaw of the stranger was set like a rock and resisted all -effort, and the doctor was compelled to pour the liquor between the -locked teeth. - -"If that doesna' fetch him, nothing whatever will," said MacKechnie, -the nostrils of his ruddy old nose twitching. - -"Ah, he's getting it!" said Zenas Wright. With the first trickle of -the brandy down his throat, the unconscious man stirred faintly. His -mouth opened and closed again with a snap, and his hands unclenched and -let fall the bits of beams they had held so long. He coughed weakly. A -faint tinge of color flowed into his face. His eyelids twitched, but -did not open. - -Dr. Marsey touched the man's temples and then his wrists with practised -fingers. - -"I think that we shall hear his story yet," he said. "What he needs -now is a bed and nourishment. Bring him below." - -Polaris looked into the battered face and was strangely stirred. The -grim plight of the man he had rescued, the mystery of him, the strength -of the spirit that seemed to dominate even that unconscious body; all -struck an answering chord in the nature of the son of the snows. For -he, too, had suffered and endured, almost to the gates of death, and -had remained steadfast. Was it a premonition that made him feel so -strongly that this man, should he live, would be his friend above many? - -When the sailors would have taken up the stranger, Polaris waved them -aside, and himself carried the inert body below, the blazing head -resting on his shoulder. - -MacKechnie gazed after him thoughtfully as he strode across the deck. - -"Beware, laddie lad, beware!" the Scotchman muttered softly. "'Tis only -ill luck he'll be bringin' to ye, yon gowden mon. For ye hae saved him -from the sea." - - * * * * * - -Shivering throughout the length of her steel hull, the _Minnetonka_ -drove southward. A shrieking wilderness of wind and wave surrounded the -ship. Reft from all guidance, she sheared through the furious waters -with no more of volition than some monster projectile launched by the -battling elements. Twice had the stout cruiser come free of scathe from -the white portals of the Antarctic. Now she seemed winged by death to -enter them once more and forever. In the grip of the tempest the ship -was no more than a toy--a helpless, beaten thing. - -Calamity, like a black dog, had crept hard upon the heels of the -bizarre stranger. He had not been on the cruiser for six hours when a -storm burst, the like of which for violence no man on board the ship -ever had seen. - -In an attempt to breast the gale and make for some port of safety, -one of the propeller shafts--weakened perhaps by the pounding of the -ice-drift months before--had snapped short off. Unequal to the double -task, its twin had sprung beyond all use. Thereafter the scant mercy of -chance ruled the destinies of the ship and of all she bore. - -Nor was the damage to the shafting all that disaster had wrought. In -her great peril the ship was stricken dumb and could not summon aid. -Her wireless was out of commission. She could send no call across the -face of the waters to sister ships, bidding them to hasten to her -succor. - -MacKechnie's dismal prophecy was likely to be visited, not on Polaris -Janess alone, but upon the entire ship's company. - -In the pilothouse, with the gale screeching outside his windows, -Lieutenant Everson bent above his charts; but he was helpless and -well-nigh hopeless. Down in the engine room, its busy clamor stilled, -MacKechnie sat and stared bitterly at the mechanism which he so loved. -It was useless now, its splendid powers crippled, its fires dying away -to embers. If the inward prayers of the engineer were fervent, the -flow of Scotch profanity which passed his lips at whiles was far more -eloquent. He, too, was helpless. He cursed the day when he had decided -with Everson to round the Horn and take the eastern route. They had -learned at Dunedin, in New Zealand, that the Panama Canal was closed by -another Culebra slide, and they had thought that this was the quicker -way to the port of home. - -Better the delay than this! - -On all the ship two hearts only were unshaken by the catastrophe. One -was that of the stranger. - -Freed of his armor, his body cleared and his scarred face and arms in -bandages, he lay tossing in a bunk in one of the cabins. Dr. Marsey was -unremitting in his care of the patient whom the sea had given him. Hot -gruel and small doses of brandy, administered alternately, had turned -the ebbing tide of the man's vitality. He was gathering strength. But -his consciousness still strayed beyond the powers of any tempest to -disturb it. - -Another who thought nothing of the gale and its accompanying terrors -was Zenas Wright. - -Coupled with his keen and scientific mind, there was in the old -geologist the enthusiasm of a boy, and an overmastering curiosity to -learn new things. Many and wild had been the guesses which had followed -the finding of the red-haired stranger. That he had been shipwrecked -was plain enough to all. But who and what was he? - -Some star out of _opĂ©ra-bouffe_, said one, out of a job and reduced to -the necessity of wearing one of his own costumes. A lunatic, another -said, and found more to agree with him. But whence the armor and the -mask? - -Let guessers guess and tempests roar, said Zenas Wright to himself. He -was on the trail of knowledge. So he slipped into the cabin where the -stranger lay. He stood at the head of the bunk and looked down where -the red hair of the derelict flared on the pillow. The impressions left -by the straps of his mask had filled out, and the lineaments of the man -were more distinguishable than they had been. It was an agreeable face, -thought Zenas Wright; all of it that the bandages did not hide. There -were distinct lines of humor at the corners of the straight mouth and -tiny wrinkles at the base of the craggy nose--lines which said that the -wearer of them was a hearty fellow, who ofttimes had laughed long and -merrily at jokes, whether of his own or another's making. - -"But," thought Zenas to himself, "Marsey's been giving the fellow -altogether too much brandy, or else he is in a rare fever." The -geologist laid the back of his hand to the man's cheek. He found -it cool. But it was ruddy to the ears, with the ruddiness that is -associated with an intimate camaraderie with the wine cups. - -At the touch of the old man's fingers, the stranger ceased his tossing. -His eyes opened. One flash from them Zenas Wright caught, and he saw -that they were sea-blue, bright and leaping eyes. Then their lids -closed. The man shook his head wearily, and from his lips trembled what -might have been a moan or a muttered word. The scientist bent hastily -to listen, but the man made no further sound. As the old man watched -him, his form relaxed and he lay apparently in a dreamless, voiceless -slumber. - - * * * * * - -From the floor, Wright took up the shining helmet, and from a stand -the queerly fashioned mask. He was about to leave the cabin when -his attention was arrested by the garb which the stranger had worn -underneath his armor and which was flung across the back of a chair. -One garment it was, even to the feet of it, like the sleeping suit of a -child. It was of a soft, fine fabric, almost of the thinness of gauze, -yet firmly and closely woven and warm to the feel. But it was neither -of cotton nor of wool, nor yet of silk, or any other material with -which the scientist was familiar. - -He shook his head over it; and then, with the mask and helmet, he left -the cabin. - -Straight to the deserted ship's laboratory the geologist went, and shut -himself in. And there, some time afterward, Polaris, threading his way -through the swaying corridors with Rose Emer clinging to his arm, found -him. - -So busy with his work was old Zenas that he did not see or hear the -entrance of Janess and the girl. For a time they stood in silence and -watched him. They saw him spill drops from a vial on the surface of -the helmet. Then he went at it with a small drill which he had fetched -from the machine shop. That was a bit of hard work, for he puffed and -mopped his brow. He collected with care the particles which fell under -the bite of the drill. Those he tested with drops from another bottle, -and then again, opening and discarding a number of chemicals. At length -he got a reaction which appeared to satisfy him, for he chirruped -gleefully and nodded his white old head. - -Next Wright donned the mask and fastened its straps. Polaris and Rose -heard the whistling of his breath through it. He then drew a bucket of -water from a tap, set it on one of the laboratory stands, ascended a -stool, and suddenly plunged his head into the pail. - -Zenas had not stopped to figure out the displacement of the container -of a well-developed scientific brain. It was considerable. Much of -the water splashed out on the floor, and not a little of it went down -inside the scientist's collar. Nothing daunted by the cold trickle of -the inundation, he bravely kept his head in the bucket, from which -arose at once a prodigious gurgling and bubbling. - -The old man's shoulders shook as though a fit of coughing had seized -him. One minute, two, three, passed. Zenas stood so still that Polaris -became alarmed. He stepped to the geologist's side and shook him by the -arm. The only response he got was an impatient gesture of a hand, which -seemed to say, "Go away and don't bother me." - -Presently Wright raised his head from the depths of the bucket, and -ludicrous enough he looked, with the odd snout of the mask projecting -from his face, his white thatch of hair all plastered flat and the -water running from his beard and making a mess of his cravat and shirt -front. But above the mask his little dark eyes were triumphant. When he -saw Polaris at his side, he could scarcely wait to unfasten the mask. - -"There," he shouted, and he shook the thing above his head, "there is -one of the greatest inventions of modern times. I don't know what is in -the inside of it, or just what it does, but I'll find out. If that chap -yonder is the inventor of it, he can take it to the United States, take -out a patent on it and make a scandalous amount of dollars, and we can -all become human submarines. How long was I down?" - -"About five minutes, Daddy Wright," said the girl, who had taken a -strong liking to the plucky old geologist and his bluff ways. - -"Five minutes!" Wright's tones were awestruck. "And I took every breath -regularly and naturally, except when I had to sneeze! And it was real -oxygen I got, too. Not a drop of water came through this thing, and it -was very good breathing. Well, I've made two discoveries." - -"And those are?" Polaris questioned. - -"That our friend yonder with the red topknot can live under the water -like a fish, _and that he wears armor of gold which makes a light in -the dark_. Look here." - -Wright took up the open helmet. Stepping to the switch, he shut off the -lights in the laboratory. - -Faintly at first, and then strongly and more strongly, the helmet -glowed in the darkness. The light grew, until the two men and the girl, -standing close together, could dimly see each other's faces. - -It was uncanny, this strange metal headpiece with its fan-shaped crest, -all luminous with a flickering and phosphorescent radiance. - -"What does it?" Rose Emer whispered, the tempest for the time forgotten. - -Zenas Wright turned on the lights. - -"I cannot tell," he replied. "But if it's not radium, it is something -that is closely akin to radium. The outer surface of the helmet is of -gold. I've tested it with acids. The gold is laid--not plated, but laid -on thickly--over an inner shell of steel. And finely tempered steel it -is, too, as my drill will bear me witness. But the light comes from -still another metal, which is inlaid upon the tracery in the gold here." - -He turned the helmet in his hands. Over all of its surfaces were the -fine lines of a design of twining vinery, with here and there small, -conventionally shaped flowers. In the lines of the chasing was inlaid, -as Wright had said, another metal. It seemed to be a reddish and rusty -dust, which clung in the surface of the gold along all of the lines of -the graven design. It was that which made the light. - -"That chap over there is no actor, and he's not a crazy man," said the -geologist earnestly; "but an enigma that I'm going to solve, if the -good Lord will give me the time. We had on this ship before he came two -survivors of a history to make an archeologist weep tears of joy. Now -we have a third, and, to my mind, more wonderful even than are they! - -"Boy--" He turned and clapped Polaris on the shoulder. "I only hope -that I shall live long enough to pen the 'finis' to the book that I'm -going to write some day!" - - * * * * * - -For seven days, fraught with perils through every passing hour, the -hurricane belabored the staggering ship. South by southeast, the storm -drove her on. The whip of the gale and the shock of the mighty waves -which arose to meet its lash were incessant. - -Past the Falklands, their rocky headlands dimly seen through the flying -scud; past the Aurora Island group, and on past lonely Georgia, the -hard-pressed _Minnetonka_ fled down the raging sea path under the goads -of the storm demons. Nowhere might she tarry. Candlemas Island and -Saunders and Montague in turn were left behind, and then Thule, last -link between the South Atlantic and the frigid wastes of the Antarctic -Sea. - -Off the adamant cliffs of far Thule the cruiser nearly left her bones. -She struck a hidden rock, struck so fiercely that the massive steel ram -was torn from her prow, and with it the triple rails, with which she -had been equipped to withstand the ice-shocks, in her antarctic voyage, -were stripped from her entire starboard side. - -When Thule had disappeared in the murk, the swing of the tempest -turned, and the cruiser was forced eastward in a whirling race of -current and gale. Like a smitten thing that seeks a lonesome spot in -which to die, the ship passed on into the mysteries of the uncharted, -treacherous seas which lie east by south from Thule. - -Helpless still the cruiser rode. Unable to make repairs to her -shafting, Lieutenant Everson did the only thing that he could do; he -kept her head-on with the seas and let her run before the tempest. - -Through all those days and nights of peril the stranger lay in his -cabin. His consciousness had returned, and at times he sat up and gazed -curiously at those who visited him; but he seemed to be in a mental -haze. He ate heartily of what was given to him, and his strength grew. -He spoke to no one. - -Among the men on the _Minnetonka_ were those who, one or another, were -conversant in nearly all of the languages of the civilized world. One -by one they were called in by Zenas Wright to try their tongues on the -stranger. He met them all with blank looks, sometimes with smiles; but -he answered none. He seemed to comprehend none. - -Polaris visited the cabin often. His liking for the man grew. He -imagined that the stranger was more cordial to him than to any of -those who attended him. Once or twice the son of the snows surprised a -wistful regard in the bright blue eyes of the man, an expression that -was lost almost as soon as perceived. And once the stranger reached -Janess's hand and held it with his own for a moment, turning it and -feeling of its wonderful thews with his fingers. It was then that he -seemed the nearest to speech. Presently he let the hand fall with a -smile and a flash of white teeth. - -It was after that last disaster, off the hard coasts of Thule, that -Engineer Ian MacKechnie went quite daft. - -What had come upon the ship had seemed to numb the Scotchman. By day -and by night he sat in his silent engine room beside the lifeless -boilers, his cold pipe clenched between his set teeth, his lips -working. Occasionally he stumped heavily up the steel stairways to the -decks. His stays above were brief always, and always he returned to the -engine room. When he slept at all, it was only to nod in his chair. -Before his bloodshot eyes strange fantasies played themselves through, -and were sequeled in his fitful dreams. Always, they had the same -grisly climax. - -In one of the night watches the old man appeared on the cruiser's -bridge. Everson, almost as sleepless as the engineer, was in the -pilothouse. The fury of the gale had subsided somewhat; but it still -roared on with a vigor that chilled the strong heart of the commander. -He saw the engineer as he came onto the bridge, and went out to speak -to him. - -"Meester Everson," MacKechnie said, raising his voice to a shout to -cope with the shrieking clamor of the storm, "Meester Everson, wull ye -do a strange act and save the bonnie ship and a'?" - -"Why, what is it, Mac? What do you advise now?" the lieutenant asked. - -"'Tis you mon that the laddie plucked from the sea," replied -MacKechnie. "Wull ye no gi' orders to cast him o'er the side again, and -save the ship?" - -Everson answered with a short laugh. "This is a poor time for joking, -Mac," he said. - -"'Tisna' jokin' wi' me, Meester Everson," MacKechnie said. His tones -were deadly earnest. "Yon's no' a proper mon, whatever. He's one that -has sorely angered the big sea, and the deep rages mightily for him. If -ye dinna gi' him up, we'll all be ganging our way wi' him, down to auld -Davy Jones." His voice rose shrilly. "I'm fey," he cried. "I'm fey, and -I hae the secon' seeght! Heed me, mon!" - -Everson shifted his position so that he got the light from the -pilothouse full on MacKechnie's face. It was drawn and wild-eyed. - -"You're a superstitious fool, Mac," the lieutenant said. "You had -better go below and turn in. You look as though you had not had a wink -in a week." - -"Supersteetious! Aye, mon, maybe, and a fu' to bootie," rejoined the -Scot. "And I've been havin' no sleep, I grant ye. Ma certes, how can a -mon sleep wi' _him_ glarin' and glommerin' yonder i' the engine room? -Heave him o'er the side, I'm tullin' ye, Meester Everson, as was done -wi' the prophet Jonah. 'Tis the only way whatever to save the ship. - -"Supersteetious! An' are ye no supersteetious yer ain sel', Meester -Everson? Haven't I seen that ye always throw the deuces fra' yer hand -when ye play for siller at poker? I tull ye, yon's a deuce-mon. He -mustna' remain. Think it o'er, laddie; think it o'er. When ye hae seen -what I hae seen--" - -He turned away, and the rest of his words were lost in the skirl of the -wind. Suddenly he backed up, clutching at the bridge rail and colliding -violently with Everson. - -"See! See!" he screamed. "He's comin' for me the noo! I lockit him fast -i' the great kist i' the boiler room; but such as him are na' held by -bolts or bars. He's comin' for me!" - -Moaning in abject terror, MacKechnie went down on his knees. He pointed -at the decks below with a trembling arm. - -Everson looked in the direction indicated by the shaking finger of the -Scot. - - * * * * * - -A light hung at the foot of the bridge ladder. In the patch of radiance -it made, stood the stranger. He was dressed from head to foot in his -golden armor. His helm was on his head, and the whole flashed and -shimmered in the rays from the lamp. - -As Everson stared at him, the man turned away from the foot of the -ladder and walked to the rail of the ship. There he stood gazing out -into the darkness and the storm. - -Unnerved by the sudden appearance of the object of their discussion, -Everson hesitated for a moment. Then he started for the ladder to -descend to the deck. MacKechnie, his teeth chattering with fright, laid -hold of the lieutenant by the leg, but Everson shook off his grasp and -went on. As the commander set foot on the ladder, the stranger quit the -rail and came back toward the bridge. - -Everson, half-way down the ladder, called sharply as the man came -opposite him. But the stranger did not pause or look up. He passed -the bridge with steady steps and crossed the deck toward the main -companionway. The lieutenant was about to proceed to the deck and -follow, when a wild and wailing cry behind him, piercing above the -booming of the seas, halted his step. He turned. - -It was MacKechnie who had screamed. He was on his feet and coming along -the bridge. In the set face of the Scot was a look of such frozen -horror that it shook the lieutenant. With eyes glaring straight ahead, -the engineer passed Everson by as though he did not see him, descended -the ladder to the deck, and walked to the rail. He paused where the -stranger had stood only a moment before. He raised his hand as if to -strike at some shape visible to him alone. Again he cried out wildly. - -Before Everson could move to stay him, the Scot climbed the rail and -threw himself into the sea. - -Shouting to the men of the watch to fetch lanterns, Everson ran aft -along the side. It was useless. The crazed MacKechnie, whirled away in -a raging swirl of waters in which no man could live, was gone beyond -their ken. No cry came back to his fellows from the blackness. Only the -wind roared and the tortured waters thundered. In the plight of the -ship it was impossible even to attempt to pick up the lost man. - -Far aft Everson clung to the rail, dazed, stunned at the suddenness of -his old comrade's taking off. Knowing that he could do nothing to save -the mad Scotchman, the lieutenant at length turned back and went below, -to the cabin of the stranger. He threw open the door. The cabin was -dark, except where the curious armor shed its glow along the floor. For -that phenomenon Everson was prepared. Zenas Wright had told him of the -luminous metal. What did surprise the lieutenant was that the armor lay -on the floor. And so recently he had seen it on the cruiser's deck, and -its owner inside of it. To that he could swear. He turned on a light. - -The stranger lay quietly in his bunk, apparently in slumber, his broad -chest rising and falling regularly. Not the flicker of an eyelid -betrayed that he was conscious of the keen scrutiny which the commander -bent upon him. Almost then did Everson give way to the superstitious -imaginings of MacKechnie. Then his searching eyes saw the gleam of -drops of sea water which beaded the golden corselet and helm. He drew -a long breath of relief; for he knew that he had not dreamed. Pursuing -his investigations no further, the lieutenant returned to his vigil on -the bridge. - -Next day, to the gratification of Dr. Marsey and to the general -surprise of the others on the ship, the stranger left his cabin. -Clothing had been provided for him, but he would have none of it and -appeared on the deck clad in his armor. He proved to be an exceedingly -curious man, the stranger. He went everywhere about the ship, -apparently in fear of nothing, although the gale still ran high. He -watched all of the operations of seamanship with the closest interest, -but was careful to get in the way of no one. - -His ruddy face and flaming hair, with the outer trappings which he -wore, made the man the object of much comment on the part of the -sailors of the _Minnetonka_; comment which was not untinged with -awe. All of that he heeded not at all. In the full possession of his -faculties, he still was speechless. What communication anyone on the -ship had with him was by means of signs, and that necessarily was -limited. He took his meals with those who shared the officers' mess. -Although it evidently was unfamiliar to him, he was quick to observe -and to imitate the table etiquette of his companions. - -Only Everson was not surprised at his appearance. The lieutenant kept -his counsel and waited. - -Word of the mad act of MacKechnie went abroad through the ship, spread -by the men of the watch. Among the sailors, superstitious after the -manner of their kind, grew a hostility to the strange man, an enmity -that became more and more pronounced as the hours brought to the -cruiser no relief from the battering of the elements. So strong did the -feeling grow that Lieutenant Everson feared for the safety of the man, -and told Polaris of it. Thereafter the son of the snows constituted -himself a bodyguard for the stranger in his wanderings about the ship, -and remained with him as much as possible. Zenas Wright, too, watched -over his prize with the jealous zeal of a proper scientist. - -Not for worlds would the explorer allow this living conundrum to come -to harm until he had solved him. The old man continually plied the -stranger with English words, pointing out to him their equivalents and -seeking to encourage speech. For, unless the man might be taught to -talk, Zenas felt that his chances of learning more of him were slim -indeed. - -To all of those advances the man answered with smiles only. He was very -courteous, extremely good-natured, but beyond the ring of silence which -he had drawn about himself, he would not or could not go. - -Everson was little surprised, although he was mightily angered, when, -on the third day following the death of MacKechnie, he was waited upon -by a delegation of his sailors with a demand that the stranger be sent -from the ship. They did not ask his death--merely that he be set adrift -in one of the cruiser's small boats. A sea was running in which such a -craft could not survive for two minutes. - -Shamefacedly, but sullenly, the men listened to the stern rebuke of -their commander. When they had left him reluctantly--and their ears -must have tingled to his opinions of their superstitions--Everson -redoubled his precautions for the safety of the stranger. The -lieutenant was morally certain that at the first opportunity that -should offer, an "accident" would befall the man from the sea. - -Abruptly as it had struck, the storm of wind subsided. It was succeeded -by a torrential downpour of rain. The cruiser was left tossing on a -choppy sea. Dead ahead to the south was land--what land, no one on -the ship could say. A scant five miles away it loomed up before them -through the mists and the driving rain, a long and towering coastline, -the peaks of its frowning cliffs almost touching the low-rolling clouds. - -In this, the first respite from many hours of perils, Lieutenant -Everson at once set about the task of repairing his crippled ship. - -Then the crown was placed upon the work of calamity. - - * * * * * - -Lashed no longer by the flail of the tempest, the _Minnetonka_ was laid -to. Hope returned to those who rode upon her. Those who gathered on her -decks were almost gay again. - -For the first time in many days the two Sardanians came up from their -cabin. The Lady Memene had proved a poor sailor, and in her deathly -illness that came of the buffeting of the ship, Minos never had left -her side, but had nursed her with all the tenderness of a woman. The -king remembered well a time, not long before, when he had lain near -death, and her soft hands had soothed him, and her care had kept the -spark of life within him. - -It was nearly noon. Chatting of their experiences in the storm, and -laughing at their appearance in the oilskins which they wore against -the rain, a little group gathered on the forward deck of the cruiser. -Almost it seemed that the hand of fate collected and placed them there. -Polaris Janess and Rose Emer, the Sardanians, old Zenas Wright, and -Ensign Willis Brooks, a happy-go-lucky youth of large dimensions and an -inexhaustible supply of good spirits, who was the second in command on -the _Minnetonka_, made up the party. - -Presently Lieutenant Everson, his repair work well under way, came -up from below and joined the others. Dr. Marsey might have been with -them also, but the kindly physician delayed below to attend one of -the engineers who lay ill of a fever. Before he had finished his -ministrations, the stroke fell which was so strangely to alter the life -course of every one of that party, and the good doctor was too late to -be numbered among them. - -Almost on the heels of Everson the red-haired stranger ascended the -companionway. With his armor on as usual, but dangling his helmet and -his mask from his hand, he clanked across the deck, all unheedful of -the anathemas that the sailors mouthed as he stalked past them. - -From the port in his cabin he, too, had seen the new land that lay -ahead. He strode by the group on the forward deck, but his eyes were -not for them. Ever watchful, Zenas Wright noted that the mien of the -stranger was curiously excited. His blue eyes gleamed. His lips were -parted. Something seemed deeply to concern him. He stood at the rail -and studied the looming coastline long and searchingly. In his face was -the rapt expression of the man who greets again a well-loved friend -after an absence of many days. From the shore he turned his eyes to the -sea and scrutinized it keenly. - -Zenas Wright, watching, started. What was the man about? Was he -signaling? And whom? The explorer took a hasty step toward the rail to -investigate. - -Beneath his feet he felt the deck of the cruiser heave like the breast -of an unquiet sleeper. A terrific roar burst from the bowels of the -ship, and she quivered in every plate of steel and oaken beam. - -"The magazine!" cried Everson. The commander dashed for the -companionway, but he never reached it. - -Amidships the decks heaved up and opened in a yawning wound that rent -the cruiser almost from rail to rail. Through the gap shot skyward an -immense column of smoke, laced with spurts of flame, and spread fanwise -many feet in the air. With it there ascended a mass of dĂ©bris torn from -the vitals of the ship. For yards around the waves splashed to the fall -of the splintered wreckage. The swaying decks were littered with it. -And some of the fragments were of steel and iron that clanged as they -fell, and others were horrible shreds of men, and made no clangor. - -Paralyzed in his tracks, his eyes distended, his very flesh stirring -from his bones at the horror of it, Everson faced the wraith of ruin -that arose in his path. A new manifestation tore speech from his lips. - -"Look!" he shouted aloud in a strained and unnatural voice. "My God, -look! _The color!_" - -In the heart and center of the standing column of smoke, seen faintly -at first and then in blazing brilliance, towered a mighty pillar of -light. But it was not like any light that any of those who gazed -upon it had ever known. For it was neither of red nor white, nor yet -of violet, yellow, or green, or any other color or hue of the solar -spectrum. Radiant, scintillant, indescribably beautiful, it thrust up -through the murk of disaster steadily and cruelly as the flaming sword -of an unkind fate. It was this that had pierced the ship and exploded -the magazine. - -Zenas Wright, who had looked unshaken on many strange things, looked -upon this and cried out, even as had Everson: - -"The color! A new color! Impossible; yet it _is_!" - -With chaos and death linked together and roaring in front of him, the -old man, true scientist to the last, bent his eyes on the flaming -pillar in a challenging and analytical stare. If this was to be his -final vision, why, he would learn what he might from it before he went -into the shadow where all learning is valueless. - -Like painted puppets carved from wood, the men and women on the deck -stood and gazed at the appalling ruin of that fell disaster. It was -only a moment in the happening, but a moment that bore the burden of -many moments in its intensity. - - * * * * * - -The pillar of light moved, and those that watched saw that everything -that it touched it destroyed. It swayed toward them, and the deck -crumpled away before its advance. It swung back. In its path was one of -the massive steel turrets of the cruiser. The light played against it. -The turret tottered; the steel of it seemed to melt and disintegrate. -The entire structure crumbled and crashed down, disappearing through -the gash in the decking. With the fall of the turret the light vanished -also. - -From the companionway came the horrid remnant of a man who crossed the -deck to Everson. One of his arms had been torn away between the wrist -and elbow. His features were blackened and marred beyond recognition. -An eye was gone. His clothing hung about him in tatters, and the -tatters were burning. He halted in front of the lieutenant and raised -the maimed arm, from which the blood was spurting, in the semblance of -a salute. - -"The ship--sinks. The--sea--on fire." - -He croaked the words brokenly, and fell, and died at the feet of his -commander. - -Up through the gap in her bottom surged the sea water, and the ship -began to settle. The _Minnetonka_ was sinking. - -Everson pulled himself out of the daze which in that moment of dread -had benumbed his faculties. A glance he gave to the settling decks and -the useless boats. He had neither men nor the time to unship them. - -He turned to his companions. - -"Those who have prayers to say had best say them; for this is the end -of our traveling," he said simply. Suiting his action to the words, he -knelt on the deck. - -At the side of Polaris Janess appeared the red-haired stranger. As he -had once before, he now caught up the hand of the son of the snows. -Holding it, he looked into Polaris's face and smiled, a fearless and -whimsical smile. - -"A strong hand, my brother, strong to hold a kingdom. This is not your -death that is coming. I will save you and these with you. I promise," -he said--and the marvel to Polaris and to the others was that the man -who before had been speechless now spoke readily and in excellent -English. - -Not waiting for the answer, which, in his surprise, Polaris was slow to -give, the stranger left his side and ran across the deck. He strapped -his odd mask over his face, clapped his helmet on his head and fastened -it. He caught up from the deck a length of steel chain. With a run and -a leap, he was gone--over the fast settling rail and into the sea. - -Scarcely had the golden helmet disappeared over the side when the waves -crossed the decks to meet the water that was spouting from the interior -of the cruiser. - -"A madman!" Polaris muttered. He turned and gathered Rose Emer in his -arms. She clung to him, sobbing softly. - -"Be brave, dear heart," he whispered. "It isn't hard to die, and -wherever we are going, we shall go together." - -Around them rose the waves. - -Held fast in the swirl of the sinking ship, every soul on the -_Minnetonka_ went down with her. From Everson, kneeling on his deck, to -the lowliest coal-passer in the depths of the cruiser, there was no man -but bowed his face to the waters. - -Clasping his sweetheart with one arm, Polaris struck out fiercely. For -a moment he cherished the hope that he might keep to the surface and -reach the land beyond. But the suction of the sinking ship was too -strong for even his giant strength. He saw the others, his friends -struggling about him. The water came between his dear lady's face -and his. He strove to reach her lips with his own. His lungs seemed -bursting. His senses swayed. - -Through the green waters he saw a great golden shape like a globe -approaching him. Another fantasy. Strong hands gripped him. They, too, -must be dreams. - -The blackness became absolute. - - - - - CHAPTER II - - THE LONG BLACK ROAD TO ADLAZ - - -In illimitable darkness a spark glowed and lived, and the soul of -Polaris Janess awoke and once more knew it was a soul. The silence -of oblivion was broken by a roaring as of a thousand mighty rivers -torrenting on their courses far underground. One by one the man endured -the tortures that those must endure who come back from the claim -of the sea. Slowly and with exquisite agony came the consciousness -that his body still lived--an agony so keen that he fain would have -wrenched himself free of the flesh and departed it. Fire, liquid and -intolerable, raced through his every vein and artery. His head, no -longer tenanted by a brain, it seemed, was a vast and empty cavern, -through which wild winds moaned. - -An age it was in seeming that the soul fought its way through travail, -back to command of the faculties it had quitted, until it had regained -the mastery of its two provinces, the brain and the body. The fiery -rivers were quenched. The winds ceased their roaring. With a groan and -a shudder the son of the snows once more took up the burden of living. -Weak and dizzy and deathly sick, he opened his eyes. - -He lay on a soft bed of furs in a small and swaying room. Almost at -his elbow he heard the splash of waves against metal walls. Above him, -an expression of sympathy and concern on his ruddy face, bent the -red-haired stranger. - -When he saw the eyes of Polaris quiver open, the man smiled, a rare and -winning smile. - -"Now, by the four rivers," he said, "I am glad to see you return to the -living. So long did you tarry in the beyond that I thought that I had -lost you." - -For a moment Polaris gazed into that rubicund countenance in -bewilderment, but for a moment only. With the floods of life came -memory. He tried to spring to his feet, but the struggle in the water -and the nausea of his returning vitality had sapped the strength from -him. He fell weakly back. The look he bent upon the stranger was -poignant with its question. - -"Rose--the Rose-maid? Where is she?" he gasped, wresting the words out -painfully. - -With a graceful gesture, the stranger drew to one side and pointed -across the room. - -"Your lady? She is there," he said. - -On the other side of the room, only a few feet away, was another couch, -similar to the one on which Polaris had found himself. Rose Emer lay -upon it. The oilskins she had worn were in a crumpled heap upon the -floor. Her gown, sodden with sea water, clung to her limbs. A careful -hand had partly covered her with the folds of a robe of soft, dark -furs. The coils of her long, chestnut hair, disheveled and damp, had -fallen about her face and neck. Her long lashes lay upon her cheeks. -Her lips were slightly parted. One arm hung down from the edge of the -couch, its hand relaxed and open, the fingers limp. - -Long and earnestly Polaris looked at her. He could see only her -profile. Her face was very white and still, outlined there against -the furs. The light went out of his tawny eyes, and he set his teeth -and turned his face to the wall. The sob that arose in his throat -was wrung from the depths of a spirit sorely stricken. Now death were -welcome indeed. - -"Grieve not so," the stranger said hastily. "She is not dead, and I -am a fool to bring such fright upon you. She did but swoon when you -yourself were overlong in returning to the realm of the living. Here." - -He passed an arm under the shoulders of Polaris, and assisted him to -rise and cross to the other couch. - -Swaying like a drunken man, the son of the snows bent and touched the -wrist of the girl with his fingers. When he felt the tides of the -life-blood leaping through the warm flesh, a joy welled up within him -that was akin to pain in its throbbing. Come what might, his lady -lived, and once again there was light in his world. He laid his cheek -against hers and he was near to tears in his weakness. - -Presently he raised his head, and for the first time gave a thought to -his surroundings. The room he was in was shaped like the quarter of a -circle. The couch on which he had lain was along the curved side of the -room, and there the wall was of steel or iron, against which he could -hear the lapping of waters. At each end, where the cabin narrowed to -the points of its arc, were cabinets carved of polished woods. At the -side where the girl lay the wall was of wood, also, and was pierced by -a small door. A number of garments hung from pegs in the paneling. Near -to the door, in a golden sheath, swung a heavy, short-bladed sword. - -Overhead was a crisscross of slender wooden beams, and in the midst of -them was set a translucent globe of porcelain or clouded glass, through -which a strong light was shed, light that was almost as clear in its -quality as that of day. - -At the sight of those crossed beams, Polaris's memory stirred quickly. -Where had he seen such before? Ah, he had it! It was just such a -lattice-work that had made a raft for the stranger when he had found -him floating in the sea. What was the meaning of it? - -The screaming fury of the tempest, with its menace to all that he held -dearest; the terrible moments when the _Minnetonka_ went roaring down -to ruin; the struggle in the sea; the agony of resuscitation; the grim -fear that had choked him when he saw his dear lady lying there so pale -and still--all those transitions had shaken even the strong will and -cool brain of the son of the snows. He shook his head impatiently, as -though the fog through which his mind groped were a physical fact, to -be dismissed so. - -Here at his side was the living answer to the questions that now -trooped thick and fast--the man who had promised him life on the -sinking deck of the cruiser and who had made that promise good. - -"Where are we, and who and what are you?" Polaris asked him. - -The answer was as ready as it was surprising. - -"We are under the sea in the captain's cabin of a fademe in the navy -of the great king, Bel-Ar. And I"--he bowed slightly and smiled--"I am -the Captain Oleric the Red, also of the navy of the great king, but at -present without a fademe to command." - - * * * * * - -So unusually circumstanced from his very birth had been the life of -Polaris Janess that he long before had accepted and made his own the -philosophy which the Prince of Denmark taught to Horatio. Things that -the ordinary man would scoff at and reject as preposterous had been -the incidents of his everyday existence. So now the extraordinary -declaration of him who named himself Oleric the Red did not move him to -any great show of surprise. - -Instead, there came to him the sorrowful vision of the good gray -cruiser, sundered and wrecked and going down to the ocean's bed, -bearing with her many a man whom he had been glad to call his -friend--men who twice had risked their lives in the antarctic perils -that others might live. With that picture in his mind came a thought -that drove all the mists from his brain and made it burn with a sense -of outrage and anger. - -He snapped himself erect, and with hands clenched and blazing eyes -looked down on Oleric. - -"The breaking of the good ship yonder came not from within, but from -without," he said sternly. "That great ray of strange light that -cut her like a knife was some devil's device of these that you call -fademes. Is it not true?" - -Over the face of Oleric passed a shadow that made it sad. But his eyes -were steadfast and unflinching. - -"It is true," he answered. "I would have prevented it if I could have. -Your ship has gone the way of all others which have come to the coasts -of Maeronica." - -"Is it, then, the custom of your 'great king' so to greet strangers who -come to his shores?" asked Polaris. - -"Such have been the orders of the king of Maeronica," replied Oleric. -"Many a long century has rolled into the past since any ship, save the -fademes, cast anchor in the harbor of the city of Adlaz. It is the law. -It is so writ upon the sacred column. But it is a bad law." - -"An hour ago we had not guessed of the existence even of this land of -Maeronica of yours, with its city of Adlaz and its rule of death in -the sea," said Polaris. "All that we asked was to go our ways in peace -and a safe journey to America. Now, because of the evil law of an evil -land, a great ship's company is food for the fishes. You say well that -it is a bad law. - -"And, hark you, Oleric the Red, I count the reckoning between this King -Bel-Ar of yours and me as both long and heavy. I do not know how it -will fall about, or when; but my heart tells me that some time I shall -make settlement of that score." - -Rose Emer stirred and moaned, and Polaris turned to her. He knelt again -at the side of her couch and chafed her hands. - -Running his fingers through his red hair, Oleric looked down at -Polaris. A strange light shone in the blue eyes of the captain, and -over his face spread a crafty and satisfied smile. He nodded his head -as though a thought had come to him that pleased him much. - -"Yourself and the lady here are not the only ones saved from the ship," -he said at length. - -"What? There are others that live?" Polaris asked quickly. "Who, and -where are they?" - -"In the opposite cabin of the fademe is the old man Zenas," Oleric -replied, "and with him is the large and fat young man who made all -of the jokes at the table on the ship. And in another fademe is the -captain--Everson--and the two you saved from Sardanes, the giant Minos -and the dark and splendid lady, Memene." - -"What know you of Sardanes?" Polaris asked. "And how comes it that you -speak our English speech, now that your tongue is loosened?" - -Oleric smiled. "Though my tongue was idle on your ship yonder, my -ears were not," he said, "nor were my eyes, and they gathered me much -information. I know that you, whom they call the son of the snows, have -lived a strange life and looked upon many wonders. But they are as -nothing to the wonders which you are to see presently--and I, Oleric -the Red, shall show them to you." He laughed soundlessly. - -"But the language--where learned you the English tongue?" Polaris asked -again. "Surely it is not spoken in this Maeronica, this land whereof no -man has ever heard." - -"Many years ago I learned it--from the lips of a slave. He, too, had -been taken from the deck of a ship which was sunk by the fademes," was -the answer of Oleric. He regarded Polaris keenly. Nor was that reply -without its effect. - -"Slaves!" Polaris cried. "Is this another of the laws of this land of -yours--to make slaves of strangers?" - -"It is the law of the great king," Oleric said. "Few such have been -taken alive, but they have lived as slaves or died on the sands of the -arena to make sport for the people at the great games which are a part -of the Feast of Years." - - * * * * * - -For a moment, even Rose Emer was forgotten. Polaris looked up at the -Maeronican captain with a blaze in his eyes that boded little of -submission to the laws of Bel-Ar, the king. - -When he spoke, it was very quietly. "Law or no law, backs shall break -and spirits set out on their journeys before I shall become slave to -any man." - -"But the maid here," interposed Oleric--"would you bring doom upon her -as well as upon yourself? Be not so rash, my brother. 'All things come -to him that waits,' was a saying of that slave from whom I learned your -tongue--O'Connell, he did call his name. I know not if his saying be -true. I know he waited many long years, and death came to him." - -Polaris shook his head slowly. - -"There is little cheer in these words of yours, Oleric the Red," he -said. "And I do not know why you should call me brother, for whom you -foretell a life of slavery. But these things are bridges to be crossed -when met." He turned back to Rose Emer. "Have you such a thing as wine -on this ship?" he asked. "This swoon is long in passing." - -Again the red captain regarded the broad back with satisfaction and -smiled his craftful smile. - -He stepped to the end of the cabin, and from the cabinet there fetched -a tall glass flagon, bound with golden filagree-work, and a slender, -twisted goblet. The liquor which he poured from the flagon was -cherry-red, and sent forth a pleasing aroma. - -"Here is of the best in Maeronica," he said. "Trust a captain of the -fademes to know it." - -Lifting Rose's head on his arm, Polaris held the goblet to her lips -and let the red wine trickle down. As he did so, the door of the cabin -was opened from without. A man thrust his head through and shouted to -Oleric in a strange though not unmusical tongue. The captain answered -him a word or two, and the door was closed again. Polaris saw that the -man wore armor of a pattern similar to that of Oleric, and that, like -the captain's, his face was ruddy. But his hair was black, and he wore -a short, curling beard. While the door was opened, the purr of smoothly -running machinery could be heard, and with it a steady hissing, -bubbling noise, like that of escaping steam. - -Rose sat up suddenly and glanced around her with frightened eyes. She -threw her arms around Polaris's neck and clung to him. - -"You lay so still," she sobbed, "I thought that you were dead. But you -are alive--alive!" - -Oleric bent forward and spoke hurriedly. - -"We are nearing the harbor of the city of Adlaz," he said. "I do not -know when I shall have opportunity to talk with you again. But if it be -not soon, wait; and accept with patience, even though it shall try you -sorely, all that shall happen. - -"Just now you asked me why I called you 'brother.' You saved me from -the sea. On the ship yonder you and the old man Zenas, and another whom -I grieve that I could not save, tended me when you thought that I was -near to death. And after, when your sailors murmured, and they would -have cast me into the sea, you guarded me from harm. All those things I -know and shall not forget. That is why I call you brother. And back of -all of those things there is still another reason, of which I hope to -tell you soon. I learned from the slave O'Connell that the shake of the -hands between men is a bond of friendship. Will you shake my hand, my -brother?" - -Polaris took the proffered hand in a grip that made its owner wince. -"It seems that despite the laws of Bel-Ar, the king, I have found a -friend," he said. "I shall try to be patient, Oleric." - -"Hold your hand from anger," enjoined the red captain earnestly, "even -though you be put to serve as a slave in the mines of Bel-Ar. And -instruct your companions that they do likewise. Great days are coming -upon Maeronica, and I promise you faithfully that you shall play a -great part in them--" - -He broke his speech suddenly. - -Again the door swung open. Somewhere in the depths of the fademe a bell -rang clearly. The noise of the mechanism ceased. The black-bearded man -who had thrust his head into the cabin before, stood in the doorway and -beckoned to Oleric. - -"Remember," warned the captain as he passed Polaris. "Patience and that -strong heart of yours shall carry you far before your sun goes down." - -He went out and the door closed after him. - -"What does he mean, with his talk of slaves and the mines and all those -strange names?" Rose Emer asked wonderingly. "Where are we?" - -Polaris told her all that he had learned from the captain. She heard -him with wide eyes. - -"_You_--a slave!" she cried. "Ah, no, not that? Is it to be like this -all our lives--to see happiness just ahead of us, but never reach it? -Fate cannot be so cruel. Think what you have endured. And now to be a -slave here in this terrible foreign land!" - -Perhaps Fate was listening then--Fate, who can be both cruel and kind, -sordid and splendid, according to her whim. She had played many strange -tricks on this man. But she now decreed that he should never serve the -king Bel-Ar as a slave. - - * * * * * - -Soon after the departure of Oleric, the door of the cabin was opened -again, and an armored man entered. It was he of the black beard, whom -Polaris rightly guessed to be the captain of the fademe. With him came -three other men, unarmored, who evidently were members of the crew of -the craft. - -Sturdy, black-haired fellows these were, dressed alike in loose, -neckless blue tunics of some woven material, with elbow-sleeves, -and belted in at the waist. Beneath the tunics they wore long, -close-fitting nether garments like the hose of the Middle Ages, only -these were both hose and trousers, too. On their feet were shoes of -soft leather, the tops of which came nearly to their knees, and which -were laced with gay-colored cords. Their heads were covered with flat -caps of cloth which resembled somewhat the tam-o'-shanters of the -Scots. Those, too, were dyed in bright colors. - -With a motion of his arm the captain indicated to Rose and Polaris that -they were to leave the cabin. The girl still was weak from her swoon, -and tottered when she stood, and her garments were wet and bedraggled. -Polaris wrapped her in the robe of furs with which Oleric had covered -her, and lifted her in his arms. As he did so, one of the sailors spoke -harshly and snatched at the robe. He was clumsy, and his fingers caught -in Rose's unbound hair and pulled it so that she winced. - -Polaris set the girl down and in the same motion spun on his heel and -struck the man under the ear. - -Well it was for the Maeronican sailor that the son of the snows, quick -as was his anger at the affront to the girl, remembered the counsel of -Oleric. Even as he struck, he remembered, and he opened his hand; else -the stroke, directed by his mighty thews, had ended all things for the -sailor. As it was, the blow partly lifted the man from his feet and -shot him sprawling through the open door to fall heavily outside. - -From its peg on the wall the captain caught down the short-bladed sword -and tore it from the sheath. At a word from him, his two remaining men -plucked knives from their belts and closed in. - -Prospects of battle cleared the last of the numbness from the limbs of -Polaris. He thrust Rose Emer behind him. He ran his eyes hastily over -the cabin in search of a weapon, but saw none which would serve him. In -another instant he would have sprung barehanded against the Maeronican -steel. - -At that juncture a voice cried out, and Oleric the Red stepped over -the fallen sailor and entered the cabin. Whatever may have been the -failings of the red captain, slowness in action was not one of them. -Gripping the two crouching sailors, each by the belt from behind, he -tugged so mightily that their feet flew from under them, and they sat -hard on the cabin floor. With a catlike leap, Oleric reached the side -of the captain of the fademe and struck the sword from his hand. As the -blade clanged on the floor, Oleric set his foot across it. Then, and -not until then, did he seek to learn the trouble's cause. - -"What now, comrade," he said to Polaris. "Do you then court death so -soon?" - -But when he heard of the sailor's action, he nodded his red head. - -"So would I have done," he said shortly. He turned on the other captain -and spoke to him sternly in the Maeronican tongue. Almost choking in -his rage, the commander answered him in sneering tones, and with a -shrug of his shoulders stalked from the cabin. The sailors slunk after -him. - -Oleric watched their departing backs with a hard and level stare. -"Daelo grows insolent," he said. "He thinks, because I have had the -misfortune to lose a fademe, that I shall get no pretty welcome from -Bel-Ar. Maybe he is right. Bel-Ar loves not to lose his ships. Ah, -well--" He, too, shrugged his shoulders, and then he smiled. - -"And you, my brother--" He shook his finger at Polaris. "Unless you -learn to curb that fine spirit of yours, I need to be no prophet to -foretell what shall befall you. But come; let us leave this place. The -air of it grows foul." - -With Rose in his arms, Polaris stepped from the cabin and gazed -curiously about him. - -He stood in a long gallery or corridor, some nine feet wide by thirty -in extent. It was lighted brightly by a number of globes similar to -that in the cabin. The flooring was of wood, the ceiling of steel. -Opposite him was the door of another cabin. A few feet along the -corridor ahead of him, toward the prow of the fademe, the floor was -pierced to admit a large post or beam, which thrust up through it and -disappeared through another opening in the ceiling of the gallery. -Around the beam spiraled a slender winding stair of yellow metal. - -Oleric led on toward the bow. As he passed the stairway, Janess saw -that it led to a small, towerlike structure above. A glance through the -opening in the floor showed him another gallery, or deck, below, and he -had a glimpse of a mass of mechanism and shafting. It was the engine -room of the fademe into which he looked. Near the prow, the flooring -was cut away again to allow the passage of what seemed to be a pillar -of solid, yellow glass, as large around as the body of a man. - -As they passed the second pillar by, Oleric struck it lightly with his -palm. - -"There is what brought death to your good ship, my brother," he said. -"It is the secret of the power of the navy of Bel-Ar." - - * * * * * - -At the end of the corridor was an open door. Beyond it was a small -chamber and another door. The chamber was constructed entirely of -steel. Both of its doors were circular in shape, and they were fitted -with valves and bars which made them resemble the breechblocks of -enormous cannon. From beyond the second door came the sound of the -splashing of waves and the hum of many human voices. - -Oleric passed through the chamber. At the outer door he paused and -gave Polaris a hand with his burden. A breeze of salt air fanned their -faces. Through the door Polaris saw an expanse of blue water alight -with shafts of sunshine--for the rain had ceased--and the line of a -rocky wall. - -"The harbor of the city of Adlaz," the red captain said. - -They stood on a metal deck six feet square on the extreme prow of the -fademe. From the deck a narrow, swaying gangplank reached to the edge -of the quay that was built of massive blocks of masonry, alongside of -which the fademe was moored. - -At their right was the tossing blue and white of a harbor large enough -to have given shelter to the ships of all the navies of the world, -could they have come to it. Nearly three miles in width and length it -lay, the whole girt round by the ring of a lofty mountain wall, in -which on the seaward side there was not a notch or a break. Two hundred -feet up from the water's edge the sheer cliffs towered, their faces -smooth and precipitous. - -It was more a lake than a harbor that held the navy of Bel-Ar. Later -the Americans learned that its only entrance from the sea was a natural -tunnel many feet below the level of the water, through which the -fademes passed out and in. The harbor was the giant cup or crater of a -volcano, ages quenched. - -Along the wharves of stone and anchored in the lake rocked the fademes -of the Maeronican fleet, each one resembling nothing so much as a -monstrous goldfish carrying a glass tower on its back. Gold they were, -indeed--and they shimmered and glittered in the sunlight as only gold -can glitter. - -Like immense, flattened globes the fademes were fashioned--globes forty -feet through their lengthened axes, and drawn to points at their stems -and sterns. Where the dorsal fin of a fish projects from its spine, -each fademe bore a small, round deckhouse with ribs of metal and sides -of polished crystal. - -Yes; the harbor of Adlaz was very like a vast bowl with many goldfish -(the fleet of fademes must have numbered one hundred and fifty). But -they were far from being the harmless toys of children, these golden -ships of the underseas. Deadly enspine, each fademe bore a small, round -bee sent forth on cruel errands. - -On the dancing surface of the lake and in and out among the gleaming -fademes plied a number of small open boats, driven by oarsmen, and -here and there in the anchorage were scattered undersea craft of a make -smaller by half and more slender than the fademes. These were called -marizels. - -Back of the quays and the wharves was a line of low buildings of black -and red stone, well constructed, with doors of wood and glass windows. -Except that their architecture was quaint and ran much to carved faces -of men and beasts, interspersed with squat domes and spires, they might -have been the warehouses of some well-to-do port of the old world. - -An open space, a number of acres in extent, lay beyond the buildings -and reached to the frowning face of the cliff-wall. The wall itself was -pierced by a broad arch or tunnel wide enough for a squadron of cavalry -to have ridden through it abreast and so high that a galleon's masts -would not have touched its vaulted roof. - -Above the center of the arch, and carved in the rock of the cliffside, -was a great round face, many feet across. It was a piece of sculpture -to crook the fingers of a miser; for it was covered with beaten gold, -so that it resembled a rising sun. That semblance was heightened -further by long shafts or rays which extended from the face across the -surface of the rock in all directions. They, too, were of gold. Work of -a master-sculptor, it was, who had guided his chisel in bold, strong -strokes. The features were noble, but the smiling lips were cruel, and -there was cruelty in the golden eyes which looked down on the golden -ships in the harbor. - -All these things Polaris saw from the forward deck of the fademe, and -more. The quays and the court were black with people. At one side of -the archway was drawn up a line of horsemen clad in steel armor. In -the midst of the throng in the court a man in a yellow tunic and cap -was cleaving his way through the press toward the wharf on a big black -horse. - -As he crossed the swaying plank to the wharf with Rose Emer in his -arms, Polaris heard a great cry of wonder go up from the crowd. In a -moment he learned that it was not the appearance of the strangers that -had caused the outcry. It was the return of Oleric the Red, who had -long been given up as lost. Evidently the red captain was a popular man -in his land. People crowded around him and clapped him on the back and -gave him words of welcome home. Greetings none the less hearty for that -they were tinged with a note of apprehension for his future welfare, -which even Polaris could sense, though he understood no word of it all. - -Down from his horse sprang the man in the yellow tunic and enfolded -Oleric in a mighty embrace. "Ah, old red bear, it is good for the eyes -to see you once again. We had thought the fishes had you. But"--and he -lowered his voice--"you will have to think of a pretty tale to tell to -Bel-Ar. He raves at the loss of a fademe." - -"That he does," answered Oleric, "but I am good at the telling of -tales, as you know. Besides, I have with me a matter of a small sack, -which was not lost with the fademe, and which shall make the eyes of -his queen to glisten. So mayhap I shall find forgiveness." - -The other ran his eye over Polaris and Rose. "What, more slaves?" he -asked. "Orlas already has brought in three, and one of them a giant." - -"Yes, Brunar, more slaves." Oleric's face grew sober. "Poor souls. My -heart is heavy for them, for they did save my life out yonder on the -sea, and treat me kindly." - -"Here, old bear, take you my horse and ride on to Adlaz," said Brunar. -"I have business here. I will come on anon through the canal in a -marizel. And, if the hand of Bel-Ar lie not too heavy upon you, there -will be a rare night to-night, a rare night; eh, old bear?" Laughing, -he tossed the reins to Oleric and disappeared in the crowd. - -From the stern of the fademe they had quitted sounded a high-pitched -voice in notes of vituperation. Oleric looked back. The captain Daelo -stood on the rear deck of his vessel. When he saw Oleric turn, he shook -his clenched fist at the red captain. With a laugh, Oleric flung back a -remark of such import that it made Daelo dance upon his deck with rage. - -"Now there's a fool," grumbled Oleric, "who may be troublesome. I have -the best of him this time, though. Back to sea patrol he goes. And -there is a maid in Adlaz town--a sweet and comely maid, for love of -whom he's well-nigh witless. I just did tell him that I'd comfort her -in his absence." The captain tossed his head and laughed his soundless -laugh. - -Bidding a lad hold his horse, Oleric led Polaris and Rose into one -of the buildings near the end of the wharf. There, under a guard of -sailors, they found old Zenas, the two Sardanians, Everson, and Brooks. -Lacking an interpreter, such as Oleric, these others were in sore -bewilderment. The stunning blow of the loss of the _Minnetonka_ had -cast them in a depth of gloom, which the appearance of Polaris and -Rose Emer and the few explanations they were able to give did little -to lighten. Everson, especially, was like a man distraught. Even the -scientific zeal of Zenas Wright for once was quenched, and he met the -marvels about him with a listless eye. - - * * * * * - -Under orders from Oleric, men fetched from stables near the quays a -long, low car, to which two span of horses were attached, and the -Americans were bidden to take their places in it. Wild and reckless -drivers these Maeronicans were. Two of them climbed into the car, -turned their horses' heads toward the great archway and whipped them -into a gallop. With a yell, the crowd parted. The hoofs of the horses -rang on the stones of the paved courtyard. As they passed from the -court into the tunnel, the line of steel horsemen came clattering after -them. Oleric rode at the side of the car. - -At intervals in the walls of the tunnel were set translucent globes -like those on the fademe, which shed a strong white light along the -way. The flooring was paved and smooth. For perhaps five minutes the -cavalcade thundered through the passage in the rock, and then it -emerged again into the light of day. - -Ahead stretched a long, wide roadway, paved from side to side with -blocks of black stone, fast embedded in a cement of the same hue. -At both sides of the road were low walls, and beyond the walls were -handsome mansions and grounds, where fair trees tossed their greenery -and bright flowers bloomed amid a wealth of shrubbery. From the -splendid and fragrant lawns men and women looked forth as the car -whirled past, and children left their play to run to the walls and -stare wide-eyed at the strangers. - -Most of the men were garbed as had been those of the fademe's crew and -also the crowd at the harbor, in loose, belted tunics and hose, but -finer in texture and more showy in coloring than those of the commoner -sort. - -Some of the old men wore flowing gowns. The women and children were -clad in short kirtles. Everywhere was a riot of color. The garments -of the people were gay with many tints and hues. The grounds were -flecked with flowers. The dwellings, all of which were built of stone, -made their brave show of colors, too. The quarries from which the -masonry was cut yielded white and black and red stone, and in their -construction work the builders had varied them pleasingly. - -From the tunnel's mouth at the base of the ancient hill, the long, -black road sloped up gradually. Far ahead loomed the walls and domes -of a great city. Oleric rose in his stirrups and pointed to where they -were outlined against the sky. - -"Yonder lies Adlaz, chief city of the Children of Ad," he cried. - -Midway in their course to the city, the shouting drivers pulled their -horses suddenly to one side of the road, and the riders of the escort -scattered to right and left to leave a clear passage. From far up the -wonderful street sounded the clash and clatter of pounding hoofs in -desperate haste. - -But no horse it was that galloped so madly from Adlaz town to the sea, -but a giant, bronze-coated bull. On he came, head down and tail aloft, -his hoofs striking fire from the smooth, hard rock of the roadway. At -intervals he gave voice to a deep-throated bellow. - -He was still three hundred yards from the car when Rose Emer screamed -out in horror. "Ah, the child! Save the child!" she cried. - -From one of the mansions farther up the street, a child had strayed, -a baby girl, a fragile, black-haired little thing, not more than five -years old. Shrieking with laughter, she had eluded her mother and run -out through the gateway to the center of the road. Half-way across the -pavement, she slipped and fell. Down the street on thundering hoofs -came the great bronze death. - -Upsetting one of the drivers in his haste, Polaris leaped down over -the wheel of the car. Scarcely had his feet touched the roadway, when -Minos, the Sardanian, was down behind him. Snatching a short spear from -the hand of one of the steel riders, the son of the snows bounded up -the street to meet the bull, going at a speed which few living things -could have equaled. Over his shoulder he called to Minos: - -"Care for the child, Minos; leave the beast to me." - -Just beyond where the baby girl lay, he met the furious mass of -charging flesh. The little red eyes of the oncoming monster saw the man -in its path, and for an instant the bull seemed to halt in its stride, -and its hoofs slid on the smooth pavement. Then it lowered its head -still farther and charged on with a roar. - -From the tail of his eye, Janess saw the Sardanian snatch the baby from -the perilous path and leap to one side. Behind them the red captain, -shouting and cursing, alone of all the troop of riders strove to urge -his affrighted horse forward. - -"Hold! Hold!" he shouted in English. "Let the beast go!" - - * * * * * - -Even had he heard, Polaris would have been little minded to let the -bull go free. It was plain that the animal was mad. A bloody froth -dripped from its jaws as it ran. Behind the son of the snows, right -where the bull was headed, were his friends, and among them one who -meant more to him than all of the rest of the world. - -Directly in the path of the lowered horns, that were coming on with -the power of a mighty battering-ram, Polaris stood. Then he sprang -sidewise, turning as he leaped. So narrowly did he time the onset that -the shoulder of the bull grazed his knee. As the huge body passed him, -the man drove the short spear home behind its shoulder, guiding the -steel with the strength of arm and the keenness of eye that had helped -him to survive through the long years when combat with the beasts of -the wild was a part almost of his daily existence. - -The stroke was true. So deeply did the steel spear bite, that its shaft -was wrenched from the hands of Polaris, and he was pitched on his side -on the pavement. - -Unhurt, the man was up in an instant, but his work was done. That bull -would charge no more. He lay dead at the side of the roadway, his -tongue thrust out, his eyes glazing, and his life-blood making a pool -on the stones. The Maeronican spear was set fast in his heart. - -Hardly was Polaris on his feet again when the armored horsemen rode -down on him with lifted spears, cursing him in their own tongue. Oleric -had conquered his horse, and he now interposed to prevent another -struggle which would have been all too one-sided. For, weaponless as -they were, the three other American men clambered down and ran to the -aid of Polaris. - -Minos, who had returned the child to her mother, who knelt half -fainting in her gateway, was the first to reach his side. Though he -bore no weapon, the giant Sardanian squared his mighty figure and made -ready to withstand the onset of horse and steel. - -Polaris leaped to the side of the fallen bull and tore the spear from -its body. Then he turned on the horsemen. He could not guess the cause -of their sudden anger, but he, too, was ready. - -Before blows could be struck, Oleric thrust his horse into the -open space between the friends and the Maeronican riders. By dint -of persuasion, interlarded with not a few threats, he induced his -followers to forego their hostile intentions. - -"You fools!" he shouted. "Would you cheat Bel-Ar of the terrible -vengeance he is sure to take, and have a part of it fall back on you -for balking him?" - -When he had quieted his men, the captain turned gloomily to Polaris. - -"My brother, your doom is sealed, indeed," he said. "This is one of the -sacred bulls from the temple of Shamar, the great sun, that you have -slain. When one of these goes mad, as did this one, no man in the land -does aught to stay it. That is the law. From its horns to its hoofs, -every hair of it is sacred. Bel-Ar may forgive me the loss of a fademe, -though it will be a great vexation to him; but the death of one of -these sacred bulls of Shamar he will not forgive any man. Sooner might -you expect mercy if you declared yourself a follower of the Goddess -Glorian of Ruthar. In this matter I cannot hope to persuade him. By -the bones of the ten thousand kings, I am sorry that this thing has -happened!" - -But later, as they rode on toward the city of Adlaz, the red captain -seemed to be far from rueful. He rode behind the car, and, when he -thought none was observing him, he smiled to himself, as though the -course events were taking pleased him very well indeed. - - - - - CHAPTER III - - THE KING JUDGES - - -Like the shape of a mighty wheel with four spokes was the plan of -the city of Adlaz--or more like a circle drawn around the angles of -a cross, the curved line of the outer boundary passing through the -far-flung arms. Built in a long-ago time of perils and wars, Adlaz -was a walled city, and its wall was both stout and high, and set with -many castellated towers. It was also a very ancient wall, to which its -moss-grown, weather-worn gray stones bore witness. - -In all of the sweeping circumference of the outer wall, which enclosed -some ten square miles of street and square, there were four breaks -only, and those were protected by ponderous gates of bronze and guarded -well by soldiers of the king. Those breaks were where the rim of the -wheel met its four spokes. The wall was the rim. The spokes were four -wide roadways, which ran east, west, north and south from the city's -center. The hub of the wheel was a park or esplanade, fronted on all -sides by magnificent buildings in which the colored rocks hewn from the -Maeronican quarries were blended splendidly. In the very center towered -the massive structure of the Temple of the Sun, built all of white -marble, the tips of its hundred spires capped with solid gold. - -Other and many streets were laid out in all directions within the -angles of the four great avenues; but none was so wide as they by many -feet. Within the wall dwelt nearly half a million souls, Maeronicans, -if one named them from their country, but loving to call themselves the -Children of Ad, after their city, which in turn drew its name from a -certain mighty king, the time of whose rule was so lost in the mists of -dim antiquity that he was little more than a tradition in the mouths of -the people. - -Across from the Temple of the Sun, and in the northeast angle of the -arms of the cross, stood the palace of the kings of Maeronica, another -immense pile of masonry, built also of a solid color, not dazzling -white as was the marble of the house of the god, but the deep, rich -red of granite porphyry. Back of the palace lay the barracks of the -king's guard of half a thousand picked men, his stables, and the -quarters of countless servants. In the southwest angle was the Place of -Games--a hippodrome and circus, with an amphitheater of black basalt -of an age and splendor that would not have shamed the proudest days of -seven-hilled Rome itself, although its foundation stones were laid long -before Remus leaped over his brother's wall. - -Around the hub and extending to the wall were the homes of the Children -of Ad--nobles, captains, rich idlers, merchants, money-lenders, and the -common people. In latter years, since Adlaz, strong and triumphant, -defied her enemies, it had been the pleasure of many of her wealthier -sons to build their mansions beyond the sheltering wall of the city, -and along the four splendid roadways stretched many a fair and wide -estate. Such were those the prisoners from the fademes saw as their car -was driven up the long, black road from the harbor in the mountain. - -It was late afternoon, and the sun was casting his last slant rays over -the distant mountain-rim, when the car was halted at the bronze gates -of the western entrance to Adlaz. The red captain trotted his horse -forward to parley with the captain of the gate-guard and explain why he -led Brunar's horsemen, and who were these whom he brought with him to -the city. That parleying was added to by one of the riders in steel. -Whatever he told the gate-captain, it did not add to that worthy's -esteem for the captives, for he favored them with an exceedingly evil -look as they rode through his gates. - -"Ugh-h," remarked Ensign Brooks, "I can't say that I care for that -party. He has a lean and hungry look. Speaking of hunger, I wonder how -soon we will get where we are going to, and whether it will be supper -time when we get there. I could eat cat right now, I'm so near to -starvation." - -Oleric heard him and replied with a smile. "You shall eat soon, and of -good fare. So much at the least I can promise." - -To which the ensign replied with a stare. For the young naval man did -not like the red captain and his ways, whom he blamed partly for the -loss of the _Minnetonka_ and all of the rest of the troubles, of which -this land seemed to hold a plenty. - -Soon after the car entered the gates, the sunlight faded into dusk, and -then white-capped messengers passed through the streets, plucking the -cloth hoods from globes which were fixed on posts of stone at intervals -along all of the ways. From each globe, as its hood was removed, sprang -a broad circle of white light. On the tall buildings and their many -spires and on the towers of the city wall similar lights flared up. - - * * * * * - -Except for the quaint architecture of the place, and the strange -garb of the folk who thronged its streets, the Americans might have -imagined themselves entering some stately capital of the modern world, -and not Adlaz of Maeronica, the oldest of all peopled cities of the -earth--older, indeed, than many among the buried ruins in which -archeologists love to delve. - -For its pavements were curbed and guttered, and between them and the -building fronts and lawns were walks of stone, bordered by well-ordered -rows of trees and many shrubs and beds of flowers. The people who -walked the streets, too, were quiet and orderly folk. They stared hard -at those who rode in the car, but there was no unseemly outcry. Only -an occasional shout of surprise and welcome went up as some group of -strollers recognized the merry face and flaming poll of Oleric the Red. - -At all of these marvels the two Sardanians gazed wonderingly and talked -together of them in their tongue. - -"Ah, surely here is one of the greatest cities of the world of men, -my prince," said the Lady Memene. "Note the mighty towers yonder and -how they flash and gleam. And the folk! In one short ride we have seen -enough of them to people two lands like our own lost Sardanes." - -"Aye, Memene, these be wonders, indeed," Minos answered. "And here -is a kingdom and a city well worth the ruling over. Yet these, even -these, must be as nothing to the things beyond in the greater world, -whereof Polaris hath told us. I wonder if we shall ever reach them. -For myself, though, I find this land and its folk more to my manner of -understanding than the world-dwellers way to the north. Here, methinks, -one might, did opportunity offer, carve out a kingdom for the king that -is to come." - -Memene flushed and hung her head, and the two of them lapsed into -thoughtful silence. - -Truly, Minos of Sardanes lacked not in ambition. - -"Too late, now, to hope to meet Bel-Ar the king before the morrow," -Oleric said. "And perhaps that is as well. By another coming of Shamar -his wrath may have cooled somewhat, though 'twill still burn hot -enough, I'll wager." - -The charioteers drove their car to the front of a long, low building, -the façade of which verged almost upon the pavement of the black avenue -which was known as Chedar's Flight, because of an ancient battle which -had been fought along its course. There, the riders of Brunar left the -car and clattered away up the street to their own place. A group of -street idlers surrounded the car and began to discuss its passengers, -taking note especially of the giant form of Minos and the beauty of the -two ladies. - -"This was a palace, once, but it serves as a prison, now," Oleric said -to Polaris, as gates of bronze were thrust back and the charioteers -drove through and into a roomy court, partly paved and partly lawn and -trees. "Sorry I am, comrade, that this must be, but 'tis not of my -working." - -"I blame you not, friend," said Polaris. "But other days bring other -fortunes. I do not think that I shall stay long in your prison. And it -comes to me also that your king best had let this party depart his land -in peace, else the next turn of the wheel may bring to him that which -he least desires. And I think that you may have a hand in that turn, -Oleric." - -"Are you a prophet, my brother?" exclaimed Oleric, searching the face -of Polaris for a hidden meaning. "For if you be not one, then you have -a rare spirit." - -"No prophet I," Polaris answered. He sprang down over the wheel and -stretched his weary limbs. "Only at times, when all seems black, my -heart does whisper courage, and then all things turn well. It did so -just now, when I saw the lights spring up along that splendid street -out there." He held up his arms and assisted Rose Emer to alight from -the car. - -Oleric gazed at him curiously. "So you think that the wheel will turn, -and that I will have a hand in it, my brother, do you?" he whispered to -himself. "Perchance I shall." - -He swung down from his horse and cast the reins to an attendant. - -"What! Mordo! Where do you tarry? Here be guests for you," he shouted. - -They stood in the dusk under the spreading boughs of an ancient oak and -waited while a tall, loosely built man, black-bearded, and clad in the -armor of gold that was the badge of power in Maeronica, came down from -a pillared porch on the other side of the court and shambled across. -They noticed that his step was somewhat uncertain, and once or twice he -stumbled as he approached. - -"Mordo, captain, and keeper of the king's prison house," Oleric -muttered to Polaris. "He's a good fellow, but does love his wine cup -exceeding well." - -As the prison keeper came across the stones and the grass, he shouted, -and an underling ran to him, swinging a lighted globe encaged in a -metal net. Mordo took the lamp and cast its rays on the party. His face -was flushed, and his eyes rolled until they saw Oleric. Then his mouth -gaped in a delighted grin. - -"Hoy! Hoy!" he exclaimed. "By the wall and the beasts and the shadows -of the fathers of Ad, if it is not my old bottle-crony come sailing -home again! I thought my ears had lied when I heard that voice in the -dark." He set the lamp down and pitched forward, steadying himself with -his hands on Oleric's shoulders. "And the same old dekkar, eh?" (A -dekkar was a broad goldpiece of the coin of Maeronica.) "They said that -you were gone across the black river, but I believed them not. 'Not -Oleric,' I told them. 'Not so long as there is left unemptied a single -one of those long-stemmed bottles in old Mordo's cellar.' And I was -right, eh, old firetop? Ah! Many a glass shall clink to-night, and many -a rack be made lighter when Brunar and the others come." - -Mordo threw his head back and laughed, a roaring gale of mirth. - -"Why, I was so lonely to-night that already I have cracked two flagons, -just for the good wine's company." - -"So it seems," put in Oleric, sniffing. "Are you sure there were only -two of those flagons?" - -"Mayhap it was three; I care not; there's still space for more, as you -well know," Mordo replied, still shaking with laughter. He took up his -lantern again. - -"But whom do you bring with you to Mordo's house?" he asked, peering -once more at the strangers. "Women, too! And pretty ones!" - -"Have an end to your banter, Mordo," Oleric interposed. "These be six -guests for whom Bel-Ar will ask accounting. Hold them well. And harken, -old friend; treat them kindly and to the best you have, for they did -befriend me when I was in evil straits and sore in need of friends. -That tale you shall hear later. Now hasten and bestow them. They are -weary. And bethink you, man, your wine grows stale with waiting to be -drunk, and my throat aches for the smack of it." - - * * * * * - -Through his porch and into the depths of the building beyond, Mordo led -the party. Along many halls and passages he led, and through gates and -doors of bronze and steel, whereof an attendant bore the keys. - -An ill place, this, to come out of, thought Polaris, noting the -strength and number of the gates. Nor did the son of the snows relish -at all the grim clanking of chains which issued from certain of the -chambers which they passed along their route. - -At length the jailer paused, in a hall so wide that its boundary walls -could be seen only dimly by the light of the few globes which hung from -its pillars of black stone, and so lofty that the pillars' tops were -lost in the upper dusk. The hall was circular, and all around its walls -were the doors to lesser chambers. - -"Here may your stranger friends from the sea await the pleasure of -Bel-Ar in peace," hiccoughed Mordo. "And 'tis better by far for them -than some of the places that I have below, as you know, Oleric. Kings -have sat in judgment here, and the beds in yonder chambers--queens have -slept on them. May your guests sleep well, old fox; I can offer them -no better, no better lodging place than the audience-hall of the great -King Bel-Tisam. I'll send them meat and wine. Now haste we to those -bottles. Shamar send that Brunar be not long delayed." - -"Here I must leave you for a space, my friends," Oleric said. "I -would have you believe that I am not ungrateful for many good deeds -remembered, and I hope yet to find the means to repay them. To-morrow I -will go with you before Bel-Ar the king." - -He bowed and went out with Mordo. - -Presently came men with an abundance of fresh-cooked meats and -trenchers and tall bottles of Maeronican wine. - -Little heart for conversation was there among the seven friends. Each -was busy with bitter thoughts. They ate, sitting on cushions about a -low table which the attendants spread for them at the foot of one of -the pillars. The two women, weary from the events of the day, soon went -to their rest. Old Zenas Wright was not long in following their example. - -"I'm growing old, boys," he said as he left the table. "And this has -been a hard day--a terribly hard day. We appear to have strayed far -into the yesterdays. To-morrow we will talk, and it will be strange -if we cannot between us figure our way out. I don't want to leave my -old bones in this place. I intend that they shall be buried in Woodlawn -Cemetery in Buffalo, near where I was born; ah me, where I was born. I -vow and vum, I've seen some mighty queer sights since I walked up Main -Street last." - -The geologist turned and trudged sturdily away to the chamber which he -had selected for his own. - -Soon only Polaris and Lieutenant Everson were left in the great hall, -Janess lying stretched on the floor, his head pillowed on his hand, and -the lieutenant standing gloomily with folded arms, his back resting -against one of the pillars. For many minutes those two talked of the -things which had befallen; but neither one had a plan to offer. - -"We must trust to the wit of this Oleric, of which I think he has -plenty," said Polaris at length. "I believe that he wished us no ill, -and I believe, too, that he forms some scheme for our advantage, though -what it is I cannot guess." - -"I don't like him," Everson said bluntly. "He is one of this nation of -devils whose submarine sank my ship. Oh, for a few files of marines and -a couple of twelve-inch guns!" - -When Everson had gone, Polaris still lay at the foot of the pillar, -thinking and planning, for he was a man in whom hope never died. He -dozed at length, but suddenly he was wide awake. And, though he did not -at once open his eyes, his wilderness-trained faculties, keen as those -of any animal, were alert and watchful. - -Something had come into the hall. - -Nothing in living shape ever had struck fear into the heart of Polaris, -and he had a healthy disbelief in the supernatural. He was not afraid -now. But he felt that the presence that had entered the hall was both -baleful and menacing. He felt the fixed regard of hidden eyes, and it -sent an uneasy thrill through the roots of his hair at the back of his -head. Whatever it was that had wakened him, it was not in the direction -of the chambers where the others of his party lay, but far across the -hall. - -Cautiously he opened his eyes. - - * * * * * - -At first he could make out nothing. Then something stirred soundlessly -from behind a far pillar near the wall. Polaris stared hard, and his -eyes were almost more than mortal keen. For a fleeting instant he saw -it clearly--the shape of a tall old man with snowy beard and hair, and -with piercing eyes, full of evil. The man was dressed in flowing robes -of white, on the breast of which glittered some object of burnished -metal. - -For an instant only the vision persisted on Polaris's retina. Then it -was gone, and with no sound that even his sharp ears could catch. - -Polaris snapped himself to his feet and bounded across the hall on -the balls of his feet, almost as noiselessly as the shadow which had -departed. And it had departed. Along the wall and behind the pillars -Polaris glanced quickly. There was nothing there. Back of the pillar -where he had seen the white shape was the closed door of a chamber. He -tried the door and found it fast. He listened. - -From the darkness beyond the closed door, he thought he heard the ghost -of a thin chuckle. Immediately his attention was drawn to another -quarter. Close behind him arose a deep growl, which had nothing ghostly -in its quality, but was most material. Polaris spun upon his heels. - -Some ten feet from him, and beside one of the pillars, from the foot -of which it evidently had arisen, stood a huge dog. It was the first -animal of its kind which the son of the snows had seen in Maeronica, -and the largest he ever had set eyes on in his life; larger by far even -than gray old Marcus, his friend and comrade that he'd left behind in -Boston town. - -This brute was neither Great Dane nor mastiff, though in points it -resembled both of those breeds. Its jaws were square, and its head and -neck were massive. The tips of its powerful shoulders were a long yard -up from the stone floor where it stood. - -It was smooth of coat and of a glossy, blue-black color, except on its -breast, where was a triangular patch of tawny yellow. Its ears had -been clipped and stood erect and pointed. As it regarded the man, its -big eyes glittered in the dim light. Its lips were writhed back from -formidable teeth. - -Another low growl rumbled from its deep chest. - -Instinctively, dogs trusted Polaris. He had had much experience with -their kind, and never had he seen one that in the end he could not make -his friend. Unhesitatingly he extended his hand and crossed the floor -to where the big beast stood. He guessed that it must have come in -with the old man whom he had glimpsed, and had been left behind when -the silent visitor had made his hurried departure. As he drew nearer, -Polaris saw that the animal wore a broad leather collar, bossed with -gold. - -Unhurriedly, the son of the snows approached the brute until there was -not the space of a yard between them. There he paused. The dog neither -shrank nor cowered, but waited with muscles tensed and teeth exposed. -Polaris was very watchful. - -"Good fellow," he said. - -At the sound of the man's voice, the dog shifted his position slightly. -His head swayed. From Polaris's face he glanced to the outstretched -hand. The bristling hackles at his neck subsided. He took a stiff -step forward, then another. The tip of his cold muzzle touched the -man's fingers. He sniffed. A long, red tongue crept forth and licked -Polaris's hand. Another step, and the brute rubbed his great head -against the man's thigh. - -"Ah; I thought you would," said Polaris. "Come on." He turned and -crossed the hall to his sleeping chamber. The dog padded beside him on -silent feet. The last thing the son of the snows heard, after he had -called Brooks to take the watch, and closed his eyes to slumber, was -the sigh of the huge beast as it stretched itself before his open door. - - * * * * * - -Worn of body and of nerves, Polaris slumbered deeply. Shamar rose high -in the east and lighted the golden spires of his mighty temple in Adlaz -town; still the man slept on, and as he slept, he dreamed. Far into the -white, mysterious southland his fancies led, to a waste of ice and snow -and bitter winds. He drove a team of splendid dogs--his gray brothers -they seemed to be in the dream, those tried friends who had given their -lives for their master, and of whom Marcus, if he still lived, was the -last. - -On the sledge which the dogs drew, rode Rose Emer, wrapped in furs, -as in truth she once had ridden. There, too--and even in the dream he -seemed strangely out of place--was the Maeronican captain. Yes, Oleric -the Red trudged through the snows beside the sledge, clad in his golden -armor, his teeth chattering in the chill blasts of the wilderness, and -bearing in his hand a naked sword. - -Danger, unseen, unknown, but frightful, encompassed the wanderers in -the snow path. The dogs snarled and tore at their harness. Oleric ran -forward, waving his sword, which seemed to drip blood on the white -snows, and shouting. - -"Up, brother, and call off this beast of yours!" the red captain cried. -"For soon must we go before Bel-Ar." - -With those words ringing in his ears, Polaris awoke. He sprang from his -couch to the middle of the chamber. No dream's part was the shouting of -Oleric. He stood in the hall before the chamber door, his lips still -parted and a smile on his ruddy face. - -And the snarling of a dog--that, too, was real. - -Planted squarely in the doorway, hackles bristling, ears erect and -fangs bared, was the immense animal with which Polaris had made friends -in the night watches. All through the dark hours and the dawning, the -beast had guarded the door, suffering none to approach it. He now -barred the way to Oleric, and the chamber echoed to his angry challenge. - -"By the ten kings!" exclaimed the captain with a laugh. "You do raise -up friends wherever you go, my brother. Here is one that dearly would -love to make a breakfast off my lean shanks, armored as they are, and -all because I would tell you that Shamar has brought to us another day." - -At the call of Polaris, the dog backed out of the doorway, but still -with a wary and suspicious eye to the movements of the red captain. - -Mordo, the prison captain, was not in attendance, but certain of his -servants were spreading the table near the center of the hall. The -Americans and the Sardanians were gathered in a group about one of the -pillars. - -Everson looked wan, like one whose pillow had been ridden by evil -visions. The others of the party seemed in better spirits and were -talking among themselves. Zenas Wright gave evidence that his -scientific zeal had only lain dormant. For now he noted all about him -with a keen and kinding interest, paying his attention especially to -the architecture of the lordly hall which had housed them, and its -sculptures, of which there were many. Young Brooks' interest was fully -as keen, if more material, as that of the geologist. The eyes of the -ensign were all for the table preparations. - -Seeing the party thus, and the broad bands of sunlight which streamed -into the hall through windows of crystal high in the masonry, Polaris -grew shamefaced. - -"Now it seems that I alone, who of all should be wakeful, have slept -dully like a wintered bear," he muttered. - -"'Tis well. You have gained strength which perhaps shall not come -amiss," Oleric answered. - -Near the center of the hall a fountain played, its spray falling -through a bar of sunshine which changed the silver drops to gold as -they fell. Calling his morning greetings to his friend, Polaris went -thither and laved his face and hands and smoothed his mass of tawny -hair. The dog followed close at heel and lapped greedily from the -fountain's basin. - -"Strange that this brute should be here," said Oleric. "Do you know -what manner of beast this is that so befriends you, Polaris?" - -Polaris shook his head; nor did he at that time see fit to acquaint -Oleric with the circumstances of the dog's appearance. - -"This is one of the dogs the priests keep at the temple of Shamar," the -captain informed. "There are few of the breed in the land, and all are -at the temples of the god in the cities. Almost as sacred are these -brutes as are the bulls, whereof you already know, and are likely to -learn more. The holy men do say of them that they are dwelt in by the -souls of heroes passed away, whom Shamar chooses to guard his temple -gates, even as the bulls are inhabited by the souls of dead kings. - -"I do not believe such tales," he added quickly. "But now you will -see why Bel-Ar will be more than passing wroth at the death of the -bull, believing as he does that it is a dwelling place for one of his -ancestors, and that you may, indeed, have slain his father or his -grandfather." - -Oleric, who had breakfasted, sat by while the others ate. The dog, -from the collar of which the captain read the name Rombar, signifying -thunder, stood behind the seat of Polaris and ate with dignity whatever -his self-appointed master passed to him. But he would take food from no -other hand, not even from Rose Emer, who liked all dogs. - -Thereafter, sleeping or waking, the huge beast remained at Polaris's -side, and none could coax him thence. And many Maeronicans deemed that -strange. But as no man, not even Shamar's priests, dared to interfere -with the sacred brutes, except when they played their parts in the -ceremonials of the god, the attendance of Rombar upon the stranger was -permitted. - -Under a guard of mailed foot-soldiers, led by Brunar, who was a captain -in the palace regiment, the prisoners were marched from the ancient -palace of Bel-Tisam to the newer palace of Bel-Ar. At their right, as -they passed up the street called Chedar's Flight, was the wall, pierced -by many gateways, of the Place of Games, with its basalt amphitheater -and its arena. - -As they passed they heard the hoofs of galloping steeds, the rumble of -chariot wheels, and the cries of the charioteers, where the young lords -of Adlaz exercised their horses. From slits in the wall low down near -the pavement, issued the howling and snarling of wild beasts; for a -menagerie was a part of the equipment of the Place of Games. - - * * * * * - -Beyond the hippodrome, their way led around half the circle of the -broad drive on which the four main avenues gave, and which surrounded -the wonderful gardens of the Temple of the Sun. The Americans, three -of whose number were widely traveled, marveled anew at the splendor of -that mighty pile of white marble, its lofty columns, towers and domes, -dazzling in the sunlight, their golden caps ablaze. Luxor and Karnac in -the days when Pharaoh Rameses ruled in Egypt could not have shown the -equal of this structure. - -With armed men clanking on each side, the captives entered through a -massive peristyle of vari-colored pillars which was the portal to the -house of the king. Along a corridor in which four elephants might have -found way and clearance to walk abreast, the guards conducted them. At -each end of the corridor there stood ajar tall gates of bronze, their -bars interlaced with heavy patterns of gleaming gold, encrusted with -the luminous metal, known in Maeronica as orichalcum, and set with many -precious gems. - -Through the second gateway the prisoners were marched, and were in the -audience chamber of Bel-Ar, the great king. It was similar in shape to -the place where they had been quartered for the night; but there all -similitude ceased. Bel-Tisam of old had sat in a plain and massive hall -and been content. The house of Bel-Ar held treasures in metals and gems -on its sculptured walls and pillars, aye, and on its floors, too, which -could have paid the national debt of a wide and wasteful state. - -Dull gold smoldered underfoot in the mosaic of the pavement. Gold -and orichalcum glittered and shimmered on pillar and wall. Chairs -and tables of stone and bronze and polished woods were heavy with -the precious metal. Set in the bases of the seventy and six pillars -which upheld the roof were patterns gorgeous in agate, lapis-lazuli, -turquoise, quartz, and rock-crystal. Other and similar panels -adorned the walls. Farther up, where the work in gold and orichalcum -began--placed so high, perhaps, to be out of reach of avaricious -fingers--were more precious stones. There topaz, moonstone, amethyst, -opal, sapphire, diamond, and priceless ruby and emerald flaunted their -hundred fires. - -"Lordy!" muttered Zenas Wright under his breath to Ensign Brooks as -they crossed the hall. "Give me a pick and a ladder and a half hour -alone in which to use them, and you may have and welcome the rubies of -Sardanes which went down with the _Minnetonka_." - -Near a fountain, the jets of which fell and flowed over a grotto of -opalescent glass lighted from within, sat the master of all this -splendor, Bel-Ar, king of Maeronica and lord of the underseas. On no -raised dais or lofty throne sat this monarch who was absolute in his -own land. A high-backed chair of carved black wood sufficed him, raised -from the flooring on a single slab of red porphyry, scarcely twelve -inches high. On another chair at his right sat his queen. The two -were in the center of a wide crescent of seats and benches, whereon -sat the nobles and ladies of Maeronica who made up the court. Without -the semicircle stood attendants and slaves. Farther back, ranged in -a double line, was one full company, one hundred men, of the palace -guard, all in bronze mail, and each carrying his bared sword. - -Like a dull moth among a concourse of gaudy and fluttering butterflies -was this powerful Maeronican king. He was attired simply in cloth -of dark blue. A cloak of the same material had fallen back from his -shoulders. On his knee rested a flat black cap of the same pattern -that his meanest sailors wore. Only a light circlet of twisted gold, -fashioned in the semblance of a slender serpent, set on his heavy -black hair above his temples, and a short, broad sword which swung at -his belt, distinguished the garb of Bel-Ar from that of the ordinary -citizen of Adlaz. - -Seeing these things, one looked into the king's face for royalty, -and found it there. He sat with an elbow on the arm of his chair, -his chin cupped in his right hand, so that it hid his mouth. His -forehead was broad and low, his nose short and tilted slightly at -its tip. His cheeks were rounded and well-shaped. His ears, almost -hidden in the black hair, which was cut evenly around his neck, were -small and delicately turned as a woman's. But every other feature was -cast into insignificance and forgotten, when one looked at the king's -eyes. Set far apart, they were extraordinarily large, and black, so -that iris and pupil seemed as one. They were the eyes of a mystic, a -far-seeing dreamer, but filled with subdued fires; eyes of a strong and -self-willed man, one not to be tampered with or led. In contrast to -them, the skin of the face was fair, almost pallid. The king's figure -was above medium height, broad and powerfully framed. His years were -not more than thirty-seven. - -As the prisoners were brought near to him, Bel-Ar had fallen into a fit -of abstraction. He gazed fixedly across the hall, seeing it not, nor -its people and its walls. At his feet a little slave boy sat asleep, -his head leaned against the leg of his king's chair, his small golden -harp fallen across his lap. - -If Bel-Ar was the dull moth, his consort, Queen Raissa, who sat beside -him, was the most gorgeous of all the butterflies. She was younger than -the king, by a full ten years. Her face was small and flower-like, with -pouting lips and proud blue eyes that shone like stars. Hair yellow as -the golden, shell-shaped comb which was set in it, was piled high on -her head, and was yet in such abundance that two heavy braids fell down -across her shoulders. She was robed in a graceful gown of pale blue, -the bodice of which blazed with gems. Her fingers toyed with a costly -fan, whereof the stem was ivory and the sticks the colored plumes of -rare birds. She gazed curiously at the strangers whom the soldiers -brought in, and when her eyes alighted upon Oleric they became eager. - - * * * * * - -At the edge of the open space just beyond the semicircle of the -courtiers, the guards halted. For a few moments the silence in the hall -was broken only by the low-toned gossip of gay lords and ladies, who -paid scant attention to guards or prisoners. Then the queen touched -Bel-Ar's knee with her fan and spoke a few words in his ear. He started -from his reverie. - -"Come hither, Brunar," he said in a deep, low voice. As he raised his -head, it was to be seen that his chin was square and heavy, but that -his mouth was lacking in the strength of his other features. - -Brunar made his report, and was replaced by Oleric the Red, who bowed -low before the king, his ready smile playing about his lips. - -"You would make report of a fademe lost, Captain Oleric," said the -king. "Doubtless a small matter to you, but meaning much to me, who ill -can spare my fademes." He frowned. - -"Not so, O king," replied the captain, composing his features and -speaking earnestly. "As you know, not all of our engineers have learned -to govern wisely the mighty force that gives the fademes life." - -Bel-Ar nodded. "That is true," he said. "Now what of this engineer of -yours?" - -"Why, he was a careless fellow, and whoof! one day under his hands went -engine and fademe. They lie in fragments on the sea-bottom near the -great south cape on the way to the ocean named Pacific, and the crew -lies with them." - -"How is it, then, that you stand here to make report?" - -"My star watched over me, O king. I floated to the surface, alone of -all the fademe's crew. On the wreckage of the cabin I floated. I had -by me my hamess (mask). I donned it. Later my senses departed me. I -was taken up by a ship from the northern world, and was treated with -kindness by these whom you see here. Driven by storm, that ship came to -the coast of Maeronica, and--" - -"Enough; I had the rest of the tale from Brunar," interposed Bel-Ar. - -"But of your mission to the far Pacific? What of that?" questioned -Raissa, leaning forward eagerly. - -Again Oleric smiled, and smiling, drew from his belt a small leather -bag. He advanced, and kneeling, handed the bag to the queen. - -"Oh! Lovely!" she gasped as she poured a part of its contents into her -palm--pearls, five score or more of them, as fine as ever came from the -ocean bed, she held. One great and lustrous globe of faint rose-pink -she seized upon with a cry of delight. She held it out toward the -king. "See! Is it not beautiful?" she exclaimed. She turned to the red -captain. - -"You have done well, indeed, good Oleric," she said quickly. "My king -shall forgive you for the lost fademe, the losing of which was surely -no fault of yours. And these--these be worth many fademes to me." She -selected two of the pearls of fair size and goodly sheen and gave them -to Oleric. - -"You did venture your life to get them. Perchance some maid of Adlaz -town shall look on you more kindly for the gift," she said. - -Bel-Ar frowned; then he smiled, too. - -"Well, Raissa has said it. I must agree, I suppose. I forgive you the -fademe," he said, somewhat dryly, while the lords and ladies laughed. -"Only sail no more ships at present, captain. Get you to the harbor, -and there for a space relieve Atlo as captain of the port. I have need -of him at the Kimbrian Wall, where the robbers of Ruthar have grown -overbold. - -"Now, another matter." The king's brow clouded. "Which of these -foreigners slew the bull of Shamar? This one surely." He pointed to -Minos. "Never saw I such a man." - -"No, O king, not he," Oleric said. "He is from a far land in the -southern snow wastes, which was destroyed by the earth-fires. There he -was the king. The other one, the golden-haired man, it was, who slew -the bull--to save a child--" - -"Have done. The reason for the deed avails him not," Bel-Ar broke in. -"Have him come hither, that I may judge." - - * * * * * - -Oleric fetched Polaris Janess into the space before the throne. The son -of the snows advanced with a firm step and halted directly in front of -Bel-Ar, where he gazed at the king with steady eyes. Close at his heels -came the great dog Rombar. - -"Why does the man not bow?" inquired Bel-Ar harshly. "Where learned he -his manners? And how does it come that he is attended by a sacred dog -of Shamar, that seems ready to do battle for him?" - -In truth, Rombar, who feared not kings, was ready for battle. He stood -at the side of Polaris, his hackles raised and a rumbling challenge in -his throat. - -Bel-Ar regarded the pair of them sternly, though many in his court -found much to admire in the powerful form and steadfast demeanor of the -son of the wilderness. - -Oleric spoke hastily in English. "Bow, brother; bow to the king; though -I fear that 'twill not mend matters," he grumbled. - -Polaris inclined his head shortly and continued to meet the gaze of the -angered king. "His bow is grudging enough," said Bel-Ar to the captain; -"but no matter." - -Just then a tall old man in white and flowing robes came forward to -the left of Bel-Ar's seat. He was lean of face, like an ancient hawk, -and like a hawk's was his thin, curved beak. His eyes glittered with -malice. On his breast, done in gold in the garment he wore, was the -likeness of the rising sun, the insignia of the priests of Shamar. - -Well Polaris knew that shape and face. It was the master chuckler that -had disturbed him the night before. - -"This man is marked by Shamar," the priest said in a high, cracked -voice, and regarding Polaris hatefully. "As for the dog, 'tis sent by -the god to watch that the man escape not his doom." - -"Oleric, hold your peace," said Bel-Ar, as the stout captain was about -to speak. "And flout not the holy Rhaen, lest it be the worse for -you. I will judge." The king paused and ran his eyes over the other -prisoners. - -"He that slew the sacred bull, he shall be given over to the servants -of Shamar, to be done with as the god shall will at the feast of years. -He that was a king, he shall now serve a greater king. Let him be sent -to the harbor, where strong backs are always welcome. The other two -young men shall go into my mines. The old one shall be a scullion in my -kitchens, as harder work doubtless would kill him. - -"Take the two women and the slayer of the bull to the prison and keep -them fast until Shamar claims them for the feast. The women must die. -The law commands that no foreign woman, however fair, shall live in -Maeronica. So may the ancient blood never be tainted. I have judged. -Let it be so, and so writ down, unless the holy Rhaen, chief servant to -Shamar, has other claims." Bel-Ar looked inquiringly at the priest. - -Now it chanced that Lieutenant Everson, face to face with the man by -whose decree his ship had perished, had fixed on the king a glance of -undying hatred. None had noted it except the priest, Rhaen, who saw all -things. He now asked that the naval man be turned over to the god along -with Polaris. Bel-Ar nodded his assent. - -At a sign from the king, Oleric led Polaris back to his companions. -The judgment was ended. The guards closed in around the prisoners and -marched them away. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - - "DEAD MEN ARE BEHIND US" - - -Along the black avenue, back to the prison house of Mordo, the captives -were marched. For Oleric, through the friendship Brunar bore him, won -from that captain the half of a day for his friends, that they might -pass it together before the separation decreed by Bel-Ar. - -Understanding little of what had taken place, and no word of what had -been said in the audience-chamber of the king--for Oleric the Red was -their only interpreter--the prisoners still had the heart to look with -curiosity upon the doings in that part of Adlaz town which lay along -the way that they traversed. - -As Zenas Wright trudged, his bright old eyes were busy, and he shook -his white head often at the marvels which he saw. A group of the -young bloods of Maeronica clattered by on horses. As they passed, the -old geologist stared and stopped in his tracks, so that an impatient -soldier of the guard hustled him with the butt of a spear. - -"Gold, gold, everywhere," muttered Zenas as he started on. "They even -shoe their horses with it." - -In the hall where they had slept the friends gathered for council. -Oleric had come in with them, and all eyes were turned to him. Before -he would speak the captain insisted that meat and wine should be -brought, and he set his helmet on the floor and ate with them. - -Fate willed that it should be the last time that the seven friends -should sit at the same table. - -When the meal was ended, Oleric told simply and briefly of the judgment -of Bel-Ar, holding back nothing. - -For a moment, silence was his answer. Then Zenas Wright brought his -jaws together with a snap. - -"What! Me a scullion in that barbarian's greasy kitchen!" he barked. -"Why not nursemaid to the royal brats?" Then Zenas groaned as his anger -was swallowed in the realization of what was to befall the friends he -whom had come to love so well. - -With his topaz eyes ablaze, Polaris Janess sprang up from the table and -stood over the captain. - -"You, Oleric, who call yourself my friend, why did you not interpret -this to us while we were in the hall yonder?" he asked quietly. "Then -had this kingdom been kingless." He glanced down at his sinewy hands. -Suddenly he bent over and snatched the captain's sword from its sheath. -So he, who had seen so much of fighting, made ready to fight again, and -for the last time. For what else was left him but to give his life for -his lady and go to his appointed place? - -"Of those who come to take us, some at least shall go a long journey -with us," he said as he toyed with the heavy blade. - -Everson and Brooks, picked men who had sailed the seas for Uncle Sam, -nodded their heads, saying nothing. There have been traditions in that -service of which they were officers. When their time came they would -uphold them. - -White and straight, the Lady Memene stood up from the table and fixed -her glorious eyes upon the Sardanian king. She plucked from the bosom -of her gown a small, keen dagger, a blade of ilium, which a certain -Kard the Smith had forged for her in far-away Sardanes. She reached the -weapon across the table and into the hands of Minos. - -"If I understand the words of this man aright, death waiteth," she said -in the ancient Greek of her native land. "Memene prefers it at thy -hands, O king of mine. Slay thou me and--and the unborn king, Minos." -Her lips trembled pitifully, and her voice broke. Then she became hard -again, and with a fire in her eyes. "Join thou then with our good -brother here, and slay, and slay, and slay--for this is an evil land. -And begin with this man whom we saved from the sea, and who is evil, -also. See! He smileth, while we are about to die." - -Oleric, who had made no move when his sword was taken from him, sat -quietly, studying the faces about him and smiling his enigmatical smile. - -"What does the lady say?" he asked of Polaris. - -Janess told him. - -When Rose Emer heard, she threw her arms about the Sardanian princess -and hid her face in Memene's bosom. Presently she looked up, a mist of -tears in her gray eyes, but her voice was clear and steady as she said: - -"If we are to die, let us die together. Polaris, let me go with Memene." - -Oleric's smile vanished. He held up his hand. - -"Let there be no more talk of dying--at least not for many long years," -he said, and there were both feeling and strength in his tones. - -The others looked at him, wondering what his words portended. - -"Now the time has come for me to avow myself," continued the red -captain. "I will speak all that has been in my mind, and you shall -judge if I be worthy of your trust--for trust to me you must, if we are -to see a straight way out of this tangle." - -He turned to Polaris. - -"My brother," he said, "do you recall that yesterday, when you had -slain the bull of Shamar, I said to you that Bel-Ar would be as little -likely to forgive you that deed as to forgive one who confessed himself -a follower of the Goddess Glorian of Ruthar?" - -Polaris nodded. "I remember," he answered, "but understand not." - -"That is my crime," said Oleric. "I am of Ruthar, a follower of the -Goddess Glorian, and a faithful one. I will make clear to you what you -do not understand. Listen. I will make the tale brief. - -"In the long ago, the very long ago--so long that most of the world -you know was wilderness and its peoples barbarians--a mighty people -flourished on an island in the ocean that you name Atlantic. They -called themselves the Children of Ad, or Adlaz, after the eldest of the -ten kings that once ruled in that land. Tradition has it that their -island was the first cradle of civilization; for they, because of their -isolation, alone of all the peoples of the earth, dwelt in peace and -plenty, and were not wasted by wars. - -"If the ancient maps were truly drawn, that island of Adlaz lay -opposite and southward from the straits of a fair sea, and the straits -were known as the Pillars of Heracles. With time and the growth of -the nation of Ad came greed upon her children, greed and the love of -conquest. Great navies carried their armies east and west. Along both -shores of that blue sea, which you know as Mediterranean, they gained a -foothold, and made the nations bend to their yoke. Westward they sailed -to another continent across the ocean, conquering the red men of the -wildernesses there, and founding provinces and building cities. - -"Then in the flower of her pride and conquests, Adlaz was cut down. -Both sides of the Mediterranean she held as far as the gates of Egypt -and the islands of the Hellenes. But the nation of the Hellenes was -the rock on which the fortunes of Adlaz split. A wise and crafty king -led the Hellenes in battle to withstand the flood of invasion from the -island empire. He beat their army and nearly destroyed it. He trapped -the mighty navy that had sailed from Adlaz against the Hellenes. While -Egypt sat quaking, waiting to bend the neck to the heel of the invader, -the Hellenes, under their wise leader, turned the tide. - - * * * * * - -"Balked and broken, those who had gone forth to conquer returned to -their island. But the great sea-god whom they worshiped must have been -sorely angered at their failure. For in one day he arose and swallowed -their island. The land heaved and split; the mountains were rent, and -vomited up both fires and waters, and the entire island disappeared -into the depths of the sea. East and west on the two continents, the -barbarians rose against the colonies of Adlaz, and they too perished. -O'Connell, the slave, who was learned, told me that so utterly was the -race of Adlaz wiped from the earth that naught remains, excepting the -half-buried ruins of some of their cities, which stand in the jungles -of the western continent, concerning the very origin of which the minds -of men are vague. And of the island of Adlaz itself, he told that it -was only a dim tradition, a myth, the truth of which is doubted even by -the learned. - -"But all of Adlaz did not perish. A part, a small part, of the mighty -fleet which had sailed against the Hellenes was not lost, but was -driven southward in the tidal-waves of the inundation which swallowed -the island. - -"Afloat, but with every hand in the world turned against them, their -colonies crumbling before the wrath of the barbarians, those chiefs of -Adlaz turned for guidance to the son of one of their princes who was on -one of the ships. Of his wisdom that prince told them that since they -were hated of all the world, and that even the hand of the sea-god was -set against them--why, they would sail to the end of the world to find -them an abiding place, until in the fulness of time they should once -more rule the earth. So they passed like a flame down the coasts of the -western continent until they reached this place; and here they stopped -and stayed, maintaining the old traditions of their race, keeping -themselves apart--a hateful people, waiting for the day of which their -leader told them, when they shall once more conquer the world. - -"But even in those days they found this land, which is warmed strangely -by the ocean currents, was inhabited. A free and fearless race of -barbarians dwelt here, and them the warriors of Adlaz were never able -to subdue. Great beasts dwelt here, also--beasts so mighty that the -earth shook when they walked--and the Children of Ad found themselves -beset by troubles in their new land. But they throve. Though they -could not conquer the barbarians, they drove them from the north of -the island. And though they could not slay the mighty beasts, they -affrighted them with fire, burning whole forests, and forced them also -to the south. At one point the land is narrow, scarcely sixty of your -English miles across. There the Children of Ad builded them a wall so -tall and thick that even the beasts might not push it down. - -"On the other side of that wall--the Kimbrian Wall--lies Ruthar, a land -of forests and hills and rivers, but a fair land. And there dwell the -Rutharians and the beasts; and down through all the years to this day -there has been war across the wall. - -"Now to the meat of this tale of mine, which grows long. In Ruthar -there is a prophecy, also, to match that of those who call themselves -Maeronicans. It is that there shall come up from the sea a mighty man -with yellow hair like unto gold, who shall break down the Kimbrian -Wall and let the beasts pass through, and who shall lead the chiefs -of Ruthar in a warfare that shall break the power of Adlaz, and cast -down the hateful kings and the cruel religion of Shamar. For that man -the Rutharian chieftains always wait, and with them waits the Goddess -Glorian, who is more than any king or chief." - -Oleric paused, and looked long and earnestly into the face of Polaris. - -"That is my tale, my brother," he said. "And if you are not the man of -the ancient prophecy of Ruthar, at least I believe that you will serve." - -Breathlessly Zenas Wright had followed the course of the red captain's -words. The scientist could contain himself no longer. - -"_Atlantis!_" he cried. From face to face about the table he looked, -with a shadow of awe in his eager eyes. "Just so surely as we are -sitting here--if this man tells the truth, and I think that he does--we -are among the descendants of the people of the lost continent of -Atlantis. Word for word, his story fits in with that which the old -Egyptian priest at Sais told to Solon, the Greek, and which Plato -recorded. I have read it all in the compilation by Ignatius Donnelly, -in which he gathered all the evidence which he could find in the world -to prove that Atlantis was not a myth." - -Zenas sat back with half-closed eyes. A long, low whistle passed his -lips. - -"What do you call the luminous metal with which your helmet and armor -are decorated?" he asked of Oleric. - -"It is called orichalcum," replied the captain. - -Wright nodded. "It is the same," he said. "Plato wrote that such was -the name of a similar metal, of which the Atlanteans had the secret. -They delved it from the ground. It was far more precious to them than -gold. In their temples stood columns of it, on which their laws were -carved." - -"O'Connell told me that there were still traditions in the world of the -continent that was; but he never told me this," Oleric said. "You are -right. In the Temple of Shamar, here in Adlaz, such a column stands, -and on it the laws are writ. On it, too, is the prophecy of Maeronica, -against which I now match the prophecy of Ruthar, whose son I am." - -He looked at Polaris. "Say, brother, how is it with you? Are you minded -to come with me to Ruthar and try a tilt at the Kimbrian Wall--a tilt -for a kingdom?" - -Polaris had heard the tale of Oleric with grave and earnest attention, -studying the face of the captain as he talked. Now the son of the snows -laughed dryly. - -"Mad talk, Oleric the Red," he said. "I am not the hero of your -prophecy; and if I were, how are we to come from Adlaz to this Ruthar -of which you tell us so glibly; and when we are come there, if that be -possible, how are we to break down the wall which has stood against -your armies for years--" - -"So it must seem to you," interrupted Oleric, with clouding brow. "Mad -talk, indeed; and perhaps it is. But here in Adlaz is death--death and -slavery. I know a way to Ruthar. For the matter of the wall, I have one -question to put. Well answered, all will be well. - - * * * * * - -"Here in Maeronica there are some few things in which the folk have -progressed as far ahead of the rest of the world as the world has -outstripped them in most others. Of these are the fademes and their -power of destruction--the mighty force of which even I know can only be -used beneath the sea. On land, that force is powerless except to use -as a light. In battle the Maeronicans fight as did their forefathers, -bearing the arms that you have seen. I know that out in the world men -have mastered the secret of engines which slay from afar, casting -globes of metal which fly apart with a loud noise, rending all that is -near. Such I saw on the ship yonder. - -"We have, as you reckon time, nearly six months before the Feast of -Years, when doom will be meted out to those who are marked for death. -I know that is not time enough, nor do I think we have the means to -construct such engines. But, say--has no one among you the knowledge to -make the stuff which you feed into them? If there is such a one, why, -I know in Ruthar a laboratory where he might work, with many willing -hands to do his bidding. I have tried it myself, but have discovered -nothing. Surely one of you, who are instructed, shall do better. So -might we destroy even the great wall." - -He paused, and gazed hard at Zenas Wright and then at Lieutenant -Everson. - -"_An explosive!_" Zenas Wright almost shouted the words. "You have a -brain in that red head, my boy. With the proper chemicals it might be -done." He clapped Everson on the shoulder. "With you to help me, it -might be done. What do you think, lieutenant?" - -"I would do most anything to get a chance at this nest of devils," said -Everson, and his eyes glittered. "I have not trusted this man. I do -not know that I trust him now. But if he is playing fair, there seems -no other way. Whatever you decide to do, I am with you, and will do my -best. If we can find the chemicals, we can make an explosive powerful -enough to move a few tons of stone, if that will do any good." - -"Break you the wall, and I will promise you the rest of the trick," -the captain cried, "or Ruthar will die to the last man on the road to -Adlaz!" - -He considered for a moment. - -"One man I can surely take with me to Ruthar," he said. "Two will -double, aye more than double the risk; and three would more than triple -it. Still, it may be accomplished. I must have a little time; but I -will do my best. - -"Now, my brother, what say you? If I can bring it about so that you and -the old man here, Father Zenas, and this other, who, though he trust me -not, I will yet play fair by--if I can manage it that these go with me -to Ruthar--will you come, also?" - -"What of these others?" Polaris asked, and looked at Rose Emer. - -"Here they must stay," Oleric answered. - -"'Twill be hard enough to take the three of you--and slaying will be -done before it is accomplished. It is impossible to take more. By the -way which we shall go, no woman might pass undetected. But I tell you -they shall come to no harm in your absence. The very law of the land -protects them. They be marked for the ceremonies of Shamar. Until the -appointed time, not even the king himself dare harm them. Bethink you, -brother; this is the only way." - -"Yonder on the ship you made a promise, Oleric," replied Polaris. "I -think you will try to keep it. I trust you. But there are other things -to consider." He addressed himself to Rose Emer. - -"Lady, you have heard this madness, which yet, as says the captain, -does seem to be the only road save that to death. In such things -ofttimes the heart of a woman is wiser than the brains of men. Let your -heart answer. Shall I go to Ruthar, and with this man and his people -fight my way back to Adlaz, if it may be done?" - - * * * * * - -"The future of this company hangs on your word, lady," put in Oleric. -"And I make another promise. By day and by night I will not leave the -side of my brother. If he shall find that in any word I have lied, if -he shall meet with any treachery through me, then let him wring this -red head from off my shoulders." - -"If we stay here, we must die to-day, or be separated and die later," -Rose Emer said with a shudder. "And our friends, if they do not die, -face a life of slavery." She looked into the face of Polaris, and -though her lips trembled and the tears started to her gray eyes, she -said bravely: - -"Go to Ruthar, and come back if you can. If you do not come, I will -know that you have done all that a man can do." - -"I will go with you, Oleric," Polaris said simply. "Now, what is your -plan?" - -"This," answered the captain. "When the guards come, as they will -presently, you, my brother, will go with them to the dungeons that lie -below this house. Though they are cut in the rock they are lighted well -and are not terrible. You will not fare badly there. The ladies will be -quartered above here, and I will exert my influence to see that they -are treated well. These others will not fare so well; but they are men, -and can stand it. Let them do as they are bid without protest. Within -ten days from this day I will plan to have you out of your prison, and -will contrive, also, to bring with me Father Zenas and the captain -of the ship. By stealth or by force, we shall seize a marizel, pass -through the hidden canal from Adlaz to the harbor, thence to the sea -and down the coast to Ruthar. - -"I shall have some aid; for within the walls of Adlaz there is one -other man of Ruthar who is faithful to me. You may wonder how it is -that I, who am of Ruthar and hate Adlaz, yet am a captain in the -service of Bel-Ar. Years ago I passed the Kimbrian Wall, coming as a -spy and giving it out that I was the son of Maeronican parents taken -captive in a foray; that I had been born in Ruthar, but had escaped -into my own country. Here I have stayed at the bidding of the Goddess -Glorian, ready against the time for which all Ruthar waits. Bel-Ar -likes men of brains. I have some, and I have risen to be one of his -captains. Also, I have learned much. That is all my story." - -"Who is the Goddess Glorian?" Rose Emer asked. "Is she the queen of -Ruthar?" - -Oleric's eyes widened at the question; but he answered readily enough: - -"Yes, lady; she is the queen." - -"You say that there are great beasts in Ruthar," said Zenas Wright. -"What are they--elephants?" - -"No; they are not what you call elephants," replied the captain. -"O'Connell thought they were until he saw them. Then he gave them -another name, which I have forgot. He told me of elephants; but they -must be puny beasts compared to those which dwell in the forests of -Ruthar. We call them amalocs. This man is a giant." He pointed to -Minos, who stood six feet eight on his naked feet. "But were he twice -as tall, he could not look across the back of an amaloc. But they are -shaped like the elephants of which O'Connell told, and, like them, they -are tusked. Their bodies are covered with red wool--almost as red as is -my own thatch." - -"_Elephas primigenius!_ Mammoths, no less," said Zenas. And he added -under his breath, "I will believe that when I see them, my friend." - -Low as were his words, Oleric heard them. - -"You shall see them, Father Zenas," he said, and laughed. - -Presently came the guards, and the friends were separated. Some of them -were never to be reunited. - - * * * * * - -Deep in the rock below the old palace of Bel-Tisam, where Mordo ruled, -the guards led Polaris Janess, and left him there. Oleric had spoken -truly concerning the place, and the captive might have fared much worse -in a modern prison in a civilized land. For the place was roomy and -well ventilated, and, above all, it was clean. A chamber or cell, it -was, some forty feet square by thirty feet in height. Its outer wall -was the living rock. On the other three sides was masonry. A circular -door of bronze, small and of great strength, was its only entrance. - -Through that door from the corridor without stepped Polaris, and behind -him, close as a shadow, padded the huge dog, Rombar, rumbling in his -throat so that the guards shrank from him. The door clanged shut, and -the bars and wards clashed into place. The guards had neither bound -nor chained Polaris. They had not even searched his clothing. The -thickness of the dungeon walls was their guarantee that he would do no -mischief; and besides, they went well armed. - -Air entered the chamber through mortises in the wall near the ceiling -and above the ground level, where began the foundation of the -palace. It was lighted by a single globe, with its enclosed curious -battery--mitzl, the Maeronicans called it; but the Americans had -decided that the source of the light was some new application of -electricity. - -By the light from the globe Polaris saw that he was not alone in the -cell. A small man, whose features were concealed by a mat of unkempt -gray hair and a shaggy beard, sat on a low cot in the angle of the wall -nearest to the door. He was clothed in rags. - -This man did not look up when another was thrust in to break his -solitude, but bent low over something which he had on the cot, swaying -back and forth as he sat, and crooning softly to himself. - -Polaris cast his fellow prisoner a glance, and then fell to pacing -up and down the length of the cell. His mood was gloomy. Above him -somewhere through those gray walls dwelt his dear lady; but, ah, how -far away! For he was powerless now to comfort her or to aid. Oleric -would keep faith. Of that he was sure; but his heart misgave him -mightily lest the plans of the captain should go awry. - -Yes; above him were Rose and Lady Memene, who through the long weeks of -their prisonment, each night when they went to rest, would kneel and -pray for his welfare and that of Minos and the others, and that all -plans might prevail. - -Presently the son of the snows sat himself on a second cot on the far -side of the chamber, and fell to fondling Rombar and toying with the -dog's pointed ears. - -"Good Rombar," he said. "Good fellow and comrade." - -At his words, the man in the corner sprang up from his cot as though -fire had touched him. He shrieked hoarsely and tottered across the -floor, moving and clawing at the air with his hands. Unheeding the -snarling menace of Rombar, he came on until he stood in front of the -cot where Polaris sat holding the dog back by the collar. - -The man bent over, resting his hands on his knees, and peered into -Polaris's face with darkling, rheumy eyes. - -"Hinglish!" he croaked, gasping for his breath. "Hinglish! Did Hi 'ear -a Hinglish word, or was I a-dreamin'? Sye?" - -He trembled in a terrible eagerness. - -"You did, indeed," Polaris said gently. "Now tell me how you came here, -who speak it also, and who are you?" - -"Gor'bly me; Hi never 'oped to 'ear another Hinglish word in this -life--me wot's rottin' 'ere into my grave!" the man said. "Gor'! Gor'!" -He subsided into a tattered heap on the floor of the cell, covered his -eyes with his shaking, grimy hands, and sobbed hysterically. - -Restraining the dog, which would have sprung upon the weeping man, -Polaris leaned forward and patted the poor fellow on the shoulder. - -"Who are you, and how do you come to be in a Maeronican dungeon?" he -asked. - -"Jack Melton's me nyme, sir," the man said brokenly. "Hi'm from old -Lunnon, Gor' bless 'er! Hi was cook on the ship _Aldine_, sir, from -'Ong-Kong to Durban, round the Cape. We got off our course, and the -bloody devils sunk us--skewered us like a mutton shank, sir, with a -streak of light. An' w'y in 'ell they did it, sir, is more than Hi can -tell. - -"Hi floated free on a cask--a biscuit cask, sir. Or mayhap it was a -'encoop; Hi've forgot, Hi was that flustered. Hup bobs a bloomin' big -gold ball from the sea--it's Gord's truth. They took me aboard, an' -they brought me ashore. They sets me to work in their mines; but Hi'd -not do a stroke for them, sir. Hi near killed one of the bosses. Then -they brought me here, sir. Oh, Gor'! Oh, Gor'-a-me!" - -He broke out weeping afresh and rocked himself back and forth. - -"How long have you been here?" questioned Polaris. - -"That Hi can't tell, sir," Melton replied. "Hi used to keep count of -the weeks an' months; but Hi lost it. Mayhap 'alf a year; mayhap a -year." - -Melton fell silent for a time. Then he chuckled to himself and tottered -to his feet. - -"_Hi'll_ get even with 'em, sir," he said. "Never fear; _Hi'll_ get -even. Come an' see, sir." - -He took Polaris by the hand and led him across the floor to the other -cot. "Look!" he said, and fumbled back the ragged covers. - -Beady black eyes glistened among the rags. A sharp and whiskered gray -snout was thrust forth, twitching and sniffing; then another and -another. A mother rat and two half-grown young ones were hidden in -Melton's bed. Out they crept to their master's coaxing, only to scurry -back, squeaking, when Rombar thrust his head from behind Polaris, -whining with eagerness to be at them. - -"Keep the tyke back, sir," said Melton. "'E frights 'em. This 'ere's -'Enrietta, an' 'ere's Bobby an' Bill. 'Enrietta's an old fool, an' -Bobby's no better; but Bill, 'e's a wonner, sir. See!" - -From his breast he took a splinter of wood, to which was attached a bit -of frayed red rag, on which he had rudely drawn in black the lines of -the Union Jack. He placed one of the young rats on his palm, and laid -the sliver with its frayed shred of bunting in front of the little -animal. Softly he began to whistle the bars of "God Save the King." - -"Come, Bill; 'urry," he said, and resumed his low whistling. The rat -took up the flag in its teeth and sat on its haunches in its master's -hand. As long as the whistling continued the little beast shook its -head vigorously, waving the tiny emblem. When Melton ceased the anthem, -Bill let fall the flag and swarmed, squeaking, down the man's arm, to -nestle away among the rags at his breast. - -"Gor'bly me, Bill, you're a wonner!" Melton said with pride. He placed -his strange pet back with the others and pulled the coverlet over them. - -"Listen. Hi'll tell you wot no man knows," he whispered to Janess. -"They're hoff a plyge-ship. 'Enrietta an' Bobby an' Bill is. They -carried it to us from a bloomin' junk at 'Ong-Kong. The cap'n was -dyin' of it in 'is cabin when the ship went down, sir. And Hi'm -a-nursin' of 'em along, sir. Hi saved 'Enrietta, and she became a -mother, sir. When there's enough of them, Hi shall loose them, sir. -That's 'ow Hi'll get even. Gor'bly me! Hi'll kill hevery beggar in this -land with the plyge. 'Enrietta an' Bobby an' Bill will do it, sir." - -Melton sat down on his cot again, and crooned to himself over his pets. -He seemed to forget the presence of Janess. Neither then or afterward -did he ask Polaris any questions as to how he came to share his prison. -Polaris drew away from him and went back to his own side of the cell. -He saw that the man was mad. - - * * * * * - -Twice each day one of Mordo's guards brought the captives their -meals--bread and meat and water in generous measure, enough for the men -and the dog. Melton from his rations fed his whiskered family. - -With his pocket-knife and a bit of wood from the frame of his cot, the -son of the snows made shift to keep track of the passing of the days, -cutting a nick in the wood for each. "God send that they be not many -before the coming of Oleric," he prayed fervently. - -One night he was startled from his sleep by an uproar in the chamber. -Melton's cursing and shrieking was intermingled with the angry snarls -of Rombar. Polaris sprang up and threw off the cloth with which he was -wont to darken the mitzl globe when he slept. - -Melton was crouched in the middle of the cell. His face was livid and -contorted. Tears of rage were on his cheeks, and his breath was coming -in gasps. His lips were writhed away from his ragged teeth. In front -of him, tensed and ready to spring, was Rombar. On the floor, where it -had dropped from the dog's jaws, lay a little bundle of gray fur, still -twitching feebly. - -Before the impending grapple, Polaris bounded between them and jerked -the dog back by the collar. - -"What is it?" he cried. "What ails you, Melton?" - -Then Janess saw the maimed little fragment of life on the floor, and -his face saddened. - -"'Fore Gord, 'e's murdered my 'Enrietta!" howled Melton. "The tyke's -murdered 'er, Hi sye! And Hi'll kill 'im, Hi will--and you, too, if you -tries to stop me! And you, too, Hi says!" - -He staggered toward Janess and lunged out with his right hand. -Something glistened in the light as he struck. Polaris avoided the -blow, and caught and wrenched the outstretched arm. A slender bar of -iron fell tinkling to the floor. Janess picked it up. Where it had come -from he did not know; but Melton, by patient rubbing against the stones -of the wall, had ground it to a needle point. - -"Let me at 'im!" the crazed man shrieked. "Hi'll tear 'im with me bare -'ands!" - -Polaris pushed him back. - -"I am sorry, very sorry, for what he has done," he said. "But he is my -good friend, and I shall not let him come to harm. He did but follow -the instincts of his nature." - -Melton stared at him for a moment, and then, weeping and cursing, -retired to his cot. Far into the night Polaris heard him moaning and -mumbling to himself, and pitied him. - -Janess hid the weapon under his own pillow. Then with strips of his -bedding he wove a stout cord, and thereafter when he slept he tied -Rombar fast to a leg of the bed. - - * * * * * - -Days passed away--ten days, eleven, twelve, and still another. And yet -there was no sign of Oleric. Polaris's stout heart sank. - -In the dark hours of the fourteenth day he awoke. He heard the grating -of bronze hinges. At the side of his bed, Rombar growled softly. -Polaris snatched the hood from the light. - -The door of bronze was open. The mitzl rays shone on the tall form of -a man in golden armor. - -Oleric had come! - -"I am late at my tryst," whispered the red captain, "but I could not -manage it sooner. Now we must haste, or 'twill be too late forever." -He grinned. "I see your beard has grown somewhat," he said. "Perchance -those bristles shall serve well. You are an ill man to disguise. Who is -here?" he asked as he caught sight for the first time of Melton, who -had not awakened. - -"A poor crazed English sailor," Polaris answered. He crossed the -chamber, with Rombar at his heels; for he had stopped to undo the rope. - -"What? The brute, too?" groaned Oleric. - -"I fear we must," Polaris said. "If I leave him, he will rouse the -prison with his howling, and I will not slay him. He has been too good -a friend. Can we not manage to take him?" - -"Aye; bring him," grumbled the captain. "First fetch yonder light." - -Janess took down the globe. As he swung it toward Oleric, he saw that -the hands of the captain were splashed red with blood. Oleric noted his -glance. - -"Dead men are behind us," he said. "Thrice to-night have I used my -sword--once at the mines, where I got Everson, and twice above. Two of -the men of Mordo will turn no more prison keys. Come!" - -He stepped cautiously out through the door. - -Polaris glanced across to where the mad Cockney lay breathing heavily. - -"Some day, if it be given me, I will open this door again and set you -free, John Melton," he whispered. - -He stooped and went out through the doorway, and Rombar followed. - - * * * * * - -Outside the door of the dungeon-chamber Polaris stumbled over the form -of a tall man in armor, who lay with his face to the floor. - -"More death?" Janess asked of Oleric, who busied himself with the bolts -of the bronze door. - -"Not so," said the captain with a chuckle, as he shot the last bar home -in its socket. "Only the death that good wines bring. He has the best -part of seven bottles in his skin." - -He looked up at Polaris apologetically. - -"Bel-Ar would flay him for this night's work, did he find him," he -said. "You say the dog has been a good friend to you. Well, this man -Mordo, with all his glum ways, is a good fellow. I will not leave my -old drinking companion to the mercy of Bel-Ar." - -Without answer, Polaris handed the light to Oleric, and stooped and -swung the limp figure of Mordo to his shoulder. - -Oleric glanced at the keys in his hand and then at the door. - -"I'll not turn the locks," he said. "I would not have the poor slave -within starve while they made new keys." - -He led the way along the corridor, past a broad stone stairway, to the -south wall of the old palace, where it fronted on the black avenue -called Chedar's Flight. There in the wall were other doors of bronze. -Oleric paused before one of them. - -"Will I ever enter Mordo's wine-cellars again, I wonder?" he said. He -found the key and opened the heavy door. Within, the light disclosed -rack after rack, seemingly without end, of dust-covered flagons. They -threaded their way among them until Oleric found what he sought. In -the stone floor of the chamber in a far corner was a round trap-door -of bronze. The captain had to tug one of the wine-racks to one side to -disclose it. - -"Lay Mordo down, comrade, and help," he said, when his utmost strength -had failed to stir the door. - -Polaris, still balancing his burden on his shoulder, bent down and -caught the ancient ring of the door in one hand. Before Oleric could -lay hold to help him he straightened, the mighty muscles of his back -cracking with the effort. The door was open. - -The trap yawned on a dark stairway leading down through the rock. Far -below sounded the plashing of waters. "Mind where you set your feet," -warned Oleric as he started down. - -"Where are Everson and the old man?" asked Polaris. - -"They wait us below in the hidden canal--they and one other," replied -the captain. "They entered by another way, while I was busied in the -house of Mordo." - -Oleric closed the trap and left the keys on the stair-top. Down fully -threescore steps they went, and stood on a wharf of stone at the edge -of a narrow canal that had been cut in the rock. Overhead, the roof was -arched and vaulted. At the lip of the wharf was moored a small marizel, -the golden plates of which caught the rays of the lamplike fire. - -"All the way from the Temple of the Sun to the harbor of Adlaz this -canal leads, cut through the rock underneath Chedar's Flight," said -Oleric. He stepped on the rear deck of the little craft and struck -softly on its door, which was opened at once. A short man of middle -age came onto the deck. He was clothed in the garb of a sailor. As the -light fell on him, Polaris saw that his hair was almost as red as that -of Oleric. - -"Now here is another good man of Ruthar," said the captain. And to the -man he said, "Urk, this is the man whereof I have told you." From head -to foot, Urk gave the son of the snows a long and searching glance. -Then he folded his arms on his breast and bowed low. - -With Mordo on his shoulder, Polaris stepped onto the deck and through -the door, followed by Rombar. - -Oleric closed the double doors of the craft, and Urk, who was skilled -about the engines, at once got her under way. Submerged and showing no -light, they crept cautiously down the canal toward the sea. - - * * * * * - -In the cabin of the marizel were Everson and Wright--though Polaris had -to look twice and then again to recognize the geologist. Zenas wore the -mean black of a servant in the king's kitchens. His white hair had been -bobbed and his beard shaved from him. But his little black eyes were as -bright and restless as ever, and his voice was hearty as he wrung the -hand of Polaris and said: - -"Lordy, son, but it's good to see you." - -Everson, who had discarded the dirty garments of a delver in the earth -for the full golden armor of a Maeronican captain, caught Polaris's -hand as Zenas relinquished it. - -"Our work has begun," he said, "and begun well. I shall distrust this -man no more." He pointed to Oleric. "He has kept his promise in blood. -He released me to-night, and he killed a man to do it." - -As they neared the harbor, Oleric explained that they would be forced -to leave the marizel in the canal and cross the open court of the -harbor to the wharves. - -"Else we must undergo inspection by the guards at the mouth of the -canal," he said. "There is a gate there, and no marizel may pass -without inspection. My lucky star it was that made Bel-Ar name me -captain of the port in Atlo's stead. But even I could not pass you -through the guards. Their eyes are keen, and one of us at least is a -marked man in Adlaz." He glanced at Polaris. "There be too many of -them to slay," he added. "I would have fitted you out with a suit of -mail, brother; but there is none in Maeronica of a size to cover those -shoulders of yours--unless it be that of Bel-Ar, which I could not well -borrow." - -"When we leave this craft, what then, Oleric?" Polaris asked. - -"I have another waiting at the end of the southern quay," replied -Oleric. "Urk knows the harbor as he knows the palm of his hand. Once -through the outer channel, then down the coast to Ruthar." - -They left the marizel moored in the canal and went up through a passage -in the rock to where a door led into the great arched tunnel above, -where Chedar's Flight ended at the harbor of Adlaz town. Now there was -only the crossing of the wharf and all would be well. - -But hark! As Oleric laid his hand on the door of the passage, came the -thunder of hoofs through the tunnel, and a steel rider on a white horse -flashed past and clattered across the court to the warehouses. He rode -furiously, and as he neared the quays he cried out. - -Oleric tore the door open. - -"Our work behind there is overtaking us!" he cried. "We must run for -it!" - -Polaris shifted Mordo's weight from his shoulder to his arms and -bounded across the pavement at the heels of the captain. Behind came -Wright, Everson, and Oleric's Rutharian henchman. Rombar leaped at the -side of Polaris. - -Lights flashed ahead of them as they ran. When they neared the south -quay, they saw that the way to it was barred by a thin line of men in -steel, among whom glittered the golden armor of the captain of the -canal guard. - -Casting a glance over his shoulder as he ran, to note the disposal of -his own party, Oleric drew his sword and charged the line. The guard -captain leaped out to meet him, shield up and sword aloft. Him Oleric -cut down with a single stroke, laughing as he struck. In another -instant Everson's blade was out and busy. His cutlass exercises at -old Annapolis stood him well. The line of steel gave. The other three -fugitives, running together, dashed through and gained the quay. But -behind them came many men. - -Polaris laid Mordo on the wharf and looked about him for a weapon. -The door of the nearest warehouse was made fast with a bar of bronze -or steel, nearly eight feet in length. Janess tore it from its rests. -At the end of the quay he saw the marizel of Oleric riding in its -moorings, and saw that Urk had clambered aboard it and was making all -ready to cast off. - -Whirling his ponderous weapon, which was a weight to tax the strength -of an ordinary man to lift from the ground, Polaris rushed into the -thick of the press, where the red captain and the naval lieutenant -fought side by side. - -"Get you to the boat!" he shouted. "When all is ready, whistle that I -may know." - -_Clang!_ The metal bar fell, and three men in steel went down under its -sweep. With the agility of a panther, the son of the snows leaped and -struck again. At his side black Rombar raged like a demon. Before those -terrible blows no man, however well begirt in steel, could stand and -live. - -The Maeronican fighting men drew back, aghast. The way to the wharf was -clear. - -Laughing aloud, Oleric drew out of the fight and ran along the wharf to -the marizel. Everson paused at the side of Polaris. - -"Best go on," Janess told him. "I shall need no aid. Or, if you stay, -stand to one side a bit. I have need for much room." - -Once more the Maeronican men-at-arms closed in. Polaris, with his bar, -charged them, shouting; for his blood was up. They should take him back -to no dungeon when his freedom beckoned so near. Two more armored men -fell, their mail cracking like egg-shell under the clanging flail that -opposed them. Another went down under the murderous jaws of Rombar who -fought at his master's thigh. - -Loud and clear then sounded the whistle of Oleric. Hurling the bar in -the faces of the bewildered men of the guard, the son of the snows ran -to the end of the wharf and sprang to the deck of the marizel. Everson -entered the door just ahead of him. Oleric and Urk already had stowed -Mordo within the vessel and cut loose the mooring ropes. - -As he paused for an instant on the rear deck to call the great dog to -him, Polaris saw a giant figure come from one of the stone warehouses -and run out to the end of the next quay. In the dusk, and at that -distance, he yet was able to recognize Minos. - -"It is I, Polaris!" Janess shouted. "We leave for Ruthar, if we may win -through. Farewell for a space, until we come again." - -Back came the deep voice of the king in answer: - -"Fare thee well, my brother!" he cried in the ancient Greek of -Sardanes. "May the high God guide thy footsteps." - -Many a time in after years did the son of the snows recall to mind -that scene: the great, circular basin of the harbor of Adlaz, dim under -the light from the stars; the glittering fademes that were riding at -anchor; the twinkling of mitzl globes along the wharves, where men -ran to and fro; the court and its huge, black archway; the armored -men of the guard coming on across the wharf; and the tall form of the -Sardanian king standing at the end of the quay and waving farewell. - -Reenforcements had come to the Maeronican guards, and they rushed -the quay. But Urk had his engine going. The marizel shot out into -the harbor. In a moment more the little craft had dived beneath the -surface. Like an arrow, it clove through the under water. Crafty -steersman was Urk. Through the harbor he drove the marizel in safety, -and through the tunnel to the sea, meeting no incoming danger. Once out -of the channel, he turned the nose of the craft southward, down the -coast toward Ruthar. - -Miles away, amid the dim Rutharian forests, fierce-eyed men gripped -their sword-hilts firmer, and prayed to their stars and their goddess -for the safe making of that journey and the glory of the war that -was to come. For word had come to Ruthar--over the Kimbrian Wall it -had come--that Oleric the Red had turned his face toward home again, -bringing with him the man for whom a nation waited. - - - - - CHAPTER V - - WHERE THE ILLIA MEETS THE SEA - - -In the watches of the night arose a great clamor and outcry in the old -palace of Bel-Tisam. So loud was the din that it aroused Rose Emer and -the Lady Memene from their slumbers in the chamber off the ancient hall -where they were quartered. In the outer corridors they heard the clang -of feet of armored men and their hoarse shouts as they called to one -another. This grew faint and passed away, and then swelled loud and -near again, as of men who had penetrated into the lower dungeons of the -prison and returned. - -Sitting up in their bed and holding each other by the hand for comfort, -the two women were afraid for what might have happened. - -"Something untoward is on foot," said Memene. "Perhaps this is the -night chosen by the red man from the sea" (for so she called Oleric) -"to go forth as he did promise, although it is past the time he set -for his going." - -"Do you think that they have discovered the plan, and that -he--Polaris--is taken again? I pray to God that is not so," whispered -Rose. - -"Something has greatly stirred the guards," Memene replied. "But I do -not think that the mighty man of the wilderness and his red friend are -taken. Those shouts we heard but now were those of disappointed men." - -As the uproar continued through the rooms of the old prison, Rose and -Memene arose and donned their garments. Sleep, for that night, had fled -them. - -Presently they heard, but faint and muffled through the intervening -walls, the clatter of hoofs on the pavement of the black avenue as a -horse passed by, ridden at furious speed. - -A little later the door from the corridor outside the hall of audience -was opened, and through it came that captain of the palace-guard who -was named Brunar. From Oleric, the captain had learned a few words -of the English tongue, and he now made shift with them to tell the -two fair prisoners that Polaris and Oleric, and likewise the captain, -Mordo, had gone. The escape of Zenas Wright and Everson had not been -discovered as yet. Two dead guards in the rooms of Mordo, and the -absence of the marizel from its moorings in the hidden canal near the -Temple of the Sun, accounted for part of the story. A rider on the -fleetest horse in the stables of Bel-Ar, said Brunar, had been sent to -the harbor to warn the guards there, so they might trap the fugitives. - -From the manner in which his news was received, the captain was able -to guess that Rose and Memene knew something of what was on foot. But -this Brunar was a very courteous man, and he forbore to question them -closely, if indeed he had enough English to do so. In the morning he -came again, and told them of the fight at the harbor and the sailing -of the marizel; for Brunar now took up his abode in the palace of -Bel-Tisam and looked after the duties of Mordo. His two wards found -him a kindly jailer, and as indulgent as circumstances would permit -him to be, who could not set them free. Brunar was angry indeed at the -supposed treachery of Oleric and of Mordo, not knowing that the one was -a spy of Ruthar and that the other had had no will in the manner of his -going forth from Adlaz. - -Report was made later in the day of the escape of Everson from the -mines, and of Zenas Wright from the household of the king, and men -marveled at the daring of the deed and the craft of it. But the two -women in their prison, or Ensign Brooks in the mines, or Minos at the -harbor, got no more news of the fugitives for many a long day. - - * * * * * - -With Urk, the sailor, squatting among the levers of his engine, the -marizel of Oleric swam steadily and swiftly down the western coast of -Maeronica. Under water she went, well off from the shore and showing no -lights. Oleric showed his passengers the marvelous valves in the sides -of the little vessel which were similar in construction to the mask -with which they already were familiar, and by means of which the air in -the marizel was replenished with oxygen drawn from the sea water. - -Also, he told them somewhat of the land to which they were journeying, -explaining why it was that Ruthar, though smaller and more sparsely -populated by far than Maeronica, had never been conquered by the larger -power. It was a land of forests and mountains, he said, and all the -way around its ragged coastline were huge, precipitous cliffs, the -overhanging crags of which were a natural barrier to invasion. Wherever -had been a break in the cliff-line, the Rutharians, by dint of great -labors, had filled the breaks with walls, closing the gaps so that the -only places where one might land on Ruthar from the sea were certain -spots where narrow stretches of beach lay at the foot of the towering -cliffs. - -At only one point could one come at the interior of the country from -the sea, Oleric said, and that was at the mouth of a river named Illia. -That place was closely guarded, and nature and the hand of man had -united to make of it a way where one man might defy a thousand. - -Years before, the red captain said, the Rutharians had had a few small -ships. But they had little use for them, and with the perfection of -the fademes by the Maeronicans, nearly a century before, the Rutharian -vessels had been promptly sent to the bottom. Metals were easily mined, -and in abundance, especially gold, in Maeronica. But the materials -which produced the power for the fademes and for their terrible -destroyers were scarce and precious. Therefore, the growth of the navy -of Adlaz had been slow. - -But with the fulfillment of the mighty destiny of the Children of Ad -in mind, the scientists labored unceasingly, and it was in the mind -of Bel-Ar that he was to be the man to see the accomplishment of that -destiny. He waited but the equipment of a few more fademes to send -his dreadful messengers forth to take and hold all the seas on earth, -compelling the nations of the world to bow to the power of Adlaz, as -tradition told him they once had bowed before. - -"Now Ruthar, if her stars shine brightly, shall put a big stone before -his chariot-wheels and break his power," Oleric said, "repaying evil -with evil until good come of it, and the Goddess Glorian reigns from -the capes at the north to the southern seas. And in that I pray that -my part shall not be small." With a laugh he added, "This is a strange -game for me to play--Oleric the Red, loose-mouthed soldier and slayer -of men--who in Ruthar am known as Oleric the learned, a professor in -the University of Nematzin, which is hard by the hill of Flomos, on the -banks of the river Illia." - -"And this Goddess Glorian--" asked Zenas Wright curiously. "Is she a -statue in a temple, or the good star of Ruthar, or is she merely a -name?" - -For once the readiness in answer of the red captain deserted him, and -he stared at the geologist with open mouth. Then he said soberly: - -"No statue in a temple is the Goddess Glorian. Good star of Ruthar she -is surely, and, in addition, she is the fairest woman on whom Shamar -ever had looked down from the skies. And now her time comes on, for -which she has waited many a hun--" - -Oleric broke off suddenly and turned his eyes on Polaris with a strange -look. - -"Nay," he said; "for the rest you must learn from the goddess herself. -My tongue does clack like a shepherd-wife's." Nor would he then or -thereafter tell more of Ruthar and its goddess. - -Zenas Wright mused to himself, and the train of his musings ran thus: -"Oleric, you seem to keep your promises, and you are a good fighter, -for I have seen you fight. But when it comes to your tales of living -mammoths in this twentieth century, and of a goddess in the shape of -a woman who has _waited many a hundred years_--for that was what you -almost said, my friend--why, then, I can't follow you; and I think you -like to draw the long bow." - -Swiftly as the marizel traveled, that night wore into dawn, and day and -darkness came, and still another dawning, ere Urk turned off his power -and filled the air-chambers which raised the vessel to the surface of -the sea. They had rounded the southern coast of Ruthar and beat up -along the eastern shores, and here, as they arose from the depths, -straight ahead of them lay the mouth of the river Illia. When the -voyagers saw it, they did not wonder that Adlaz found little fortune in -attacking Ruthar by sea. - -An irregular fissure in the frowning face of the cliff discharged the -river into the sea. That rift was nearly thirty yards wide at its -bottom, and narrowed almost to nothingness far above, where the red -granite of the headlands towered many hundreds of feet in height. Down -the glen in the fissure the river Illia tripped to the sea like a lady -down a stately stairway. For the rock of the river-bed was shelving, -in strata which varied from less than a foot to nearly three feet in -height, and some of the shelves were as much as ten yards in breadth; -so that the water came down that great natural stair in a series of -broad cascades. - -"Up yonder stairway lies the path into Ruthar," Oleric said, pointing, -as they stood on the deck of the marizel, and Urk laid the vessel as -near to the shelving bank below the river-mouth as he could. "Here we -must leave the marizel, and to the kindness of the waves; for there is -no harbor in which to store her." - -Oleric clambered from the deck and stood up to his knees on the -lowermost step of the Illia's wide stairway. The others followed, Urk -last of all, haling before him the captain, Mordo, with his hands bound. - -For Mordo had proved an unruly passenger. When the fumes of the wine -cleared from his brain, which was not for many hours, he had so cursed -and raged at Oleric, forswearing all friendship that had been between -them, that the Rutharian had lost his temper. He told Mordo roundly -that he wished that he had left him to the mercy of Bel-Ar and the -priests of Shamar. - -"Better that than the company of a traitorous hound," growled Mordo out -of a soul in which no gratitude dwelt. Oleric deemed that it was best -to bind him, lest he do mischief. - -Ascent of the river-stair was not difficult at first, for the steps -were broad, and at that season of the year the volume of water coming -down them was not so strong but that a man might keep his footing if he -used care. - -Hardly were the climbers well within the shadow of the glen when there -arose from the foot of the stair a mighty shouting and splashing. -Oleric spun round with a curse on his lips. - - * * * * * - -Quickly as they had come from Adlaz town, their destination had been -guessed, and others had come almost as quickly. As the fugitives -turned, they saw a Maeronican fademe swing alongside the lowermost step -of the ascent, her fore and after decks crowded with men, who swarmed -off her onto the rock and ran up the stairway. Foremost among them, -gorgeous in his golden armor, was the Captain Daelo, and he matched the -curse of Oleric with another as he shook his gauntleted fist at his -enemy. - -"Haste! Haste!" Oleric cried, then pursed his lips and sent a long -whistle skirling up the glen. As he did so he lost his footing, clawed -wildly at the air and the rocks, and went down. - -Though the push of the down-rushing waters of the Illia was not strong -enough to sweep a man from his feet if he were cautious, it was yet -of sufficient power to keep him going once he fell. From shelf to -shelf down the great stairway Oleric went, his armor clanging. More -than that, he swept Mordo and the sturdy Urk from their footing, also; -and all three of them slid straight into the hands of Daelo's men, -outstretched to receive them. - -As the soldiers seized Oleric and stood him upright, he wrenched free -one arm and waved it at his companion. - -"Tarry not for me!" he shouted. "Go on! There be friends waiting at the -top--" A soldier smote him on the mouth and silenced him. - -On the step where he stood Polaris halted. He bent, and with his strong -fingers snapped the strings of his shoes and removed them--for he still -wore his own clothing in which he had been dragged from the sea. With -his feet bared, he had a better grip on the slippery rock. He snatched -the sword of Everson from its sheath and went down the river-path, all -unarmored as he was, to meet the swordsmen of Daelo. On they clambered, -cursing and shouting; but the way was difficult for their mailed feet, -and the son of the snows leaped down at them like an avalanche. With -him, breast-deep in the current, went Rombar. - -First man to meet the descending danger was Daelo, and he paid the -penalty of his temerity with his life. Polaris, striking from above, -smote him from his foothold, a blow that shore away half of his golden -helm and split the skull within it, and the Captain Daelo pitched -backward into the sea. - -Another bound and a stroke so bitter that it hewed off the arm of a -steel-clad soldier, severing it between wrist and elbow, and the son of -the snows had freed Oleric from the hands that held him. Straightway -the red captain drew sword and took up the tale. Daelo's men, of whom -there were nearly a score, faltered, staggering and slipping on the -rocky shelves. Almost their courage was broken, when Polaris caught -his naked foot in a crevice in the rock and tripped. Before he could -recover, a heavy sword-blade fell upon his unprotected head from -behind. He let fall his own blade and sank to his knees and then to his -face on the steps of Illia. - -Short-lived was the triumph of the Maeronicans. The cry of exultation -which greeted the fall of their dreaded enemy was turned into a howl of -dismay as half a hundred fierce-eyed fighting men of Ruthar poured down -the glen, waving their bared swords and shouting: - -"For the Goddess Glorian! Slay the Maeronican dogs!" - -That tide overwhelmed the company of Daelo to the last man, and with -them died black Mordo. Less by one more fademe was the navy of King -Bel-Ar. - -When the warriors of the forests turned up the stair once more, they -found Oleric kneeling in the water, supporting Polaris's head on his -arm, while old Zenas and Everson bound with strips torn from their -clothing the gaping wound which the sword-blade had left at the back of -his head. Beside the group, Rombar, standing nearly to his neck in the -wash of the river, lifted up his head and howled dolefully. - -Six strong men took up the limp form of the fair-haired giant and bore -it away up the river staircase. - -So Polaris came at last to Ruthar. - - * * * * * - -Up the rocky shelves of Illia the Rutharians trudged and splashed, the -chasm becoming ever narrower and more gloomy. With the narrowing of the -rift, the water became deeper and its current stronger. Then one of the -party uncoiled a long rope from his shoulder, and the party marched on -in single file, each clinging to the rope like Alpine climbers. - -Oleric urged haste and more haste. - -Presently the water was too deep for Rombar, and the current set so -strongly that the dog could not swim against it. At an order from -Oleric, two Rutharian hunters seized the brute by the collar, and -though one of them got a gashed hand for his pains, they bound Rombar's -jaws and feet with ropes and carried him on their shoulders--a task -which neither they nor Rombar found pleasant. - -At a point in the ascent where further progress against the deepening -stream was impossible, the party left the bed of the river and -clambered to the right, where a flight of steep and narrow steps had -been cut in the rock along a fissure which branched from the main -gorge. Up nearly two hundred of those steps they toiled, until Zenas -Wright and Everson, unused to such exertions, nearly fainted with -exhaustion. At the top of the stairs they emerged into a forest of tall -trees, oak and pine and chestnut, which grew almost to the edge of the -cliffs. - -No sooner had he stepped from the rock stairway than Oleric knelt and -kissed the black earth. - -"This, my friends, is Ruthar," he said as he arose and faced the two -Americans. - -From among the trees came a tall, white-bearded chieftain, who was -armored from head to heel in a wonderful suit of chain mail, links of -steel that shone like silver. At his back swung a two-handed sword -which was nearly the length of a man. - -He advanced to Oleric and laid his hands on the captain's shoulders. - -"You are Oleric the Red, and no other," he said. "Well do I remember -you. Once I was your pupil. But that was more than three times ten -years ago." He shook his head wonderingly. "You serve Ruthar well," he -added. - -Now, had Zenas Wright been able to understand the speech of Ruthar, he -certainly would have set this chieftain down as a hoary-headed liar. -For how could he have been a pupil to Oleric the Red more than thirty -years before, when it was plain for any one to see that the captain -must at that time have been a babe in his mother's arms? - -"Aye, Jastla, it is the old red fox come back to his hole again," -Oleric answered, striking the old chief fondly across his broad -shoulders. - -"Which of these with you is the man--the hope of Ruthar?" questioned -Jastla. His eyes passed the stubby form of Zenas Wright by and rested -inquiringly on the square and soldierly Everson. - -Oleric's ruddy face went sober. His voice choked as he answered: - -"Nay, Jastla, neither of these. He comes yonder--and I fear that he is -sorely smitten." - -As he spoke the six Rutharians who bore Polaris Janess came over the -brink of the stair and laid their burden down. - -Jastla strode to the side of Polaris and looked down at him. - -"A mighty man, with golden hair--and comely, as was written in the -prophecy," he muttered into his beard. "What has befallen him?" he -asked of Oleric. - -While the captain told of the fight at the river-mouth, Zenas Wright -knelt at Polaris's head and rearranged the bandages, which had become -loosened in the rough journey through the gorge. Rombar, who had been -that moment untrussed, pushed growling through the group of men and -crouched and licked at his master's face. - -"Will he live, Father Zenas? Will he live?" Oleric asked. "Tell us, -you, who are skilled." - -"God knows," groaned Zenas. The hand which he laid on the steel cheek -of Polaris shook so that he snatched it away and hid it. "God only -knows. There is a little life in him yet." - -"He plucked me from the sea," said Oleric wildly. "That was fated of -the gods. Twice has he fought at my side. This day perchance he has -given his life for me; and that was of his own strong spirit. I tell -you, Father Zenas, that if it would do my brother any good, here would -Oleric fall upon his sword and render up his soul unto those that sent -it forth." Then he controlled himself. "Can he be moved? Can you keep -the vital spark within him for a little space, good father? We must -haste and get him to the Goddess Glorian. If his soul be not sped when -he reaches her, she can hold it back, if any on earth can. Say, Father -Zenas, can you do it?" - -"I will try," answered Zenas. "If I had a little wine, now--" - -"Wine!" Oleric shouted. "Bring wine, some one of you, and haste, though -your lungs burst. And slay a kid, so that we may have broth." - -A fleet-footed Rutharian lad set off through the forest, running with -the speed of a deer. - -"Now, Jastla, see you to a horse-litter. Two gentle beasts, mind you, -but speedy. For we must travel fast and far. I take my brother to the -Hill of Flomos. And send on a swift messenger to the Goddess Glorian, -to tell her that the hope of Ruthar lies wounded in the forests and is -near to death. Haste, Jastla; haste!" - -Wine was brought, and it was good wine; for the grapes that grow in -the valleys of Ruthar are the finest in all the world. Zenas Wright -forced apart the set jaws of the stricken man, using a sword-point -to do it, and even as Dr. Marsey, who was dead, had done for Oleric, -poured the purple wine and a little broth into Polaris's mouth. The -kindly old geologist could only pray that some of it penetrated to the -man's stomach, for most of it was spilled out again when they moved him. - - * * * * * - -Chief Jastla brought a horse-litter. In it, between two powerful -beasts, Polaris was slung. The Rutharians wrapped him closely with -blankets and furs. The sun had turned to his northward journey, and in -the forests of Ruthar the air was keen with the tang of approaching -winter--felt there in the uplands long before it reached to the plains -and valleys of Maeronica. - -Horses were fetched for Oleric, Wright and Everson, and they set off at -once along the mountain trails skirting the mighty cañon of the Illia. -An escort of half a score of Rutharian hunters rode with them. - -All that day and night and until sunset of the next day they rode with -only brief stops at small Rutharian hamlets, where they ate hurriedly -and changed horses. Word had been sent on before of their coming, and -fresh horses were always in waiting. Sleep they did not, save in their -saddles, and the two Americans felt that they might die from sheer -weariness. - -Oleric did not sleep at all, though of all the party his vitality -seemed the least impaired by that racking journey. His face grew -haggard and gaunt, and his eyes red-rimmed, but a wonderful -determination seemed to sustain his body. He spoke seldom, and then to -urge his faltering companions to renewed efforts. - -Rombar ran with the horses until he was utterly done up. Then Oleric -left the dog at one of the mountain villages, to be brought on later. - -In the morning of the second day the party swung to the right, away -from the gorge of the Illia, to come to it again about noon and cross -it on a bridge of steel and stone that spanned it three hundred feet up -from the torrent's course. - -Everson, looking at those piles and trusses, judged the building of -that bridge to be the feat of no mean engineer. Though there had been a -waste of material, the structure would have stood comparison with many -a bridge in Europe or America. - -Throughout the long ride, Polaris lay like a log in the litter. -Occasionally, at the stopping places, the scientist redressed the -wound, smearing it with a healing balsam which an old woman in one of -the villages had given him. It was a fearsome gash, and Zenas shook his -head over it whenever he saw it. The point of the sword had laid open -the scalp at the back of Polaris's head for a matter of inches, then -had glanced from the bone beneath and bitten deeply into the neck near -the spinal column. - -Wright sheared the hair away from the wound and stitched it as neatly -as he could. Despite his care the edges of the cut turned blue, as -is the way with such hurts if they have not expert attention. In the -afternoon of that second day's ride he found that Polaris's hands and -feet were becoming cold, and that the geologist deemed the worst sign -of all. - -Shortly after they had crossed the bridge the contour of the country -became less wild. They emerged from among the crags and peaks of the -mountains into the foot-hills, where the forests were not so dense as -above, and from time to time they came upon large spaces of cleared -lands with tilled fields and many vineyards. - -In one of the forest glades the party passed a spot where a number -of fair-sized trees had been uprooted and partly stripped of their -branches and bark. Others, still standing, were mere distorted stubs of -trees, their trunks scored and twisted and their foliage gone. - -"I hope such storms as the one that did this damage are not frequent -hereabouts," said Zenas, pointing out the wrecks to Everson. - -Oleric heard the remark. - -"'Storms,' say you, Father Zenas?" he said. "The storm that went -through here walked on four feet. When we of Ruthar see such a sight in -the forest, we know that an amaloc has breakfasted there. I forget the -high-sounding name you call him by." - -"That lad should have been a writer of fiction," said Zenas to himself -when the captain had ridden on. "He almost makes me believe in him." - -"Gorry-me," Zenas groaned, easing himself in his saddle, "I wish we -were at the end of this ride, wherever it is. I do not think that I -shall ever be able to walk again. You," he said to Everson, "you ride -along there in your golden armor like--what is it?--a paladin of old, -and never a word out of you. Well, I'd sooner stand it, at that, -than to go back to that roasting-spit I was put to tend in the King's -kitchen." Zenas grunted as recollection stung him. - -"Why, do you know, one day I was figuring out a bit of calculus in my -head, just for practise, and I let the meat scorch; and the head cook -actually laid a dog-whip across my back. Yes, sir; me, a fellow in the -National Geographic Society, whipped across a kitchen by a greasy-faced -dough-slinger who doesn't know gneiss from rotten-stone!" - -Wright grunted again at the memory of that indignity, and then rambled -on: - -"But we've got to stand it all for the boy here, and for the folks we -left behind. God knows I'm willing to for their sakes, and worse yet, -if it's to come. But I must grumble once in a while, and I can't help -it. Say, Everson, do you believe any of that chaff of our red-headed -friend about the mammoths?" - -The lieutenant did not answer, and Wright, peering into his face, saw -that he was asleep in the saddle. - -Well down upon his course was the sun, and the shadows of the trees -were lengthening eastward, when the travelers, who for some time had -been following a smooth, straight road through rolling hills, came to -an old Rutharian villa, which stood among its gardens a considerable -distance back from the highway. A low wall bordered the grounds at the -front along the roadway, a wall with a pillared gateway, where a drive -led in from the road. At the foot of each of the pillars, sitting his -horse like a statue, was a Rutharian gentleman. - - * * * * * - -As the weary cavalcade came down the road the two riders left their -posts and advanced to meet it, parleying with Oleric. Scarcely half a -dozen words passed back and forth when the red captain set up a joyful -shout. When he reached the gateway he turned his horse in, bidding the -others to follow. - -"Here's hoping that some one will introduce me to a bed before I clean -forget what one feels like," said Zenas. - -At the side of the ancient house the riders dismounted, Everson reeling -from his horse like a drunken man and throwing himself face downward on -the grass. - -Oleric superintended the removal of Polaris from the litter. - -The geologist was bending over his charge as the hunters bore him along -when he became aware of the tall figure of a woman that came down from -the porch of the mansion and hastened along the walk. She had thrown a -long, dark red cloak about her shoulders. In the dusk of the garden the -scientist could not distinguish her features, but he saw that her hair -was dark, or seemed to be, and that she was taller than most women and -splendidly formed. - -"The Goddess Glorian!" Oleric cried aloud. "Oh, by the stars of Ruthar, -but you are welcome!" - -Down on one knee sank the captain and kissed her hand. - -"Oh, goddess, after all these years I have brought you the hope of -Ruthar. But he is sorely wounded--dying--and you alone can save him. We -were bringing him to Flomos with all the speed we might, and thought -not to find you here." - -"Where else should Glorian be, but on the way to meet this man?" she -answered simply. "Jastla's messenger reached Flomos this morning. He -rode four horses to their deaths upon his way. You have done well, -Oleric the Learned." - -When he heard the silvery cadences of that voice, though he understood -not a word save the name of the captain, a thrill passed through Zenas -Wright, old as he was, and through his aged veins he felt the blood -course faster. The woman came nearer. He smelled the warm perfume of -her hair as she bent and touched the cheek of Polaris with her hand. - -"Bring him within, Oleric," she said, "and, oh, haste, for--" Her -glorious voice broke. "For he is nearly gone." - -Swinging the still form of Polaris shoulder high, the Rutharian hunters -passed on and into the mansion, leaving Zenas behind. - -"Now, what do you know about that?" gasped the scientist as he sank -wearily to the ground beside Everson. "Goddess, indeed! What, I want -to know, will Rose Emer say when she learns of this young person? Well, -I hope she saves the lad; but she'll need to be a doctor of parts, or -I'm a donkey. Poor boy! Poor boy!" - -In a few moments came Oleric to show Wright and Everson to their -quarters for the night in the rear of the house. And a rare time he had -to arouse the lieutenant sufficiently to lead him to bed. - -White and still, Polaris Janess lay on a bed in an upper chamber of the -old house. By the light from a mitzl globe--trophy of some Rutharian -chieftain in a foray over the Kimbrian Wall--the Goddess Glorian bent -above him and studied his pale features. - -"My friend, my poor friend," she said brokenly. "How often through the -weary years I have seen you in my dreams--and now to find you--only to -lose you." - -Hot tears ran down her cheeks and fell on the stricken man's face. - -"Oh! It shall not be!" she said fiercely. "You shall not die--not if -Glorian must give her soul to hold you back from the gates of darkness." - -Throwing aside her cloak, she drew a chair to the bedside. With her -fingers she lifted Polaris's eyelids and held them open. She gazed deep -into the tawny eyes, now, alas, so dull and lifeless. For hours she sat -there, with no more apparent movement than the man she watched over. -The whole strength of her being seemed concentrated in some inward, -unyielding struggle. - -And as the long hours passed a change came over the sick man. He did -not stir. He scarcely seemed to breathe. But his face became less gray -and haggard, and the icy chill of death was driven from his hands and -feet. - -Long after midnight it was when the Goddess Glorian stood up from that -bedside and in her heart said wildly, "I have won!" - -Summoning her women, who waited without the door, she bade them dress -anew the now festering wound and pour a little wine and broth into his -throat. - -All night long the Goddess Glorian sat and watched him. - -In the morning, when Oleric came to the door in answer to her summons, -she looked up at him with a wan smile. - -"Fear no longer," she said. "The man will live." - - * * * * * - -On the third day after his arrival at the old Rutharian mansion, -Polaris left it. But he knew nothing of that going. He still lay in -the heavy stupor which was to hold him thrall for many days. Zenas -Wright doubted much the wisdom of moving a man so ill. The scientist -himself, after two days' rest, felt scarcely equal to the journey, and -the thought of again bestriding a horse made him shudder. Still, he -reasoned that it was by a miracle that Janess lived at all, and if she -who had wrought that miracle, the Goddess Glorian, said he might be -moved in safety, why, doubtless she knew what she was about. - -A low, four-wheeled car was brought. Across the box of it the hunters -lashed light and springy poles and on them piled robes and blankets, -making a soft and easy bed for the sick man. At the head of that couch -rode the Goddess Glorian, cloaked and hooded, and at its foot crouched -black Rombar, who had been brought in from the village where he had -been left, and who seemed little the worse for his long jaunt. Wright -and the lieutenant occupied another smaller car in the rear, and in -a third vehicle rode a number of the women of Glorian's household. -Oleric, mounted and aglitter in chain armor of steel--for he had -discarded as soon as might be the hated golden livery of Bel-Ar--rode -at the side of the first car. For escort the party had the company of -nearly a score of young Rutharian zinds--zind was the only title of -nobility in Ruthar. - -So they set out for Flomos, traveling by easy stages and with many -rests. The roads were smooth and the country more even than that they -had left behind. All along the way, be the time of day what it might, -they rode between two long lines of people--people silent for the most -part, who stood with bowed heads as the cars and the riders passed by. - -Far and wide throughout the land had gone the word that the man who -had come to be known as the hope of Ruthar was journeying to Flomos, -and the circumstances of that journey. These who lined the road were -gathered there to do him silent homage. Satisfied were they if they -only caught a fleeting glimpse of his still face on its pillow of furs. -Over all of Ruthar went up a many-voiced and ceaseless prayer for his -welfare. - -"H'm, Everson, folks will never stand like that for us, living or -dead," said Zenas Wright to the lieutenant, when Oleric had told them -the meaning of the silent lines of people. Despite his banter, the old -geologist was deeply touched. - -Two days and part of a third they traveled--for they did not -hurry--stopping for the nights at the homes of Rutharian gentlemen -along the road. It was nearly afternoon of the third day when they -followed the winding of the highway around the last low hills of the -mountain range and came out upon a plateau-plain of wide extent, in -the center of which was a wooded eminence, and on its crest the white -pillars of a temple shone in the sunlight. - -The road stretched straight across the plain through a broad expanse -of tilled lands and gardens, which ringed a city that stood at the -foot of the hill. It was scarcely a fifth the proportions of Adlaz, -this ancient town of Ruthar, which was called Zele-omaz, or City by -the River; but it was a pretty place of broad streets shaded by many -trees, gardens and low-built, pleasant homes, with here and there the -statelier dwellings of some zind or wealthy man. - -Here, too, was the Illia, rock-bound no longer, but a fair and gentle -stream, winding through the town and spanned by many bridges. - -Skirting the city at the right, the travelers followed a sloping path -that led up the hill to where the temple stood. - -"Yonder," Oleric said, pointing down to where a group of low buildings -of gray stone rambled at the waterside under spreading yew trees, "is -the University of Nematzin, of which I am a professor. And there is the -laboratory of which I spoke, where we shall make the thunder-dust to -shake down the Kimbrian Wall." - -"One more day's rest, and I will be fit for anything," answered Everson. - -"What do you teach in this university, friend?" Zenas queried. - -"A little of the science of the stars, Father Zenas--or I did, for it -is many years since I have sat among my pupils--somewhat of history and -of language," replied the red captain. - -"Humph; you must have been a young teacher," said Zenas Wright, and he -ran his fingers through the sprouting stubble of his beard, as he had a -habit of doing when things vexed him. Suddenly he jumped in his seat, -though the wrench to his sore flesh cost him a wry face. - -"Hey! Everson! Look at that, and then tell me if I'm dreaming." - -The "that" was a gateway through which the car was about to pass. -Oleric followed with a glance the direction in which the geologist -pointed and then rode on with a smile. - -It was a very curious gate, so curious that, if it still stands, and -it doubtless does, for it was built to endure, there is none other -just like it in the world. At each side of the roadway was a section -of black stone wall, extending along the path a matter of a dozen feet -and some ten feet high. At intervals along the tops of the two walls -were set round, squat pillars, also of stone. Those had been hollowed -out and served as bases for enormous ivory tusks, which were embedded -in cement in the hollowed pillars, and from them curved up to meet over -the center of the roadway, where their tips were made fast with double -sockets of bronze. - -Ivory the tusks were; there was no doubting that; weather-checked and -stained yellow by age and the elements, but still ivory. But the size -of them! No elephant that ever walked the earth bore ivories of such -proportions. For they were as large around at their bases as the chest -of an average man; and from base to tapering tip there was none of them -that did not measure eleven feet. Seven pair of them there were, and -all splendidly matched. - - * * * * * - -Zenas stared back at that marvelous arch--for it was more an archway -than a gate--as hard as he could stare. Not until a turn of the road -hid it, did he relax into his seat. - -"Maybe he isn't so great a liar, after all," he said, and he meant -Oleric. "Everson, those are mammoth's tusks--sure's I'm a sinner." - -"Strange land, strange things," answered Everson laconically. - -The home or temple of the Goddess Glorian on the hill of Flomos was a -small thing by comparison with the mighty Temple of Shamar, but in its -way was quite as beautiful. Like the temple of the sun-god, the house -of Glorian was built all of white marble. Fronting north toward the -city of Zele-omaz was a façade of four-and-twenty sixty-foot pillars. -A broad, paved porch, reached by half a hundred steps, lay at the foot -of the façade. Back of the pillars were twelve double doors of bronze, -leading into a lofty hall, the marble dome of which towered high above -the pillars and could be seen from the countryside for miles about when -the sun shone on it. - -Back of the hall the structure was divided into three floors, or -stories, each of many roomy chambers and corridors. The whole was well -lighted by windows of clear glass, of which an abundance was used in -both Maeronica and Ruthar. Behind the temple, southward down the hill, -were the dwellings of Glorian's personal retainers and servants. - -Well back from the center of the domed hall and near the foot of a -grand staircase which led to the second floor, was a raised dais of -marble, whereon Glorian was wont to sit and give judgment in matters of -state which were too high for the administration of the zinds who ruled -in the different cities and provinces. Once Ruthar had had its dynasty -of kings, but that was many years before. The royal line died out, and -because of certain circumstances at that time the people raised up no -more kings. At the time of the coming of the strangers the Goddess -Glorian was the absolute power in Ruthar. - -On the dais in the throne-room was another wonder for Zenas Wright to -see. It was a massive, double-seated chair, constructed, even to the -pegs which held its parts together, of ivory like in the giant tusks -of the arch. An artist of surpassing skill had wrought that chair and -had carved it into the semblance of tall lily-stalks with heavy-headed, -drooping blossoms and slender fronds. All around the larger stalks were -cut the clinging tendrils of a creeping vine, a tracery as fine as lace. - - * * * * * - -Wright and Everson were given rooms on the second floor of the temple -at its western side. Polaris was borne to a chamber on the upper -story, where he was tended by Glorian herself and the servants of her -household. Rombar took up his quarters in that chamber also, and only -Oleric could lure the dog forth from his master's side, and then not -for long at a time. - -Soon after their arrival at the hill of Flomos, and when they had -rested some of the stiffness from their joints, Everson and the -scientist went down with Oleric to the laboratories of Nematzin to -begin their work. Though the students of Ruthar were not unskilled in -chemistry of a sort, they knew nothing of explosives. So Zenas prepared -himself for a series of tests to discover the materials of which he was -in need, or, if he could not find what he desired, some combination -which would serve. - -In that constructive analysis the naval lieutenant could be of little -aid. Oleric then found a task for him which was more to his liking. It -was the drilling of men. - -From her center to her rock-bound coasts, Ruthar hummed with the -preparation for war. - -"If we are to fight, let us first know how many men we can raise, and -how they will be disposed," said Everson. "What is the population of -this country, and how will it match up, man for man, with Maeronica?" - -All told, Ruthar's people numbered something like a million and a -quarter, Oleric informed him; and in Maeronica the population was near -to three and one-half millions, at least a half a million of which -dwelt in the great city of Adlaz. - -"As it is figured in the world, your army then will be made up of one -fighting man to every ten persons," the lieutenant said. "If the spirit -of the people is with us, we should be able to put at least one hundred -and twenty-five thousand men in the field--and Bel-Ar, three hundred -and fifty thousand. Those are heavy odds." - -"Ruthar shall do better even than that," Oleric said with pride. "I -promise you that two hundred thousand men shall march when they hear -the war-drums--and more may be found if the need grows bitter." - -"Can you equip and maintain them?" Everson asked. - -"In Ruthar every man is a soldier. They will equip themselves. This day -has been awaited for long. Ruthar is ready to give all for the uses of -her warrior sons. Fear not. Besides, though I will not deny that the -men of Ad are good fighters and their country is far the richer, yet -many of them are fat city dwellers and traders, of whom two are not a -match for one of the hardy men of the mountains who will march under -the banners of the Goddess Glorian. Show them the ruins of the Kimbrian -Wall, and were the armies of Ad twice their strength, yet they should -not turn Ruthar from her purpose." - -Everson nodded thoughtfully. "How will this force be divided?" he -asked. "Have you many horsemen? In such a war as this promises to be, -cavalry will be invaluable." - -The red captain knit his brow in calculation. - -"Forty thousand wild horsemen of the hills and mountains, who know -not fear, can I promise," he said at length. "Five thousand chariots -we can muster, each of two horses, and carrying each two fighting men -and a driver to guide the horses; twenty thousand skilled archers; -ninety thousand heavily armed men with swords and spears; ten thousand -slingers; and twenty thousand men armed with javelins--these last to -serve as skirmishers." - -Everson's eyes kindled at the recital of that tale of men, and he -smiled--one of the few smiles that had lightened his face since his -ship had been lost. - -"We must gather them into camps at once," he said. "The time is all too -short in which to make an enemy out of raw levies. We must drill them -all winter, and that will be a man's job." - -Straightway he threw himself into the task with tireless energy. And -he vowed to himself that the men who had dared to sink a United States -cruiser should learn a lesson of tears and death, and that he would -have a hand in the teaching of the lesson. - - * * * * * - -Oblivion, like a deep and dreamless sleep, was the portion of Polaris -Janess. It seemed that his soul had withdrawn itself to some place of -peace to wait until its racked and weary body should once more be fit -for tenancy. The wound in his neck closed and healed. Somewhat of color -crept back into his cheeks. His body began to thrive, but there was in -it seemingly little more of sentient life than in a tree which draws -its nourishment from the soil and knows not of days and nights and the -cares thereof. - -"It is a blood-clot that presses somewhere on the brain," Glorian told -his friends, who stood often at his quiet bedside. "'Twill pass away -ere long, and he will be whole again." - -To the surprise of Zenas and Everson, Glorian and a number of the -learned men of the college of Nematzin spoke English almost with the -facility of Oleric, from whom, indeed, they had learned it. And this -was a great source of delight to the old geologist, who liked to talk -and grumble over his labors. And what use is there in grumbling, if -there is no one to hear and understand? - -Came a day when the curtain lifted from the brain of the sick man, and -memory peopled the vacant stage, as once before it had done when he lay -ill in the cabin on the ship _Felix_ on his first journey from his home -in the wilderness. - -Wondering, he lay still with closed lids, as he had a trick of doing -when he waked from slumber. He began to reconstruct. The wreck of the -_Minnetonka_ passed before him, and then, like a series of pictures, -the events which had followed the sinking of the ship; the stranger -people; the judgment of the king; the parting from his love; the coming -of the red captain in the night and the flight from Adlaz; the fight at -the wharves and the farewell of Minos; the great stairway of the Illia-- - -There the pictures ceased. He could not then, or ever afterward, recall -the fight in the river, where he had gone down to aid Oleric and come -by his wound. - -Into his nostrils was wafted a breath of faint perfume. A cool hand -was laid against his cheek. He opened his eyes. The details of a high, -arched room he saw; windows of glass at the north, where the sun shone -thinly and big flakes of snow were floating slowly down--for winter had -come to Ruthar; at his cheek a long, wonderfully shaped, white hand, -with tapering, ringless fingers; a slender wrist; beyond it a face. He -closed his lids again, with a frown of disbelief. The beauty of that -face was such as no mortal ever saw, save in a dream. - -The hand stirred, and he looked again. - -From the times of Helen of Troy on down through the pages of all -recorded history, those pages have been made bright by the faces of -fair women who were their nations' boast. Here, before the eyes of the -sick man, was a face that was the peer of any that ever shone in fable -or in fact. A broad, high forehead above two dark and well-defined -arches; beneath them, delicately veined lids and long dark lashes, -veiling red-brown eyes. Eyes so wonderfully alive with expression that -their change was like the bewildering melting of colors in a sunset; -between their marvelous valleys, a slenderly bridged nose with a hint -of the Roman. A rich, full-lipped mouth that was the playground of -smiles, but which showed also the quality of rare determination, a -promise sustained by the firmly rounded chin beneath it, a skin so fine -of texture that through it might be traced the ebb and flow of life, as -flames show roseate through a marble vase. - -Her head had the poise of an empress, and at its shapely crown, piled -high, were lustrous coils of hair which at first glance seemed black; -but when the light struck on it, glowed as an ember glows when a breath -renews its dullness into fire. - -Such was the beauty of the woman on whom Polaris looked--and as he -gazed, acknowledgment was forced within him that here was one that -surpassed in fairness even the Rose-maid whom he loved. And there was -no disloyalty in that acknowledgment. Rose Emer was a beautiful woman; -but she who sat before him, and who seemed of nearly the same age and -whose figure much resembled that of his own dear lady, she had the -beauty of unearthly things. - -For a moment he stared in silence. - -"Where am I, and who are you?" he asked, and smiled faintly in response -to her little exclamation of delight that his senses had come back to -him. Before she could speak, he muttered, "I had forgotten; she will -not understand." - -"But I do understand, my poor friend," she said, "and can make answer -in your own tongue--if we keep to simple talk." - -As the quality of that voice had thrilled old Zenas, so now it sent a -tremor through the veins of the son of the snows. - -"You are in the city of Zele-omaz, and I, who have watched while you -lay wounded and ill, am a poor lady of wild Ruthar," she continued. - -"'Poor' and 'wild' are words that ill beseem you, lady," replied -Polaris in the quaint expression that in the long years when his father -had been his sole companion, he had absorbed from the pages of Scott's -romantic "Ivanhoe," and which contact with modern English had not worn -away. - -"I think that one Oleric has spoken oft of you, and that I can guess -the name you bear--and I find it a most fitting name." - -Rose-pink the Goddess Glorian flushed, in a most mortal fashion, and -was glad that at that moment black Rombar thrust his head forward over -the edge of the bed to claim a share in the attention of his master. - -Polaris stirred his hands, and then looked up wonderingly. - -"I am weak," he said. "How long have I lain ill, and what misfortune -befell me to so lay me by the heels? I understand it not at all; for my -memory has tricked me." - -Toying with Rombar's collar, Glorian told him what she had learned from -the others of the fight at the mouth of the Illia. - -"And I do thank you for the life of my faithful captain," she said, -"as he will presently. It was a brave deed, a very brave deed. Now -you must talk no more, and no more must I weary you. You are worn with -sickness, and it will be many days before your strength comes back. -Rest and fret not. All things are going well." - -She left him, and presently he slept. - - - - - CHAPTER VI - - ZOAR OF THE AMALOCS - - -Beyond their knowledge of the working of metals, in which they had -great facility, Zenas Wright soon found that the scientists of Nematzin -could avail him little in his search for explosive compounds. Ordinary -gunpowder, indeed, he knew he could make easily enough, after a -fashion, but he sought for something more powerful by far than that. -From the descriptions which he had heard of the Kimbrian Wall, he -judged that it would be a rare task to shake it down. - -"We might do it with nitroglycerin," he told Everson. "But we would -have to set all of the old wives of Ruthar to soap-making to get our -glycerin, and it would be a difficult job to get it pure enough to -serve our turn. Besides, nitroglycerin is mean and uncertain to handle." - -The two men sat before a ruddy coal fire in the big laboratory room -which had been turned over to the uses of the geologist--a fire well -screened from the rest of the room, so that no flying spark should -raise mischief among the experiments of Zenas. Three weeks had elapsed -since their arrival at Zele-omaz. Polaris Janess was well along -the road to health. Everson and Oleric, laboring tirelessly, had -established five great training camps, one on the plain near the city, -and four others in the forests to the north beyond the Illia. Already -the levies of Ruthar were pouring into the camps, where they were -drilled by the zinds and captains, under the direction of the naval -lieutenant and the red captain. - -Everson had thrown his whole heart into the work. Already he had made -considerable progress in the learning of the Rutharian language. He -was beginning to take a vast pride in the army he was welding. Born -soldiers he found these Rutharians, amenable to the strict discipline -which he preached, and to whom his word was law. - -He had ridden in this day from a tour of inspection of his camps to -visit Wright and learn of the progress of the work on which depended -their entire scheme of campaign. - -"Nitroglycerin," said Everson. "So you have found a source of nitric -acid, then?" - -"Yes," replied Wright. "One of the first things which took my eye among -a number of specimens of rock which I found in a case here, was a chunk -of sodium nitrate. You know the stuff--Chile saltpeter, they call it." - -"Why not a picrate powder, if you have nitrates to work with?" -suggested the lieutenant. - -"Picrate--nitric acid--phenol," said old Zenas. "That's the way of it. -And to get phenol--lots of it--" - -He broke off and stared into the depths of the fire. - -"Hey!" he cried, and jumped to his feet so suddenly that Everson -started. Zenas pointed at the fire, his little black eyes dancing and -his beard wagging with his excitement. - -"Well?" queried Everson. - -"Coal, my boy, coal! There's oodles of it here. All I've got to do is -to rig up a kiln for the distillation of coal-tar oil, and I'll have -the phenol. God knows, these beggars are handy enough in the gentle -art of blacksmithing. Tell your red-headed master of ceremonies to -give me a little help--say two hundred or two hundred and fifty of his -armorers, till I get a few kilns in operation and build me a bank of -Glover towers, and I'll show you a line of stuff that will beat all of -the Fourth of July celebrations you ever saw. Picrates! Humph! I'll -turn out a brand of melinite for you that will jar the back door of -hell off its hinges--if I don't whiff us all to kingdom come while I'm -at the stuff." - -Oleric was summoned. The red captain turned over to Zenas Wright not -two hundred, but nearer five hundred men, and the old university was -straightway turned into a munitions plant, the stench and the fires of -which ascended to heaven by day and by night. - -"And bring me about all the fat you can find in the kingdom," directed -Zenas. "I'll need it to mix with my nice little patty-cakes." - -"You shall have it, Father Zenas," Oleric replied. "And it will not -come amiss to make all that you can of this pastry. After the Kimbrian -Wall is down, we may find some of it useful at the gates of Adlaz." - -So interested did Zenas become in this new work of his that he -scarcely stopped for meals, and he slept on a cot of skins beside -his fire in the old laboratory. One day, as he labored among his -test-tubes, the outer door opened, and a tall figure robed in -furs strode across the room and stood beside him. Zenas looked up -impatiently. - -"Oh, Lordy, laddie!" he cried, his face lighting up. "It's good to see -you on your feet again." - -It was Polaris--still somewhat gaunt and tottery, but with a welcome -color in his cheeks and a brightness in his topaz eyes that augured -well. - -"Aye, old friend, 'tis I," he answered. "While you do wear yourself -thin in this place of many smells, and Everson rides his flesh off his -bones, shall I then be doing nothing but to lie in a soft bed and dream -the days away? I will have no more of it." - - * * * * * - -From that day strength came back to the son of the snows with -surprising rapidity, considering that he had been so ill. Nor would he -chafe in restless idleness, but demanded work to do. Soon in the five -great camps of fighting men his figure and that of the huge black dog -which followed him like a shadow were as well known to the soldiers as -were those of Everson and the lieutenant. Under the tutelage of the -Goddess Glorian, he had advanced in mastery of the Rutharian tongue -much faster than either of the other two Americans; for he was a -natural linguist and did not find the ancient language difficult. - -Old Jastla had come down out of his hills, and it was his particular -pride to superintend the training of the son of the snows in the use of -the arms of Ruthar. At his first trial, weakened though he was by his -illness, Polaris cast a javelin farther by half a score of paces than -could any warrior of Ruthar. Within a fortnight, although they might -touch him by tricks of fence, there was not a swordsman in the five -armies who could wear him down in the play of blades. - -Jastla boasted of him throughout the land. - -But though he took pleasure in all these things, he knew anxiety with -the passing of the days, and in his heart pined mightily for news of -his lady in Adlaz town. For that strong, true heart could not forget. -Occasionally Oleric had word from over the wall from some of his secret -spies in Maeronica, but never a word of the welfare of the stranger -captives. - -All of his story Polaris had one day told to Glorian. And she had -smiled and cheered him with brave words. And then, when he had gone, -she had sat for the half of a day in her chamber, looking out at the -snow-capped hills of Ruthar, striving to remember that she was a -goddess, and to forget that she also was a woman. Too late she found -that the woman conquered. - -Five weeks went by from the day when Polaris first went down to the -workshop of Zenas. And then the geologist announced that he would give -a show. He had some wares which he was anxious to display, he said. - -Near the south bank of the Illia, above the city and beyond the camp, -stood an old stone tower which long had been crumbling into decay and -which Atra, the zind who ruled in Zele-omaz, had purposed some day to -tear down. There it was that the geologist said he would stage his -performance, and all the camp and a goodly part of the citizens of the -town went thither to see what he would do. - -At the appointed hour, early in the afternoon, the scientist rode out -to the tower, attended by three of his assistants from the laboratory. -With them they took a number of cakes of what looked remarkably like -the bars of brown soap wherewith the American housewife labors o' -Mondays. As much as two men could carry of the stuff they took. The -third man bore a rude battery which Zenas had contrived, and a coil of -copper wire which the Rutharian smiths had drawn for him, and which he -had insulated with woven fiber dipped in gums from the forests. - -The tower had been a massive old structure, covering nearly a half acre -of ground, and the lower parts of it were still solid. Its roof was -gone, and portions of the upper walls had fallen in. - -Zenas found that there were a number of chambers below the ground level -of the structure. In the central one of them he bestowed his precious -cakes, and with them the end of his copper wire. He directed his -assistants to cover the whole over with heavy stones. - -"And handle them with care," he cautioned, "or you will come a lot -closer to the stars than you are ever likely to be by any other means." - -His preparations completed, the geologist bade his henchmen to make -themselves scarce, which they were very glad to do. Bidding every one -in the neighborhood of the tower to withdraw to a distance of several -hundred feet, Zenas uncoiled his wire, of which he had brought a -quantity sufficient to keep him out of harm's way. He squatted down -behind the bole of a big yew-tree and struck the knob of his battery. - -For an instant nothing happened, and Zenas, peering forth from behind -his tree, felt his heart sink with disappointment. Then very quietly -the entire structure of the tower, which was nearly seventy feet in -height, quitted the earth. For a second it seemed to hang suspended in -the air like some enchanted thing. A hollow booming reverberated across -the plain. The tower flew into fragments. The ice-bound surface of the -Illia was shattered by the falling rocks. A gust of air rushed across -the plain and through the ranks of the Rutharian soldiery and with it a -shower of smaller dĂ©bris, which fell among them like a storm. From the -spot where the tower had stood, a column of greenish-yellow smoke arose -and hung heavily. - -From the camp and the crowds of citizens went up a low moan of awe, -followed by a shout of triumph from thirty thousand throats. Men ran -across the meadows to view the aftermath of this wonder--such a thing -as never had been seen in Ruthar. Where the tower had stood was a hole -in the earth, wherein the structure itself might almost have been -buried. No vestige of the masonry was left. Not one stone remained upon -another, and many of the larger foundation rocks had been sundered into -fragments by the terrific force of the released gases of the melinite. - -Rutharians from that day on called Zenas Wright "Father of the -Thunders," and accorded him a respect second only to that in which they -held Polaris. - -Janess, the red captain, and Everson, who had been witnesses to his -experiment, ran to the side of the geologist and wrung his hand. - -"And now do you, Father Zenas, stay away from that laboratory," said -Oleric. - -"See to it that my men keep to the trick of making this stuff; but -do you keep away. Some careless fellow might let a cake of your -earth-shaker fall--and we cannot spare you." - -"Now show me this Kimbrian Wall," was the comment of Zenas. But the -scientist yielded to the entreaties of his friends, and thereafter -went no more to the laboratories, except once a day only, to test the -purity of the chemicals with which his workmen wrought. - - * * * * * - -Soon after the destruction of the tower, Oleric, with Polaris and the -lieutenant, rode down through the forests to visit the Kimbrian Wall. -Now that they were assured of a means to open the way to Adlaz, they -were all of them impatient to map out their plan of campaign, in which, -as he alone of them all was skilled in such matters, they looked to -Everson for counsel. - -Three days riding brought the party to the great barrier which the -Children of Ad had built far back in the dim centuries to separate them -from their hated enemies. - -As the riders approached the wall, they found the land narrowed to an -isthmus, which Oleric told them was nearly eighty miles in extent, by -something less than sixty across. The Kimbrian Wall crossed the neck of -land nearly midway to its length, but if anything, a few miles nearer -to the mainland of Maeronica than it was to Ruthar. On the hither side -of the barrier stretched thick forests of oak and pine. Along the -isthmus and near its western sea-border lay the course of an ancient -road, which once had connected the two countries. To this old highway -Everson gave careful attention. In some places it was broken up and -overgrown with timber, but the lieutenant thought that little work -would be required to put it in shape for travel. - -From a pine-clad knoll in the forest they had their first glimpse of -the wall, and a mighty work it was. Built of gray stone, now moss-grown -and weather-aged, it stretched away to the right and left as far as -they could see and ended sheer with the precipitous cliffs above the -sea. So enormous were the stones of which it was constructed that it -reminded Everson of remnants of the cyclopean masonry, which are to be -found in the old countries and which tradition used to tell were built -by a race of giants. Probably this work was as old as they. - -The wall was nearly fifty feet high, and so broad as its top that two -chariots might pass thereon. At intervals of a mile all along its -length were watchtowers, garrisoned by the border-soldiers of Bel-Ar. -In addition to all those points of strength, the wall had been so -constructed that near its top there was an overhang of a number of -feet, making it exceedingly difficult for scaling. - -Still, Oleric said, it had been scaled, and many times, by small -parties of raiders from both sides--and some of them had never returned. - -"Look!" the captain exclaimed. "Here comes one of the patrols." - -From the nearest tower to the east three men on horseback came riding -along the top of the wall, clearly outlined against the pale sky. As -they came nearer the forest-watchers could see that the riders were -muffled in cloaks. A sharp wind was sweeping down from the south, and -it must have been bitter indeed on the unprotected eminence of the wall. - -"Ha! 'Tis Atlo himself--the captain whom I replaced at the port," said -Oleric as the patrol came opposite him. "See, the foremost of the -riders." - -Sight of his enemies riding by so close proved too much of a temptation -to one of the Rutharian fighting men who had ridden down with the party -to the wall. He was a master bowman. While the eyes of his companions -were fixed on the three riders, he dismounted and slipped away among -the trees to the left. In the shadow of a pine he paused and set an -arrow to the string. - -It was a long shot--nearly a hundred yards--but the winged shaft flew -straight and true. It smote the captain, Atlo, on the shoulder, and -the riders in the forest could hear the faint clink as the point fell -blunted from the armor which he wore beneath his cloak. - -Atlo started in his saddle, then turned and waved his hand, with a -laugh. He rode on as if the arrow were a matter of little moment. The -other two riders were more timorous than their captain, and they sent -many a glance back toward the dark forest shadow as they rode along. - -Oleric shouted to the archer to loose no more arrows. - -"Let no more raids be made over the wall," Everson directed, "and have -a force of men clear and rebuild the old road yonder. Bring it up as -near to the wall as may be, without attracting attention. We must -attack and take them unawares. We will have to mine underground from -the forest to the wall and place our explosives. As soon as the wall -is down, we shall throw a force of infantry through the breach, starve -the garrison off the wall and hold the territory on the other side -against all attack until we can clear the wreck of the wall and lay a -road through the gap so that our cavalry and charioteers may pass it. -Otherwise, the Maeronicans will hold the breach against us, in which -case there would be a delay which we cannot afford--if, indeed, we -should be able to fight our way through at all." - -Oleric pondered on the plan for a few moments. He looked up with -shining eyes. - -"A wise counsel," he said. "All of these things shall be done, and -right speedily." - - * * * * * - -Almost miracles are the things which may be accomplished by human -brains and hands, if there be enough of them and they are united to -their work by a common and all-pervading purpose. - -Into the old forests above the Kimbrian barrier the Rutharian zinds -threw a force of two thousand men and half again as many horses. The -ancient roadway through the wood to the foot of the wall was cleared -and rebuilt as though by magic. Everson, visiting the scene of the -work, reflected somewhat bitterly on the contrast between the manner -of this labor and any similar task to be done in the land where he was -born. - -There, he knew, there would have been the delays caused by failure to -supply the necessary materials, and failure again to get them to their -appointed places on contract time. There would have been labor strikes, -jealousies and bickering among leaders. In the end, of course, the work -would have been done, and well done--but with much trouble. - -But in Ruthar there were no walking delegates. Happy were the workmen -to labor from sun to sun, and others to take up the task in the hours -of darkness. Materials were free and inexhaustible, and the zinds and -leaders worked together like brothers, each doing what was required of -him, as though his very life depended upon it. - -Within a fortnight of his first view of the Kimbrian Wall, the -lieutenant deemed that the time to strike was nearly ripe. Two months -and nearly a half of another of the allotted six were past. Three -months and a half remained before Adlaz would gather for the Feast -of Years. Three months and a half in which to conquer a nation and -take a walled city, the strength of which was a tradition! Yet it -must be done. And Everson, when he saw the tools with which he had to -work, hoped high. This was an archaic people; but he found its sons -good companions; sturdy, truthful, straightforward as their own long -sword-blades. He believed they would follow to the death and that they -would not come too late to the Adlaz gates. - -One day, Glorian, who of late had avoided Polaris, summoned the son of -the snows and bade him bring with him his American comrades and Oleric -the Red. - -"I know that you are nearly ready to go up against the Kimbrian Wall -and the hosts of Bel-Ar," she said. "But before that day comes, there -is a pilgrimage that must be made to one without the aid of whom -perchance your greatest effort would be in vain. Bring horses; for on -this journey I ride with you." - -Polaris rode a splendid black stallion, splotched with white at -forehead and fetlock, which had been the gift of Jastla, of the hills. -When they were ready to leave the temple gates, Rombar came barking at -the horses' heels. - -"Best to leave the dog behind, brother," said Oleric. "We go upon a -path where he may find ill-favor." - -Cloaked in a wondrous robe of red fox-skins, Glorian rode on a -cream-colored palfrey, attended by one of her women in waiting only. -Never had she seemed more fair and queenly. Like some bright daughter -of the white North of the long ago, was she, of whom the skalds have -sung in their undying sagas. - -From her he glanced to Polaris, who rode beside her. The son of the -snows was clad from head to heel in the glittering chain armor which -Rutharian smiths had forged for him, and cloaked in the black skin -of a forest bear. At his back swung a two-handed sword. A winged -helm, brilliant with gold-work and curtained with a hood and cape of -delicately wrought links, sat upon his tawny hair. Long since a razor -of keen bronze had swept the beard from his cheeks and chin. - -Only in the amber eyes had the troubles of the years left their mark--a -shadow of sadness when they were thoughtful or in repose, but which did -not ill become them. - -"She may be a goddess," thought Zenas to himself, "and she is beautiful -enough to be a real one; but if she hasn't gone silly as a cow-girl -over this lad of ours, then I'm a donkey, and a blind one, to boot. O -Trouble, you've worn skirts ever since you quit fig-leaves." - -Zenas shook his head. The geologist had never married. - -It was no brief pleasure-jaunt on which Glorian led, but nearly -two days' hard riding into the northwest from Zele-omaz, across -heavily-wooded mountains and through valleys deep with snow. - -Leaving the hills at last, the party came to a vast, dark forest, -silent, somber and covering the rolling land like a black pall. Into -its soundless glades the riders penetrated and rode for miles. - - * * * * * - -Presently they saw ahead of them a clearing in the depths of the wood, -and a stretch of long buildings, built of stone, and with their windows -set high in the walls near their roofs. - -It was late afternoon when the riders entered the clearing and -approached the buildings, which stood about the four sides of a square, -enclosing a space of nearly three acres. As they rode into this court, -following a path between two of the buildings, the travelers saw that a -number of smaller structures of stone and wood occupied a part of the -square. Here and there in the court, fires of brush were burning--for -it was bitter cold in the forest depths--and dark figures of men passed -to and fro about the fires. A pack of shaggy, wolf-bred dogs came -yapping at the horses' heels. - -"Who comes?" cried a voice. Men bearing spears ran forward from the -fires. - -"Glorian of Ruthar comes to visit Zoar of the Amalocs," answered Oleric. - -Straightway the armed men knelt in the courtyard, and one in a stern -voice called back the dogs. - -A door in one of the houses near the center of the square was opened, -and the form of a man stood there, silhouetted against a flaring light -within the dwelling. - -"Methought that I heard a voice well known to me, speaking of Glorian -of Ruthar and of Zoar of the Amalocs." The tones of the man in the -doorway were low, but clear and sonorous as a bell. "I thought it the -voice of one Oleric the Learned," the man went on. He bent forward and -shaded his eyes with his hand. "Are you indeed come, red one? Ride -forward that I may see." - -Oleric's answer was drowned in a terrific chorus of squealing groans, -which seemed to issue from the larger buildings on all three sides of -the square. So unearthly and piercing was the din, that Zenas Wright -would have clapped his hands to his ears; but he found his best efforts -needed to control his horse. The steeds of all the party snorted and -reared in terror of that hideous outburst. They would have bolted, but -knew not where to bolt; and presently the clamor was ceased, and they -stood still and trembling. - -"What demons of the place are these?" cried Polaris. He sprang down -from his horse, tossed the reins to the man nearest him, and ran to the -head of Glorian's palfrey, which was curveting and threatening to pitch -its mistress from her saddle. - -"Those are the pets of Zoar," Oleric answered, "the amalocs. They know -his voice and answer him in their own fashion." Spurring his restive -horse, the red captain rode forward to the porch of the dwelling. - -"So, 'tis you, indeed," said Zoar as the captain advanced into the ring -of firelight. This time the man spoke softly, almost in a whisper, and -was not again interrupted. He stepped to the side of the captain's -horse and took him by the hand. "Who rides with you, and why do you -ride to seek Zoar?" he asked. "Is the time come, red one? Is it come?" - -"Aye; the time is here, Zoar," said Oleric soberly. "Our years have not -been in vain. Yonder sits the Goddess Glorian, and holding her horse's -head is the hope of Ruthar, whom I have brought up from the sea." - -"And the Kimbrian Wall?" Zoar asked. - -"It waits but the coming of the amalocs, when we will push it down like -a barrier of straw," Oleric answered. "Ruthar stands in arms as she -never has before, and the land rustles with banners. We have come to -ask your aid. When we know that Zoar of the amalocs is on the march, -then will the war-drums be sounded." - -"Has the ancient crown touched his brow?" asked Zoar. - -"Not yet; we wait your word." - -"It is given." Zoar lifted his face to the dim sky. "Beyond the mists -the stars of Ruthar shine, never so brightly," he muttered. He laid his -hand on the captain's arm. - -"On the third day from now Zoar of the Amalocs will march," he -said. "Now bring your party within, and they shall enjoy what poor -hospitality I have for them, who entertain so few guests." - -Men led away the horses, and the travelers entered the hall of Zoar. - -"Ah, daughter of the stars," he said, and bowed, as Glorian crossed his -threshold, "many years have gone since I last looked into your eyes; -but I find that the will burns strongly still, and your beauty has not -dimmed. But I grow old, daughter, old and very weary." - -Gravely and courteously Zoar welcomed his guests, and bade them rest -and sit at meat with him. It was a plain place into which he ushered -them; yet was it rich, as the world counts riches, and its wealth was -all of ivory. Seats, tables, cabinets, even the casings of the windows -and the doors were of ivory--wonderful, finely grained stuff, some of -it white as alabaster, and some of it cream-yellow with the tint of -age. And the carvings on it must have been the work of years. - -Zoar, the host, the travelers found quite as remarkable as his ivory -treasure. He was a slight, short man, hardly so tall as Zenas Wright -and not so stocky as the geologist. He wore a long white beard, and his -hair, of the same silver, flowed across his shoulders. His eyes, under -bushy brows, were bright and kindly. His step was quick and firm, nor -did his limbs or hands tremble. Yet there was on him the stamp of an -unutterable, incredible age. - -His skin was as yellow-pale as the oldest of his ivory, and the whole -surface of it was fretted with thousands of infinitesimal wrinkles. -When he spoke or moved it was with spirit and animation; but when he -fell into fits of abstraction--and that was often--Zoar looked very -like a mummy fresh-stripped from its tomb. - - * * * * * - -Polaris the old man regarded with especial interest, and when the meal -had been cleared away he sat and talked with him and Glorian for many -minutes, recalling odd, old tales of the history of Ruthar, with which -he showed remarkable familiarity. - -"But Ruthar's greatest story is yet to be made," he said in conclusion -of his tales. Then he called his servants to show his guests to their -chambers. - -"What! Have I ridden all these miles, friend Oleric, and then to be -put to bed without the chance to tell you that these wonderful beasts -about which you have bragged so much are only elephants after all?" -said Zenas Wright, forgetting in his stubbornness the ivory gateway at -Zele-omaz. - -The red captain grinned and put a question to Zoar. The old man -answered with a shake of his head: - -"The amalocs love not to be disturbed at night, and especially they -love not fires or lights. If you and your friends would sleep in peace -this night, I counsel that you wait till daybreak to see the beasts. -Otherwise they may revile you in such fashion as will shake your -couches and drive all sleep from your pillows." - -So Zenas was forced to be content and go to his bed with no chance to -crow over Oleric. All night long there penetrated occasionally through -the geologist's slumbers the noise of raucous trumpeting and the -padding stamp of ponderous feet. - -When they had broken their fast in the morning, Zoar led his guests -into the court and sent men to throw open the great bronze doors in the -front of the nearest of the stone buildings. - -"Now for an elephant," muttered Zenas. "Perhaps a mighty big one, but -still an elephant." Then Zenas stopped, amazed. - -Out through the doors of bronze and into the open court stalked a -mountain of flesh and ivory and stood swaying restlessly from one foot -to another, flapping ears that would have made a bed covering, and -looking keenly about with little, inflamed eyes. Elephantine in shape -only was this monster. The points of its shoulders were fifteen feet -from the ground--a full yard taller than the most stalwart elephant -that ever bore the howdah of a mogul emperor. - -Tusks that were ten feet long projected from its massive skull, curving -downward where they left the bone and then out and up in such fashion -that if they had been continued farther they would have formed spirals. -The body of the monster was covered with a coarse and woolly growth of -reddish-brown hair, through which there pricked long, black bristles. -On the trunk the wool was sparse and the bristles shorter, and one -could see that the hide of the beast was a drab-gray. Neck it had none; -but along the spine, just back of the skull and extending beyond the -shoulders, was a ridge or mane of coarse, black hair. - -His face gone white and his eyes round and goggling, Zenas Wright stood -and stared up at this Gargantuan offspring of the hinder ages. - -"_Loxodon!_" he breathed. - -Never in all his life had the geologist felt so small and insignificant -as in the presence of that towering survivor of the prehistoric past. - -Zoar stepped forward in front of the beast. - -"Ixstus!" he called gently. - -The great ears inclined forward to attention. - -"_Stekkar mal!_" the old man commanded. - -Down swung the vast, wrinkled trunk in a huge loop, into which Zoar -stepped and was hoisted to the table of the monstrous skull--a flat -place where five men might have sat and played at cards. - -Another word of command, and the mammoth advanced a couple of paces. -The snakelike trunk groped forward, and Zenas, wriggling some as he -went, was swung aloft and found himself seated breathlessly by the side -of Zoar. - -The master of the beasts smiled at the other old man. - -"When you come again to your own land, you may tell your children's -children, if you have them, that you have sat on the head of an amaloc, -the grandfather of all beasts," said Zoar. - -While Zenas appreciated that honor, it might be said that he was much -relieved when he got his feet on the ground again. - -From building to building of the immense stables, the scientist was led -with growing wonder. Ninety and three of the giant mammals there were, -of which no one stood less than twelve feet high. But Ixstus was the -champion and patriarch of the herd. - - * * * * * - -As the riders journeyed back to Zele-omaz, Oleric told again how the -Children of Ad had driven the beasts southward from their lands with -fire, and how the men of Ruthar likewise had made war upon them, until -they were in danger of becoming extinct. - -"But then came the prophecy, and men of wisdom set themselves to study -and tame the beasts," he said. "And now, when the wall is down, and -Ruthar takes the road to Adlaz, the amalocs shall lead the way, and -Zoar and his servants shall drive them against the hosts of Bel-Ar." - -"Won't the Maeronicans scare them again with fires?" asked Everson. - -"Nay; that has been provided against," said the captain. - -"Lady," Polaris said to Glorian, "I have heard and seen many strange -things in this country of yours, and I have learned much. One more -thing I would ask that you make clear to me. Oleric has, and last night -the old man back yonder did again speak of things of the long ago, in -which you had a part. What did they mean? You are scarcely of mine own -years." - -Glorian glanced hastily at Oleric, and then she answered: - -"When the world was younger, men had the secret of years. The slave -O'Connell told Oleric that it was written in your sacred book out -yonder in the world that such was so. That secret was lost. For ages it -was lost. But it was found again in Ruthar. I am one of those to whom -it has been imparted." - -"You mean, lady, that _you_--" Polaris gasped. - -"My friend, I first saw the light on Ruthar's hills well-nigh three -hundred years ago," Glorian replied, and as he involuntarily shrank -in his saddle, she added hastily, "It is a matter of the inward will -that holds the spirit and the flesh. To only a few is it given to have -the will to prevail for a time against time itself. And they are not -immortal. Presently old age will come to me as it has to Zoar, and I -shall shrivel away--and die." She shuddered. - -Polaris looked at this fair, fresh woman, beautiful as a goddess -indeed, and by all earthly standards in the first bloom of her young -womanhood, and he felt that this matter was beyond his comprehension. - -"Are there, then, any others, besides you and Zoar?" he asked. - -"One other only--and he rides at your side," she answered. "Oleric the -Learned is younger than I by only fifty years." - -"Now, my brother, are some of my wild sayings explained to you," Oleric -said. "We do not ask that you believe, for this thing is new to you and -contrary to all that you have learned. Only the years will show you the -truth of what we tell you--if they pass without accidents. For we are -not proof against mischance. A sword-stroke may end my days as swiftly -as any man's." - -"Would you that I impart the secret to you?" asked Glorian. And she -turned and looked deep into Polaris's eyes. "You have a will that is -stronger than most, and I think that you might well exert it to hold -back the years, were you instructed. Say, shall we teach it you?" - -"Nay, lady," said Polaris. "I will live my appointed years, be they few -or many, and die when my time comes. One short human life, it seems, -can hold all the troubles for which a man has heart. And I would not, -if this thing be possible, see my friends grow old and die, while I -lived on." - -Glorian sighed. Then she seemed struck by a new thought, and asked: - -"What will happen if Ruthar is too late, and you reach not your friends -in Adlaz--and the lady Rose, of whom Oleric has told me? What if you -come not to Adlaz in time to save them?" - -"I think that I shall be in time," Polaris said grimly. "If I am not, -then I think death shall find me on the road--and be welcome." - -Zenas Wright, hearing these things, and marveling, became troubled. - -"Wow!" he said to the lieutenant. "I can believe anything now. To-day I -have seen a living mammoth, and I felt about three thousand years old -myself. And now, too, look out for squalls." - - - - - CHAPTER VII - - POLARIS MAKES HIS CHOICE - - -Dawn, the cheerless gray of clouded winter, crept over the city of -Adlaz. In her bed in the prison-palace of Bel-Tisan the dark-haired -Princess Memene of Sardanes lay, and beside her was her new little -son. But Memene was not well, and Rose knew she would not live. - -"Oh, that Minos were here to see!" Memene said faintly. And again--"It -is the king he was so sure of." She smiled at Rose. "It is the king, -my sister. And he shall be named Patrymion, after a man who is dead--a -very brave man." And smiling, she passed away. - -When she could control her grief--she had come to love Memene -dearly--Rose summoned Brunar and told him what had befallen. The -captain heard her sorrowfully, for he had honored and admired the -Sardanian princess and pitied her sad circumstance. He sent the old -woman out to fetch a younger one to care for the child. And then he -brought men to bear Memene away. Out of the kindness that was in him, -the captain looked to it that she lay in a fair and pleasant spot, and -not where the common people of Ad buried their dead. - -Persuaded by Rose, and because he had some knowledge of English and -could bear the message, Brunar took horse at noon and rode down to the -harbor, there to seek Minos. - -This happening was nearly two months after the departure of Polaris and -the others who had gone to Ruthar. In the intervening time, Oleric the -Red had tried and tried again to get word through to Adlaz, informing -those who were left behind of the fair progress of events. Always he -had failed until one of his men, by craft and waiting, had gained a -place with the prison guard. - -With him Rose Emer managed to get speech, and they arranged that on -the following day he should slip away and try to reach Ruthar again, -bearing a message from her to Polaris. - - * * * * * - -On one of the quays in the harbor of Adlaz sat Minos, the Sardanian. It -was cold on the quay, but he did not feel it. His back was weary with -carrying burdens, but he was unconscious of that weariness. Why should -the body live when the soul is dead within it? Nor did his eyes see -the dancing waters of the harbor, where the fademes of Bel-Ar rode at -their anchors. Until this day he had counted the hours with hope, and -had borne his tasks with patience. Now hope had gone, and the taste of -living was as dry dust. - -For Memene was dead. - -When Brunar had brought him the news, he had heard the captain through, -and thanked him gravely. Then he had turned twice in his tracks and -fallen like a stone. So long had he lain that Brunar deemed him dead. -When he had come back from that swoon, Minos would work no more; nor -did any seek to force him. He had wandered aimlessly out on the quay. -When night fell, it found him still sitting there. - -It was a wild night. The moon shone but dimly, and often was veiled -by scudding snow-clouds, and the stars were wan. Far to the south, -over Ruthar, a faint rose-pink against the sky told that the southern -lights, aurora australis, were playing. Somewhere beneath their -flickering radiance lay the lost kingdom of Sardanes that the snows had -covered deep. A wind, gusty and fitful, leaped over the mountain-rim -and tossed the waters of the crater-lake so that the fademes swung -restlessly and clanked their anchor-chains. One by one the mitzl globes -among the warehouses and along the quays were hooded, until only the -watch-lights were burning. - -A soldier of the guard hailed Minos; but the Sardanian answered not, -stirred not. - -"Now let the fool sit and freeze," said the soldier impatiently. And -then he added, "Poor fellow." For he had heard the story of the fallen -king, and had a good wife and bairns of his own in Adlaz town. - -In Sardanes, Minos had been known as the smiling prince. But for all -his patient, kindly ways, he was high-spirited. And once roused, none -was quicker to strike than he. Events of the last few weeks had galled -his temper. Now, coming out of the stupor into which this final blow -had cast him, he was near to madness. - -Willingly would have Minos found his way to Adlaz, plucked Bel-Ar -from his gilded bed and broken him across his knee. But the way was -treacherous, and there were many guards, and he knew that he could not -reach the king. Into the south he would have gone, to seek Polaris and -to play a man's part in the great war. But that way was closed to him -also. The few men that he might slay in the attempt before they pulled -him down and slew him would be all too few to satisfy the fires within -him that burned fiercely for vengeance. With only a great calamity -would Minos be content. - -Uneasily tossed the fademes in the harbor, their anchor-chains -rattling. - -Finally Minos heard them. Then he knew why they were calling to him. - - * * * * * - -Many times in his work about the harbor of Adlaz the Sardanian had been -on board the fademes. He had helped to discharge the cargoes of those -which came in from the fair islands of the southern seas, bringing -strange tropical fruits, dainties for the lords and ladies of Adlaz, -and other articles of the commerce which their captains carried on -with the savage islanders. On many an atoll of the Pacific the brown -Melanesians knew all the steel and gold clad white men who came up from -the sea to trade with them. - -But they kept out of the track of civilization; for that was their law. -Civilized men saw them not, though they sometimes heard tales of them -among the savages--tales which, of course, they did not believe. - -Working on the ships as he had, Minos had learned much of the mode of -their operation. Himself no mean worker in metals, the mysteries of -these wonderful ships of the underseas had caught his fancy, and he -had studied them. He knew that such a lever turned would start the -fademe forward; that such another halted it; and others which caused -it to turn and to dive beneath the surface or emerge at the will of -its engineer. He also knew where were the levers which controlled -the mighty power in the four great shafts of yellow glass and which -released the terrible rays of light, the rays of the nameless color, -before which all things were destroyed, and which turned even the water -that they met into surging vapor. - -With that knowledge in his mind and the red fury in his heart, Minos -knew why the clanging anchor-chains were calling to him. - -It was past midnight when the Sardanian king stood up at the end of -the quay. He stretched wide his arms and the iron-sinewed thews of -his shoulders and back cracked as he stretched. He glanced up at the -distant stars. - -"Once aforetime, so told the red man from the sea, those Hellenes who -were my ancestors did turn back this nation when it was swollen with -conquest and would have mastered all the world," he whispered. "Once -more the power of Adlaz rides high, and it makes ready to go forth and -subdue it again--and what I leave, may my brother Polaris finish." - -In the shadow of a warehouse the king rubbed and strained his chilled -muscles back to life. At the side of the wharf he found an open boat, -and fetched its oars. Then he rowed cautiously out into the harbor. - -Scarce a score of yards from the quays rode the nearest of the fademes. -Minos boarded it on noiseless feet, and cast his boat adrift. - -In the cabin of the fademe were sleeping two sailors of its crew and -the engineer. Them Minos slew with his bare hands. And though the -engineer ere he died slashed the king's shoulder deeply with a dagger, -he heeded it not, scarcely felt it. - -Going on deck again, he unhooked the chain of the anchor and let it -slip quietly into the water. Then he closed the double doors fore and -aft, and made them fast. - -Under the lights in the lower gallery, Minos studied the levers and -the engines. At a turn of his hand he felt the vessel sink beneath the -surface. Another lever wrenched, and the fademe started gently ahead, -and the king felt that he was safely launched on his dangerous venture. - -Before he had submerged the vessel, Minos had set in his mind the -location of the fademes. There were nearly one hundred and fifty of -them in the harbor. Five he knew were on patrol duty constantly off -the Maeronican headlands. There were perhaps another dozen sailing the -outer seas on the missions of Bel-Ar. Those at anchor in the harbor -were disposed in three long, irregular lines, with nearly fifty ships -in a line. - -Minos had submerged the fademe, which he had taken, some forty feet. -When he reached a point which he thought must be nearly under the first -vessel in the southern line, he turned off the power and halted. He -fetched ropes and tied them, one to the starting lever and one to that -which would stop the fademe. Carrying with him the other ends of the -ropes, he climbed the ladders to the pilothouse, which rode like a -small tower at the top of the fademe. - -Here in the pilothouse was a powerful revolving searchlight. Here, -also, were the levers which controlled the tubes of glass which -projected the deadly light-rays. - - * * * * * - -Swinging the searchlight to point upward through the crystal roof of -the pilothouse, Minos unhooded it, and its bright, white bar of light -thrust upward through the water. By its radiance he saw that he was not -yet under the first of the fademes. Its golden hull glittered just a -few feet beyond the radius of his light. A twitch of the rope which he -had adjusted below sent his own vessel ahead. - -Under the first fademe he halted; and with a grim prayer that the -destroying agency might not be out of order, he pressed the lever that -controlled the upper shaft of the glass. - -With a mighty hissing and seething of the water, the indescribable -light-ray leaped upward, so dazzlingly brilliant in its unknown color -that it nearly blinded the man who had loosed it. - -Full on the bottom of the fademe above him the light ray struck and -played, with the water boiling around it. The metal hull crumpled away -like solder before the tinsmith's point. So swift and furious was its -action that in an instant Minos saw the vessel above come sinking down. -He had barely time to pull his rope and get his own fademe from under. -As it was, the descending wreck grazed the stern of his vessel with a -jar that nearly unseated him. Thereafter he went more swiftly. - -From ship to ship he went down the long line, scarcely pausing under -each. Ship after ship he left behind him--sunken and useless wrecks. - -Minos had finished with the first row of fademes, and was coming back -on the second line, when a guardsman on shore saw an upthrust of -furious light from the deck of one of the golden ships, and then saw -the doomed fademe plunge down. - -Throwing up his hands, the soldier ran across the harbor court, -shouting that some captain had gone mad and was destroying the fleet. - -Then the harbor that had been still became alive. Lights flashed up. -Men ran hither and thither. A messenger was dispatched to Adlaz to -report to the king. Some sober-minded and brave men launched small -boats into the harbor to go out and warn the engineers of the other -fademes. - -Well near the end of his second line was Minos when he bethought him -that his activities must draw attention to him. Then he loosed in -succession the other three tubes, and their deadly rays shot forth, one -from each side and one below. The king let them roar unchecked, and all -around his vessel the water was turned into a boiling inferno. Like the -evil genius of Adlaz, he rode on, leaving only wreckage in his wake. - -Part way down the last northern line, the end found him. - -Engineers on the other fademes had been awakened. Hastily they plunged -their vessels beneath the surface and set out against the destroyer. -Because of the fierce play of his four rays, they could not come at him -from either side or from above or below. - -But one pilot steered in behind and, with the blazing peril a fair -target, loosed the destroying ray from his own fademe. - -From behind him Minos heard a roar of steam and water entering in. -A blinding radiance shot through the gallery below the pilothouse, -withering all things as it passed. The structure of the fademe crumpled -away beneath him. - -"Memene!" he cried. "I come!" - -Then the rising waters and the great darkness. - -So by the hand of Minos of Sardanes perished the mighty navy which -the king Bel-Ar had amassed to go forth and conquer the world. Of his -hundred and fifty fademes that had ridden in the harbor of Adlaz, a -bare score remained to him. And this is the tale which Brunar, the -captain, told in the morning to Rose Emer in the old prison-palace of -Bel-Tisam, and which she set down and sent by messenger to cross the -Kimbrian Wall to Polaris Janess in Ruthar. - - * * * * * - -Meanwhile, scarcely had the riders from the forest home of Zoar of the -Amalocs come again to Zele-omaz when Everson was off to see to the -course of his operations at the Kimbrian Wall. He snatched only a few -hours of rest and sleep, and rode out in the night. - -On the day after the return, which also was the day on which Zoar had -promised to set out with his mighty herd on the road to the barrier, -Oleric the Red sought Polaris in the camp to the west of the city, and -bade him accompany him to the Temple of Glorian. - -Oleric told naught of the meaning of the summons, but rode with Janess -through the city, saying little and staring at his horse's ears. Never -had Polaris seen the red captain so silent and so thoughtful. - -"What ails you, friend?" asked the son of the snows. "Why so moody, as -is not your wont? Has aught gone amiss?" - -"Nothing amiss," the captain answered. "But a matter is toward that -concerns yourself closely--and I know not if I have been wise to keep -it from you so long." - -He would say no more, and presently they were at the temple. - -Oleric led Polaris into the high-domed audience-hall, which they found -empty, save for the Goddess Glorian, who sat in one of the seats on -the double throne, and who looked on Polaris with kindling eyes as he -crossed the hall. - -To the northern wall led Oleric, and they paused before an ancient -panel of black rock, which had been set into the marble at about the -height of a man's head. So old was this slab or block of adamant that -its surface was all crackled, yet it was smooth as polished slate. -Across its face ran carven lines of writing, like the lines of a runic -legend. - -"This stone bears the ancient prophecy of Ruthar," Oleric said. "Here -in the long ago were writ the words of that which we believe is now to -come to pass. See how the stone shines. It has been worn smooth by the -lips of countless chiefs of Ruthar." - -With unwonted solemnity the captain gazed into the eyes of his friend. -"Give close heed, and I will read it you," he said, and read: - - "In a far time--more than the length of years of three amalocs--a - mighty, fair-haired man shall come up from the sea. He shall break - down the wall at the north. He shall lead Ruthar and the beasts of - Ruthar through the wall. And they shall take Adlaz and destroy the - king of Adlaz--" - -The captain paused, and again looked strangely at Polaris. He concluded -the reading: - - "And the man shall be king over Ruthar and Adlaz." - -Janess stared at the ancient writing in silence, and his brow clouded -over. - -"This is the whole of the prophecy of Ruthar--the part of which I have -kept concealed from you--though every lad in Ruthar knows it," said -Oleric hastily. "I beg of you, my brother, that you will forgive me if -I have done ill. But I have thought it wise to keep silence this far. -Now is come the time when nothing must be kept back." - -He stopped speaking, and both he and Glorian gazed earnestly at the -doubtful face of Polaris. - -"You mean that I shall be king of Ruthar," Polaris said at length. From -one to the other of them he glanced. - -The red captain nodded slowly. - -"So it is writ in the prophecy," said Glorian. She left the throne, and -came and took Polaris by the hand. - -"And, O man from the sea, for whom Ruthar has waited so long and -patiently, you cannot gainsay us now," she pleaded. A smile of -appealing sweetness came to her aid. - -"But, lady, to be a king I did not bargain when I came hither with the -captain; though," and he smiled, "I was in an ill place to drive a -bargain, and might have yielded almost anything. But to be a king--I -like it not. I am neither of Ruthar nor of Ad. I am a simple American -of common birth. I do not wish to be a king, but merely to go hence -with my own people, if I may. And if I did wish it, what of the people? -Would they relish the thought of an outlander on their throne?" - -Again Glorian answered him: - -"It is so writ in the prophecy." - -And Oleric said: "And the prophecy is known to all the people, as it -has been for centuries. From the wall to the southern cliffs, there is -no man or woman in all Ruthar who does not already look upon you as the -king. Think well, my brother." - -"But would it not do as well if I were to serve you and Ruthar for a -while, and those with me, as leaders? Then, when we have won, if we -_do_ win, might I not go hence? Would that not serve as well?" - -Glorian smiled faintly, and Oleric shook his head. - -"Nay, my brother," the captain replied. "You must put your hands in the -hands of the zinds of Ruthar and swear the oath of kingship. That is -the only way. 'And the man shall be king over Ruthar and Adlaz,' runs -the prophecy." Oleric traced the writing on the slab with his finger. -"By those words do the zinds and the people hold. It is the only way." - -"And if I refuse?" - -"Then," said Glorian, "the army will not march to-morrow, nor will Zoar -drive on the beasts--unless all of the prophecy shall be fulfilled. -Then we who have stood as sponsors for you will be derided as cheats -and fools, if, indeed, worse things do not befall you and us. And -bethink you--those whom you love, who are in Adlaz, will perish -miserably, while Bel-Ar and the priests of Shamar mock their miseries. -Without you we fail, and without us and the hosts of Ruthar you, too, -are powerless." - -"You argue strongly, lady, and you, too, comrade," Polaris said. -"Still, I like not this prospect of being king. I must have a little -space in which to ponder it over." - -"It is now nearly noon," Oleric said. "To-day the zinds from every -province and city of Ruthar ride into Zele-omaz--to greet their king. -Until to-night, my brother." - -"Then to-night will I give my answer--here in this hall," Polaris said, -and he turned and went to seek out old Zenas Wright. And neither of the -two whom he left behind could have guessed at what his answer would be, -though it seemed to them that there could only be one answer. For they -had come to know him as a man of surpassing determination, and here was -a path in which he did not want to set his feet. - - * * * * * - -In the old laboratory Janess found Zenas. The work of the geologist -was completed. Melinite he had turned out of his workshops by the ton, -and the most of it had been transported carefully, and was stored in -the forests near to the Kimbrian Wall. Now his thunder factory was -deserted. Every last man of his force had gone to join the army. - -"Yes, my lad, I know," said Zenas, after one glance at Polaris's face. -"They have told you about this king business. I know, too--for I know -you--that you are bucking it--hard." - -"I do not want to be a king, old Zenas, but--" - -"Yes, there's a 'but' in it, and a big one. What are you going to do -about it? Our red-headed, two-hundred-and-fifty-year-old youngster, the -antique lady, and their old father, Methuselah Zoar, have it all cut -and dried. If you can see any way out of it except their way, you have -devilish keen eyes. I can't, and I've been looking at it for quite a -few days. Oleric told me about it all some time ago. Take it, boy; take -it. And make the most of it. It isn't every day that one gets a chance -to be absolute ruler over a rich country and nearly five millions of -people. You'll make a better king than any they've ever had on either -side of the wall. That I'll guarantee." And the old man looked at his -troubled friend with bright eyes and patted him on the knee. - -While they sat and talked this matter over, came a man to the door, -crying out that a messenger had come through from Adlaz bringing a -written word to Polaris. - -The courier was brought in. He proved to be that same Rutharian who had -gained a place with the prison guard under Brunar. Already he had told -in the city of the destruction of the fademes of Bel-Ar, and Zele-omaz -was going wild with the news. - -When Polaris had read the letter sent him by Rose Emer, and he and -Zenas had heard what the messenger had to add to its news, the face of -the son of the snows grew very stern. The kindly old scientist's eyes -were moist. After the man was gone, neither of them spoke for quite a -time. The two who were gone had been dear friends, and the friendship -had been knit by perils and hardships, in which each had learned the -worth of the others. - -"Now is the score that I have to settle with this king of Adlaz grown -long indeed," Polaris said at length, "and I am minded to tilt him for -his kingdom, as these folk would have me do. He made a good ending, did -Minos; and I do not think that Bel-Ar, even if he come free of Ruthar, -will live to see the day when another fleet shall lie ready to go out -and win the world for him." - -He became silent. While the town, filling up with the arrival of zinds -and their retinues, gave itself to rejoicing at the blow that had been -struck Bel-Ar, and the old man sat by the fire and dozed, Polaris paced -moodily up and down the long laboratory. An hour passed, and the half -of another. Then he struck one hand hard into the other. - -"Now in all these happenings I think I see my way at last," he muttered. - -With the fall of night he cloaked himself and went up to the temple on -the hill, and Zenas went with him. - - * * * * * - -From every principality and town in Ruthar the zinds had come to -Zele-omaz. Those who were too old or infirm to make the journey had -sent their sons or representatives. In the hall of Glorian these were -gathered to the number of one hundred-and-seven--tall and stately men, -most of them, clad in chain armor plated with silver and bossed with -plates of steel--for they had come to fight for their king as well as -to crown him. A shout went up that made the torches flare, when a guard -opened one of the doors of bronze, and Polaris Janess and Zenas came -into the hall. - -Eager-eyed, they pressed around the son of the snows, to welcome him -whom their prophets and their goddess had said would redress their -ancient wrongs. - -Polaris met their greetings with a heightened color and a glow in his -eyes. Almost, he thought, it would be a joy to be the king of such as -these--he, the dweller in no-man's land, a waif from the eternal snows. - -And the Goddess Glorian, watching him from her ivory throne, smiled -to herself, though there was a pang at her heart that she could not -manage to quench or still. - -Presently Polaris stood in the open space at the foot of the throne. -The zinds gathered before him in a glittering semicircle, and made -silence in the hall. - -"Chieftains of Ruthar," he began, lifting his voice so that all might -hear, "this day have I been asked to become your king, to take your -crown upon my head, to sit upon your throne, to lead you in battle, and -to rule over you as wisely as I may--all this because of certain words -on a stone which, it seems, may not be changed. Is this your wish, men -of Ruthar--to have me, an outlander, as your king?" - -A deep-voiced shout was the answer, and every voice said "Aye." - -"Then this is my answer, men of Ruthar, seeing that there is no dissent -among you: when I came unwillingly to the shores of Maeronica, there -came with me a friend, a true man. You have heard much of him to-day. -It was he that sank the fademes of Bel-Ar. He was named Minos, and he -was the king of a nation that has passed away. That man is dead by a -glorious means. Yonder in the harbor he struck a great blow for Ruthar -and for the world. He gave his life. - - * * * * * - -"To-day word reached me by the messenger who brought the tidings of -that deed, and the word was that this Minos who is dead, left behind -him a son, an infant newly born. - -"Now I will yield me to your wishes, chieftains of Ruthar. I will go -with you to the Kimbrian Wall, and beyond it. I will fight with you -to overthrow Bel-Ar. I will do all that a man may to be the king you -wish me. But it is my will that when this son of Minos the Sardanian is -grown to manhood's years and wisdom, he shall relieve me of my kingship -and become your king, and his son after him, if he have one. That is my -answer, men of Ruthar. I thank you for the high honor you would do me." - -He turned and bowed deeply to the Goddess Glorian, and then stood back -at the side of the throne. - -A murmur of surprise arose in the hall, and then was silenced, for -Glorian arose to speak. - -"Zinds of my people," she said in her clear, low voice, "to the weight -of this man's words add that of Glorian's. He comes, this man, from a -land where there are no kings. He is willing to fight for you--to die -with you. What he promises will fulfil the prophecy by which we hold. -It is a noble choice that he has made. It is my rede that you accept -it--mine and that of Oleric the Learned, to whom you sometimes have -looked for counsel." - -As she reseated herself, the red captain stood forth and said simply: - -"My brother has chosen well. I stand with him. Should you not agree, I -still stand with him, and he and I and such as are faithful to us will -break the Kimbrian Wall and perish on the road to Adlaz." - -For a short time the zinds took counsel among themselves. When they had -done, an aged man--he was Atra, the ruler of Zele-omaz--stood out from -among them. - -"We are agreed, O goddess," he said. "We will have this man as king -until the prophecy is fulfilled and for so long afterward as he will, -until the babe be grown to manhood. He is a true man. We are content, -and perhaps"--here Atra smiled--"with the passing of the years he may -change his mind." - -They brought the crown of Ruthar--a heavy torque of gold set with -fire-opals--and led Polaris to the ivory throne, and set him beside the -Goddess Glorian and crowned him. And he put his hands in the hands of -the zinds and swore the oath of kingship. - -"Yonder in Adlaz is a larger palace and a wider throne," said Glorian. - -"Aye, lady," he answered. "To-morrow I shall go to seek it." - -A great feast followed the coronation. When it was done, all night -long through the streets of Zele-omaz and across the bridges of Illia, -sounded the rumbling of chariot-wheels and the tramp of marching feet. -Ruthar was on the march at last, and the destination was the Kimbrian -Wall. - -So it fell out that the ambition of Minos of Sardanes had not been so -vain of attainment. He had won a kingdom for "the king that was to -come." - - * * * * * - -As near as they dared, Everson's army of workmen had pushed the -completion of their broad highway to the Kimbrian Wall, clearing and -building up the old, disused road. Trees had been felled and removed -where it was necessary, and rocks had been dragged away with much -labor--and all with as little noise as possible, so that the men of -Atlo who garrisoned the wall might know nothing of the work, and that -when the time should come, Maeronica could be taken unawares. - -To do that the road-makers had been forced to halt their work two -hundred yards from the wall, where a belt of thick forest was left -standing across the way which effectually screened their operations. - -When the roadway had been completed to that point, molelike, the -engineers and sappers dug into the earth and pushed on. The old -roadway, suiting their purposes well, led to the wall at a point nearly -midway between two of the watchtowers, which were distant from one -another about a mile. Another circumstance which was favorable to the -lieutenant's plan was that the neck or isthmus which connected Ruthar -to Maeronica was, though high above the sea, comparatively level. - -Back of a knoll in the forest the miners sank their shaft. Twelve feet -down in the earth they struck the living rock and proceeded along that, -excavating a tunnel, or gallery, eight feet high by ten feet across. -This work was done swiftly, for the tunnel was wide enough so that four -men might work in it abreast, and as fast as one quartet was wearied -another took its place, and the picks were swinging day and night. As -the diggers went on, a multitude of workers behind them carried back -the loosened earth and shored the gallery up with timbers so that it -might not cave. - -When Everson returned from the ride to the place of Zoar, he found that -his tunnel was ended--against the face of the Kimbrian Wall, which was -founded on the rock itself. Following his instructions, the sappers had -branched the tunnel right and left along the wall, until the working -was in the shape of an elongated letter "T", the cross-arm of which lay -along the foundation stones of the wall and was sixty feet long. - -With the same ceaseless industry that had built the tunnel so swiftly, -they then had attacked the face of the wall with chisels and sledges, -cutting in at intervals of about ten feet. This had been difficult -work and perilous. The rock of the wall was adamant-hard. However, by -attacking the cement in which the stones were set, the miners had been -able to remove numbers of the great blocks entire, rolling them by -dint of herculean effort across the gallery and into cavities made to -receive them. - -In that work had been the danger. Eight men had been crushed under -falling fragments--first toll of Ruthar in the warfare. - -The excavations had been carried into the foundation of the wall a -matter of fifteen feet when Everson arrived. He at once ordered that -work stopped. Remained only the placing of the explosive. That he -superintended in person. - -Bar by bar--for the lieutenant would suffer no man to carry more than -one of old Zenas's patty-cakes at a time--and with extreme care, the -melinite was borne in through the tunnel and packed in the cavities -in the wall. The geologist's workshop had turned out a plenty of the -stuff, and it was used without stint. Everson judged that he placed -nearly two tons of the explosive in each of the six chambers under the -wall. - -Banks of loose, dry earth were piled about the melinite charges; -Everson laid his wires, and his workmen then filled the cavities with -fragments of the rock taken from the wall. - -Still further to retard the release of the gases when the charges -should be set off, the lieutenant set his men to wall up the openings -to the chambers, using heavy rocks and cement, having done which, they -filled in the cross-arm of the "T" with earth and fragments of stone, -tamping all in firmly. - -Very workmanlike was the finished task over which Everson nodded his -approval and told his grimy legion, "Well done." - -During all the progress of the labor the patrols of Bel-Ar rode to and -fro along the wall, and never guessed that sixty feet below them in the -rock their enemies were planting the fearful seeds that would put forth -the red flower of war. - -It was midnight of the third day after the gathering of the zinds -in the temple of Glorian at Zele-omaz, when Everson walked out of -the tunnel for the last time, his wires laid, his batteries ready. -Retiring to one of the shelters which had been built in the forest, the -lieutenant threw himself on a couch for a few brief hours of sleep. - -Five hours later one of his engineers awakened him and told him that -the zinds of Ruthar with a great host had gone into camp for the night -along the roadway ten miles back from the wall, and that the levies of -the upper hills, the light-armed archers, slingers and javelin men, -were pouring into the vast camp which had been prepared nearby in the -forest. - -"And these last swear that when they sleep again it will be beyond the -wall," the engineer added. - -"Many of them, poor chaps, are likely to sleep there forever," said -Everson. "Where is the king?" - -"With the zinds." - -The lieutenant arose and went out on the hillside; for he knew that -the time had come. - -Calling a messenger, he told him to go and summon the skirmishers from -the camp. Presently he saw them coming, long, silent files of men, -ghostly in the gray light, picking their way over the snow-covered -slopes and among the trees, some of the lines led by zinds and others -by their captains. - - * * * * * - -In the forests opposite the wall, Everson posted a wedge of five -thousand javelin men, who were armed also with short swords. These were -to rush the breach in the wall and deploy on the other side to hold -the gap from any assault from beyond until the gap could be cleared -and the roadway brought up and through the breach to connect with the -Maeronican highway which lay on the other side of the barrier. Back of -that force gathered the miners and road-builders. - -Right and left along the wall the lieutenant sent bodies of archers and -slingers, so they might command the top of the wall and prevent the -garrisons of the watchtowers from galling the men at work in the breach. - -At each of the sixty towers along the stretch of the wall were -stationed some twenty men--a force of nearly twelve hundred in all. -Everson foresaw that these in all probability, or most of them, would -come to the breach from either side, leaving but few soldiers to man -the towers. So he sent two parties of a thousand men each east and -west, to lie in the forests near the wall. These were heavy-armed -swordsmen and spearsmen. They bore long ladders with them, and it was -to be their task to scale the wall, flank the men of Bel-Ar at its -summit, and take and hold the watchtowers. - -A few miles below the wall lay a Maeronican hilltown, and there Bel-Ar -maintained a prominent garrison, composed of a section of his standing -army, some ten thousand men strong. These soldiers had proved the bane -of many a Rutharian raiding party, and they now gave Everson much -trouble in his mind. If they should come up quickly to the wall and -drive back his force or retake the towers, his thrust would be all but -ill delivered and fail of much of its power. That must be chanced--and -he judged by the look of these fighting men of Ruthar that they would -stand considerable driving and still not be driven. - -Silently the long lines stole into position, and the men sank out of -sight among the trees. A small patrol party of Maeronican soldiers rode -down the wall from the watchtower to the west, where the mitzl lights -burned pale against the sky. They passed on, met the patrol from the -east, and both returned--seeing nothing of the menace that lay hidden -in the shadows of the pines. - -Ruthar had been quiet of late, and a few noises in the forest meant -nothing to these soldiers, strong in their position on the mighty wall. -Of such things as the pastries of Zenas Wright they had never even -dreamed. - -In a clump of trees Everson attached his wires to his batteries. He -knelt by one of them, and five of his sappers knelt with him. - -"One--two--_three_!" he counted. - -The six poised hands fell as one. - -For a moment, silence; then a burst of hell from the bowels of the -earth. - -From end to end, down all its length, the roof of Everson's -subterranean gallery was torn out by the rending gases. From the mouth -of the tunnel a mass of rocks, beams and loose earth was belched down -the slope with such force that trees fell before it. - -Through clouds of falling earth and a drift of smoke, the distended -eyes of the Rutharian soldiery saw the basalt structure of the Kimbrian -Wall that had stood firm for thirty centuries heave up, sunder, and -open, as a gate opens, then come thundering down to ruin. Right in the -midst of the chaos of falling rock an awful sheet of green flame arose -like a giant fan and stood for an instant against the sky. - -Then came the noise. It was neither a crash nor a roar, but a sustained -rumbling bellow--as though Mother Earth herself were muttering at this -desecration of her aged bones. Such was the power of that tremulous -diapason that the forests shook and the hills trembled. Followed a -moment of the silence of the pit, and then the clatter and spat of the -dĂ©bris as it showered the slopes and the forests. - -"Shields up!" shouted a tall zind of Ruthar, and the next moment he was -stretched senseless by a fragment of rock because he had not been quick -to obey his own order. Many others were injured, and some were killed. -But what did a few deaths matter now? The Kimbrian Wall was down. For -eighty feet the gap extended wide and free! - -And beyond lay Maeronica. - -In the forests and on the hills the companies cheered wildly as they -saw the path the melinite had opened, and cheered again when they saw -that the watchtower to the west had been shaken from its perch by the -terrific concussion and lay a crumble of stonework at the foot of the -wall. - -"Into the breach!" shouted Everson. "Through the wall!" - -From their lair on the hillsides the five thousand javelin bearers -arose gleefully and crossed the space to the gap in the wall at a -swinging trot, singing as they went. - -So clean had been the sweep of the melinite that it had torn away every -vestige of the wall down to the living rock of the isthmus, leaving a -wide trench or ditch, stone-bottomed and with sloping sides of earth, -which it was an easy matter for the light-armed men to scramble across. -But first the soldiers had to throw loose earth into the bottom of the -trench; for the terrific pressure of the melinite against the rock had -heated it until it was almost molten. - -For hundreds of feet around, heaps of earth and pulverized stone sent -up columns of the greenish, acrid vapor of the explosive. - -On the heels of the javelin men pressed the engineers and road-men, -swarming into the breach to fill the trench and make a way for the -charioteers and the amalocs of Zoar, which were to follow. Along the -screen of forest at the end of the road axes rang, and the trees began -to fall. - -One of the first men into the breach after the skirmishers had crossed -the ragged ditch, was Everson. With Mazoe, chief of his sappers, the -lieutenant directed the work at the trench; for now was the time for -haste. - -Shaken from their beds by the dull thunder of Everson's fireworks, -Bel-Ar's steel riders at the eastern tower came clattering down their -wall. Before ever they reached the gap, a trumpet sounded on the -hillside, the archers and the slingers arose like wraiths from the -forests, and the horsemen were met by a shower of shafts and stones -that rattled and clanged on their armor and drove them back. - - * * * * * - -Messengers sped east and west from tower to tower. Within an hour -every garrison along the barrier knew that the gods of Ruthar had -rifted their fortress and the hillsmen were pouring through. But these -soldiers of Bel-Ar were picked men, and they did not fear. Every -man-at-arms that could be spared from the turrets was horsed, and they -came riding recklessly down their lofty pathway, firm in the belief -that their own god presently would have a say in this matter. - -At the third tower to the east of the breach was Atlo, captain of the -wall. The tremor of the explosion reached even there. While the captain -and his men wondered at what it might be, a messenger reached them. -Atlo at once sent a horseman down the curving path, one of which led -from each tower to the ground on the northern side of the wall, to ride -through the forest to the town of Barme and arouse the army there. - -Then Atlo armed himself, gathered his men and started west. Straight -to the brink of the gap he rode, heeding neither arrows nor stones. At -the edge of the breach he dismounted, and while the long shafts of the -archers hummed around him and the missiles of the slingers dented his -golden armor, he knelt and peered into the gorge below him. - -Much the captain marveled at the force which had broken the barrier. -His quick eyes of the soldier took in the disposition of the men and -fathomed the plan of the enemy. He saw that a swarm of javelin men and -a number of companies of heavier armed infantry were through the wall -and prepared to defend their ground. More he saw; that the trench below -was black with men who labored to fill it in; on the southern side of -the wall another army of laborers was laying a broad road over which -chariots might pass; and beneath him in the breach a man in mud-stained -garments stood on a point of rock directing his grimy toilers. - -Breathing a curse, Atlo lifted his spear and cast with all his might. -Then he mounted and rode back to the nearest tower to await the coming -of his garrisons. - -Too late did the archers in the forests shout their warning when they -saw that spear-arm poised. - -At the foot of the rock Everson fell and lay face downward among his -workmen. - -Tenderly they bore him out of the trench and up the slope of the -forest, those sturdy men of Ruthar who had worked with him and loved -him. Four of his engineers carried him, and Mazoe walked beside, trying -to stanch the flow of blood. Atlo's spear-point had bitten deeply just -above the collar-bone. - -At the crest of the rise Everson spoke in a weak voice and bade them -set him down. Mazoe knelt and held him. - -Through dim eyes the lieutenant peered back toward the sundered wall. -He lifted his hand slowly and with infinite effort and pointed. - -"We have done--good work," he said. "Go on--with it. I fear I -shall--not--be with you." - -His eyes closed, and Mazoe, who thought that he was spent, burst into -tears. - -Below in the camp arose a mighty clamor of shouting. Everson's eyelids -fluttered open. - -"Why do the soldiers cheer?" he asked. - -Mazoe listened intently to the shouting. - -"They cheer because the king is coming," he answered. - -Everson smiled faintly. - -"Tell him--I have made--a way--for him--" - -His voice trailed away, and he sank into unconsciousness. And though -he did not die, he sailed so near to the quiet coasts that it was many -weeks before he knew that the work he had begun had gone on without -him, and had been done well. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - - BEL-AR HEARS THE DRUMS - - -In the early brightness of the morning, the king of Ruthar rode up the -southern stretch of the slope toward the wall. With him came old Zenas -and Oleric the Red. - -Bedight in chain mail rode the king, a shield of shining steel on his -arm, his two-handed sword at his back, dagger in belt, and spear and -battle-ax at saddle-bow. Behind him clattered a company of zinds. Back -of them, down the long road as far as the eye could see, marched rank -on rank of men-at-arms. These were to pass the wall at once, and push -on along the isthmus to meet and hold any force which the captains of -Bel-Ar might throw against them. - -In the camp in the forest, ready to ride when the way should be -cleared, were thousands of the wild horsemen of the hills. As soon as -they might pass the breach, they would outstrip the heavy-marching -infantry, spread and harry the country, and dash into the mountain -passes at the northern end of the isthmus, which must be taken and held -before any considerable force could come up from Maeronica and occupy -them. - -Behind, the horsemen would push on the footmen and the chariots which -made up the main host of Ruthar. Such was the plan which had been laid -by Everson, Polaris, and Oleric. - -As they neared the top of the rise, Polaris and those with him met a -little clump of downcast men plodding along the road and carrying a -burden. Then Mazoe saw the riders and ran to meet them, holding his -arms above his head and weeping. - -"What says he? Everson--" - -Polaris sprang down from his horse and pushed through the tramping men. -Behind him an army halted while he stood and looked into the still face -of Everson. In the heart of the son of the snows there entered a pang -as keen as that which had stabbed it when he had heard of the passing -of the Sardanian King Minos and his lady. - -But Zenas Wright, who had bent over the lieutenant, and bared his -breast and listened to his heart, spoke up: - -"This boy has been hard hit; but he's still alive. With good care--and -he's going to get it--I think he has a chance. This jab over the -shoulder isn't so bad as it looks." - -"Look at him, Father Zenas," said Polaris. "Let no effort that this -land can produce be spared to make him whole again; for he is a gallant -gentleman, and deserves no such death. His reward from Ruthar for what -he has done shall be great." - -Mazoe told all his story, and Polaris bent and took the earth-stained -hand of the unconscious man in his own. - -"Fare you well for a time, Everson," he said softly. "I shall not -forget. And I shall find the way you made." - -Mazoe and the engineers bore Everson to the camp, and Zenas Wright went -with them. - -Polaris touched the red captain on the shoulder. - -"Captain Oleric, bide you here at the wall until the path is prepared. -I make you general-in-chief of the army. Carry out the work which -our friend has so well begun. Father Zenas will give you of his good -counsel. Build the road as Everson and you have planned it." - -"But you--where are you going?" Oleric asked. - -Polaris pointed northward to the breach in the Kimbrian Wall. - -"I am going to tread the way he made for me," he answered. "When all is -well, come on and find me on the other side." - -Giving the reins of his horse to a servant, Polaris reached his spear -from the saddle and placed himself in the first rank of the footmen, -under the great, blood-red banner of Ruthar. A mighty cheer swept down -the ranks as he joined them. The horsemen drew out to the side of the -roadway; a blare of trumpets sounded the advance; the crimson standard -dipped and went forward. Over the seamed and broken hill, past the -masses of fallen ruin, across the melinite-blasted trench, and through -the breach in the wall flowed the iron stream. - -As far as they could see it, the little group on the hilltop watched -the tall form that strode under the tossing banner. - -"This king of ours has a will of his own," muttered Oleric. "Now to do -the work he bade us." - -But first of all the red captain sent for old Jastla of the hills. When -the white-bearded chieftain stood before him, Oleric said: - -"The king has gone yonder through the wall, Jastla. Take a hundred of -your best men--men who know how to die as well as fight. Find the king. -Ring him round with a band of steel. Guard him with your lives." Oleric -grinned as he added, "'Twill be a task to your liking, old bear. Ever -you loved fighting, and this man will lead you to where it is thicker -than earth-berries. I have seen him at the game. But watch him well, -Jastla; he is of a reckless temper when his blood is stirred, and -caution is not his watchword." - -Lifting his arm in salute, Jastla replied: - -"When harm comes to the king, it shall have set its foot on Jastla's -corpse." The chief drew a deep breath of pride and satisfaction. "I -thank you, Oleric the Learned, for this task. I have trained the lad, -and I love him." - -Jastla hurried into the forest to the camp. Presently he, too, was gone -through the wall on his mission. - -When the last of the armed force had passed the gap, another army took -its place--an army of pick and shovel men, with chains and ropes and -tugging, sweating horses. Speedily the last of the screen of trees was -down and the stumps torn out. On a foundation of crushed rock Oleric -built up his roadway, and brought it through to the shadow of the -Kimbrian Wall; and there he met trouble. - - * * * * * - -All of the day on which Everson was stricken, and through the night and -the forenoon following, the builders wrought at the road. Wherever was -room for a pair of hands to labor, the hands were not lacking. Still -the work was not completed, nor was the ditch filled in. - -And the reason for the delay was--Atlo. - -From the turrets along the wall to the east the captain had collected -a force of nearly five hundred fighting men, and led them in person. -Leaving their horses behind them, these warriors marched to the lip of -the breach and harassed the workmen of Oleric. Nor could the Rutharian -bowmen and slingers come at them with their weapons to do them much -scathe. The edge of the wall had a coping which was nearly breast-high. -Behind that the defenders were sheltered, and might creep, which they -did, to the very brink of the gap, whence they showered the men in the -trench with arrows and javelins. - -Following the example of Atlo, the under captains of the towers on the -western stretch of the wall gathered another half a thousand men and -came to the end of the breach on their side. Between the activities -of these two parties, the task of the besiegers was made heavy and -perilous. - -Time and again the red captain was forced to withdraw his laborers -from the cross-fire of deadly missiles which the warriors on the wall -rained into the ditch. His losses were appalling. Still his men did not -falter. When the order was given, they swarmed into the gaping trench, -and those who died there were content if they but cast one shovel of -earth before the spirit fled. - -Oleric groaned in spirit as he watched this havoc, which he had little -power to hinder. The distance to the top of the wall was too great to -allow of effective javelin-casting, and such weapons as did reach the -summit were seized upon by the enemy and turned back on the attackers. -Having the advantage of the sheltered height from which to cast and -shoot, one of Atlo's soldiers was worth in efficiency a hundred of -those on the ground. - -"Swords and axes on the top of the wall, and that only, will clear out -that nest," said Oleric to Zenas, when the geologist had come back from -the camp, where for hours he had labored over Everson, and of whose -condition he now had high hopes. - -"Where are our ladder-men tarrying?" snarled Oleric, and the captain -ground his teeth as he saw his workmen decimated and driven back again. -"We have not the time to spare to starve these birds from their perch. -Yet if I fill that hole now it will be with the bodies of brave men -dead and not with earth and stone." - -Bethinking himself of another plan, the captain ordered three companies -of heavy-armed foot-soldiers up from the camp and sent them into the -working to shelter the laborers under their shields. By that means a -little progress was made; but the work was slow and cumbersome and the -toll in lives was still heavy. - -Long-delayed relief came in the shape of the fighting men whom Everson -had sent out along the wall with ladders. These had lain in the forests -until they saw the turrets depleted of their garrisons. Then they -had crept up to the wall and erected their scaling ladders, choosing -points a number of miles from the breach. That attack was not without -its perils and losses. Scant in numbers, but desperate, the defenders -sallied out on the wall to turn the storming parties. Many warriors -died under the javelins and arrows from above. Comrades took their -places as they fell, and at length, by dint of hard fighting, gained -footing on the crest of the wall. - -Guessing how matters must stand at the breach, the Rutharian swordsmen -paid no further attention to the turrets which lay between them and the -sea, but set themselves to the taking of those toward the gap. As soon -as they carried one of these they were able to augment their numbers -from the forces which earlier had passed the wall through the breach, -and which now were besieging the towers from the north side, where the -sloping pathways were defended by gates and doors of bronze. - -By the time the men at the east had taken the last of the watchtowers -which intervened between them and the battle at the roadway, their -brothers on the western stretch of the wall had passed the ruins of -the toppled turret there and fallen furiously on the rear of the -Maeronicans who were baiting the trenchmen of Oleric. - -From across the chasm where he fought, Atlo saw the new turn of the -battle and bethought him of his own flank. Too late! The shouts of -dismay from his rear were mingled with the thunder of galloping hoofs. - -At the eastern tower the men of Ruthar had found the horses which the -defenders had left behind. While the stubborn conflict of swordsmen -was waging on the western wall, these warriors mounted the Maeronican -steeds and charged down the stone road between the copings, sweeping -everything before them. - -Brave men, these of the King of Adlaz. Cut off from behind and with -the yawning chasm before, they arose from their crouching and turned -to meet the new foe. Then a grim and pitiless struggle began on -the ancient wall, in which the clangor and clash of arms and the -cursing of death-locked foeman was commingled with the screaming of -pain-maddened horses. - -To the rear, which had become the front, went Atlo. He rallied his men -and charged into the teeth of the oncoming horsemen, and kept charging -until he died. Neither side asked quarter or gave it. The last of the -Maeronican fighting men were pushed over the brink of the gap by the -rushing horsemen and died under the merciless blades in the trench. - -At the west the fighting was more prolonged and bitter; but the -superior numbers of the Rutharians prevailed, and the end was the same. - -The Kimbrian Wall was taken at a fearful cost. But Ruthar paid the toll -smiling. Now Oleric might push through with his wall speedily and in -peace. - - * * * * * - -When the night of the passing of Minos had worn into morning and -disclosed the extent of the destruction which the Sardanian had wrought -in the harbor of Adlaz, Vedor, the port captain, Nealdo, head of the -harbor guardsmen, and such captains of the fademes as had escaped with -their lives met in council in one of the offices at the wharves. Fear -sat heavy at the hearts of all; for there was not one of them that -dared go up to the city and make a report to the king of the loss of -his fademes. - -"Not I," Vedor said hastily, when it was suggested that he, as captain -of the port, was the logical bearer of the news. "It were worth a man's -life to tell the king that a slave has shattered his fleet. Besides, my -duties here do not allow me to absent myself. Choose ye some other to -carry the tidings to Bel-Ar." - -Listening to the discussion was a rough old soldier of the guard. -Brenak was his name, and he was a brave man. When it seemed that none -of the gilded captains had heart for the task, Brenak stepped forward. - -"I will carry the news," he volunteered. "Lend me a horse, and give me -a few dekkars to buy wine at the wine-shops in the Street of Sherne, -and I will go. It may be my last drinking, though I think not. I fought -with the king in the wars, and I am known to him. I think he will spare -me." - -So Brenak rode up to the city and bought his wine. From the wine-shops -he went to the palace and gained admittance to the king and told the -tidings, which already were flying from mouth to mouth through the -streets. - -"Fool! You are crazed!" Bel-Ar exclaimed when Brenak had made a short -tale of it. But in the eyes of the soldier the king saw the truth, and -his pallid face turned a shade more pale. In his fury, scarce knowing -what he did, he struck Brenak with his closed fist so that the soldier -died from it. - -For days thereafter the temper of the king was such that those who -must come near him did so with fear and trembling. Even his queen, the -petulant, flower-faced Raissa, who dared him more than most, avoided -him and kept to her own apartments. - -Weeks before, when it became known that the captives had escaped, -little heed had been paid to their going. They were only slaves, and -who cared what became of a slave! Interest in them had been swallowed -up in the general indignation at the defection of Oleric the Red and -the supposed treachery of Mordo. Only Bel-Ar and Rhaen, the arch-priest -of Shamar, had chafed, and that because of the escape of the man whom -they had doomed for the slaying of the sacred bull. The king had sent -fademes to scour the sea, and one to go up the coast to Ruthar to head -the fugitives, should they have gone that way. That fademe had never -returned. - -These happenings had irked the pride of the king, who, like all -despots, was of a wild and ungovernable temper that flared to madness -when he was crossed. - -Came then the blow of Minos--a calamity which shook the nation and -struck the foundation of Bel-Ar's dearest ambition. Without his -fademes, his dreams of world-conquest vanished. Small wonder that his -lords and ladies feared him and quaked at his approach. - -But the king was of a courage and perseverance equal to his temper. -When the first shock of the catastrophe had worn away, he took stock of -the damage and set about to repair so much of it as might be. At the -bottom of the harbor his divers labored among the sunken fademes. Some -few of the vessels were raised and rehabilitated. By far the most of -them were useless, save for the metal in their hulks. Minos had done -his work thoroughly, and the priceless engines, the living power of -which was mined from the depths of the earth only by great labor, were -nearly all ruined. - -Increasing his forces, both underground and in his workshops, Bel-Ar -drove his miners and his builders ceaselessly to the replacement of -what he had lost. - -Some weeks after the destruction of the fademes, rumor came down from -the south--fleeting words in the mouths of the people, of which no man -could trace the source--that a great host was gathering in Ruthar to -assail the Kimbrian Wall. That report the king laughed at and did not -believe, or if he did believe, it fretted him not at all. The Kimbrian -Wall had stood an unshakable barrier since it had been completed, -nearly thirty centuries before. It would go on standing to the end of -time. It was well garrisoned, and Atlo was a good captain and vigilant. -Ruthar must be mad if it thought to march against the wall. - -Rumor, again traceless, spoke further and told that Oleric the Red had -appeared in Ruthar, and with him the slaves who had gone with him from -Adlaz, and that they had hands in this matter of the wall-storming. -Bel-Ar heard that also, and smiled grimly. Let Oleric and the slaves, -if they were indeed in Ruthar, keep well within its boundaries, if they -set any store by life. - -Progress was being made with the reconstruction of his fleet, and the -king's poise was returning. Once more his court, that had been silent -and almost deserted, echoed to the laughter of the gay courtiers, and -Raissa sat upon her throne and toyed with the pearls that she loved. - -Then one afternoon a wan and haggard-faced man, spurring a weary horse -to its utmost speed, rode in through the southern gates of Adlaz and -clattered up the broad avenue to the palace. From the mountain town of -Barme he had come, riding two days and a night by relays of horses and -leaving some of his hard-ridden beasts dead along the road. So nearly -dead was the rider himself from the rack of that journey that he fell -from his horse at the palace gates, and men of the guard carried him -before the king. - -From the floor of the audience-chamber where they laid him, the soldier -raised his arm in salute and cried weakly: - -"The Kimbrian Wall is sundered, O king. She whom they name the Goddess -Glorian of Ruthar cracked the wall in twain with thunders and green -lightning that shook the land like a hammer." (So the messenger -described the melinite mines of Everson.) "Through the wall poured a -great host, which is rolling down upon Barme. Atlo is dead at the break -in the wall. From the center to the sea-wall, the towers are held by -Ruthar. Men say that the dreadful beasts of the forest are coming to -make war on the children of Ad. Ruthar has crowned a king--a giant -with hair of gold, who came up from the sea with Oleric the Red, who -was your captain--and he leads the armies against Barme." - -Ending his tidings, the man lost grip of his wits. His head fell on his -arm, and he slept. Nor could he be roused for many hours. - -"Now, here is a message with meat and spirit," said the king. Bel-Ar, -who went near to madness when he heard of the loss of his fademes, -could laugh when he heard that an army was marching against him. Of all -the news only one thing galled him, and that was that the yellow-haired -slave from the hated world to the north was kinging it in Ruthar. - - * * * * * - -Summoning his captains, the king banished his court of fluttering -butterflies and filled his audience-chamber with the clash of golden -armor. No sluggard was Bel-Ar when his foe was on the march, but a -wise and resourceful leader. When his mind was not clouded by the -rages which at times came upon him, he could plan with the best of his -generals. - -Bel-Ar in his early youth had been a soldier, and he, too, had fought -Ruthar at the Kimbrian Wall. Since coming to the throne of Maeronica he -had put down two rebellions, leading his armies in person and waging -with a strong and ruthless hand a warfare that had entailed the taking -of cities. - -First move of the king was to despatch his messengers south and north -to raise all the levies of Maeronica and the garrisons of the cities -which were tributary to Adlaz. These he directed should be assembled -at the crook of the river Thebascu, as the birds fly, ninety miles to -the south of Adlaz. He sent Fanaer, one of his most trusted captains, -in hot haste into the south to gather what forces he might and stem the -tide of invasion until the main host could be mustered and brought up. -Before nightfall the war-drums were beating in every city and hamlet of -Maeronica. - -"If these rash forest wolves and their slave-king win through Barme and -the mountain passes and overwhelm Fanaer, which I doubt, then we will -meet them beyond the Thebascu, on the plains of Nor," said Bel-Ar to -his councilors. - -"How they have broken through the wall, I know not; but warrant that it -is some trick of the strangers. - -"As for the great beasts whereof the soldier spoke, I believe that they -were all dead many years ago. Surely no man of Ad can say with truth -that he ever has set eyes on one. They are but a myth wherewith Ruthar -would affright us. And if they be alive, and as terrible as tradition -tells, I am not afeared of them. We will drive them back with fire, as -once before our ancestors drove them, in the days before the wall. - -"Friends, I welcome this war that has come to seek me, for I was -growing dull and rusty with inaction. - -"If the wall be truly down, then will we drive Ruthar speedily to -the other side of it--and having so done, we will follow on and bend -the necks of these stubborn mountain boors to the yoke that has long -awaited them." - -So he dreamed; so he spoke and heartened his captains. - -Two days later the trumpets blew at the southern gates, and with a -rumbling of drums and a tossing of banners overhead, the first division -of the garrison and the levies of the city of Adlaz, thirty thousand -strong, marched out the Mazanion Road for the plains of Nor. At their -head, under the rustling folds of his war-standard of gold and blue, -rode Bel-Ar, the king. - - * * * * * - -To Rose Emer, grown pale with waiting, Brunar brought these tidings in -the prison of Bel-Tisam. - -When she heard that the wall was down, and that Polaris had set his -face toward Adlaz, her joy, which she strove to conceal from the -captain, knew no bounds. After Brunar was gone, the girl bent over the -cradle of the little Patrymion, now a thriving youngster. - -"Ah, little mischief," said Rose, and shook her finger at him, "not -much longer in this prison for you and me. Friends are coming, -Patrymion; friends who will set us free." - -Patrymion, who had small care for what destiny had in store for him, so -that his immediate requirements in goats' milk were satisfied, sucked a -pink thumb and blinked up at her out of sleepy eyes. - - * * * * * - -In the meantime, telling off companies of men to east and west to aid -in the fight at the wall by laying siege to the towers, Polaris pushed -straight ahead through the forests toward the town of Barme. Counting -in the forces of light-armed soldiery who had preceded him through the -wall, the son of the snows had in command a division of nearly seven -thousand men. Of these there were a thousand archers, fifteen hundred -slingers, two thousand and a half of javelin men, and nearly two -thousand more of heavy armored footmen with swords and spears. - -Two hours along the way, Jastla and his picked hundred passed swiftly -up the lines and joined the vanguard. Tall and stately men of the hills -were these, led by the old chieftain, scarcely a one of the company -under six feet, and splendidly armed after the fashion of their land. - -"Here be a few lads of the rocks who would have a tale to tell to their -sweet-hearts when they go home again," said Jastla as he fell in beside -Polaris. - -With small scouting parties thrown out ahead of him, Polaris hastened -on. It was his plan to meet and intercept any expedition which might be -sent from Barme to the relief of Atlo at the wall, and so to prevent -interference with Oleric's work at the breach. In this fortune favored. -For the javelin men ambushed and cut down no less than three riders -sent from the wall to rouse the garrison at Barme; so that the first -news that reached the town and the Captain Broddok, who commanded -there, was brought in by the peasantry of the hills who fled through -the forests before the advance of Polaris. - -Mightily disturbed, and not knowing the strength of the force which was -marching against him, Broddok held his men under arms in indecision -until it was too late for him to go to the wall. In the evening of the -day after the breaching of the wall a battered soldier who had escaped -from one of the turrets and slipped through the Rutharian cordons -brought word to Broddok of the end of the Kimbrian fighting and the -fall of Atlo. Then the Maeronican commander dispatched a relay-rider to -Adlaz and made ready to defend his own gates, around which the jaws of -Ruthar were closing. - -From the lower end of the isthmus a number of passes led through the -mountains into the forests, beyond which were the plains of Nor. -Through only one of these defiles lay a direct road, broad and suitable -to the speedy passage of an army with its impedimenta and provision -trains. That path was bestridden by the town of Barme. - -Midway of the pass and near the foot of its western precipice was a -low, bald hill, over which the road lay. Around the lower slopes of -the hill straggled the town, and at its summit was the walled citadel. -It was a strong place, made so both by nature and by man. So closely -did it nestle to the towering face of the defile's acclivity, and so -rounding was the bulge of the mountain wall, that if one climbed to the -top and looked down the precipice, he would see only the houses of the -lower town and the citadel would be entirely hidden from him by the -rock. At each side of the hill was rocky, wooded land, cut through by -many gullies and the ravines of mountain streams. - -A hard place to come at, Polaris thought, as he stood in the gorge and -looked at the hill by the dim light of the stars--for he came to Barme -in the night. Yet it must be taken, and that speedily. The swiftest -road into Maeronica lay over the hill, and the citadel's gates were the -gates of the road also. - -An hour before the dawn he occupied the town, from which most of the -people had fled, and attacked the fortress furiously, thereby losing -many men. Though the walls of the place were not high, they were ably -defended. Broddok was a skilled general, and his garrison was superior -in numbers to the force which laid siege to his stronghold. Still -Polaris, counting on the speedy arrival to his support of the van of -his main army, kept up the assault until well into the day, trying in -turn every point of the fortress--and failing at every turn. - -Finding that attempts against the wall availed them nothing, for they -were without siege machinery, and Broddok's swordsmen clustered so -thickly on the parapets that no footing could be gained thereon with -ladders, the Rutharians boldly assailed the main gate to the citadel. -Cutting a tree from the forest, threescore stout men bore it to the -gate. While the archers and slingers from the tops of the nearest -houses of the town swept the citadel walls with clouds of missiles, -the men in the street swung their battering-ram until their arms were -weary. But Broddok's doors were strongly built of oak, reinforced with -bars of steel and set well within the arch of the gateway. Beyond the -snapping of a few chains, the ram did them little damage. - -Maeronicans on the battlements mocked the men of Polaris with sharp -words and sharper weapons, and through mortises in the vault of the -arch poured down streams of boiling water. The Rutharians lost fifty -men-at-arms before they desisted from the assault. - -"Smoke them out," was the counsel of Jastla. - -Fagots were fetched up from the town and drenched with oil, and men set -fire to them and ran and cast them blazing into the archway. - -This means might have succeeded in burning away the stubborn oak. But -the Maeronican captain, tiring of the din at his gates, mounted five -hundred horsemen, opened his portals, and charged so fiercely through -the fire that he cleared the street, and for a time his doors were -unmolested. - - * * * * * - -Through the defile a chill wind swept from the north, carrying with it -a light drift of snow, and Polaris's men found it cold work roosting -without the walls. They had left their camp carrying food for only a -two days' march. The country through which they had come was wild and -sparsely settled, and offered little opportunity for foraging. When -they began to feel the pinch of hunger, Polaris ordered his men to go -among such of the townsmen of Barme as had not been frightened from -their homes, and gather provisions, paying for all that they took with -gold, for he would have no looting. - -And those orders were in part, at least, obeyed. - -Smoke was curling from the chimney of a small house in a side street -near where they stood, and Jastla said to the king: - -"While these fellows are filling their bellies, let us look to our own. -I could eat the wolf for which I am named, I am that hungered. See; -here is a house and fire. Let us go and seek food." - -When they had struck upon the door, it was opened by a little lad, who -stared at them, round-eyed, and then fled screaming across the room. - -"Ai! Raula!" he cried. "Here be two giants from the forests. Will they -eat us, think you, as Darno said they would?" - -"Not so, small man," called Polaris gently, who had learned somewhat -of the Maeronican tongue from Oleric. "We are two hungry men, indeed; -but we would not harm little boys; and Darno, whoever he may be, should -not affright you with such tales." - -At his words, a lean and fierce-eyed girl stood up from the fireplace -where she had been crouched and came to the door. She clutched a baby -to her breast. While she eyed the two men sourly, there was no fear in -her regard. - -"Now who may you be, who wear the arms of a forest raider, yet who know -our tongue and bespeak a child so fairly?" she asked of Polaris. - -"I am a soldier of Ruthar, lady," Polaris said, bowing to her. "My -comrade here and myself are cold and hungry. May we be warmed at your -fire and eat a little of the bread and meat yonder on the table? We -have had no food for many hours. We will pay you well." - -The girl pressed closer and peered up at him. - -"Ah! I know who you are now," she said triumphantly. "You are no robber -of the hills, though belike your comrade is," and she shot a glance of -no favor at Jastla. "You are neither of Maeronica or Ruthar. You are -the mighty man who came up from the sea to lead the south against the -north and take Adlaz." She laughed discordantly. "Well, you have made a -good beginning, they say; but you have a man's task ahead of you. - -"Come in and eat and be warmed. I care not. All the menfolks have fled -the house to the hills in fear of you. I stayed, I and little Telo, -here. I fear no soldiers. Nay, close that door behind you, old man; I -would not that winter came in with you and sat at meat." - -Laughing grimly into his beard, Jastla made fast the door. While the -two men sat and ate, the girl resumed her crouching by the fire, where -she crooned over the babe, at times staring furtively at Polaris. Telo -soon conquered his fear of the strangers and climbed to the knees of -Polaris, where he fingered the big man's chain armor curiously and -prattled many childish questions. - -When the hungry men had finished their meal, the girl spoke up again: - -"Say, man from the sea, I have heard that there is a beautiful lady who -waits for you in a prison in Adlaz town. Is that true?" - -"Yes, lady, it is true," Polaris said; and he sighed. - -"And you lead a great host thither to set her free?" the girl persisted. - -"Yes, if I may." - -"But to get on the way to Adlaz, you must take this fortress of Barme; -and you find it a hard nut to crack. Is that not so?" - -"That is true, also, lady." - -"Well, hark you, man." The girl stood up and came to the table. "You -who are true to a woman as few men are ever true; perhaps the poor, -despised, cast-off Raula may aid you somewhat in this undertaking." - -While Polaris stared at her and Jastla grunted, she went on: - -"Oh, for your wars, and for who is king, I care not. Still, I would -see that lady in Adlaz town go free--if you are strong enough to pass -Bel-Ar and his army. Those matters you must look after later. But -listen. Other men are not so true as you are. There is one in the -fortress yonder who once thought Raula fair. Now she is a deserted -wife, while he seeks other maids to listen to his lies. Oh! how I hate -him!" She spat the words and stamped fiercely on the floor. - -"I would see that man humbled and cast down. I would see his red blood -on the stones at my feet. - -"There is a way into the fort, a hidden way, which is known to none but -me and Telo. - -"Now, Telo here shall show you that way. There is a spring on the hill. -'Tis back of the stables, in a grove of stunted trees. It flows down -through the rock under the wall and escapes on the hillside. Years ago, -when I tended cows on the hill, I found the entrance. The water has so -worn the stone that one may climb its course from the old cowpath to -the brow of the hill. If a girl can clamber there, surely active men -will not find it at all hard to do. - -"When night is fallen, bid your men to storm the gate again. Then, if -your force is strong enough to make the venture, take a part of it and -gain the hill. While those of Broddok's men who do not watch the walls -are sleeping, you may fall upon them and open the gates." - -Polaris and Jastla looked on the girl, amazed. - -"Stare not at me," she said. "I am an outcast and reckless woman--and I -would be revenged. Besides, we poor folk care little what the fate of -Bel-Ar may be, who does oppress us so that life is a great weariness." - - * * * * * - -It was arranged that they should come back at nightfall for the boy, -and Polaris and Jastla left the house. When the chieftain fingered his -pouch and would have paid her for the entertainment, Raula would have -none of his gold. - -"This night's work will be pay enough for Raula," she said. - -After they had gone, Jastla set a soldier to watch the house and report -to him if any left it; for Jastla trusted no woman and feared a trap. -His fears proved to be unfounded. No one left or visited the house -through the afternoon. - -For the remainder of the day Polaris rested his soldiers, and kept -up only the semblance of an attack on the walls of Barme citadel. He -wondered much at the delay of the army of Ruthar, having as yet learned -nothing of the fighting at the Kimbrian breach; but he was resolved to -delay not himself, but make the attempt on the fortress as the girl -Raula had suggested. - -With the fall of night he brought the bulk of his force up into the -cross-streets near the gate and posted sentries to see that none passed -from the town to the fort. Then he went to the house of Raula and -fetched the lad. Telo was afraid of the night and the many armed men, -and would go only if Polaris, whom he trusted, would carry him. - -"Show him the spring at the head of the old cowpath, Telo," said -Raula, and to Polaris, "Bend down the clump of evergreen bushes above -the spring, and you will find the way through the rock. Beware of the -sentries at the stables. Once one of them nearly slew me when I came -suddenly on him out of the dark." She bent nearer and whispered: - -"Perchance you will meet and slay Broddok, the captain. I pray you do. -And ere you smite, tell him that Raula, daughter of Hecar, sent you to -him." - -As Polaris went out to the street, with the lad on his shoulder, he -heard the girl's shrill laughter within the house--laughter that made -him shiver. - -Followed by a thousand of his swordsmen, including the hundred men -of Jastla, Polaris marched silently around rough devious streets -to the side of the hill, and then into the rough ground where the -boy directed. It was a dark night, for the stars were dimmed by -storm-clouds, and the going was slow. Raula had said it would take at -least an hour and the half of another to gain the crest of the hill, -and Polaris had ordered his men in the town to hold their hands until -they should hear his trumpets, and then to attack the gates of the -citadel with trees and fire. - -At the spring the clump of bush was found easily, and behind it in the -face of the hill was a hole in the rock, so low that a man must bend -nearly double to enter it. Here Polaris gave Telo into the arms of a -young Rutharian soldier, bidding him bear the lad safely back to his -sister. - -Bending down, the son of the snows entered the hole. Jastla, who never -let his charge beyond arm's reach, crowded in at his heels. For six -feet or more they walked with their knees nearly to their chins, and -then were able to stand upright. The girl had told them that a light -in the passage could not be seen from above because of the trees, and -one of the soldiers had nursed a smouldering torch under his cloak. -That was brought in and whirled into flame, and they proceeded along a -narrow gully, over the floor of which the water trickled. - -"Oof! That maid must have been very love-sick, or she has the courage -of a fighting man, to have climbed this place in the dark," muttered -Jastla, as he surveyed the gloomy cavern. - -For nearly three hundred yards the party followed the subterranean -ravine, the floor of which sloped upward sharply. It ended in a shaft -that was nearly perpendicular, which the men must climb by the aid of -jagged rocks where the course of the stream had been worn for centuries. - -The torchbearer was posted at the angle, so that the light might be -shed both down the passage and through the shaft. Wrapping his sword -and spear in his cloak to prevent them from clanging against the -stones, Janess, insisting that he should be first, went silently up -through the rock, and Jastla followed close behind. They came out at -the top through thick bushes into a basin or pool, where the water was -ankle-deep. They were inside the wall of the fortress on the western -side of the hill-crest. Around the pool was a grove of stunted trees, -to the east of which lay the low, wooden stable buildings. South of the -stables were the stone barracks of the garrison. - - * * * * * - -Man by man, the Rutharians came up through the darksome hole and took -cover among the trees, until the grove bristled with swords. Polaris -and Jastla worked their way to the edge of the wood nearest the stables. - -The chieftain pointed to the wooden buildings. - -"We will fire them," he whispered, "and have a light to fight by." - -As he spoke, a sentry paced out from the shadow of the stables and -passed along the edge of the grove to the wall. So near he passed -to the hidden men that they might have reached out and touched his -shoulder. - -"Now that man must be disposed of," muttered Polaris, "and I like it -not, this smiting of men from behind." - -No such niceties of warfare ruled Jastla. When the man came back, the -chieftain stepped noiselessly from the trees behind him. For a pace -or two the big mountaineer trod in the tracks of the unsuspecting -sentry. Then Jastla sprang, and a brief and wordless struggle under the -trees followed. A dagger flashed. Arising, Jastla took the cloak of -the fallen man and stepped calmly into his beat. At the corner of the -stable the chieftain met and slew the second sentry. - -At the side of the stable the Rutharian swordsmen formed for battle. -A man with a torch ran from point to point along the rear of the -buildings and set fire to the timbers. As they caught and the flames -leaped crackling up, the frightened horses began to pound and scream. - -Polaris bade his trumpeter blow. The notes blared piercing clear. The -swordsmen broke cover with a roar and charged the stone barracks. -Lighting torches at the blazing barns, men ran with them to light -the way. Hardly were they half-way across the intervening space when -there was an answering flare from the streets below, and the thunder -of the battering-ram announced that the fight at the gates was on with -redoubled fury. - -While half of his force entered the barracks and fell upon the -bewildered men there, Polaris, with the remainder, swept down the broad -roadway, past the dwelling of the officers. Cutting their way through -the defenders of the gate, the Rutharians tore out the bars, and their -comrades in the streets swarmed through and up the hillside. - -In the midst of the wild mĂŞlĂ©e that followed, Broddok did the only -thing that he could do to save his skin. He rallied such of his men -as were under arms, fought through to the stables, and released the -fear-maddened horses. All who could of the Maeronicans mounted in -haste. For a moment it seemed that the captain would give the order to -charge down the street into the fighting press, where the men of Ruthar -were putting his comrades to the sword. But Broddok thought better of -it. - -With nearly four hundred men, the captain rode down the northern slope -of the hill, opened the road-gates there, and galloped off through the -pass, leaving his leaderless garrison to fend for itself. - -When that became known, the Maeronican soldiers, beset on both sides -and confused and disheartened by the suddenness of the stroke, threw -down their arms and surrendered, on promise of their lives. - -So fell the strong fortress of Barme, because its captain had broken -faith with a woman. - -With the first light of morning, Polaris sent his prisoners south -toward Ruthar under a strong guard. Leaving a thousand men under one of -Jastla's hill-captains to hold the citadel, the son of the snows pushed -on through the pass with the remainder of his division. - -That move of his came near to costing Ruthar a king. - - - - - CHAPTER IX - - THE COMING OF THE BEASTS - - -Seated on her ivory throne in the empty hall of her temple, the Goddess -Glorian fought within her heart a battle that was every whit as fierce -and hard as that of Ruthar in the field. In that sounding citadel two -forces stood arrayed, one for good and one for evil, and the conflict -between them was passing bitter. It was the world-old war of duty and -love that has ever torn the heart of woman. - -No outward signal of the struggle marred the supernal beauty of her -face. She sat as one sits who is thoughtful and somewhat weary. -Light-rays that stole down from the windows in the lofty dome wrought -strange effects of fire in the wonder of her hair--fire which smoldered -and glowed and ran in tiny sparks along the silklike filaments. Her -head was slightly bowed. The slender hands, which lay in her lap, were -quiet and listless. Only in the depths of her eyes was she betrayed. In -those red-brown deeps, could one have seen them through the half-closed -lids, one would have found a pleading misery that would not still, -almost a terror. - -Compelled by the ancient secret and a will that never slept, the -passing years had dealt splendidly by Glorian. Experience they had -given her, which is more than knowledge, and patience, and an almost -supernatural poise; but they had not made her more than human. - -And a man had come. - -Why should she give way to this other woman? Why should she not reach -out and take that for desire of which her soul yearned and her heart -was consumed by flame? 'Twould be easy. A delay, a word in the ear of -Zoar, a seeming mischance--and the priests of Shamar in Adlaz would -clear her way. Why should she shrink and hesitate? - -The man had said that, were he too late, he would die upon the road. -Well, that might be prevented. Besides, men do not die so easily, and -time will heal all heart-wounds. But will it? And were that other woman -dead, could Glorian win him to herself--this man whose will was as -strong as her own? - -He was through the wall now and on the road to Adlaz. Oleric had sent -messengers to tell her that. And they had told her, too, of that -brave friend of his, who had nearly given his life while opening the -way. Many had died--her own countrymen--and many more would die--and -why? Because of an ambition which she herself had nurtured and kept -bright--now hollow and of no appeal. What should Glorian care who held -dominion over Adlaz or over Ruthar--she, who desired only peace and to -rule in the heart of a man? - -All of a long afternoon she sat there, and a statue were not more -still. For the better part of the night the struggle raged on above her -pillow, and left it drenched with tears. Then evil fled the field, and -she who had mastered her spirit slept dreamlessly until the morrow. - -In the morning she sent away her tire-women, and ordered that a horse -be equipped for a warrior and left at the temple doors. - -When that steed went down the hill there was no one in all Ruthar who -would have known that the Goddess Glorian was the rider. For she was -arrayed in the glittering armor, silver-wrought above its steel, of a -Rutharian zind. She wore a closed and vizored helm. A sword swung at -her back, and there were both ax and spear at her saddle-bow. - -"I will go down with him into the battle," she whispered, "and let -things fall out as they may. Some day, somewhere, my time will come. My -soul has promised it." - -She crossed the Illia and rode northward through the forests. - - * * * * * - -After the fall of Atlo the fighting went on at the wall for the rest -of that day, the Rutharians storming tower after tower, until they held -every turret from sea to sea. Through the afternoon and the night and -the next day Oleric pushed on with his road, working his men in relays, -and snatching for himself only brief spells of sleep. Through the night -in which the king of Ruthar stormed and took Barme, the sappers and -miners labored on at the breach. - -Morning saw the task completed. - -First through the breach went a flying squadron of the horsemen from -the hills, six thousand strong, led by two of the mountain zinds, -Maxtan and Albar. After them marched a great division of infantry, -nearly fifty thousand of them, the chest of the army, each section -carrying with it a number of companies of archers and slingers. Then -a force of nearly thirteen thousand chariots rumbled through the -breach--these following the infantry because they would be of little -use until the host should pass the mountain defiles to more level -fighting ground. Followed an endless train of baggage and provision -wains. - -No siege machinery was carried, for two reasons. Rutharians long ago -had found such engines as their skill had devised to be powerless -against the Kimbrian Wall, and had lost faith in them. Secondly, -certain carefully handled bundles from the laboratories of Nematzin -were judged to be of more avail than any catapult, ram or mantelet. - -At intervals Oleric halted the divisions to allow of the passage of -more cavalry, which spread out at each side of the main array and rode -down through the forest paths of the isthmus. - -For more than twelve hours Ruthar poured her armed men through the -breach in the barrier, with scarcely a break--and the way was wide. -Reserves in the camp and on the wall cheered the various regiments as -they went by, marching under their banners and to the music of pipe and -drum. - -Last of all, over the slope and through the gap came Zoar of the -Amalocs with no less than fifty-eight of the monsters of his herd. -In single file the amalocs marched, each holding fast with his trunk -to the tail of the beast ahead, as elephants are wont to do. Ixstus, -father and patriarch of the herd, led the line, and on the mighty head -of Ixstus rode Zoar, the master. - -On they came, these mountains of red-wooled flesh, swinging their -gleaming wealth of ivories. Though their shambling tread was soft and -padding, the roadway, made smooth and hard by the passing of thousands -of feet and hoofs and wheels, shook under their advance. - -Zoar had been preparing against this day for many years. All of his -beasts were armored for battle. Their heads were protected by immense -bosses or shields of steel. He had also armor for their forelegs, with -chains, which could be attached in such a manner that they would swing -out when the animals charged, and strike down any living thing that -came near them. The tips of the spreading tusks were equipped with -sockets, to which sharp steel points could be fitted. More than half of -the great brutes bore fighting turrets on their backs, in each of which -was room for a half a score of men. A few tons more or less of metal -and men meant nothing to the boundless strength of an amaloc. - -Until he saw that Zoar had passed the breach, Oleric waited. Then he -took horse and rode forward. Zenas and certain of his workmen had gone -through with the first of the cavalry. With them had gone the dog -Rombar. The animal had escaped from the laboratories in Zele-omaz, -where Polaris had left him, and had come into the camp half starved -and nearly frantic with anxiety to find his master. Zenas could not -withstand the appeal of the brute's dumb search, so he took Rombar -along. Everson, getting better of his wound, still sick and delirious, -had been transferred to Zele-omaz and lay at the house of Zind Atra, -tended by the best medical skill in Ruthar. - -When the head of the host was some six hours upon its way, it met the -first of the long lines of captives, which Polaris had sent back from -the storming of Barme. The cheering which greeted the tale of that -exploit of their king passed down the marching regiments like a gale -and through the Kimbrian breach into Ruthar. When Zenas, with the -riders, clattered up the hill in the gorge and saw the strength of the -citadel that had been taken, his heart beat high with pride for what -his boy had done. - -Learning there that the king had passed on to the north, the horsemen, -their numbers continually augmented by new companies from the rear, -pushed on along the road in the hope of overtaking him. - - * * * * * - -In a dark and narrow glen, wild with rocks and trees, with a mountain -wall at his back and steel death, many-handed and triumphant, closing -in along his front, a tawny-haired giant crouched warily among his -thinning ranks of fighting men. If ever a man was hard beset, it -was the king of Ruthar. Hemmed in where there was no way of escape, -he waited with his dwindling company the fifth charge of a horde of -Maeronican warriors, who were forming for the rush at the mouth of the -glen. Gone wild with glee were the sons of Ad. They had trapped the -king of Ruthar like a wounded bear. Great would be their reward from -Bel-Ar if they took him. - -Among the rocks and bushes lay a grim reminder in shattered men of four -previous charges. Some comfort it was to those who waited above to know -that for every one of Ruthar who had gone to the stars, at least two of -Bel-Ar's men had traveled the same path--or perhaps to the sun; for the -Maeronicans prayed to Shamar. - -After leaving Barme, Polaris had led his followers along the main road, -and they had almost reached the end of the pass, where it debouched -into the forests of upper Maeronica, before mischance overtook them. It -came in the shape of that same Captain Broddok, whom they had driven -from his blazing hold at Barme. - -Broddok had ridden through the pass at speed, and beyond it had met a -strong outpost of cavalry and five regiments of foot-soldiers, sent up -to hold the passes. For Captain Fanaer had already arrived in upper -Maeronica. - -Scouts brought word of the advance of Polaris with the most of his -force through the principal pass. He, too, had sent out small parties -to explore through the outer defiles, of which there were four, and -bring him word of the lay of the land. - -"Now let him come on," counseled Broddok to the Maeronican commander, -"and we shall have a surprise for him." - -Swiftly galloping riders at once swarmed into the four smaller passes, -overwhelmed the Rutharians whom they found there and drove them into -the hills. The horsemen then joined forces and swept down the road in -the rear of Polaris, having come into the defile by bridle paths over -the hills which were known to them. - -Turning his front to meet this menace, the son of the snows was beset -from behind by both cavalry and infantry, and his force was split up -before it could be massed or a place be found suitable for defense. -With nearly a thousand of his men of mixed armament, Janess had been -driven into the glen, discovering too late that it was a cul-de-sac, -from which there was no escape. - -Four charges the Rutharians had met, and their numbers were now less -than three hundred. But Jastla's ring of steel still held, and Polaris -himself was not even wounded. Where the fighting had been the thickest, -there he had gone; but ever when some perilous blow fell, there was -one of Jastla's mountaineers to meet it or to die under it. Of the -hundred men less than fifty lived, and scarcely a score of those were -scatheless. - -"All that you can do here, you have done, O king," said Jastla -earnestly, as they waited for the fifth charge. "A man unhindered might -scale yonder rocks and escape into the hills. Do you make the attempt? -I and these with me will hold back these howling whelps of Bel-Ar. -Haste you, or 'twill be too late." - -Polaris turned on him sternly. - -"And you have been comrade to me, Jastla, and did train and make me -skilled with arms, and yet think that I am so small of spirit," he -said. "Jastla, I take it ill of you. You and these men are fighting for -the man whom Ruthar has crowned king. What sort of a king would he be, -think you, who deserted when he had those still lines yonder before him -for example?" He pointed down where the dead warriors lay. - -"Here I may die, and here I may buried be; but I will not turn back." - -Under his shaggy brows old Jastla's eyes were moist. - -He grunted loudly. - -"I didn't think that you would go. Forgive me that I spoke of it," he -said. He turned to his hillsmen, and the word went round that every -last one of the wolves of Ruthar was to die in his tracks. There would -be no giving back before the next charge. - -Broddok on foot waved his sword and gave the word, and the Maeronicans -raised their battle-cry and came swarming up through the rocks to the -attack. The mountaineers answered them with a deep-voiced shout: - -"For the king! For Polaris!" - -None of the combatants heard a thin cry far above them at the brink of -the cliff and the frenzied barking of a dog. - -On came the Maeronicans, Broddok leading, his face flushed with triumph -and hatred. In the captain's way was a large fragment of rock. As he -sprang around it, it split in twain and flew into splinters, belching -green flame. That flash was the last thing the captain ever saw; the -thunderous roar that shook the hillside was the crack of doom for him. -A sliver of rock smote him on the temple. Raula was avenged. - -Another terrific explosion tore up the earth and boulders right in the -midst of the startled Maeronicans, and then another. Men were dying by -the hundred. Bel-Ar's men turned and fled shrieking for the roadway. -The charge was turned into a rout. Hardly were they out of the glen -where such fearsome happenings had befallen them, when a cloud of -Rutharian cavalry rolled down through the main pass and swept Bel-Ar's -men and their supports into headlong flight toward the lowlands. - -On the brow of the rock a small, white-haired old man, clad in armor -several sizes too large for him, stood up from his knees and patted a -great black dog on the head. - -"Good shots those were, Rombar," he said. "Used to be a baseball -pitcher once, and haven't lost my wing yet. By golly! I was just in -time." - -Presently Zenas was down in the road with the others to greet Polaris. -The geologist made light of what he had done, but Janess and the others -knew that they owed their lives to his quick wit. - -Soldiers who had been driven into the hills had met the Rutharian -riders and told them of the plight of their king. While the cavalry -engaged the Maeronicans in the pass and cleared it, the old man and -a small party, carrying melinite bombs, some few of which Zenas had -fashioned in his laboratories, had ridden by a bridle-path to the top -of the cliff. - -"Be careful, son," said Zenas, when Polaris threw an arm lovingly -across his shoulder. "This chain jerkin of mine is packed with enough -of that green hell-cake to spread us over two counties. And keep the -brute away." - -For Rombar had found his master and was leaping about him like a crazed -thing and barking as if to tell the whole army about it. - - * * * * * - -Despite the utmost efforts of Fanaer, the most trusted of Bel-Ar's -captains and a general skilled in all the arts of war, Ruthar held -the isthmus and the mountain passes, and through the Kimbrian defile -poured down with horse and foot and chariot into upper Maeronica. -Failing to hold back the host of the invader and fortify the passes, as -he had hoped to do, Fanaer began a harrying, guerrilla warfare. From -sea to sea he made the land barren of supplies for his enemy, sending -the peasants and hill-dwellers with their cattle and provisions down -to the coast cities of Zeddar and Aklon. He sent swarms of light -riders into the hills, where by sally and ambuscade and the breaking -of bridges and a hundred other means they fretted the advance of the -Rutharian army. - -Did the way lie through a forest, Fanaer fired it, and Ruthar marched -in flames and smoke. Did the road follow the turn of a hill, there were -men at the crest to roll huge rocks down on the tramping legions. Was a -gorge to be passed, the bridges were ruined. - -Days wore away, days which Ruthar could ill spare, and which Polaris -counted with a sinking heart, seeing his army go forward so slowly. -Still it did advance--slowly, painfully, but surely, the steel lines -made progress. - -Craft against craft Oleric matched with Fanaer. Ruthar had her light -horsemen, too. Right and left Oleric sent them into the uplands to -clear his path of the stinging pests of Fanaer. Scores of times in -a day, on hilltop or in wooded glen, short, fierce engagements were -fought, but never a pitched battle. Maeronica was playing for delay. -Far behind the shifting screen of Fanaer's operations Bel-Ar and his -generals were consolidating the main strength of Maeronica in the -lowlands along the river Thebascu. - -When hill-riding and skirmishing was done, the generals of both armies -knew that the real war would begin--that the issue would be joined and -decided on the plains of Nor. - -Careful as any general in modern warfare was Oleric with regard to -his flanks and rear. Well he knew, did the red captain, that in the -slow-moving trains of provisions that crept ceaselessly along the -isthmus from Ruthar was the strength of his host in the field. Once -that line was cut, Bel-Ar might laugh indeed. - -It took many men to keep the rear ways open and man the isthmian -passes. On the morning when the Rutharian army writhed forth from the -forests like a wounded but tenacious serpent onto the level stretches -of the plains of Nor, Oleric had under his banners a scant hundred -thousand men. Thirty thousand more warded the rear. Fifty thousand in -reserves were massed in the forests and on the isthmus. Twenty thousand -were with the slain. - -The sun was shining as the host wound out from the gloom of the -forests. To right and to left were wooded hills and beyond them the -peaks of mountain ranges, blue against the skies. Ahead, the plains, a -reach of level land some thirty miles broad from east and west and a -score of miles across, were divided by the gleaming, irregular ribbon -of the river Thebascu. - -In a loop of the river in a camp that was strongly entrenched, for all -the haste with which it had been constructed, lay the army of Ad, fresh -and unwearied and ready for battle. And it outnumbered the host of -Ruthar by nearly two to one. Across the river, down the hundred miles -to Adlaz, the Mazanion Road was choked with supply trains and reserves. - -Snow still lay in patches in the forest defiles; but the plains were -faintly green with a promise of the spring-time. On the trees the buds -were swelling. Through a month of wearisome marching Ruthar had come. -In less than forty-five days the trumpets would sound from the towers -of Adlaz for the Feast of Years. - -"Now by her who sits at Flomos," said Oleric to Polaris, as they sat -their horses on a hillside and looked across the plains to where the -gold and blue standards fluttered, "here will be a battle worth the -waiting of all my years." - -Somewhat worn with anxiety was the face of the son of the snows; but -his eyes were bright and his strength was unimpaired. He, too, was -ready. - -"Shall we not strike at the nearest point of the river?" he asked, -pointing to the west of Bel-Ar's camp. "If we gain the bank of the -stream, it will shorten our front, and it seems that we shall not -easily be flanked." - -Oleric swore that the plan was good, and Ruthar's army began to fight -its way across the plain. It could scarcely be said that battle was -beginning. All the way through the forests had been one long, unending -struggle with Fanaer. Already on the plains cavalry skirmishes were in -progress. Now was to come the climax of a month of conflict. - -Steadily Ruthar pressed on, and with the fall of night pitched her -tents on the plain, her left wing resting on the river below the -Maeronican camp. By common consent, the fighting ceased at dusk and the -armies rested on their arms. The next day would tell the tale, and they -were content to await it. Such was the contour of the land that there -was little ground for strategy and juggling of men. This was to be a -battle, front to front, with victory to the strongest arms. And though -their force was the greater, there was much of doubt in the hearts -of the men of Ad. Tales had been brought in of the prowess of these -mountain warriors. - -Other camp gossip had put uneasiness upon the soldiers of Bel-Ar. How, -for instance, had the Kimbrian Wall been sundered, if it were not the -work of the gods? And the beasts, the mighty red beasts, against which -men were as flies. Rumor had told that they had come into Maeronica -and would fight in the field against Adlaz. The sun set that night in -a sea of fire. Men did not know how to interpret that omen. Was Shamar -angered? And if he was, on whose heads would his blows fall on the -morrow? The stars shone calm and clear. Ruthar worshiped the stars. - -Those and other thoughts caused many a stout Maeronican to shake his -head over his campfire. But most of all they feared the beasts. - - * * * * * - -Wary Oleric had kept Zoar and his herd well to the rear. Never in the -march had the amalocs gone forward until the way had been cleared. None -of the Maeronican fighting men had set eyes on them. The beasts were -Ruthar's strongest hope. If even the thought of them struck terror into -the hearts of the Children of Ad, Oleric reasoned that their sudden -appearance in battle might be counted upon to produce a panic. - -Ruthar would try a tilt against Maeronica, the red captain planned, and -if she might would win her battle by force of arms alone. But if the -fight should swing against her, then the beasts would be better than an -army in reserve. So he bade Zoar camp in the forests, and he surrounded -the encampment with a strong guard and cordons of sentries. - -In the morning Ruthar's stars paled, and Shamar came up smiling--seeing -which the men of Bel-Ar took fresh heart. - -Scarcely had the first shafts of light thrust over the mountain-tops -when Oleric, from the shadows of the forest, launched a great bolt of -cavalry across the plain. Another division which had been moved in the -night swept east along the south bank of the river. While the riders of -Bel-Ar went out to meet them, the trumpets of the king of Ruthar were -sounded in the center of the camp, and long files of men-at-arms crept -forth into the dawn behind the screen of dashing horsemen. - -In three deep columns Polaris moved his footmen into battle, with lanes -between them, into which the cavalry might retire, and through which -the charioteers would charge when the time came. Each of the marching -columns was tipped with regiments of swiftly moving javelin men, and -behind them came the archers, stringing their long bows and singing a -lilting chorus as they moved out on the plain. - -Mounted on his black stallion, Polaris led the center, riding behind -the first ranks of his swordsmen and accompanied by the men of Jastla -and some score of the Rutharian zinds, all in full armor. Far to the -right rode Oleric the Red. The left was headed by Tarnos, one of the -zinds. That post Polaris had offered to old Jastla of the hills, but -the chieftain had declined it. - -"'Tis a great honor, O king," he said when the proffer was made, and -his eyes shone. "But I pray you give it not to me. I would fight at -your side. That post will be troublesome enough, as I well know." -Jastla grinned broadly. "Give the command to a nobler man." - -"There is none nobler, old wolf," Polaris replied. "But have it as you -will." - -So Tarnos led the left, along the river Thebascu, and Jastla and his -ring of steel rode with his king, and he was content. - -Midway between the camps, as Oleric had ordered it, the charging -horsemen swerved aside, doubled, and, as though in fear, plunged -back between the advancing columns. Hard on their flying heels came -the shouting riders of Ad. As they came the javelin men cast, and -the archers bent bows and loosed a bitter flight from their twanging -strings that shrieked among the horsemen like a white drift of blizzard -through the mountain trees. Then, before the eyes of the Maeronican -riders, the horsemen they pursued were gone; the bowmen and the -javelin-throwers melted away; fanwise the heads of the three columns -spread out and joined each to each, their front ranks kneeling; and -Ruthar received her plunging foemen on an unbroken front of leveled -spears. - -Fell ruin awaited that splendid charge. Unable to turn back because -of the surging squadrons behind them, the foremost ranks were dashed -against the grim steel barrier, and went down in a horrible tangle of -struggling men and horses. - -Into the mĂŞlĂ©e, through the lines and over the shoulders of their -comrades, leaped the light-armed footmen with their javelins and -daggers, and slew hundreds of horses, whose riders fell easy prey to -the two-handed blades that now were aloft and busy. - -At the rear the Rutharian cavalry formed again, and dashing around the -flanks of the columns in two flying wedges, closed like nippers behind -Bel-Ar's confused squadrons. - -First cast in the game had gone to Ruthar. The horsemen of Ad were -routed and pushed back--all those who could go. Those that remained -were done with fighting. - -From the earthen wall of his camp, standing among his golden-armored -generals, Bel-Ar saw his cavalry broken and flung back--saw it, and -laughed aloud. - -"They fight well, these mountain wolves," he said. "But that was the -play of children. Now will we send them a taste of the swords of Ad." - -Beyond the wall of the camp were massed the legions of the Maeronican -heavy infantry, flower of the fighting men of seven cities, the core -of which was formed of the garrison of Adlaz itself, fifteen thousand -veteran men-at-arms. - -Bidding his captains go forward, the king called for his horse. - - * * * * * - -Somber as he had appeared in his dull garments in the midst of his -butterfly court, Bel-Ar, among his captains, offered an even greater -contrast. He loved the pomp and pride of power, its show and its -glitter, but not in his own person. While his generals rode in gold, -and the armor of some of them blazed with gems and patterns in -orichalcum that made them glow like fireflies in the night, the king -wore a simple suit of arms of black steel, plain of design and undecked -by any flashing gauds. Only the majesty that dwelt in his pallid face -and the fires of his mystic's eyes distinguished him from some humble -gentleman of poor estate. - -Mounting his war-horse, a gaunt, powerful roan beast of vicious temper, -the king, with a number of his favorite captains, rode down the field -in the wake of his advancing phalanxes. With them was advanced the blue -and gold battle-standard. - -Bel-Ar marshaled his legions in wide divisions, each of nearly a -thousand men, marching in quadruple lines, and the divisions in such -close touch that they might form, when there was need, a solid front. -At the wings of the force were stationed the light-armed men and -archers. Behind those, two wedge-shaped masses of chariots rolled forth -from the camp gates and rumbled across the plain. - -At the foot of a gentle dip of the land the Rutharians had met and -hurled back the horsemen. There they elected to remain and await the -enemy's sterner onset. - -On came the shimmering lines of Ad across the meadows now dewed with -blood; on with a rattle of drums, a brazen peal of trumpets, the clank -and clash of armor mingling with the pounding hoofs on the hard turf, -the thumping of chariot-wheels, and the shouted commands of the file -leaders--the ancient, many-tongued clamor that stirs the soul of Mars. - -Silent and watchful, the men of mountainous Ruthar crouched low behind -their shields and waited. - -Over the bodies of their dead comrades, over the fallen horses, the -phalanxes marched. Then, closing into a living wall, they took the last -tangled barrier of corpses with a rush and a shout, and the battle was -joined. All across the field echoed the hollow thunder of the meeting -shields as the lines closed. Followed a clanging as of a thousand -trip-hammers. For now the spears were down and the swords were at work. - -Following their custom, the Rutharians cast their shields behind them -after the first shock of the onset, and plied their long blades with -both hands, making them serve both as swords and bucklers. - -On pushed the Maeronican wall under its tossing banners. So fierce was -the rush and pressure of those charging thousands that Ruthar's line, -strive as her warriors might, was bent backward like a bow. A wild -cheering went up from the ranks of Ad when they saw the red standard -give back. Gathering themselves again, they swept the mountain legions -to the crest of the rise. - -Sitting his charger on the slope behind the line of his men-at-arms, -Polaris looked down into that hell of combat. Like the unfolding vista -of a hideous dream, it seemed to him, which he was powerless to break -or to hinder. Yet above the din of the blood-maddened legions the sky -was blue and calm, the sun shone bright, and back there in the forests -the birds of spring were calling to their mates. - -Under his fascinated eyes the line of his warriors bent and came -nearer. The red banner of Ruthar--a moment ago it had been planted -at the foot of the slope, and now it was almost touching his horse's -muzzle! Down there in the field another flag was coming, and with it a -company of riders whose armor flashed back the sunlight from plates and -shields of burnished gold. - -The spell was broken. - -Rising in his stirrups, the son of the snows drew his two-handed sword -from over his shoulder. Among the Maeronican generals his keen eyes had -seen a face that he remembered well. - -"Zinds of Ruthar!" he cried, his voice ringing above the clamor. -"Yonder rides Bel-Ar of Adlaz. Let us go and greet him." - -All around him he heard the clinking of closing vizors. The zinds were -ready. - -Casting down his shield, Polaris called to the swordsmen in front to -open and make way. Before the Maeronican soldiery could advantage -themselves of the gap, he was down the slope and upon them like a -living thunderbolt. Under the urge of the spurs, his horse reared -and struck out with its forefeet as it met the foemen. Leaning well -over the good beast's shoulder, the rider whirled his heavy blade and -struck so fast and so fiercely that eyes could not follow the blows. -Adlaz's stoutest warriors shrank bewildered from the menace of that -lightning-stroke and those steel-shod hoofs. Before one might count ten -he was through them, leaving a wake of crumpled men. Behind him rode -gray Jastla and the zinds of Ruthar. - -As they passed, one of the zinds bent and snatched the crimson banner -from the standard-bearer. - -A roar like that of angry lions went down the Rutharian front when -the hillsmen saw their flaming standard rise over the heads of the -fighting men and advance into the field. Where their king led, no wall -of steel could hold them back. As though the string had been released, -the mighty bow straightened. All down that long, grim battle-line the -two-handed swords clove through. - -Rallying around their king, the golden captains waited the shock that -was coming. - -For Polaris had one goal, and one only, on all that stricken field. -Outstripping the fleetest of his riders, he hewed his way through the -Maeronican nobles, nor stopped until his sable war-horse was shoulder -to shoulder with the steed of Bel-Ar, the king. - -"By Shamar, 'tis the slave-king!" shouted Bel-Ar, as the apparition in -steel and silver burst through his gilded riders and bore down upon -him. Sword and shield he lifted to meet the assault, fending himself -with that skill of arms by which he oft had made good the boast of -Adlaz that he was the hardiest fighting man in the two kingdoms. - -While the battle on the plain raged around them unheeded, king met king -in the play of swords. - -First stroke of Polaris fell on the rounded shield and beat it down so -that Bel-Ar reeled in his saddle. Before the great blade could swing -again, the Maeronican straightened and smote with his own good sword of -tempered bronze. A clang as of a descending hammer rang in the ears of -Polaris. Under the trampling feet of the horses lay one of the golden -wings of his helmet. Another stroke fell on his shoulder, cracking a -steel boss of his armor and thrilling his arm with a sting of pain. -Heeding it not, he rose in the saddle and swung his sword to his two -arms' height. No shield or arm would stay that blow. - -For the fraction of a second Bel-Ar's doom hung poised in air. Ere it -fell, Polaris's stallion reared, screaming. The mighty stroke that the -rider sped fell on empty air. Overbalanced by the weight of his own -effort, Polaris bent nearly to his saddle-bow. Beneath him the black -stallion shuddered and went down. An unhorsed captain of Adlaz had run -in and thrust the animal through the vitals with a spear. - -Janess sprang free from the falling horse. Above him, Bel-Ar shouted -in triumph and hewed down with his bronze sword. But the zinds of -Ruthar had torn through Bel-Ar's riders to the support of their king, -upsetting both men and horses as they came. One of them, a slender -youth in silver armor, leaped from his steed and flashed between Bel-Ar -and his dismounted and helpless foeman, taking the king's sword-stroke -on his head. - -Jastla closed his steel ring, then, and Bel-Ar was carried away in a -swirling press of his own cavalry, which had charged fiercely in to -save him. - - * * * * * - -Polaris knelt beside his fallen horse and lifted the still form of the -man who had saved him. The red banner of Ruthar, held by Zind Albar, -floated above them. Around the circle of riders which Jastla had drawn -the battle whirled like a seething maelstrom around a rock in a sea of -clashing steel. - -"Who is he?" Polaris asked of Albar, and pillowed the head in its -silver helm on his knee. In vain he tried to lift the vizor. The -sword-stroke of the Maeronican king had shattered the upper flare of -the helmet and bent down its crest so that the vizor would not yield. - -"I know him not," said Albar, who was a hillsman. "Some zind of the -lower cities, I judge, from the armor he wears. Whoever he is, he is a -brave man. He has this day saved the life of the king of Ruthar, and -I fear that he has lost his own in the deed. Bel-Ar strikes bitterly. -See; he has cracked the helmet like an egg. Ah-h--!" - -Striking the steel-shod shaft of the standard into the earth, Albar -leaped down from his horse and knelt beside Polaris. - -While the zind had been speaking, the fingers of the son of the snows -had loosed the clasps of the helmet and lifted it. From under the -cloven silver shell rippling coils of red-brown hair slipped down and -flowed over his arm and his knee, where the sunlight caught and turned -them into dancing flames. The pale face turned up to the sky, unmarred -save by a small stain of blood at one of the temples, was that of the -Goddess Glorian of Ruthar! - -Janess groaned. Albar stared like a man transfixed. But Glorian was not -dead. As the air struck her face she moved her head faintly and her -lips trembled. - -"Illia--roars--loudly to-day," she murmured. "It must be--the -freshets--of spring." - -She opened her eyes, saw the faces bent above her, and smiled wanly at -Polaris. - -"Then I was not too late?" she said, the halting gone out of her voice. -"'Tis well." - -"Lady, why did you come hither--into the battle?" asked Polaris. "And -why--" His voice broke; for the courage of this woman moved him almost -to tears; the memory of that crushing stroke of bronze which she had -taken in his stead made him shudder. - -Glorian smiled again. - -"Vex yourself not about me," she said. "Shall Ruthar's bravest shed -their lives for their land and king, and Glorian not do her part?" She -lifted her hand and pointed to the standard. "Where Ruthar's banner -goes, there goes Glorian also--even into the battle. And I am not -dying, or greatly hurt, only dizzied, and my head hums. See; I can -arise." - -And arise she did, with Polaris's arm to support her. Around Jastla's -narrowing circle broke the shock of the battle-tide. But for the moment -neither the man nor the woman heeded it. - -"But you are wounded, lady," Janess said. "There is blood on your -forehead." - -She slipped a hand from its gauntlet and raised it to her head. - -"Hardly a scratch," she said. - -Just at the roots of her long tresses a splinter from the shivered -helmet had scarred the scalp--a tiny cut, scarcely a quarter of an inch -in length. - -Now Albar the zind, who had hung on every word, came out of the spell -of horror that had bound him. He swung himself onto his horse. Then for -the one time in his life Albar gave orders to a king. - -"Guard you the goddess and the banner," he cried to Polaris. "I go to -tell the men of Ruthar that which shall put in each one the strength of -ten!" - -He rode to Jastla's side. - -"Gray wolf, may your ring be strong till I come again," he said. "You -have within it a king and a goddess." - -Down rang his vizor, and setting spurs to his horse Albar set out to -cross the field and find Oleric the Red. - -No longer was the fight on the plains one of ordered lines of men. The -charge of Polaris had broken the Maeronicans' long front, and they -had not been able to close up the gap he had made. So they had swung -into the smaller phalanxes of their legions, and the battle was one of -division against division, with many breaks between. Here and there -the divisions had split up into still smaller groups, and occasionally -there might be seen two warriors who fought alone, one laying on for -Ruthar and one for Ad. - -Gray Jastla, fighting with his face to the west, heard Albar's words as -the zind flashed past him. To find their meaning, the chieftain cast a -hurried glance over his shoulder. He saw Polaris and Glorian standing -together under the crimson standard, and was near to letting his sword -fall in his surprise. Next instant he rose in his stirrups and clove a -Maeronican from shoulder to breastbone. Out rang the chief's voice in a -hollow roar through his vizor: - -"Strike as ye never struck before! Behind you is the Goddess Glorian, -come to see that ye do well. Would ye have these Maeronican hounds take -her? Strike!" - -Around the circle echoed the war-cry: - -"For the Goddess Glorian! Strike!" - -Like living sword-blades did the Rutharian zinds answer that fierce -appeal. The circle grew smaller and drew in upon itself, but it did not -break. Under their resistless blades the zinds piled a rampart of dead -Maeronicans to defend their goddess. A riderless horse backed into the -circle, and Polaris, quitting Glorian's side, mounted the steed with -his two-handed steel and joined the zinds. - - * * * * * - -Standing up on the body of Polaris's fallen war-horse, supporting -herself with one hand on the staff of the banner, Glorian watched that -deadly fray. With her long hair flowing on her shoulders, she looked in -her warlike gear like one of the valkyries of Adin come down to earth -from Valhalla to watch the passing of the souls of heroes. Ever her -gaze followed Polaris. And if she seemed like one of the Norse god's -daughters, the man who fought under her eyes was a fitting part of the -simile. - -His sword wrenched from his grasp in the body of a man he had slain, he -snatched the heavy ax that swung at his saddle-bow, and with it laid on -like Thor with his hammer. - -Aid was coming. - -Down the field as he rode Albar spread the tidings. From mouth to mouth -flew the word that the Goddess Glorian was on the plains of Nor, and -that she and the king were in sore peril yonder where the red standard -flew. The effect was instantaneous. Each warrior became a host in -himself. Wounded men who had turned to the rear heard and forgot their -hurts and staggered into the fight again. - -When Albar reached Oleric the Red on the right, the zind found that his -news had preceded him. - -"Get you to Maxtan," shouted Oleric. "Charge with every horse that can -bear a rider. A messenger has gone into the forests, and another charge -is coming. Clear the way for the amalocs." - -Maxtan and Albar gathered their wild horsemen and charged and charged -again. So well did they do their work that they hacked a way to the -first rank of the Maeronican chariots, deep between the two horns of -which was waging the struggle around the red banner. - -Vainly Oleric urged his own charioteers forward. Bel-Ar's blood was up, -and he was smiling no longer. Battalion on battalion of his infantry he -sent in to meet the steeds and feed the blades of Ruthar. Almost within -his grasp the Maeronican king saw victory. Already he counted as taken -the slave whom his foeman had crowned. Sooner than give back a foot, or -allow that little band of riders to go free, he was prepared to spend -his army to the last man, and himself with it. - -No less than three horses Oleric had killed under him. When the last -was gone, he climbed into a chariot and fought at the point of his -rumbling wedge. Behind him from the forests a force entered the plain -and the conflict that was mightier than all the red captain's horsemen -and battalions. - -Zoar had come. - -In the shadow of the tall trees where the bending limbs swept their -mighty backs, Zoar marshaled thirty of his amalocs and set them in -battle array--a single line, with twenty intervening feet between each -beast. If Zoar knew aught of amalocs, and he thought that he did, there -would be need for no second line. A hundred men and as many horses ran -about the legs of the monsters, tightening the broad girths that held -the basketlike turrets on the mammoths' shoulders. The beasts stood -quietly, swinging their huge trunks and weaving from side to side, -as was their habit. Occasionally one of them cocked forward a great -blanket of an ear as though in lazy wonderment at the din on the plains. - -On the head of each, with his back to the turret, and clutching his -keen-pointed ankus, sat a driver in full armor. - -When all was ready, the spear-throwers and archers clambered up by -rope-ladders and took their places in the towers. - -At the left of the line, and nearest to the river, was Ixstus, -patriarch and giant of the herd. And on the broad head of Ixstus beside -the driver rode Zoar of the many years. - -Along the line from beast to beast passed the word: - -"We are ready, Father Zoar." - -"Ixstus!" said the old man. The sail-like ears gave attention. "Ixstus, -I have raised you since a calf, and I think you love me after your -fashion. Do not fail me now, Ixstus. Go forward, fearing nothing. _Akko -dor!_" - -Zoar's last words were spoken loudly. Thirty vast trunks lifted up. -From thirty huge proboscides pealed forth the amaloc trumpet-call--such -a call as might have shaken the forests in the ages before the first -puny man began his life of fear. - -For of amalocs the records of the Garden of Eden make no mention. - -Swaying their ponderous heads, and with the turrets on their shoulders -heaving and tossing like boats on a troubled sea, the amalocs went -forward. - -Far in the turmoil of the fight Oleric heard that trumpeting. Over his -shoulder he looked and saw the mighty red bulk of Ixstus push out from -among the trees. - -With their trunks curled out of harm's way, their thick and ropy tails -stretched straight out behind, and their ears flapping to their stride, -the amalocs came down the grim lanes of battle. Though the legs that -were as the trunks of trees for size swung with no apparent haste, -the beasts came on at a pace that it would have troubled a trotting -horse to distance. The lengths of chain fastened to their knee-harness -whistled through the air like flails. - -From division to division along Ruthar's jagged battle-line sped the -warning cry: - -"Way! Way for Zoar! Make way for the amalocs!" - -Under the tossing ivory fronts the divisions parted and drew aside. -Zoar increased the distance between his beasts. Into thirty wide -aisles the army split. From forest to front, save for the dead, the -way was clear. From the wild vortex of the battle rose a stormy burst -of cheering as the amalocs thundered down the aisles, and Ruthar's -exultant warriors welcomed their gigantic allies. - -Wilder still was the cheering when it was seen that at the ends of the -pathways the phalanxes of Bel-Ar's men-at-arms were crumbling away. -Flesh and blood could not abide the onset that was coming, and the -Maeronican legions broke and fled ingloriously across the plains in -droves, many of them casting away their arms and shields as they ran. - -Bidding his charioteer pull in his horses, Oleric climbed up on the -high front of his chariot to watch how Bel-Ar would meet this new -stroke. What would meet the drive of the amalocs? As he reached his -vantage-point, the answer came--a cavalry charge! - -From the wall of his camp, where he had been taken, nursing an arm -that was numb from wrist to shoulder, the Maeronican king ground his -teeth in fury as he saw the new force enter the battle and witnessed -the melting of his legions. Once before, in the morning, his cavalry -had been rudely handled, and he had laughed. Now, with tears of rage -in his eyes, he dispatched his shattered squadrons in the teeth of the -oncoming peril. - -White-faced captains and quaking men scrambled into their saddles to -do their king's bidding, and the horsemen rode desperately to meet the -beasts. - -What happened was simple. The amalocs plowed through the clouds of -cavalry that opposed them with scarcely a break in their stride, -overthrowing men and horses as though they had been of paper, and -leaving ghastly ruins behind them where their ponderous feet had -trodden. - -One such onset was enough. No horse that ever lived could have been -forced to face another. For the amalocs, when they joined battle, set -up such a din of squealing and trumpeting as nearly split the ears that -heard it. The horse that could have met that grievous onslaught must -have been both blind and deaf. - -From above, in the basket-turrets, the archers and spearsmen poured -down a deadly hail of missiles on the riders. Did a horseman avoid the -thrashing chains and get near enough to the vast side of an amaloc to -strike--and not many did so--he found his spear-point rebound from -the tough hide. The utmost power of his stroke was not a pin-prick to -an amaloc. Even as the swordsmen had fled, so fled now the riders, -betaking themselves in a fear-maddened stream to their camp, whither -the charioteers had preceded them. - -"The beasts of Ruthar are a myth," had said Bel-Ar, the king. And his -soldiers had believed him, had fostered confidence with the thought -that the frightful tales that had been told of the strength and fury -of the amalocs were mere traditions which had come down from the days -of old. Now here before the camp were the beasts, red and awesome and -raging--more terrible by far than even tradition had painted them--and -among the Children of Ad there was none who had the heart to go out -and face them--unless, indeed, it were the king himself. Bel-Ar in his -rage would have fronted the overlord of all evil that day had he come -against him. - -So it came about that the ring of Jastla, the chief, found the -pressure of assault slackening and falling away. Maeronicans who had -been fiercest to meet the sword-blades, now were stumbling over each -other's legs in their haste to escape the amalocs. What was left of the -ring--barely a score and five of battered men and horses--opened, and -through its gap strode Ixstus and paused beside the red banner. - - - - - CHAPTER X - - THE GODDESS GLORIAN'S DECREE - - -Zoar quit the straps where he had held and stood on the head of Ixstus. -A triumph shone in the eyes of the master of the amalocs, and a smile -spread over his mummified old-ivory features as he looked down at -Glorian. - -"Daughter, they told me that I would find you here--in the forefront of -the battle," he said. "And so it is. Your zeal for Ruthar has carried -you far--so far that Oleric the Learned could not follow, and sent -Father Zoar to find you." He laughed in his bell-like tones. - -"But for the King of Ruthar and these brave men here, you would have -had a longer journey, Father Zoar," Glorian replied. "It might have -been to the camp of Bel-Ar yonder, or--to the stars. Take me up with -you, Zoar, for I am weary." - -"_Stekkar deen!_" commanded Zoar, and Ixstus looped his trunk and swung -Glorian gently to a seat beside his master. - -Glorian looked around at the little circle of wearied men--so wearied -that they reeled in their saddles. She looked at those others, who lay -where they had fallen, and to whom the long rest had come. Her eyes -filled with tears. - -"I thought to thank you," she said, "but I find no words splendid -enough." - -Old Jastla lifted his arm in salute. "Lady, to those of us who live, -it is sufficient to know that you live also. Those who are dead, died -gladly to make it so. We have held our goddess safe, and our king has -held himself." And he turned and saluted Polaris. - -Of the hundred zinds and fifty tall hillsmen who had formed in Jastla's -ring, five and twenty were left. Not one was unwounded. Jastla's beard -was red with blood, where a spear-point had penetrated through the -bars of his vizor and torn his mouth. In addition to the bruised and -stiffening shoulder caused by the blow of Bel-Ar that had broken his -armor, Polaris had been gashed on the cheek by an arrow. Otherwise he -was the least harmed of the party. - -It was midafternoon when Ixstus set foot in the circle. Presently -Oleric arrived in his chariot. Behind him came the host of -Ruthar--weary and with many of its battalions sadly thinned, but still -a host, and ready to go on if need be. - -Another amaloc rolled up alongside of Ixstus. Over the edge of the -wicker basket it bore, a white old head bobbed up with the suddenness -of a jack-in-the-box. - -"Hey, son," said Zenas Wright to Polaris, "will you never quit your -foolhardy ways? Look what you have made me do--come a-hunting you, -riding on the back of one of these animated stacks of red hay, that -should have been dead and fossilized six thousand years ago. Well, -well; we've given his majesty Bel-Ar a bellyful, I'm thinking." Out of -his basket and down the rope-ladder Zenas clambered to shake Polaris by -the hand. - -"Oh, boy," the geologist said, "you're a better king than those -heathen will see again, if they all live to be as old as Father -Methuselah yonder says he is. But be careful, lad, be careful." - -On the head of Ixstus the Goddess Glorian stood and pointed toward the -camp of Bel-Ar, and her beautiful face grew stern. - -"There are still three hours of daylight, Father Zoar," she said. "Let -us go and finish what we have begun." - -"As well now as ever, daughter," Zoar replied. "I am minded to teach -this Maeronican king a lesson that shall become a tradition in the -land. What passes in the camp? My eyes are too dim to see." - -"Confusion, father, and the running to and fro of many men. They are -adding to the height of their earthen walls. They are piling their -gateways with timbers and the fragments of broken chariots." - -Zoar laughed. "Think they with walls of mud to stop my amalocs?" he -muttered. He lifted his voice, and word was passed down the line that -the beasts were to be advanced against the camp. - -Under the orders of Polaris, the dead zinds and men of his guard were -borne off the field, and those who were still living, but wounded, -were carried tenderly to the rear. When he learned that the amalocs -were to attack the camp, he climbed with Zenas to the turret which the -geologist had occupied. Jastla and the others he urged to seek rest. -But they were men of great spirit, and only one or two of them went. -The most of them sent for fresh horses, determined to see the fighting -through to its end. - -At a word from Glorian, Jastla took up the war-standard of Ruthar and -passed it to the fighting men of Zoar, who set it fast in the wicker -tower on the back of Ixstus. Glorian caught its floating folds and -kissed it. - -"Now Ixstus bears our banner. Who shall withstand it?" she said. - -A blare of trumpets, a ruffle of drums, sounded the advance of Ruthar. -Louder and above all arose the roar of the thirty amalocs, strident and -deafening, as the shaggy, red line surged forward. - -In the camp of Bel-Ar that call found answer in the howl of hate and -terror that went up from the ranks of the Maeronicans when they saw -that their terrible foes were coming. - -"Fire!" shouted Bel-Ar to his generals. "We must meet and turn the -beasts with fire! Man the walls with torches and set a blaze before -each gate." - -Bel-Ar had pitched his encampment in a loop of the River Thebascu, -a broad, swift stream, now swollen by the spring freshets into a -dun-colored torrent. From bank to bank across the loop, the soldiers -had constructed a wall of earth and stones, ten feet high, and pierced -by six wide gateways, wherein were set heavy gates of steel and oak. -Inside the line of the outer wall, with some fifty feet of space -intervening, was another rampart, also of earth, and a few feet higher -than the first. Outside of the works the camp was protected further by -a semicircular ditch, or moat, spanned at each of the gateways by a -solid bridge of timbers. The Maeronican engineers had turned the waters -of the river into the moat and filled it level full. At the rear of the -camp was the crossing of the Thebascu--three wide bridges of stone, -which had been built in the long ago. - - * * * * * - -When they saw the advance of the amalocs, soldiers swarmed from the -camp with ropes and horses, and strove to pull the timber bridges away -from the ditch. But the weight of the passing and repassing of the -army had sunk the beams into the earth so deeply that they could not -be stirred. Failing in that attempt, the Maeronicans piled dĂ©bris on -the floors of the bridges and set fire to it, hoping to burn away the -approaches. That, too, was a failure. The water of the moat, nearly -level with the side-beams, was ankle-deep on the bridge-floors, and had -soaked the timbers so that they would not catch from the fires. - -As Zoar and his monsters came to the moat, the men of Bel-Ar shot at -them with arrows, stones, and javelins. But Ruthar could play that -game, too. Oleric lined the ditch between the bridges with slingers -and archers, who kept up so thick a bombardment that they killed many -men, and soon drove the Maeronicans to the shelter of their walls. As -they went in, Bel-Ar's men touched flames to the piles of timbers and -wrecked chariots before their gateways and closed their gates. - -"Shall we cross the bridges and clear the way, Father Zoar?" asked -Oleric. - -"Nay," the master of the beasts replied, "that would be at the expense -of many men, and yon is an ill place to fight in. Methinks I know a -better plan." - -Under his directions, his foresters ungirthed one of the mammoths and -took from its back the wicker turret. Zoar called the driver of the -beast to him. Whatever it was that the old man said, the amaloc-driver -blanched somewhat at the words. He cast a quick glance toward the armed -camp, and under his swarthy skin his face turned pale. Then he drew -himself up proudly, saluted, and went back to his beast. - -Clambering to his perch, the man found and pulled two small chains -connected with the armored plates which protected the skull of his -ponderous steed. These drew into place and closed fast two small doors, -or lids, cunningly wrought of steel, and devised to cover the eyes of -the beast. So blinded, the heart within the vast bulk became uneasy, -and the mammoth began to back and sway, groping before it with its -trunk. - -While the army stood breathless to see what he would do, the driver -struck with his ankus, and with a shout launched the amaloc straight at -the center gate of the camp. - -Deprived of its eyesight, the mammoth obeyed the superior will -expressed by the voice that it knew and loved. Across the bridge, where -ordinarily it would have paused and tested the timbers carefully before -trusting its immense bulk upon them, it now charged blindly, trumpeting -as it went. - -Showers of missiles from the camp of Ad fell on the beast; ahead of it -roared the blazing pile. It screamed out with pain and terror when the -flames touched it, but it did not stop. Scattering the burning tangle -like fiery chaff, it tore on, and its armored frontlet clanged on the -bars of the gateway. - -That shock tore the gates from their hinges and brought the amaloc to -its knees. For an instant it knelt on the fallen gate, then, trumpeting -with rage, rose up and danced on the ruin. - -On the head of the beast the driver lay flat on his belly, his arms and -legs thrust under the leather bands placed there to hold him. Ahead, -scarcely fifty feet away, was the second gateway. With voice and steel -the man urged the amaloc on, and it crashed through that gate as it had -through the first, and plunged into the center of the Maeronican camp. - -Began then a mad rout for safety. No one thought of fighting the terror -that had come among them; but each man for himself ran for the river, -casting away anything that might weight down his legs. Soon all three -bridges of the Thebascu were black with a horrid, writhing mĂŞlĂ©e--a -tangle of fear-maddened men, cursing and striking at each other for -way, and screaming, terrified horses. Many soldiers, unable to fight -into the jams on the bridges, threw themselves into the swift stream -with all their armor on, and some swam across and others were seen no -more. - -To and fro through the encampment raged the now thoroughly crazed -amaloc, sundering and crushing all that it met. The long, red wool -had caught fire from the blaze at the gateway and burned fiercely up -over its shoulders. Wild with the pain of it, the beast ran hither and -thither, seeking to escape from the flames. A two-horsed chariot was -in its path at one moment. It scooped it up like a toy and carried it -forward on its mighty tusks, the horses dangling in their harness. Then -with a heave of its vast shoulders the monster cast the wreck in the -air. Lying on his face, the driver closed his eyes and prayed wildly to -his stars. - -At length, smelling the water of the river, the amaloc turned thither, -to quench its agonies in the rushing stream. On it drove, across the -camp, upsetting everything in its way. It reached the river to the -left of one of the bridges. In its path a horse bearing a steel-clad -rider slipped and fell. The groping trunk that sought the water found -the man, plucked him from the ground, whirled him aloft, and dashed -him against an abutment of the bridge so that his armor cracked like a -nutshell and his blood ran down the stones. - -With a final shriek of fury, the amaloc plunged into the river. The -waters closed over its upthrown trunk, and its mad career was ended. -With it went the driver, well content to give his life for Ruthar. - -This one beast in the outpouring of its majestic strength had done -more to shatter the power of Adlaz than had the legions of Ruthar in a -month's fighting. - - * * * * * - -Soon after the death of the amaloc, night fell swiftly across the -plains of Nor. The other beasts of Zoar, made uneasy by the experiences -through which they had passed, and stirred by the screaming of their -flame-maddened comrade, were in such a state that their master deemed -it unwise to attempt to urge them farther in the darkness and against -the fires. So he drove them back to the forest, and Ruthar camped on -the plain. - -In the night was heard a clamor as of men who fought on the other side -of the Thebascu, and when morning came it was seen that the host of -Bel-Ar was divided. The royal standards waved over the bridge-heads at -the crossing of the river. Farther down the stream, and opposite to the -camp of Ruthar was gathered by far the greater part of the Maeronican -host. - -When the dawn was full, a boat crossed the river, bearing messengers -to Ruthar from the lords of the six cities which had fought for Adlaz. -These heralds came to Oleric and asked what terms he would make them. - -"For," said they, "did we have to fight with men only, we would stand -firm until the end, and with our united power sweep Ruthar from the -field and crush her. But against such as the great beasts no men may -war." - -The red captain referred them to the king of Ruthar for their answer. -Polaris bade them go back to the lords of the cities and say that he -wished to make war on none save Adlaz and the king thereof--but that -war he would wage until the death or the submission of Bel-Ar. - -"Our lords will not join ye in war against Adlaz," said one of the -heralds hastily. "We be not such traitors; but our soldiers will bear -arms against the terrible beasts no more." - -"Ruthar asks no help in her warfare against Bel-Ar," Polaris replied. -"Take your armies to their homes in peace." - -That answer satisfied the lords of the cities, and they sent word that -so they would do; and if Polaris in the end prevailed against Adlaz, -they would bend the knee to his rule. Secretly they hoped that he -would win. Bel-Ar had been a hard master, and those who had seen the -tawny-haired king of Ruthar deemed him to be the better man to serve, -outlander though he was. - -So that host was dispersed and went its various ways homeward. The -soldiers of Adlaz and the levies from the lands around the city were of -a different kidney. To a man they stood firm for their king. Beasts or -no beasts, they swore, they would die for him, did he wish it. - -It seemed likely that their promise would be required of them. Bel-Ar, -stubborn and high of spirit, was resolved to fight on. He still -mustered under his banners a force of nearly sixty thousand men, -veterans of his former wars and the flower of the fighting men of the -land. Besides, he held the advantage of position. - -When Ruthar would have gone on against him in the morning, it was -found that his engineers, working through the night, had piled the -bridge-heads with barricades of stones, so thick and high that -no amaloc charge would beat them down. Behind those barriers the -Maeronican generals reorganized their broken forces and sent in the -front fresh soldiers drawn from the reserves that were waiting along -the Mazanion Road. - -Not for many weary miles was there another crossing of the -Thebascu--if, indeed, there were any on the course of the river where -were bridges strong enough to support an army and the weight of the -amalocs. - -Taking counsel together, Polaris and Oleric and their generals decided -that they must hammer their way through at the three bridges. They -might have blown up the barriers with melinite; but they dared not, for -fear of destroying the structures of the bridges also; and they had not -the time to build new bridges. Only a sustained frontal attack, at the -cost of many men, would clear the way. - -For a score and ten days and nights the furious struggle was waged at -the Thebascu. Then one of the bridges was taken. Polaris, his great -frame grown gaunt from continual fighting, and his face sunken and -haggard with anxiety and loss of sleep, saw through hollow and burning -eyes his hosts swing across the river and into the Mazanion Road. - -Fourteen days were left him, and then--the Feast of Years, and the end. - -Summer was coming, and with it the feast of the return of Shamar, that -could not be set forward or delayed. Though the foe were hammering at -its gates, Oleric said, the feast would be held in the city. Such was -the ancient law laid down in the early days of Adlaz. - -On the Mazanion Road they found the captain Fanaer once more, tireless -and vengeful. As he had harried them all the way from the isthmian -passes to the plains of Nor, so he harried them now. Every foot of -the hundred miles down the Mazanion Road he fought them, and with him -fought Bel-Ar, his master. Wall after wall they built and lost. - -It was not until afternoon of the last day that the Rutharian vanguard, -so worn with battle that it staggered as it rode, broke through the -final barrier and marched through the gorgeous suburban estates to the -wall of Adlaz. Under the leadership of Fanaer, the remnant of Bel-Ar's -army made a last desperate stand, but was swept away. - -As night came on, the Maeronican king, broken-hearted, but still -defiant, entered his city and closed his gates--there to sit down and -wait for the coming of the Goddess Glorian. - - * * * * * - -It was nine o'clock of a morning--the morning of the third day of the -Maeronican month of Kanar, corresponding to the fifteenth of November; -or, to reverse the seasons to the terms of our northern clime, the -sixteenth of May. A man who bore a heavy heart within his golden armor -faced a white-faced maid in the ancient audience-hall of the dead king -Bel-Tisam. - -"Now am I in my heart almost a traitor to my king and land, lady," -Brunar said. "For I have almost wished that your lover might prevail -over Bel-Ar and save you. But the day has come and the time is at -hand, and Ruthar is still without the walls. Would that I might save -you, lady--I think that to do so I would willingly give my life. But -Shamar's servants have watched this place by day and by night. It -cannot be. Already they wait for you without the doors to lead you to -the temple." - -For an instant the girl's eyes swam with terror. She gazed hither -and yon about the hall like a hunted thing. Then the heritage of her -northern race came to her aid and saved her from collapse. - -Bravely she faced and spoke to the captain. - -She stepped to the cradle of the little Patrymion and kissed the babe. - -"I am ready," she said, then. - -At the doors of the prison a chariot waited, and with it were four of -the white-robed priests of Shamar. The girl was lifted into the car. -The charioteer drove up the side avenue of Chedar's Flight, past the -Place of Games, now standing empty and silent, to the grounds of the -Temple of the Sun. They saw many armed men in the street as they passed -along. As they entered the gateway of the temple grounds they heard a -dull booming that beat up with the wind from the south, where Ruthar -hammered at the Mazanion gates. - -The priests carried the girl up the hundred white marble steps to -the western entrance to the temple and through the splendid arch of -a doorway that was fifty feet from pave to vault. Within all was dim -twilight, except in the mighty dome, two hundred feet aloft. There it -was light, indeed. - -At the doorway the party halted, and two soldiers shackled Rose with -fetters of heavy gold at her wrists and ankles. Around her waist they -set a girdle of the same yellow metal, to which chains were attached. -That done, they placed a gag in her mouth and led her into the temple. - -Here was a place of wonders, such as had its like nowhere in the world. -All around the hall, supporting the ring of masonry on which the dome -rested, were magnificent pillars of marble. The circle of the pavement -which was enclosed by the pillars, and which was nearly a hundred feet -across, was bare, except at its center. There an oblong slab of black -basalt lay from west to east across the gleaming white floor. That -block was the height of a man's waist from the pavement, some six feet -across, and at least ten yards in length. - -On one end of the slab, that which pointed west, stood a solid column -of orichalcum, more than a yard in diameter and fifteen feet tall, its -whole substance glowing in the half-light like a pillar of lambent -flame. From base to top the surface of this marvelous plinth was carved -with Maeronican characters and mystic signs. It was the ancient Column -of Laws, whereon was written the prophecy of the future dominion of -Adlaz over all the world. - -Over across from the fiery pillar, at the other extremity of the slab, -was a vase, cut out of solid rock-crystal, as tall as a man, but -slenderly fashioned, and as fragile in structure as thin-blown glass. - -This basalt block, with its gleaming column and crystal vase, was the -altar of Shamar. - -Though the light was dim in the hall below, high in the arch of the -dome was a dazzling play of light and colors. Through prismatic -windows the rays of the sun poured and were translated into all of -the changing hues of the spectrum, and as the prisms were turned by a -concealed mechanism operated from below, the multiplying and shifting -color-shafts, reflected back from the marble walls, combined into a -bewildering and fairy display. - -Seated in a stone chair at the foot of one of the pillars in the -northern arc of the circle was Bel-Ar. He was in full armor of black -steel. His pallid face made a ghastly patch in the dusk. Except for the -large, glowing eyes, it might have been taken for the face of a dead -man. Back of the king, filling in the spaces between the pillars with -silent rows of bronze, were the five companies of the palace-guard. - - * * * * * - -Immediately upon the arrival of the girl the ceremonies were opened. -Followed by a train of his priests, chanting a deep-voiced hymn -of praise, the arch-priest of Shamar, the aged Rhaen, entered the -hall through the western portals. Thrice the procession of singing, -white-robed attendants of the god passed around the circle within the -pillars. Then they massed themselves in the space to the south of the -altar. Rhaen retired, to come forth again, clad in a surplice of pale -blue, and with a tall cap of the same color atop of his white locks. As -he passed Rose, she fancied that she saw a frightened look in his keen -old hawk's eyes. - -Four men brought in the head of one of the sacred bulls, freshly slain -in the courtyard. - -This gory trophy was laid on the altar, a few feet from the crystal -vase. - -At a command from Rhaen, a company of the priests bore the struggling -form of a man from behind the pillars and proceeded to chain him down -on the basalt slab near its center. He was fettered and gagged; but -even so trussed up, he fought frantically, giving the priests much -trouble before they had him chained in such a fashion that he could -scarcely move a limb. - -Now came the turn of Rose. - -As the priests bore her to the altar and lifted her, she saw that the -man who lay there was Ensign Brooks, of the _Minnetonka_. He had been -fetched from the mines by order of Rhaen to take the place of Everson. -When the girl saw the young sailor, chubby and cheerful no longer, but -worn to skin and bones, and with eyes that glared in their sockets, she -would have cried out in horror and pity--for to the last she thought -not of herself--but she was gagged and helpless to utter one word of -comfort. - -Brooks saw her as she was borne past him, and he struggled terribly. -His utmost effort resulted only in a violent shaking of his head. - -The servants of Rhaen chained Rose to the rock midway between the -sailor and the head of the bull. Aided by his priests, Rhaen clambered -onto the rock and took his stand at the foot of the orichalcum pillar. -He bent his head in prayer. While his lips moved, the priests knelt on -the pavement with lifted hands and upturned faces. Every eye was fixed -on the dome. Whatever was to come, it was evident that it would proceed -thence. - -Lying on the black altar, doomed to be the first sacrifice to Shamar -in the Feast of Years, Rose for a time was dazed and near to fainting. -Then her mind cleared, and a mad whirl of tortured thought began. -What of Polaris? With the memory of her lover came a stab of grief so -keen that it banished all fear of the priests and what they could do. -No pain that they could bring to her body could be so terrible as this -anguish that made her very soul quail. - -Minutes passed. Again she became calm and fell to studying her -surroundings. What manner of doom was coming? Fire in some shape, she -was sure. She had noticed that the surface of the basalt slab was -deeply scored down its center, where she and Brooks were chained, -and its substance was crumbled and calcined as if by the passing of -a fierce heat many times repeated. She besought her God that before -Shamar struck, her senses might leave her, so might she die in peace. - -Rhaen prayed on. Above in the dome the brilliant colors played and -shifted. Their magnificence hurt the girl's eyes, and she closed them. -Would the end never come? Out in the city the din of war swelled louder. - -Bel-Ar spoke harshly, bidding Rhaen delay not. The arch-priest quit his -mumbled prayer long enough to reply with some show of spirit that the -doings of the god could not be hastened. - -The truth of the matter was, Rhaen was proceeding slowly, and with a -reason. Rhaen was a politician. He had watched through the long weeks -the course of war, and he did not find it hard to guess whose would be -the ultimate victory. When that time came, what mercy would the king of -Ruthar show to those who had given his lady to the tortures of Shamar? -He lifted his hands high above his head, finally, and led his priests -in a sonorous chant. - -As the notes of the song arose, the prismatic colors ceased in the -dome. The prisms disappeared. Doors glided back in the golden roof, and -an immense circular plate, or lens, of crystal made its appearance. So -high was the arch of the dome where the crystal lens was hung, that it -was impossible from the floor to judge its size; but it must have been -at least thirty feet in diameter. It was set in a metal rim, and the -whole was swung into place by chains, the mechanism doubtless operated -by servants of Rhaen concealed in the vault of the dome. - -Tilted slightly to the east, the crystal hung. Above it a round -aperture suddenly appeared in the roof. Through that opening shot a -splendid shaft of sunshine that pierced the gloom of the temple-hall -like an arrow of light. Blinding in its radiance, it cut downward and -struck on the basalt altar, full on the head of the bull. - -Immediately arose the stench of burning hair and sizzling flesh. The -power of the crystal lens so condensed the light-ray that where it fell -its heat was all-consuming. Within half a minute naught was left of the -head of the sacred bull save a few cinders and bits of calcined bone -and charred tips of the horns. - -Where the head had been, the basalt rock glowed ruby-red in the path of -that awful lance of fire. Inch by inch, and very slowly, the consuming -ray crept along the altar toward the head of the girl. - -Rose had been nearly blinded, even through her closed lids, by the -flash of light from the dome. Although she could not turn her head to -see, she could smell the scorching flesh of the bull, and could guess -what was coming. - -"Good-by, my love, good-by," she said in her heart. Then He to whom she -had prayed made answer, and she fainted. - -Louder rose the chant of the priests. The merciless finger of their god -moved on. Bel-Ar strained forward in his stone seat and stared at the -sacrifice as though fascinated. - -Some five feet were yet to be traversed by the ray before it would -reach the girl, when a soldier ran up the southern steps of the temple -and hurled himself through the kneeling ranks of the priests. Behind -him a wild clamor of battle arose in the street. - -"Adlaz is lost!" shouted the soldier, as he broke into the open space -before the king. "Already is the foe at the very gates of Shamar!" - -Without stirring in his seat, hardly removing his eyes from the altar, -Bel-Ar gave an order to the captains behind him. The silent files of -the palace-guard came from behind the pillars and ranged themselves -before the four entrances of the temple. - -Across the face of the altar the relentless fire-beam seared its way. - - * * * * * - -Meanwhile, at the walls of Adlaz the Rutharian army had halted. - -Night had found the men of the hills battering at the Mazanion gates. -Urged on by the tireless energy of Polaris and the equally indomitable -zeal of Oleric--for the red captain had made a promise--the zinds -mustered their weary legions for a night of sleepless battle. War-worn -by a quarter-year's conflict, the echoes of which would go whispering -down their history for centuries to come, the king's battalions did not -fail him. Every man in the army knew the terrible stake that was set -for the game. None faltered. None complained. - -Assault on assault was directed at the gates, but still the southern -doors of Adlaz remained unshaken. Riders had made the round of the city -and had reported that the other three gateways had been walled up with -stone masonry that it would be a work of days to dislodge--and they had -only seventeen hours to reach the temple of Shamar. Oleric, who knew, -said that the sacrifice of the Feast of Years would begin at noon of -the next day, and not one moment sooner. - -Fanaer, Ruthar's most dreaded antagonist, was manning his last -barricade. As soon as he had drawn his shattered army within the gates -before the advance of his foemen, the captain ordered great rocks, -which had been brought to the top of the walls in preparation for his -purpose, cast down until they formed a jagged but powerful defense -before the gates. That was to keep back the amalocs. - -Vainly the infantry of Ruthar charged over that irregular wall. Did -any of them reach the gates, their battle-axes were but puny weapons -against the bronze and steel of the doors. In vain they tried to carry -in and place the melinite with which Zenas supplied them. Fanaer -showered them with stones and blazing timbers. Three times men carrying -the deadly cakes of explosive were stricken so that the melinite blew -up and tore them to shreds. - -All night long the attack was maintained. All the night Polaris raged -helplessly before that stubborn barrier of stone. In the morning light -he counseled with Oleric, Zenas, and Zoar. - -"If you could but clear a way for my beasts!" groaned Zoar. "Then I -would send them against the gates, though it killed them--which might -well happen, for those gates are heavy enough to challenge even the -strength of an amaloc." - -Zenas sprang up and beat himself on the forehead. - -"Doddering fool that I am!" he cried. "Here we have wasted men and -time, and because my wits were sleeping in my boot-heels. Get your -amalocs ready, Zoar." - -While Oleric sent one more assault against the gates, the geologist -directed his engineers, under the cover of the attack, to mine, not -the gates, but the pile of stones itself, with the melinite. Four big -charges of the explosive they placed in Fanaer's barricade, and Zenas, -with a tap of his finger on the battery, blew the barrier against the -wall. - -Hardly had the stones quit falling when an amaloc rushed the gateway. -Zoar spoke truly when he said those gates were strong. Fearful as -was the impetus of the beast's charge, and though it cracked the -great steel plates which protected its head with the impact, it did -not shatter the gates. It withdrew from the onset somewhat sick and -groggy--if that word may be applied to the mental condition of the -amaloc. Zoar sent in another. - -Four of the monsters were launched successively against the portals -before the gates crashed down. The last shock was so fearful that the -beast which delivered it fell just beyond the gateway and died with a -broken skull in the midst of the ruin it had made. - -Through the gap and into the Mazanion avenue, almost under the lee -of the falling mammoth, flashed Polaris, mounted and in full armor. -Hard behind him rode Oleric. Ahead of them the wide street was choked -with Maeronican soldiery, and the son of the snows would have charged -without pause; for the time that was left him was reduced to minutes -now. Taking of the gates had not been quick or easy, and Shamar was -high in the heavens. - -But the red captain caught at his bridle-rein. - -"Hold, friend and king; you will peril your life needlessly," he -shouted. "Leave this desperate scum to Zoar, and follow where he leads. -Ah! here he comes! Now see them scatter!" - -Oleric threw back his head and laughed. But Polaris, with that sun -riding high above him, was in no mood for laughter. - -In through the rifted gateway thrust Ixstus. The giant amaloc was -in his full panoply of war. On his head he bore proudly his master, -Zoar the aged, and in the turret behind Zoar rode the Goddess -Glorian--Glorian coming to the end to take what gift fate had in store. - -Under the swaying tusks of Ixstus terror shouted aloud in the street. -Behind him, his sons and grandsons were pushing in through the gap in -the wall. Bel-Ar's battered soldiers had had enough and full measure of -Ixstus and his family. They did not wait now for the first screaming -trumpet-call, but cast down their arms and scampered away--anywhere, so -that they might put strong walls between themselves and the tribe of -Ixstus. - -Then the general Fanaer rode forward and surrendered his sword to -Oleric. He was a small, thin man, this famous warrior, with a twisted -nose between pale-blue eyes, and curling, yellow beard. - -"I have fought you my best for the king, my master," he said. "But -you have taken Adlaz, and my work is done." He glanced curiously at -Polaris. "Haste you, king of Ruthar," he said, not unkindly. "They are -doing sacrifice in Shamar's temple." - -Like an arrow from a bow, Polaris shot forward, spurring his horse. -Oleric galloped after him. Behind them thundered Ixstus, shaking the -pavement with his tread. Nor, strive as the fleet horses might, could -they more than barely keep ahead of the amaloc. A race with death had -begun. - -Lest harm befall, the zind Maxtan led a squadron of his mounted -hillsmen in the wake of the speeding riders. Gray Jastla rode in the -front rank. - -Before Polaris's galloping steed leaped and barked the great dog -Rombar, who was more fleet of foot than any horse. To keep him out of -harm's way in the battles, Rombar had been chained in hateful captivity -for months. When the Mazanion gates were down and the amalocs cleared -the street, the man who had charge of Rombar slipped his leash and let -him go. - - * * * * * - -They rode madly through the splendid grounds of the temple, where the -sacred bulls fled bellowing before the approach of Ixstus. At the foot -of the long stairway, Polaris and Oleric threw themselves from their -steeds, and, drawing their swords, dashed up the marble steps. But -Zoar with a word of command, set Ixstus to the ascent, and the amaloc -distanced the running men. - -Scarce two feet of Shamar's black altar separated the head of Rose Emer -from the fiery danger, and the rock where she lay was almost blistering -hot, when Ixstus, with a scream of triumph, burst through the ranks of -the guard at the southern door and strode into the lofty shrine. As the -beast paused, blinking and stretching out an inquiring trunk in the -direction of the puzzling shaft of light, two armored men ran around -his ponderous bulk and leaped onto the altar. - -Rhaen would have given the word then to close the dome and stop the -ray; but the strain of his anxiety had been too much for the aged -priest. As he opened his mouth to shout, his knees loosened, and he -fell in a swoon at the base of the orichalcum pillar. - -With four strokes of his sword, Polaris severed the golden chains and -swept the senseless form of Rose from the altar. Oleric the Red did -the like service for Brooks. Now might the finger of Shamar move on -unheeded. - -Polaris knelt with his love in his arms. As he bent over her, Oleric -shouted in warning. The son of the snows leaped to his feet in time to -catch on his sword the blade of Bel-Ar, the king. - -Once again Ruthar and Ad, personified in their two rulers, were face to -face. - -From the four doorways came the devoted men of the palace-guard. -Bel-Ar, who had fallen back a pace, lifted his hand. - -"There is that between this man and me which only death may take away," -he said. "Let none interfere--unless the slave is afraid to fight." He -fixed his burning eyes on Polaris. At that last remark Oleric the Red -laughed loudly. - -Under other circumstances, Janess might have been minded to let Bel-Ar -go free. Whatever were his faults, the Maeronican king was a brave -man, one who did not bow down and weep when misfortune overtook him. -But Polaris had just seen his dear lady chained to the horror of the -sacrificial stone because of this man, and his fell religion and -relentless practices against strangers. Minos, Memene, Everson, the -company of the _Minnetonka_, the fallen of the hosts of Ruthar and of -Ad--for all those deaths Bel-Ar was responsible. Surely his doors were -haunted by many ghosts! - -With no word in answer to the king's taunt, Polaris swung his sword, -and the fight began. Bel-Ar pressed in with a shower of blows, seeking -to bear his adversary down by the sheer weight and fury of his attack. -He was a powerful man, perhaps the strongest warrior in all his broad -lands, as he had boasted--but he had met a stronger now. - -With the skill in fence that had been taught him by Jastla, the son of -the snows guarded himself against those lightning blows, letting Bel-Ar -weary himself until an opening should come--as his patience had told -him it always would, no matter how hardy the fighter. - -Jastla himself stood by the altar and watched his pupil fight. For -Maxtan and his cavalry had reached the temple. On one side of the -altar stood the men of Ruthar and Ixstus. On the other were ranged the -gleaming bronze lines of Bel-Ar's guard. - -Harder and harder the Maeronican pressed the fight. His blade swung -like a circle of flame. Warily Polaris fended. Came a clash and a -clang of falling steel, and a cry of dismay from the Rutharians. Under -the stout bronze of Bel-Ar their champion's sword had snapped short off -at the hilt. - -With a yell of exultation, Bel-Ar sprang in to make an end. And those -who watched the fray were bound by honor not to interfere. Oleric -groaned, and Jastla tugged at his white beard and ground his teeth in -dismay. Then he sent up a roaring shout: - -"Well thrown! Oh, well thrown!" - -Under the vengeful sweep of the singing blade Polaris had leaped and -caught the Maeronican around the middle. The blow of the sword fell -harmless. But Polaris swung Bel-Ar up to his shoulder, aye, and over -it, and dashed him down on the marble floor. - -One of the golden captains of the guard ran to the king's side and -unhelmed him. Bel-Ar was dead, his back broken by the terrible fall. - -"Heard ever a man the like?" roared Jastla. "The strongest warrior in -Adlaz tossed like a toy and slain by an unarmed man!" - -Through the fierce fray Glorian had sat like a statue, unable to stir -or speak. As the Rutharians shouted in triumph, she roused and cried -out: - -"Look to the priest! Haste! He burns!" - -Unnoticed in the stir of the combat, the ray of Shamar had moved on -down the length of the altar. The priests in the dome had fled their -posts in terror, and there had been none to stay the mechanism. In -the path of Shamar's finger lay Rhaen, Shamar's priest, swooned and -helpless. The ray struck him. Aid was too late. - -Rhaen was a horrid sight when he was pulled from the altar. His soul -had gone--perhaps to seek the god whom he had served. - -On Ixstus's head stood Glorian in her silver armor. - -"So ends the religion of Shamar!" she cried. With the battle-ax she -carried, she bent over and struck the crystal vase and shattered it. - - * * * * * - -At the other end of the altar of basalt the great ray beat on the -pillar of orichalcum, so that the surface of the metal was melted and -the cruel laws of Ad were effaced. With the laws perished the prophecy. - -Water was dashed on the face of Rose Emer, and presently she opened -her eyes and sat up and realized that she was not dead. Before them -all, Polaris took her into his arms and kissed her--for such is the -privilege of kings. Glorian, watching from Ixstus's back, turned white -with agony and clenched her slender fingers so that the nails bit into -her palms. - -"Oh, be strong, my heart," she whispered to herself. "My soul has said -it--_my time will come_!" - -Zenas Wright came soon, and at the altar of Shamar was held a reunion -where hearts were too full for talking, until Ensign Brooks spoke up -and Said: - -"Lead me to a dinner-table, somebody. First they worked the flesh off -my bones. Then they tried to roast me along with a bull's head and a -pretty woman--but never once did they give me a decent meal." - -"You shall have your dinner," said Polaris. "But first there is -something which I will have done, here and now, if may be." He turned -to Oleric, while Rose Emer's cheeks, that had been so wan, flamed rosy -red. - -"Has one of these priests here the power to perform a marriage -ceremony?" Janess asked. - -"Surely," replied Oleric. And then the red captain smiled broadly as he -caught the import of the question. "Hale one of them here, Jastla," he -said. - -Jastla came soon, gripping a sadly scared priest of Shamar by the slack -of his gown. "Do you, Oleric, who understand more of his jargon than I -do, listen that he does a good job of it," grumbled the chieftain. "For -if he doesn't, I'll flay him." - -But Glorian was great-hearted, even befitting her title of goddess. She -now stepped down from the amaloc to the altar. - -"In this let Glorian of Ruthar serve you," she said. "I have the power, -and the knot that I shall tie, though it shall be more gentle than if -done by this dog of Shamar, yet will it be as binding." - -So, after the long years and their perils, Polaris and his Rose-maid -were wedded, Oleric the Red producing the ring. And when she had -pronounced the words which made them one, Glorian took Rose in her arms -and kissed her on the forehead. - -"May you be very happy, my sister," she whispered. - - * * * * * - -Now here the pen that has written this history ceases, to give place to -that of one of its chief actors, who has a parting word to tell. - - * * * * * - -I, Zenas Wright, now in my sixty-seventh year, and being in full -possession of my health, mind, and faculties (as lawyers write it in -the wills) having been asked by the writer of the foregoing work to -make some comment on it, do hereby aver, asseverate, maintain, etc., -that it is in the main a faithful account of certain events in which it -has been my privilege to play a small part. In fact, I cannot well do -otherwise, seeing that I furnished him the information. - -Such changes as I might be tempted to make in the history he has -written would only vex the writer, and so I'll let it be. They would be -in the nature of scientific details, anyhow, and I fear would make only -dry reading for any but brother scientists. - -I have told the author that he has made altogether too much of my part -in the events which he has described. I am not a hero, and never will -be; but in this description of that brush in the Kimbrian defile--which -was altogether a matter of chance--he has made me almost heroic. I have -asked him to amend the account; but he will not listen to it, and so I -suppose that it will have to stand. I hereby disclaim it. - - * * * * * - -It is more than six months since the fademe _Oaron_ dropped anchor in -the Potomac (where its arrival created a fine sensation), and I landed -once more in Washington. With me came Lieutenant Everson. He did not -get to Adlaz until some weeks after it had been taken, and he's not the -man yet that he was before he got that jab from Atlo's spear. But he's -improving. He had the loss of a cruiser to report; but he brought with -him a sum in gold and gems, sent by the king of Ruthar and Maeronica, -sufficient to reimburse the Government for the loss of the ship, and -with a splendid sum left over to be distributed among the relatives of -those who went down with her. The king is a man who doesn't do things -by halves. - -Ensign Brooks came with us also. He was pining for a peep up Broadway -and a whiff of "America's strongest cigarette." I hope that he has had -enough to eat since he came back. - -Through the kindness of Oleric, I was enabled to bring with me a -splendid pair of mammoth's tusks, which I took great pleasure in adding -to the collection of the Smithsonian Institution. Some time I hope -to be the means of bringing to these shores specimens of the _Elephas -primigenius_ themselves, which the Rutharians call amalocs. - -Before this history comes to the eyes of the world--if it ever does, of -which I have some doubt--I shall have gone back to the south. I thought -that I wanted to end my days in my home in Buffalo and be buried there; -but I don't. I'm going back to be with my boy. He is making a wise -ruler there in Adlaz. Perhaps an old man's life will not be altogether -useless there, where there is so much to be done. - -Before I left Adlaz, two small princes were playing in the royal -palace--Patrymion, the boy of Minos, who eventually will be king if he -lives, and another youngster, who must stagger through life under the -burden of the name of Polaris Zenas Janess. Guess that's pretty good -for an old rock-splitter--to have the first-born son of a real king -named after him. Constituting himself the special guardian of the two -little chaps is a simple-minded little cockney sailor, whom Polaris -found in prison, Jack Melton by name. Sunlight has cured him of some of -his hallucinations, and he no longer hates Rombar. - -There is one thing more, which I did not find in the history, and will -now add here. It concerns that remarkable woman, Glorian of Ruthar. -One day when we were discussing the power which she and Oleric declare -they have to prolong their lives (privately, I think it is rank bosh), -Glorian told me that it was possible for one who knew the secret to -make use of it to keep another person alive, and without that person -knowing about it. Now Glorian is living in Adlaz, where she has had -the temple of Shamar fixed over to suit her. She sees Polaris often. -I am of the opinion that, if she has any such power--mind you, I'm -not admitting she has--she is using it on Polaris, and is planning -to outwait Mrs. Janess (Queen Rose, I suppose I should call her) and -eventually have him for herself. The outcome of this, only time will -tell, and I shall not live to know it. I have not the means to prolong -my life--and would not if I had. - -By the way, Zoar of the Amalocs died shortly after the taking of Adlaz. -The excitement of the war was too much for his heart. - -Oh, yes! And Oleric married Bel-Ar's widow, the Queen Raissa; and that -is all. - -Good-by. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK POLARIS AND THE GODDESS -GLORIAN *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. 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Stilson</p> -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: Polaris and the Goddess Glorian</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Charles B. Stilson</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: January 7, 2022 [eBook #67121]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK POLARIS AND THE GODDESS GLORIAN ***</div> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>Polaris and the Goddess Glorian</h1> - -<h2>By Charles B. Stilson</h2> - -<p><i>Copyright 1917 by Popular Publications, Inc.</i></p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<h2>Introduction</h2> - - -<p>In the antarctic wilds far below Ross Sea, Polaris Janess (Polaris—of -the Snows), was born, of a mother he never knew, and grew to manhood's -years knowing one human face only, that of his father. When that father -died, the young man set his face to the north, to find the world of -men, of which his father and his books had told him; and to deliver -to the National Geographic Society in Washington a packet containing -scientific data compiled by his explorer sire.</p> - -<p>Journeying through the silent wastes with his dog team, the son of the -snows found Rose Emer, an American heiress, who had strayed from an -exploring party, and who waited death in the icy wilderness.</p> - -<p>Hurled southward again in a breakup of the ice floes where they had -camped, Polaris and the girl came upon the kingdom of Sardanes—a -valley girded by volcanic hills which warmed it, and peopled by a lost -fragment, some two thousand strong, of the ancient Greeks.</p> - -<p>The adventures of the man of the snows and the American maid in -Sardanes; how they escaped thence; how their love bloomed amid -the eternal snows; and how they won at last to America, where the -Geographic Society hailed the dead Stephen Janess as the first man to -set foot on the Southern Pole—all these things have been related.</p> - -<p>Zenas Wright, friend of Polaris's father, and a celebrated student -of volcanic phenomena, told Polaris that the fires which had warmed -Sardanes for centuries were passing away from the valley, and that all -life in the ancient kingdom must perish.</p> - -<p>Chartering the United States second-class cruiser <i>Minnetonka</i>, -Polaris, Wright, and Captain James Scoland set sail to rescue the -Sardanians. Scoland, who loved Rose Emer, deserted Janess and Wright in -the wilderness and went back to America to woo the Rose-maid. But Rose -Emer refused him, and gray Marcus, Polaris's dog, protected her from -Scoland's profaning lips and tore the recreant captain so horribly that -the man went mad, and in his madness revealed his inhuman treachery.</p> - -<p>Again the <i>Minnetonka</i> turned her nose to the mysterious South, and -Rose Emer went down the bitter seas to find her sweetheart.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile Polaris and old Zenas Wright found Sardanes a waste of snows, -its volcanic girdle cold and dead, its people, led by the mad priest -of Analos, gone to their doom through the fiery "Gateway" of their -god Hephaistos. Only Minos, the kind, and his bride, the Lady Memene, -remained alive, hidden in a cave in the hills. Those four, Polaris, -Wright, and the two Sardanians, were picked up by the <i>Minnetonka</i> near -the Antarctic Circle as they were making their perilous way northward -in a small launch which they had found in the wreck of Captain -Scoland's supply ship.</p> - -<p>In the story which follows will be related the tale which was brought -back to America by old Zenas Wright—what befell Polaris and his -companions after the <i>Minnetonka</i> turned northward—homeward.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>CHAPTER I</h2> - -<h3>THE GOLDEN STRANGER</h3> - - -<p>On the bridge of the cruiser <i>Minnetonka</i> stood Minos, the Sardanian -king, staring southward in the wake of the ship, southward where his -lost, dead kingdom lay buried under the soft, cruel snows beyond the -unchartered antarctic seas. Ahead of the ship, full of promise, full -of hope, was America. For the <i>Minnetonka</i> had rounded the Horn that -morning and was on her long straight course for the port of home.</p> - -<p>Below him, in her cabin, was the girl bride of Minos, the Lady Memene, -so strangely won and saved from the crowning horror of his kingdom's -fall. It was mid-forenoon of a cloudless day. Gay voices echoed along -the decks of the cruiser. Gladness was in the very air the voyagers -breathed—the gladness of the homeward-bound.</p> - -<p>But the mien of the king was somber. There was a shadow on his brow -and deeper shadows in his dark eyes gazing so steadily into the south. -Bright as were his prospects, memory still whispered sadly to him of -the only spot on earth which had been home to him. He could not forget.</p> - -<p>Far away on the dancing, sparkling waters something caught the eye of -the king, a something which flashed and disappeared and flashed again, -as the wave on which it rode dipped and arose among its fellows. Minos -watched it curiously.</p> - -<p>Leaning against the rail beside the king, so close that their elbows -almost touched, was Lieutenant Irwin Everson, commander of the -<i>Minnetonka</i>, trim in his naval blue. Minos touched his shoulder and -said:</p> - -<p>"Yonder—something shines on the water."</p> - -<p>Everson followed with his eyes the course indicated by the pointing -finger of the king. Again the distant object flashed in the sunlight, -far away on the starboard quarter. "Might be ice; but I've seen enough -of that lately to know that it isn't," muttered Everson as he, too, -caught the flash, "and no wave ever shone like that."</p> - -<p>Stepping into the pilothouse, the lieutenant returned with his glasses. -Their lenses revealed to his eyes a glittering patch from which the -rays of the sun were reflected as it rose and fell with the waves. But -even the powerful binoculars were inadequate to distinguish the form -and substance of the thing.</p> - -<p>"I can't make it out," Everson said as he lowered the glasses. "But -here comes the keenest pair of eyes on the ship." He leaned from the -bridge and called down to a tall man who was crossing the deck below.</p> - -<p>"Oh, Mr. Janess! Can you spare us a moment? We need your eyesight."</p> - -<p>Polaris turned a smiling face in response to the call. He, too, was -glad of the home-going; no man on the ship more so. In a moment he -joined the king and the lieutenant on the bridge.</p> - -<p>Though he was not so tall by the breadth of a hand as the Sardanian, -who was indeed a giant, the tawny head of the son of the snows was -inches above that of the young naval man. As they stood one on either -side of him, Everson involuntarily stepped back a pace. He felt puny -and absurd, and he was by no means a small man.</p> - -<p>For the half of a minute, Janess gazed through the glasses, altering -their focus slightly. He lowered them suddenly and swung on his heel to -face Everson.</p> - -<p>"Put the ship—" He stopped and his face flushed. "I beg pardon," he -continued. "It is not mine to give orders, but yonder a man floats. He -lies face downward across a piece of wreckage."</p> - -<p>Lieutenant Everson hurried into the pilot house, and down to old -MacKechnie among his boilers was flashed the signal which swung the -gray cruiser off her course in a long arc to the southward.</p> - -<p>"A man, you say?" the commander queried as he rejoined Polaris and the -king. "But what is it that glitters so?"</p> - -<p>Polaris, with the glasses at his eyes again, did not at once reply. -When he did, the answer was surprising.</p> - -<p>"It is the man that glitters. If he be not of metal himself, then is he -clothed in it from head to toe, and it glimmers—" He turned to Minos -and lapsed into the Greek of Sardanes. "It glimmers, Minos, as did that -suit of armor which thou didst leave behind thee in the cave on the -Mount of Latmos," he said.</p> - -<p>The king stirred to quick interest. The eyes of the naval lieutenant -widened with amazement as Polaris repeated his remark in English.</p> - -<p>"A man clothed in metal! In armor!" he exclaimed. "And floating here -in the South Atlantic! What can that mean? Poor chap; whoever he is, -he will never tell us. He must have been dead for days. But it's well -worth the investigation."</p> - -<p>Impatiently the three men stood at the rail of the bridge as the ship -swung on.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>At an eighteen-knot clip, the <i>Minnetonka</i> cut swiftly through the -waves, nearer and nearer to the flashing burden of the waves. Soon -other eyes not so keen as those of Polaris could descry the strange -objective of the ship. Forward along the rail, sailors clustered, -shouting their surprise, and staring at the unusual spectacle of the -glittering man afloat.</p> - -<p>Presently, with a deep thrumming of her valves, the <i>Minnetonka</i> slowed -down. With a word to Everson, Polaris left the bridge and hastened -across the deck. As a boat was swung over the side in the davits, he -sprang into it with the sailors. Less than two-score strokes of the -oars took the boat alongside the floating mystery.</p> - -<p>Then, indeed, had the sailors cause to stare with open mouths.</p> - -<p>On a crisscross tangle of slender beams, oddly twisted and broken, lay -the body of a man. So small was the raft of wreckage which supported -him that his head and feet projected at each side, and as the waves -tossed his unstable craft, first his face and then his heels were -dipped beneath the water. Very wide of shoulder was the stranger and -powerfully framed, if the outlines of the garb he wore did not belie -him.</p> - -<p>From crown to sole he was dressed in jointed armor, cunningly fashioned -and decorated, and the whole of which gleamed in the sunlight as only -burnished copper or red gold can gleam. His hands only were bare; -smooth, strong hands, clenched fast about two of the broken beams -beneath him.</p> - -<p>But it was none of those things, and they were strange enough, that -caused the coxswain to cry out hoarsely as the boat wore alongside, or -that caused Polaris Janess, bent over with outstretched hands, to draw -them back from the floating stranger, while his lips parted and his -breath came hard.</p> - -<p>"He's alive! By the grace of God, he's alive!" cried the coxswain.</p> - -<p>Face downward the stranger lay, as Polaris had said, loose-flung and -inert, and sprawled as though some force had pitched him there. But -though his head was more often under the water than above it, his broad -shoulders heaved and fell regularly. He was alive.</p> - -<p>The supreme wonder of it, and that which awed Polaris and the sailors, -was that <i>the man breathed when his head was under water</i>!</p> - -<p>When a wave tilted the raft so that his face was raised, his breath was -expelled with a wheezing, whistling sound. When he was submerged, a -stream of small bubbles arose about his neck and clung to the surface -of his metal helmet.</p> - -<p>For a long moment Polaris stood and looked down at this amazing thing. -Then he reached out and very gently took the stranger by the shoulders -to turn his face to the sky. So tight was the clutch of those strong -bare hands about the two beams of the raft which they held that the -entire structure tipped when the son of the snows laid hold. In vain he -tried to loosen that grasp. It was not to be done without breaking the -man's fingers. To make an end of it, Janess took an axe from the hands -of the coxswain and cut through the beams.</p> - -<p>Still gripping the wooden fragments, the man turned over on his back.</p> - -<p>Then the mystery of the stranger's breathing was partially made clear. -Under the flare of the helmet he wore his brow was hidden. His eyes -were fast closed. Fitting tightly over the bridge of his nose and -extending down so that it covered his mouth and part of his chin, was -a projecting masklike contrivance of metal and leather. Its straps -covered the man's ears and were made fast somewhere at the back of his -head under the helmet. So tightly was the mask affixed that its straps -cut into the flesh of the man's cheeks. It much resembled the masks -worn by the soldiers in modern warfare to protect themselves from the -gas attacks of their enemy.</p> - -<p>Through its mechanism the breath of its wearer hissed and whistled like -escaping steam.</p> - -<p>Alive though the man was, and under circumstances which made his -discoverers marvel, he was near death. Above and below the confines of -the mask he wore, the bones of his face seemed almost thrusting through -the flesh. The flesh itself was wasted and puckered by the action of -the sea water, and the skin was cracked and raw. His hands, which clung -so tenaciously to the bits of broken wood, were bleeding about the -nails, and his wrists were gashed and water-eaten.</p> - -<p>"Now, here is work for Dr. Marsey," Polaris said. He gathered the limp -form of the stranger into his arms and lifted him into the boat.</p> - -<p>At the rail of the <i>Minnetonka</i> as the boat was shipped, a curious -crowd met the advent of the man from the sea. Carrying him as lightly -as though he had been a child, Polaris laid the man on the deck. The -ship's doctor pushed through the wondering sailors and bent over him.</p> - -<p>"Not dead?" he exclaimed when he saw the stranger's face. "A most -amazing thing!"</p> - -<p>"What resurrection from antiquity have we here?" said old Zenas Wright, -falling on his knees beside Polaris, who was supporting the man's -head. "No museum I ever saw boasted a suit of armor like this one." -The scientist ran a finger over the delicate tracery on the glittering -corselet of the stranger.</p> - -<p>Polaris sought and found the catch which released the chin strap and -laid the open helmet on the deck. Another chorus of exclamations -greeted the appearance of the stranger's head. It was covered with a -mass of wavy red hair, so red that it shone like flames in the sunlight.</p> - -<p>Rumors of the wonder on deck had drawn the grizzled MacKechnie up from -his beloved engines.</p> - -<p>"Mark me, yon laddie's a Scot—if he isna' of the wild Irish," was his -dry comment when he saw the fiery head on the deck.</p> - -<p>Undoing its buckle, Janess next laid aside the odd mask from the face -of the stranger. Except that he had a high, bold nose and a mouth that -closed in a thin, firm line, little could be made of the features of -the man, they were so damaged by his long immersion in the sea and -impressed by the tightly drawn trappings of the mask. But he apparently -was a young man, of not more than thirty years.</p> - -<p>In vain Dr. Marsey endeavored to force the man's clenched teeth apart -so that he might apply the neck of the brandy flask which a steward had -fetched. The jaw of the stranger was set like a rock and resisted all -effort, and the doctor was compelled to pour the liquor between the -locked teeth.</p> - -<p>"If that doesna' fetch him, nothing whatever will," said MacKechnie, -the nostrils of his ruddy old nose twitching.</p> - -<p>"Ah, he's getting it!" said Zenas Wright. With the first trickle of -the brandy down his throat, the unconscious man stirred faintly. His -mouth opened and closed again with a snap, and his hands unclenched and -let fall the bits of beams they had held so long. He coughed weakly. A -faint tinge of color flowed into his face. His eyelids twitched, but -did not open.</p> - -<p>Dr. Marsey touched the man's temples and then his wrists with practised -fingers.</p> - -<p>"I think that we shall hear his story yet," he said. "What he needs -now is a bed and nourishment. Bring him below."</p> - -<p>Polaris looked into the battered face and was strangely stirred. The -grim plight of the man he had rescued, the mystery of him, the strength -of the spirit that seemed to dominate even that unconscious body; all -struck an answering chord in the nature of the son of the snows. For -he, too, had suffered and endured, almost to the gates of death, and -had remained steadfast. Was it a premonition that made him feel so -strongly that this man, should he live, would be his friend above many?</p> - -<p>When the sailors would have taken up the stranger, Polaris waved them -aside, and himself carried the inert body below, the blazing head -resting on his shoulder.</p> - -<p>MacKechnie gazed after him thoughtfully as he strode across the deck.</p> - -<p>"Beware, laddie lad, beware!" the Scotchman muttered softly. "'Tis only -ill luck he'll be bringin' to ye, yon gowden mon. For ye hae saved him -from the sea."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Shivering throughout the length of her steel hull, the <i>Minnetonka</i> -drove southward. A shrieking wilderness of wind and wave surrounded the -ship. Reft from all guidance, she sheared through the furious waters -with no more of volition than some monster projectile launched by the -battling elements. Twice had the stout cruiser come free of scathe from -the white portals of the Antarctic. Now she seemed winged by death to -enter them once more and forever. In the grip of the tempest the ship -was no more than a toy—a helpless, beaten thing.</p> - -<p>Calamity, like a black dog, had crept hard upon the heels of the -bizarre stranger. He had not been on the cruiser for six hours when a -storm burst, the like of which for violence no man on board the ship -ever had seen.</p> - -<p>In an attempt to breast the gale and make for some port of safety, -one of the propeller shafts—weakened perhaps by the pounding of the -ice-drift months before—had snapped short off. Unequal to the double -task, its twin had sprung beyond all use. Thereafter the scant mercy of -chance ruled the destinies of the ship and of all she bore.</p> - -<p>Nor was the damage to the shafting all that disaster had wrought. In -her great peril the ship was stricken dumb and could not summon aid. -Her wireless was out of commission. She could send no call across the -face of the waters to sister ships, bidding them to hasten to her -succor.</p> - -<p>MacKechnie's dismal prophecy was likely to be visited, not on Polaris -Janess alone, but upon the entire ship's company.</p> - -<p>In the pilothouse, with the gale screeching outside his windows, -Lieutenant Everson bent above his charts; but he was helpless and -well-nigh hopeless. Down in the engine room, its busy clamor stilled, -MacKechnie sat and stared bitterly at the mechanism which he so loved. -It was useless now, its splendid powers crippled, its fires dying away -to embers. If the inward prayers of the engineer were fervent, the -flow of Scotch profanity which passed his lips at whiles was far more -eloquent. He, too, was helpless. He cursed the day when he had decided -with Everson to round the Horn and take the eastern route. They had -learned at Dunedin, in New Zealand, that the Panama Canal was closed by -another Culebra slide, and they had thought that this was the quicker -way to the port of home.</p> - -<p>Better the delay than this!</p> - -<p>On all the ship two hearts only were unshaken by the catastrophe. One -was that of the stranger.</p> - -<p>Freed of his armor, his body cleared and his scarred face and arms in -bandages, he lay tossing in a bunk in one of the cabins. Dr. Marsey was -unremitting in his care of the patient whom the sea had given him. Hot -gruel and small doses of brandy, administered alternately, had turned -the ebbing tide of the man's vitality. He was gathering strength. But -his consciousness still strayed beyond the powers of any tempest to -disturb it.</p> - -<p>Another who thought nothing of the gale and its accompanying terrors -was Zenas Wright.</p> - -<p>Coupled with his keen and scientific mind, there was in the old -geologist the enthusiasm of a boy, and an overmastering curiosity to -learn new things. Many and wild had been the guesses which had followed -the finding of the red-haired stranger. That he had been shipwrecked -was plain enough to all. But who and what was he?</p> - -<p>Some star out of <i>opĂ©ra-bouffe</i>, said one, out of a job and reduced to -the necessity of wearing one of his own costumes. A lunatic, another -said, and found more to agree with him. But whence the armor and the -mask?</p> - -<p>Let guessers guess and tempests roar, said Zenas Wright to himself. He -was on the trail of knowledge. So he slipped into the cabin where the -stranger lay. He stood at the head of the bunk and looked down where -the red hair of the derelict flared on the pillow. The impressions left -by the straps of his mask had filled out, and the lineaments of the man -were more distinguishable than they had been. It was an agreeable face, -thought Zenas Wright; all of it that the bandages did not hide. There -were distinct lines of humor at the corners of the straight mouth and -tiny wrinkles at the base of the craggy nose—lines which said that the -wearer of them was a hearty fellow, who ofttimes had laughed long and -merrily at jokes, whether of his own or another's making.</p> - -<p>"But," thought Zenas to himself, "Marsey's been giving the fellow -altogether too much brandy, or else he is in a rare fever." The -geologist laid the back of his hand to the man's cheek. He found -it cool. But it was ruddy to the ears, with the ruddiness that is -associated with an intimate camaraderie with the wine cups.</p> - -<p>At the touch of the old man's fingers, the stranger ceased his tossing. -His eyes opened. One flash from them Zenas Wright caught, and he saw -that they were sea-blue, bright and leaping eyes. Then their lids -closed. The man shook his head wearily, and from his lips trembled what -might have been a moan or a muttered word. The scientist bent hastily -to listen, but the man made no further sound. As the old man watched -him, his form relaxed and he lay apparently in a dreamless, voiceless -slumber.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>From the floor, Wright took up the shining helmet, and from a stand -the queerly fashioned mask. He was about to leave the cabin when -his attention was arrested by the garb which the stranger had worn -underneath his armor and which was flung across the back of a chair. -One garment it was, even to the feet of it, like the sleeping suit of a -child. It was of a soft, fine fabric, almost of the thinness of gauze, -yet firmly and closely woven and warm to the feel. But it was neither -of cotton nor of wool, nor yet of silk, or any other material with -which the scientist was familiar.</p> - -<p>He shook his head over it; and then, with the mask and helmet, he left -the cabin.</p> - -<p>Straight to the deserted ship's laboratory the geologist went, and shut -himself in. And there, some time afterward, Polaris, threading his way -through the swaying corridors with Rose Emer clinging to his arm, found -him.</p> - -<p>So busy with his work was old Zenas that he did not see or hear the -entrance of Janess and the girl. For a time they stood in silence and -watched him. They saw him spill drops from a vial on the surface of -the helmet. Then he went at it with a small drill which he had fetched -from the machine shop. That was a bit of hard work, for he puffed and -mopped his brow. He collected with care the particles which fell under -the bite of the drill. Those he tested with drops from another bottle, -and then again, opening and discarding a number of chemicals. At length -he got a reaction which appeared to satisfy him, for he chirruped -gleefully and nodded his white old head.</p> - -<p>Next Wright donned the mask and fastened its straps. Polaris and Rose -heard the whistling of his breath through it. He then drew a bucket of -water from a tap, set it on one of the laboratory stands, ascended a -stool, and suddenly plunged his head into the pail.</p> - -<p>Zenas had not stopped to figure out the displacement of the container -of a well-developed scientific brain. It was considerable. Much of -the water splashed out on the floor, and not a little of it went down -inside the scientist's collar. Nothing daunted by the cold trickle of -the inundation, he bravely kept his head in the bucket, from which -arose at once a prodigious gurgling and bubbling.</p> - -<p>The old man's shoulders shook as though a fit of coughing had seized -him. One minute, two, three, passed. Zenas stood so still that Polaris -became alarmed. He stepped to the geologist's side and shook him by the -arm. The only response he got was an impatient gesture of a hand, which -seemed to say, "Go away and don't bother me."</p> - -<p>Presently Wright raised his head from the depths of the bucket, and -ludicrous enough he looked, with the odd snout of the mask projecting -from his face, his white thatch of hair all plastered flat and the -water running from his beard and making a mess of his cravat and shirt -front. But above the mask his little dark eyes were triumphant. When he -saw Polaris at his side, he could scarcely wait to unfasten the mask.</p> - -<p>"There," he shouted, and he shook the thing above his head, "there is -one of the greatest inventions of modern times. I don't know what is in -the inside of it, or just what it does, but I'll find out. If that chap -yonder is the inventor of it, he can take it to the United States, take -out a patent on it and make a scandalous amount of dollars, and we can -all become human submarines. How long was I down?"</p> - -<p>"About five minutes, Daddy Wright," said the girl, who had taken a -strong liking to the plucky old geologist and his bluff ways.</p> - -<p>"Five minutes!" Wright's tones were awestruck. "And I took every breath -regularly and naturally, except when I had to sneeze! And it was real -oxygen I got, too. Not a drop of water came through this thing, and it -was very good breathing. Well, I've made two discoveries."</p> - -<p>"And those are?" Polaris questioned.</p> - -<p>"That our friend yonder with the red topknot can live under the water -like a fish, <i>and that he wears armor of gold which makes a light in -the dark</i>. Look here."</p> - -<p>Wright took up the open helmet. Stepping to the switch, he shut off the -lights in the laboratory.</p> - -<p>Faintly at first, and then strongly and more strongly, the helmet -glowed in the darkness. The light grew, until the two men and the girl, -standing close together, could dimly see each other's faces.</p> - -<p>It was uncanny, this strange metal headpiece with its fan-shaped crest, -all luminous with a flickering and phosphorescent radiance.</p> - -<p>"What does it?" Rose Emer whispered, the tempest for the time forgotten.</p> - -<p>Zenas Wright turned on the lights.</p> - -<p>"I cannot tell," he replied. "But if it's not radium, it is something -that is closely akin to radium. The outer surface of the helmet is of -gold. I've tested it with acids. The gold is laid—not plated, but laid -on thickly—over an inner shell of steel. And finely tempered steel it -is, too, as my drill will bear me witness. But the light comes from -still another metal, which is inlaid upon the tracery in the gold here."</p> - -<p>He turned the helmet in his hands. Over all of its surfaces were the -fine lines of a design of twining vinery, with here and there small, -conventionally shaped flowers. In the lines of the chasing was inlaid, -as Wright had said, another metal. It seemed to be a reddish and rusty -dust, which clung in the surface of the gold along all of the lines of -the graven design. It was that which made the light.</p> - -<p>"That chap over there is no actor, and he's not a crazy man," said the -geologist earnestly; "but an enigma that I'm going to solve, if the -good Lord will give me the time. We had on this ship before he came two -survivors of a history to make an archeologist weep tears of joy. Now -we have a third, and, to my mind, more wonderful even than are they!</p> - -<p>"Boy—" He turned and clapped Polaris on the shoulder. "I only hope -that I shall live long enough to pen the 'finis' to the book that I'm -going to write some day!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>For seven days, fraught with perils through every passing hour, the -hurricane belabored the staggering ship. South by southeast, the storm -drove her on. The whip of the gale and the shock of the mighty waves -which arose to meet its lash were incessant.</p> - -<p>Past the Falklands, their rocky headlands dimly seen through the flying -scud; past the Aurora Island group, and on past lonely Georgia, the -hard-pressed <i>Minnetonka</i> fled down the raging sea path under the goads -of the storm demons. Nowhere might she tarry. Candlemas Island and -Saunders and Montague in turn were left behind, and then Thule, last -link between the South Atlantic and the frigid wastes of the Antarctic -Sea.</p> - -<p>Off the adamant cliffs of far Thule the cruiser nearly left her bones. -She struck a hidden rock, struck so fiercely that the massive steel ram -was torn from her prow, and with it the triple rails, with which she -had been equipped to withstand the ice-shocks, in her antarctic voyage, -were stripped from her entire starboard side.</p> - -<p>When Thule had disappeared in the murk, the swing of the tempest -turned, and the cruiser was forced eastward in a whirling race of -current and gale. Like a smitten thing that seeks a lonesome spot in -which to die, the ship passed on into the mysteries of the uncharted, -treacherous seas which lie east by south from Thule.</p> - -<p>Helpless still the cruiser rode. Unable to make repairs to her -shafting, Lieutenant Everson did the only thing that he could do; he -kept her head-on with the seas and let her run before the tempest.</p> - -<p>Through all those days and nights of peril the stranger lay in his -cabin. His consciousness had returned, and at times he sat up and gazed -curiously at those who visited him; but he seemed to be in a mental -haze. He ate heartily of what was given to him, and his strength grew. -He spoke to no one.</p> - -<p>Among the men on the <i>Minnetonka</i> were those who, one or another, were -conversant in nearly all of the languages of the civilized world. One -by one they were called in by Zenas Wright to try their tongues on the -stranger. He met them all with blank looks, sometimes with smiles; but -he answered none. He seemed to comprehend none.</p> - -<p>Polaris visited the cabin often. His liking for the man grew. He -imagined that the stranger was more cordial to him than to any of -those who attended him. Once or twice the son of the snows surprised a -wistful regard in the bright blue eyes of the man, an expression that -was lost almost as soon as perceived. And once the stranger reached -Janess's hand and held it with his own for a moment, turning it and -feeling of its wonderful thews with his fingers. It was then that he -seemed the nearest to speech. Presently he let the hand fall with a -smile and a flash of white teeth.</p> - -<p>It was after that last disaster, off the hard coasts of Thule, that -Engineer Ian MacKechnie went quite daft.</p> - -<p>What had come upon the ship had seemed to numb the Scotchman. By day -and by night he sat in his silent engine room beside the lifeless -boilers, his cold pipe clenched between his set teeth, his lips -working. Occasionally he stumped heavily up the steel stairways to the -decks. His stays above were brief always, and always he returned to the -engine room. When he slept at all, it was only to nod in his chair. -Before his bloodshot eyes strange fantasies played themselves through, -and were sequeled in his fitful dreams. Always, they had the same -grisly climax.</p> - -<p>In one of the night watches the old man appeared on the cruiser's -bridge. Everson, almost as sleepless as the engineer, was in the -pilothouse. The fury of the gale had subsided somewhat; but it still -roared on with a vigor that chilled the strong heart of the commander. -He saw the engineer as he came onto the bridge, and went out to speak -to him.</p> - -<p>"Meester Everson," MacKechnie said, raising his voice to a shout to -cope with the shrieking clamor of the storm, "Meester Everson, wull ye -do a strange act and save the bonnie ship and a'?"</p> - -<p>"Why, what is it, Mac? What do you advise now?" the lieutenant asked.</p> - -<p>"'Tis you mon that the laddie plucked from the sea," replied -MacKechnie. "Wull ye no gi' orders to cast him o'er the side again, and -save the ship?"</p> - -<p>Everson answered with a short laugh. "This is a poor time for joking, -Mac," he said.</p> - -<p>"'Tisna' jokin' wi' me, Meester Everson," MacKechnie said. His tones -were deadly earnest. "Yon's no' a proper mon, whatever. He's one that -has sorely angered the big sea, and the deep rages mightily for him. If -ye dinna gi' him up, we'll all be ganging our way wi' him, down to auld -Davy Jones." His voice rose shrilly. "I'm fey," he cried. "I'm fey, and -I hae the secon' seeght! Heed me, mon!"</p> - -<p>Everson shifted his position so that he got the light from the -pilothouse full on MacKechnie's face. It was drawn and wild-eyed.</p> - -<p>"You're a superstitious fool, Mac," the lieutenant said. "You had -better go below and turn in. You look as though you had not had a wink -in a week."</p> - -<p>"Supersteetious! Aye, mon, maybe, and a fu' to bootie," rejoined the -Scot. "And I've been havin' no sleep, I grant ye. Ma certes, how can a -mon sleep wi' <i>him</i> glarin' and glommerin' yonder i' the engine room? -Heave him o'er the side, I'm tullin' ye, Meester Everson, as was done -wi' the prophet Jonah. 'Tis the only way whatever to save the ship.</p> - -<p>"Supersteetious! An' are ye no supersteetious yer ain sel', Meester -Everson? Haven't I seen that ye always throw the deuces fra' yer hand -when ye play for siller at poker? I tull ye, yon's a deuce-mon. He -mustna' remain. Think it o'er, laddie; think it o'er. When ye hae seen -what I hae seen—"</p> - -<p>He turned away, and the rest of his words were lost in the skirl of the -wind. Suddenly he backed up, clutching at the bridge rail and colliding -violently with Everson.</p> - -<p>"See! See!" he screamed. "He's comin' for me the noo! I lockit him fast -i' the great kist i' the boiler room; but such as him are na' held by -bolts or bars. He's comin' for me!"</p> - -<p>Moaning in abject terror, MacKechnie went down on his knees. He pointed -at the decks below with a trembling arm.</p> - -<p>Everson looked in the direction indicated by the shaking finger of the -Scot.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>A light hung at the foot of the bridge ladder. In the patch of radiance -it made, stood the stranger. He was dressed from head to foot in his -golden armor. His helm was on his head, and the whole flashed and -shimmered in the rays from the lamp.</p> - -<p>As Everson stared at him, the man turned away from the foot of the -ladder and walked to the rail of the ship. There he stood gazing out -into the darkness and the storm.</p> - -<p>Unnerved by the sudden appearance of the object of their discussion, -Everson hesitated for a moment. Then he started for the ladder to -descend to the deck. MacKechnie, his teeth chattering with fright, laid -hold of the lieutenant by the leg, but Everson shook off his grasp and -went on. As the commander set foot on the ladder, the stranger quit the -rail and came back toward the bridge.</p> - -<p>Everson, half-way down the ladder, called sharply as the man came -opposite him. But the stranger did not pause or look up. He passed -the bridge with steady steps and crossed the deck toward the main -companionway. The lieutenant was about to proceed to the deck and -follow, when a wild and wailing cry behind him, piercing above the -booming of the seas, halted his step. He turned.</p> - -<p>It was MacKechnie who had screamed. He was on his feet and coming along -the bridge. In the set face of the Scot was a look of such frozen -horror that it shook the lieutenant. With eyes glaring straight ahead, -the engineer passed Everson by as though he did not see him, descended -the ladder to the deck, and walked to the rail. He paused where the -stranger had stood only a moment before. He raised his hand as if to -strike at some shape visible to him alone. Again he cried out wildly.</p> - -<p>Before Everson could move to stay him, the Scot climbed the rail and -threw himself into the sea.</p> - -<p>Shouting to the men of the watch to fetch lanterns, Everson ran aft -along the side. It was useless. The crazed MacKechnie, whirled away in -a raging swirl of waters in which no man could live, was gone beyond -their ken. No cry came back to his fellows from the blackness. Only the -wind roared and the tortured waters thundered. In the plight of the -ship it was impossible even to attempt to pick up the lost man.</p> - -<p>Far aft Everson clung to the rail, dazed, stunned at the suddenness of -his old comrade's taking off. Knowing that he could do nothing to save -the mad Scotchman, the lieutenant at length turned back and went below, -to the cabin of the stranger. He threw open the door. The cabin was -dark, except where the curious armor shed its glow along the floor. For -that phenomenon Everson was prepared. Zenas Wright had told him of the -luminous metal. What did surprise the lieutenant was that the armor lay -on the floor. And so recently he had seen it on the cruiser's deck, and -its owner inside of it. To that he could swear. He turned on a light.</p> - -<p>The stranger lay quietly in his bunk, apparently in slumber, his broad -chest rising and falling regularly. Not the flicker of an eyelid -betrayed that he was conscious of the keen scrutiny which the commander -bent upon him. Almost then did Everson give way to the superstitious -imaginings of MacKechnie. Then his searching eyes saw the gleam of -drops of sea water which beaded the golden corselet and helm. He drew -a long breath of relief; for he knew that he had not dreamed. Pursuing -his investigations no further, the lieutenant returned to his vigil on -the bridge.</p> - -<p>Next day, to the gratification of Dr. Marsey and to the general -surprise of the others on the ship, the stranger left his cabin. -Clothing had been provided for him, but he would have none of it and -appeared on the deck clad in his armor. He proved to be an exceedingly -curious man, the stranger. He went everywhere about the ship, -apparently in fear of nothing, although the gale still ran high. He -watched all of the operations of seamanship with the closest interest, -but was careful to get in the way of no one.</p> - -<p>His ruddy face and flaming hair, with the outer trappings which he -wore, made the man the object of much comment on the part of the -sailors of the <i>Minnetonka</i>; comment which was not untinged with -awe. All of that he heeded not at all. In the full possession of his -faculties, he still was speechless. What communication anyone on the -ship had with him was by means of signs, and that necessarily was -limited. He took his meals with those who shared the officers' mess. -Although it evidently was unfamiliar to him, he was quick to observe -and to imitate the table etiquette of his companions.</p> - -<p>Only Everson was not surprised at his appearance. The lieutenant kept -his counsel and waited.</p> - -<p>Word of the mad act of MacKechnie went abroad through the ship, spread -by the men of the watch. Among the sailors, superstitious after the -manner of their kind, grew a hostility to the strange man, an enmity -that became more and more pronounced as the hours brought to the -cruiser no relief from the battering of the elements. So strong did the -feeling grow that Lieutenant Everson feared for the safety of the man, -and told Polaris of it. Thereafter the son of the snows constituted -himself a bodyguard for the stranger in his wanderings about the ship, -and remained with him as much as possible. Zenas Wright, too, watched -over his prize with the jealous zeal of a proper scientist.</p> - -<p>Not for worlds would the explorer allow this living conundrum to come -to harm until he had solved him. The old man continually plied the -stranger with English words, pointing out to him their equivalents and -seeking to encourage speech. For, unless the man might be taught to -talk, Zenas felt that his chances of learning more of him were slim -indeed.</p> - -<p>To all of those advances the man answered with smiles only. He was very -courteous, extremely good-natured, but beyond the ring of silence which -he had drawn about himself, he would not or could not go.</p> - -<p>Everson was little surprised, although he was mightily angered, when, -on the third day following the death of MacKechnie, he was waited upon -by a delegation of his sailors with a demand that the stranger be sent -from the ship. They did not ask his death—merely that he be set adrift -in one of the cruiser's small boats. A sea was running in which such a -craft could not survive for two minutes.</p> - -<p>Shamefacedly, but sullenly, the men listened to the stern rebuke of -their commander. When they had left him reluctantly—and their ears -must have tingled to his opinions of their superstitions—Everson -redoubled his precautions for the safety of the stranger. The -lieutenant was morally certain that at the first opportunity that -should offer, an "accident" would befall the man from the sea.</p> - -<p>Abruptly as it had struck, the storm of wind subsided. It was succeeded -by a torrential downpour of rain. The cruiser was left tossing on a -choppy sea. Dead ahead to the south was land—what land, no one on -the ship could say. A scant five miles away it loomed up before them -through the mists and the driving rain, a long and towering coastline, -the peaks of its frowning cliffs almost touching the low-rolling clouds.</p> - -<p>In this, the first respite from many hours of perils, Lieutenant -Everson at once set about the task of repairing his crippled ship.</p> - -<p>Then the crown was placed upon the work of calamity.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Lashed no longer by the flail of the tempest, the <i>Minnetonka</i> was laid -to. Hope returned to those who rode upon her. Those who gathered on her -decks were almost gay again.</p> - -<p>For the first time in many days the two Sardanians came up from their -cabin. The Lady Memene had proved a poor sailor, and in her deathly -illness that came of the buffeting of the ship, Minos never had left -her side, but had nursed her with all the tenderness of a woman. The -king remembered well a time, not long before, when he had lain near -death, and her soft hands had soothed him, and her care had kept the -spark of life within him.</p> - -<p>It was nearly noon. Chatting of their experiences in the storm, and -laughing at their appearance in the oilskins which they wore against -the rain, a little group gathered on the forward deck of the cruiser. -Almost it seemed that the hand of fate collected and placed them there. -Polaris Janess and Rose Emer, the Sardanians, old Zenas Wright, and -Ensign Willis Brooks, a happy-go-lucky youth of large dimensions and an -inexhaustible supply of good spirits, who was the second in command on -the <i>Minnetonka</i>, made up the party.</p> - -<p>Presently Lieutenant Everson, his repair work well under way, came -up from below and joined the others. Dr. Marsey might have been with -them also, but the kindly physician delayed below to attend one of -the engineers who lay ill of a fever. Before he had finished his -ministrations, the stroke fell which was so strangely to alter the life -course of every one of that party, and the good doctor was too late to -be numbered among them.</p> - -<p>Almost on the heels of Everson the red-haired stranger ascended the -companionway. With his armor on as usual, but dangling his helmet and -his mask from his hand, he clanked across the deck, all unheedful of -the anathemas that the sailors mouthed as he stalked past them.</p> - -<p>From the port in his cabin he, too, had seen the new land that lay -ahead. He strode by the group on the forward deck, but his eyes were -not for them. Ever watchful, Zenas Wright noted that the mien of the -stranger was curiously excited. His blue eyes gleamed. His lips were -parted. Something seemed deeply to concern him. He stood at the rail -and studied the looming coastline long and searchingly. In his face was -the rapt expression of the man who greets again a well-loved friend -after an absence of many days. From the shore he turned his eyes to the -sea and scrutinized it keenly.</p> - -<p>Zenas Wright, watching, started. What was the man about? Was he -signaling? And whom? The explorer took a hasty step toward the rail to -investigate.</p> - -<p>Beneath his feet he felt the deck of the cruiser heave like the breast -of an unquiet sleeper. A terrific roar burst from the bowels of the -ship, and she quivered in every plate of steel and oaken beam.</p> - -<p>"The magazine!" cried Everson. The commander dashed for the -companionway, but he never reached it.</p> - -<p>Amidships the decks heaved up and opened in a yawning wound that rent -the cruiser almost from rail to rail. Through the gap shot skyward an -immense column of smoke, laced with spurts of flame, and spread fanwise -many feet in the air. With it there ascended a mass of dĂ©bris torn from -the vitals of the ship. For yards around the waves splashed to the fall -of the splintered wreckage. The swaying decks were littered with it. -And some of the fragments were of steel and iron that clanged as they -fell, and others were horrible shreds of men, and made no clangor.</p> - -<p>Paralyzed in his tracks, his eyes distended, his very flesh stirring -from his bones at the horror of it, Everson faced the wraith of ruin -that arose in his path. A new manifestation tore speech from his lips.</p> - -<p>"Look!" he shouted aloud in a strained and unnatural voice. "My God, -look! <i>The color!</i>"</p> - -<p>In the heart and center of the standing column of smoke, seen faintly -at first and then in blazing brilliance, towered a mighty pillar of -light. But it was not like any light that any of those who gazed -upon it had ever known. For it was neither of red nor white, nor yet -of violet, yellow, or green, or any other color or hue of the solar -spectrum. Radiant, scintillant, indescribably beautiful, it thrust up -through the murk of disaster steadily and cruelly as the flaming sword -of an unkind fate. It was this that had pierced the ship and exploded -the magazine.</p> - -<p>Zenas Wright, who had looked unshaken on many strange things, looked -upon this and cried out, even as had Everson:</p> - -<p>"The color! A new color! Impossible; yet it <i>is</i>!"</p> - -<p>With chaos and death linked together and roaring in front of him, the -old man, true scientist to the last, bent his eyes on the flaming -pillar in a challenging and analytical stare. If this was to be his -final vision, why, he would learn what he might from it before he went -into the shadow where all learning is valueless.</p> - -<p>Like painted puppets carved from wood, the men and women on the deck -stood and gazed at the appalling ruin of that fell disaster. It was -only a moment in the happening, but a moment that bore the burden of -many moments in its intensity.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The pillar of light moved, and those that watched saw that everything -that it touched it destroyed. It swayed toward them, and the deck -crumpled away before its advance. It swung back. In its path was one of -the massive steel turrets of the cruiser. The light played against it. -The turret tottered; the steel of it seemed to melt and disintegrate. -The entire structure crumbled and crashed down, disappearing through -the gash in the decking. With the fall of the turret the light vanished -also.</p> - -<p>From the companionway came the horrid remnant of a man who crossed the -deck to Everson. One of his arms had been torn away between the wrist -and elbow. His features were blackened and marred beyond recognition. -An eye was gone. His clothing hung about him in tatters, and the -tatters were burning. He halted in front of the lieutenant and raised -the maimed arm, from which the blood was spurting, in the semblance of -a salute.</p> - -<p>"The ship—sinks. The—sea—on fire."</p> - -<p>He croaked the words brokenly, and fell, and died at the feet of his -commander.</p> - -<p>Up through the gap in her bottom surged the sea water, and the ship -began to settle. The <i>Minnetonka</i> was sinking.</p> - -<p>Everson pulled himself out of the daze which in that moment of dread -had benumbed his faculties. A glance he gave to the settling decks and -the useless boats. He had neither men nor the time to unship them.</p> - -<p>He turned to his companions.</p> - -<p>"Those who have prayers to say had best say them; for this is the end -of our traveling," he said simply. Suiting his action to the words, he -knelt on the deck.</p> - -<p>At the side of Polaris Janess appeared the red-haired stranger. As he -had once before, he now caught up the hand of the son of the snows. -Holding it, he looked into Polaris's face and smiled, a fearless and -whimsical smile.</p> - -<p>"A strong hand, my brother, strong to hold a kingdom. This is not your -death that is coming. I will save you and these with you. I promise," -he said—and the marvel to Polaris and to the others was that the man -who before had been speechless now spoke readily and in excellent -English.</p> - -<p>Not waiting for the answer, which, in his surprise, Polaris was slow to -give, the stranger left his side and ran across the deck. He strapped -his odd mask over his face, clapped his helmet on his head and fastened -it. He caught up from the deck a length of steel chain. With a run and -a leap, he was gone—over the fast settling rail and into the sea.</p> - -<p>Scarcely had the golden helmet disappeared over the side when the waves -crossed the decks to meet the water that was spouting from the interior -of the cruiser.</p> - -<p>"A madman!" Polaris muttered. He turned and gathered Rose Emer in his -arms. She clung to him, sobbing softly.</p> - -<p>"Be brave, dear heart," he whispered. "It isn't hard to die, and -wherever we are going, we shall go together."</p> - -<p>Around them rose the waves.</p> - -<p>Held fast in the swirl of the sinking ship, every soul on the -<i>Minnetonka</i> went down with her. From Everson, kneeling on his deck, to -the lowliest coal-passer in the depths of the cruiser, there was no man -but bowed his face to the waters.</p> - -<p>Clasping his sweetheart with one arm, Polaris struck out fiercely. For -a moment he cherished the hope that he might keep to the surface and -reach the land beyond. But the suction of the sinking ship was too -strong for even his giant strength. He saw the others, his friends -struggling about him. The water came between his dear lady's face -and his. He strove to reach her lips with his own. His lungs seemed -bursting. His senses swayed.</p> - -<p>Through the green waters he saw a great golden shape like a globe -approaching him. Another fantasy. Strong hands gripped him. They, too, -must be dreams.</p> - -<p>The blackness became absolute.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>CHAPTER II</h2> - -<h3>THE LONG BLACK ROAD TO ADLAZ</h3> - - -<p>In illimitable darkness a spark glowed and lived, and the soul of -Polaris Janess awoke and once more knew it was a soul. The silence -of oblivion was broken by a roaring as of a thousand mighty rivers -torrenting on their courses far underground. One by one the man endured -the tortures that those must endure who come back from the claim -of the sea. Slowly and with exquisite agony came the consciousness -that his body still lived—an agony so keen that he fain would have -wrenched himself free of the flesh and departed it. Fire, liquid and -intolerable, raced through his every vein and artery. His head, no -longer tenanted by a brain, it seemed, was a vast and empty cavern, -through which wild winds moaned.</p> - -<p>An age it was in seeming that the soul fought its way through travail, -back to command of the faculties it had quitted, until it had regained -the mastery of its two provinces, the brain and the body. The fiery -rivers were quenched. The winds ceased their roaring. With a groan and -a shudder the son of the snows once more took up the burden of living. -Weak and dizzy and deathly sick, he opened his eyes.</p> - -<p>He lay on a soft bed of furs in a small and swaying room. Almost at -his elbow he heard the splash of waves against metal walls. Above him, -an expression of sympathy and concern on his ruddy face, bent the -red-haired stranger.</p> - -<p>When he saw the eyes of Polaris quiver open, the man smiled, a rare and -winning smile.</p> - -<p>"Now, by the four rivers," he said, "I am glad to see you return to the -living. So long did you tarry in the beyond that I thought that I had -lost you."</p> - -<p>For a moment Polaris gazed into that rubicund countenance in -bewilderment, but for a moment only. With the floods of life came -memory. He tried to spring to his feet, but the struggle in the water -and the nausea of his returning vitality had sapped the strength from -him. He fell weakly back. The look he bent upon the stranger was -poignant with its question.</p> - -<p>"Rose—the Rose-maid? Where is she?" he gasped, wresting the words out -painfully.</p> - -<p>With a graceful gesture, the stranger drew to one side and pointed -across the room.</p> - -<p>"Your lady? She is there," he said.</p> - -<p>On the other side of the room, only a few feet away, was another couch, -similar to the one on which Polaris had found himself. Rose Emer lay -upon it. The oilskins she had worn were in a crumpled heap upon the -floor. Her gown, sodden with sea water, clung to her limbs. A careful -hand had partly covered her with the folds of a robe of soft, dark -furs. The coils of her long, chestnut hair, disheveled and damp, had -fallen about her face and neck. Her long lashes lay upon her cheeks. -Her lips were slightly parted. One arm hung down from the edge of the -couch, its hand relaxed and open, the fingers limp.</p> - -<p>Long and earnestly Polaris looked at her. He could see only her -profile. Her face was very white and still, outlined there against -the furs. The light went out of his tawny eyes, and he set his teeth -and turned his face to the wall. The sob that arose in his throat -was wrung from the depths of a spirit sorely stricken. Now death were -welcome indeed.</p> - -<p>"Grieve not so," the stranger said hastily. "She is not dead, and I -am a fool to bring such fright upon you. She did but swoon when you -yourself were overlong in returning to the realm of the living. Here."</p> - -<p>He passed an arm under the shoulders of Polaris, and assisted him to -rise and cross to the other couch.</p> - -<p>Swaying like a drunken man, the son of the snows bent and touched the -wrist of the girl with his fingers. When he felt the tides of the -life-blood leaping through the warm flesh, a joy welled up within him -that was akin to pain in its throbbing. Come what might, his lady -lived, and once again there was light in his world. He laid his cheek -against hers and he was near to tears in his weakness.</p> - -<p>Presently he raised his head, and for the first time gave a thought to -his surroundings. The room he was in was shaped like the quarter of a -circle. The couch on which he had lain was along the curved side of the -room, and there the wall was of steel or iron, against which he could -hear the lapping of waters. At each end, where the cabin narrowed to -the points of its arc, were cabinets carved of polished woods. At the -side where the girl lay the wall was of wood, also, and was pierced by -a small door. A number of garments hung from pegs in the paneling. Near -to the door, in a golden sheath, swung a heavy, short-bladed sword.</p> - -<p>Overhead was a crisscross of slender wooden beams, and in the midst of -them was set a translucent globe of porcelain or clouded glass, through -which a strong light was shed, light that was almost as clear in its -quality as that of day.</p> - -<p>At the sight of those crossed beams, Polaris's memory stirred quickly. -Where had he seen such before? Ah, he had it! It was just such a -lattice-work that had made a raft for the stranger when he had found -him floating in the sea. What was the meaning of it?</p> - -<p>The screaming fury of the tempest, with its menace to all that he held -dearest; the terrible moments when the <i>Minnetonka</i> went roaring down -to ruin; the struggle in the sea; the agony of resuscitation; the grim -fear that had choked him when he saw his dear lady lying there so pale -and still—all those transitions had shaken even the strong will and -cool brain of the son of the snows. He shook his head impatiently, as -though the fog through which his mind groped were a physical fact, to -be dismissed so.</p> - -<p>Here at his side was the living answer to the questions that now -trooped thick and fast—the man who had promised him life on the -sinking deck of the cruiser and who had made that promise good.</p> - -<p>"Where are we, and who and what are you?" Polaris asked him.</p> - -<p>The answer was as ready as it was surprising.</p> - -<p>"We are under the sea in the captain's cabin of a fademe in the navy -of the great king, Bel-Ar. And I"—he bowed slightly and smiled—"I am -the Captain Oleric the Red, also of the navy of the great king, but at -present without a fademe to command."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>So unusually circumstanced from his very birth had been the life of -Polaris Janess that he long before had accepted and made his own the -philosophy which the Prince of Denmark taught to Horatio. Things that -the ordinary man would scoff at and reject as preposterous had been -the incidents of his everyday existence. So now the extraordinary -declaration of him who named himself Oleric the Red did not move him to -any great show of surprise.</p> - -<p>Instead, there came to him the sorrowful vision of the good gray -cruiser, sundered and wrecked and going down to the ocean's bed, -bearing with her many a man whom he had been glad to call his -friend—men who twice had risked their lives in the antarctic perils -that others might live. With that picture in his mind came a thought -that drove all the mists from his brain and made it burn with a sense -of outrage and anger.</p> - -<p>He snapped himself erect, and with hands clenched and blazing eyes -looked down on Oleric.</p> - -<p>"The breaking of the good ship yonder came not from within, but from -without," he said sternly. "That great ray of strange light that -cut her like a knife was some devil's device of these that you call -fademes. Is it not true?"</p> - -<p>Over the face of Oleric passed a shadow that made it sad. But his eyes -were steadfast and unflinching.</p> - -<p>"It is true," he answered. "I would have prevented it if I could have. -Your ship has gone the way of all others which have come to the coasts -of Maeronica."</p> - -<p>"Is it, then, the custom of your 'great king' so to greet strangers who -come to his shores?" asked Polaris.</p> - -<p>"Such have been the orders of the king of Maeronica," replied Oleric. -"Many a long century has rolled into the past since any ship, save the -fademes, cast anchor in the harbor of the city of Adlaz. It is the law. -It is so writ upon the sacred column. But it is a bad law."</p> - -<p>"An hour ago we had not guessed of the existence even of this land of -Maeronica of yours, with its city of Adlaz and its rule of death in -the sea," said Polaris. "All that we asked was to go our ways in peace -and a safe journey to America. Now, because of the evil law of an evil -land, a great ship's company is food for the fishes. You say well that -it is a bad law.</p> - -<p>"And, hark you, Oleric the Red, I count the reckoning between this King -Bel-Ar of yours and me as both long and heavy. I do not know how it -will fall about, or when; but my heart tells me that some time I shall -make settlement of that score."</p> - -<p>Rose Emer stirred and moaned, and Polaris turned to her. He knelt again -at the side of her couch and chafed her hands.</p> - -<p>Running his fingers through his red hair, Oleric looked down at -Polaris. A strange light shone in the blue eyes of the captain, and -over his face spread a crafty and satisfied smile. He nodded his head -as though a thought had come to him that pleased him much.</p> - -<p>"Yourself and the lady here are not the only ones saved from the ship," -he said at length.</p> - -<p>"What? There are others that live?" Polaris asked quickly. "Who, and -where are they?"</p> - -<p>"In the opposite cabin of the fademe is the old man Zenas," Oleric -replied, "and with him is the large and fat young man who made all -of the jokes at the table on the ship. And in another fademe is the -captain—Everson—and the two you saved from Sardanes, the giant Minos -and the dark and splendid lady, Memene."</p> - -<p>"What know you of Sardanes?" Polaris asked. "And how comes it that you -speak our English speech, now that your tongue is loosened?"</p> - -<p>Oleric smiled. "Though my tongue was idle on your ship yonder, my -ears were not," he said, "nor were my eyes, and they gathered me much -information. I know that you, whom they call the son of the snows, have -lived a strange life and looked upon many wonders. But they are as -nothing to the wonders which you are to see presently—and I, Oleric -the Red, shall show them to you." He laughed soundlessly.</p> - -<p>"But the language—where learned you the English tongue?" Polaris asked -again. "Surely it is not spoken in this Maeronica, this land whereof no -man has ever heard."</p> - -<p>"Many years ago I learned it—from the lips of a slave. He, too, had -been taken from the deck of a ship which was sunk by the fademes," was -the answer of Oleric. He regarded Polaris keenly. Nor was that reply -without its effect.</p> - -<p>"Slaves!" Polaris cried. "Is this another of the laws of this land of -yours—to make slaves of strangers?"</p> - -<p>"It is the law of the great king," Oleric said. "Few such have been -taken alive, but they have lived as slaves or died on the sands of the -arena to make sport for the people at the great games which are a part -of the Feast of Years."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>For a moment, even Rose Emer was forgotten. Polaris looked up at the -Maeronican captain with a blaze in his eyes that boded little of -submission to the laws of Bel-Ar, the king.</p> - -<p>When he spoke, it was very quietly. "Law or no law, backs shall break -and spirits set out on their journeys before I shall become slave to -any man."</p> - -<p>"But the maid here," interposed Oleric—"would you bring doom upon her -as well as upon yourself? Be not so rash, my brother. 'All things come -to him that waits,' was a saying of that slave from whom I learned your -tongue—O'Connell, he did call his name. I know not if his saying be -true. I know he waited many long years, and death came to him."</p> - -<p>Polaris shook his head slowly.</p> - -<p>"There is little cheer in these words of yours, Oleric the Red," he -said. "And I do not know why you should call me brother, for whom you -foretell a life of slavery. But these things are bridges to be crossed -when met." He turned back to Rose Emer. "Have you such a thing as wine -on this ship?" he asked. "This swoon is long in passing."</p> - -<p>Again the red captain regarded the broad back with satisfaction and -smiled his craftful smile.</p> - -<p>He stepped to the end of the cabin, and from the cabinet there fetched -a tall glass flagon, bound with golden filagree-work, and a slender, -twisted goblet. The liquor which he poured from the flagon was -cherry-red, and sent forth a pleasing aroma.</p> - -<p>"Here is of the best in Maeronica," he said. "Trust a captain of the -fademes to know it."</p> - -<p>Lifting Rose's head on his arm, Polaris held the goblet to her lips -and let the red wine trickle down. As he did so, the door of the cabin -was opened from without. A man thrust his head through and shouted to -Oleric in a strange though not unmusical tongue. The captain answered -him a word or two, and the door was closed again. Polaris saw that the -man wore armor of a pattern similar to that of Oleric, and that, like -the captain's, his face was ruddy. But his hair was black, and he wore -a short, curling beard. While the door was opened, the purr of smoothly -running machinery could be heard, and with it a steady hissing, -bubbling noise, like that of escaping steam.</p> - -<p>Rose sat up suddenly and glanced around her with frightened eyes. She -threw her arms around Polaris's neck and clung to him.</p> - -<p>"You lay so still," she sobbed, "I thought that you were dead. But you -are alive—alive!"</p> - -<p>Oleric bent forward and spoke hurriedly.</p> - -<p>"We are nearing the harbor of the city of Adlaz," he said. "I do not -know when I shall have opportunity to talk with you again. But if it be -not soon, wait; and accept with patience, even though it shall try you -sorely, all that shall happen.</p> - -<p>"Just now you asked me why I called you 'brother.' You saved me from -the sea. On the ship yonder you and the old man Zenas, and another whom -I grieve that I could not save, tended me when you thought that I was -near to death. And after, when your sailors murmured, and they would -have cast me into the sea, you guarded me from harm. All those things I -know and shall not forget. That is why I call you brother. And back of -all of those things there is still another reason, of which I hope to -tell you soon. I learned from the slave O'Connell that the shake of the -hands between men is a bond of friendship. Will you shake my hand, my -brother?"</p> - -<p>Polaris took the proffered hand in a grip that made its owner wince. -"It seems that despite the laws of Bel-Ar, the king, I have found a -friend," he said. "I shall try to be patient, Oleric."</p> - -<p>"Hold your hand from anger," enjoined the red captain earnestly, "even -though you be put to serve as a slave in the mines of Bel-Ar. And -instruct your companions that they do likewise. Great days are coming -upon Maeronica, and I promise you faithfully that you shall play a -great part in them—"</p> - -<p>He broke his speech suddenly.</p> - -<p>Again the door swung open. Somewhere in the depths of the fademe a bell -rang clearly. The noise of the mechanism ceased. The black-bearded man -who had thrust his head into the cabin before, stood in the doorway and -beckoned to Oleric.</p> - -<p>"Remember," warned the captain as he passed Polaris. "Patience and that -strong heart of yours shall carry you far before your sun goes down."</p> - -<p>He went out and the door closed after him.</p> - -<p>"What does he mean, with his talk of slaves and the mines and all those -strange names?" Rose Emer asked wonderingly. "Where are we?"</p> - -<p>Polaris told her all that he had learned from the captain. She heard -him with wide eyes.</p> - -<p>"<i>You</i>—a slave!" she cried. "Ah, no, not that? Is it to be like this -all our lives—to see happiness just ahead of us, but never reach it? -Fate cannot be so cruel. Think what you have endured. And now to be a -slave here in this terrible foreign land!"</p> - -<p>Perhaps Fate was listening then—Fate, who can be both cruel and kind, -sordid and splendid, according to her whim. She had played many strange -tricks on this man. But she now decreed that he should never serve the -king Bel-Ar as a slave.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Soon after the departure of Oleric, the door of the cabin was opened -again, and an armored man entered. It was he of the black beard, whom -Polaris rightly guessed to be the captain of the fademe. With him came -three other men, unarmored, who evidently were members of the crew of -the craft.</p> - -<p>Sturdy, black-haired fellows these were, dressed alike in loose, -neckless blue tunics of some woven material, with elbow-sleeves, -and belted in at the waist. Beneath the tunics they wore long, -close-fitting nether garments like the hose of the Middle Ages, only -these were both hose and trousers, too. On their feet were shoes of -soft leather, the tops of which came nearly to their knees, and which -were laced with gay-colored cords. Their heads were covered with flat -caps of cloth which resembled somewhat the tam-o'-shanters of the -Scots. Those, too, were dyed in bright colors.</p> - -<p>With a motion of his arm the captain indicated to Rose and Polaris that -they were to leave the cabin. The girl still was weak from her swoon, -and tottered when she stood, and her garments were wet and bedraggled. -Polaris wrapped her in the robe of furs with which Oleric had covered -her, and lifted her in his arms. As he did so, one of the sailors spoke -harshly and snatched at the robe. He was clumsy, and his fingers caught -in Rose's unbound hair and pulled it so that she winced.</p> - -<p>Polaris set the girl down and in the same motion spun on his heel and -struck the man under the ear.</p> - -<p>Well it was for the Maeronican sailor that the son of the snows, quick -as was his anger at the affront to the girl, remembered the counsel of -Oleric. Even as he struck, he remembered, and he opened his hand; else -the stroke, directed by his mighty thews, had ended all things for the -sailor. As it was, the blow partly lifted the man from his feet and -shot him sprawling through the open door to fall heavily outside.</p> - -<p>From its peg on the wall the captain caught down the short-bladed sword -and tore it from the sheath. At a word from him, his two remaining men -plucked knives from their belts and closed in.</p> - -<p>Prospects of battle cleared the last of the numbness from the limbs of -Polaris. He thrust Rose Emer behind him. He ran his eyes hastily over -the cabin in search of a weapon, but saw none which would serve him. In -another instant he would have sprung barehanded against the Maeronican -steel.</p> - -<p>At that juncture a voice cried out, and Oleric the Red stepped over -the fallen sailor and entered the cabin. Whatever may have been the -failings of the red captain, slowness in action was not one of them. -Gripping the two crouching sailors, each by the belt from behind, he -tugged so mightily that their feet flew from under them, and they sat -hard on the cabin floor. With a catlike leap, Oleric reached the side -of the captain of the fademe and struck the sword from his hand. As the -blade clanged on the floor, Oleric set his foot across it. Then, and -not until then, did he seek to learn the trouble's cause.</p> - -<p>"What now, comrade," he said to Polaris. "Do you then court death so -soon?"</p> - -<p>But when he heard of the sailor's action, he nodded his red head.</p> - -<p>"So would I have done," he said shortly. He turned on the other captain -and spoke to him sternly in the Maeronican tongue. Almost choking in -his rage, the commander answered him in sneering tones, and with a -shrug of his shoulders stalked from the cabin. The sailors slunk after -him.</p> - -<p>Oleric watched their departing backs with a hard and level stare. -"Daelo grows insolent," he said. "He thinks, because I have had the -misfortune to lose a fademe, that I shall get no pretty welcome from -Bel-Ar. Maybe he is right. Bel-Ar loves not to lose his ships. Ah, -well—" He, too, shrugged his shoulders, and then he smiled.</p> - -<p>"And you, my brother—" He shook his finger at Polaris. "Unless you -learn to curb that fine spirit of yours, I need to be no prophet to -foretell what shall befall you. But come; let us leave this place. The -air of it grows foul."</p> - -<p>With Rose in his arms, Polaris stepped from the cabin and gazed -curiously about him.</p> - -<p>He stood in a long gallery or corridor, some nine feet wide by thirty -in extent. It was lighted brightly by a number of globes similar to -that in the cabin. The flooring was of wood, the ceiling of steel. -Opposite him was the door of another cabin. A few feet along the -corridor ahead of him, toward the prow of the fademe, the floor was -pierced to admit a large post or beam, which thrust up through it and -disappeared through another opening in the ceiling of the gallery. -Around the beam spiraled a slender winding stair of yellow metal.</p> - -<p>Oleric led on toward the bow. As he passed the stairway, Janess saw -that it led to a small, towerlike structure above. A glance through the -opening in the floor showed him another gallery, or deck, below, and he -had a glimpse of a mass of mechanism and shafting. It was the engine -room of the fademe into which he looked. Near the prow, the flooring -was cut away again to allow the passage of what seemed to be a pillar -of solid, yellow glass, as large around as the body of a man.</p> - -<p>As they passed the second pillar by, Oleric struck it lightly with his -palm.</p> - -<p>"There is what brought death to your good ship, my brother," he said. -"It is the secret of the power of the navy of Bel-Ar."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>At the end of the corridor was an open door. Beyond it was a small -chamber and another door. The chamber was constructed entirely of -steel. Both of its doors were circular in shape, and they were fitted -with valves and bars which made them resemble the breechblocks of -enormous cannon. From beyond the second door came the sound of the -splashing of waves and the hum of many human voices.</p> - -<p>Oleric passed through the chamber. At the outer door he paused and -gave Polaris a hand with his burden. A breeze of salt air fanned their -faces. Through the door Polaris saw an expanse of blue water alight -with shafts of sunshine—for the rain had ceased—and the line of a -rocky wall.</p> - -<p>"The harbor of the city of Adlaz," the red captain said.</p> - -<p>They stood on a metal deck six feet square on the extreme prow of the -fademe. From the deck a narrow, swaying gangplank reached to the edge -of the quay that was built of massive blocks of masonry, alongside of -which the fademe was moored.</p> - -<p>At their right was the tossing blue and white of a harbor large enough -to have given shelter to the ships of all the navies of the world, -could they have come to it. Nearly three miles in width and length it -lay, the whole girt round by the ring of a lofty mountain wall, in -which on the seaward side there was not a notch or a break. Two hundred -feet up from the water's edge the sheer cliffs towered, their faces -smooth and precipitous.</p> - -<p>It was more a lake than a harbor that held the navy of Bel-Ar. Later -the Americans learned that its only entrance from the sea was a natural -tunnel many feet below the level of the water, through which the -fademes passed out and in. The harbor was the giant cup or crater of a -volcano, ages quenched.</p> - -<p>Along the wharves of stone and anchored in the lake rocked the fademes -of the Maeronican fleet, each one resembling nothing so much as a -monstrous goldfish carrying a glass tower on its back. Gold they were, -indeed—and they shimmered and glittered in the sunlight as only gold -can glitter.</p> - -<p>Like immense, flattened globes the fademes were fashioned—globes forty -feet through their lengthened axes, and drawn to points at their stems -and sterns. Where the dorsal fin of a fish projects from its spine, -each fademe bore a small, round deckhouse with ribs of metal and sides -of polished crystal.</p> - -<p>Yes; the harbor of Adlaz was very like a vast bowl with many goldfish -(the fleet of fademes must have numbered one hundred and fifty). But -they were far from being the harmless toys of children, these golden -ships of the underseas. Deadly enspine, each fademe bore a small, round -bee sent forth on cruel errands.</p> - -<p>On the dancing surface of the lake and in and out among the gleaming -fademes plied a number of small open boats, driven by oarsmen, and -here and there in the anchorage were scattered undersea craft of a make -smaller by half and more slender than the fademes. These were called -marizels.</p> - -<p>Back of the quays and the wharves was a line of low buildings of black -and red stone, well constructed, with doors of wood and glass windows. -Except that their architecture was quaint and ran much to carved faces -of men and beasts, interspersed with squat domes and spires, they might -have been the warehouses of some well-to-do port of the old world.</p> - -<p>An open space, a number of acres in extent, lay beyond the buildings -and reached to the frowning face of the cliff-wall. The wall itself was -pierced by a broad arch or tunnel wide enough for a squadron of cavalry -to have ridden through it abreast and so high that a galleon's masts -would not have touched its vaulted roof.</p> - -<p>Above the center of the arch, and carved in the rock of the cliffside, -was a great round face, many feet across. It was a piece of sculpture -to crook the fingers of a miser; for it was covered with beaten gold, -so that it resembled a rising sun. That semblance was heightened -further by long shafts or rays which extended from the face across the -surface of the rock in all directions. They, too, were of gold. Work of -a master-sculptor, it was, who had guided his chisel in bold, strong -strokes. The features were noble, but the smiling lips were cruel, and -there was cruelty in the golden eyes which looked down on the golden -ships in the harbor.</p> - -<p>All these things Polaris saw from the forward deck of the fademe, and -more. The quays and the court were black with people. At one side of -the archway was drawn up a line of horsemen clad in steel armor. In -the midst of the throng in the court a man in a yellow tunic and cap -was cleaving his way through the press toward the wharf on a big black -horse.</p> - -<p>As he crossed the swaying plank to the wharf with Rose Emer in his -arms, Polaris heard a great cry of wonder go up from the crowd. In a -moment he learned that it was not the appearance of the strangers that -had caused the outcry. It was the return of Oleric the Red, who had -long been given up as lost. Evidently the red captain was a popular man -in his land. People crowded around him and clapped him on the back and -gave him words of welcome home. Greetings none the less hearty for that -they were tinged with a note of apprehension for his future welfare, -which even Polaris could sense, though he understood no word of it all.</p> - -<p>Down from his horse sprang the man in the yellow tunic and enfolded -Oleric in a mighty embrace. "Ah, old red bear, it is good for the eyes -to see you once again. We had thought the fishes had you. But"—and he -lowered his voice—"you will have to think of a pretty tale to tell to -Bel-Ar. He raves at the loss of a fademe."</p> - -<p>"That he does," answered Oleric, "but I am good at the telling of -tales, as you know. Besides, I have with me a matter of a small sack, -which was not lost with the fademe, and which shall make the eyes of -his queen to glisten. So mayhap I shall find forgiveness."</p> - -<p>The other ran his eye over Polaris and Rose. "What, more slaves?" he -asked. "Orlas already has brought in three, and one of them a giant."</p> - -<p>"Yes, Brunar, more slaves." Oleric's face grew sober. "Poor souls. My -heart is heavy for them, for they did save my life out yonder on the -sea, and treat me kindly."</p> - -<p>"Here, old bear, take you my horse and ride on to Adlaz," said Brunar. -"I have business here. I will come on anon through the canal in a -marizel. And, if the hand of Bel-Ar lie not too heavy upon you, there -will be a rare night to-night, a rare night; eh, old bear?" Laughing, -he tossed the reins to Oleric and disappeared in the crowd.</p> - -<p>From the stern of the fademe they had quitted sounded a high-pitched -voice in notes of vituperation. Oleric looked back. The captain Daelo -stood on the rear deck of his vessel. When he saw Oleric turn, he shook -his clenched fist at the red captain. With a laugh, Oleric flung back a -remark of such import that it made Daelo dance upon his deck with rage.</p> - -<p>"Now there's a fool," grumbled Oleric, "who may be troublesome. I have -the best of him this time, though. Back to sea patrol he goes. And -there is a maid in Adlaz town—a sweet and comely maid, for love of -whom he's well-nigh witless. I just did tell him that I'd comfort her -in his absence." The captain tossed his head and laughed his soundless -laugh.</p> - -<p>Bidding a lad hold his horse, Oleric led Polaris and Rose into one -of the buildings near the end of the wharf. There, under a guard of -sailors, they found old Zenas, the two Sardanians, Everson, and Brooks. -Lacking an interpreter, such as Oleric, these others were in sore -bewilderment. The stunning blow of the loss of the <i>Minnetonka</i> had -cast them in a depth of gloom, which the appearance of Polaris and -Rose Emer and the few explanations they were able to give did little -to lighten. Everson, especially, was like a man distraught. Even the -scientific zeal of Zenas Wright for once was quenched, and he met the -marvels about him with a listless eye.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Under orders from Oleric, men fetched from stables near the quays a -long, low car, to which two span of horses were attached, and the -Americans were bidden to take their places in it. Wild and reckless -drivers these Maeronicans were. Two of them climbed into the car, -turned their horses' heads toward the great archway and whipped them -into a gallop. With a yell, the crowd parted. The hoofs of the horses -rang on the stones of the paved courtyard. As they passed from the -court into the tunnel, the line of steel horsemen came clattering after -them. Oleric rode at the side of the car.</p> - -<p>At intervals in the walls of the tunnel were set translucent globes -like those on the fademe, which shed a strong white light along the -way. The flooring was paved and smooth. For perhaps five minutes the -cavalcade thundered through the passage in the rock, and then it -emerged again into the light of day.</p> - -<p>Ahead stretched a long, wide roadway, paved from side to side with -blocks of black stone, fast embedded in a cement of the same hue. -At both sides of the road were low walls, and beyond the walls were -handsome mansions and grounds, where fair trees tossed their greenery -and bright flowers bloomed amid a wealth of shrubbery. From the -splendid and fragrant lawns men and women looked forth as the car -whirled past, and children left their play to run to the walls and -stare wide-eyed at the strangers.</p> - -<p>Most of the men were garbed as had been those of the fademe's crew and -also the crowd at the harbor, in loose, belted tunics and hose, but -finer in texture and more showy in coloring than those of the commoner -sort.</p> - -<p>Some of the old men wore flowing gowns. The women and children were -clad in short kirtles. Everywhere was a riot of color. The garments -of the people were gay with many tints and hues. The grounds were -flecked with flowers. The dwellings, all of which were built of stone, -made their brave show of colors, too. The quarries from which the -masonry was cut yielded white and black and red stone, and in their -construction work the builders had varied them pleasingly.</p> - -<p>From the tunnel's mouth at the base of the ancient hill, the long, -black road sloped up gradually. Far ahead loomed the walls and domes -of a great city. Oleric rose in his stirrups and pointed to where they -were outlined against the sky.</p> - -<p>"Yonder lies Adlaz, chief city of the Children of Ad," he cried.</p> - -<p>Midway in their course to the city, the shouting drivers pulled their -horses suddenly to one side of the road, and the riders of the escort -scattered to right and left to leave a clear passage. From far up the -wonderful street sounded the clash and clatter of pounding hoofs in -desperate haste.</p> - -<p>But no horse it was that galloped so madly from Adlaz town to the sea, -but a giant, bronze-coated bull. On he came, head down and tail aloft, -his hoofs striking fire from the smooth, hard rock of the roadway. At -intervals he gave voice to a deep-throated bellow.</p> - -<p>He was still three hundred yards from the car when Rose Emer screamed -out in horror. "Ah, the child! Save the child!" she cried.</p> - -<p>From one of the mansions farther up the street, a child had strayed, -a baby girl, a fragile, black-haired little thing, not more than five -years old. Shrieking with laughter, she had eluded her mother and run -out through the gateway to the center of the road. Half-way across the -pavement, she slipped and fell. Down the street on thundering hoofs -came the great bronze death.</p> - -<p>Upsetting one of the drivers in his haste, Polaris leaped down over -the wheel of the car. Scarcely had his feet touched the roadway, when -Minos, the Sardanian, was down behind him. Snatching a short spear from -the hand of one of the steel riders, the son of the snows bounded up -the street to meet the bull, going at a speed which few living things -could have equaled. Over his shoulder he called to Minos:</p> - -<p>"Care for the child, Minos; leave the beast to me."</p> - -<p>Just beyond where the baby girl lay, he met the furious mass of -charging flesh. The little red eyes of the oncoming monster saw the man -in its path, and for an instant the bull seemed to halt in its stride, -and its hoofs slid on the smooth pavement. Then it lowered its head -still farther and charged on with a roar.</p> - -<p>From the tail of his eye, Janess saw the Sardanian snatch the baby from -the perilous path and leap to one side. Behind them the red captain, -shouting and cursing, alone of all the troop of riders strove to urge -his affrighted horse forward.</p> - -<p>"Hold! Hold!" he shouted in English. "Let the beast go!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Even had he heard, Polaris would have been little minded to let the -bull go free. It was plain that the animal was mad. A bloody froth -dripped from its jaws as it ran. Behind the son of the snows, right -where the bull was headed, were his friends, and among them one who -meant more to him than all of the rest of the world.</p> - -<p>Directly in the path of the lowered horns, that were coming on with -the power of a mighty battering-ram, Polaris stood. Then he sprang -sidewise, turning as he leaped. So narrowly did he time the onset that -the shoulder of the bull grazed his knee. As the huge body passed him, -the man drove the short spear home behind its shoulder, guiding the -steel with the strength of arm and the keenness of eye that had helped -him to survive through the long years when combat with the beasts of -the wild was a part almost of his daily existence.</p> - -<p>The stroke was true. So deeply did the steel spear bite, that its shaft -was wrenched from the hands of Polaris, and he was pitched on his side -on the pavement.</p> - -<p>Unhurt, the man was up in an instant, but his work was done. That bull -would charge no more. He lay dead at the side of the roadway, his -tongue thrust out, his eyes glazing, and his life-blood making a pool -on the stones. The Maeronican spear was set fast in his heart.</p> - -<p>Hardly was Polaris on his feet again when the armored horsemen rode -down on him with lifted spears, cursing him in their own tongue. Oleric -had conquered his horse, and he now interposed to prevent another -struggle which would have been all too one-sided. For, weaponless as -they were, the three other American men clambered down and ran to the -aid of Polaris.</p> - -<p>Minos, who had returned the child to her mother, who knelt half -fainting in her gateway, was the first to reach his side. Though he -bore no weapon, the giant Sardanian squared his mighty figure and made -ready to withstand the onset of horse and steel.</p> - -<p>Polaris leaped to the side of the fallen bull and tore the spear from -its body. Then he turned on the horsemen. He could not guess the cause -of their sudden anger, but he, too, was ready.</p> - -<p>Before blows could be struck, Oleric thrust his horse into the -open space between the friends and the Maeronican riders. By dint -of persuasion, interlarded with not a few threats, he induced his -followers to forego their hostile intentions.</p> - -<p>"You fools!" he shouted. "Would you cheat Bel-Ar of the terrible -vengeance he is sure to take, and have a part of it fall back on you -for balking him?"</p> - -<p>When he had quieted his men, the captain turned gloomily to Polaris.</p> - -<p>"My brother, your doom is sealed, indeed," he said. "This is one of the -sacred bulls from the temple of Shamar, the great sun, that you have -slain. When one of these goes mad, as did this one, no man in the land -does aught to stay it. That is the law. From its horns to its hoofs, -every hair of it is sacred. Bel-Ar may forgive me the loss of a fademe, -though it will be a great vexation to him; but the death of one of -these sacred bulls of Shamar he will not forgive any man. Sooner might -you expect mercy if you declared yourself a follower of the Goddess -Glorian of Ruthar. In this matter I cannot hope to persuade him. By -the bones of the ten thousand kings, I am sorry that this thing has -happened!"</p> - -<p>But later, as they rode on toward the city of Adlaz, the red captain -seemed to be far from rueful. He rode behind the car, and, when he -thought none was observing him, he smiled to himself, as though the -course events were taking pleased him very well indeed.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>CHAPTER III</h2> - -<h3>THE KING JUDGES</h3> - - -<p>Like the shape of a mighty wheel with four spokes was the plan of -the city of Adlaz—or more like a circle drawn around the angles of -a cross, the curved line of the outer boundary passing through the -far-flung arms. Built in a long-ago time of perils and wars, Adlaz -was a walled city, and its wall was both stout and high, and set with -many castellated towers. It was also a very ancient wall, to which its -moss-grown, weather-worn gray stones bore witness.</p> - -<p>In all of the sweeping circumference of the outer wall, which enclosed -some ten square miles of street and square, there were four breaks -only, and those were protected by ponderous gates of bronze and guarded -well by soldiers of the king. Those breaks were where the rim of the -wheel met its four spokes. The wall was the rim. The spokes were four -wide roadways, which ran east, west, north and south from the city's -center. The hub of the wheel was a park or esplanade, fronted on all -sides by magnificent buildings in which the colored rocks hewn from the -Maeronican quarries were blended splendidly. In the very center towered -the massive structure of the Temple of the Sun, built all of white -marble, the tips of its hundred spires capped with solid gold.</p> - -<p>Other and many streets were laid out in all directions within the -angles of the four great avenues; but none was so wide as they by many -feet. Within the wall dwelt nearly half a million souls, Maeronicans, -if one named them from their country, but loving to call themselves the -Children of Ad, after their city, which in turn drew its name from a -certain mighty king, the time of whose rule was so lost in the mists of -dim antiquity that he was little more than a tradition in the mouths of -the people.</p> - -<p>Across from the Temple of the Sun, and in the northeast angle of the -arms of the cross, stood the palace of the kings of Maeronica, another -immense pile of masonry, built also of a solid color, not dazzling -white as was the marble of the house of the god, but the deep, rich -red of granite porphyry. Back of the palace lay the barracks of the -king's guard of half a thousand picked men, his stables, and the -quarters of countless servants. In the southwest angle was the Place of -Games—a hippodrome and circus, with an amphitheater of black basalt -of an age and splendor that would not have shamed the proudest days of -seven-hilled Rome itself, although its foundation stones were laid long -before Remus leaped over his brother's wall.</p> - -<p>Around the hub and extending to the wall were the homes of the Children -of Ad—nobles, captains, rich idlers, merchants, money-lenders, and the -common people. In latter years, since Adlaz, strong and triumphant, -defied her enemies, it had been the pleasure of many of her wealthier -sons to build their mansions beyond the sheltering wall of the city, -and along the four splendid roadways stretched many a fair and wide -estate. Such were those the prisoners from the fademes saw as their car -was driven up the long, black road from the harbor in the mountain.</p> - -<p>It was late afternoon, and the sun was casting his last slant rays over -the distant mountain-rim, when the car was halted at the bronze gates -of the western entrance to Adlaz. The red captain trotted his horse -forward to parley with the captain of the gate-guard and explain why he -led Brunar's horsemen, and who were these whom he brought with him to -the city. That parleying was added to by one of the riders in steel. -Whatever he told the gate-captain, it did not add to that worthy's -esteem for the captives, for he favored them with an exceedingly evil -look as they rode through his gates.</p> - -<p>"Ugh-h," remarked Ensign Brooks, "I can't say that I care for that -party. He has a lean and hungry look. Speaking of hunger, I wonder how -soon we will get where we are going to, and whether it will be supper -time when we get there. I could eat cat right now, I'm so near to -starvation."</p> - -<p>Oleric heard him and replied with a smile. "You shall eat soon, and of -good fare. So much at the least I can promise."</p> - -<p>To which the ensign replied with a stare. For the young naval man did -not like the red captain and his ways, whom he blamed partly for the -loss of the <i>Minnetonka</i> and all of the rest of the troubles, of which -this land seemed to hold a plenty.</p> - -<p>Soon after the car entered the gates, the sunlight faded into dusk, and -then white-capped messengers passed through the streets, plucking the -cloth hoods from globes which were fixed on posts of stone at intervals -along all of the ways. From each globe, as its hood was removed, sprang -a broad circle of white light. On the tall buildings and their many -spires and on the towers of the city wall similar lights flared up.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Except for the quaint architecture of the place, and the strange -garb of the folk who thronged its streets, the Americans might have -imagined themselves entering some stately capital of the modern world, -and not Adlaz of Maeronica, the oldest of all peopled cities of the -earth—older, indeed, than many among the buried ruins in which -archeologists love to delve.</p> - -<p>For its pavements were curbed and guttered, and between them and the -building fronts and lawns were walks of stone, bordered by well-ordered -rows of trees and many shrubs and beds of flowers. The people who -walked the streets, too, were quiet and orderly folk. They stared hard -at those who rode in the car, but there was no unseemly outcry. Only -an occasional shout of surprise and welcome went up as some group of -strollers recognized the merry face and flaming poll of Oleric the Red.</p> - -<p>At all of these marvels the two Sardanians gazed wonderingly and talked -together of them in their tongue.</p> - -<p>"Ah, surely here is one of the greatest cities of the world of men, -my prince," said the Lady Memene. "Note the mighty towers yonder and -how they flash and gleam. And the folk! In one short ride we have seen -enough of them to people two lands like our own lost Sardanes."</p> - -<p>"Aye, Memene, these be wonders, indeed," Minos answered. "And here -is a kingdom and a city well worth the ruling over. Yet these, even -these, must be as nothing to the things beyond in the greater world, -whereof Polaris hath told us. I wonder if we shall ever reach them. -For myself, though, I find this land and its folk more to my manner of -understanding than the world-dwellers way to the north. Here, methinks, -one might, did opportunity offer, carve out a kingdom for the king that -is to come."</p> - -<p>Memene flushed and hung her head, and the two of them lapsed into -thoughtful silence.</p> - -<p>Truly, Minos of Sardanes lacked not in ambition.</p> - -<p>"Too late, now, to hope to meet Bel-Ar the king before the morrow," -Oleric said. "And perhaps that is as well. By another coming of Shamar -his wrath may have cooled somewhat, though 'twill still burn hot -enough, I'll wager."</p> - -<p>The charioteers drove their car to the front of a long, low building, -the façade of which verged almost upon the pavement of the black avenue -which was known as Chedar's Flight, because of an ancient battle which -had been fought along its course. There, the riders of Brunar left the -car and clattered away up the street to their own place. A group of -street idlers surrounded the car and began to discuss its passengers, -taking note especially of the giant form of Minos and the beauty of the -two ladies.</p> - -<p>"This was a palace, once, but it serves as a prison, now," Oleric said -to Polaris, as gates of bronze were thrust back and the charioteers -drove through and into a roomy court, partly paved and partly lawn and -trees. "Sorry I am, comrade, that this must be, but 'tis not of my -working."</p> - -<p>"I blame you not, friend," said Polaris. "But other days bring other -fortunes. I do not think that I shall stay long in your prison. And it -comes to me also that your king best had let this party depart his land -in peace, else the next turn of the wheel may bring to him that which -he least desires. And I think that you may have a hand in that turn, -Oleric."</p> - -<p>"Are you a prophet, my brother?" exclaimed Oleric, searching the face -of Polaris for a hidden meaning. "For if you be not one, then you have -a rare spirit."</p> - -<p>"No prophet I," Polaris answered. He sprang down over the wheel and -stretched his weary limbs. "Only at times, when all seems black, my -heart does whisper courage, and then all things turn well. It did so -just now, when I saw the lights spring up along that splendid street -out there." He held up his arms and assisted Rose Emer to alight from -the car.</p> - -<p>Oleric gazed at him curiously. "So you think that the wheel will turn, -and that I will have a hand in it, my brother, do you?" he whispered to -himself. "Perchance I shall."</p> - -<p>He swung down from his horse and cast the reins to an attendant.</p> - -<p>"What! Mordo! Where do you tarry? Here be guests for you," he shouted.</p> - -<p>They stood in the dusk under the spreading boughs of an ancient oak and -waited while a tall, loosely built man, black-bearded, and clad in the -armor of gold that was the badge of power in Maeronica, came down from -a pillared porch on the other side of the court and shambled across. -They noticed that his step was somewhat uncertain, and once or twice he -stumbled as he approached.</p> - -<p>"Mordo, captain, and keeper of the king's prison house," Oleric -muttered to Polaris. "He's a good fellow, but does love his wine cup -exceeding well."</p> - -<p>As the prison keeper came across the stones and the grass, he shouted, -and an underling ran to him, swinging a lighted globe encaged in a -metal net. Mordo took the lamp and cast its rays on the party. His face -was flushed, and his eyes rolled until they saw Oleric. Then his mouth -gaped in a delighted grin.</p> - -<p>"Hoy! Hoy!" he exclaimed. "By the wall and the beasts and the shadows -of the fathers of Ad, if it is not my old bottle-crony come sailing -home again! I thought my ears had lied when I heard that voice in the -dark." He set the lamp down and pitched forward, steadying himself with -his hands on Oleric's shoulders. "And the same old dekkar, eh?" (A -dekkar was a broad goldpiece of the coin of Maeronica.) "They said that -you were gone across the black river, but I believed them not. 'Not -Oleric,' I told them. 'Not so long as there is left unemptied a single -one of those long-stemmed bottles in old Mordo's cellar.' And I was -right, eh, old firetop? Ah! Many a glass shall clink to-night, and many -a rack be made lighter when Brunar and the others come."</p> - -<p>Mordo threw his head back and laughed, a roaring gale of mirth.</p> - -<p>"Why, I was so lonely to-night that already I have cracked two flagons, -just for the good wine's company."</p> - -<p>"So it seems," put in Oleric, sniffing. "Are you sure there were only -two of those flagons?"</p> - -<p>"Mayhap it was three; I care not; there's still space for more, as you -well know," Mordo replied, still shaking with laughter. He took up his -lantern again.</p> - -<p>"But whom do you bring with you to Mordo's house?" he asked, peering -once more at the strangers. "Women, too! And pretty ones!"</p> - -<p>"Have an end to your banter, Mordo," Oleric interposed. "These be six -guests for whom Bel-Ar will ask accounting. Hold them well. And harken, -old friend; treat them kindly and to the best you have, for they did -befriend me when I was in evil straits and sore in need of friends. -That tale you shall hear later. Now hasten and bestow them. They are -weary. And bethink you, man, your wine grows stale with waiting to be -drunk, and my throat aches for the smack of it."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Through his porch and into the depths of the building beyond, Mordo led -the party. Along many halls and passages he led, and through gates and -doors of bronze and steel, whereof an attendant bore the keys.</p> - -<p>An ill place, this, to come out of, thought Polaris, noting the -strength and number of the gates. Nor did the son of the snows relish -at all the grim clanking of chains which issued from certain of the -chambers which they passed along their route.</p> - -<p>At length the jailer paused, in a hall so wide that its boundary walls -could be seen only dimly by the light of the few globes which hung from -its pillars of black stone, and so lofty that the pillars' tops were -lost in the upper dusk. The hall was circular, and all around its walls -were the doors to lesser chambers.</p> - -<p>"Here may your stranger friends from the sea await the pleasure of -Bel-Ar in peace," hiccoughed Mordo. "And 'tis better by far for them -than some of the places that I have below, as you know, Oleric. Kings -have sat in judgment here, and the beds in yonder chambers—queens have -slept on them. May your guests sleep well, old fox; I can offer them -no better, no better lodging place than the audience-hall of the great -King Bel-Tisam. I'll send them meat and wine. Now haste we to those -bottles. Shamar send that Brunar be not long delayed."</p> - -<p>"Here I must leave you for a space, my friends," Oleric said. "I -would have you believe that I am not ungrateful for many good deeds -remembered, and I hope yet to find the means to repay them. To-morrow I -will go with you before Bel-Ar the king."</p> - -<p>He bowed and went out with Mordo.</p> - -<p>Presently came men with an abundance of fresh-cooked meats and -trenchers and tall bottles of Maeronican wine.</p> - -<p>Little heart for conversation was there among the seven friends. Each -was busy with bitter thoughts. They ate, sitting on cushions about a -low table which the attendants spread for them at the foot of one of -the pillars. The two women, weary from the events of the day, soon went -to their rest. Old Zenas Wright was not long in following their example.</p> - -<p>"I'm growing old, boys," he said as he left the table. "And this has -been a hard day—a terribly hard day. We appear to have strayed far -into the yesterdays. To-morrow we will talk, and it will be strange -if we cannot between us figure our way out. I don't want to leave my -old bones in this place. I intend that they shall be buried in Woodlawn -Cemetery in Buffalo, near where I was born; ah me, where I was born. I -vow and vum, I've seen some mighty queer sights since I walked up Main -Street last."</p> - -<p>The geologist turned and trudged sturdily away to the chamber which he -had selected for his own.</p> - -<p>Soon only Polaris and Lieutenant Everson were left in the great hall, -Janess lying stretched on the floor, his head pillowed on his hand, and -the lieutenant standing gloomily with folded arms, his back resting -against one of the pillars. For many minutes those two talked of the -things which had befallen; but neither one had a plan to offer.</p> - -<p>"We must trust to the wit of this Oleric, of which I think he has -plenty," said Polaris at length. "I believe that he wished us no ill, -and I believe, too, that he forms some scheme for our advantage, though -what it is I cannot guess."</p> - -<p>"I don't like him," Everson said bluntly. "He is one of this nation of -devils whose submarine sank my ship. Oh, for a few files of marines and -a couple of twelve-inch guns!"</p> - -<p>When Everson had gone, Polaris still lay at the foot of the pillar, -thinking and planning, for he was a man in whom hope never died. He -dozed at length, but suddenly he was wide awake. And, though he did not -at once open his eyes, his wilderness-trained faculties, keen as those -of any animal, were alert and watchful.</p> - -<p>Something had come into the hall.</p> - -<p>Nothing in living shape ever had struck fear into the heart of Polaris, -and he had a healthy disbelief in the supernatural. He was not afraid -now. But he felt that the presence that had entered the hall was both -baleful and menacing. He felt the fixed regard of hidden eyes, and it -sent an uneasy thrill through the roots of his hair at the back of his -head. Whatever it was that had wakened him, it was not in the direction -of the chambers where the others of his party lay, but far across the -hall.</p> - -<p>Cautiously he opened his eyes.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>At first he could make out nothing. Then something stirred soundlessly -from behind a far pillar near the wall. Polaris stared hard, and his -eyes were almost more than mortal keen. For a fleeting instant he saw -it clearly—the shape of a tall old man with snowy beard and hair, and -with piercing eyes, full of evil. The man was dressed in flowing robes -of white, on the breast of which glittered some object of burnished -metal.</p> - -<p>For an instant only the vision persisted on Polaris's retina. Then it -was gone, and with no sound that even his sharp ears could catch.</p> - -<p>Polaris snapped himself to his feet and bounded across the hall on -the balls of his feet, almost as noiselessly as the shadow which had -departed. And it had departed. Along the wall and behind the pillars -Polaris glanced quickly. There was nothing there. Back of the pillar -where he had seen the white shape was the closed door of a chamber. He -tried the door and found it fast. He listened.</p> - -<p>From the darkness beyond the closed door, he thought he heard the ghost -of a thin chuckle. Immediately his attention was drawn to another -quarter. Close behind him arose a deep growl, which had nothing ghostly -in its quality, but was most material. Polaris spun upon his heels.</p> - -<p>Some ten feet from him, and beside one of the pillars, from the foot -of which it evidently had arisen, stood a huge dog. It was the first -animal of its kind which the son of the snows had seen in Maeronica, -and the largest he ever had set eyes on in his life; larger by far even -than gray old Marcus, his friend and comrade that he'd left behind in -Boston town.</p> - -<p>This brute was neither Great Dane nor mastiff, though in points it -resembled both of those breeds. Its jaws were square, and its head and -neck were massive. The tips of its powerful shoulders were a long yard -up from the stone floor where it stood.</p> - -<p>It was smooth of coat and of a glossy, blue-black color, except on its -breast, where was a triangular patch of tawny yellow. Its ears had -been clipped and stood erect and pointed. As it regarded the man, its -big eyes glittered in the dim light. Its lips were writhed back from -formidable teeth.</p> - -<p>Another low growl rumbled from its deep chest.</p> - -<p>Instinctively, dogs trusted Polaris. He had had much experience with -their kind, and never had he seen one that in the end he could not make -his friend. Unhesitatingly he extended his hand and crossed the floor -to where the big beast stood. He guessed that it must have come in -with the old man whom he had glimpsed, and had been left behind when -the silent visitor had made his hurried departure. As he drew nearer, -Polaris saw that the animal wore a broad leather collar, bossed with -gold.</p> - -<p>Unhurriedly, the son of the snows approached the brute until there was -not the space of a yard between them. There he paused. The dog neither -shrank nor cowered, but waited with muscles tensed and teeth exposed. -Polaris was very watchful.</p> - -<p>"Good fellow," he said.</p> - -<p>At the sound of the man's voice, the dog shifted his position slightly. -His head swayed. From Polaris's face he glanced to the outstretched -hand. The bristling hackles at his neck subsided. He took a stiff -step forward, then another. The tip of his cold muzzle touched the -man's fingers. He sniffed. A long, red tongue crept forth and licked -Polaris's hand. Another step, and the brute rubbed his great head -against the man's thigh.</p> - -<p>"Ah; I thought you would," said Polaris. "Come on." He turned and -crossed the hall to his sleeping chamber. The dog padded beside him on -silent feet. The last thing the son of the snows heard, after he had -called Brooks to take the watch, and closed his eyes to slumber, was -the sigh of the huge beast as it stretched itself before his open door.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Worn of body and of nerves, Polaris slumbered deeply. Shamar rose high -in the east and lighted the golden spires of his mighty temple in Adlaz -town; still the man slept on, and as he slept, he dreamed. Far into the -white, mysterious southland his fancies led, to a waste of ice and snow -and bitter winds. He drove a team of splendid dogs—his gray brothers -they seemed to be in the dream, those tried friends who had given their -lives for their master, and of whom Marcus, if he still lived, was the -last.</p> - -<p>On the sledge which the dogs drew, rode Rose Emer, wrapped in furs, -as in truth she once had ridden. There, too—and even in the dream he -seemed strangely out of place—was the Maeronican captain. Yes, Oleric -the Red trudged through the snows beside the sledge, clad in his golden -armor, his teeth chattering in the chill blasts of the wilderness, and -bearing in his hand a naked sword.</p> - -<p>Danger, unseen, unknown, but frightful, encompassed the wanderers in -the snow path. The dogs snarled and tore at their harness. Oleric ran -forward, waving his sword, which seemed to drip blood on the white -snows, and shouting.</p> - -<p>"Up, brother, and call off this beast of yours!" the red captain cried. -"For soon must we go before Bel-Ar."</p> - -<p>With those words ringing in his ears, Polaris awoke. He sprang from his -couch to the middle of the chamber. No dream's part was the shouting of -Oleric. He stood in the hall before the chamber door, his lips still -parted and a smile on his ruddy face.</p> - -<p>And the snarling of a dog—that, too, was real.</p> - -<p>Planted squarely in the doorway, hackles bristling, ears erect and -fangs bared, was the immense animal with which Polaris had made friends -in the night watches. All through the dark hours and the dawning, the -beast had guarded the door, suffering none to approach it. He now -barred the way to Oleric, and the chamber echoed to his angry challenge.</p> - -<p>"By the ten kings!" exclaimed the captain with a laugh. "You do raise -up friends wherever you go, my brother. Here is one that dearly would -love to make a breakfast off my lean shanks, armored as they are, and -all because I would tell you that Shamar has brought to us another day."</p> - -<p>At the call of Polaris, the dog backed out of the doorway, but still -with a wary and suspicious eye to the movements of the red captain.</p> - -<p>Mordo, the prison captain, was not in attendance, but certain of his -servants were spreading the table near the center of the hall. The -Americans and the Sardanians were gathered in a group about one of the -pillars.</p> - -<p>Everson looked wan, like one whose pillow had been ridden by evil -visions. The others of the party seemed in better spirits and were -talking among themselves. Zenas Wright gave evidence that his -scientific zeal had only lain dormant. For now he noted all about him -with a keen and kinding interest, paying his attention especially to -the architecture of the lordly hall which had housed them, and its -sculptures, of which there were many. Young Brooks' interest was fully -as keen, if more material, as that of the geologist. The eyes of the -ensign were all for the table preparations.</p> - -<p>Seeing the party thus, and the broad bands of sunlight which streamed -into the hall through windows of crystal high in the masonry, Polaris -grew shamefaced.</p> - -<p>"Now it seems that I alone, who of all should be wakeful, have slept -dully like a wintered bear," he muttered.</p> - -<p>"'Tis well. You have gained strength which perhaps shall not come -amiss," Oleric answered.</p> - -<p>Near the center of the hall a fountain played, its spray falling -through a bar of sunshine which changed the silver drops to gold as -they fell. Calling his morning greetings to his friend, Polaris went -thither and laved his face and hands and smoothed his mass of tawny -hair. The dog followed close at heel and lapped greedily from the -fountain's basin.</p> - -<p>"Strange that this brute should be here," said Oleric. "Do you know -what manner of beast this is that so befriends you, Polaris?"</p> - -<p>Polaris shook his head; nor did he at that time see fit to acquaint -Oleric with the circumstances of the dog's appearance.</p> - -<p>"This is one of the dogs the priests keep at the temple of Shamar," the -captain informed. "There are few of the breed in the land, and all are -at the temples of the god in the cities. Almost as sacred are these -brutes as are the bulls, whereof you already know, and are likely to -learn more. The holy men do say of them that they are dwelt in by the -souls of heroes passed away, whom Shamar chooses to guard his temple -gates, even as the bulls are inhabited by the souls of dead kings.</p> - -<p>"I do not believe such tales," he added quickly. "But now you will -see why Bel-Ar will be more than passing wroth at the death of the -bull, believing as he does that it is a dwelling place for one of his -ancestors, and that you may, indeed, have slain his father or his -grandfather."</p> - -<p>Oleric, who had breakfasted, sat by while the others ate. The dog, -from the collar of which the captain read the name Rombar, signifying -thunder, stood behind the seat of Polaris and ate with dignity whatever -his self-appointed master passed to him. But he would take food from no -other hand, not even from Rose Emer, who liked all dogs.</p> - -<p>Thereafter, sleeping or waking, the huge beast remained at Polaris's -side, and none could coax him thence. And many Maeronicans deemed that -strange. But as no man, not even Shamar's priests, dared to interfere -with the sacred brutes, except when they played their parts in the -ceremonials of the god, the attendance of Rombar upon the stranger was -permitted.</p> - -<p>Under a guard of mailed foot-soldiers, led by Brunar, who was a captain -in the palace regiment, the prisoners were marched from the ancient -palace of Bel-Tisam to the newer palace of Bel-Ar. At their right, as -they passed up the street called Chedar's Flight, was the wall, pierced -by many gateways, of the Place of Games, with its basalt amphitheater -and its arena.</p> - -<p>As they passed they heard the hoofs of galloping steeds, the rumble of -chariot wheels, and the cries of the charioteers, where the young lords -of Adlaz exercised their horses. From slits in the wall low down near -the pavement, issued the howling and snarling of wild beasts; for a -menagerie was a part of the equipment of the Place of Games.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Beyond the hippodrome, their way led around half the circle of the -broad drive on which the four main avenues gave, and which surrounded -the wonderful gardens of the Temple of the Sun. The Americans, three -of whose number were widely traveled, marveled anew at the splendor of -that mighty pile of white marble, its lofty columns, towers and domes, -dazzling in the sunlight, their golden caps ablaze. Luxor and Karnac in -the days when Pharaoh Rameses ruled in Egypt could not have shown the -equal of this structure.</p> - -<p>With armed men clanking on each side, the captives entered through a -massive peristyle of vari-colored pillars which was the portal to the -house of the king. Along a corridor in which four elephants might have -found way and clearance to walk abreast, the guards conducted them. At -each end of the corridor there stood ajar tall gates of bronze, their -bars interlaced with heavy patterns of gleaming gold, encrusted with -the luminous metal, known in Maeronica as orichalcum, and set with many -precious gems.</p> - -<p>Through the second gateway the prisoners were marched, and were in the -audience chamber of Bel-Ar, the great king. It was similar in shape to -the place where they had been quartered for the night; but there all -similitude ceased. Bel-Tisam of old had sat in a plain and massive hall -and been content. The house of Bel-Ar held treasures in metals and gems -on its sculptured walls and pillars, aye, and on its floors, too, which -could have paid the national debt of a wide and wasteful state.</p> - -<p>Dull gold smoldered underfoot in the mosaic of the pavement. Gold -and orichalcum glittered and shimmered on pillar and wall. Chairs -and tables of stone and bronze and polished woods were heavy with -the precious metal. Set in the bases of the seventy and six pillars -which upheld the roof were patterns gorgeous in agate, lapis-lazuli, -turquoise, quartz, and rock-crystal. Other and similar panels -adorned the walls. Farther up, where the work in gold and orichalcum -began—placed so high, perhaps, to be out of reach of avaricious -fingers—were more precious stones. There topaz, moonstone, amethyst, -opal, sapphire, diamond, and priceless ruby and emerald flaunted their -hundred fires.</p> - -<p>"Lordy!" muttered Zenas Wright under his breath to Ensign Brooks as -they crossed the hall. "Give me a pick and a ladder and a half hour -alone in which to use them, and you may have and welcome the rubies of -Sardanes which went down with the <i>Minnetonka</i>."</p> - -<p>Near a fountain, the jets of which fell and flowed over a grotto of -opalescent glass lighted from within, sat the master of all this -splendor, Bel-Ar, king of Maeronica and lord of the underseas. On no -raised dais or lofty throne sat this monarch who was absolute in his -own land. A high-backed chair of carved black wood sufficed him, raised -from the flooring on a single slab of red porphyry, scarcely twelve -inches high. On another chair at his right sat his queen. The two -were in the center of a wide crescent of seats and benches, whereon -sat the nobles and ladies of Maeronica who made up the court. Without -the semicircle stood attendants and slaves. Farther back, ranged in -a double line, was one full company, one hundred men, of the palace -guard, all in bronze mail, and each carrying his bared sword.</p> - -<p>Like a dull moth among a concourse of gaudy and fluttering butterflies -was this powerful Maeronican king. He was attired simply in cloth -of dark blue. A cloak of the same material had fallen back from his -shoulders. On his knee rested a flat black cap of the same pattern -that his meanest sailors wore. Only a light circlet of twisted gold, -fashioned in the semblance of a slender serpent, set on his heavy -black hair above his temples, and a short, broad sword which swung at -his belt, distinguished the garb of Bel-Ar from that of the ordinary -citizen of Adlaz.</p> - -<p>Seeing these things, one looked into the king's face for royalty, -and found it there. He sat with an elbow on the arm of his chair, -his chin cupped in his right hand, so that it hid his mouth. His -forehead was broad and low, his nose short and tilted slightly at -its tip. His cheeks were rounded and well-shaped. His ears, almost -hidden in the black hair, which was cut evenly around his neck, were -small and delicately turned as a woman's. But every other feature was -cast into insignificance and forgotten, when one looked at the king's -eyes. Set far apart, they were extraordinarily large, and black, so -that iris and pupil seemed as one. They were the eyes of a mystic, a -far-seeing dreamer, but filled with subdued fires; eyes of a strong and -self-willed man, one not to be tampered with or led. In contrast to -them, the skin of the face was fair, almost pallid. The king's figure -was above medium height, broad and powerfully framed. His years were -not more than thirty-seven.</p> - -<p>As the prisoners were brought near to him, Bel-Ar had fallen into a fit -of abstraction. He gazed fixedly across the hall, seeing it not, nor -its people and its walls. At his feet a little slave boy sat asleep, -his head leaned against the leg of his king's chair, his small golden -harp fallen across his lap.</p> - -<p>If Bel-Ar was the dull moth, his consort, Queen Raissa, who sat beside -him, was the most gorgeous of all the butterflies. She was younger than -the king, by a full ten years. Her face was small and flower-like, with -pouting lips and proud blue eyes that shone like stars. Hair yellow as -the golden, shell-shaped comb which was set in it, was piled high on -her head, and was yet in such abundance that two heavy braids fell down -across her shoulders. She was robed in a graceful gown of pale blue, -the bodice of which blazed with gems. Her fingers toyed with a costly -fan, whereof the stem was ivory and the sticks the colored plumes of -rare birds. She gazed curiously at the strangers whom the soldiers -brought in, and when her eyes alighted upon Oleric they became eager.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>At the edge of the open space just beyond the semicircle of the -courtiers, the guards halted. For a few moments the silence in the hall -was broken only by the low-toned gossip of gay lords and ladies, who -paid scant attention to guards or prisoners. Then the queen touched -Bel-Ar's knee with her fan and spoke a few words in his ear. He started -from his reverie.</p> - -<p>"Come hither, Brunar," he said in a deep, low voice. As he raised his -head, it was to be seen that his chin was square and heavy, but that -his mouth was lacking in the strength of his other features.</p> - -<p>Brunar made his report, and was replaced by Oleric the Red, who bowed -low before the king, his ready smile playing about his lips.</p> - -<p>"You would make report of a fademe lost, Captain Oleric," said the -king. "Doubtless a small matter to you, but meaning much to me, who ill -can spare my fademes." He frowned.</p> - -<p>"Not so, O king," replied the captain, composing his features and -speaking earnestly. "As you know, not all of our engineers have learned -to govern wisely the mighty force that gives the fademes life."</p> - -<p>Bel-Ar nodded. "That is true," he said. "Now what of this engineer of -yours?"</p> - -<p>"Why, he was a careless fellow, and whoof! one day under his hands went -engine and fademe. They lie in fragments on the sea-bottom near the -great south cape on the way to the ocean named Pacific, and the crew -lies with them."</p> - -<p>"How is it, then, that you stand here to make report?"</p> - -<p>"My star watched over me, O king. I floated to the surface, alone of -all the fademe's crew. On the wreckage of the cabin I floated. I had -by me my hamess (mask). I donned it. Later my senses departed me. I -was taken up by a ship from the northern world, and was treated with -kindness by these whom you see here. Driven by storm, that ship came to -the coast of Maeronica, and—"</p> - -<p>"Enough; I had the rest of the tale from Brunar," interposed Bel-Ar.</p> - -<p>"But of your mission to the far Pacific? What of that?" questioned -Raissa, leaning forward eagerly.</p> - -<p>Again Oleric smiled, and smiling, drew from his belt a small leather -bag. He advanced, and kneeling, handed the bag to the queen.</p> - -<p>"Oh! Lovely!" she gasped as she poured a part of its contents into her -palm—pearls, five score or more of them, as fine as ever came from the -ocean bed, she held. One great and lustrous globe of faint rose-pink -she seized upon with a cry of delight. She held it out toward the -king. "See! Is it not beautiful?" she exclaimed. She turned to the red -captain.</p> - -<p>"You have done well, indeed, good Oleric," she said quickly. "My king -shall forgive you for the lost fademe, the losing of which was surely -no fault of yours. And these—these be worth many fademes to me." She -selected two of the pearls of fair size and goodly sheen and gave them -to Oleric.</p> - -<p>"You did venture your life to get them. Perchance some maid of Adlaz -town shall look on you more kindly for the gift," she said.</p> - -<p>Bel-Ar frowned; then he smiled, too.</p> - -<p>"Well, Raissa has said it. I must agree, I suppose. I forgive you the -fademe," he said, somewhat dryly, while the lords and ladies laughed. -"Only sail no more ships at present, captain. Get you to the harbor, -and there for a space relieve Atlo as captain of the port. I have need -of him at the Kimbrian Wall, where the robbers of Ruthar have grown -overbold.</p> - -<p>"Now, another matter." The king's brow clouded. "Which of these -foreigners slew the bull of Shamar? This one surely." He pointed to -Minos. "Never saw I such a man."</p> - -<p>"No, O king, not he," Oleric said. "He is from a far land in the -southern snow wastes, which was destroyed by the earth-fires. There he -was the king. The other one, the golden-haired man, it was, who slew -the bull—to save a child—"</p> - -<p>"Have done. The reason for the deed avails him not," Bel-Ar broke in. -"Have him come hither, that I may judge."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Oleric fetched Polaris Janess into the space before the throne. The son -of the snows advanced with a firm step and halted directly in front of -Bel-Ar, where he gazed at the king with steady eyes. Close at his heels -came the great dog Rombar.</p> - -<p>"Why does the man not bow?" inquired Bel-Ar harshly. "Where learned he -his manners? And how does it come that he is attended by a sacred dog -of Shamar, that seems ready to do battle for him?"</p> - -<p>In truth, Rombar, who feared not kings, was ready for battle. He stood -at the side of Polaris, his hackles raised and a rumbling challenge in -his throat.</p> - -<p>Bel-Ar regarded the pair of them sternly, though many in his court -found much to admire in the powerful form and steadfast demeanor of the -son of the wilderness.</p> - -<p>Oleric spoke hastily in English. "Bow, brother; bow to the king; though -I fear that 'twill not mend matters," he grumbled.</p> - -<p>Polaris inclined his head shortly and continued to meet the gaze of the -angered king. "His bow is grudging enough," said Bel-Ar to the captain; -"but no matter."</p> - -<p>Just then a tall old man in white and flowing robes came forward to -the left of Bel-Ar's seat. He was lean of face, like an ancient hawk, -and like a hawk's was his thin, curved beak. His eyes glittered with -malice. On his breast, done in gold in the garment he wore, was the -likeness of the rising sun, the insignia of the priests of Shamar.</p> - -<p>Well Polaris knew that shape and face. It was the master chuckler that -had disturbed him the night before.</p> - -<p>"This man is marked by Shamar," the priest said in a high, cracked -voice, and regarding Polaris hatefully. "As for the dog, 'tis sent by -the god to watch that the man escape not his doom."</p> - -<p>"Oleric, hold your peace," said Bel-Ar, as the stout captain was about -to speak. "And flout not the holy Rhaen, lest it be the worse for -you. I will judge." The king paused and ran his eyes over the other -prisoners.</p> - -<p>"He that slew the sacred bull, he shall be given over to the servants -of Shamar, to be done with as the god shall will at the feast of years. -He that was a king, he shall now serve a greater king. Let him be sent -to the harbor, where strong backs are always welcome. The other two -young men shall go into my mines. The old one shall be a scullion in my -kitchens, as harder work doubtless would kill him.</p> - -<p>"Take the two women and the slayer of the bull to the prison and keep -them fast until Shamar claims them for the feast. The women must die. -The law commands that no foreign woman, however fair, shall live in -Maeronica. So may the ancient blood never be tainted. I have judged. -Let it be so, and so writ down, unless the holy Rhaen, chief servant to -Shamar, has other claims." Bel-Ar looked inquiringly at the priest.</p> - -<p>Now it chanced that Lieutenant Everson, face to face with the man by -whose decree his ship had perished, had fixed on the king a glance of -undying hatred. None had noted it except the priest, Rhaen, who saw all -things. He now asked that the naval man be turned over to the god along -with Polaris. Bel-Ar nodded his assent.</p> - -<p>At a sign from the king, Oleric led Polaris back to his companions. -The judgment was ended. The guards closed in around the prisoners and -marched them away.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>CHAPTER IV</h2> - -<h3>"DEAD MEN ARE BEHIND US"</h3> - - -<p>Along the black avenue, back to the prison house of Mordo, the captives -were marched. For Oleric, through the friendship Brunar bore him, won -from that captain the half of a day for his friends, that they might -pass it together before the separation decreed by Bel-Ar.</p> - -<p>Understanding little of what had taken place, and no word of what had -been said in the audience-chamber of the king—for Oleric the Red was -their only interpreter—the prisoners still had the heart to look with -curiosity upon the doings in that part of Adlaz town which lay along -the way that they traversed.</p> - -<p>As Zenas Wright trudged, his bright old eyes were busy, and he shook -his white head often at the marvels which he saw. A group of the -young bloods of Maeronica clattered by on horses. As they passed, the -old geologist stared and stopped in his tracks, so that an impatient -soldier of the guard hustled him with the butt of a spear.</p> - -<p>"Gold, gold, everywhere," muttered Zenas as he started on. "They even -shoe their horses with it."</p> - -<p>In the hall where they had slept the friends gathered for council. -Oleric had come in with them, and all eyes were turned to him. Before -he would speak the captain insisted that meat and wine should be -brought, and he set his helmet on the floor and ate with them.</p> - -<p>Fate willed that it should be the last time that the seven friends -should sit at the same table.</p> - -<p>When the meal was ended, Oleric told simply and briefly of the judgment -of Bel-Ar, holding back nothing.</p> - -<p>For a moment, silence was his answer. Then Zenas Wright brought his -jaws together with a snap.</p> - -<p>"What! Me a scullion in that barbarian's greasy kitchen!" he barked. -"Why not nursemaid to the royal brats?" Then Zenas groaned as his anger -was swallowed in the realization of what was to befall the friends he -whom had come to love so well.</p> - -<p>With his topaz eyes ablaze, Polaris Janess sprang up from the table and -stood over the captain.</p> - -<p>"You, Oleric, who call yourself my friend, why did you not interpret -this to us while we were in the hall yonder?" he asked quietly. "Then -had this kingdom been kingless." He glanced down at his sinewy hands. -Suddenly he bent over and snatched the captain's sword from its sheath. -So he, who had seen so much of fighting, made ready to fight again, and -for the last time. For what else was left him but to give his life for -his lady and go to his appointed place?</p> - -<p>"Of those who come to take us, some at least shall go a long journey -with us," he said as he toyed with the heavy blade.</p> - -<p>Everson and Brooks, picked men who had sailed the seas for Uncle Sam, -nodded their heads, saying nothing. There have been traditions in that -service of which they were officers. When their time came they would -uphold them.</p> - -<p>White and straight, the Lady Memene stood up from the table and fixed -her glorious eyes upon the Sardanian king. She plucked from the bosom -of her gown a small, keen dagger, a blade of ilium, which a certain -Kard the Smith had forged for her in far-away Sardanes. She reached the -weapon across the table and into the hands of Minos.</p> - -<p>"If I understand the words of this man aright, death waiteth," she said -in the ancient Greek of her native land. "Memene prefers it at thy -hands, O king of mine. Slay thou me and—and the unborn king, Minos." -Her lips trembled pitifully, and her voice broke. Then she became hard -again, and with a fire in her eyes. "Join thou then with our good -brother here, and slay, and slay, and slay—for this is an evil land. -And begin with this man whom we saved from the sea, and who is evil, -also. See! He smileth, while we are about to die."</p> - -<p>Oleric, who had made no move when his sword was taken from him, sat -quietly, studying the faces about him and smiling his enigmatical smile.</p> - -<p>"What does the lady say?" he asked of Polaris.</p> - -<p>Janess told him.</p> - -<p>When Rose Emer heard, she threw her arms about the Sardanian princess -and hid her face in Memene's bosom. Presently she looked up, a mist of -tears in her gray eyes, but her voice was clear and steady as she said:</p> - -<p>"If we are to die, let us die together. Polaris, let me go with Memene."</p> - -<p>Oleric's smile vanished. He held up his hand.</p> - -<p>"Let there be no more talk of dying—at least not for many long years," -he said, and there were both feeling and strength in his tones.</p> - -<p>The others looked at him, wondering what his words portended.</p> - -<p>"Now the time has come for me to avow myself," continued the red -captain. "I will speak all that has been in my mind, and you shall -judge if I be worthy of your trust—for trust to me you must, if we are -to see a straight way out of this tangle."</p> - -<p>He turned to Polaris.</p> - -<p>"My brother," he said, "do you recall that yesterday, when you had -slain the bull of Shamar, I said to you that Bel-Ar would be as little -likely to forgive you that deed as to forgive one who confessed himself -a follower of the Goddess Glorian of Ruthar?"</p> - -<p>Polaris nodded. "I remember," he answered, "but understand not."</p> - -<p>"That is my crime," said Oleric. "I am of Ruthar, a follower of the -Goddess Glorian, and a faithful one. I will make clear to you what you -do not understand. Listen. I will make the tale brief.</p> - -<p>"In the long ago, the very long ago—so long that most of the world -you know was wilderness and its peoples barbarians—a mighty people -flourished on an island in the ocean that you name Atlantic. They -called themselves the Children of Ad, or Adlaz, after the eldest of the -ten kings that once ruled in that land. Tradition has it that their -island was the first cradle of civilization; for they, because of their -isolation, alone of all the peoples of the earth, dwelt in peace and -plenty, and were not wasted by wars.</p> - -<p>"If the ancient maps were truly drawn, that island of Adlaz lay -opposite and southward from the straits of a fair sea, and the straits -were known as the Pillars of Heracles. With time and the growth of -the nation of Ad came greed upon her children, greed and the love of -conquest. Great navies carried their armies east and west. Along both -shores of that blue sea, which you know as Mediterranean, they gained a -foothold, and made the nations bend to their yoke. Westward they sailed -to another continent across the ocean, conquering the red men of the -wildernesses there, and founding provinces and building cities.</p> - -<p>"Then in the flower of her pride and conquests, Adlaz was cut down. -Both sides of the Mediterranean she held as far as the gates of Egypt -and the islands of the Hellenes. But the nation of the Hellenes was -the rock on which the fortunes of Adlaz split. A wise and crafty king -led the Hellenes in battle to withstand the flood of invasion from the -island empire. He beat their army and nearly destroyed it. He trapped -the mighty navy that had sailed from Adlaz against the Hellenes. While -Egypt sat quaking, waiting to bend the neck to the heel of the invader, -the Hellenes, under their wise leader, turned the tide.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Balked and broken, those who had gone forth to conquer returned to -their island. But the great sea-god whom they worshiped must have been -sorely angered at their failure. For in one day he arose and swallowed -their island. The land heaved and split; the mountains were rent, and -vomited up both fires and waters, and the entire island disappeared -into the depths of the sea. East and west on the two continents, the -barbarians rose against the colonies of Adlaz, and they too perished. -O'Connell, the slave, who was learned, told me that so utterly was the -race of Adlaz wiped from the earth that naught remains, excepting the -half-buried ruins of some of their cities, which stand in the jungles -of the western continent, concerning the very origin of which the minds -of men are vague. And of the island of Adlaz itself, he told that it -was only a dim tradition, a myth, the truth of which is doubted even by -the learned.</p> - -<p>"But all of Adlaz did not perish. A part, a small part, of the mighty -fleet which had sailed against the Hellenes was not lost, but was -driven southward in the tidal-waves of the inundation which swallowed -the island.</p> - -<p>"Afloat, but with every hand in the world turned against them, their -colonies crumbling before the wrath of the barbarians, those chiefs of -Adlaz turned for guidance to the son of one of their princes who was on -one of the ships. Of his wisdom that prince told them that since they -were hated of all the world, and that even the hand of the sea-god was -set against them—why, they would sail to the end of the world to find -them an abiding place, until in the fulness of time they should once -more rule the earth. So they passed like a flame down the coasts of the -western continent until they reached this place; and here they stopped -and stayed, maintaining the old traditions of their race, keeping -themselves apart—a hateful people, waiting for the day of which their -leader told them, when they shall once more conquer the world.</p> - -<p>"But even in those days they found this land, which is warmed strangely -by the ocean currents, was inhabited. A free and fearless race of -barbarians dwelt here, and them the warriors of Adlaz were never able -to subdue. Great beasts dwelt here, also—beasts so mighty that the -earth shook when they walked—and the Children of Ad found themselves -beset by troubles in their new land. But they throve. Though they -could not conquer the barbarians, they drove them from the north of -the island. And though they could not slay the mighty beasts, they -affrighted them with fire, burning whole forests, and forced them also -to the south. At one point the land is narrow, scarcely sixty of your -English miles across. There the Children of Ad builded them a wall so -tall and thick that even the beasts might not push it down.</p> - -<p>"On the other side of that wall—the Kimbrian Wall—lies Ruthar, a land -of forests and hills and rivers, but a fair land. And there dwell the -Rutharians and the beasts; and down through all the years to this day -there has been war across the wall.</p> - -<p>"Now to the meat of this tale of mine, which grows long. In Ruthar -there is a prophecy, also, to match that of those who call themselves -Maeronicans. It is that there shall come up from the sea a mighty man -with yellow hair like unto gold, who shall break down the Kimbrian -Wall and let the beasts pass through, and who shall lead the chiefs -of Ruthar in a warfare that shall break the power of Adlaz, and cast -down the hateful kings and the cruel religion of Shamar. For that man -the Rutharian chieftains always wait, and with them waits the Goddess -Glorian, who is more than any king or chief."</p> - -<p>Oleric paused, and looked long and earnestly into the face of Polaris.</p> - -<p>"That is my tale, my brother," he said. "And if you are not the man of -the ancient prophecy of Ruthar, at least I believe that you will serve."</p> - -<p>Breathlessly Zenas Wright had followed the course of the red captain's -words. The scientist could contain himself no longer.</p> - -<p>"<i>Atlantis!</i>" he cried. From face to face about the table he looked, -with a shadow of awe in his eager eyes. "Just so surely as we are -sitting here—if this man tells the truth, and I think that he does—we -are among the descendants of the people of the lost continent of -Atlantis. Word for word, his story fits in with that which the old -Egyptian priest at Sais told to Solon, the Greek, and which Plato -recorded. I have read it all in the compilation by Ignatius Donnelly, -in which he gathered all the evidence which he could find in the world -to prove that Atlantis was not a myth."</p> - -<p>Zenas sat back with half-closed eyes. A long, low whistle passed his -lips.</p> - -<p>"What do you call the luminous metal with which your helmet and armor -are decorated?" he asked of Oleric.</p> - -<p>"It is called orichalcum," replied the captain.</p> - -<p>Wright nodded. "It is the same," he said. "Plato wrote that such was -the name of a similar metal, of which the Atlanteans had the secret. -They delved it from the ground. It was far more precious to them than -gold. In their temples stood columns of it, on which their laws were -carved."</p> - -<p>"O'Connell told me that there were still traditions in the world of the -continent that was; but he never told me this," Oleric said. "You are -right. In the Temple of Shamar, here in Adlaz, such a column stands, -and on it the laws are writ. On it, too, is the prophecy of Maeronica, -against which I now match the prophecy of Ruthar, whose son I am."</p> - -<p>He looked at Polaris. "Say, brother, how is it with you? Are you minded -to come with me to Ruthar and try a tilt at the Kimbrian Wall—a tilt -for a kingdom?"</p> - -<p>Polaris had heard the tale of Oleric with grave and earnest attention, -studying the face of the captain as he talked. Now the son of the snows -laughed dryly.</p> - -<p>"Mad talk, Oleric the Red," he said. "I am not the hero of your -prophecy; and if I were, how are we to come from Adlaz to this Ruthar -of which you tell us so glibly; and when we are come there, if that be -possible, how are we to break down the wall which has stood against -your armies for years—"</p> - -<p>"So it must seem to you," interrupted Oleric, with clouding brow. "Mad -talk, indeed; and perhaps it is. But here in Adlaz is death—death and -slavery. I know a way to Ruthar. For the matter of the wall, I have one -question to put. Well answered, all will be well.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Here in Maeronica there are some few things in which the folk have -progressed as far ahead of the rest of the world as the world has -outstripped them in most others. Of these are the fademes and their -power of destruction—the mighty force of which even I know can only be -used beneath the sea. On land, that force is powerless except to use -as a light. In battle the Maeronicans fight as did their forefathers, -bearing the arms that you have seen. I know that out in the world men -have mastered the secret of engines which slay from afar, casting -globes of metal which fly apart with a loud noise, rending all that is -near. Such I saw on the ship yonder.</p> - -<p>"We have, as you reckon time, nearly six months before the Feast of -Years, when doom will be meted out to those who are marked for death. -I know that is not time enough, nor do I think we have the means to -construct such engines. But, say—has no one among you the knowledge to -make the stuff which you feed into them? If there is such a one, why, -I know in Ruthar a laboratory where he might work, with many willing -hands to do his bidding. I have tried it myself, but have discovered -nothing. Surely one of you, who are instructed, shall do better. So -might we destroy even the great wall."</p> - -<p>He paused, and gazed hard at Zenas Wright and then at Lieutenant -Everson.</p> - -<p>"<i>An explosive!</i>" Zenas Wright almost shouted the words. "You have a -brain in that red head, my boy. With the proper chemicals it might be -done." He clapped Everson on the shoulder. "With you to help me, it -might be done. What do you think, lieutenant?"</p> - -<p>"I would do most anything to get a chance at this nest of devils," said -Everson, and his eyes glittered. "I have not trusted this man. I do -not know that I trust him now. But if he is playing fair, there seems -no other way. Whatever you decide to do, I am with you, and will do my -best. If we can find the chemicals, we can make an explosive powerful -enough to move a few tons of stone, if that will do any good."</p> - -<p>"Break you the wall, and I will promise you the rest of the trick," -the captain cried, "or Ruthar will die to the last man on the road to -Adlaz!"</p> - -<p>He considered for a moment.</p> - -<p>"One man I can surely take with me to Ruthar," he said. "Two will -double, aye more than double the risk; and three would more than triple -it. Still, it may be accomplished. I must have a little time; but I -will do my best.</p> - -<p>"Now, my brother, what say you? If I can bring it about so that you and -the old man here, Father Zenas, and this other, who, though he trust me -not, I will yet play fair by—if I can manage it that these go with me -to Ruthar—will you come, also?"</p> - -<p>"What of these others?" Polaris asked, and looked at Rose Emer.</p> - -<p>"Here they must stay," Oleric answered.</p> - -<p>"'Twill be hard enough to take the three of you—and slaying will be -done before it is accomplished. It is impossible to take more. By the -way which we shall go, no woman might pass undetected. But I tell you -they shall come to no harm in your absence. The very law of the land -protects them. They be marked for the ceremonies of Shamar. Until the -appointed time, not even the king himself dare harm them. Bethink you, -brother; this is the only way."</p> - -<p>"Yonder on the ship you made a promise, Oleric," replied Polaris. "I -think you will try to keep it. I trust you. But there are other things -to consider." He addressed himself to Rose Emer.</p> - -<p>"Lady, you have heard this madness, which yet, as says the captain, -does seem to be the only road save that to death. In such things -ofttimes the heart of a woman is wiser than the brains of men. Let your -heart answer. Shall I go to Ruthar, and with this man and his people -fight my way back to Adlaz, if it may be done?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"The future of this company hangs on your word, lady," put in Oleric. -"And I make another promise. By day and by night I will not leave the -side of my brother. If he shall find that in any word I have lied, if -he shall meet with any treachery through me, then let him wring this -red head from off my shoulders."</p> - -<p>"If we stay here, we must die to-day, or be separated and die later," -Rose Emer said with a shudder. "And our friends, if they do not die, -face a life of slavery." She looked into the face of Polaris, and -though her lips trembled and the tears started to her gray eyes, she -said bravely:</p> - -<p>"Go to Ruthar, and come back if you can. If you do not come, I will -know that you have done all that a man can do."</p> - -<p>"I will go with you, Oleric," Polaris said simply. "Now, what is your -plan?"</p> - -<p>"This," answered the captain. "When the guards come, as they will -presently, you, my brother, will go with them to the dungeons that lie -below this house. Though they are cut in the rock they are lighted well -and are not terrible. You will not fare badly there. The ladies will be -quartered above here, and I will exert my influence to see that they -are treated well. These others will not fare so well; but they are men, -and can stand it. Let them do as they are bid without protest. Within -ten days from this day I will plan to have you out of your prison, and -will contrive, also, to bring with me Father Zenas and the captain -of the ship. By stealth or by force, we shall seize a marizel, pass -through the hidden canal from Adlaz to the harbor, thence to the sea -and down the coast to Ruthar.</p> - -<p>"I shall have some aid; for within the walls of Adlaz there is one -other man of Ruthar who is faithful to me. You may wonder how it is -that I, who am of Ruthar and hate Adlaz, yet am a captain in the -service of Bel-Ar. Years ago I passed the Kimbrian Wall, coming as a -spy and giving it out that I was the son of Maeronican parents taken -captive in a foray; that I had been born in Ruthar, but had escaped -into my own country. Here I have stayed at the bidding of the Goddess -Glorian, ready against the time for which all Ruthar waits. Bel-Ar -likes men of brains. I have some, and I have risen to be one of his -captains. Also, I have learned much. That is all my story."</p> - -<p>"Who is the Goddess Glorian?" Rose Emer asked. "Is she the queen of -Ruthar?"</p> - -<p>Oleric's eyes widened at the question; but he answered readily enough:</p> - -<p>"Yes, lady; she is the queen."</p> - -<p>"You say that there are great beasts in Ruthar," said Zenas Wright. -"What are they—elephants?"</p> - -<p>"No; they are not what you call elephants," replied the captain. -"O'Connell thought they were until he saw them. Then he gave them -another name, which I have forgot. He told me of elephants; but they -must be puny beasts compared to those which dwell in the forests of -Ruthar. We call them amalocs. This man is a giant." He pointed to -Minos, who stood six feet eight on his naked feet. "But were he twice -as tall, he could not look across the back of an amaloc. But they are -shaped like the elephants of which O'Connell told, and, like them, they -are tusked. Their bodies are covered with red wool—almost as red as is -my own thatch."</p> - -<p>"<i>Elephas primigenius!</i> Mammoths, no less," said Zenas. And he added -under his breath, "I will believe that when I see them, my friend."</p> - -<p>Low as were his words, Oleric heard them.</p> - -<p>"You shall see them, Father Zenas," he said, and laughed.</p> - -<p>Presently came the guards, and the friends were separated. Some of them -were never to be reunited.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Deep in the rock below the old palace of Bel-Tisam, where Mordo ruled, -the guards led Polaris Janess, and left him there. Oleric had spoken -truly concerning the place, and the captive might have fared much worse -in a modern prison in a civilized land. For the place was roomy and -well ventilated, and, above all, it was clean. A chamber or cell, it -was, some forty feet square by thirty feet in height. Its outer wall -was the living rock. On the other three sides was masonry. A circular -door of bronze, small and of great strength, was its only entrance.</p> - -<p>Through that door from the corridor without stepped Polaris, and behind -him, close as a shadow, padded the huge dog, Rombar, rumbling in his -throat so that the guards shrank from him. The door clanged shut, and -the bars and wards clashed into place. The guards had neither bound -nor chained Polaris. They had not even searched his clothing. The -thickness of the dungeon walls was their guarantee that he would do no -mischief; and besides, they went well armed.</p> - -<p>Air entered the chamber through mortises in the wall near the ceiling -and above the ground level, where began the foundation of the -palace. It was lighted by a single globe, with its enclosed curious -battery—mitzl, the Maeronicans called it; but the Americans had -decided that the source of the light was some new application of -electricity.</p> - -<p>By the light from the globe Polaris saw that he was not alone in the -cell. A small man, whose features were concealed by a mat of unkempt -gray hair and a shaggy beard, sat on a low cot in the angle of the wall -nearest to the door. He was clothed in rags.</p> - -<p>This man did not look up when another was thrust in to break his -solitude, but bent low over something which he had on the cot, swaying -back and forth as he sat, and crooning softly to himself.</p> - -<p>Polaris cast his fellow prisoner a glance, and then fell to pacing -up and down the length of the cell. His mood was gloomy. Above him -somewhere through those gray walls dwelt his dear lady; but, ah, how -far away! For he was powerless now to comfort her or to aid. Oleric -would keep faith. Of that he was sure; but his heart misgave him -mightily lest the plans of the captain should go awry.</p> - -<p>Yes; above him were Rose and Lady Memene, who through the long weeks of -their prisonment, each night when they went to rest, would kneel and -pray for his welfare and that of Minos and the others, and that all -plans might prevail.</p> - -<p>Presently the son of the snows sat himself on a second cot on the far -side of the chamber, and fell to fondling Rombar and toying with the -dog's pointed ears.</p> - -<p>"Good Rombar," he said. "Good fellow and comrade."</p> - -<p>At his words, the man in the corner sprang up from his cot as though -fire had touched him. He shrieked hoarsely and tottered across the -floor, moving and clawing at the air with his hands. Unheeding the -snarling menace of Rombar, he came on until he stood in front of the -cot where Polaris sat holding the dog back by the collar.</p> - -<p>The man bent over, resting his hands on his knees, and peered into -Polaris's face with darkling, rheumy eyes.</p> - -<p>"Hinglish!" he croaked, gasping for his breath. "Hinglish! Did Hi 'ear -a Hinglish word, or was I a-dreamin'? Sye?"</p> - -<p>He trembled in a terrible eagerness.</p> - -<p>"You did, indeed," Polaris said gently. "Now tell me how you came here, -who speak it also, and who are you?"</p> - -<p>"Gor'bly me; Hi never 'oped to 'ear another Hinglish word in this -life—me wot's rottin' 'ere into my grave!" the man said. "Gor'! Gor'!" -He subsided into a tattered heap on the floor of the cell, covered his -eyes with his shaking, grimy hands, and sobbed hysterically.</p> - -<p>Restraining the dog, which would have sprung upon the weeping man, -Polaris leaned forward and patted the poor fellow on the shoulder.</p> - -<p>"Who are you, and how do you come to be in a Maeronican dungeon?" he -asked.</p> - -<p>"Jack Melton's me nyme, sir," the man said brokenly. "Hi'm from old -Lunnon, Gor' bless 'er! Hi was cook on the ship <i>Aldine</i>, sir, from -'Ong-Kong to Durban, round the Cape. We got off our course, and the -bloody devils sunk us—skewered us like a mutton shank, sir, with a -streak of light. An' w'y in 'ell they did it, sir, is more than Hi can -tell.</p> - -<p>"Hi floated free on a cask—a biscuit cask, sir. Or mayhap it was a -'encoop; Hi've forgot, Hi was that flustered. Hup bobs a bloomin' big -gold ball from the sea—it's Gord's truth. They took me aboard, an' -they brought me ashore. They sets me to work in their mines; but Hi'd -not do a stroke for them, sir. Hi near killed one of the bosses. Then -they brought me here, sir. Oh, Gor'! Oh, Gor'-a-me!"</p> - -<p>He broke out weeping afresh and rocked himself back and forth.</p> - -<p>"How long have you been here?" questioned Polaris.</p> - -<p>"That Hi can't tell, sir," Melton replied. "Hi used to keep count of -the weeks an' months; but Hi lost it. Mayhap 'alf a year; mayhap a -year."</p> - -<p>Melton fell silent for a time. Then he chuckled to himself and tottered -to his feet.</p> - -<p>"<i>Hi'll</i> get even with 'em, sir," he said. "Never fear; <i>Hi'll</i> get -even. Come an' see, sir."</p> - -<p>He took Polaris by the hand and led him across the floor to the other -cot. "Look!" he said, and fumbled back the ragged covers.</p> - -<p>Beady black eyes glistened among the rags. A sharp and whiskered gray -snout was thrust forth, twitching and sniffing; then another and -another. A mother rat and two half-grown young ones were hidden in -Melton's bed. Out they crept to their master's coaxing, only to scurry -back, squeaking, when Rombar thrust his head from behind Polaris, -whining with eagerness to be at them.</p> - -<p>"Keep the tyke back, sir," said Melton. "'E frights 'em. This 'ere's -'Enrietta, an' 'ere's Bobby an' Bill. 'Enrietta's an old fool, an' -Bobby's no better; but Bill, 'e's a wonner, sir. See!"</p> - -<p>From his breast he took a splinter of wood, to which was attached a bit -of frayed red rag, on which he had rudely drawn in black the lines of -the Union Jack. He placed one of the young rats on his palm, and laid -the sliver with its frayed shred of bunting in front of the little -animal. Softly he began to whistle the bars of "God Save the King."</p> - -<p>"Come, Bill; 'urry," he said, and resumed his low whistling. The rat -took up the flag in its teeth and sat on its haunches in its master's -hand. As long as the whistling continued the little beast shook its -head vigorously, waving the tiny emblem. When Melton ceased the anthem, -Bill let fall the flag and swarmed, squeaking, down the man's arm, to -nestle away among the rags at his breast.</p> - -<p>"Gor'bly me, Bill, you're a wonner!" Melton said with pride. He placed -his strange pet back with the others and pulled the coverlet over them.</p> - -<p>"Listen. Hi'll tell you wot no man knows," he whispered to Janess. -"They're hoff a plyge-ship. 'Enrietta an' Bobby an' Bill is. They -carried it to us from a bloomin' junk at 'Ong-Kong. The cap'n was -dyin' of it in 'is cabin when the ship went down, sir. And Hi'm -a-nursin' of 'em along, sir. Hi saved 'Enrietta, and she became a -mother, sir. When there's enough of them, Hi shall loose them, sir. -That's 'ow Hi'll get even. Gor'bly me! Hi'll kill hevery beggar in this -land with the plyge. 'Enrietta an' Bobby an' Bill will do it, sir."</p> - -<p>Melton sat down on his cot again, and crooned to himself over his pets. -He seemed to forget the presence of Janess. Neither then or afterward -did he ask Polaris any questions as to how he came to share his prison. -Polaris drew away from him and went back to his own side of the cell. -He saw that the man was mad.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Twice each day one of Mordo's guards brought the captives their -meals—bread and meat and water in generous measure, enough for the men -and the dog. Melton from his rations fed his whiskered family.</p> - -<p>With his pocket-knife and a bit of wood from the frame of his cot, the -son of the snows made shift to keep track of the passing of the days, -cutting a nick in the wood for each. "God send that they be not many -before the coming of Oleric," he prayed fervently.</p> - -<p>One night he was startled from his sleep by an uproar in the chamber. -Melton's cursing and shrieking was intermingled with the angry snarls -of Rombar. Polaris sprang up and threw off the cloth with which he was -wont to darken the mitzl globe when he slept.</p> - -<p>Melton was crouched in the middle of the cell. His face was livid and -contorted. Tears of rage were on his cheeks, and his breath was coming -in gasps. His lips were writhed away from his ragged teeth. In front -of him, tensed and ready to spring, was Rombar. On the floor, where it -had dropped from the dog's jaws, lay a little bundle of gray fur, still -twitching feebly.</p> - -<p>Before the impending grapple, Polaris bounded between them and jerked -the dog back by the collar.</p> - -<p>"What is it?" he cried. "What ails you, Melton?"</p> - -<p>Then Janess saw the maimed little fragment of life on the floor, and -his face saddened.</p> - -<p>"'Fore Gord, 'e's murdered my 'Enrietta!" howled Melton. "The tyke's -murdered 'er, Hi sye! And Hi'll kill 'im, Hi will—and you, too, if you -tries to stop me! And you, too, Hi says!"</p> - -<p>He staggered toward Janess and lunged out with his right hand. -Something glistened in the light as he struck. Polaris avoided the -blow, and caught and wrenched the outstretched arm. A slender bar of -iron fell tinkling to the floor. Janess picked it up. Where it had come -from he did not know; but Melton, by patient rubbing against the stones -of the wall, had ground it to a needle point.</p> - -<p>"Let me at 'im!" the crazed man shrieked. "Hi'll tear 'im with me bare -'ands!"</p> - -<p>Polaris pushed him back.</p> - -<p>"I am sorry, very sorry, for what he has done," he said. "But he is my -good friend, and I shall not let him come to harm. He did but follow -the instincts of his nature."</p> - -<p>Melton stared at him for a moment, and then, weeping and cursing, -retired to his cot. Far into the night Polaris heard him moaning and -mumbling to himself, and pitied him.</p> - -<p>Janess hid the weapon under his own pillow. Then with strips of his -bedding he wove a stout cord, and thereafter when he slept he tied -Rombar fast to a leg of the bed.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Days passed away—ten days, eleven, twelve, and still another. And yet -there was no sign of Oleric. Polaris's stout heart sank.</p> - -<p>In the dark hours of the fourteenth day he awoke. He heard the grating -of bronze hinges. At the side of his bed, Rombar growled softly. -Polaris snatched the hood from the light.</p> - -<p>The door of bronze was open. The mitzl rays shone on the tall form of -a man in golden armor.</p> - -<p>Oleric had come!</p> - -<p>"I am late at my tryst," whispered the red captain, "but I could not -manage it sooner. Now we must haste, or 'twill be too late forever." -He grinned. "I see your beard has grown somewhat," he said. "Perchance -those bristles shall serve well. You are an ill man to disguise. Who is -here?" he asked as he caught sight for the first time of Melton, who -had not awakened.</p> - -<p>"A poor crazed English sailor," Polaris answered. He crossed the -chamber, with Rombar at his heels; for he had stopped to undo the rope.</p> - -<p>"What? The brute, too?" groaned Oleric.</p> - -<p>"I fear we must," Polaris said. "If I leave him, he will rouse the -prison with his howling, and I will not slay him. He has been too good -a friend. Can we not manage to take him?"</p> - -<p>"Aye; bring him," grumbled the captain. "First fetch yonder light."</p> - -<p>Janess took down the globe. As he swung it toward Oleric, he saw that -the hands of the captain were splashed red with blood. Oleric noted his -glance.</p> - -<p>"Dead men are behind us," he said. "Thrice to-night have I used my -sword—once at the mines, where I got Everson, and twice above. Two of -the men of Mordo will turn no more prison keys. Come!"</p> - -<p>He stepped cautiously out through the door.</p> - -<p>Polaris glanced across to where the mad Cockney lay breathing heavily.</p> - -<p>"Some day, if it be given me, I will open this door again and set you -free, John Melton," he whispered.</p> - -<p>He stooped and went out through the doorway, and Rombar followed.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Outside the door of the dungeon-chamber Polaris stumbled over the form -of a tall man in armor, who lay with his face to the floor.</p> - -<p>"More death?" Janess asked of Oleric, who busied himself with the bolts -of the bronze door.</p> - -<p>"Not so," said the captain with a chuckle, as he shot the last bar home -in its socket. "Only the death that good wines bring. He has the best -part of seven bottles in his skin."</p> - -<p>He looked up at Polaris apologetically.</p> - -<p>"Bel-Ar would flay him for this night's work, did he find him," he -said. "You say the dog has been a good friend to you. Well, this man -Mordo, with all his glum ways, is a good fellow. I will not leave my -old drinking companion to the mercy of Bel-Ar."</p> - -<p>Without answer, Polaris handed the light to Oleric, and stooped and -swung the limp figure of Mordo to his shoulder.</p> - -<p>Oleric glanced at the keys in his hand and then at the door.</p> - -<p>"I'll not turn the locks," he said. "I would not have the poor slave -within starve while they made new keys."</p> - -<p>He led the way along the corridor, past a broad stone stairway, to the -south wall of the old palace, where it fronted on the black avenue -called Chedar's Flight. There in the wall were other doors of bronze. -Oleric paused before one of them.</p> - -<p>"Will I ever enter Mordo's wine-cellars again, I wonder?" he said. He -found the key and opened the heavy door. Within, the light disclosed -rack after rack, seemingly without end, of dust-covered flagons. They -threaded their way among them until Oleric found what he sought. In -the stone floor of the chamber in a far corner was a round trap-door -of bronze. The captain had to tug one of the wine-racks to one side to -disclose it.</p> - -<p>"Lay Mordo down, comrade, and help," he said, when his utmost strength -had failed to stir the door.</p> - -<p>Polaris, still balancing his burden on his shoulder, bent down and -caught the ancient ring of the door in one hand. Before Oleric could -lay hold to help him he straightened, the mighty muscles of his back -cracking with the effort. The door was open.</p> - -<p>The trap yawned on a dark stairway leading down through the rock. Far -below sounded the plashing of waters. "Mind where you set your feet," -warned Oleric as he started down.</p> - -<p>"Where are Everson and the old man?" asked Polaris.</p> - -<p>"They wait us below in the hidden canal—they and one other," replied -the captain. "They entered by another way, while I was busied in the -house of Mordo."</p> - -<p>Oleric closed the trap and left the keys on the stair-top. Down fully -threescore steps they went, and stood on a wharf of stone at the edge -of a narrow canal that had been cut in the rock. Overhead, the roof was -arched and vaulted. At the lip of the wharf was moored a small marizel, -the golden plates of which caught the rays of the lamplike fire.</p> - -<p>"All the way from the Temple of the Sun to the harbor of Adlaz this -canal leads, cut through the rock underneath Chedar's Flight," said -Oleric. He stepped on the rear deck of the little craft and struck -softly on its door, which was opened at once. A short man of middle -age came onto the deck. He was clothed in the garb of a sailor. As the -light fell on him, Polaris saw that his hair was almost as red as that -of Oleric.</p> - -<p>"Now here is another good man of Ruthar," said the captain. And to the -man he said, "Urk, this is the man whereof I have told you." From head -to foot, Urk gave the son of the snows a long and searching glance. -Then he folded his arms on his breast and bowed low.</p> - -<p>With Mordo on his shoulder, Polaris stepped onto the deck and through -the door, followed by Rombar.</p> - -<p>Oleric closed the double doors of the craft, and Urk, who was skilled -about the engines, at once got her under way. Submerged and showing no -light, they crept cautiously down the canal toward the sea.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>In the cabin of the marizel were Everson and Wright—though Polaris had -to look twice and then again to recognize the geologist. Zenas wore the -mean black of a servant in the king's kitchens. His white hair had been -bobbed and his beard shaved from him. But his little black eyes were as -bright and restless as ever, and his voice was hearty as he wrung the -hand of Polaris and said:</p> - -<p>"Lordy, son, but it's good to see you."</p> - -<p>Everson, who had discarded the dirty garments of a delver in the earth -for the full golden armor of a Maeronican captain, caught Polaris's -hand as Zenas relinquished it.</p> - -<p>"Our work has begun," he said, "and begun well. I shall distrust this -man no more." He pointed to Oleric. "He has kept his promise in blood. -He released me to-night, and he killed a man to do it."</p> - -<p>As they neared the harbor, Oleric explained that they would be forced -to leave the marizel in the canal and cross the open court of the -harbor to the wharves.</p> - -<p>"Else we must undergo inspection by the guards at the mouth of the -canal," he said. "There is a gate there, and no marizel may pass -without inspection. My lucky star it was that made Bel-Ar name me -captain of the port in Atlo's stead. But even I could not pass you -through the guards. Their eyes are keen, and one of us at least is a -marked man in Adlaz." He glanced at Polaris. "There be too many of -them to slay," he added. "I would have fitted you out with a suit of -mail, brother; but there is none in Maeronica of a size to cover those -shoulders of yours—unless it be that of Bel-Ar, which I could not well -borrow."</p> - -<p>"When we leave this craft, what then, Oleric?" Polaris asked.</p> - -<p>"I have another waiting at the end of the southern quay," replied -Oleric. "Urk knows the harbor as he knows the palm of his hand. Once -through the outer channel, then down the coast to Ruthar."</p> - -<p>They left the marizel moored in the canal and went up through a passage -in the rock to where a door led into the great arched tunnel above, -where Chedar's Flight ended at the harbor of Adlaz town. Now there was -only the crossing of the wharf and all would be well.</p> - -<p>But hark! As Oleric laid his hand on the door of the passage, came the -thunder of hoofs through the tunnel, and a steel rider on a white horse -flashed past and clattered across the court to the warehouses. He rode -furiously, and as he neared the quays he cried out.</p> - -<p>Oleric tore the door open.</p> - -<p>"Our work behind there is overtaking us!" he cried. "We must run for -it!"</p> - -<p>Polaris shifted Mordo's weight from his shoulder to his arms and -bounded across the pavement at the heels of the captain. Behind came -Wright, Everson, and Oleric's Rutharian henchman. Rombar leaped at the -side of Polaris.</p> - -<p>Lights flashed ahead of them as they ran. When they neared the south -quay, they saw that the way to it was barred by a thin line of men in -steel, among whom glittered the golden armor of the captain of the -canal guard.</p> - -<p>Casting a glance over his shoulder as he ran, to note the disposal of -his own party, Oleric drew his sword and charged the line. The guard -captain leaped out to meet him, shield up and sword aloft. Him Oleric -cut down with a single stroke, laughing as he struck. In another -instant Everson's blade was out and busy. His cutlass exercises at -old Annapolis stood him well. The line of steel gave. The other three -fugitives, running together, dashed through and gained the quay. But -behind them came many men.</p> - -<p>Polaris laid Mordo on the wharf and looked about him for a weapon. -The door of the nearest warehouse was made fast with a bar of bronze -or steel, nearly eight feet in length. Janess tore it from its rests. -At the end of the quay he saw the marizel of Oleric riding in its -moorings, and saw that Urk had clambered aboard it and was making all -ready to cast off.</p> - -<p>Whirling his ponderous weapon, which was a weight to tax the strength -of an ordinary man to lift from the ground, Polaris rushed into the -thick of the press, where the red captain and the naval lieutenant -fought side by side.</p> - -<p>"Get you to the boat!" he shouted. "When all is ready, whistle that I -may know."</p> - -<p><i>Clang!</i> The metal bar fell, and three men in steel went down under its -sweep. With the agility of a panther, the son of the snows leaped and -struck again. At his side black Rombar raged like a demon. Before those -terrible blows no man, however well begirt in steel, could stand and -live.</p> - -<p>The Maeronican fighting men drew back, aghast. The way to the wharf was -clear.</p> - -<p>Laughing aloud, Oleric drew out of the fight and ran along the wharf to -the marizel. Everson paused at the side of Polaris.</p> - -<p>"Best go on," Janess told him. "I shall need no aid. Or, if you stay, -stand to one side a bit. I have need for much room."</p> - -<p>Once more the Maeronican men-at-arms closed in. Polaris, with his bar, -charged them, shouting; for his blood was up. They should take him back -to no dungeon when his freedom beckoned so near. Two more armored men -fell, their mail cracking like egg-shell under the clanging flail that -opposed them. Another went down under the murderous jaws of Rombar who -fought at his master's thigh.</p> - -<p>Loud and clear then sounded the whistle of Oleric. Hurling the bar in -the faces of the bewildered men of the guard, the son of the snows ran -to the end of the wharf and sprang to the deck of the marizel. Everson -entered the door just ahead of him. Oleric and Urk already had stowed -Mordo within the vessel and cut loose the mooring ropes.</p> - -<p>As he paused for an instant on the rear deck to call the great dog to -him, Polaris saw a giant figure come from one of the stone warehouses -and run out to the end of the next quay. In the dusk, and at that -distance, he yet was able to recognize Minos.</p> - -<p>"It is I, Polaris!" Janess shouted. "We leave for Ruthar, if we may win -through. Farewell for a space, until we come again."</p> - -<p>Back came the deep voice of the king in answer:</p> - -<p>"Fare thee well, my brother!" he cried in the ancient Greek of -Sardanes. "May the high God guide thy footsteps."</p> - -<p>Many a time in after years did the son of the snows recall to mind -that scene: the great, circular basin of the harbor of Adlaz, dim under -the light from the stars; the glittering fademes that were riding at -anchor; the twinkling of mitzl globes along the wharves, where men -ran to and fro; the court and its huge, black archway; the armored -men of the guard coming on across the wharf; and the tall form of the -Sardanian king standing at the end of the quay and waving farewell.</p> - -<p>Reenforcements had come to the Maeronican guards, and they rushed -the quay. But Urk had his engine going. The marizel shot out into -the harbor. In a moment more the little craft had dived beneath the -surface. Like an arrow, it clove through the under water. Crafty -steersman was Urk. Through the harbor he drove the marizel in safety, -and through the tunnel to the sea, meeting no incoming danger. Once out -of the channel, he turned the nose of the craft southward, down the -coast toward Ruthar.</p> - -<p>Miles away, amid the dim Rutharian forests, fierce-eyed men gripped -their sword-hilts firmer, and prayed to their stars and their goddess -for the safe making of that journey and the glory of the war that -was to come. For word had come to Ruthar—over the Kimbrian Wall it -had come—that Oleric the Red had turned his face toward home again, -bringing with him the man for whom a nation waited.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>CHAPTER V</h2> - -<h3>WHERE THE ILLIA MEETS THE SEA</h3> - - -<p>In the watches of the night arose a great clamor and outcry in the old -palace of Bel-Tisam. So loud was the din that it aroused Rose Emer and -the Lady Memene from their slumbers in the chamber off the ancient hall -where they were quartered. In the outer corridors they heard the clang -of feet of armored men and their hoarse shouts as they called to one -another. This grew faint and passed away, and then swelled loud and -near again, as of men who had penetrated into the lower dungeons of the -prison and returned.</p> - -<p>Sitting up in their bed and holding each other by the hand for comfort, -the two women were afraid for what might have happened.</p> - -<p>"Something untoward is on foot," said Memene. "Perhaps this is the -night chosen by the red man from the sea" (for so she called Oleric) -"to go forth as he did promise, although it is past the time he set -for his going."</p> - -<p>"Do you think that they have discovered the plan, and that -he—Polaris—is taken again? I pray to God that is not so," whispered -Rose.</p> - -<p>"Something has greatly stirred the guards," Memene replied. "But I do -not think that the mighty man of the wilderness and his red friend are -taken. Those shouts we heard but now were those of disappointed men."</p> - -<p>As the uproar continued through the rooms of the old prison, Rose and -Memene arose and donned their garments. Sleep, for that night, had fled -them.</p> - -<p>Presently they heard, but faint and muffled through the intervening -walls, the clatter of hoofs on the pavement of the black avenue as a -horse passed by, ridden at furious speed.</p> - -<p>A little later the door from the corridor outside the hall of audience -was opened, and through it came that captain of the palace-guard who -was named Brunar. From Oleric, the captain had learned a few words -of the English tongue, and he now made shift with them to tell the -two fair prisoners that Polaris and Oleric, and likewise the captain, -Mordo, had gone. The escape of Zenas Wright and Everson had not been -discovered as yet. Two dead guards in the rooms of Mordo, and the -absence of the marizel from its moorings in the hidden canal near the -Temple of the Sun, accounted for part of the story. A rider on the -fleetest horse in the stables of Bel-Ar, said Brunar, had been sent to -the harbor to warn the guards there, so they might trap the fugitives.</p> - -<p>From the manner in which his news was received, the captain was able -to guess that Rose and Memene knew something of what was on foot. But -this Brunar was a very courteous man, and he forbore to question them -closely, if indeed he had enough English to do so. In the morning he -came again, and told them of the fight at the harbor and the sailing -of the marizel; for Brunar now took up his abode in the palace of -Bel-Tisam and looked after the duties of Mordo. His two wards found -him a kindly jailer, and as indulgent as circumstances would permit -him to be, who could not set them free. Brunar was angry indeed at the -supposed treachery of Oleric and of Mordo, not knowing that the one was -a spy of Ruthar and that the other had had no will in the manner of his -going forth from Adlaz.</p> - -<p>Report was made later in the day of the escape of Everson from the -mines, and of Zenas Wright from the household of the king, and men -marveled at the daring of the deed and the craft of it. But the two -women in their prison, or Ensign Brooks in the mines, or Minos at the -harbor, got no more news of the fugitives for many a long day.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>With Urk, the sailor, squatting among the levers of his engine, the -marizel of Oleric swam steadily and swiftly down the western coast of -Maeronica. Under water she went, well off from the shore and showing no -lights. Oleric showed his passengers the marvelous valves in the sides -of the little vessel which were similar in construction to the mask -with which they already were familiar, and by means of which the air in -the marizel was replenished with oxygen drawn from the sea water.</p> - -<p>Also, he told them somewhat of the land to which they were journeying, -explaining why it was that Ruthar, though smaller and more sparsely -populated by far than Maeronica, had never been conquered by the larger -power. It was a land of forests and mountains, he said, and all the -way around its ragged coastline were huge, precipitous cliffs, the -overhanging crags of which were a natural barrier to invasion. Wherever -had been a break in the cliff-line, the Rutharians, by dint of great -labors, had filled the breaks with walls, closing the gaps so that the -only places where one might land on Ruthar from the sea were certain -spots where narrow stretches of beach lay at the foot of the towering -cliffs.</p> - -<p>At only one point could one come at the interior of the country from -the sea, Oleric said, and that was at the mouth of a river named Illia. -That place was closely guarded, and nature and the hand of man had -united to make of it a way where one man might defy a thousand.</p> - -<p>Years before, the red captain said, the Rutharians had had a few small -ships. But they had little use for them, and with the perfection of -the fademes by the Maeronicans, nearly a century before, the Rutharian -vessels had been promptly sent to the bottom. Metals were easily mined, -and in abundance, especially gold, in Maeronica. But the materials -which produced the power for the fademes and for their terrible -destroyers were scarce and precious. Therefore, the growth of the navy -of Adlaz had been slow.</p> - -<p>But with the fulfillment of the mighty destiny of the Children of Ad -in mind, the scientists labored unceasingly, and it was in the mind -of Bel-Ar that he was to be the man to see the accomplishment of that -destiny. He waited but the equipment of a few more fademes to send -his dreadful messengers forth to take and hold all the seas on earth, -compelling the nations of the world to bow to the power of Adlaz, as -tradition told him they once had bowed before.</p> - -<p>"Now Ruthar, if her stars shine brightly, shall put a big stone before -his chariot-wheels and break his power," Oleric said, "repaying evil -with evil until good come of it, and the Goddess Glorian reigns from -the capes at the north to the southern seas. And in that I pray that -my part shall not be small." With a laugh he added, "This is a strange -game for me to play—Oleric the Red, loose-mouthed soldier and slayer -of men—who in Ruthar am known as Oleric the learned, a professor in -the University of Nematzin, which is hard by the hill of Flomos, on the -banks of the river Illia."</p> - -<p>"And this Goddess Glorian—" asked Zenas Wright curiously. "Is she a -statue in a temple, or the good star of Ruthar, or is she merely a -name?"</p> - -<p>For once the readiness in answer of the red captain deserted him, and -he stared at the geologist with open mouth. Then he said soberly:</p> - -<p>"No statue in a temple is the Goddess Glorian. Good star of Ruthar she -is surely, and, in addition, she is the fairest woman on whom Shamar -ever had looked down from the skies. And now her time comes on, for -which she has waited many a hun—"</p> - -<p>Oleric broke off suddenly and turned his eyes on Polaris with a strange -look.</p> - -<p>"Nay," he said; "for the rest you must learn from the goddess herself. -My tongue does clack like a shepherd-wife's." Nor would he then or -thereafter tell more of Ruthar and its goddess.</p> - -<p>Zenas Wright mused to himself, and the train of his musings ran thus: -"Oleric, you seem to keep your promises, and you are a good fighter, -for I have seen you fight. But when it comes to your tales of living -mammoths in this twentieth century, and of a goddess in the shape of -a woman who has <i>waited many a hundred years</i>—for that was what you -almost said, my friend—why, then, I can't follow you; and I think you -like to draw the long bow."</p> - -<p>Swiftly as the marizel traveled, that night wore into dawn, and day and -darkness came, and still another dawning, ere Urk turned off his power -and filled the air-chambers which raised the vessel to the surface of -the sea. They had rounded the southern coast of Ruthar and beat up -along the eastern shores, and here, as they arose from the depths, -straight ahead of them lay the mouth of the river Illia. When the -voyagers saw it, they did not wonder that Adlaz found little fortune in -attacking Ruthar by sea.</p> - -<p>An irregular fissure in the frowning face of the cliff discharged the -river into the sea. That rift was nearly thirty yards wide at its -bottom, and narrowed almost to nothingness far above, where the red -granite of the headlands towered many hundreds of feet in height. Down -the glen in the fissure the river Illia tripped to the sea like a lady -down a stately stairway. For the rock of the river-bed was shelving, -in strata which varied from less than a foot to nearly three feet in -height, and some of the shelves were as much as ten yards in breadth; -so that the water came down that great natural stair in a series of -broad cascades.</p> - -<p>"Up yonder stairway lies the path into Ruthar," Oleric said, pointing, -as they stood on the deck of the marizel, and Urk laid the vessel as -near to the shelving bank below the river-mouth as he could. "Here we -must leave the marizel, and to the kindness of the waves; for there is -no harbor in which to store her."</p> - -<p>Oleric clambered from the deck and stood up to his knees on the -lowermost step of the Illia's wide stairway. The others followed, Urk -last of all, haling before him the captain, Mordo, with his hands bound.</p> - -<p>For Mordo had proved an unruly passenger. When the fumes of the wine -cleared from his brain, which was not for many hours, he had so cursed -and raged at Oleric, forswearing all friendship that had been between -them, that the Rutharian had lost his temper. He told Mordo roundly -that he wished that he had left him to the mercy of Bel-Ar and the -priests of Shamar.</p> - -<p>"Better that than the company of a traitorous hound," growled Mordo out -of a soul in which no gratitude dwelt. Oleric deemed that it was best -to bind him, lest he do mischief.</p> - -<p>Ascent of the river-stair was not difficult at first, for the steps -were broad, and at that season of the year the volume of water coming -down them was not so strong but that a man might keep his footing if he -used care.</p> - -<p>Hardly were the climbers well within the shadow of the glen when there -arose from the foot of the stair a mighty shouting and splashing. -Oleric spun round with a curse on his lips.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Quickly as they had come from Adlaz town, their destination had been -guessed, and others had come almost as quickly. As the fugitives -turned, they saw a Maeronican fademe swing alongside the lowermost step -of the ascent, her fore and after decks crowded with men, who swarmed -off her onto the rock and ran up the stairway. Foremost among them, -gorgeous in his golden armor, was the Captain Daelo, and he matched the -curse of Oleric with another as he shook his gauntleted fist at his -enemy.</p> - -<p>"Haste! Haste!" Oleric cried, then pursed his lips and sent a long -whistle skirling up the glen. As he did so he lost his footing, clawed -wildly at the air and the rocks, and went down.</p> - -<p>Though the push of the down-rushing waters of the Illia was not strong -enough to sweep a man from his feet if he were cautious, it was yet -of sufficient power to keep him going once he fell. From shelf to -shelf down the great stairway Oleric went, his armor clanging. More -than that, he swept Mordo and the sturdy Urk from their footing, also; -and all three of them slid straight into the hands of Daelo's men, -outstretched to receive them.</p> - -<p>As the soldiers seized Oleric and stood him upright, he wrenched free -one arm and waved it at his companion.</p> - -<p>"Tarry not for me!" he shouted. "Go on! There be friends waiting at the -top—" A soldier smote him on the mouth and silenced him.</p> - -<p>On the step where he stood Polaris halted. He bent, and with his strong -fingers snapped the strings of his shoes and removed them—for he still -wore his own clothing in which he had been dragged from the sea. With -his feet bared, he had a better grip on the slippery rock. He snatched -the sword of Everson from its sheath and went down the river-path, all -unarmored as he was, to meet the swordsmen of Daelo. On they clambered, -cursing and shouting; but the way was difficult for their mailed feet, -and the son of the snows leaped down at them like an avalanche. With -him, breast-deep in the current, went Rombar.</p> - -<p>First man to meet the descending danger was Daelo, and he paid the -penalty of his temerity with his life. Polaris, striking from above, -smote him from his foothold, a blow that shore away half of his golden -helm and split the skull within it, and the Captain Daelo pitched -backward into the sea.</p> - -<p>Another bound and a stroke so bitter that it hewed off the arm of a -steel-clad soldier, severing it between wrist and elbow, and the son of -the snows had freed Oleric from the hands that held him. Straightway -the red captain drew sword and took up the tale. Daelo's men, of whom -there were nearly a score, faltered, staggering and slipping on the -rocky shelves. Almost their courage was broken, when Polaris caught -his naked foot in a crevice in the rock and tripped. Before he could -recover, a heavy sword-blade fell upon his unprotected head from -behind. He let fall his own blade and sank to his knees and then to his -face on the steps of Illia.</p> - -<p>Short-lived was the triumph of the Maeronicans. The cry of exultation -which greeted the fall of their dreaded enemy was turned into a howl of -dismay as half a hundred fierce-eyed fighting men of Ruthar poured down -the glen, waving their bared swords and shouting:</p> - -<p>"For the Goddess Glorian! Slay the Maeronican dogs!"</p> - -<p>That tide overwhelmed the company of Daelo to the last man, and with -them died black Mordo. Less by one more fademe was the navy of King -Bel-Ar.</p> - -<p>When the warriors of the forests turned up the stair once more, they -found Oleric kneeling in the water, supporting Polaris's head on his -arm, while old Zenas and Everson bound with strips torn from their -clothing the gaping wound which the sword-blade had left at the back of -his head. Beside the group, Rombar, standing nearly to his neck in the -wash of the river, lifted up his head and howled dolefully.</p> - -<p>Six strong men took up the limp form of the fair-haired giant and bore -it away up the river staircase.</p> - -<p>So Polaris came at last to Ruthar.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Up the rocky shelves of Illia the Rutharians trudged and splashed, the -chasm becoming ever narrower and more gloomy. With the narrowing of the -rift, the water became deeper and its current stronger. Then one of the -party uncoiled a long rope from his shoulder, and the party marched on -in single file, each clinging to the rope like Alpine climbers.</p> - -<p>Oleric urged haste and more haste.</p> - -<p>Presently the water was too deep for Rombar, and the current set so -strongly that the dog could not swim against it. At an order from -Oleric, two Rutharian hunters seized the brute by the collar, and -though one of them got a gashed hand for his pains, they bound Rombar's -jaws and feet with ropes and carried him on their shoulders—a task -which neither they nor Rombar found pleasant.</p> - -<p>At a point in the ascent where further progress against the deepening -stream was impossible, the party left the bed of the river and -clambered to the right, where a flight of steep and narrow steps had -been cut in the rock along a fissure which branched from the main -gorge. Up nearly two hundred of those steps they toiled, until Zenas -Wright and Everson, unused to such exertions, nearly fainted with -exhaustion. At the top of the stairs they emerged into a forest of tall -trees, oak and pine and chestnut, which grew almost to the edge of the -cliffs.</p> - -<p>No sooner had he stepped from the rock stairway than Oleric knelt and -kissed the black earth.</p> - -<p>"This, my friends, is Ruthar," he said as he arose and faced the two -Americans.</p> - -<p>From among the trees came a tall, white-bearded chieftain, who was -armored from head to heel in a wonderful suit of chain mail, links of -steel that shone like silver. At his back swung a two-handed sword -which was nearly the length of a man.</p> - -<p>He advanced to Oleric and laid his hands on the captain's shoulders.</p> - -<p>"You are Oleric the Red, and no other," he said. "Well do I remember -you. Once I was your pupil. But that was more than three times ten -years ago." He shook his head wonderingly. "You serve Ruthar well," he -added.</p> - -<p>Now, had Zenas Wright been able to understand the speech of Ruthar, he -certainly would have set this chieftain down as a hoary-headed liar. -For how could he have been a pupil to Oleric the Red more than thirty -years before, when it was plain for any one to see that the captain -must at that time have been a babe in his mother's arms?</p> - -<p>"Aye, Jastla, it is the old red fox come back to his hole again," -Oleric answered, striking the old chief fondly across his broad -shoulders.</p> - -<p>"Which of these with you is the man—the hope of Ruthar?" questioned -Jastla. His eyes passed the stubby form of Zenas Wright by and rested -inquiringly on the square and soldierly Everson.</p> - -<p>Oleric's ruddy face went sober. His voice choked as he answered:</p> - -<p>"Nay, Jastla, neither of these. He comes yonder—and I fear that he is -sorely smitten."</p> - -<p>As he spoke the six Rutharians who bore Polaris Janess came over the -brink of the stair and laid their burden down.</p> - -<p>Jastla strode to the side of Polaris and looked down at him.</p> - -<p>"A mighty man, with golden hair—and comely, as was written in the -prophecy," he muttered into his beard. "What has befallen him?" he -asked of Oleric.</p> - -<p>While the captain told of the fight at the river-mouth, Zenas Wright -knelt at Polaris's head and rearranged the bandages, which had become -loosened in the rough journey through the gorge. Rombar, who had been -that moment untrussed, pushed growling through the group of men and -crouched and licked at his master's face.</p> - -<p>"Will he live, Father Zenas? Will he live?" Oleric asked. "Tell us, -you, who are skilled."</p> - -<p>"God knows," groaned Zenas. The hand which he laid on the steel cheek -of Polaris shook so that he snatched it away and hid it. "God only -knows. There is a little life in him yet."</p> - -<p>"He plucked me from the sea," said Oleric wildly. "That was fated of -the gods. Twice has he fought at my side. This day perchance he has -given his life for me; and that was of his own strong spirit. I tell -you, Father Zenas, that if it would do my brother any good, here would -Oleric fall upon his sword and render up his soul unto those that sent -it forth." Then he controlled himself. "Can he be moved? Can you keep -the vital spark within him for a little space, good father? We must -haste and get him to the Goddess Glorian. If his soul be not sped when -he reaches her, she can hold it back, if any on earth can. Say, Father -Zenas, can you do it?"</p> - -<p>"I will try," answered Zenas. "If I had a little wine, now—"</p> - -<p>"Wine!" Oleric shouted. "Bring wine, some one of you, and haste, though -your lungs burst. And slay a kid, so that we may have broth."</p> - -<p>A fleet-footed Rutharian lad set off through the forest, running with -the speed of a deer.</p> - -<p>"Now, Jastla, see you to a horse-litter. Two gentle beasts, mind you, -but speedy. For we must travel fast and far. I take my brother to the -Hill of Flomos. And send on a swift messenger to the Goddess Glorian, -to tell her that the hope of Ruthar lies wounded in the forests and is -near to death. Haste, Jastla; haste!"</p> - -<p>Wine was brought, and it was good wine; for the grapes that grow in -the valleys of Ruthar are the finest in all the world. Zenas Wright -forced apart the set jaws of the stricken man, using a sword-point -to do it, and even as Dr. Marsey, who was dead, had done for Oleric, -poured the purple wine and a little broth into Polaris's mouth. The -kindly old geologist could only pray that some of it penetrated to the -man's stomach, for most of it was spilled out again when they moved him.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Chief Jastla brought a horse-litter. In it, between two powerful -beasts, Polaris was slung. The Rutharians wrapped him closely with -blankets and furs. The sun had turned to his northward journey, and in -the forests of Ruthar the air was keen with the tang of approaching -winter—felt there in the uplands long before it reached to the plains -and valleys of Maeronica.</p> - -<p>Horses were fetched for Oleric, Wright and Everson, and they set off at -once along the mountain trails skirting the mighty cañon of the Illia. -An escort of half a score of Rutharian hunters rode with them.</p> - -<p>All that day and night and until sunset of the next day they rode with -only brief stops at small Rutharian hamlets, where they ate hurriedly -and changed horses. Word had been sent on before of their coming, and -fresh horses were always in waiting. Sleep they did not, save in their -saddles, and the two Americans felt that they might die from sheer -weariness.</p> - -<p>Oleric did not sleep at all, though of all the party his vitality -seemed the least impaired by that racking journey. His face grew -haggard and gaunt, and his eyes red-rimmed, but a wonderful -determination seemed to sustain his body. He spoke seldom, and then to -urge his faltering companions to renewed efforts.</p> - -<p>Rombar ran with the horses until he was utterly done up. Then Oleric -left the dog at one of the mountain villages, to be brought on later.</p> - -<p>In the morning of the second day the party swung to the right, away -from the gorge of the Illia, to come to it again about noon and cross -it on a bridge of steel and stone that spanned it three hundred feet up -from the torrent's course.</p> - -<p>Everson, looking at those piles and trusses, judged the building of -that bridge to be the feat of no mean engineer. Though there had been a -waste of material, the structure would have stood comparison with many -a bridge in Europe or America.</p> - -<p>Throughout the long ride, Polaris lay like a log in the litter. -Occasionally, at the stopping places, the scientist redressed the -wound, smearing it with a healing balsam which an old woman in one of -the villages had given him. It was a fearsome gash, and Zenas shook his -head over it whenever he saw it. The point of the sword had laid open -the scalp at the back of Polaris's head for a matter of inches, then -had glanced from the bone beneath and bitten deeply into the neck near -the spinal column.</p> - -<p>Wright sheared the hair away from the wound and stitched it as neatly -as he could. Despite his care the edges of the cut turned blue, as -is the way with such hurts if they have not expert attention. In the -afternoon of that second day's ride he found that Polaris's hands and -feet were becoming cold, and that the geologist deemed the worst sign -of all.</p> - -<p>Shortly after they had crossed the bridge the contour of the country -became less wild. They emerged from among the crags and peaks of the -mountains into the foot-hills, where the forests were not so dense as -above, and from time to time they came upon large spaces of cleared -lands with tilled fields and many vineyards.</p> - -<p>In one of the forest glades the party passed a spot where a number -of fair-sized trees had been uprooted and partly stripped of their -branches and bark. Others, still standing, were mere distorted stubs of -trees, their trunks scored and twisted and their foliage gone.</p> - -<p>"I hope such storms as the one that did this damage are not frequent -hereabouts," said Zenas, pointing out the wrecks to Everson.</p> - -<p>Oleric heard the remark.</p> - -<p>"'Storms,' say you, Father Zenas?" he said. "The storm that went -through here walked on four feet. When we of Ruthar see such a sight in -the forest, we know that an amaloc has breakfasted there. I forget the -high-sounding name you call him by."</p> - -<p>"That lad should have been a writer of fiction," said Zenas to himself -when the captain had ridden on. "He almost makes me believe in him."</p> - -<p>"Gorry-me," Zenas groaned, easing himself in his saddle, "I wish we -were at the end of this ride, wherever it is. I do not think that I -shall ever be able to walk again. You," he said to Everson, "you ride -along there in your golden armor like—what is it?—a paladin of old, -and never a word out of you. Well, I'd sooner stand it, at that, -than to go back to that roasting-spit I was put to tend in the King's -kitchen." Zenas grunted as recollection stung him.</p> - -<p>"Why, do you know, one day I was figuring out a bit of calculus in my -head, just for practise, and I let the meat scorch; and the head cook -actually laid a dog-whip across my back. Yes, sir; me, a fellow in the -National Geographic Society, whipped across a kitchen by a greasy-faced -dough-slinger who doesn't know gneiss from rotten-stone!"</p> - -<p>Wright grunted again at the memory of that indignity, and then rambled -on:</p> - -<p>"But we've got to stand it all for the boy here, and for the folks we -left behind. God knows I'm willing to for their sakes, and worse yet, -if it's to come. But I must grumble once in a while, and I can't help -it. Say, Everson, do you believe any of that chaff of our red-headed -friend about the mammoths?"</p> - -<p>The lieutenant did not answer, and Wright, peering into his face, saw -that he was asleep in the saddle.</p> - -<p>Well down upon his course was the sun, and the shadows of the trees -were lengthening eastward, when the travelers, who for some time had -been following a smooth, straight road through rolling hills, came to -an old Rutharian villa, which stood among its gardens a considerable -distance back from the highway. A low wall bordered the grounds at the -front along the roadway, a wall with a pillared gateway, where a drive -led in from the road. At the foot of each of the pillars, sitting his -horse like a statue, was a Rutharian gentleman.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>As the weary cavalcade came down the road the two riders left their -posts and advanced to meet it, parleying with Oleric. Scarcely half a -dozen words passed back and forth when the red captain set up a joyful -shout. When he reached the gateway he turned his horse in, bidding the -others to follow.</p> - -<p>"Here's hoping that some one will introduce me to a bed before I clean -forget what one feels like," said Zenas.</p> - -<p>At the side of the ancient house the riders dismounted, Everson reeling -from his horse like a drunken man and throwing himself face downward on -the grass.</p> - -<p>Oleric superintended the removal of Polaris from the litter.</p> - -<p>The geologist was bending over his charge as the hunters bore him along -when he became aware of the tall figure of a woman that came down from -the porch of the mansion and hastened along the walk. She had thrown a -long, dark red cloak about her shoulders. In the dusk of the garden the -scientist could not distinguish her features, but he saw that her hair -was dark, or seemed to be, and that she was taller than most women and -splendidly formed.</p> - -<p>"The Goddess Glorian!" Oleric cried aloud. "Oh, by the stars of Ruthar, -but you are welcome!"</p> - -<p>Down on one knee sank the captain and kissed her hand.</p> - -<p>"Oh, goddess, after all these years I have brought you the hope of -Ruthar. But he is sorely wounded—dying—and you alone can save him. We -were bringing him to Flomos with all the speed we might, and thought -not to find you here."</p> - -<p>"Where else should Glorian be, but on the way to meet this man?" she -answered simply. "Jastla's messenger reached Flomos this morning. He -rode four horses to their deaths upon his way. You have done well, -Oleric the Learned."</p> - -<p>When he heard the silvery cadences of that voice, though he understood -not a word save the name of the captain, a thrill passed through Zenas -Wright, old as he was, and through his aged veins he felt the blood -course faster. The woman came nearer. He smelled the warm perfume of -her hair as she bent and touched the cheek of Polaris with her hand.</p> - -<p>"Bring him within, Oleric," she said, "and, oh, haste, for—" Her -glorious voice broke. "For he is nearly gone."</p> - -<p>Swinging the still form of Polaris shoulder high, the Rutharian hunters -passed on and into the mansion, leaving Zenas behind.</p> - -<p>"Now, what do you know about that?" gasped the scientist as he sank -wearily to the ground beside Everson. "Goddess, indeed! What, I want -to know, will Rose Emer say when she learns of this young person? Well, -I hope she saves the lad; but she'll need to be a doctor of parts, or -I'm a donkey. Poor boy! Poor boy!"</p> - -<p>In a few moments came Oleric to show Wright and Everson to their -quarters for the night in the rear of the house. And a rare time he had -to arouse the lieutenant sufficiently to lead him to bed.</p> - -<p>White and still, Polaris Janess lay on a bed in an upper chamber of the -old house. By the light from a mitzl globe—trophy of some Rutharian -chieftain in a foray over the Kimbrian Wall—the Goddess Glorian bent -above him and studied his pale features.</p> - -<p>"My friend, my poor friend," she said brokenly. "How often through the -weary years I have seen you in my dreams—and now to find you—only to -lose you."</p> - -<p>Hot tears ran down her cheeks and fell on the stricken man's face.</p> - -<p>"Oh! It shall not be!" she said fiercely. "You shall not die—not if -Glorian must give her soul to hold you back from the gates of darkness."</p> - -<p>Throwing aside her cloak, she drew a chair to the bedside. With her -fingers she lifted Polaris's eyelids and held them open. She gazed deep -into the tawny eyes, now, alas, so dull and lifeless. For hours she sat -there, with no more apparent movement than the man she watched over. -The whole strength of her being seemed concentrated in some inward, -unyielding struggle.</p> - -<p>And as the long hours passed a change came over the sick man. He did -not stir. He scarcely seemed to breathe. But his face became less gray -and haggard, and the icy chill of death was driven from his hands and -feet.</p> - -<p>Long after midnight it was when the Goddess Glorian stood up from that -bedside and in her heart said wildly, "I have won!"</p> - -<p>Summoning her women, who waited without the door, she bade them dress -anew the now festering wound and pour a little wine and broth into his -throat.</p> - -<p>All night long the Goddess Glorian sat and watched him.</p> - -<p>In the morning, when Oleric came to the door in answer to her summons, -she looked up at him with a wan smile.</p> - -<p>"Fear no longer," she said. "The man will live."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>On the third day after his arrival at the old Rutharian mansion, -Polaris left it. But he knew nothing of that going. He still lay in -the heavy stupor which was to hold him thrall for many days. Zenas -Wright doubted much the wisdom of moving a man so ill. The scientist -himself, after two days' rest, felt scarcely equal to the journey, and -the thought of again bestriding a horse made him shudder. Still, he -reasoned that it was by a miracle that Janess lived at all, and if she -who had wrought that miracle, the Goddess Glorian, said he might be -moved in safety, why, doubtless she knew what she was about.</p> - -<p>A low, four-wheeled car was brought. Across the box of it the hunters -lashed light and springy poles and on them piled robes and blankets, -making a soft and easy bed for the sick man. At the head of that couch -rode the Goddess Glorian, cloaked and hooded, and at its foot crouched -black Rombar, who had been brought in from the village where he had -been left, and who seemed little the worse for his long jaunt. Wright -and the lieutenant occupied another smaller car in the rear, and in -a third vehicle rode a number of the women of Glorian's household. -Oleric, mounted and aglitter in chain armor of steel—for he had -discarded as soon as might be the hated golden livery of Bel-Ar—rode -at the side of the first car. For escort the party had the company of -nearly a score of young Rutharian zinds—zind was the only title of -nobility in Ruthar.</p> - -<p>So they set out for Flomos, traveling by easy stages and with many -rests. The roads were smooth and the country more even than that they -had left behind. All along the way, be the time of day what it might, -they rode between two long lines of people—people silent for the most -part, who stood with bowed heads as the cars and the riders passed by.</p> - -<p>Far and wide throughout the land had gone the word that the man who -had come to be known as the hope of Ruthar was journeying to Flomos, -and the circumstances of that journey. These who lined the road were -gathered there to do him silent homage. Satisfied were they if they -only caught a fleeting glimpse of his still face on its pillow of furs. -Over all of Ruthar went up a many-voiced and ceaseless prayer for his -welfare.</p> - -<p>"H'm, Everson, folks will never stand like that for us, living or -dead," said Zenas Wright to the lieutenant, when Oleric had told them -the meaning of the silent lines of people. Despite his banter, the old -geologist was deeply touched.</p> - -<p>Two days and part of a third they traveled—for they did not -hurry—stopping for the nights at the homes of Rutharian gentlemen -along the road. It was nearly afternoon of the third day when they -followed the winding of the highway around the last low hills of the -mountain range and came out upon a plateau-plain of wide extent, in -the center of which was a wooded eminence, and on its crest the white -pillars of a temple shone in the sunlight.</p> - -<p>The road stretched straight across the plain through a broad expanse -of tilled lands and gardens, which ringed a city that stood at the -foot of the hill. It was scarcely a fifth the proportions of Adlaz, -this ancient town of Ruthar, which was called Zele-omaz, or City by -the River; but it was a pretty place of broad streets shaded by many -trees, gardens and low-built, pleasant homes, with here and there the -statelier dwellings of some zind or wealthy man.</p> - -<p>Here, too, was the Illia, rock-bound no longer, but a fair and gentle -stream, winding through the town and spanned by many bridges.</p> - -<p>Skirting the city at the right, the travelers followed a sloping path -that led up the hill to where the temple stood.</p> - -<p>"Yonder," Oleric said, pointing down to where a group of low buildings -of gray stone rambled at the waterside under spreading yew trees, "is -the University of Nematzin, of which I am a professor. And there is the -laboratory of which I spoke, where we shall make the thunder-dust to -shake down the Kimbrian Wall."</p> - -<p>"One more day's rest, and I will be fit for anything," answered Everson.</p> - -<p>"What do you teach in this university, friend?" Zenas queried.</p> - -<p>"A little of the science of the stars, Father Zenas—or I did, for it -is many years since I have sat among my pupils—somewhat of history and -of language," replied the red captain.</p> - -<p>"Humph; you must have been a young teacher," said Zenas Wright, and he -ran his fingers through the sprouting stubble of his beard, as he had a -habit of doing when things vexed him. Suddenly he jumped in his seat, -though the wrench to his sore flesh cost him a wry face.</p> - -<p>"Hey! Everson! Look at that, and then tell me if I'm dreaming."</p> - -<p>The "that" was a gateway through which the car was about to pass. -Oleric followed with a glance the direction in which the geologist -pointed and then rode on with a smile.</p> - -<p>It was a very curious gate, so curious that, if it still stands, and -it doubtless does, for it was built to endure, there is none other -just like it in the world. At each side of the roadway was a section -of black stone wall, extending along the path a matter of a dozen feet -and some ten feet high. At intervals along the tops of the two walls -were set round, squat pillars, also of stone. Those had been hollowed -out and served as bases for enormous ivory tusks, which were embedded -in cement in the hollowed pillars, and from them curved up to meet over -the center of the roadway, where their tips were made fast with double -sockets of bronze.</p> - -<p>Ivory the tusks were; there was no doubting that; weather-checked and -stained yellow by age and the elements, but still ivory. But the size -of them! No elephant that ever walked the earth bore ivories of such -proportions. For they were as large around at their bases as the chest -of an average man; and from base to tapering tip there was none of them -that did not measure eleven feet. Seven pair of them there were, and -all splendidly matched.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Zenas stared back at that marvelous arch—for it was more an archway -than a gate—as hard as he could stare. Not until a turn of the road -hid it, did he relax into his seat.</p> - -<p>"Maybe he isn't so great a liar, after all," he said, and he meant -Oleric. "Everson, those are mammoth's tusks—sure's I'm a sinner."</p> - -<p>"Strange land, strange things," answered Everson laconically.</p> - -<p>The home or temple of the Goddess Glorian on the hill of Flomos was a -small thing by comparison with the mighty Temple of Shamar, but in its -way was quite as beautiful. Like the temple of the sun-god, the house -of Glorian was built all of white marble. Fronting north toward the -city of Zele-omaz was a façade of four-and-twenty sixty-foot pillars. -A broad, paved porch, reached by half a hundred steps, lay at the foot -of the façade. Back of the pillars were twelve double doors of bronze, -leading into a lofty hall, the marble dome of which towered high above -the pillars and could be seen from the countryside for miles about when -the sun shone on it.</p> - -<p>Back of the hall the structure was divided into three floors, or -stories, each of many roomy chambers and corridors. The whole was well -lighted by windows of clear glass, of which an abundance was used in -both Maeronica and Ruthar. Behind the temple, southward down the hill, -were the dwellings of Glorian's personal retainers and servants.</p> - -<p>Well back from the center of the domed hall and near the foot of a -grand staircase which led to the second floor, was a raised dais of -marble, whereon Glorian was wont to sit and give judgment in matters of -state which were too high for the administration of the zinds who ruled -in the different cities and provinces. Once Ruthar had had its dynasty -of kings, but that was many years before. The royal line died out, and -because of certain circumstances at that time the people raised up no -more kings. At the time of the coming of the strangers the Goddess -Glorian was the absolute power in Ruthar.</p> - -<p>On the dais in the throne-room was another wonder for Zenas Wright to -see. It was a massive, double-seated chair, constructed, even to the -pegs which held its parts together, of ivory like in the giant tusks -of the arch. An artist of surpassing skill had wrought that chair and -had carved it into the semblance of tall lily-stalks with heavy-headed, -drooping blossoms and slender fronds. All around the larger stalks were -cut the clinging tendrils of a creeping vine, a tracery as fine as lace.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Wright and Everson were given rooms on the second floor of the temple -at its western side. Polaris was borne to a chamber on the upper -story, where he was tended by Glorian herself and the servants of her -household. Rombar took up his quarters in that chamber also, and only -Oleric could lure the dog forth from his master's side, and then not -for long at a time.</p> - -<p>Soon after their arrival at the hill of Flomos, and when they had -rested some of the stiffness from their joints, Everson and the -scientist went down with Oleric to the laboratories of Nematzin to -begin their work. Though the students of Ruthar were not unskilled in -chemistry of a sort, they knew nothing of explosives. So Zenas prepared -himself for a series of tests to discover the materials of which he was -in need, or, if he could not find what he desired, some combination -which would serve.</p> - -<p>In that constructive analysis the naval lieutenant could be of little -aid. Oleric then found a task for him which was more to his liking. It -was the drilling of men.</p> - -<p>From her center to her rock-bound coasts, Ruthar hummed with the -preparation for war.</p> - -<p>"If we are to fight, let us first know how many men we can raise, and -how they will be disposed," said Everson. "What is the population of -this country, and how will it match up, man for man, with Maeronica?"</p> - -<p>All told, Ruthar's people numbered something like a million and a -quarter, Oleric informed him; and in Maeronica the population was near -to three and one-half millions, at least a half a million of which -dwelt in the great city of Adlaz.</p> - -<p>"As it is figured in the world, your army then will be made up of one -fighting man to every ten persons," the lieutenant said. "If the spirit -of the people is with us, we should be able to put at least one hundred -and twenty-five thousand men in the field—and Bel-Ar, three hundred -and fifty thousand. Those are heavy odds."</p> - -<p>"Ruthar shall do better even than that," Oleric said with pride. "I -promise you that two hundred thousand men shall march when they hear -the war-drums—and more may be found if the need grows bitter."</p> - -<p>"Can you equip and maintain them?" Everson asked.</p> - -<p>"In Ruthar every man is a soldier. They will equip themselves. This day -has been awaited for long. Ruthar is ready to give all for the uses of -her warrior sons. Fear not. Besides, though I will not deny that the -men of Ad are good fighters and their country is far the richer, yet -many of them are fat city dwellers and traders, of whom two are not a -match for one of the hardy men of the mountains who will march under -the banners of the Goddess Glorian. Show them the ruins of the Kimbrian -Wall, and were the armies of Ad twice their strength, yet they should -not turn Ruthar from her purpose."</p> - -<p>Everson nodded thoughtfully. "How will this force be divided?" he -asked. "Have you many horsemen? In such a war as this promises to be, -cavalry will be invaluable."</p> - -<p>The red captain knit his brow in calculation.</p> - -<p>"Forty thousand wild horsemen of the hills and mountains, who know -not fear, can I promise," he said at length. "Five thousand chariots -we can muster, each of two horses, and carrying each two fighting men -and a driver to guide the horses; twenty thousand skilled archers; -ninety thousand heavily armed men with swords and spears; ten thousand -slingers; and twenty thousand men armed with javelins—these last to -serve as skirmishers."</p> - -<p>Everson's eyes kindled at the recital of that tale of men, and he -smiled—one of the few smiles that had lightened his face since his -ship had been lost.</p> - -<p>"We must gather them into camps at once," he said. "The time is all too -short in which to make an enemy out of raw levies. We must drill them -all winter, and that will be a man's job."</p> - -<p>Straightway he threw himself into the task with tireless energy. And -he vowed to himself that the men who had dared to sink a United States -cruiser should learn a lesson of tears and death, and that he would -have a hand in the teaching of the lesson.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Oblivion, like a deep and dreamless sleep, was the portion of Polaris -Janess. It seemed that his soul had withdrawn itself to some place of -peace to wait until its racked and weary body should once more be fit -for tenancy. The wound in his neck closed and healed. Somewhat of color -crept back into his cheeks. His body began to thrive, but there was in -it seemingly little more of sentient life than in a tree which draws -its nourishment from the soil and knows not of days and nights and the -cares thereof.</p> - -<p>"It is a blood-clot that presses somewhere on the brain," Glorian told -his friends, who stood often at his quiet bedside. "'Twill pass away -ere long, and he will be whole again."</p> - -<p>To the surprise of Zenas and Everson, Glorian and a number of the -learned men of the college of Nematzin spoke English almost with the -facility of Oleric, from whom, indeed, they had learned it. And this -was a great source of delight to the old geologist, who liked to talk -and grumble over his labors. And what use is there in grumbling, if -there is no one to hear and understand?</p> - -<p>Came a day when the curtain lifted from the brain of the sick man, and -memory peopled the vacant stage, as once before it had done when he lay -ill in the cabin on the ship <i>Felix</i> on his first journey from his home -in the wilderness.</p> - -<p>Wondering, he lay still with closed lids, as he had a trick of doing -when he waked from slumber. He began to reconstruct. The wreck of the -<i>Minnetonka</i> passed before him, and then, like a series of pictures, -the events which had followed the sinking of the ship; the stranger -people; the judgment of the king; the parting from his love; the coming -of the red captain in the night and the flight from Adlaz; the fight at -the wharves and the farewell of Minos; the great stairway of the Illia—</p> - -<p>There the pictures ceased. He could not then, or ever afterward, recall -the fight in the river, where he had gone down to aid Oleric and come -by his wound.</p> - -<p>Into his nostrils was wafted a breath of faint perfume. A cool hand -was laid against his cheek. He opened his eyes. The details of a high, -arched room he saw; windows of glass at the north, where the sun shone -thinly and big flakes of snow were floating slowly down—for winter had -come to Ruthar; at his cheek a long, wonderfully shaped, white hand, -with tapering, ringless fingers; a slender wrist; beyond it a face. He -closed his lids again, with a frown of disbelief. The beauty of that -face was such as no mortal ever saw, save in a dream.</p> - -<p>The hand stirred, and he looked again.</p> - -<p>From the times of Helen of Troy on down through the pages of all -recorded history, those pages have been made bright by the faces of -fair women who were their nations' boast. Here, before the eyes of the -sick man, was a face that was the peer of any that ever shone in fable -or in fact. A broad, high forehead above two dark and well-defined -arches; beneath them, delicately veined lids and long dark lashes, -veiling red-brown eyes. Eyes so wonderfully alive with expression that -their change was like the bewildering melting of colors in a sunset; -between their marvelous valleys, a slenderly bridged nose with a hint -of the Roman. A rich, full-lipped mouth that was the playground of -smiles, but which showed also the quality of rare determination, a -promise sustained by the firmly rounded chin beneath it, a skin so fine -of texture that through it might be traced the ebb and flow of life, as -flames show roseate through a marble vase.</p> - -<p>Her head had the poise of an empress, and at its shapely crown, piled -high, were lustrous coils of hair which at first glance seemed black; -but when the light struck on it, glowed as an ember glows when a breath -renews its dullness into fire.</p> - -<p>Such was the beauty of the woman on whom Polaris looked—and as he -gazed, acknowledgment was forced within him that here was one that -surpassed in fairness even the Rose-maid whom he loved. And there was -no disloyalty in that acknowledgment. Rose Emer was a beautiful woman; -but she who sat before him, and who seemed of nearly the same age and -whose figure much resembled that of his own dear lady, she had the -beauty of unearthly things.</p> - -<p>For a moment he stared in silence.</p> - -<p>"Where am I, and who are you?" he asked, and smiled faintly in response -to her little exclamation of delight that his senses had come back to -him. Before she could speak, he muttered, "I had forgotten; she will -not understand."</p> - -<p>"But I do understand, my poor friend," she said, "and can make answer -in your own tongue—if we keep to simple talk."</p> - -<p>As the quality of that voice had thrilled old Zenas, so now it sent a -tremor through the veins of the son of the snows.</p> - -<p>"You are in the city of Zele-omaz, and I, who have watched while you -lay wounded and ill, am a poor lady of wild Ruthar," she continued.</p> - -<p>"'Poor' and 'wild' are words that ill beseem you, lady," replied -Polaris in the quaint expression that in the long years when his father -had been his sole companion, he had absorbed from the pages of Scott's -romantic "Ivanhoe," and which contact with modern English had not worn -away.</p> - -<p>"I think that one Oleric has spoken oft of you, and that I can guess -the name you bear—and I find it a most fitting name."</p> - -<p>Rose-pink the Goddess Glorian flushed, in a most mortal fashion, and -was glad that at that moment black Rombar thrust his head forward over -the edge of the bed to claim a share in the attention of his master.</p> - -<p>Polaris stirred his hands, and then looked up wonderingly.</p> - -<p>"I am weak," he said. "How long have I lain ill, and what misfortune -befell me to so lay me by the heels? I understand it not at all; for my -memory has tricked me."</p> - -<p>Toying with Rombar's collar, Glorian told him what she had learned from -the others of the fight at the mouth of the Illia.</p> - -<p>"And I do thank you for the life of my faithful captain," she said, -"as he will presently. It was a brave deed, a very brave deed. Now -you must talk no more, and no more must I weary you. You are worn with -sickness, and it will be many days before your strength comes back. -Rest and fret not. All things are going well."</p> - -<p>She left him, and presently he slept.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>CHAPTER VI</h2> - -<h3>ZOAR OF THE AMALOCS</h3> - - -<p>Beyond their knowledge of the working of metals, in which they had -great facility, Zenas Wright soon found that the scientists of Nematzin -could avail him little in his search for explosive compounds. Ordinary -gunpowder, indeed, he knew he could make easily enough, after a -fashion, but he sought for something more powerful by far than that. -From the descriptions which he had heard of the Kimbrian Wall, he -judged that it would be a rare task to shake it down.</p> - -<p>"We might do it with nitroglycerin," he told Everson. "But we would -have to set all of the old wives of Ruthar to soap-making to get our -glycerin, and it would be a difficult job to get it pure enough to -serve our turn. Besides, nitroglycerin is mean and uncertain to handle."</p> - -<p>The two men sat before a ruddy coal fire in the big laboratory room -which had been turned over to the uses of the geologist—a fire well -screened from the rest of the room, so that no flying spark should -raise mischief among the experiments of Zenas. Three weeks had elapsed -since their arrival at Zele-omaz. Polaris Janess was well along -the road to health. Everson and Oleric, laboring tirelessly, had -established five great training camps, one on the plain near the city, -and four others in the forests to the north beyond the Illia. Already -the levies of Ruthar were pouring into the camps, where they were -drilled by the zinds and captains, under the direction of the naval -lieutenant and the red captain.</p> - -<p>Everson had thrown his whole heart into the work. Already he had made -considerable progress in the learning of the Rutharian language. He -was beginning to take a vast pride in the army he was welding. Born -soldiers he found these Rutharians, amenable to the strict discipline -which he preached, and to whom his word was law.</p> - -<p>He had ridden in this day from a tour of inspection of his camps to -visit Wright and learn of the progress of the work on which depended -their entire scheme of campaign.</p> - -<p>"Nitroglycerin," said Everson. "So you have found a source of nitric -acid, then?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," replied Wright. "One of the first things which took my eye among -a number of specimens of rock which I found in a case here, was a chunk -of sodium nitrate. You know the stuff—Chile saltpeter, they call it."</p> - -<p>"Why not a picrate powder, if you have nitrates to work with?" -suggested the lieutenant.</p> - -<p>"Picrate—nitric acid—phenol," said old Zenas. "That's the way of it. -And to get phenol—lots of it—"</p> - -<p>He broke off and stared into the depths of the fire.</p> - -<p>"Hey!" he cried, and jumped to his feet so suddenly that Everson -started. Zenas pointed at the fire, his little black eyes dancing and -his beard wagging with his excitement.</p> - -<p>"Well?" queried Everson.</p> - -<p>"Coal, my boy, coal! There's oodles of it here. All I've got to do is -to rig up a kiln for the distillation of coal-tar oil, and I'll have -the phenol. God knows, these beggars are handy enough in the gentle -art of blacksmithing. Tell your red-headed master of ceremonies to -give me a little help—say two hundred or two hundred and fifty of his -armorers, till I get a few kilns in operation and build me a bank of -Glover towers, and I'll show you a line of stuff that will beat all of -the Fourth of July celebrations you ever saw. Picrates! Humph! I'll -turn out a brand of melinite for you that will jar the back door of -hell off its hinges—if I don't whiff us all to kingdom come while I'm -at the stuff."</p> - -<p>Oleric was summoned. The red captain turned over to Zenas Wright not -two hundred, but nearer five hundred men, and the old university was -straightway turned into a munitions plant, the stench and the fires of -which ascended to heaven by day and by night.</p> - -<p>"And bring me about all the fat you can find in the kingdom," directed -Zenas. "I'll need it to mix with my nice little patty-cakes."</p> - -<p>"You shall have it, Father Zenas," Oleric replied. "And it will not -come amiss to make all that you can of this pastry. After the Kimbrian -Wall is down, we may find some of it useful at the gates of Adlaz."</p> - -<p>So interested did Zenas become in this new work of his that he -scarcely stopped for meals, and he slept on a cot of skins beside -his fire in the old laboratory. One day, as he labored among his -test-tubes, the outer door opened, and a tall figure robed in -furs strode across the room and stood beside him. Zenas looked up -impatiently.</p> - -<p>"Oh, Lordy, laddie!" he cried, his face lighting up. "It's good to see -you on your feet again."</p> - -<p>It was Polaris—still somewhat gaunt and tottery, but with a welcome -color in his cheeks and a brightness in his topaz eyes that augured -well.</p> - -<p>"Aye, old friend, 'tis I," he answered. "While you do wear yourself -thin in this place of many smells, and Everson rides his flesh off his -bones, shall I then be doing nothing but to lie in a soft bed and dream -the days away? I will have no more of it."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>From that day strength came back to the son of the snows with -surprising rapidity, considering that he had been so ill. Nor would he -chafe in restless idleness, but demanded work to do. Soon in the five -great camps of fighting men his figure and that of the huge black dog -which followed him like a shadow were as well known to the soldiers as -were those of Everson and the lieutenant. Under the tutelage of the -Goddess Glorian, he had advanced in mastery of the Rutharian tongue -much faster than either of the other two Americans; for he was a -natural linguist and did not find the ancient language difficult.</p> - -<p>Old Jastla had come down out of his hills, and it was his particular -pride to superintend the training of the son of the snows in the use of -the arms of Ruthar. At his first trial, weakened though he was by his -illness, Polaris cast a javelin farther by half a score of paces than -could any warrior of Ruthar. Within a fortnight, although they might -touch him by tricks of fence, there was not a swordsman in the five -armies who could wear him down in the play of blades.</p> - -<p>Jastla boasted of him throughout the land.</p> - -<p>But though he took pleasure in all these things, he knew anxiety with -the passing of the days, and in his heart pined mightily for news of -his lady in Adlaz town. For that strong, true heart could not forget. -Occasionally Oleric had word from over the wall from some of his secret -spies in Maeronica, but never a word of the welfare of the stranger -captives.</p> - -<p>All of his story Polaris had one day told to Glorian. And she had -smiled and cheered him with brave words. And then, when he had gone, -she had sat for the half of a day in her chamber, looking out at the -snow-capped hills of Ruthar, striving to remember that she was a -goddess, and to forget that she also was a woman. Too late she found -that the woman conquered.</p> - -<p>Five weeks went by from the day when Polaris first went down to the -workshop of Zenas. And then the geologist announced that he would give -a show. He had some wares which he was anxious to display, he said.</p> - -<p>Near the south bank of the Illia, above the city and beyond the camp, -stood an old stone tower which long had been crumbling into decay and -which Atra, the zind who ruled in Zele-omaz, had purposed some day to -tear down. There it was that the geologist said he would stage his -performance, and all the camp and a goodly part of the citizens of the -town went thither to see what he would do.</p> - -<p>At the appointed hour, early in the afternoon, the scientist rode out -to the tower, attended by three of his assistants from the laboratory. -With them they took a number of cakes of what looked remarkably like -the bars of brown soap wherewith the American housewife labors o' -Mondays. As much as two men could carry of the stuff they took. The -third man bore a rude battery which Zenas had contrived, and a coil of -copper wire which the Rutharian smiths had drawn for him, and which he -had insulated with woven fiber dipped in gums from the forests.</p> - -<p>The tower had been a massive old structure, covering nearly a half acre -of ground, and the lower parts of it were still solid. Its roof was -gone, and portions of the upper walls had fallen in.</p> - -<p>Zenas found that there were a number of chambers below the ground level -of the structure. In the central one of them he bestowed his precious -cakes, and with them the end of his copper wire. He directed his -assistants to cover the whole over with heavy stones.</p> - -<p>"And handle them with care," he cautioned, "or you will come a lot -closer to the stars than you are ever likely to be by any other means."</p> - -<p>His preparations completed, the geologist bade his henchmen to make -themselves scarce, which they were very glad to do. Bidding every one -in the neighborhood of the tower to withdraw to a distance of several -hundred feet, Zenas uncoiled his wire, of which he had brought a -quantity sufficient to keep him out of harm's way. He squatted down -behind the bole of a big yew-tree and struck the knob of his battery.</p> - -<p>For an instant nothing happened, and Zenas, peering forth from behind -his tree, felt his heart sink with disappointment. Then very quietly -the entire structure of the tower, which was nearly seventy feet in -height, quitted the earth. For a second it seemed to hang suspended in -the air like some enchanted thing. A hollow booming reverberated across -the plain. The tower flew into fragments. The ice-bound surface of the -Illia was shattered by the falling rocks. A gust of air rushed across -the plain and through the ranks of the Rutharian soldiery and with it a -shower of smaller dĂ©bris, which fell among them like a storm. From the -spot where the tower had stood, a column of greenish-yellow smoke arose -and hung heavily.</p> - -<p>From the camp and the crowds of citizens went up a low moan of awe, -followed by a shout of triumph from thirty thousand throats. Men ran -across the meadows to view the aftermath of this wonder—such a thing -as never had been seen in Ruthar. Where the tower had stood was a hole -in the earth, wherein the structure itself might almost have been -buried. No vestige of the masonry was left. Not one stone remained upon -another, and many of the larger foundation rocks had been sundered into -fragments by the terrific force of the released gases of the melinite.</p> - -<p>Rutharians from that day on called Zenas Wright "Father of the -Thunders," and accorded him a respect second only to that in which they -held Polaris.</p> - -<p>Janess, the red captain, and Everson, who had been witnesses to his -experiment, ran to the side of the geologist and wrung his hand.</p> - -<p>"And now do you, Father Zenas, stay away from that laboratory," said -Oleric.</p> - -<p>"See to it that my men keep to the trick of making this stuff; but -do you keep away. Some careless fellow might let a cake of your -earth-shaker fall—and we cannot spare you."</p> - -<p>"Now show me this Kimbrian Wall," was the comment of Zenas. But the -scientist yielded to the entreaties of his friends, and thereafter -went no more to the laboratories, except once a day only, to test the -purity of the chemicals with which his workmen wrought.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Soon after the destruction of the tower, Oleric, with Polaris and the -lieutenant, rode down through the forests to visit the Kimbrian Wall. -Now that they were assured of a means to open the way to Adlaz, they -were all of them impatient to map out their plan of campaign, in which, -as he alone of them all was skilled in such matters, they looked to -Everson for counsel.</p> - -<p>Three days riding brought the party to the great barrier which the -Children of Ad had built far back in the dim centuries to separate them -from their hated enemies.</p> - -<p>As the riders approached the wall, they found the land narrowed to an -isthmus, which Oleric told them was nearly eighty miles in extent, by -something less than sixty across. The Kimbrian Wall crossed the neck of -land nearly midway to its length, but if anything, a few miles nearer -to the mainland of Maeronica than it was to Ruthar. On the hither side -of the barrier stretched thick forests of oak and pine. Along the -isthmus and near its western sea-border lay the course of an ancient -road, which once had connected the two countries. To this old highway -Everson gave careful attention. In some places it was broken up and -overgrown with timber, but the lieutenant thought that little work -would be required to put it in shape for travel.</p> - -<p>From a pine-clad knoll in the forest they had their first glimpse of -the wall, and a mighty work it was. Built of gray stone, now moss-grown -and weather-aged, it stretched away to the right and left as far as -they could see and ended sheer with the precipitous cliffs above the -sea. So enormous were the stones of which it was constructed that it -reminded Everson of remnants of the cyclopean masonry, which are to be -found in the old countries and which tradition used to tell were built -by a race of giants. Probably this work was as old as they.</p> - -<p>The wall was nearly fifty feet high, and so broad as its top that two -chariots might pass thereon. At intervals of a mile all along its -length were watchtowers, garrisoned by the border-soldiers of Bel-Ar. -In addition to all those points of strength, the wall had been so -constructed that near its top there was an overhang of a number of -feet, making it exceedingly difficult for scaling.</p> - -<p>Still, Oleric said, it had been scaled, and many times, by small -parties of raiders from both sides—and some of them had never returned.</p> - -<p>"Look!" the captain exclaimed. "Here comes one of the patrols."</p> - -<p>From the nearest tower to the east three men on horseback came riding -along the top of the wall, clearly outlined against the pale sky. As -they came nearer the forest-watchers could see that the riders were -muffled in cloaks. A sharp wind was sweeping down from the south, and -it must have been bitter indeed on the unprotected eminence of the wall.</p> - -<p>"Ha! 'Tis Atlo himself—the captain whom I replaced at the port," said -Oleric as the patrol came opposite him. "See, the foremost of the -riders."</p> - -<p>Sight of his enemies riding by so close proved too much of a temptation -to one of the Rutharian fighting men who had ridden down with the party -to the wall. He was a master bowman. While the eyes of his companions -were fixed on the three riders, he dismounted and slipped away among -the trees to the left. In the shadow of a pine he paused and set an -arrow to the string.</p> - -<p>It was a long shot—nearly a hundred yards—but the winged shaft flew -straight and true. It smote the captain, Atlo, on the shoulder, and -the riders in the forest could hear the faint clink as the point fell -blunted from the armor which he wore beneath his cloak.</p> - -<p>Atlo started in his saddle, then turned and waved his hand, with a -laugh. He rode on as if the arrow were a matter of little moment. The -other two riders were more timorous than their captain, and they sent -many a glance back toward the dark forest shadow as they rode along.</p> - -<p>Oleric shouted to the archer to loose no more arrows.</p> - -<p>"Let no more raids be made over the wall," Everson directed, "and have -a force of men clear and rebuild the old road yonder. Bring it up as -near to the wall as may be, without attracting attention. We must -attack and take them unawares. We will have to mine underground from -the forest to the wall and place our explosives. As soon as the wall -is down, we shall throw a force of infantry through the breach, starve -the garrison off the wall and hold the territory on the other side -against all attack until we can clear the wreck of the wall and lay a -road through the gap so that our cavalry and charioteers may pass it. -Otherwise, the Maeronicans will hold the breach against us, in which -case there would be a delay which we cannot afford—if, indeed, we -should be able to fight our way through at all."</p> - -<p>Oleric pondered on the plan for a few moments. He looked up with -shining eyes.</p> - -<p>"A wise counsel," he said. "All of these things shall be done, and -right speedily."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Almost miracles are the things which may be accomplished by human -brains and hands, if there be enough of them and they are united to -their work by a common and all-pervading purpose.</p> - -<p>Into the old forests above the Kimbrian barrier the Rutharian zinds -threw a force of two thousand men and half again as many horses. The -ancient roadway through the wood to the foot of the wall was cleared -and rebuilt as though by magic. Everson, visiting the scene of the -work, reflected somewhat bitterly on the contrast between the manner -of this labor and any similar task to be done in the land where he was -born.</p> - -<p>There, he knew, there would have been the delays caused by failure to -supply the necessary materials, and failure again to get them to their -appointed places on contract time. There would have been labor strikes, -jealousies and bickering among leaders. In the end, of course, the work -would have been done, and well done—but with much trouble.</p> - -<p>But in Ruthar there were no walking delegates. Happy were the workmen -to labor from sun to sun, and others to take up the task in the hours -of darkness. Materials were free and inexhaustible, and the zinds and -leaders worked together like brothers, each doing what was required of -him, as though his very life depended upon it.</p> - -<p>Within a fortnight of his first view of the Kimbrian Wall, the -lieutenant deemed that the time to strike was nearly ripe. Two months -and nearly a half of another of the allotted six were past. Three -months and a half remained before Adlaz would gather for the Feast -of Years. Three months and a half in which to conquer a nation and -take a walled city, the strength of which was a tradition! Yet it -must be done. And Everson, when he saw the tools with which he had to -work, hoped high. This was an archaic people; but he found its sons -good companions; sturdy, truthful, straightforward as their own long -sword-blades. He believed they would follow to the death and that they -would not come too late to the Adlaz gates.</p> - -<p>One day, Glorian, who of late had avoided Polaris, summoned the son of -the snows and bade him bring with him his American comrades and Oleric -the Red.</p> - -<p>"I know that you are nearly ready to go up against the Kimbrian Wall -and the hosts of Bel-Ar," she said. "But before that day comes, there -is a pilgrimage that must be made to one without the aid of whom -perchance your greatest effort would be in vain. Bring horses; for on -this journey I ride with you."</p> - -<p>Polaris rode a splendid black stallion, splotched with white at -forehead and fetlock, which had been the gift of Jastla, of the hills. -When they were ready to leave the temple gates, Rombar came barking at -the horses' heels.</p> - -<p>"Best to leave the dog behind, brother," said Oleric. "We go upon a -path where he may find ill-favor."</p> - -<p>Cloaked in a wondrous robe of red fox-skins, Glorian rode on a -cream-colored palfrey, attended by one of her women in waiting only. -Never had she seemed more fair and queenly. Like some bright daughter -of the white North of the long ago, was she, of whom the skalds have -sung in their undying sagas.</p> - -<p>From her he glanced to Polaris, who rode beside her. The son of the -snows was clad from head to heel in the glittering chain armor which -Rutharian smiths had forged for him, and cloaked in the black skin -of a forest bear. At his back swung a two-handed sword. A winged -helm, brilliant with gold-work and curtained with a hood and cape of -delicately wrought links, sat upon his tawny hair. Long since a razor -of keen bronze had swept the beard from his cheeks and chin.</p> - -<p>Only in the amber eyes had the troubles of the years left their mark—a -shadow of sadness when they were thoughtful or in repose, but which did -not ill become them.</p> - -<p>"She may be a goddess," thought Zenas to himself, "and she is beautiful -enough to be a real one; but if she hasn't gone silly as a cow-girl -over this lad of ours, then I'm a donkey, and a blind one, to boot. O -Trouble, you've worn skirts ever since you quit fig-leaves."</p> - -<p>Zenas shook his head. The geologist had never married.</p> - -<p>It was no brief pleasure-jaunt on which Glorian led, but nearly -two days' hard riding into the northwest from Zele-omaz, across -heavily-wooded mountains and through valleys deep with snow.</p> - -<p>Leaving the hills at last, the party came to a vast, dark forest, -silent, somber and covering the rolling land like a black pall. Into -its soundless glades the riders penetrated and rode for miles.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Presently they saw ahead of them a clearing in the depths of the wood, -and a stretch of long buildings, built of stone, and with their windows -set high in the walls near their roofs.</p> - -<p>It was late afternoon when the riders entered the clearing and -approached the buildings, which stood about the four sides of a square, -enclosing a space of nearly three acres. As they rode into this court, -following a path between two of the buildings, the travelers saw that a -number of smaller structures of stone and wood occupied a part of the -square. Here and there in the court, fires of brush were burning—for -it was bitter cold in the forest depths—and dark figures of men passed -to and fro about the fires. A pack of shaggy, wolf-bred dogs came -yapping at the horses' heels.</p> - -<p>"Who comes?" cried a voice. Men bearing spears ran forward from the -fires.</p> - -<p>"Glorian of Ruthar comes to visit Zoar of the Amalocs," answered Oleric.</p> - -<p>Straightway the armed men knelt in the courtyard, and one in a stern -voice called back the dogs.</p> - -<p>A door in one of the houses near the center of the square was opened, -and the form of a man stood there, silhouetted against a flaring light -within the dwelling.</p> - -<p>"Methought that I heard a voice well known to me, speaking of Glorian -of Ruthar and of Zoar of the Amalocs." The tones of the man in the -doorway were low, but clear and sonorous as a bell. "I thought it the -voice of one Oleric the Learned," the man went on. He bent forward and -shaded his eyes with his hand. "Are you indeed come, red one? Ride -forward that I may see."</p> - -<p>Oleric's answer was drowned in a terrific chorus of squealing groans, -which seemed to issue from the larger buildings on all three sides of -the square. So unearthly and piercing was the din, that Zenas Wright -would have clapped his hands to his ears; but he found his best efforts -needed to control his horse. The steeds of all the party snorted and -reared in terror of that hideous outburst. They would have bolted, but -knew not where to bolt; and presently the clamor was ceased, and they -stood still and trembling.</p> - -<p>"What demons of the place are these?" cried Polaris. He sprang down -from his horse, tossed the reins to the man nearest him, and ran to the -head of Glorian's palfrey, which was curveting and threatening to pitch -its mistress from her saddle.</p> - -<p>"Those are the pets of Zoar," Oleric answered, "the amalocs. They know -his voice and answer him in their own fashion." Spurring his restive -horse, the red captain rode forward to the porch of the dwelling.</p> - -<p>"So, 'tis you, indeed," said Zoar as the captain advanced into the ring -of firelight. This time the man spoke softly, almost in a whisper, and -was not again interrupted. He stepped to the side of the captain's -horse and took him by the hand. "Who rides with you, and why do you -ride to seek Zoar?" he asked. "Is the time come, red one? Is it come?"</p> - -<p>"Aye; the time is here, Zoar," said Oleric soberly. "Our years have not -been in vain. Yonder sits the Goddess Glorian, and holding her horse's -head is the hope of Ruthar, whom I have brought up from the sea."</p> - -<p>"And the Kimbrian Wall?" Zoar asked.</p> - -<p>"It waits but the coming of the amalocs, when we will push it down like -a barrier of straw," Oleric answered. "Ruthar stands in arms as she -never has before, and the land rustles with banners. We have come to -ask your aid. When we know that Zoar of the amalocs is on the march, -then will the war-drums be sounded."</p> - -<p>"Has the ancient crown touched his brow?" asked Zoar.</p> - -<p>"Not yet; we wait your word."</p> - -<p>"It is given." Zoar lifted his face to the dim sky. "Beyond the mists -the stars of Ruthar shine, never so brightly," he muttered. He laid his -hand on the captain's arm.</p> - -<p>"On the third day from now Zoar of the Amalocs will march," he -said. "Now bring your party within, and they shall enjoy what poor -hospitality I have for them, who entertain so few guests."</p> - -<p>Men led away the horses, and the travelers entered the hall of Zoar.</p> - -<p>"Ah, daughter of the stars," he said, and bowed, as Glorian crossed his -threshold, "many years have gone since I last looked into your eyes; -but I find that the will burns strongly still, and your beauty has not -dimmed. But I grow old, daughter, old and very weary."</p> - -<p>Gravely and courteously Zoar welcomed his guests, and bade them rest -and sit at meat with him. It was a plain place into which he ushered -them; yet was it rich, as the world counts riches, and its wealth was -all of ivory. Seats, tables, cabinets, even the casings of the windows -and the doors were of ivory—wonderful, finely grained stuff, some of -it white as alabaster, and some of it cream-yellow with the tint of -age. And the carvings on it must have been the work of years.</p> - -<p>Zoar, the host, the travelers found quite as remarkable as his ivory -treasure. He was a slight, short man, hardly so tall as Zenas Wright -and not so stocky as the geologist. He wore a long white beard, and his -hair, of the same silver, flowed across his shoulders. His eyes, under -bushy brows, were bright and kindly. His step was quick and firm, nor -did his limbs or hands tremble. Yet there was on him the stamp of an -unutterable, incredible age.</p> - -<p>His skin was as yellow-pale as the oldest of his ivory, and the whole -surface of it was fretted with thousands of infinitesimal wrinkles. -When he spoke or moved it was with spirit and animation; but when he -fell into fits of abstraction—and that was often—Zoar looked very -like a mummy fresh-stripped from its tomb.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Polaris the old man regarded with especial interest, and when the meal -had been cleared away he sat and talked with him and Glorian for many -minutes, recalling odd, old tales of the history of Ruthar, with which -he showed remarkable familiarity.</p> - -<p>"But Ruthar's greatest story is yet to be made," he said in conclusion -of his tales. Then he called his servants to show his guests to their -chambers.</p> - -<p>"What! Have I ridden all these miles, friend Oleric, and then to be -put to bed without the chance to tell you that these wonderful beasts -about which you have bragged so much are only elephants after all?" -said Zenas Wright, forgetting in his stubbornness the ivory gateway at -Zele-omaz.</p> - -<p>The red captain grinned and put a question to Zoar. The old man -answered with a shake of his head:</p> - -<p>"The amalocs love not to be disturbed at night, and especially they -love not fires or lights. If you and your friends would sleep in peace -this night, I counsel that you wait till daybreak to see the beasts. -Otherwise they may revile you in such fashion as will shake your -couches and drive all sleep from your pillows."</p> - -<p>So Zenas was forced to be content and go to his bed with no chance to -crow over Oleric. All night long there penetrated occasionally through -the geologist's slumbers the noise of raucous trumpeting and the -padding stamp of ponderous feet.</p> - -<p>When they had broken their fast in the morning, Zoar led his guests -into the court and sent men to throw open the great bronze doors in the -front of the nearest of the stone buildings.</p> - -<p>"Now for an elephant," muttered Zenas. "Perhaps a mighty big one, but -still an elephant." Then Zenas stopped, amazed.</p> - -<p>Out through the doors of bronze and into the open court stalked a -mountain of flesh and ivory and stood swaying restlessly from one foot -to another, flapping ears that would have made a bed covering, and -looking keenly about with little, inflamed eyes. Elephantine in shape -only was this monster. The points of its shoulders were fifteen feet -from the ground—a full yard taller than the most stalwart elephant -that ever bore the howdah of a mogul emperor.</p> - -<p>Tusks that were ten feet long projected from its massive skull, curving -downward where they left the bone and then out and up in such fashion -that if they had been continued farther they would have formed spirals. -The body of the monster was covered with a coarse and woolly growth of -reddish-brown hair, through which there pricked long, black bristles. -On the trunk the wool was sparse and the bristles shorter, and one -could see that the hide of the beast was a drab-gray. Neck it had none; -but along the spine, just back of the skull and extending beyond the -shoulders, was a ridge or mane of coarse, black hair.</p> - -<p>His face gone white and his eyes round and goggling, Zenas Wright stood -and stared up at this Gargantuan offspring of the hinder ages.</p> - -<p>"<i>Loxodon!</i>" he breathed.</p> - -<p>Never in all his life had the geologist felt so small and insignificant -as in the presence of that towering survivor of the prehistoric past.</p> - -<p>Zoar stepped forward in front of the beast.</p> - -<p>"Ixstus!" he called gently.</p> - -<p>The great ears inclined forward to attention.</p> - -<p>"<i>Stekkar mal!</i>" the old man commanded.</p> - -<p>Down swung the vast, wrinkled trunk in a huge loop, into which Zoar -stepped and was hoisted to the table of the monstrous skull—a flat -place where five men might have sat and played at cards.</p> - -<p>Another word of command, and the mammoth advanced a couple of paces. -The snakelike trunk groped forward, and Zenas, wriggling some as he -went, was swung aloft and found himself seated breathlessly by the side -of Zoar.</p> - -<p>The master of the beasts smiled at the other old man.</p> - -<p>"When you come again to your own land, you may tell your children's -children, if you have them, that you have sat on the head of an amaloc, -the grandfather of all beasts," said Zoar.</p> - -<p>While Zenas appreciated that honor, it might be said that he was much -relieved when he got his feet on the ground again.</p> - -<p>From building to building of the immense stables, the scientist was led -with growing wonder. Ninety and three of the giant mammals there were, -of which no one stood less than twelve feet high. But Ixstus was the -champion and patriarch of the herd.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>As the riders journeyed back to Zele-omaz, Oleric told again how the -Children of Ad had driven the beasts southward from their lands with -fire, and how the men of Ruthar likewise had made war upon them, until -they were in danger of becoming extinct.</p> - -<p>"But then came the prophecy, and men of wisdom set themselves to study -and tame the beasts," he said. "And now, when the wall is down, and -Ruthar takes the road to Adlaz, the amalocs shall lead the way, and -Zoar and his servants shall drive them against the hosts of Bel-Ar."</p> - -<p>"Won't the Maeronicans scare them again with fires?" asked Everson.</p> - -<p>"Nay; that has been provided against," said the captain.</p> - -<p>"Lady," Polaris said to Glorian, "I have heard and seen many strange -things in this country of yours, and I have learned much. One more -thing I would ask that you make clear to me. Oleric has, and last night -the old man back yonder did again speak of things of the long ago, in -which you had a part. What did they mean? You are scarcely of mine own -years."</p> - -<p>Glorian glanced hastily at Oleric, and then she answered:</p> - -<p>"When the world was younger, men had the secret of years. The slave -O'Connell told Oleric that it was written in your sacred book out -yonder in the world that such was so. That secret was lost. For ages it -was lost. But it was found again in Ruthar. I am one of those to whom -it has been imparted."</p> - -<p>"You mean, lady, that <i>you</i>—" Polaris gasped.</p> - -<p>"My friend, I first saw the light on Ruthar's hills well-nigh three -hundred years ago," Glorian replied, and as he involuntarily shrank -in his saddle, she added hastily, "It is a matter of the inward will -that holds the spirit and the flesh. To only a few is it given to have -the will to prevail for a time against time itself. And they are not -immortal. Presently old age will come to me as it has to Zoar, and I -shall shrivel away—and die." She shuddered.</p> - -<p>Polaris looked at this fair, fresh woman, beautiful as a goddess -indeed, and by all earthly standards in the first bloom of her young -womanhood, and he felt that this matter was beyond his comprehension.</p> - -<p>"Are there, then, any others, besides you and Zoar?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"One other only—and he rides at your side," she answered. "Oleric the -Learned is younger than I by only fifty years."</p> - -<p>"Now, my brother, are some of my wild sayings explained to you," Oleric -said. "We do not ask that you believe, for this thing is new to you and -contrary to all that you have learned. Only the years will show you the -truth of what we tell you—if they pass without accidents. For we are -not proof against mischance. A sword-stroke may end my days as swiftly -as any man's."</p> - -<p>"Would you that I impart the secret to you?" asked Glorian. And she -turned and looked deep into Polaris's eyes. "You have a will that is -stronger than most, and I think that you might well exert it to hold -back the years, were you instructed. Say, shall we teach it you?"</p> - -<p>"Nay, lady," said Polaris. "I will live my appointed years, be they few -or many, and die when my time comes. One short human life, it seems, -can hold all the troubles for which a man has heart. And I would not, -if this thing be possible, see my friends grow old and die, while I -lived on."</p> - -<p>Glorian sighed. Then she seemed struck by a new thought, and asked:</p> - -<p>"What will happen if Ruthar is too late, and you reach not your friends -in Adlaz—and the lady Rose, of whom Oleric has told me? What if you -come not to Adlaz in time to save them?"</p> - -<p>"I think that I shall be in time," Polaris said grimly. "If I am not, -then I think death shall find me on the road—and be welcome."</p> - -<p>Zenas Wright, hearing these things, and marveling, became troubled.</p> - -<p>"Wow!" he said to the lieutenant. "I can believe anything now. To-day I -have seen a living mammoth, and I felt about three thousand years old -myself. And now, too, look out for squalls."</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>CHAPTER VII</h2> - -<h3>POLARIS MAKES HIS CHOICE</h3> - - -<p>Dawn, the cheerless gray of clouded winter, crept over the city of -Adlaz. In her bed in the prison-palace of Bel-Tisan the dark-haired -Princess Memene of Sardanes lay, and beside her was her new little -son. But Memene was not well, and Rose knew she would not live.</p> - -<p>"Oh, that Minos were here to see!" Memene said faintly. And again—"It -is the king he was so sure of." She smiled at Rose. "It is the king, -my sister. And he shall be named Patrymion, after a man who is dead—a -very brave man." And smiling, she passed away.</p> - -<p>When she could control her grief—she had come to love Memene -dearly—Rose summoned Brunar and told him what had befallen. The -captain heard her sorrowfully, for he had honored and admired the -Sardanian princess and pitied her sad circumstance. He sent the old -woman out to fetch a younger one to care for the child. And then he -brought men to bear Memene away. Out of the kindness that was in him, -the captain looked to it that she lay in a fair and pleasant spot, and -not where the common people of Ad buried their dead.</p> - -<p>Persuaded by Rose, and because he had some knowledge of English and -could bear the message, Brunar took horse at noon and rode down to the -harbor, there to seek Minos.</p> - -<p>This happening was nearly two months after the departure of Polaris and -the others who had gone to Ruthar. In the intervening time, Oleric the -Red had tried and tried again to get word through to Adlaz, informing -those who were left behind of the fair progress of events. Always he -had failed until one of his men, by craft and waiting, had gained a -place with the prison guard.</p> - -<p>With him Rose Emer managed to get speech, and they arranged that on -the following day he should slip away and try to reach Ruthar again, -bearing a message from her to Polaris.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>On one of the quays in the harbor of Adlaz sat Minos, the Sardanian. It -was cold on the quay, but he did not feel it. His back was weary with -carrying burdens, but he was unconscious of that weariness. Why should -the body live when the soul is dead within it? Nor did his eyes see -the dancing waters of the harbor, where the fademes of Bel-Ar rode at -their anchors. Until this day he had counted the hours with hope, and -had borne his tasks with patience. Now hope had gone, and the taste of -living was as dry dust.</p> - -<p>For Memene was dead.</p> - -<p>When Brunar had brought him the news, he had heard the captain through, -and thanked him gravely. Then he had turned twice in his tracks and -fallen like a stone. So long had he lain that Brunar deemed him dead. -When he had come back from that swoon, Minos would work no more; nor -did any seek to force him. He had wandered aimlessly out on the quay. -When night fell, it found him still sitting there.</p> - -<p>It was a wild night. The moon shone but dimly, and often was veiled -by scudding snow-clouds, and the stars were wan. Far to the south, -over Ruthar, a faint rose-pink against the sky told that the southern -lights, aurora australis, were playing. Somewhere beneath their -flickering radiance lay the lost kingdom of Sardanes that the snows had -covered deep. A wind, gusty and fitful, leaped over the mountain-rim -and tossed the waters of the crater-lake so that the fademes swung -restlessly and clanked their anchor-chains. One by one the mitzl globes -among the warehouses and along the quays were hooded, until only the -watch-lights were burning.</p> - -<p>A soldier of the guard hailed Minos; but the Sardanian answered not, -stirred not.</p> - -<p>"Now let the fool sit and freeze," said the soldier impatiently. And -then he added, "Poor fellow." For he had heard the story of the fallen -king, and had a good wife and bairns of his own in Adlaz town.</p> - -<p>In Sardanes, Minos had been known as the smiling prince. But for all -his patient, kindly ways, he was high-spirited. And once roused, none -was quicker to strike than he. Events of the last few weeks had galled -his temper. Now, coming out of the stupor into which this final blow -had cast him, he was near to madness.</p> - -<p>Willingly would have Minos found his way to Adlaz, plucked Bel-Ar -from his gilded bed and broken him across his knee. But the way was -treacherous, and there were many guards, and he knew that he could not -reach the king. Into the south he would have gone, to seek Polaris and -to play a man's part in the great war. But that way was closed to him -also. The few men that he might slay in the attempt before they pulled -him down and slew him would be all too few to satisfy the fires within -him that burned fiercely for vengeance. With only a great calamity -would Minos be content.</p> - -<p>Uneasily tossed the fademes in the harbor, their anchor-chains -rattling.</p> - -<p>Finally Minos heard them. Then he knew why they were calling to him.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Many times in his work about the harbor of Adlaz the Sardanian had been -on board the fademes. He had helped to discharge the cargoes of those -which came in from the fair islands of the southern seas, bringing -strange tropical fruits, dainties for the lords and ladies of Adlaz, -and other articles of the commerce which their captains carried on -with the savage islanders. On many an atoll of the Pacific the brown -Melanesians knew all the steel and gold clad white men who came up from -the sea to trade with them.</p> - -<p>But they kept out of the track of civilization; for that was their law. -Civilized men saw them not, though they sometimes heard tales of them -among the savages—tales which, of course, they did not believe.</p> - -<p>Working on the ships as he had, Minos had learned much of the mode of -their operation. Himself no mean worker in metals, the mysteries of -these wonderful ships of the underseas had caught his fancy, and he -had studied them. He knew that such a lever turned would start the -fademe forward; that such another halted it; and others which caused -it to turn and to dive beneath the surface or emerge at the will of -its engineer. He also knew where were the levers which controlled -the mighty power in the four great shafts of yellow glass and which -released the terrible rays of light, the rays of the nameless color, -before which all things were destroyed, and which turned even the water -that they met into surging vapor.</p> - -<p>With that knowledge in his mind and the red fury in his heart, Minos -knew why the clanging anchor-chains were calling to him.</p> - -<p>It was past midnight when the Sardanian king stood up at the end of -the quay. He stretched wide his arms and the iron-sinewed thews of -his shoulders and back cracked as he stretched. He glanced up at the -distant stars.</p> - -<p>"Once aforetime, so told the red man from the sea, those Hellenes who -were my ancestors did turn back this nation when it was swollen with -conquest and would have mastered all the world," he whispered. "Once -more the power of Adlaz rides high, and it makes ready to go forth and -subdue it again—and what I leave, may my brother Polaris finish."</p> - -<p>In the shadow of a warehouse the king rubbed and strained his chilled -muscles back to life. At the side of the wharf he found an open boat, -and fetched its oars. Then he rowed cautiously out into the harbor.</p> - -<p>Scarce a score of yards from the quays rode the nearest of the fademes. -Minos boarded it on noiseless feet, and cast his boat adrift.</p> - -<p>In the cabin of the fademe were sleeping two sailors of its crew and -the engineer. Them Minos slew with his bare hands. And though the -engineer ere he died slashed the king's shoulder deeply with a dagger, -he heeded it not, scarcely felt it.</p> - -<p>Going on deck again, he unhooked the chain of the anchor and let it -slip quietly into the water. Then he closed the double doors fore and -aft, and made them fast.</p> - -<p>Under the lights in the lower gallery, Minos studied the levers and -the engines. At a turn of his hand he felt the vessel sink beneath the -surface. Another lever wrenched, and the fademe started gently ahead, -and the king felt that he was safely launched on his dangerous venture.</p> - -<p>Before he had submerged the vessel, Minos had set in his mind the -location of the fademes. There were nearly one hundred and fifty of -them in the harbor. Five he knew were on patrol duty constantly off -the Maeronican headlands. There were perhaps another dozen sailing the -outer seas on the missions of Bel-Ar. Those at anchor in the harbor -were disposed in three long, irregular lines, with nearly fifty ships -in a line.</p> - -<p>Minos had submerged the fademe, which he had taken, some forty feet. -When he reached a point which he thought must be nearly under the first -vessel in the southern line, he turned off the power and halted. He -fetched ropes and tied them, one to the starting lever and one to that -which would stop the fademe. Carrying with him the other ends of the -ropes, he climbed the ladders to the pilothouse, which rode like a -small tower at the top of the fademe.</p> - -<p>Here in the pilothouse was a powerful revolving searchlight. Here, -also, were the levers which controlled the tubes of glass which -projected the deadly light-rays.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Swinging the searchlight to point upward through the crystal roof of -the pilothouse, Minos unhooded it, and its bright, white bar of light -thrust upward through the water. By its radiance he saw that he was not -yet under the first of the fademes. Its golden hull glittered just a -few feet beyond the radius of his light. A twitch of the rope which he -had adjusted below sent his own vessel ahead.</p> - -<p>Under the first fademe he halted; and with a grim prayer that the -destroying agency might not be out of order, he pressed the lever that -controlled the upper shaft of the glass.</p> - -<p>With a mighty hissing and seething of the water, the indescribable -light-ray leaped upward, so dazzlingly brilliant in its unknown color -that it nearly blinded the man who had loosed it.</p> - -<p>Full on the bottom of the fademe above him the light ray struck and -played, with the water boiling around it. The metal hull crumpled away -like solder before the tinsmith's point. So swift and furious was its -action that in an instant Minos saw the vessel above come sinking down. -He had barely time to pull his rope and get his own fademe from under. -As it was, the descending wreck grazed the stern of his vessel with a -jar that nearly unseated him. Thereafter he went more swiftly.</p> - -<p>From ship to ship he went down the long line, scarcely pausing under -each. Ship after ship he left behind him—sunken and useless wrecks.</p> - -<p>Minos had finished with the first row of fademes, and was coming back -on the second line, when a guardsman on shore saw an upthrust of -furious light from the deck of one of the golden ships, and then saw -the doomed fademe plunge down.</p> - -<p>Throwing up his hands, the soldier ran across the harbor court, -shouting that some captain had gone mad and was destroying the fleet.</p> - -<p>Then the harbor that had been still became alive. Lights flashed up. -Men ran hither and thither. A messenger was dispatched to Adlaz to -report to the king. Some sober-minded and brave men launched small -boats into the harbor to go out and warn the engineers of the other -fademes.</p> - -<p>Well near the end of his second line was Minos when he bethought him -that his activities must draw attention to him. Then he loosed in -succession the other three tubes, and their deadly rays shot forth, one -from each side and one below. The king let them roar unchecked, and all -around his vessel the water was turned into a boiling inferno. Like the -evil genius of Adlaz, he rode on, leaving only wreckage in his wake.</p> - -<p>Part way down the last northern line, the end found him.</p> - -<p>Engineers on the other fademes had been awakened. Hastily they plunged -their vessels beneath the surface and set out against the destroyer. -Because of the fierce play of his four rays, they could not come at him -from either side or from above or below.</p> - -<p>But one pilot steered in behind and, with the blazing peril a fair -target, loosed the destroying ray from his own fademe.</p> - -<p>From behind him Minos heard a roar of steam and water entering in. -A blinding radiance shot through the gallery below the pilothouse, -withering all things as it passed. The structure of the fademe crumpled -away beneath him.</p> - -<p>"Memene!" he cried. "I come!"</p> - -<p>Then the rising waters and the great darkness.</p> - -<p>So by the hand of Minos of Sardanes perished the mighty navy which -the king Bel-Ar had amassed to go forth and conquer the world. Of his -hundred and fifty fademes that had ridden in the harbor of Adlaz, a -bare score remained to him. And this is the tale which Brunar, the -captain, told in the morning to Rose Emer in the old prison-palace of -Bel-Tisam, and which she set down and sent by messenger to cross the -Kimbrian Wall to Polaris Janess in Ruthar.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Meanwhile, scarcely had the riders from the forest home of Zoar of the -Amalocs come again to Zele-omaz when Everson was off to see to the -course of his operations at the Kimbrian Wall. He snatched only a few -hours of rest and sleep, and rode out in the night.</p> - -<p>On the day after the return, which also was the day on which Zoar had -promised to set out with his mighty herd on the road to the barrier, -Oleric the Red sought Polaris in the camp to the west of the city, and -bade him accompany him to the Temple of Glorian.</p> - -<p>Oleric told naught of the meaning of the summons, but rode with Janess -through the city, saying little and staring at his horse's ears. Never -had Polaris seen the red captain so silent and so thoughtful.</p> - -<p>"What ails you, friend?" asked the son of the snows. "Why so moody, as -is not your wont? Has aught gone amiss?"</p> - -<p>"Nothing amiss," the captain answered. "But a matter is toward that -concerns yourself closely—and I know not if I have been wise to keep -it from you so long."</p> - -<p>He would say no more, and presently they were at the temple.</p> - -<p>Oleric led Polaris into the high-domed audience-hall, which they found -empty, save for the Goddess Glorian, who sat in one of the seats on -the double throne, and who looked on Polaris with kindling eyes as he -crossed the hall.</p> - -<p>To the northern wall led Oleric, and they paused before an ancient -panel of black rock, which had been set into the marble at about the -height of a man's head. So old was this slab or block of adamant that -its surface was all crackled, yet it was smooth as polished slate. -Across its face ran carven lines of writing, like the lines of a runic -legend.</p> - -<p>"This stone bears the ancient prophecy of Ruthar," Oleric said. "Here -in the long ago were writ the words of that which we believe is now to -come to pass. See how the stone shines. It has been worn smooth by the -lips of countless chiefs of Ruthar."</p> - -<p>With unwonted solemnity the captain gazed into the eyes of his friend. -"Give close heed, and I will read it you," he said, and read:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p>"In a far time—more than the length of years of three amalocs—a -mighty, fair-haired man shall come up from the sea. He shall break -down the wall at the north. He shall lead Ruthar and the beasts of -Ruthar through the wall. And they shall take Adlaz and destroy the -king of Adlaz—"</p></div> - -<p>The captain paused, and again looked strangely at Polaris. He concluded -the reading:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p>"And the man shall be king over Ruthar and Adlaz."</p></div> - -<p>Janess stared at the ancient writing in silence, and his brow clouded -over.</p> - -<p>"This is the whole of the prophecy of Ruthar—the part of which I have -kept concealed from you—though every lad in Ruthar knows it," said -Oleric hastily. "I beg of you, my brother, that you will forgive me if -I have done ill. But I have thought it wise to keep silence this far. -Now is come the time when nothing must be kept back."</p> - -<p>He stopped speaking, and both he and Glorian gazed earnestly at the -doubtful face of Polaris.</p> - -<p>"You mean that I shall be king of Ruthar," Polaris said at length. From -one to the other of them he glanced.</p> - -<p>The red captain nodded slowly.</p> - -<p>"So it is writ in the prophecy," said Glorian. She left the throne, and -came and took Polaris by the hand.</p> - -<p>"And, O man from the sea, for whom Ruthar has waited so long and -patiently, you cannot gainsay us now," she pleaded. A smile of -appealing sweetness came to her aid.</p> - -<p>"But, lady, to be a king I did not bargain when I came hither with the -captain; though," and he smiled, "I was in an ill place to drive a -bargain, and might have yielded almost anything. But to be a king—I -like it not. I am neither of Ruthar nor of Ad. I am a simple American -of common birth. I do not wish to be a king, but merely to go hence -with my own people, if I may. And if I did wish it, what of the people? -Would they relish the thought of an outlander on their throne?"</p> - -<p>Again Glorian answered him:</p> - -<p>"It is so writ in the prophecy."</p> - -<p>And Oleric said: "And the prophecy is known to all the people, as it -has been for centuries. From the wall to the southern cliffs, there is -no man or woman in all Ruthar who does not already look upon you as the -king. Think well, my brother."</p> - -<p>"But would it not do as well if I were to serve you and Ruthar for a -while, and those with me, as leaders? Then, when we have won, if we -<i>do</i> win, might I not go hence? Would that not serve as well?"</p> - -<p>Glorian smiled faintly, and Oleric shook his head.</p> - -<p>"Nay, my brother," the captain replied. "You must put your hands in the -hands of the zinds of Ruthar and swear the oath of kingship. That is -the only way. 'And the man shall be king over Ruthar and Adlaz,' runs -the prophecy." Oleric traced the writing on the slab with his finger. -"By those words do the zinds and the people hold. It is the only way."</p> - -<p>"And if I refuse?"</p> - -<p>"Then," said Glorian, "the army will not march to-morrow, nor will Zoar -drive on the beasts—unless all of the prophecy shall be fulfilled. -Then we who have stood as sponsors for you will be derided as cheats -and fools, if, indeed, worse things do not befall you and us. And -bethink you—those whom you love, who are in Adlaz, will perish -miserably, while Bel-Ar and the priests of Shamar mock their miseries. -Without you we fail, and without us and the hosts of Ruthar you, too, -are powerless."</p> - -<p>"You argue strongly, lady, and you, too, comrade," Polaris said. -"Still, I like not this prospect of being king. I must have a little -space in which to ponder it over."</p> - -<p>"It is now nearly noon," Oleric said. "To-day the zinds from every -province and city of Ruthar ride into Zele-omaz—to greet their king. -Until to-night, my brother."</p> - -<p>"Then to-night will I give my answer—here in this hall," Polaris said, -and he turned and went to seek out old Zenas Wright. And neither of the -two whom he left behind could have guessed at what his answer would be, -though it seemed to them that there could only be one answer. For they -had come to know him as a man of surpassing determination, and here was -a path in which he did not want to set his feet.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>In the old laboratory Janess found Zenas. The work of the geologist -was completed. Melinite he had turned out of his workshops by the ton, -and the most of it had been transported carefully, and was stored in -the forests near to the Kimbrian Wall. Now his thunder factory was -deserted. Every last man of his force had gone to join the army.</p> - -<p>"Yes, my lad, I know," said Zenas, after one glance at Polaris's face. -"They have told you about this king business. I know, too—for I know -you—that you are bucking it—hard."</p> - -<p>"I do not want to be a king, old Zenas, but—"</p> - -<p>"Yes, there's a 'but' in it, and a big one. What are you going to do -about it? Our red-headed, two-hundred-and-fifty-year-old youngster, the -antique lady, and their old father, Methuselah Zoar, have it all cut -and dried. If you can see any way out of it except their way, you have -devilish keen eyes. I can't, and I've been looking at it for quite a -few days. Oleric told me about it all some time ago. Take it, boy; take -it. And make the most of it. It isn't every day that one gets a chance -to be absolute ruler over a rich country and nearly five millions of -people. You'll make a better king than any they've ever had on either -side of the wall. That I'll guarantee." And the old man looked at his -troubled friend with bright eyes and patted him on the knee.</p> - -<p>While they sat and talked this matter over, came a man to the door, -crying out that a messenger had come through from Adlaz bringing a -written word to Polaris.</p> - -<p>The courier was brought in. He proved to be that same Rutharian who had -gained a place with the prison guard under Brunar. Already he had told -in the city of the destruction of the fademes of Bel-Ar, and Zele-omaz -was going wild with the news.</p> - -<p>When Polaris had read the letter sent him by Rose Emer, and he and -Zenas had heard what the messenger had to add to its news, the face of -the son of the snows grew very stern. The kindly old scientist's eyes -were moist. After the man was gone, neither of them spoke for quite a -time. The two who were gone had been dear friends, and the friendship -had been knit by perils and hardships, in which each had learned the -worth of the others.</p> - -<p>"Now is the score that I have to settle with this king of Adlaz grown -long indeed," Polaris said at length, "and I am minded to tilt him for -his kingdom, as these folk would have me do. He made a good ending, did -Minos; and I do not think that Bel-Ar, even if he come free of Ruthar, -will live to see the day when another fleet shall lie ready to go out -and win the world for him."</p> - -<p>He became silent. While the town, filling up with the arrival of zinds -and their retinues, gave itself to rejoicing at the blow that had been -struck Bel-Ar, and the old man sat by the fire and dozed, Polaris paced -moodily up and down the long laboratory. An hour passed, and the half -of another. Then he struck one hand hard into the other.</p> - -<p>"Now in all these happenings I think I see my way at last," he muttered.</p> - -<p>With the fall of night he cloaked himself and went up to the temple on -the hill, and Zenas went with him.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>From every principality and town in Ruthar the zinds had come to -Zele-omaz. Those who were too old or infirm to make the journey had -sent their sons or representatives. In the hall of Glorian these were -gathered to the number of one hundred-and-seven—tall and stately men, -most of them, clad in chain armor plated with silver and bossed with -plates of steel—for they had come to fight for their king as well as -to crown him. A shout went up that made the torches flare, when a guard -opened one of the doors of bronze, and Polaris Janess and Zenas came -into the hall.</p> - -<p>Eager-eyed, they pressed around the son of the snows, to welcome him -whom their prophets and their goddess had said would redress their -ancient wrongs.</p> - -<p>Polaris met their greetings with a heightened color and a glow in his -eyes. Almost, he thought, it would be a joy to be the king of such as -these—he, the dweller in no-man's land, a waif from the eternal snows.</p> - -<p>And the Goddess Glorian, watching him from her ivory throne, smiled -to herself, though there was a pang at her heart that she could not -manage to quench or still.</p> - -<p>Presently Polaris stood in the open space at the foot of the throne. -The zinds gathered before him in a glittering semicircle, and made -silence in the hall.</p> - -<p>"Chieftains of Ruthar," he began, lifting his voice so that all might -hear, "this day have I been asked to become your king, to take your -crown upon my head, to sit upon your throne, to lead you in battle, and -to rule over you as wisely as I may—all this because of certain words -on a stone which, it seems, may not be changed. Is this your wish, men -of Ruthar—to have me, an outlander, as your king?"</p> - -<p>A deep-voiced shout was the answer, and every voice said "Aye."</p> - -<p>"Then this is my answer, men of Ruthar, seeing that there is no dissent -among you: when I came unwillingly to the shores of Maeronica, there -came with me a friend, a true man. You have heard much of him to-day. -It was he that sank the fademes of Bel-Ar. He was named Minos, and he -was the king of a nation that has passed away. That man is dead by a -glorious means. Yonder in the harbor he struck a great blow for Ruthar -and for the world. He gave his life.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"To-day word reached me by the messenger who brought the tidings of -that deed, and the word was that this Minos who is dead, left behind -him a son, an infant newly born.</p> - -<p>"Now I will yield me to your wishes, chieftains of Ruthar. I will go -with you to the Kimbrian Wall, and beyond it. I will fight with you -to overthrow Bel-Ar. I will do all that a man may to be the king you -wish me. But it is my will that when this son of Minos the Sardanian is -grown to manhood's years and wisdom, he shall relieve me of my kingship -and become your king, and his son after him, if he have one. That is my -answer, men of Ruthar. I thank you for the high honor you would do me."</p> - -<p>He turned and bowed deeply to the Goddess Glorian, and then stood back -at the side of the throne.</p> - -<p>A murmur of surprise arose in the hall, and then was silenced, for -Glorian arose to speak.</p> - -<p>"Zinds of my people," she said in her clear, low voice, "to the weight -of this man's words add that of Glorian's. He comes, this man, from a -land where there are no kings. He is willing to fight for you—to die -with you. What he promises will fulfil the prophecy by which we hold. -It is a noble choice that he has made. It is my rede that you accept -it—mine and that of Oleric the Learned, to whom you sometimes have -looked for counsel."</p> - -<p>As she reseated herself, the red captain stood forth and said simply:</p> - -<p>"My brother has chosen well. I stand with him. Should you not agree, I -still stand with him, and he and I and such as are faithful to us will -break the Kimbrian Wall and perish on the road to Adlaz."</p> - -<p>For a short time the zinds took counsel among themselves. When they had -done, an aged man—he was Atra, the ruler of Zele-omaz—stood out from -among them.</p> - -<p>"We are agreed, O goddess," he said. "We will have this man as king -until the prophecy is fulfilled and for so long afterward as he will, -until the babe be grown to manhood. He is a true man. We are content, -and perhaps"—here Atra smiled—"with the passing of the years he may -change his mind."</p> - -<p>They brought the crown of Ruthar—a heavy torque of gold set with -fire-opals—and led Polaris to the ivory throne, and set him beside the -Goddess Glorian and crowned him. And he put his hands in the hands of -the zinds and swore the oath of kingship.</p> - -<p>"Yonder in Adlaz is a larger palace and a wider throne," said Glorian.</p> - -<p>"Aye, lady," he answered. "To-morrow I shall go to seek it."</p> - -<p>A great feast followed the coronation. When it was done, all night -long through the streets of Zele-omaz and across the bridges of Illia, -sounded the rumbling of chariot-wheels and the tramp of marching feet. -Ruthar was on the march at last, and the destination was the Kimbrian -Wall.</p> - -<p>So it fell out that the ambition of Minos of Sardanes had not been so -vain of attainment. He had won a kingdom for "the king that was to -come."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>As near as they dared, Everson's army of workmen had pushed the -completion of their broad highway to the Kimbrian Wall, clearing and -building up the old, disused road. Trees had been felled and removed -where it was necessary, and rocks had been dragged away with much -labor—and all with as little noise as possible, so that the men of -Atlo who garrisoned the wall might know nothing of the work, and that -when the time should come, Maeronica could be taken unawares.</p> - -<p>To do that the road-makers had been forced to halt their work two -hundred yards from the wall, where a belt of thick forest was left -standing across the way which effectually screened their operations.</p> - -<p>When the roadway had been completed to that point, molelike, the -engineers and sappers dug into the earth and pushed on. The old -roadway, suiting their purposes well, led to the wall at a point nearly -midway between two of the watchtowers, which were distant from one -another about a mile. Another circumstance which was favorable to the -lieutenant's plan was that the neck or isthmus which connected Ruthar -to Maeronica was, though high above the sea, comparatively level.</p> - -<p>Back of a knoll in the forest the miners sank their shaft. Twelve feet -down in the earth they struck the living rock and proceeded along that, -excavating a tunnel, or gallery, eight feet high by ten feet across. -This work was done swiftly, for the tunnel was wide enough so that four -men might work in it abreast, and as fast as one quartet was wearied -another took its place, and the picks were swinging day and night. As -the diggers went on, a multitude of workers behind them carried back -the loosened earth and shored the gallery up with timbers so that it -might not cave.</p> - -<p>When Everson returned from the ride to the place of Zoar, he found that -his tunnel was ended—against the face of the Kimbrian Wall, which was -founded on the rock itself. Following his instructions, the sappers had -branched the tunnel right and left along the wall, until the working -was in the shape of an elongated letter "T", the cross-arm of which lay -along the foundation stones of the wall and was sixty feet long.</p> - -<p>With the same ceaseless industry that had built the tunnel so swiftly, -they then had attacked the face of the wall with chisels and sledges, -cutting in at intervals of about ten feet. This had been difficult -work and perilous. The rock of the wall was adamant-hard. However, by -attacking the cement in which the stones were set, the miners had been -able to remove numbers of the great blocks entire, rolling them by -dint of herculean effort across the gallery and into cavities made to -receive them.</p> - -<p>In that work had been the danger. Eight men had been crushed under -falling fragments—first toll of Ruthar in the warfare.</p> - -<p>The excavations had been carried into the foundation of the wall a -matter of fifteen feet when Everson arrived. He at once ordered that -work stopped. Remained only the placing of the explosive. That he -superintended in person.</p> - -<p>Bar by bar—for the lieutenant would suffer no man to carry more than -one of old Zenas's patty-cakes at a time—and with extreme care, the -melinite was borne in through the tunnel and packed in the cavities -in the wall. The geologist's workshop had turned out a plenty of the -stuff, and it was used without stint. Everson judged that he placed -nearly two tons of the explosive in each of the six chambers under the -wall.</p> - -<p>Banks of loose, dry earth were piled about the melinite charges; -Everson laid his wires, and his workmen then filled the cavities with -fragments of the rock taken from the wall.</p> - -<p>Still further to retard the release of the gases when the charges -should be set off, the lieutenant set his men to wall up the openings -to the chambers, using heavy rocks and cement, having done which, they -filled in the cross-arm of the "T" with earth and fragments of stone, -tamping all in firmly.</p> - -<p>Very workmanlike was the finished task over which Everson nodded his -approval and told his grimy legion, "Well done."</p> - -<p>During all the progress of the labor the patrols of Bel-Ar rode to and -fro along the wall, and never guessed that sixty feet below them in the -rock their enemies were planting the fearful seeds that would put forth -the red flower of war.</p> - -<p>It was midnight of the third day after the gathering of the zinds -in the temple of Glorian at Zele-omaz, when Everson walked out of -the tunnel for the last time, his wires laid, his batteries ready. -Retiring to one of the shelters which had been built in the forest, the -lieutenant threw himself on a couch for a few brief hours of sleep.</p> - -<p>Five hours later one of his engineers awakened him and told him that -the zinds of Ruthar with a great host had gone into camp for the night -along the roadway ten miles back from the wall, and that the levies of -the upper hills, the light-armed archers, slingers and javelin men, -were pouring into the vast camp which had been prepared nearby in the -forest.</p> - -<p>"And these last swear that when they sleep again it will be beyond the -wall," the engineer added.</p> - -<p>"Many of them, poor chaps, are likely to sleep there forever," said -Everson. "Where is the king?"</p> - -<p>"With the zinds."</p> - -<p>The lieutenant arose and went out on the hillside; for he knew that -the time had come.</p> - -<p>Calling a messenger, he told him to go and summon the skirmishers from -the camp. Presently he saw them coming, long, silent files of men, -ghostly in the gray light, picking their way over the snow-covered -slopes and among the trees, some of the lines led by zinds and others -by their captains.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>In the forests opposite the wall, Everson posted a wedge of five -thousand javelin men, who were armed also with short swords. These were -to rush the breach in the wall and deploy on the other side to hold -the gap from any assault from beyond until the gap could be cleared -and the roadway brought up and through the breach to connect with the -Maeronican highway which lay on the other side of the barrier. Back of -that force gathered the miners and road-builders.</p> - -<p>Right and left along the wall the lieutenant sent bodies of archers and -slingers, so they might command the top of the wall and prevent the -garrisons of the watchtowers from galling the men at work in the breach.</p> - -<p>At each of the sixty towers along the stretch of the wall were -stationed some twenty men—a force of nearly twelve hundred in all. -Everson foresaw that these in all probability, or most of them, would -come to the breach from either side, leaving but few soldiers to man -the towers. So he sent two parties of a thousand men each east and -west, to lie in the forests near the wall. These were heavy-armed -swordsmen and spearsmen. They bore long ladders with them, and it was -to be their task to scale the wall, flank the men of Bel-Ar at its -summit, and take and hold the watchtowers.</p> - -<p>A few miles below the wall lay a Maeronican hilltown, and there Bel-Ar -maintained a prominent garrison, composed of a section of his standing -army, some ten thousand men strong. These soldiers had proved the bane -of many a Rutharian raiding party, and they now gave Everson much -trouble in his mind. If they should come up quickly to the wall and -drive back his force or retake the towers, his thrust would be all but -ill delivered and fail of much of its power. That must be chanced—and -he judged by the look of these fighting men of Ruthar that they would -stand considerable driving and still not be driven.</p> - -<p>Silently the long lines stole into position, and the men sank out of -sight among the trees. A small patrol party of Maeronican soldiers rode -down the wall from the watchtower to the west, where the mitzl lights -burned pale against the sky. They passed on, met the patrol from the -east, and both returned—seeing nothing of the menace that lay hidden -in the shadows of the pines.</p> - -<p>Ruthar had been quiet of late, and a few noises in the forest meant -nothing to these soldiers, strong in their position on the mighty wall. -Of such things as the pastries of Zenas Wright they had never even -dreamed.</p> - -<p>In a clump of trees Everson attached his wires to his batteries. He -knelt by one of them, and five of his sappers knelt with him.</p> - -<p>"One—two—<i>three</i>!" he counted.</p> - -<p>The six poised hands fell as one.</p> - -<p>For a moment, silence; then a burst of hell from the bowels of the -earth.</p> - -<p>From end to end, down all its length, the roof of Everson's -subterranean gallery was torn out by the rending gases. From the mouth -of the tunnel a mass of rocks, beams and loose earth was belched down -the slope with such force that trees fell before it.</p> - -<p>Through clouds of falling earth and a drift of smoke, the distended -eyes of the Rutharian soldiery saw the basalt structure of the Kimbrian -Wall that had stood firm for thirty centuries heave up, sunder, and -open, as a gate opens, then come thundering down to ruin. Right in the -midst of the chaos of falling rock an awful sheet of green flame arose -like a giant fan and stood for an instant against the sky.</p> - -<p>Then came the noise. It was neither a crash nor a roar, but a sustained -rumbling bellow—as though Mother Earth herself were muttering at this -desecration of her aged bones. Such was the power of that tremulous -diapason that the forests shook and the hills trembled. Followed a -moment of the silence of the pit, and then the clatter and spat of the -dĂ©bris as it showered the slopes and the forests.</p> - -<p>"Shields up!" shouted a tall zind of Ruthar, and the next moment he was -stretched senseless by a fragment of rock because he had not been quick -to obey his own order. Many others were injured, and some were killed. -But what did a few deaths matter now? The Kimbrian Wall was down. For -eighty feet the gap extended wide and free!</p> - -<p>And beyond lay Maeronica.</p> - -<p>In the forests and on the hills the companies cheered wildly as they -saw the path the melinite had opened, and cheered again when they saw -that the watchtower to the west had been shaken from its perch by the -terrific concussion and lay a crumble of stonework at the foot of the -wall.</p> - -<p>"Into the breach!" shouted Everson. "Through the wall!"</p> - -<p>From their lair on the hillsides the five thousand javelin bearers -arose gleefully and crossed the space to the gap in the wall at a -swinging trot, singing as they went.</p> - -<p>So clean had been the sweep of the melinite that it had torn away every -vestige of the wall down to the living rock of the isthmus, leaving a -wide trench or ditch, stone-bottomed and with sloping sides of earth, -which it was an easy matter for the light-armed men to scramble across. -But first the soldiers had to throw loose earth into the bottom of the -trench; for the terrific pressure of the melinite against the rock had -heated it until it was almost molten.</p> - -<p>For hundreds of feet around, heaps of earth and pulverized stone sent -up columns of the greenish, acrid vapor of the explosive.</p> - -<p>On the heels of the javelin men pressed the engineers and road-men, -swarming into the breach to fill the trench and make a way for the -charioteers and the amalocs of Zoar, which were to follow. Along the -screen of forest at the end of the road axes rang, and the trees began -to fall.</p> - -<p>One of the first men into the breach after the skirmishers had crossed -the ragged ditch, was Everson. With Mazoe, chief of his sappers, the -lieutenant directed the work at the trench; for now was the time for -haste.</p> - -<p>Shaken from their beds by the dull thunder of Everson's fireworks, -Bel-Ar's steel riders at the eastern tower came clattering down their -wall. Before ever they reached the gap, a trumpet sounded on the -hillside, the archers and the slingers arose like wraiths from the -forests, and the horsemen were met by a shower of shafts and stones -that rattled and clanged on their armor and drove them back.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Messengers sped east and west from tower to tower. Within an hour -every garrison along the barrier knew that the gods of Ruthar had -rifted their fortress and the hillsmen were pouring through. But these -soldiers of Bel-Ar were picked men, and they did not fear. Every -man-at-arms that could be spared from the turrets was horsed, and they -came riding recklessly down their lofty pathway, firm in the belief -that their own god presently would have a say in this matter.</p> - -<p>At the third tower to the east of the breach was Atlo, captain of the -wall. The tremor of the explosion reached even there. While the captain -and his men wondered at what it might be, a messenger reached them. -Atlo at once sent a horseman down the curving path, one of which led -from each tower to the ground on the northern side of the wall, to ride -through the forest to the town of Barme and arouse the army there.</p> - -<p>Then Atlo armed himself, gathered his men and started west. Straight -to the brink of the gap he rode, heeding neither arrows nor stones. At -the edge of the breach he dismounted, and while the long shafts of the -archers hummed around him and the missiles of the slingers dented his -golden armor, he knelt and peered into the gorge below him.</p> - -<p>Much the captain marveled at the force which had broken the barrier. -His quick eyes of the soldier took in the disposition of the men and -fathomed the plan of the enemy. He saw that a swarm of javelin men and -a number of companies of heavier armed infantry were through the wall -and prepared to defend their ground. More he saw; that the trench below -was black with men who labored to fill it in; on the southern side of -the wall another army of laborers was laying a broad road over which -chariots might pass; and beneath him in the breach a man in mud-stained -garments stood on a point of rock directing his grimy toilers.</p> - -<p>Breathing a curse, Atlo lifted his spear and cast with all his might. -Then he mounted and rode back to the nearest tower to await the coming -of his garrisons.</p> - -<p>Too late did the archers in the forests shout their warning when they -saw that spear-arm poised.</p> - -<p>At the foot of the rock Everson fell and lay face downward among his -workmen.</p> - -<p>Tenderly they bore him out of the trench and up the slope of the -forest, those sturdy men of Ruthar who had worked with him and loved -him. Four of his engineers carried him, and Mazoe walked beside, trying -to stanch the flow of blood. Atlo's spear-point had bitten deeply just -above the collar-bone.</p> - -<p>At the crest of the rise Everson spoke in a weak voice and bade them -set him down. Mazoe knelt and held him.</p> - -<p>Through dim eyes the lieutenant peered back toward the sundered wall. -He lifted his hand slowly and with infinite effort and pointed.</p> - -<p>"We have done—good work," he said. "Go on—with it. I fear I -shall—not—be with you."</p> - -<p>His eyes closed, and Mazoe, who thought that he was spent, burst into -tears.</p> - -<p>Below in the camp arose a mighty clamor of shouting. Everson's eyelids -fluttered open.</p> - -<p>"Why do the soldiers cheer?" he asked.</p> - -<p>Mazoe listened intently to the shouting.</p> - -<p>"They cheer because the king is coming," he answered.</p> - -<p>Everson smiled faintly.</p> - -<p>"Tell him—I have made—a way—for him—"</p> - -<p>His voice trailed away, and he sank into unconsciousness. And though -he did not die, he sailed so near to the quiet coasts that it was many -weeks before he knew that the work he had begun had gone on without -him, and had been done well.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>CHAPTER VIII</h2> - -<h3>BEL-AR HEARS THE DRUMS</h3> - - -<p>In the early brightness of the morning, the king of Ruthar rode up the -southern stretch of the slope toward the wall. With him came old Zenas -and Oleric the Red.</p> - -<p>Bedight in chain mail rode the king, a shield of shining steel on his -arm, his two-handed sword at his back, dagger in belt, and spear and -battle-ax at saddle-bow. Behind him clattered a company of zinds. Back -of them, down the long road as far as the eye could see, marched rank -on rank of men-at-arms. These were to pass the wall at once, and push -on along the isthmus to meet and hold any force which the captains of -Bel-Ar might throw against them.</p> - -<p>In the camp in the forest, ready to ride when the way should be -cleared, were thousands of the wild horsemen of the hills. As soon as -they might pass the breach, they would outstrip the heavy-marching -infantry, spread and harry the country, and dash into the mountain -passes at the northern end of the isthmus, which must be taken and held -before any considerable force could come up from Maeronica and occupy -them.</p> - -<p>Behind, the horsemen would push on the footmen and the chariots which -made up the main host of Ruthar. Such was the plan which had been laid -by Everson, Polaris, and Oleric.</p> - -<p>As they neared the top of the rise, Polaris and those with him met a -little clump of downcast men plodding along the road and carrying a -burden. Then Mazoe saw the riders and ran to meet them, holding his -arms above his head and weeping.</p> - -<p>"What says he? Everson—"</p> - -<p>Polaris sprang down from his horse and pushed through the tramping men. -Behind him an army halted while he stood and looked into the still face -of Everson. In the heart of the son of the snows there entered a pang -as keen as that which had stabbed it when he had heard of the passing -of the Sardanian King Minos and his lady.</p> - -<p>But Zenas Wright, who had bent over the lieutenant, and bared his -breast and listened to his heart, spoke up:</p> - -<p>"This boy has been hard hit; but he's still alive. With good care—and -he's going to get it—I think he has a chance. This jab over the -shoulder isn't so bad as it looks."</p> - -<p>"Look at him, Father Zenas," said Polaris. "Let no effort that this -land can produce be spared to make him whole again; for he is a gallant -gentleman, and deserves no such death. His reward from Ruthar for what -he has done shall be great."</p> - -<p>Mazoe told all his story, and Polaris bent and took the earth-stained -hand of the unconscious man in his own.</p> - -<p>"Fare you well for a time, Everson," he said softly. "I shall not -forget. And I shall find the way you made."</p> - -<p>Mazoe and the engineers bore Everson to the camp, and Zenas Wright went -with them.</p> - -<p>Polaris touched the red captain on the shoulder.</p> - -<p>"Captain Oleric, bide you here at the wall until the path is prepared. -I make you general-in-chief of the army. Carry out the work which -our friend has so well begun. Father Zenas will give you of his good -counsel. Build the road as Everson and you have planned it."</p> - -<p>"But you—where are you going?" Oleric asked.</p> - -<p>Polaris pointed northward to the breach in the Kimbrian Wall.</p> - -<p>"I am going to tread the way he made for me," he answered. "When all is -well, come on and find me on the other side."</p> - -<p>Giving the reins of his horse to a servant, Polaris reached his spear -from the saddle and placed himself in the first rank of the footmen, -under the great, blood-red banner of Ruthar. A mighty cheer swept down -the ranks as he joined them. The horsemen drew out to the side of the -roadway; a blare of trumpets sounded the advance; the crimson standard -dipped and went forward. Over the seamed and broken hill, past the -masses of fallen ruin, across the melinite-blasted trench, and through -the breach in the wall flowed the iron stream.</p> - -<p>As far as they could see it, the little group on the hilltop watched -the tall form that strode under the tossing banner.</p> - -<p>"This king of ours has a will of his own," muttered Oleric. "Now to do -the work he bade us."</p> - -<p>But first of all the red captain sent for old Jastla of the hills. When -the white-bearded chieftain stood before him, Oleric said:</p> - -<p>"The king has gone yonder through the wall, Jastla. Take a hundred of -your best men—men who know how to die as well as fight. Find the king. -Ring him round with a band of steel. Guard him with your lives." Oleric -grinned as he added, "'Twill be a task to your liking, old bear. Ever -you loved fighting, and this man will lead you to where it is thicker -than earth-berries. I have seen him at the game. But watch him well, -Jastla; he is of a reckless temper when his blood is stirred, and -caution is not his watchword."</p> - -<p>Lifting his arm in salute, Jastla replied:</p> - -<p>"When harm comes to the king, it shall have set its foot on Jastla's -corpse." The chief drew a deep breath of pride and satisfaction. "I -thank you, Oleric the Learned, for this task. I have trained the lad, -and I love him."</p> - -<p>Jastla hurried into the forest to the camp. Presently he, too, was gone -through the wall on his mission.</p> - -<p>When the last of the armed force had passed the gap, another army took -its place—an army of pick and shovel men, with chains and ropes and -tugging, sweating horses. Speedily the last of the screen of trees was -down and the stumps torn out. On a foundation of crushed rock Oleric -built up his roadway, and brought it through to the shadow of the -Kimbrian Wall; and there he met trouble.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>All of the day on which Everson was stricken, and through the night and -the forenoon following, the builders wrought at the road. Wherever was -room for a pair of hands to labor, the hands were not lacking. Still -the work was not completed, nor was the ditch filled in.</p> - -<p>And the reason for the delay was—Atlo.</p> - -<p>From the turrets along the wall to the east the captain had collected -a force of nearly five hundred fighting men, and led them in person. -Leaving their horses behind them, these warriors marched to the lip of -the breach and harassed the workmen of Oleric. Nor could the Rutharian -bowmen and slingers come at them with their weapons to do them much -scathe. The edge of the wall had a coping which was nearly breast-high. -Behind that the defenders were sheltered, and might creep, which they -did, to the very brink of the gap, whence they showered the men in the -trench with arrows and javelins.</p> - -<p>Following the example of Atlo, the under captains of the towers on the -western stretch of the wall gathered another half a thousand men and -came to the end of the breach on their side. Between the activities -of these two parties, the task of the besiegers was made heavy and -perilous.</p> - -<p>Time and again the red captain was forced to withdraw his laborers -from the cross-fire of deadly missiles which the warriors on the wall -rained into the ditch. His losses were appalling. Still his men did not -falter. When the order was given, they swarmed into the gaping trench, -and those who died there were content if they but cast one shovel of -earth before the spirit fled.</p> - -<p>Oleric groaned in spirit as he watched this havoc, which he had little -power to hinder. The distance to the top of the wall was too great to -allow of effective javelin-casting, and such weapons as did reach the -summit were seized upon by the enemy and turned back on the attackers. -Having the advantage of the sheltered height from which to cast and -shoot, one of Atlo's soldiers was worth in efficiency a hundred of -those on the ground.</p> - -<p>"Swords and axes on the top of the wall, and that only, will clear out -that nest," said Oleric to Zenas, when the geologist had come back from -the camp, where for hours he had labored over Everson, and of whose -condition he now had high hopes.</p> - -<p>"Where are our ladder-men tarrying?" snarled Oleric, and the captain -ground his teeth as he saw his workmen decimated and driven back again. -"We have not the time to spare to starve these birds from their perch. -Yet if I fill that hole now it will be with the bodies of brave men -dead and not with earth and stone."</p> - -<p>Bethinking himself of another plan, the captain ordered three companies -of heavy-armed foot-soldiers up from the camp and sent them into the -working to shelter the laborers under their shields. By that means a -little progress was made; but the work was slow and cumbersome and the -toll in lives was still heavy.</p> - -<p>Long-delayed relief came in the shape of the fighting men whom Everson -had sent out along the wall with ladders. These had lain in the forests -until they saw the turrets depleted of their garrisons. Then they -had crept up to the wall and erected their scaling ladders, choosing -points a number of miles from the breach. That attack was not without -its perils and losses. Scant in numbers, but desperate, the defenders -sallied out on the wall to turn the storming parties. Many warriors -died under the javelins and arrows from above. Comrades took their -places as they fell, and at length, by dint of hard fighting, gained -footing on the crest of the wall.</p> - -<p>Guessing how matters must stand at the breach, the Rutharian swordsmen -paid no further attention to the turrets which lay between them and the -sea, but set themselves to the taking of those toward the gap. As soon -as they carried one of these they were able to augment their numbers -from the forces which earlier had passed the wall through the breach, -and which now were besieging the towers from the north side, where the -sloping pathways were defended by gates and doors of bronze.</p> - -<p>By the time the men at the east had taken the last of the watchtowers -which intervened between them and the battle at the roadway, their -brothers on the western stretch of the wall had passed the ruins of -the toppled turret there and fallen furiously on the rear of the -Maeronicans who were baiting the trenchmen of Oleric.</p> - -<p>From across the chasm where he fought, Atlo saw the new turn of the -battle and bethought him of his own flank. Too late! The shouts of -dismay from his rear were mingled with the thunder of galloping hoofs.</p> - -<p>At the eastern tower the men of Ruthar had found the horses which the -defenders had left behind. While the stubborn conflict of swordsmen -was waging on the western wall, these warriors mounted the Maeronican -steeds and charged down the stone road between the copings, sweeping -everything before them.</p> - -<p>Brave men, these of the King of Adlaz. Cut off from behind and with -the yawning chasm before, they arose from their crouching and turned -to meet the new foe. Then a grim and pitiless struggle began on -the ancient wall, in which the clangor and clash of arms and the -cursing of death-locked foeman was commingled with the screaming of -pain-maddened horses.</p> - -<p>To the rear, which had become the front, went Atlo. He rallied his men -and charged into the teeth of the oncoming horsemen, and kept charging -until he died. Neither side asked quarter or gave it. The last of the -Maeronican fighting men were pushed over the brink of the gap by the -rushing horsemen and died under the merciless blades in the trench.</p> - -<p>At the west the fighting was more prolonged and bitter; but the -superior numbers of the Rutharians prevailed, and the end was the same.</p> - -<p>The Kimbrian Wall was taken at a fearful cost. But Ruthar paid the toll -smiling. Now Oleric might push through with his wall speedily and in -peace.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>When the night of the passing of Minos had worn into morning and -disclosed the extent of the destruction which the Sardanian had wrought -in the harbor of Adlaz, Vedor, the port captain, Nealdo, head of the -harbor guardsmen, and such captains of the fademes as had escaped with -their lives met in council in one of the offices at the wharves. Fear -sat heavy at the hearts of all; for there was not one of them that -dared go up to the city and make a report to the king of the loss of -his fademes.</p> - -<p>"Not I," Vedor said hastily, when it was suggested that he, as captain -of the port, was the logical bearer of the news. "It were worth a man's -life to tell the king that a slave has shattered his fleet. Besides, my -duties here do not allow me to absent myself. Choose ye some other to -carry the tidings to Bel-Ar."</p> - -<p>Listening to the discussion was a rough old soldier of the guard. -Brenak was his name, and he was a brave man. When it seemed that none -of the gilded captains had heart for the task, Brenak stepped forward.</p> - -<p>"I will carry the news," he volunteered. "Lend me a horse, and give me -a few dekkars to buy wine at the wine-shops in the Street of Sherne, -and I will go. It may be my last drinking, though I think not. I fought -with the king in the wars, and I am known to him. I think he will spare -me."</p> - -<p>So Brenak rode up to the city and bought his wine. From the wine-shops -he went to the palace and gained admittance to the king and told the -tidings, which already were flying from mouth to mouth through the -streets.</p> - -<p>"Fool! You are crazed!" Bel-Ar exclaimed when Brenak had made a short -tale of it. But in the eyes of the soldier the king saw the truth, and -his pallid face turned a shade more pale. In his fury, scarce knowing -what he did, he struck Brenak with his closed fist so that the soldier -died from it.</p> - -<p>For days thereafter the temper of the king was such that those who -must come near him did so with fear and trembling. Even his queen, the -petulant, flower-faced Raissa, who dared him more than most, avoided -him and kept to her own apartments.</p> - -<p>Weeks before, when it became known that the captives had escaped, -little heed had been paid to their going. They were only slaves, and -who cared what became of a slave! Interest in them had been swallowed -up in the general indignation at the defection of Oleric the Red and -the supposed treachery of Mordo. Only Bel-Ar and Rhaen, the arch-priest -of Shamar, had chafed, and that because of the escape of the man whom -they had doomed for the slaying of the sacred bull. The king had sent -fademes to scour the sea, and one to go up the coast to Ruthar to head -the fugitives, should they have gone that way. That fademe had never -returned.</p> - -<p>These happenings had irked the pride of the king, who, like all -despots, was of a wild and ungovernable temper that flared to madness -when he was crossed.</p> - -<p>Came then the blow of Minos—a calamity which shook the nation and -struck the foundation of Bel-Ar's dearest ambition. Without his -fademes, his dreams of world-conquest vanished. Small wonder that his -lords and ladies feared him and quaked at his approach.</p> - -<p>But the king was of a courage and perseverance equal to his temper. -When the first shock of the catastrophe had worn away, he took stock of -the damage and set about to repair so much of it as might be. At the -bottom of the harbor his divers labored among the sunken fademes. Some -few of the vessels were raised and rehabilitated. By far the most of -them were useless, save for the metal in their hulks. Minos had done -his work thoroughly, and the priceless engines, the living power of -which was mined from the depths of the earth only by great labor, were -nearly all ruined.</p> - -<p>Increasing his forces, both underground and in his workshops, Bel-Ar -drove his miners and his builders ceaselessly to the replacement of -what he had lost.</p> - -<p>Some weeks after the destruction of the fademes, rumor came down from -the south—fleeting words in the mouths of the people, of which no man -could trace the source—that a great host was gathering in Ruthar to -assail the Kimbrian Wall. That report the king laughed at and did not -believe, or if he did believe, it fretted him not at all. The Kimbrian -Wall had stood an unshakable barrier since it had been completed, -nearly thirty centuries before. It would go on standing to the end of -time. It was well garrisoned, and Atlo was a good captain and vigilant. -Ruthar must be mad if it thought to march against the wall.</p> - -<p>Rumor, again traceless, spoke further and told that Oleric the Red had -appeared in Ruthar, and with him the slaves who had gone with him from -Adlaz, and that they had hands in this matter of the wall-storming. -Bel-Ar heard that also, and smiled grimly. Let Oleric and the slaves, -if they were indeed in Ruthar, keep well within its boundaries, if they -set any store by life.</p> - -<p>Progress was being made with the reconstruction of his fleet, and the -king's poise was returning. Once more his court, that had been silent -and almost deserted, echoed to the laughter of the gay courtiers, and -Raissa sat upon her throne and toyed with the pearls that she loved.</p> - -<p>Then one afternoon a wan and haggard-faced man, spurring a weary horse -to its utmost speed, rode in through the southern gates of Adlaz and -clattered up the broad avenue to the palace. From the mountain town of -Barme he had come, riding two days and a night by relays of horses and -leaving some of his hard-ridden beasts dead along the road. So nearly -dead was the rider himself from the rack of that journey that he fell -from his horse at the palace gates, and men of the guard carried him -before the king.</p> - -<p>From the floor of the audience-chamber where they laid him, the soldier -raised his arm in salute and cried weakly:</p> - -<p>"The Kimbrian Wall is sundered, O king. She whom they name the Goddess -Glorian of Ruthar cracked the wall in twain with thunders and green -lightning that shook the land like a hammer." (So the messenger -described the melinite mines of Everson.) "Through the wall poured a -great host, which is rolling down upon Barme. Atlo is dead at the break -in the wall. From the center to the sea-wall, the towers are held by -Ruthar. Men say that the dreadful beasts of the forest are coming to -make war on the children of Ad. Ruthar has crowned a king—a giant -with hair of gold, who came up from the sea with Oleric the Red, who -was your captain—and he leads the armies against Barme."</p> - -<p>Ending his tidings, the man lost grip of his wits. His head fell on his -arm, and he slept. Nor could he be roused for many hours.</p> - -<p>"Now, here is a message with meat and spirit," said the king. Bel-Ar, -who went near to madness when he heard of the loss of his fademes, -could laugh when he heard that an army was marching against him. Of all -the news only one thing galled him, and that was that the yellow-haired -slave from the hated world to the north was kinging it in Ruthar.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Summoning his captains, the king banished his court of fluttering -butterflies and filled his audience-chamber with the clash of golden -armor. No sluggard was Bel-Ar when his foe was on the march, but a -wise and resourceful leader. When his mind was not clouded by the -rages which at times came upon him, he could plan with the best of his -generals.</p> - -<p>Bel-Ar in his early youth had been a soldier, and he, too, had fought -Ruthar at the Kimbrian Wall. Since coming to the throne of Maeronica he -had put down two rebellions, leading his armies in person and waging -with a strong and ruthless hand a warfare that had entailed the taking -of cities.</p> - -<p>First move of the king was to despatch his messengers south and north -to raise all the levies of Maeronica and the garrisons of the cities -which were tributary to Adlaz. These he directed should be assembled -at the crook of the river Thebascu, as the birds fly, ninety miles to -the south of Adlaz. He sent Fanaer, one of his most trusted captains, -in hot haste into the south to gather what forces he might and stem the -tide of invasion until the main host could be mustered and brought up. -Before nightfall the war-drums were beating in every city and hamlet of -Maeronica.</p> - -<p>"If these rash forest wolves and their slave-king win through Barme and -the mountain passes and overwhelm Fanaer, which I doubt, then we will -meet them beyond the Thebascu, on the plains of Nor," said Bel-Ar to -his councilors.</p> - -<p>"How they have broken through the wall, I know not; but warrant that it -is some trick of the strangers.</p> - -<p>"As for the great beasts whereof the soldier spoke, I believe that they -were all dead many years ago. Surely no man of Ad can say with truth -that he ever has set eyes on one. They are but a myth wherewith Ruthar -would affright us. And if they be alive, and as terrible as tradition -tells, I am not afeared of them. We will drive them back with fire, as -once before our ancestors drove them, in the days before the wall.</p> - -<p>"Friends, I welcome this war that has come to seek me, for I was -growing dull and rusty with inaction.</p> - -<p>"If the wall be truly down, then will we drive Ruthar speedily to -the other side of it—and having so done, we will follow on and bend -the necks of these stubborn mountain boors to the yoke that has long -awaited them."</p> - -<p>So he dreamed; so he spoke and heartened his captains.</p> - -<p>Two days later the trumpets blew at the southern gates, and with a -rumbling of drums and a tossing of banners overhead, the first division -of the garrison and the levies of the city of Adlaz, thirty thousand -strong, marched out the Mazanion Road for the plains of Nor. At their -head, under the rustling folds of his war-standard of gold and blue, -rode Bel-Ar, the king.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>To Rose Emer, grown pale with waiting, Brunar brought these tidings in -the prison of Bel-Tisam.</p> - -<p>When she heard that the wall was down, and that Polaris had set his -face toward Adlaz, her joy, which she strove to conceal from the -captain, knew no bounds. After Brunar was gone, the girl bent over the -cradle of the little Patrymion, now a thriving youngster.</p> - -<p>"Ah, little mischief," said Rose, and shook her finger at him, "not -much longer in this prison for you and me. Friends are coming, -Patrymion; friends who will set us free."</p> - -<p>Patrymion, who had small care for what destiny had in store for him, so -that his immediate requirements in goats' milk were satisfied, sucked a -pink thumb and blinked up at her out of sleepy eyes.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>In the meantime, telling off companies of men to east and west to aid -in the fight at the wall by laying siege to the towers, Polaris pushed -straight ahead through the forests toward the town of Barme. Counting -in the forces of light-armed soldiery who had preceded him through the -wall, the son of the snows had in command a division of nearly seven -thousand men. Of these there were a thousand archers, fifteen hundred -slingers, two thousand and a half of javelin men, and nearly two -thousand more of heavy armored footmen with swords and spears.</p> - -<p>Two hours along the way, Jastla and his picked hundred passed swiftly -up the lines and joined the vanguard. Tall and stately men of the hills -were these, led by the old chieftain, scarcely a one of the company -under six feet, and splendidly armed after the fashion of their land.</p> - -<p>"Here be a few lads of the rocks who would have a tale to tell to their -sweet-hearts when they go home again," said Jastla as he fell in beside -Polaris.</p> - -<p>With small scouting parties thrown out ahead of him, Polaris hastened -on. It was his plan to meet and intercept any expedition which might be -sent from Barme to the relief of Atlo at the wall, and so to prevent -interference with Oleric's work at the breach. In this fortune favored. -For the javelin men ambushed and cut down no less than three riders -sent from the wall to rouse the garrison at Barme; so that the first -news that reached the town and the Captain Broddok, who commanded -there, was brought in by the peasantry of the hills who fled through -the forests before the advance of Polaris.</p> - -<p>Mightily disturbed, and not knowing the strength of the force which was -marching against him, Broddok held his men under arms in indecision -until it was too late for him to go to the wall. In the evening of the -day after the breaching of the wall a battered soldier who had escaped -from one of the turrets and slipped through the Rutharian cordons -brought word to Broddok of the end of the Kimbrian fighting and the -fall of Atlo. Then the Maeronican commander dispatched a relay-rider to -Adlaz and made ready to defend his own gates, around which the jaws of -Ruthar were closing.</p> - -<p>From the lower end of the isthmus a number of passes led through the -mountains into the forests, beyond which were the plains of Nor. -Through only one of these defiles lay a direct road, broad and suitable -to the speedy passage of an army with its impedimenta and provision -trains. That path was bestridden by the town of Barme.</p> - -<p>Midway of the pass and near the foot of its western precipice was a -low, bald hill, over which the road lay. Around the lower slopes of -the hill straggled the town, and at its summit was the walled citadel. -It was a strong place, made so both by nature and by man. So closely -did it nestle to the towering face of the defile's acclivity, and so -rounding was the bulge of the mountain wall, that if one climbed to the -top and looked down the precipice, he would see only the houses of the -lower town and the citadel would be entirely hidden from him by the -rock. At each side of the hill was rocky, wooded land, cut through by -many gullies and the ravines of mountain streams.</p> - -<p>A hard place to come at, Polaris thought, as he stood in the gorge and -looked at the hill by the dim light of the stars—for he came to Barme -in the night. Yet it must be taken, and that speedily. The swiftest -road into Maeronica lay over the hill, and the citadel's gates were the -gates of the road also.</p> - -<p>An hour before the dawn he occupied the town, from which most of the -people had fled, and attacked the fortress furiously, thereby losing -many men. Though the walls of the place were not high, they were ably -defended. Broddok was a skilled general, and his garrison was superior -in numbers to the force which laid siege to his stronghold. Still -Polaris, counting on the speedy arrival to his support of the van of -his main army, kept up the assault until well into the day, trying in -turn every point of the fortress—and failing at every turn.</p> - -<p>Finding that attempts against the wall availed them nothing, for they -were without siege machinery, and Broddok's swordsmen clustered so -thickly on the parapets that no footing could be gained thereon with -ladders, the Rutharians boldly assailed the main gate to the citadel. -Cutting a tree from the forest, threescore stout men bore it to the -gate. While the archers and slingers from the tops of the nearest -houses of the town swept the citadel walls with clouds of missiles, -the men in the street swung their battering-ram until their arms were -weary. But Broddok's doors were strongly built of oak, reinforced with -bars of steel and set well within the arch of the gateway. Beyond the -snapping of a few chains, the ram did them little damage.</p> - -<p>Maeronicans on the battlements mocked the men of Polaris with sharp -words and sharper weapons, and through mortises in the vault of the -arch poured down streams of boiling water. The Rutharians lost fifty -men-at-arms before they desisted from the assault.</p> - -<p>"Smoke them out," was the counsel of Jastla.</p> - -<p>Fagots were fetched up from the town and drenched with oil, and men set -fire to them and ran and cast them blazing into the archway.</p> - -<p>This means might have succeeded in burning away the stubborn oak. But -the Maeronican captain, tiring of the din at his gates, mounted five -hundred horsemen, opened his portals, and charged so fiercely through -the fire that he cleared the street, and for a time his doors were -unmolested.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Through the defile a chill wind swept from the north, carrying with it -a light drift of snow, and Polaris's men found it cold work roosting -without the walls. They had left their camp carrying food for only a -two days' march. The country through which they had come was wild and -sparsely settled, and offered little opportunity for foraging. When -they began to feel the pinch of hunger, Polaris ordered his men to go -among such of the townsmen of Barme as had not been frightened from -their homes, and gather provisions, paying for all that they took with -gold, for he would have no looting.</p> - -<p>And those orders were in part, at least, obeyed.</p> - -<p>Smoke was curling from the chimney of a small house in a side street -near where they stood, and Jastla said to the king:</p> - -<p>"While these fellows are filling their bellies, let us look to our own. -I could eat the wolf for which I am named, I am that hungered. See; -here is a house and fire. Let us go and seek food."</p> - -<p>When they had struck upon the door, it was opened by a little lad, who -stared at them, round-eyed, and then fled screaming across the room.</p> - -<p>"Ai! Raula!" he cried. "Here be two giants from the forests. Will they -eat us, think you, as Darno said they would?"</p> - -<p>"Not so, small man," called Polaris gently, who had learned somewhat -of the Maeronican tongue from Oleric. "We are two hungry men, indeed; -but we would not harm little boys; and Darno, whoever he may be, should -not affright you with such tales."</p> - -<p>At his words, a lean and fierce-eyed girl stood up from the fireplace -where she had been crouched and came to the door. She clutched a baby -to her breast. While she eyed the two men sourly, there was no fear in -her regard.</p> - -<p>"Now who may you be, who wear the arms of a forest raider, yet who know -our tongue and bespeak a child so fairly?" she asked of Polaris.</p> - -<p>"I am a soldier of Ruthar, lady," Polaris said, bowing to her. "My -comrade here and myself are cold and hungry. May we be warmed at your -fire and eat a little of the bread and meat yonder on the table? We -have had no food for many hours. We will pay you well."</p> - -<p>The girl pressed closer and peered up at him.</p> - -<p>"Ah! I know who you are now," she said triumphantly. "You are no robber -of the hills, though belike your comrade is," and she shot a glance of -no favor at Jastla. "You are neither of Maeronica or Ruthar. You are -the mighty man who came up from the sea to lead the south against the -north and take Adlaz." She laughed discordantly. "Well, you have made a -good beginning, they say; but you have a man's task ahead of you.</p> - -<p>"Come in and eat and be warmed. I care not. All the menfolks have fled -the house to the hills in fear of you. I stayed, I and little Telo, -here. I fear no soldiers. Nay, close that door behind you, old man; I -would not that winter came in with you and sat at meat."</p> - -<p>Laughing grimly into his beard, Jastla made fast the door. While the -two men sat and ate, the girl resumed her crouching by the fire, where -she crooned over the babe, at times staring furtively at Polaris. Telo -soon conquered his fear of the strangers and climbed to the knees of -Polaris, where he fingered the big man's chain armor curiously and -prattled many childish questions.</p> - -<p>When the hungry men had finished their meal, the girl spoke up again:</p> - -<p>"Say, man from the sea, I have heard that there is a beautiful lady who -waits for you in a prison in Adlaz town. Is that true?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, lady, it is true," Polaris said; and he sighed.</p> - -<p>"And you lead a great host thither to set her free?" the girl persisted.</p> - -<p>"Yes, if I may."</p> - -<p>"But to get on the way to Adlaz, you must take this fortress of Barme; -and you find it a hard nut to crack. Is that not so?"</p> - -<p>"That is true, also, lady."</p> - -<p>"Well, hark you, man." The girl stood up and came to the table. "You -who are true to a woman as few men are ever true; perhaps the poor, -despised, cast-off Raula may aid you somewhat in this undertaking."</p> - -<p>While Polaris stared at her and Jastla grunted, she went on:</p> - -<p>"Oh, for your wars, and for who is king, I care not. Still, I would -see that lady in Adlaz town go free—if you are strong enough to pass -Bel-Ar and his army. Those matters you must look after later. But -listen. Other men are not so true as you are. There is one in the -fortress yonder who once thought Raula fair. Now she is a deserted -wife, while he seeks other maids to listen to his lies. Oh! how I hate -him!" She spat the words and stamped fiercely on the floor.</p> - -<p>"I would see that man humbled and cast down. I would see his red blood -on the stones at my feet.</p> - -<p>"There is a way into the fort, a hidden way, which is known to none but -me and Telo.</p> - -<p>"Now, Telo here shall show you that way. There is a spring on the hill. -'Tis back of the stables, in a grove of stunted trees. It flows down -through the rock under the wall and escapes on the hillside. Years ago, -when I tended cows on the hill, I found the entrance. The water has so -worn the stone that one may climb its course from the old cowpath to -the brow of the hill. If a girl can clamber there, surely active men -will not find it at all hard to do.</p> - -<p>"When night is fallen, bid your men to storm the gate again. Then, if -your force is strong enough to make the venture, take a part of it and -gain the hill. While those of Broddok's men who do not watch the walls -are sleeping, you may fall upon them and open the gates."</p> - -<p>Polaris and Jastla looked on the girl, amazed.</p> - -<p>"Stare not at me," she said. "I am an outcast and reckless woman—and I -would be revenged. Besides, we poor folk care little what the fate of -Bel-Ar may be, who does oppress us so that life is a great weariness."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It was arranged that they should come back at nightfall for the boy, -and Polaris and Jastla left the house. When the chieftain fingered his -pouch and would have paid her for the entertainment, Raula would have -none of his gold.</p> - -<p>"This night's work will be pay enough for Raula," she said.</p> - -<p>After they had gone, Jastla set a soldier to watch the house and report -to him if any left it; for Jastla trusted no woman and feared a trap. -His fears proved to be unfounded. No one left or visited the house -through the afternoon.</p> - -<p>For the remainder of the day Polaris rested his soldiers, and kept -up only the semblance of an attack on the walls of Barme citadel. He -wondered much at the delay of the army of Ruthar, having as yet learned -nothing of the fighting at the Kimbrian breach; but he was resolved to -delay not himself, but make the attempt on the fortress as the girl -Raula had suggested.</p> - -<p>With the fall of night he brought the bulk of his force up into the -cross-streets near the gate and posted sentries to see that none passed -from the town to the fort. Then he went to the house of Raula and -fetched the lad. Telo was afraid of the night and the many armed men, -and would go only if Polaris, whom he trusted, would carry him.</p> - -<p>"Show him the spring at the head of the old cowpath, Telo," said -Raula, and to Polaris, "Bend down the clump of evergreen bushes above -the spring, and you will find the way through the rock. Beware of the -sentries at the stables. Once one of them nearly slew me when I came -suddenly on him out of the dark." She bent nearer and whispered:</p> - -<p>"Perchance you will meet and slay Broddok, the captain. I pray you do. -And ere you smite, tell him that Raula, daughter of Hecar, sent you to -him."</p> - -<p>As Polaris went out to the street, with the lad on his shoulder, he -heard the girl's shrill laughter within the house—laughter that made -him shiver.</p> - -<p>Followed by a thousand of his swordsmen, including the hundred men -of Jastla, Polaris marched silently around rough devious streets -to the side of the hill, and then into the rough ground where the -boy directed. It was a dark night, for the stars were dimmed by -storm-clouds, and the going was slow. Raula had said it would take at -least an hour and the half of another to gain the crest of the hill, -and Polaris had ordered his men in the town to hold their hands until -they should hear his trumpets, and then to attack the gates of the -citadel with trees and fire.</p> - -<p>At the spring the clump of bush was found easily, and behind it in the -face of the hill was a hole in the rock, so low that a man must bend -nearly double to enter it. Here Polaris gave Telo into the arms of a -young Rutharian soldier, bidding him bear the lad safely back to his -sister.</p> - -<p>Bending down, the son of the snows entered the hole. Jastla, who never -let his charge beyond arm's reach, crowded in at his heels. For six -feet or more they walked with their knees nearly to their chins, and -then were able to stand upright. The girl had told them that a light -in the passage could not be seen from above because of the trees, and -one of the soldiers had nursed a smouldering torch under his cloak. -That was brought in and whirled into flame, and they proceeded along a -narrow gully, over the floor of which the water trickled.</p> - -<p>"Oof! That maid must have been very love-sick, or she has the courage -of a fighting man, to have climbed this place in the dark," muttered -Jastla, as he surveyed the gloomy cavern.</p> - -<p>For nearly three hundred yards the party followed the subterranean -ravine, the floor of which sloped upward sharply. It ended in a shaft -that was nearly perpendicular, which the men must climb by the aid of -jagged rocks where the course of the stream had been worn for centuries.</p> - -<p>The torchbearer was posted at the angle, so that the light might be -shed both down the passage and through the shaft. Wrapping his sword -and spear in his cloak to prevent them from clanging against the -stones, Janess, insisting that he should be first, went silently up -through the rock, and Jastla followed close behind. They came out at -the top through thick bushes into a basin or pool, where the water was -ankle-deep. They were inside the wall of the fortress on the western -side of the hill-crest. Around the pool was a grove of stunted trees, -to the east of which lay the low, wooden stable buildings. South of the -stables were the stone barracks of the garrison.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Man by man, the Rutharians came up through the darksome hole and took -cover among the trees, until the grove bristled with swords. Polaris -and Jastla worked their way to the edge of the wood nearest the stables.</p> - -<p>The chieftain pointed to the wooden buildings.</p> - -<p>"We will fire them," he whispered, "and have a light to fight by."</p> - -<p>As he spoke, a sentry paced out from the shadow of the stables and -passed along the edge of the grove to the wall. So near he passed -to the hidden men that they might have reached out and touched his -shoulder.</p> - -<p>"Now that man must be disposed of," muttered Polaris, "and I like it -not, this smiting of men from behind."</p> - -<p>No such niceties of warfare ruled Jastla. When the man came back, the -chieftain stepped noiselessly from the trees behind him. For a pace -or two the big mountaineer trod in the tracks of the unsuspecting -sentry. Then Jastla sprang, and a brief and wordless struggle under the -trees followed. A dagger flashed. Arising, Jastla took the cloak of -the fallen man and stepped calmly into his beat. At the corner of the -stable the chieftain met and slew the second sentry.</p> - -<p>At the side of the stable the Rutharian swordsmen formed for battle. -A man with a torch ran from point to point along the rear of the -buildings and set fire to the timbers. As they caught and the flames -leaped crackling up, the frightened horses began to pound and scream.</p> - -<p>Polaris bade his trumpeter blow. The notes blared piercing clear. The -swordsmen broke cover with a roar and charged the stone barracks. -Lighting torches at the blazing barns, men ran with them to light -the way. Hardly were they half-way across the intervening space when -there was an answering flare from the streets below, and the thunder -of the battering-ram announced that the fight at the gates was on with -redoubled fury.</p> - -<p>While half of his force entered the barracks and fell upon the -bewildered men there, Polaris, with the remainder, swept down the broad -roadway, past the dwelling of the officers. Cutting their way through -the defenders of the gate, the Rutharians tore out the bars, and their -comrades in the streets swarmed through and up the hillside.</p> - -<p>In the midst of the wild mĂŞlĂ©e that followed, Broddok did the only -thing that he could do to save his skin. He rallied such of his men -as were under arms, fought through to the stables, and released the -fear-maddened horses. All who could of the Maeronicans mounted in -haste. For a moment it seemed that the captain would give the order to -charge down the street into the fighting press, where the men of Ruthar -were putting his comrades to the sword. But Broddok thought better of -it.</p> - -<p>With nearly four hundred men, the captain rode down the northern slope -of the hill, opened the road-gates there, and galloped off through the -pass, leaving his leaderless garrison to fend for itself.</p> - -<p>When that became known, the Maeronican soldiers, beset on both sides -and confused and disheartened by the suddenness of the stroke, threw -down their arms and surrendered, on promise of their lives.</p> - -<p>So fell the strong fortress of Barme, because its captain had broken -faith with a woman.</p> - -<p>With the first light of morning, Polaris sent his prisoners south -toward Ruthar under a strong guard. Leaving a thousand men under one of -Jastla's hill-captains to hold the citadel, the son of the snows pushed -on through the pass with the remainder of his division.</p> - -<p>That move of his came near to costing Ruthar a king.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>CHAPTER IX</h2> - -<h3>THE COMING OF THE BEASTS</h3> - - -<p>Seated on her ivory throne in the empty hall of her temple, the Goddess -Glorian fought within her heart a battle that was every whit as fierce -and hard as that of Ruthar in the field. In that sounding citadel two -forces stood arrayed, one for good and one for evil, and the conflict -between them was passing bitter. It was the world-old war of duty and -love that has ever torn the heart of woman.</p> - -<p>No outward signal of the struggle marred the supernal beauty of her -face. She sat as one sits who is thoughtful and somewhat weary. -Light-rays that stole down from the windows in the lofty dome wrought -strange effects of fire in the wonder of her hair—fire which smoldered -and glowed and ran in tiny sparks along the silklike filaments. Her -head was slightly bowed. The slender hands, which lay in her lap, were -quiet and listless. Only in the depths of her eyes was she betrayed. In -those red-brown deeps, could one have seen them through the half-closed -lids, one would have found a pleading misery that would not still, -almost a terror.</p> - -<p>Compelled by the ancient secret and a will that never slept, the -passing years had dealt splendidly by Glorian. Experience they had -given her, which is more than knowledge, and patience, and an almost -supernatural poise; but they had not made her more than human.</p> - -<p>And a man had come.</p> - -<p>Why should she give way to this other woman? Why should she not reach -out and take that for desire of which her soul yearned and her heart -was consumed by flame? 'Twould be easy. A delay, a word in the ear of -Zoar, a seeming mischance—and the priests of Shamar in Adlaz would -clear her way. Why should she shrink and hesitate?</p> - -<p>The man had said that, were he too late, he would die upon the road. -Well, that might be prevented. Besides, men do not die so easily, and -time will heal all heart-wounds. But will it? And were that other woman -dead, could Glorian win him to herself—this man whose will was as -strong as her own?</p> - -<p>He was through the wall now and on the road to Adlaz. Oleric had sent -messengers to tell her that. And they had told her, too, of that -brave friend of his, who had nearly given his life while opening the -way. Many had died—her own countrymen—and many more would die—and -why? Because of an ambition which she herself had nurtured and kept -bright—now hollow and of no appeal. What should Glorian care who held -dominion over Adlaz or over Ruthar—she, who desired only peace and to -rule in the heart of a man?</p> - -<p>All of a long afternoon she sat there, and a statue were not more -still. For the better part of the night the struggle raged on above her -pillow, and left it drenched with tears. Then evil fled the field, and -she who had mastered her spirit slept dreamlessly until the morrow.</p> - -<p>In the morning she sent away her tire-women, and ordered that a horse -be equipped for a warrior and left at the temple doors.</p> - -<p>When that steed went down the hill there was no one in all Ruthar who -would have known that the Goddess Glorian was the rider. For she was -arrayed in the glittering armor, silver-wrought above its steel, of a -Rutharian zind. She wore a closed and vizored helm. A sword swung at -her back, and there were both ax and spear at her saddle-bow.</p> - -<p>"I will go down with him into the battle," she whispered, "and let -things fall out as they may. Some day, somewhere, my time will come. My -soul has promised it."</p> - -<p>She crossed the Illia and rode northward through the forests.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>After the fall of Atlo the fighting went on at the wall for the rest -of that day, the Rutharians storming tower after tower, until they held -every turret from sea to sea. Through the afternoon and the night and -the next day Oleric pushed on with his road, working his men in relays, -and snatching for himself only brief spells of sleep. Through the night -in which the king of Ruthar stormed and took Barme, the sappers and -miners labored on at the breach.</p> - -<p>Morning saw the task completed.</p> - -<p>First through the breach went a flying squadron of the horsemen from -the hills, six thousand strong, led by two of the mountain zinds, -Maxtan and Albar. After them marched a great division of infantry, -nearly fifty thousand of them, the chest of the army, each section -carrying with it a number of companies of archers and slingers. Then -a force of nearly thirteen thousand chariots rumbled through the -breach—these following the infantry because they would be of little -use until the host should pass the mountain defiles to more level -fighting ground. Followed an endless train of baggage and provision -wains.</p> - -<p>No siege machinery was carried, for two reasons. Rutharians long ago -had found such engines as their skill had devised to be powerless -against the Kimbrian Wall, and had lost faith in them. Secondly, -certain carefully handled bundles from the laboratories of Nematzin -were judged to be of more avail than any catapult, ram or mantelet.</p> - -<p>At intervals Oleric halted the divisions to allow of the passage of -more cavalry, which spread out at each side of the main array and rode -down through the forest paths of the isthmus.</p> - -<p>For more than twelve hours Ruthar poured her armed men through the -breach in the barrier, with scarcely a break—and the way was wide. -Reserves in the camp and on the wall cheered the various regiments as -they went by, marching under their banners and to the music of pipe and -drum.</p> - -<p>Last of all, over the slope and through the gap came Zoar of the -Amalocs with no less than fifty-eight of the monsters of his herd. -In single file the amalocs marched, each holding fast with his trunk -to the tail of the beast ahead, as elephants are wont to do. Ixstus, -father and patriarch of the herd, led the line, and on the mighty head -of Ixstus rode Zoar, the master.</p> - -<p>On they came, these mountains of red-wooled flesh, swinging their -gleaming wealth of ivories. Though their shambling tread was soft and -padding, the roadway, made smooth and hard by the passing of thousands -of feet and hoofs and wheels, shook under their advance.</p> - -<p>Zoar had been preparing against this day for many years. All of his -beasts were armored for battle. Their heads were protected by immense -bosses or shields of steel. He had also armor for their forelegs, with -chains, which could be attached in such a manner that they would swing -out when the animals charged, and strike down any living thing that -came near them. The tips of the spreading tusks were equipped with -sockets, to which sharp steel points could be fitted. More than half of -the great brutes bore fighting turrets on their backs, in each of which -was room for a half a score of men. A few tons more or less of metal -and men meant nothing to the boundless strength of an amaloc.</p> - -<p>Until he saw that Zoar had passed the breach, Oleric waited. Then he -took horse and rode forward. Zenas and certain of his workmen had gone -through with the first of the cavalry. With them had gone the dog -Rombar. The animal had escaped from the laboratories in Zele-omaz, -where Polaris had left him, and had come into the camp half starved -and nearly frantic with anxiety to find his master. Zenas could not -withstand the appeal of the brute's dumb search, so he took Rombar -along. Everson, getting better of his wound, still sick and delirious, -had been transferred to Zele-omaz and lay at the house of Zind Atra, -tended by the best medical skill in Ruthar.</p> - -<p>When the head of the host was some six hours upon its way, it met the -first of the long lines of captives, which Polaris had sent back from -the storming of Barme. The cheering which greeted the tale of that -exploit of their king passed down the marching regiments like a gale -and through the Kimbrian breach into Ruthar. When Zenas, with the -riders, clattered up the hill in the gorge and saw the strength of the -citadel that had been taken, his heart beat high with pride for what -his boy had done.</p> - -<p>Learning there that the king had passed on to the north, the horsemen, -their numbers continually augmented by new companies from the rear, -pushed on along the road in the hope of overtaking him.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>In a dark and narrow glen, wild with rocks and trees, with a mountain -wall at his back and steel death, many-handed and triumphant, closing -in along his front, a tawny-haired giant crouched warily among his -thinning ranks of fighting men. If ever a man was hard beset, it -was the king of Ruthar. Hemmed in where there was no way of escape, -he waited with his dwindling company the fifth charge of a horde of -Maeronican warriors, who were forming for the rush at the mouth of the -glen. Gone wild with glee were the sons of Ad. They had trapped the -king of Ruthar like a wounded bear. Great would be their reward from -Bel-Ar if they took him.</p> - -<p>Among the rocks and bushes lay a grim reminder in shattered men of four -previous charges. Some comfort it was to those who waited above to know -that for every one of Ruthar who had gone to the stars, at least two of -Bel-Ar's men had traveled the same path—or perhaps to the sun; for the -Maeronicans prayed to Shamar.</p> - -<p>After leaving Barme, Polaris had led his followers along the main road, -and they had almost reached the end of the pass, where it debouched -into the forests of upper Maeronica, before mischance overtook them. It -came in the shape of that same Captain Broddok, whom they had driven -from his blazing hold at Barme.</p> - -<p>Broddok had ridden through the pass at speed, and beyond it had met a -strong outpost of cavalry and five regiments of foot-soldiers, sent up -to hold the passes. For Captain Fanaer had already arrived in upper -Maeronica.</p> - -<p>Scouts brought word of the advance of Polaris with the most of his -force through the principal pass. He, too, had sent out small parties -to explore through the outer defiles, of which there were four, and -bring him word of the lay of the land.</p> - -<p>"Now let him come on," counseled Broddok to the Maeronican commander, -"and we shall have a surprise for him."</p> - -<p>Swiftly galloping riders at once swarmed into the four smaller passes, -overwhelmed the Rutharians whom they found there and drove them into -the hills. The horsemen then joined forces and swept down the road in -the rear of Polaris, having come into the defile by bridle paths over -the hills which were known to them.</p> - -<p>Turning his front to meet this menace, the son of the snows was beset -from behind by both cavalry and infantry, and his force was split up -before it could be massed or a place be found suitable for defense. -With nearly a thousand of his men of mixed armament, Janess had been -driven into the glen, discovering too late that it was a cul-de-sac, -from which there was no escape.</p> - -<p>Four charges the Rutharians had met, and their numbers were now less -than three hundred. But Jastla's ring of steel still held, and Polaris -himself was not even wounded. Where the fighting had been the thickest, -there he had gone; but ever when some perilous blow fell, there was -one of Jastla's mountaineers to meet it or to die under it. Of the -hundred men less than fifty lived, and scarcely a score of those were -scatheless.</p> - -<p>"All that you can do here, you have done, O king," said Jastla -earnestly, as they waited for the fifth charge. "A man unhindered might -scale yonder rocks and escape into the hills. Do you make the attempt? -I and these with me will hold back these howling whelps of Bel-Ar. -Haste you, or 'twill be too late."</p> - -<p>Polaris turned on him sternly.</p> - -<p>"And you have been comrade to me, Jastla, and did train and make me -skilled with arms, and yet think that I am so small of spirit," he -said. "Jastla, I take it ill of you. You and these men are fighting for -the man whom Ruthar has crowned king. What sort of a king would he be, -think you, who deserted when he had those still lines yonder before him -for example?" He pointed down where the dead warriors lay.</p> - -<p>"Here I may die, and here I may buried be; but I will not turn back."</p> - -<p>Under his shaggy brows old Jastla's eyes were moist.</p> - -<p>He grunted loudly.</p> - -<p>"I didn't think that you would go. Forgive me that I spoke of it," he -said. He turned to his hillsmen, and the word went round that every -last one of the wolves of Ruthar was to die in his tracks. There would -be no giving back before the next charge.</p> - -<p>Broddok on foot waved his sword and gave the word, and the Maeronicans -raised their battle-cry and came swarming up through the rocks to the -attack. The mountaineers answered them with a deep-voiced shout:</p> - -<p>"For the king! For Polaris!"</p> - -<p>None of the combatants heard a thin cry far above them at the brink of -the cliff and the frenzied barking of a dog.</p> - -<p>On came the Maeronicans, Broddok leading, his face flushed with triumph -and hatred. In the captain's way was a large fragment of rock. As he -sprang around it, it split in twain and flew into splinters, belching -green flame. That flash was the last thing the captain ever saw; the -thunderous roar that shook the hillside was the crack of doom for him. -A sliver of rock smote him on the temple. Raula was avenged.</p> - -<p>Another terrific explosion tore up the earth and boulders right in the -midst of the startled Maeronicans, and then another. Men were dying by -the hundred. Bel-Ar's men turned and fled shrieking for the roadway. -The charge was turned into a rout. Hardly were they out of the glen -where such fearsome happenings had befallen them, when a cloud of -Rutharian cavalry rolled down through the main pass and swept Bel-Ar's -men and their supports into headlong flight toward the lowlands.</p> - -<p>On the brow of the rock a small, white-haired old man, clad in armor -several sizes too large for him, stood up from his knees and patted a -great black dog on the head.</p> - -<p>"Good shots those were, Rombar," he said. "Used to be a baseball -pitcher once, and haven't lost my wing yet. By golly! I was just in -time."</p> - -<p>Presently Zenas was down in the road with the others to greet Polaris. -The geologist made light of what he had done, but Janess and the others -knew that they owed their lives to his quick wit.</p> - -<p>Soldiers who had been driven into the hills had met the Rutharian -riders and told them of the plight of their king. While the cavalry -engaged the Maeronicans in the pass and cleared it, the old man and -a small party, carrying melinite bombs, some few of which Zenas had -fashioned in his laboratories, had ridden by a bridle-path to the top -of the cliff.</p> - -<p>"Be careful, son," said Zenas, when Polaris threw an arm lovingly -across his shoulder. "This chain jerkin of mine is packed with enough -of that green hell-cake to spread us over two counties. And keep the -brute away."</p> - -<p>For Rombar had found his master and was leaping about him like a crazed -thing and barking as if to tell the whole army about it.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Despite the utmost efforts of Fanaer, the most trusted of Bel-Ar's -captains and a general skilled in all the arts of war, Ruthar held -the isthmus and the mountain passes, and through the Kimbrian defile -poured down with horse and foot and chariot into upper Maeronica. -Failing to hold back the host of the invader and fortify the passes, as -he had hoped to do, Fanaer began a harrying, guerrilla warfare. From -sea to sea he made the land barren of supplies for his enemy, sending -the peasants and hill-dwellers with their cattle and provisions down -to the coast cities of Zeddar and Aklon. He sent swarms of light -riders into the hills, where by sally and ambuscade and the breaking -of bridges and a hundred other means they fretted the advance of the -Rutharian army.</p> - -<p>Did the way lie through a forest, Fanaer fired it, and Ruthar marched -in flames and smoke. Did the road follow the turn of a hill, there were -men at the crest to roll huge rocks down on the tramping legions. Was a -gorge to be passed, the bridges were ruined.</p> - -<p>Days wore away, days which Ruthar could ill spare, and which Polaris -counted with a sinking heart, seeing his army go forward so slowly. -Still it did advance—slowly, painfully, but surely, the steel lines -made progress.</p> - -<p>Craft against craft Oleric matched with Fanaer. Ruthar had her light -horsemen, too. Right and left Oleric sent them into the uplands to -clear his path of the stinging pests of Fanaer. Scores of times in -a day, on hilltop or in wooded glen, short, fierce engagements were -fought, but never a pitched battle. Maeronica was playing for delay. -Far behind the shifting screen of Fanaer's operations Bel-Ar and his -generals were consolidating the main strength of Maeronica in the -lowlands along the river Thebascu.</p> - -<p>When hill-riding and skirmishing was done, the generals of both armies -knew that the real war would begin—that the issue would be joined and -decided on the plains of Nor.</p> - -<p>Careful as any general in modern warfare was Oleric with regard to -his flanks and rear. Well he knew, did the red captain, that in the -slow-moving trains of provisions that crept ceaselessly along the -isthmus from Ruthar was the strength of his host in the field. Once -that line was cut, Bel-Ar might laugh indeed.</p> - -<p>It took many men to keep the rear ways open and man the isthmian -passes. On the morning when the Rutharian army writhed forth from the -forests like a wounded but tenacious serpent onto the level stretches -of the plains of Nor, Oleric had under his banners a scant hundred -thousand men. Thirty thousand more warded the rear. Fifty thousand in -reserves were massed in the forests and on the isthmus. Twenty thousand -were with the slain.</p> - -<p>The sun was shining as the host wound out from the gloom of the -forests. To right and to left were wooded hills and beyond them the -peaks of mountain ranges, blue against the skies. Ahead, the plains, a -reach of level land some thirty miles broad from east and west and a -score of miles across, were divided by the gleaming, irregular ribbon -of the river Thebascu.</p> - -<p>In a loop of the river in a camp that was strongly entrenched, for all -the haste with which it had been constructed, lay the army of Ad, fresh -and unwearied and ready for battle. And it outnumbered the host of -Ruthar by nearly two to one. Across the river, down the hundred miles -to Adlaz, the Mazanion Road was choked with supply trains and reserves.</p> - -<p>Snow still lay in patches in the forest defiles; but the plains were -faintly green with a promise of the spring-time. On the trees the buds -were swelling. Through a month of wearisome marching Ruthar had come. -In less than forty-five days the trumpets would sound from the towers -of Adlaz for the Feast of Years.</p> - -<p>"Now by her who sits at Flomos," said Oleric to Polaris, as they sat -their horses on a hillside and looked across the plains to where the -gold and blue standards fluttered, "here will be a battle worth the -waiting of all my years."</p> - -<p>Somewhat worn with anxiety was the face of the son of the snows; but -his eyes were bright and his strength was unimpaired. He, too, was -ready.</p> - -<p>"Shall we not strike at the nearest point of the river?" he asked, -pointing to the west of Bel-Ar's camp. "If we gain the bank of the -stream, it will shorten our front, and it seems that we shall not -easily be flanked."</p> - -<p>Oleric swore that the plan was good, and Ruthar's army began to fight -its way across the plain. It could scarcely be said that battle was -beginning. All the way through the forests had been one long, unending -struggle with Fanaer. Already on the plains cavalry skirmishes were in -progress. Now was to come the climax of a month of conflict.</p> - -<p>Steadily Ruthar pressed on, and with the fall of night pitched her -tents on the plain, her left wing resting on the river below the -Maeronican camp. By common consent, the fighting ceased at dusk and the -armies rested on their arms. The next day would tell the tale, and they -were content to await it. Such was the contour of the land that there -was little ground for strategy and juggling of men. This was to be a -battle, front to front, with victory to the strongest arms. And though -their force was the greater, there was much of doubt in the hearts -of the men of Ad. Tales had been brought in of the prowess of these -mountain warriors.</p> - -<p>Other camp gossip had put uneasiness upon the soldiers of Bel-Ar. How, -for instance, had the Kimbrian Wall been sundered, if it were not the -work of the gods? And the beasts, the mighty red beasts, against which -men were as flies. Rumor had told that they had come into Maeronica -and would fight in the field against Adlaz. The sun set that night in -a sea of fire. Men did not know how to interpret that omen. Was Shamar -angered? And if he was, on whose heads would his blows fall on the -morrow? The stars shone calm and clear. Ruthar worshiped the stars.</p> - -<p>Those and other thoughts caused many a stout Maeronican to shake his -head over his campfire. But most of all they feared the beasts.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Wary Oleric had kept Zoar and his herd well to the rear. Never in the -march had the amalocs gone forward until the way had been cleared. None -of the Maeronican fighting men had set eyes on them. The beasts were -Ruthar's strongest hope. If even the thought of them struck terror into -the hearts of the Children of Ad, Oleric reasoned that their sudden -appearance in battle might be counted upon to produce a panic.</p> - -<p>Ruthar would try a tilt against Maeronica, the red captain planned, and -if she might would win her battle by force of arms alone. But if the -fight should swing against her, then the beasts would be better than an -army in reserve. So he bade Zoar camp in the forests, and he surrounded -the encampment with a strong guard and cordons of sentries.</p> - -<p>In the morning Ruthar's stars paled, and Shamar came up smiling—seeing -which the men of Bel-Ar took fresh heart.</p> - -<p>Scarcely had the first shafts of light thrust over the mountain-tops -when Oleric, from the shadows of the forest, launched a great bolt of -cavalry across the plain. Another division which had been moved in the -night swept east along the south bank of the river. While the riders of -Bel-Ar went out to meet them, the trumpets of the king of Ruthar were -sounded in the center of the camp, and long files of men-at-arms crept -forth into the dawn behind the screen of dashing horsemen.</p> - -<p>In three deep columns Polaris moved his footmen into battle, with lanes -between them, into which the cavalry might retire, and through which -the charioteers would charge when the time came. Each of the marching -columns was tipped with regiments of swiftly moving javelin men, and -behind them came the archers, stringing their long bows and singing a -lilting chorus as they moved out on the plain.</p> - -<p>Mounted on his black stallion, Polaris led the center, riding behind -the first ranks of his swordsmen and accompanied by the men of Jastla -and some score of the Rutharian zinds, all in full armor. Far to the -right rode Oleric the Red. The left was headed by Tarnos, one of the -zinds. That post Polaris had offered to old Jastla of the hills, but -the chieftain had declined it.</p> - -<p>"'Tis a great honor, O king," he said when the proffer was made, and -his eyes shone. "But I pray you give it not to me. I would fight at -your side. That post will be troublesome enough, as I well know." -Jastla grinned broadly. "Give the command to a nobler man."</p> - -<p>"There is none nobler, old wolf," Polaris replied. "But have it as you -will."</p> - -<p>So Tarnos led the left, along the river Thebascu, and Jastla and his -ring of steel rode with his king, and he was content.</p> - -<p>Midway between the camps, as Oleric had ordered it, the charging -horsemen swerved aside, doubled, and, as though in fear, plunged -back between the advancing columns. Hard on their flying heels came -the shouting riders of Ad. As they came the javelin men cast, and -the archers bent bows and loosed a bitter flight from their twanging -strings that shrieked among the horsemen like a white drift of blizzard -through the mountain trees. Then, before the eyes of the Maeronican -riders, the horsemen they pursued were gone; the bowmen and the -javelin-throwers melted away; fanwise the heads of the three columns -spread out and joined each to each, their front ranks kneeling; and -Ruthar received her plunging foemen on an unbroken front of leveled -spears.</p> - -<p>Fell ruin awaited that splendid charge. Unable to turn back because -of the surging squadrons behind them, the foremost ranks were dashed -against the grim steel barrier, and went down in a horrible tangle of -struggling men and horses.</p> - -<p>Into the mĂŞlĂ©e, through the lines and over the shoulders of their -comrades, leaped the light-armed footmen with their javelins and -daggers, and slew hundreds of horses, whose riders fell easy prey to -the two-handed blades that now were aloft and busy.</p> - -<p>At the rear the Rutharian cavalry formed again, and dashing around the -flanks of the columns in two flying wedges, closed like nippers behind -Bel-Ar's confused squadrons.</p> - -<p>First cast in the game had gone to Ruthar. The horsemen of Ad were -routed and pushed back—all those who could go. Those that remained -were done with fighting.</p> - -<p>From the earthen wall of his camp, standing among his golden-armored -generals, Bel-Ar saw his cavalry broken and flung back—saw it, and -laughed aloud.</p> - -<p>"They fight well, these mountain wolves," he said. "But that was the -play of children. Now will we send them a taste of the swords of Ad."</p> - -<p>Beyond the wall of the camp were massed the legions of the Maeronican -heavy infantry, flower of the fighting men of seven cities, the core -of which was formed of the garrison of Adlaz itself, fifteen thousand -veteran men-at-arms.</p> - -<p>Bidding his captains go forward, the king called for his horse.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Somber as he had appeared in his dull garments in the midst of his -butterfly court, Bel-Ar, among his captains, offered an even greater -contrast. He loved the pomp and pride of power, its show and its -glitter, but not in his own person. While his generals rode in gold, -and the armor of some of them blazed with gems and patterns in -orichalcum that made them glow like fireflies in the night, the king -wore a simple suit of arms of black steel, plain of design and undecked -by any flashing gauds. Only the majesty that dwelt in his pallid face -and the fires of his mystic's eyes distinguished him from some humble -gentleman of poor estate.</p> - -<p>Mounting his war-horse, a gaunt, powerful roan beast of vicious temper, -the king, with a number of his favorite captains, rode down the field -in the wake of his advancing phalanxes. With them was advanced the blue -and gold battle-standard.</p> - -<p>Bel-Ar marshaled his legions in wide divisions, each of nearly a -thousand men, marching in quadruple lines, and the divisions in such -close touch that they might form, when there was need, a solid front. -At the wings of the force were stationed the light-armed men and -archers. Behind those, two wedge-shaped masses of chariots rolled forth -from the camp gates and rumbled across the plain.</p> - -<p>At the foot of a gentle dip of the land the Rutharians had met and -hurled back the horsemen. There they elected to remain and await the -enemy's sterner onset.</p> - -<p>On came the shimmering lines of Ad across the meadows now dewed with -blood; on with a rattle of drums, a brazen peal of trumpets, the clank -and clash of armor mingling with the pounding hoofs on the hard turf, -the thumping of chariot-wheels, and the shouted commands of the file -leaders—the ancient, many-tongued clamor that stirs the soul of Mars.</p> - -<p>Silent and watchful, the men of mountainous Ruthar crouched low behind -their shields and waited.</p> - -<p>Over the bodies of their dead comrades, over the fallen horses, the -phalanxes marched. Then, closing into a living wall, they took the last -tangled barrier of corpses with a rush and a shout, and the battle was -joined. All across the field echoed the hollow thunder of the meeting -shields as the lines closed. Followed a clanging as of a thousand -trip-hammers. For now the spears were down and the swords were at work.</p> - -<p>Following their custom, the Rutharians cast their shields behind them -after the first shock of the onset, and plied their long blades with -both hands, making them serve both as swords and bucklers.</p> - -<p>On pushed the Maeronican wall under its tossing banners. So fierce was -the rush and pressure of those charging thousands that Ruthar's line, -strive as her warriors might, was bent backward like a bow. A wild -cheering went up from the ranks of Ad when they saw the red standard -give back. Gathering themselves again, they swept the mountain legions -to the crest of the rise.</p> - -<p>Sitting his charger on the slope behind the line of his men-at-arms, -Polaris looked down into that hell of combat. Like the unfolding vista -of a hideous dream, it seemed to him, which he was powerless to break -or to hinder. Yet above the din of the blood-maddened legions the sky -was blue and calm, the sun shone bright, and back there in the forests -the birds of spring were calling to their mates.</p> - -<p>Under his fascinated eyes the line of his warriors bent and came -nearer. The red banner of Ruthar—a moment ago it had been planted -at the foot of the slope, and now it was almost touching his horse's -muzzle! Down there in the field another flag was coming, and with it a -company of riders whose armor flashed back the sunlight from plates and -shields of burnished gold.</p> - -<p>The spell was broken.</p> - -<p>Rising in his stirrups, the son of the snows drew his two-handed sword -from over his shoulder. Among the Maeronican generals his keen eyes had -seen a face that he remembered well.</p> - -<p>"Zinds of Ruthar!" he cried, his voice ringing above the clamor. -"Yonder rides Bel-Ar of Adlaz. Let us go and greet him."</p> - -<p>All around him he heard the clinking of closing vizors. The zinds were -ready.</p> - -<p>Casting down his shield, Polaris called to the swordsmen in front to -open and make way. Before the Maeronican soldiery could advantage -themselves of the gap, he was down the slope and upon them like a -living thunderbolt. Under the urge of the spurs, his horse reared -and struck out with its forefeet as it met the foemen. Leaning well -over the good beast's shoulder, the rider whirled his heavy blade and -struck so fast and so fiercely that eyes could not follow the blows. -Adlaz's stoutest warriors shrank bewildered from the menace of that -lightning-stroke and those steel-shod hoofs. Before one might count ten -he was through them, leaving a wake of crumpled men. Behind him rode -gray Jastla and the zinds of Ruthar.</p> - -<p>As they passed, one of the zinds bent and snatched the crimson banner -from the standard-bearer.</p> - -<p>A roar like that of angry lions went down the Rutharian front when -the hillsmen saw their flaming standard rise over the heads of the -fighting men and advance into the field. Where their king led, no wall -of steel could hold them back. As though the string had been released, -the mighty bow straightened. All down that long, grim battle-line the -two-handed swords clove through.</p> - -<p>Rallying around their king, the golden captains waited the shock that -was coming.</p> - -<p>For Polaris had one goal, and one only, on all that stricken field. -Outstripping the fleetest of his riders, he hewed his way through the -Maeronican nobles, nor stopped until his sable war-horse was shoulder -to shoulder with the steed of Bel-Ar, the king.</p> - -<p>"By Shamar, 'tis the slave-king!" shouted Bel-Ar, as the apparition in -steel and silver burst through his gilded riders and bore down upon -him. Sword and shield he lifted to meet the assault, fending himself -with that skill of arms by which he oft had made good the boast of -Adlaz that he was the hardiest fighting man in the two kingdoms.</p> - -<p>While the battle on the plain raged around them unheeded, king met king -in the play of swords.</p> - -<p>First stroke of Polaris fell on the rounded shield and beat it down so -that Bel-Ar reeled in his saddle. Before the great blade could swing -again, the Maeronican straightened and smote with his own good sword of -tempered bronze. A clang as of a descending hammer rang in the ears of -Polaris. Under the trampling feet of the horses lay one of the golden -wings of his helmet. Another stroke fell on his shoulder, cracking a -steel boss of his armor and thrilling his arm with a sting of pain. -Heeding it not, he rose in the saddle and swung his sword to his two -arms' height. No shield or arm would stay that blow.</p> - -<p>For the fraction of a second Bel-Ar's doom hung poised in air. Ere it -fell, Polaris's stallion reared, screaming. The mighty stroke that the -rider sped fell on empty air. Overbalanced by the weight of his own -effort, Polaris bent nearly to his saddle-bow. Beneath him the black -stallion shuddered and went down. An unhorsed captain of Adlaz had run -in and thrust the animal through the vitals with a spear.</p> - -<p>Janess sprang free from the falling horse. Above him, Bel-Ar shouted -in triumph and hewed down with his bronze sword. But the zinds of -Ruthar had torn through Bel-Ar's riders to the support of their king, -upsetting both men and horses as they came. One of them, a slender -youth in silver armor, leaped from his steed and flashed between Bel-Ar -and his dismounted and helpless foeman, taking the king's sword-stroke -on his head.</p> - -<p>Jastla closed his steel ring, then, and Bel-Ar was carried away in a -swirling press of his own cavalry, which had charged fiercely in to -save him.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Polaris knelt beside his fallen horse and lifted the still form of the -man who had saved him. The red banner of Ruthar, held by Zind Albar, -floated above them. Around the circle of riders which Jastla had drawn -the battle whirled like a seething maelstrom around a rock in a sea of -clashing steel.</p> - -<p>"Who is he?" Polaris asked of Albar, and pillowed the head in its -silver helm on his knee. In vain he tried to lift the vizor. The -sword-stroke of the Maeronican king had shattered the upper flare of -the helmet and bent down its crest so that the vizor would not yield.</p> - -<p>"I know him not," said Albar, who was a hillsman. "Some zind of the -lower cities, I judge, from the armor he wears. Whoever he is, he is a -brave man. He has this day saved the life of the king of Ruthar, and -I fear that he has lost his own in the deed. Bel-Ar strikes bitterly. -See; he has cracked the helmet like an egg. Ah-h—!"</p> - -<p>Striking the steel-shod shaft of the standard into the earth, Albar -leaped down from his horse and knelt beside Polaris.</p> - -<p>While the zind had been speaking, the fingers of the son of the snows -had loosed the clasps of the helmet and lifted it. From under the -cloven silver shell rippling coils of red-brown hair slipped down and -flowed over his arm and his knee, where the sunlight caught and turned -them into dancing flames. The pale face turned up to the sky, unmarred -save by a small stain of blood at one of the temples, was that of the -Goddess Glorian of Ruthar!</p> - -<p>Janess groaned. Albar stared like a man transfixed. But Glorian was not -dead. As the air struck her face she moved her head faintly and her -lips trembled.</p> - -<p>"Illia—roars—loudly to-day," she murmured. "It must be—the -freshets—of spring."</p> - -<p>She opened her eyes, saw the faces bent above her, and smiled wanly at -Polaris.</p> - -<p>"Then I was not too late?" she said, the halting gone out of her voice. -"'Tis well."</p> - -<p>"Lady, why did you come hither—into the battle?" asked Polaris. "And -why—" His voice broke; for the courage of this woman moved him almost -to tears; the memory of that crushing stroke of bronze which she had -taken in his stead made him shudder.</p> - -<p>Glorian smiled again.</p> - -<p>"Vex yourself not about me," she said. "Shall Ruthar's bravest shed -their lives for their land and king, and Glorian not do her part?" She -lifted her hand and pointed to the standard. "Where Ruthar's banner -goes, there goes Glorian also—even into the battle. And I am not -dying, or greatly hurt, only dizzied, and my head hums. See; I can -arise."</p> - -<p>And arise she did, with Polaris's arm to support her. Around Jastla's -narrowing circle broke the shock of the battle-tide. But for the moment -neither the man nor the woman heeded it.</p> - -<p>"But you are wounded, lady," Janess said. "There is blood on your -forehead."</p> - -<p>She slipped a hand from its gauntlet and raised it to her head.</p> - -<p>"Hardly a scratch," she said.</p> - -<p>Just at the roots of her long tresses a splinter from the shivered -helmet had scarred the scalp—a tiny cut, scarcely a quarter of an inch -in length.</p> - -<p>Now Albar the zind, who had hung on every word, came out of the spell -of horror that had bound him. He swung himself onto his horse. Then for -the one time in his life Albar gave orders to a king.</p> - -<p>"Guard you the goddess and the banner," he cried to Polaris. "I go to -tell the men of Ruthar that which shall put in each one the strength of -ten!"</p> - -<p>He rode to Jastla's side.</p> - -<p>"Gray wolf, may your ring be strong till I come again," he said. "You -have within it a king and a goddess."</p> - -<p>Down rang his vizor, and setting spurs to his horse Albar set out to -cross the field and find Oleric the Red.</p> - -<p>No longer was the fight on the plains one of ordered lines of men. The -charge of Polaris had broken the Maeronicans' long front, and they -had not been able to close up the gap he had made. So they had swung -into the smaller phalanxes of their legions, and the battle was one of -division against division, with many breaks between. Here and there -the divisions had split up into still smaller groups, and occasionally -there might be seen two warriors who fought alone, one laying on for -Ruthar and one for Ad.</p> - -<p>Gray Jastla, fighting with his face to the west, heard Albar's words as -the zind flashed past him. To find their meaning, the chieftain cast a -hurried glance over his shoulder. He saw Polaris and Glorian standing -together under the crimson standard, and was near to letting his sword -fall in his surprise. Next instant he rose in his stirrups and clove a -Maeronican from shoulder to breastbone. Out rang the chief's voice in a -hollow roar through his vizor:</p> - -<p>"Strike as ye never struck before! Behind you is the Goddess Glorian, -come to see that ye do well. Would ye have these Maeronican hounds take -her? Strike!"</p> - -<p>Around the circle echoed the war-cry:</p> - -<p>"For the Goddess Glorian! Strike!"</p> - -<p>Like living sword-blades did the Rutharian zinds answer that fierce -appeal. The circle grew smaller and drew in upon itself, but it did not -break. Under their resistless blades the zinds piled a rampart of dead -Maeronicans to defend their goddess. A riderless horse backed into the -circle, and Polaris, quitting Glorian's side, mounted the steed with -his two-handed steel and joined the zinds.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Standing up on the body of Polaris's fallen war-horse, supporting -herself with one hand on the staff of the banner, Glorian watched that -deadly fray. With her long hair flowing on her shoulders, she looked in -her warlike gear like one of the valkyries of Adin come down to earth -from Valhalla to watch the passing of the souls of heroes. Ever her -gaze followed Polaris. And if she seemed like one of the Norse god's -daughters, the man who fought under her eyes was a fitting part of the -simile.</p> - -<p>His sword wrenched from his grasp in the body of a man he had slain, he -snatched the heavy ax that swung at his saddle-bow, and with it laid on -like Thor with his hammer.</p> - -<p>Aid was coming.</p> - -<p>Down the field as he rode Albar spread the tidings. From mouth to mouth -flew the word that the Goddess Glorian was on the plains of Nor, and -that she and the king were in sore peril yonder where the red standard -flew. The effect was instantaneous. Each warrior became a host in -himself. Wounded men who had turned to the rear heard and forgot their -hurts and staggered into the fight again.</p> - -<p>When Albar reached Oleric the Red on the right, the zind found that his -news had preceded him.</p> - -<p>"Get you to Maxtan," shouted Oleric. "Charge with every horse that can -bear a rider. A messenger has gone into the forests, and another charge -is coming. Clear the way for the amalocs."</p> - -<p>Maxtan and Albar gathered their wild horsemen and charged and charged -again. So well did they do their work that they hacked a way to the -first rank of the Maeronican chariots, deep between the two horns of -which was waging the struggle around the red banner.</p> - -<p>Vainly Oleric urged his own charioteers forward. Bel-Ar's blood was up, -and he was smiling no longer. Battalion on battalion of his infantry he -sent in to meet the steeds and feed the blades of Ruthar. Almost within -his grasp the Maeronican king saw victory. Already he counted as taken -the slave whom his foeman had crowned. Sooner than give back a foot, or -allow that little band of riders to go free, he was prepared to spend -his army to the last man, and himself with it.</p> - -<p>No less than three horses Oleric had killed under him. When the last -was gone, he climbed into a chariot and fought at the point of his -rumbling wedge. Behind him from the forests a force entered the plain -and the conflict that was mightier than all the red captain's horsemen -and battalions.</p> - -<p>Zoar had come.</p> - -<p>In the shadow of the tall trees where the bending limbs swept their -mighty backs, Zoar marshaled thirty of his amalocs and set them in -battle array—a single line, with twenty intervening feet between each -beast. If Zoar knew aught of amalocs, and he thought that he did, there -would be need for no second line. A hundred men and as many horses ran -about the legs of the monsters, tightening the broad girths that held -the basketlike turrets on the mammoths' shoulders. The beasts stood -quietly, swinging their huge trunks and weaving from side to side, -as was their habit. Occasionally one of them cocked forward a great -blanket of an ear as though in lazy wonderment at the din on the plains.</p> - -<p>On the head of each, with his back to the turret, and clutching his -keen-pointed ankus, sat a driver in full armor.</p> - -<p>When all was ready, the spear-throwers and archers clambered up by -rope-ladders and took their places in the towers.</p> - -<p>At the left of the line, and nearest to the river, was Ixstus, -patriarch and giant of the herd. And on the broad head of Ixstus beside -the driver rode Zoar of the many years.</p> - -<p>Along the line from beast to beast passed the word:</p> - -<p>"We are ready, Father Zoar."</p> - -<p>"Ixstus!" said the old man. The sail-like ears gave attention. "Ixstus, -I have raised you since a calf, and I think you love me after your -fashion. Do not fail me now, Ixstus. Go forward, fearing nothing. <i>Akko -dor!</i>"</p> - -<p>Zoar's last words were spoken loudly. Thirty vast trunks lifted up. -From thirty huge proboscides pealed forth the amaloc trumpet-call—such -a call as might have shaken the forests in the ages before the first -puny man began his life of fear.</p> - -<p>For of amalocs the records of the Garden of Eden make no mention.</p> - -<p>Swaying their ponderous heads, and with the turrets on their shoulders -heaving and tossing like boats on a troubled sea, the amalocs went -forward.</p> - -<p>Far in the turmoil of the fight Oleric heard that trumpeting. Over his -shoulder he looked and saw the mighty red bulk of Ixstus push out from -among the trees.</p> - -<p>With their trunks curled out of harm's way, their thick and ropy tails -stretched straight out behind, and their ears flapping to their stride, -the amalocs came down the grim lanes of battle. Though the legs that -were as the trunks of trees for size swung with no apparent haste, -the beasts came on at a pace that it would have troubled a trotting -horse to distance. The lengths of chain fastened to their knee-harness -whistled through the air like flails.</p> - -<p>From division to division along Ruthar's jagged battle-line sped the -warning cry:</p> - -<p>"Way! Way for Zoar! Make way for the amalocs!"</p> - -<p>Under the tossing ivory fronts the divisions parted and drew aside. -Zoar increased the distance between his beasts. Into thirty wide -aisles the army split. From forest to front, save for the dead, the -way was clear. From the wild vortex of the battle rose a stormy burst -of cheering as the amalocs thundered down the aisles, and Ruthar's -exultant warriors welcomed their gigantic allies.</p> - -<p>Wilder still was the cheering when it was seen that at the ends of the -pathways the phalanxes of Bel-Ar's men-at-arms were crumbling away. -Flesh and blood could not abide the onset that was coming, and the -Maeronican legions broke and fled ingloriously across the plains in -droves, many of them casting away their arms and shields as they ran.</p> - -<p>Bidding his charioteer pull in his horses, Oleric climbed up on the -high front of his chariot to watch how Bel-Ar would meet this new -stroke. What would meet the drive of the amalocs? As he reached his -vantage-point, the answer came—a cavalry charge!</p> - -<p>From the wall of his camp, where he had been taken, nursing an arm -that was numb from wrist to shoulder, the Maeronican king ground his -teeth in fury as he saw the new force enter the battle and witnessed -the melting of his legions. Once before, in the morning, his cavalry -had been rudely handled, and he had laughed. Now, with tears of rage -in his eyes, he dispatched his shattered squadrons in the teeth of the -oncoming peril.</p> - -<p>White-faced captains and quaking men scrambled into their saddles to -do their king's bidding, and the horsemen rode desperately to meet the -beasts.</p> - -<p>What happened was simple. The amalocs plowed through the clouds of -cavalry that opposed them with scarcely a break in their stride, -overthrowing men and horses as though they had been of paper, and -leaving ghastly ruins behind them where their ponderous feet had -trodden.</p> - -<p>One such onset was enough. No horse that ever lived could have been -forced to face another. For the amalocs, when they joined battle, set -up such a din of squealing and trumpeting as nearly split the ears that -heard it. The horse that could have met that grievous onslaught must -have been both blind and deaf.</p> - -<p>From above, in the basket-turrets, the archers and spearsmen poured -down a deadly hail of missiles on the riders. Did a horseman avoid the -thrashing chains and get near enough to the vast side of an amaloc to -strike—and not many did so—he found his spear-point rebound from -the tough hide. The utmost power of his stroke was not a pin-prick to -an amaloc. Even as the swordsmen had fled, so fled now the riders, -betaking themselves in a fear-maddened stream to their camp, whither -the charioteers had preceded them.</p> - -<p>"The beasts of Ruthar are a myth," had said Bel-Ar, the king. And his -soldiers had believed him, had fostered confidence with the thought -that the frightful tales that had been told of the strength and fury -of the amalocs were mere traditions which had come down from the days -of old. Now here before the camp were the beasts, red and awesome and -raging—more terrible by far than even tradition had painted them—and -among the Children of Ad there was none who had the heart to go out -and face them—unless, indeed, it were the king himself. Bel-Ar in his -rage would have fronted the overlord of all evil that day had he come -against him.</p> - -<p>So it came about that the ring of Jastla, the chief, found the -pressure of assault slackening and falling away. Maeronicans who had -been fiercest to meet the sword-blades, now were stumbling over each -other's legs in their haste to escape the amalocs. What was left of the -ring—barely a score and five of battered men and horses—opened, and -through its gap strode Ixstus and paused beside the red banner.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>CHAPTER X</h2> - -<h3>THE GODDESS GLORIAN'S DECREE</h3> - - -<p>Zoar quit the straps where he had held and stood on the head of Ixstus. -A triumph shone in the eyes of the master of the amalocs, and a smile -spread over his mummified old-ivory features as he looked down at -Glorian.</p> - -<p>"Daughter, they told me that I would find you here—in the forefront of -the battle," he said. "And so it is. Your zeal for Ruthar has carried -you far—so far that Oleric the Learned could not follow, and sent -Father Zoar to find you." He laughed in his bell-like tones.</p> - -<p>"But for the King of Ruthar and these brave men here, you would have -had a longer journey, Father Zoar," Glorian replied. "It might have -been to the camp of Bel-Ar yonder, or—to the stars. Take me up with -you, Zoar, for I am weary."</p> - -<p>"<i>Stekkar deen!</i>" commanded Zoar, and Ixstus looped his trunk and swung -Glorian gently to a seat beside his master.</p> - -<p>Glorian looked around at the little circle of wearied men—so wearied -that they reeled in their saddles. She looked at those others, who lay -where they had fallen, and to whom the long rest had come. Her eyes -filled with tears.</p> - -<p>"I thought to thank you," she said, "but I find no words splendid -enough."</p> - -<p>Old Jastla lifted his arm in salute. "Lady, to those of us who live, -it is sufficient to know that you live also. Those who are dead, died -gladly to make it so. We have held our goddess safe, and our king has -held himself." And he turned and saluted Polaris.</p> - -<p>Of the hundred zinds and fifty tall hillsmen who had formed in Jastla's -ring, five and twenty were left. Not one was unwounded. Jastla's beard -was red with blood, where a spear-point had penetrated through the -bars of his vizor and torn his mouth. In addition to the bruised and -stiffening shoulder caused by the blow of Bel-Ar that had broken his -armor, Polaris had been gashed on the cheek by an arrow. Otherwise he -was the least harmed of the party.</p> - -<p>It was midafternoon when Ixstus set foot in the circle. Presently -Oleric arrived in his chariot. Behind him came the host of -Ruthar—weary and with many of its battalions sadly thinned, but still -a host, and ready to go on if need be.</p> - -<p>Another amaloc rolled up alongside of Ixstus. Over the edge of the -wicker basket it bore, a white old head bobbed up with the suddenness -of a jack-in-the-box.</p> - -<p>"Hey, son," said Zenas Wright to Polaris, "will you never quit your -foolhardy ways? Look what you have made me do—come a-hunting you, -riding on the back of one of these animated stacks of red hay, that -should have been dead and fossilized six thousand years ago. Well, -well; we've given his majesty Bel-Ar a bellyful, I'm thinking." Out of -his basket and down the rope-ladder Zenas clambered to shake Polaris by -the hand.</p> - -<p>"Oh, boy," the geologist said, "you're a better king than those -heathen will see again, if they all live to be as old as Father -Methuselah yonder says he is. But be careful, lad, be careful."</p> - -<p>On the head of Ixstus the Goddess Glorian stood and pointed toward the -camp of Bel-Ar, and her beautiful face grew stern.</p> - -<p>"There are still three hours of daylight, Father Zoar," she said. "Let -us go and finish what we have begun."</p> - -<p>"As well now as ever, daughter," Zoar replied. "I am minded to teach -this Maeronican king a lesson that shall become a tradition in the -land. What passes in the camp? My eyes are too dim to see."</p> - -<p>"Confusion, father, and the running to and fro of many men. They are -adding to the height of their earthen walls. They are piling their -gateways with timbers and the fragments of broken chariots."</p> - -<p>Zoar laughed. "Think they with walls of mud to stop my amalocs?" he -muttered. He lifted his voice, and word was passed down the line that -the beasts were to be advanced against the camp.</p> - -<p>Under the orders of Polaris, the dead zinds and men of his guard were -borne off the field, and those who were still living, but wounded, -were carried tenderly to the rear. When he learned that the amalocs -were to attack the camp, he climbed with Zenas to the turret which the -geologist had occupied. Jastla and the others he urged to seek rest. -But they were men of great spirit, and only one or two of them went. -The most of them sent for fresh horses, determined to see the fighting -through to its end.</p> - -<p>At a word from Glorian, Jastla took up the war-standard of Ruthar and -passed it to the fighting men of Zoar, who set it fast in the wicker -tower on the back of Ixstus. Glorian caught its floating folds and -kissed it.</p> - -<p>"Now Ixstus bears our banner. Who shall withstand it?" she said.</p> - -<p>A blare of trumpets, a ruffle of drums, sounded the advance of Ruthar. -Louder and above all arose the roar of the thirty amalocs, strident and -deafening, as the shaggy, red line surged forward.</p> - -<p>In the camp of Bel-Ar that call found answer in the howl of hate and -terror that went up from the ranks of the Maeronicans when they saw -that their terrible foes were coming.</p> - -<p>"Fire!" shouted Bel-Ar to his generals. "We must meet and turn the -beasts with fire! Man the walls with torches and set a blaze before -each gate."</p> - -<p>Bel-Ar had pitched his encampment in a loop of the River Thebascu, -a broad, swift stream, now swollen by the spring freshets into a -dun-colored torrent. From bank to bank across the loop, the soldiers -had constructed a wall of earth and stones, ten feet high, and pierced -by six wide gateways, wherein were set heavy gates of steel and oak. -Inside the line of the outer wall, with some fifty feet of space -intervening, was another rampart, also of earth, and a few feet higher -than the first. Outside of the works the camp was protected further by -a semicircular ditch, or moat, spanned at each of the gateways by a -solid bridge of timbers. The Maeronican engineers had turned the waters -of the river into the moat and filled it level full. At the rear of the -camp was the crossing of the Thebascu—three wide bridges of stone, -which had been built in the long ago.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>When they saw the advance of the amalocs, soldiers swarmed from the -camp with ropes and horses, and strove to pull the timber bridges away -from the ditch. But the weight of the passing and repassing of the -army had sunk the beams into the earth so deeply that they could not -be stirred. Failing in that attempt, the Maeronicans piled dĂ©bris on -the floors of the bridges and set fire to it, hoping to burn away the -approaches. That, too, was a failure. The water of the moat, nearly -level with the side-beams, was ankle-deep on the bridge-floors, and had -soaked the timbers so that they would not catch from the fires.</p> - -<p>As Zoar and his monsters came to the moat, the men of Bel-Ar shot at -them with arrows, stones, and javelins. But Ruthar could play that -game, too. Oleric lined the ditch between the bridges with slingers -and archers, who kept up so thick a bombardment that they killed many -men, and soon drove the Maeronicans to the shelter of their walls. As -they went in, Bel-Ar's men touched flames to the piles of timbers and -wrecked chariots before their gateways and closed their gates.</p> - -<p>"Shall we cross the bridges and clear the way, Father Zoar?" asked -Oleric.</p> - -<p>"Nay," the master of the beasts replied, "that would be at the expense -of many men, and yon is an ill place to fight in. Methinks I know a -better plan."</p> - -<p>Under his directions, his foresters ungirthed one of the mammoths and -took from its back the wicker turret. Zoar called the driver of the -beast to him. Whatever it was that the old man said, the amaloc-driver -blanched somewhat at the words. He cast a quick glance toward the armed -camp, and under his swarthy skin his face turned pale. Then he drew -himself up proudly, saluted, and went back to his beast.</p> - -<p>Clambering to his perch, the man found and pulled two small chains -connected with the armored plates which protected the skull of his -ponderous steed. These drew into place and closed fast two small doors, -or lids, cunningly wrought of steel, and devised to cover the eyes of -the beast. So blinded, the heart within the vast bulk became uneasy, -and the mammoth began to back and sway, groping before it with its -trunk.</p> - -<p>While the army stood breathless to see what he would do, the driver -struck with his ankus, and with a shout launched the amaloc straight at -the center gate of the camp.</p> - -<p>Deprived of its eyesight, the mammoth obeyed the superior will -expressed by the voice that it knew and loved. Across the bridge, where -ordinarily it would have paused and tested the timbers carefully before -trusting its immense bulk upon them, it now charged blindly, trumpeting -as it went.</p> - -<p>Showers of missiles from the camp of Ad fell on the beast; ahead of it -roared the blazing pile. It screamed out with pain and terror when the -flames touched it, but it did not stop. Scattering the burning tangle -like fiery chaff, it tore on, and its armored frontlet clanged on the -bars of the gateway.</p> - -<p>That shock tore the gates from their hinges and brought the amaloc to -its knees. For an instant it knelt on the fallen gate, then, trumpeting -with rage, rose up and danced on the ruin.</p> - -<p>On the head of the beast the driver lay flat on his belly, his arms and -legs thrust under the leather bands placed there to hold him. Ahead, -scarcely fifty feet away, was the second gateway. With voice and steel -the man urged the amaloc on, and it crashed through that gate as it had -through the first, and plunged into the center of the Maeronican camp.</p> - -<p>Began then a mad rout for safety. No one thought of fighting the terror -that had come among them; but each man for himself ran for the river, -casting away anything that might weight down his legs. Soon all three -bridges of the Thebascu were black with a horrid, writhing mĂŞlĂ©e—a -tangle of fear-maddened men, cursing and striking at each other for -way, and screaming, terrified horses. Many soldiers, unable to fight -into the jams on the bridges, threw themselves into the swift stream -with all their armor on, and some swam across and others were seen no -more.</p> - -<p>To and fro through the encampment raged the now thoroughly crazed -amaloc, sundering and crushing all that it met. The long, red wool -had caught fire from the blaze at the gateway and burned fiercely up -over its shoulders. Wild with the pain of it, the beast ran hither and -thither, seeking to escape from the flames. A two-horsed chariot was -in its path at one moment. It scooped it up like a toy and carried it -forward on its mighty tusks, the horses dangling in their harness. Then -with a heave of its vast shoulders the monster cast the wreck in the -air. Lying on his face, the driver closed his eyes and prayed wildly to -his stars.</p> - -<p>At length, smelling the water of the river, the amaloc turned thither, -to quench its agonies in the rushing stream. On it drove, across the -camp, upsetting everything in its way. It reached the river to the -left of one of the bridges. In its path a horse bearing a steel-clad -rider slipped and fell. The groping trunk that sought the water found -the man, plucked him from the ground, whirled him aloft, and dashed -him against an abutment of the bridge so that his armor cracked like a -nutshell and his blood ran down the stones.</p> - -<p>With a final shriek of fury, the amaloc plunged into the river. The -waters closed over its upthrown trunk, and its mad career was ended. -With it went the driver, well content to give his life for Ruthar.</p> - -<p>This one beast in the outpouring of its majestic strength had done -more to shatter the power of Adlaz than had the legions of Ruthar in a -month's fighting.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Soon after the death of the amaloc, night fell swiftly across the -plains of Nor. The other beasts of Zoar, made uneasy by the experiences -through which they had passed, and stirred by the screaming of their -flame-maddened comrade, were in such a state that their master deemed -it unwise to attempt to urge them farther in the darkness and against -the fires. So he drove them back to the forest, and Ruthar camped on -the plain.</p> - -<p>In the night was heard a clamor as of men who fought on the other side -of the Thebascu, and when morning came it was seen that the host of -Bel-Ar was divided. The royal standards waved over the bridge-heads at -the crossing of the river. Farther down the stream, and opposite to the -camp of Ruthar was gathered by far the greater part of the Maeronican -host.</p> - -<p>When the dawn was full, a boat crossed the river, bearing messengers -to Ruthar from the lords of the six cities which had fought for Adlaz. -These heralds came to Oleric and asked what terms he would make them.</p> - -<p>"For," said they, "did we have to fight with men only, we would stand -firm until the end, and with our united power sweep Ruthar from the -field and crush her. But against such as the great beasts no men may -war."</p> - -<p>The red captain referred them to the king of Ruthar for their answer. -Polaris bade them go back to the lords of the cities and say that he -wished to make war on none save Adlaz and the king thereof—but that -war he would wage until the death or the submission of Bel-Ar.</p> - -<p>"Our lords will not join ye in war against Adlaz," said one of the -heralds hastily. "We be not such traitors; but our soldiers will bear -arms against the terrible beasts no more."</p> - -<p>"Ruthar asks no help in her warfare against Bel-Ar," Polaris replied. -"Take your armies to their homes in peace."</p> - -<p>That answer satisfied the lords of the cities, and they sent word that -so they would do; and if Polaris in the end prevailed against Adlaz, -they would bend the knee to his rule. Secretly they hoped that he -would win. Bel-Ar had been a hard master, and those who had seen the -tawny-haired king of Ruthar deemed him to be the better man to serve, -outlander though he was.</p> - -<p>So that host was dispersed and went its various ways homeward. The -soldiers of Adlaz and the levies from the lands around the city were of -a different kidney. To a man they stood firm for their king. Beasts or -no beasts, they swore, they would die for him, did he wish it.</p> - -<p>It seemed likely that their promise would be required of them. Bel-Ar, -stubborn and high of spirit, was resolved to fight on. He still -mustered under his banners a force of nearly sixty thousand men, -veterans of his former wars and the flower of the fighting men of the -land. Besides, he held the advantage of position.</p> - -<p>When Ruthar would have gone on against him in the morning, it was -found that his engineers, working through the night, had piled the -bridge-heads with barricades of stones, so thick and high that -no amaloc charge would beat them down. Behind those barriers the -Maeronican generals reorganized their broken forces and sent in the -front fresh soldiers drawn from the reserves that were waiting along -the Mazanion Road.</p> - -<p>Not for many weary miles was there another crossing of the -Thebascu—if, indeed, there were any on the course of the river where -were bridges strong enough to support an army and the weight of the -amalocs.</p> - -<p>Taking counsel together, Polaris and Oleric and their generals decided -that they must hammer their way through at the three bridges. They -might have blown up the barriers with melinite; but they dared not, for -fear of destroying the structures of the bridges also; and they had not -the time to build new bridges. Only a sustained frontal attack, at the -cost of many men, would clear the way.</p> - -<p>For a score and ten days and nights the furious struggle was waged at -the Thebascu. Then one of the bridges was taken. Polaris, his great -frame grown gaunt from continual fighting, and his face sunken and -haggard with anxiety and loss of sleep, saw through hollow and burning -eyes his hosts swing across the river and into the Mazanion Road.</p> - -<p>Fourteen days were left him, and then—the Feast of Years, and the end.</p> - -<p>Summer was coming, and with it the feast of the return of Shamar, that -could not be set forward or delayed. Though the foe were hammering at -its gates, Oleric said, the feast would be held in the city. Such was -the ancient law laid down in the early days of Adlaz.</p> - -<p>On the Mazanion Road they found the captain Fanaer once more, tireless -and vengeful. As he had harried them all the way from the isthmian -passes to the plains of Nor, so he harried them now. Every foot of -the hundred miles down the Mazanion Road he fought them, and with him -fought Bel-Ar, his master. Wall after wall they built and lost.</p> - -<p>It was not until afternoon of the last day that the Rutharian vanguard, -so worn with battle that it staggered as it rode, broke through the -final barrier and marched through the gorgeous suburban estates to the -wall of Adlaz. Under the leadership of Fanaer, the remnant of Bel-Ar's -army made a last desperate stand, but was swept away.</p> - -<p>As night came on, the Maeronican king, broken-hearted, but still -defiant, entered his city and closed his gates—there to sit down and -wait for the coming of the Goddess Glorian.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It was nine o'clock of a morning—the morning of the third day of the -Maeronican month of Kanar, corresponding to the fifteenth of November; -or, to reverse the seasons to the terms of our northern clime, the -sixteenth of May. A man who bore a heavy heart within his golden armor -faced a white-faced maid in the ancient audience-hall of the dead king -Bel-Tisam.</p> - -<p>"Now am I in my heart almost a traitor to my king and land, lady," -Brunar said. "For I have almost wished that your lover might prevail -over Bel-Ar and save you. But the day has come and the time is at -hand, and Ruthar is still without the walls. Would that I might save -you, lady—I think that to do so I would willingly give my life. But -Shamar's servants have watched this place by day and by night. It -cannot be. Already they wait for you without the doors to lead you to -the temple."</p> - -<p>For an instant the girl's eyes swam with terror. She gazed hither -and yon about the hall like a hunted thing. Then the heritage of her -northern race came to her aid and saved her from collapse.</p> - -<p>Bravely she faced and spoke to the captain.</p> - -<p>She stepped to the cradle of the little Patrymion and kissed the babe.</p> - -<p>"I am ready," she said, then.</p> - -<p>At the doors of the prison a chariot waited, and with it were four of -the white-robed priests of Shamar. The girl was lifted into the car. -The charioteer drove up the side avenue of Chedar's Flight, past the -Place of Games, now standing empty and silent, to the grounds of the -Temple of the Sun. They saw many armed men in the street as they passed -along. As they entered the gateway of the temple grounds they heard a -dull booming that beat up with the wind from the south, where Ruthar -hammered at the Mazanion gates.</p> - -<p>The priests carried the girl up the hundred white marble steps to -the western entrance to the temple and through the splendid arch of -a doorway that was fifty feet from pave to vault. Within all was dim -twilight, except in the mighty dome, two hundred feet aloft. There it -was light, indeed.</p> - -<p>At the doorway the party halted, and two soldiers shackled Rose with -fetters of heavy gold at her wrists and ankles. Around her waist they -set a girdle of the same yellow metal, to which chains were attached. -That done, they placed a gag in her mouth and led her into the temple.</p> - -<p>Here was a place of wonders, such as had its like nowhere in the world. -All around the hall, supporting the ring of masonry on which the dome -rested, were magnificent pillars of marble. The circle of the pavement -which was enclosed by the pillars, and which was nearly a hundred feet -across, was bare, except at its center. There an oblong slab of black -basalt lay from west to east across the gleaming white floor. That -block was the height of a man's waist from the pavement, some six feet -across, and at least ten yards in length.</p> - -<p>On one end of the slab, that which pointed west, stood a solid column -of orichalcum, more than a yard in diameter and fifteen feet tall, its -whole substance glowing in the half-light like a pillar of lambent -flame. From base to top the surface of this marvelous plinth was carved -with Maeronican characters and mystic signs. It was the ancient Column -of Laws, whereon was written the prophecy of the future dominion of -Adlaz over all the world.</p> - -<p>Over across from the fiery pillar, at the other extremity of the slab, -was a vase, cut out of solid rock-crystal, as tall as a man, but -slenderly fashioned, and as fragile in structure as thin-blown glass.</p> - -<p>This basalt block, with its gleaming column and crystal vase, was the -altar of Shamar.</p> - -<p>Though the light was dim in the hall below, high in the arch of the -dome was a dazzling play of light and colors. Through prismatic -windows the rays of the sun poured and were translated into all of -the changing hues of the spectrum, and as the prisms were turned by a -concealed mechanism operated from below, the multiplying and shifting -color-shafts, reflected back from the marble walls, combined into a -bewildering and fairy display.</p> - -<p>Seated in a stone chair at the foot of one of the pillars in the -northern arc of the circle was Bel-Ar. He was in full armor of black -steel. His pallid face made a ghastly patch in the dusk. Except for the -large, glowing eyes, it might have been taken for the face of a dead -man. Back of the king, filling in the spaces between the pillars with -silent rows of bronze, were the five companies of the palace-guard.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Immediately upon the arrival of the girl the ceremonies were opened. -Followed by a train of his priests, chanting a deep-voiced hymn -of praise, the arch-priest of Shamar, the aged Rhaen, entered the -hall through the western portals. Thrice the procession of singing, -white-robed attendants of the god passed around the circle within the -pillars. Then they massed themselves in the space to the south of the -altar. Rhaen retired, to come forth again, clad in a surplice of pale -blue, and with a tall cap of the same color atop of his white locks. As -he passed Rose, she fancied that she saw a frightened look in his keen -old hawk's eyes.</p> - -<p>Four men brought in the head of one of the sacred bulls, freshly slain -in the courtyard.</p> - -<p>This gory trophy was laid on the altar, a few feet from the crystal -vase.</p> - -<p>At a command from Rhaen, a company of the priests bore the struggling -form of a man from behind the pillars and proceeded to chain him down -on the basalt slab near its center. He was fettered and gagged; but -even so trussed up, he fought frantically, giving the priests much -trouble before they had him chained in such a fashion that he could -scarcely move a limb.</p> - -<p>Now came the turn of Rose.</p> - -<p>As the priests bore her to the altar and lifted her, she saw that the -man who lay there was Ensign Brooks, of the <i>Minnetonka</i>. He had been -fetched from the mines by order of Rhaen to take the place of Everson. -When the girl saw the young sailor, chubby and cheerful no longer, but -worn to skin and bones, and with eyes that glared in their sockets, she -would have cried out in horror and pity—for to the last she thought -not of herself—but she was gagged and helpless to utter one word of -comfort.</p> - -<p>Brooks saw her as she was borne past him, and he struggled terribly. -His utmost effort resulted only in a violent shaking of his head.</p> - -<p>The servants of Rhaen chained Rose to the rock midway between the -sailor and the head of the bull. Aided by his priests, Rhaen clambered -onto the rock and took his stand at the foot of the orichalcum pillar. -He bent his head in prayer. While his lips moved, the priests knelt on -the pavement with lifted hands and upturned faces. Every eye was fixed -on the dome. Whatever was to come, it was evident that it would proceed -thence.</p> - -<p>Lying on the black altar, doomed to be the first sacrifice to Shamar -in the Feast of Years, Rose for a time was dazed and near to fainting. -Then her mind cleared, and a mad whirl of tortured thought began. -What of Polaris? With the memory of her lover came a stab of grief so -keen that it banished all fear of the priests and what they could do. -No pain that they could bring to her body could be so terrible as this -anguish that made her very soul quail.</p> - -<p>Minutes passed. Again she became calm and fell to studying her -surroundings. What manner of doom was coming? Fire in some shape, she -was sure. She had noticed that the surface of the basalt slab was -deeply scored down its center, where she and Brooks were chained, -and its substance was crumbled and calcined as if by the passing of -a fierce heat many times repeated. She besought her God that before -Shamar struck, her senses might leave her, so might she die in peace.</p> - -<p>Rhaen prayed on. Above in the dome the brilliant colors played and -shifted. Their magnificence hurt the girl's eyes, and she closed them. -Would the end never come? Out in the city the din of war swelled louder.</p> - -<p>Bel-Ar spoke harshly, bidding Rhaen delay not. The arch-priest quit his -mumbled prayer long enough to reply with some show of spirit that the -doings of the god could not be hastened.</p> - -<p>The truth of the matter was, Rhaen was proceeding slowly, and with a -reason. Rhaen was a politician. He had watched through the long weeks -the course of war, and he did not find it hard to guess whose would be -the ultimate victory. When that time came, what mercy would the king of -Ruthar show to those who had given his lady to the tortures of Shamar? -He lifted his hands high above his head, finally, and led his priests -in a sonorous chant.</p> - -<p>As the notes of the song arose, the prismatic colors ceased in the -dome. The prisms disappeared. Doors glided back in the golden roof, and -an immense circular plate, or lens, of crystal made its appearance. So -high was the arch of the dome where the crystal lens was hung, that it -was impossible from the floor to judge its size; but it must have been -at least thirty feet in diameter. It was set in a metal rim, and the -whole was swung into place by chains, the mechanism doubtless operated -by servants of Rhaen concealed in the vault of the dome.</p> - -<p>Tilted slightly to the east, the crystal hung. Above it a round -aperture suddenly appeared in the roof. Through that opening shot a -splendid shaft of sunshine that pierced the gloom of the temple-hall -like an arrow of light. Blinding in its radiance, it cut downward and -struck on the basalt altar, full on the head of the bull.</p> - -<p>Immediately arose the stench of burning hair and sizzling flesh. The -power of the crystal lens so condensed the light-ray that where it fell -its heat was all-consuming. Within half a minute naught was left of the -head of the sacred bull save a few cinders and bits of calcined bone -and charred tips of the horns.</p> - -<p>Where the head had been, the basalt rock glowed ruby-red in the path of -that awful lance of fire. Inch by inch, and very slowly, the consuming -ray crept along the altar toward the head of the girl.</p> - -<p>Rose had been nearly blinded, even through her closed lids, by the -flash of light from the dome. Although she could not turn her head to -see, she could smell the scorching flesh of the bull, and could guess -what was coming.</p> - -<p>"Good-by, my love, good-by," she said in her heart. Then He to whom she -had prayed made answer, and she fainted.</p> - -<p>Louder rose the chant of the priests. The merciless finger of their god -moved on. Bel-Ar strained forward in his stone seat and stared at the -sacrifice as though fascinated.</p> - -<p>Some five feet were yet to be traversed by the ray before it would -reach the girl, when a soldier ran up the southern steps of the temple -and hurled himself through the kneeling ranks of the priests. Behind -him a wild clamor of battle arose in the street.</p> - -<p>"Adlaz is lost!" shouted the soldier, as he broke into the open space -before the king. "Already is the foe at the very gates of Shamar!"</p> - -<p>Without stirring in his seat, hardly removing his eyes from the altar, -Bel-Ar gave an order to the captains behind him. The silent files of -the palace-guard came from behind the pillars and ranged themselves -before the four entrances of the temple.</p> - -<p>Across the face of the altar the relentless fire-beam seared its way.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Meanwhile, at the walls of Adlaz the Rutharian army had halted.</p> - -<p>Night had found the men of the hills battering at the Mazanion gates. -Urged on by the tireless energy of Polaris and the equally indomitable -zeal of Oleric—for the red captain had made a promise—the zinds -mustered their weary legions for a night of sleepless battle. War-worn -by a quarter-year's conflict, the echoes of which would go whispering -down their history for centuries to come, the king's battalions did not -fail him. Every man in the army knew the terrible stake that was set -for the game. None faltered. None complained.</p> - -<p>Assault on assault was directed at the gates, but still the southern -doors of Adlaz remained unshaken. Riders had made the round of the city -and had reported that the other three gateways had been walled up with -stone masonry that it would be a work of days to dislodge—and they had -only seventeen hours to reach the temple of Shamar. Oleric, who knew, -said that the sacrifice of the Feast of Years would begin at noon of -the next day, and not one moment sooner.</p> - -<p>Fanaer, Ruthar's most dreaded antagonist, was manning his last -barricade. As soon as he had drawn his shattered army within the gates -before the advance of his foemen, the captain ordered great rocks, -which had been brought to the top of the walls in preparation for his -purpose, cast down until they formed a jagged but powerful defense -before the gates. That was to keep back the amalocs.</p> - -<p>Vainly the infantry of Ruthar charged over that irregular wall. Did -any of them reach the gates, their battle-axes were but puny weapons -against the bronze and steel of the doors. In vain they tried to carry -in and place the melinite with which Zenas supplied them. Fanaer -showered them with stones and blazing timbers. Three times men carrying -the deadly cakes of explosive were stricken so that the melinite blew -up and tore them to shreds.</p> - -<p>All night long the attack was maintained. All the night Polaris raged -helplessly before that stubborn barrier of stone. In the morning light -he counseled with Oleric, Zenas, and Zoar.</p> - -<p>"If you could but clear a way for my beasts!" groaned Zoar. "Then I -would send them against the gates, though it killed them—which might -well happen, for those gates are heavy enough to challenge even the -strength of an amaloc."</p> - -<p>Zenas sprang up and beat himself on the forehead.</p> - -<p>"Doddering fool that I am!" he cried. "Here we have wasted men and -time, and because my wits were sleeping in my boot-heels. Get your -amalocs ready, Zoar."</p> - -<p>While Oleric sent one more assault against the gates, the geologist -directed his engineers, under the cover of the attack, to mine, not -the gates, but the pile of stones itself, with the melinite. Four big -charges of the explosive they placed in Fanaer's barricade, and Zenas, -with a tap of his finger on the battery, blew the barrier against the -wall.</p> - -<p>Hardly had the stones quit falling when an amaloc rushed the gateway. -Zoar spoke truly when he said those gates were strong. Fearful as -was the impetus of the beast's charge, and though it cracked the -great steel plates which protected its head with the impact, it did -not shatter the gates. It withdrew from the onset somewhat sick and -groggy—if that word may be applied to the mental condition of the -amaloc. Zoar sent in another.</p> - -<p>Four of the monsters were launched successively against the portals -before the gates crashed down. The last shock was so fearful that the -beast which delivered it fell just beyond the gateway and died with a -broken skull in the midst of the ruin it had made.</p> - -<p>Through the gap and into the Mazanion avenue, almost under the lee -of the falling mammoth, flashed Polaris, mounted and in full armor. -Hard behind him rode Oleric. Ahead of them the wide street was choked -with Maeronican soldiery, and the son of the snows would have charged -without pause; for the time that was left him was reduced to minutes -now. Taking of the gates had not been quick or easy, and Shamar was -high in the heavens.</p> - -<p>But the red captain caught at his bridle-rein.</p> - -<p>"Hold, friend and king; you will peril your life needlessly," he -shouted. "Leave this desperate scum to Zoar, and follow where he leads. -Ah! here he comes! Now see them scatter!"</p> - -<p>Oleric threw back his head and laughed. But Polaris, with that sun -riding high above him, was in no mood for laughter.</p> - -<p>In through the rifted gateway thrust Ixstus. The giant amaloc was -in his full panoply of war. On his head he bore proudly his master, -Zoar the aged, and in the turret behind Zoar rode the Goddess -Glorian—Glorian coming to the end to take what gift fate had in store.</p> - -<p>Under the swaying tusks of Ixstus terror shouted aloud in the street. -Behind him, his sons and grandsons were pushing in through the gap in -the wall. Bel-Ar's battered soldiers had had enough and full measure of -Ixstus and his family. They did not wait now for the first screaming -trumpet-call, but cast down their arms and scampered away—anywhere, so -that they might put strong walls between themselves and the tribe of -Ixstus.</p> - -<p>Then the general Fanaer rode forward and surrendered his sword to -Oleric. He was a small, thin man, this famous warrior, with a twisted -nose between pale-blue eyes, and curling, yellow beard.</p> - -<p>"I have fought you my best for the king, my master," he said. "But -you have taken Adlaz, and my work is done." He glanced curiously at -Polaris. "Haste you, king of Ruthar," he said, not unkindly. "They are -doing sacrifice in Shamar's temple."</p> - -<p>Like an arrow from a bow, Polaris shot forward, spurring his horse. -Oleric galloped after him. Behind them thundered Ixstus, shaking the -pavement with his tread. Nor, strive as the fleet horses might, could -they more than barely keep ahead of the amaloc. A race with death had -begun.</p> - -<p>Lest harm befall, the zind Maxtan led a squadron of his mounted -hillsmen in the wake of the speeding riders. Gray Jastla rode in the -front rank.</p> - -<p>Before Polaris's galloping steed leaped and barked the great dog -Rombar, who was more fleet of foot than any horse. To keep him out of -harm's way in the battles, Rombar had been chained in hateful captivity -for months. When the Mazanion gates were down and the amalocs cleared -the street, the man who had charge of Rombar slipped his leash and let -him go.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>They rode madly through the splendid grounds of the temple, where the -sacred bulls fled bellowing before the approach of Ixstus. At the foot -of the long stairway, Polaris and Oleric threw themselves from their -steeds, and, drawing their swords, dashed up the marble steps. But -Zoar with a word of command, set Ixstus to the ascent, and the amaloc -distanced the running men.</p> - -<p>Scarce two feet of Shamar's black altar separated the head of Rose Emer -from the fiery danger, and the rock where she lay was almost blistering -hot, when Ixstus, with a scream of triumph, burst through the ranks of -the guard at the southern door and strode into the lofty shrine. As the -beast paused, blinking and stretching out an inquiring trunk in the -direction of the puzzling shaft of light, two armored men ran around -his ponderous bulk and leaped onto the altar.</p> - -<p>Rhaen would have given the word then to close the dome and stop the -ray; but the strain of his anxiety had been too much for the aged -priest. As he opened his mouth to shout, his knees loosened, and he -fell in a swoon at the base of the orichalcum pillar.</p> - -<p>With four strokes of his sword, Polaris severed the golden chains and -swept the senseless form of Rose from the altar. Oleric the Red did -the like service for Brooks. Now might the finger of Shamar move on -unheeded.</p> - -<p>Polaris knelt with his love in his arms. As he bent over her, Oleric -shouted in warning. The son of the snows leaped to his feet in time to -catch on his sword the blade of Bel-Ar, the king.</p> - -<p>Once again Ruthar and Ad, personified in their two rulers, were face to -face.</p> - -<p>From the four doorways came the devoted men of the palace-guard. -Bel-Ar, who had fallen back a pace, lifted his hand.</p> - -<p>"There is that between this man and me which only death may take away," -he said. "Let none interfere—unless the slave is afraid to fight." He -fixed his burning eyes on Polaris. At that last remark Oleric the Red -laughed loudly.</p> - -<p>Under other circumstances, Janess might have been minded to let Bel-Ar -go free. Whatever were his faults, the Maeronican king was a brave -man, one who did not bow down and weep when misfortune overtook him. -But Polaris had just seen his dear lady chained to the horror of the -sacrificial stone because of this man, and his fell religion and -relentless practices against strangers. Minos, Memene, Everson, the -company of the <i>Minnetonka</i>, the fallen of the hosts of Ruthar and of -Ad—for all those deaths Bel-Ar was responsible. Surely his doors were -haunted by many ghosts!</p> - -<p>With no word in answer to the king's taunt, Polaris swung his sword, -and the fight began. Bel-Ar pressed in with a shower of blows, seeking -to bear his adversary down by the sheer weight and fury of his attack. -He was a powerful man, perhaps the strongest warrior in all his broad -lands, as he had boasted—but he had met a stronger now.</p> - -<p>With the skill in fence that had been taught him by Jastla, the son of -the snows guarded himself against those lightning blows, letting Bel-Ar -weary himself until an opening should come—as his patience had told -him it always would, no matter how hardy the fighter.</p> - -<p>Jastla himself stood by the altar and watched his pupil fight. For -Maxtan and his cavalry had reached the temple. On one side of the -altar stood the men of Ruthar and Ixstus. On the other were ranged the -gleaming bronze lines of Bel-Ar's guard.</p> - -<p>Harder and harder the Maeronican pressed the fight. His blade swung -like a circle of flame. Warily Polaris fended. Came a clash and a -clang of falling steel, and a cry of dismay from the Rutharians. Under -the stout bronze of Bel-Ar their champion's sword had snapped short off -at the hilt.</p> - -<p>With a yell of exultation, Bel-Ar sprang in to make an end. And those -who watched the fray were bound by honor not to interfere. Oleric -groaned, and Jastla tugged at his white beard and ground his teeth in -dismay. Then he sent up a roaring shout:</p> - -<p>"Well thrown! Oh, well thrown!"</p> - -<p>Under the vengeful sweep of the singing blade Polaris had leaped and -caught the Maeronican around the middle. The blow of the sword fell -harmless. But Polaris swung Bel-Ar up to his shoulder, aye, and over -it, and dashed him down on the marble floor.</p> - -<p>One of the golden captains of the guard ran to the king's side and -unhelmed him. Bel-Ar was dead, his back broken by the terrible fall.</p> - -<p>"Heard ever a man the like?" roared Jastla. "The strongest warrior in -Adlaz tossed like a toy and slain by an unarmed man!"</p> - -<p>Through the fierce fray Glorian had sat like a statue, unable to stir -or speak. As the Rutharians shouted in triumph, she roused and cried -out:</p> - -<p>"Look to the priest! Haste! He burns!"</p> - -<p>Unnoticed in the stir of the combat, the ray of Shamar had moved on -down the length of the altar. The priests in the dome had fled their -posts in terror, and there had been none to stay the mechanism. In -the path of Shamar's finger lay Rhaen, Shamar's priest, swooned and -helpless. The ray struck him. Aid was too late.</p> - -<p>Rhaen was a horrid sight when he was pulled from the altar. His soul -had gone—perhaps to seek the god whom he had served.</p> - -<p>On Ixstus's head stood Glorian in her silver armor.</p> - -<p>"So ends the religion of Shamar!" she cried. With the battle-ax she -carried, she bent over and struck the crystal vase and shattered it.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>At the other end of the altar of basalt the great ray beat on the -pillar of orichalcum, so that the surface of the metal was melted and -the cruel laws of Ad were effaced. With the laws perished the prophecy.</p> - -<p>Water was dashed on the face of Rose Emer, and presently she opened -her eyes and sat up and realized that she was not dead. Before them -all, Polaris took her into his arms and kissed her—for such is the -privilege of kings. Glorian, watching from Ixstus's back, turned white -with agony and clenched her slender fingers so that the nails bit into -her palms.</p> - -<p>"Oh, be strong, my heart," she whispered to herself. "My soul has said -it—<i>my time will come</i>!"</p> - -<p>Zenas Wright came soon, and at the altar of Shamar was held a reunion -where hearts were too full for talking, until Ensign Brooks spoke up -and Said:</p> - -<p>"Lead me to a dinner-table, somebody. First they worked the flesh off -my bones. Then they tried to roast me along with a bull's head and a -pretty woman—but never once did they give me a decent meal."</p> - -<p>"You shall have your dinner," said Polaris. "But first there is -something which I will have done, here and now, if may be." He turned -to Oleric, while Rose Emer's cheeks, that had been so wan, flamed rosy -red.</p> - -<p>"Has one of these priests here the power to perform a marriage -ceremony?" Janess asked.</p> - -<p>"Surely," replied Oleric. And then the red captain smiled broadly as he -caught the import of the question. "Hale one of them here, Jastla," he -said.</p> - -<p>Jastla came soon, gripping a sadly scared priest of Shamar by the slack -of his gown. "Do you, Oleric, who understand more of his jargon than I -do, listen that he does a good job of it," grumbled the chieftain. "For -if he doesn't, I'll flay him."</p> - -<p>But Glorian was great-hearted, even befitting her title of goddess. She -now stepped down from the amaloc to the altar.</p> - -<p>"In this let Glorian of Ruthar serve you," she said. "I have the power, -and the knot that I shall tie, though it shall be more gentle than if -done by this dog of Shamar, yet will it be as binding."</p> - -<p>So, after the long years and their perils, Polaris and his Rose-maid -were wedded, Oleric the Red producing the ring. And when she had -pronounced the words which made them one, Glorian took Rose in her arms -and kissed her on the forehead.</p> - -<p>"May you be very happy, my sister," she whispered.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Now here the pen that has written this history ceases, to give place to -that of one of its chief actors, who has a parting word to tell.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>I, Zenas Wright, now in my sixty-seventh year, and being in full -possession of my health, mind, and faculties (as lawyers write it in -the wills) having been asked by the writer of the foregoing work to -make some comment on it, do hereby aver, asseverate, maintain, etc., -that it is in the main a faithful account of certain events in which it -has been my privilege to play a small part. In fact, I cannot well do -otherwise, seeing that I furnished him the information.</p> - -<p>Such changes as I might be tempted to make in the history he has -written would only vex the writer, and so I'll let it be. They would be -in the nature of scientific details, anyhow, and I fear would make only -dry reading for any but brother scientists.</p> - -<p>I have told the author that he has made altogether too much of my part -in the events which he has described. I am not a hero, and never will -be; but in this description of that brush in the Kimbrian defile—which -was altogether a matter of chance—he has made me almost heroic. I have -asked him to amend the account; but he will not listen to it, and so I -suppose that it will have to stand. I hereby disclaim it.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It is more than six months since the fademe <i>Oaron</i> dropped anchor in -the Potomac (where its arrival created a fine sensation), and I landed -once more in Washington. With me came Lieutenant Everson. He did not -get to Adlaz until some weeks after it had been taken, and he's not the -man yet that he was before he got that jab from Atlo's spear. But he's -improving. He had the loss of a cruiser to report; but he brought with -him a sum in gold and gems, sent by the king of Ruthar and Maeronica, -sufficient to reimburse the Government for the loss of the ship, and -with a splendid sum left over to be distributed among the relatives of -those who went down with her. The king is a man who doesn't do things -by halves.</p> - -<p>Ensign Brooks came with us also. He was pining for a peep up Broadway -and a whiff of "America's strongest cigarette." I hope that he has had -enough to eat since he came back.</p> - -<p>Through the kindness of Oleric, I was enabled to bring with me a -splendid pair of mammoth's tusks, which I took great pleasure in adding -to the collection of the Smithsonian Institution. Some time I hope -to be the means of bringing to these shores specimens of the <i>Elephas -primigenius</i> themselves, which the Rutharians call amalocs.</p> - -<p>Before this history comes to the eyes of the world—if it ever does, of -which I have some doubt—I shall have gone back to the south. I thought -that I wanted to end my days in my home in Buffalo and be buried there; -but I don't. I'm going back to be with my boy. He is making a wise -ruler there in Adlaz. Perhaps an old man's life will not be altogether -useless there, where there is so much to be done.</p> - -<p>Before I left Adlaz, two small princes were playing in the royal -palace—Patrymion, the boy of Minos, who eventually will be king if he -lives, and another youngster, who must stagger through life under the -burden of the name of Polaris Zenas Janess. Guess that's pretty good -for an old rock-splitter—to have the first-born son of a real king -named after him. Constituting himself the special guardian of the two -little chaps is a simple-minded little cockney sailor, whom Polaris -found in prison, Jack Melton by name. Sunlight has cured him of some of -his hallucinations, and he no longer hates Rombar.</p> - -<p>There is one thing more, which I did not find in the history, and will -now add here. It concerns that remarkable woman, Glorian of Ruthar. -One day when we were discussing the power which she and Oleric declare -they have to prolong their lives (privately, I think it is rank bosh), -Glorian told me that it was possible for one who knew the secret to -make use of it to keep another person alive, and without that person -knowing about it. Now Glorian is living in Adlaz, where she has had -the temple of Shamar fixed over to suit her. She sees Polaris often. -I am of the opinion that, if she has any such power—mind you, I'm -not admitting she has—she is using it on Polaris, and is planning -to outwait Mrs. Janess (Queen Rose, I suppose I should call her) and -eventually have him for herself. The outcome of this, only time will -tell, and I shall not live to know it. I have not the means to prolong -my life—and would not if I had.</p> - -<p>By the way, Zoar of the Amalocs died shortly after the taking of Adlaz. -The excitement of the war was too much for his heart.</p> - -<p>Oh, yes! And Oleric married Bel-Ar's widow, the Queen Raissa; and that -is all.</p> - -<p>Good-by.</p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK POLARIS AND THE GODDESS GLORIAN ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ -concept and trademark. 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