by Frank Aubrey
CHAPTER XI.
ULAMA, PRINCESS OF MANOA.
The morning broke fine, and the sun rose with a splendour that was notoften seen even in this land of gorgeous sunrises. As Leonard lookedup at the sky above, with its tint of deep sapphire blue fleckedwith cloudy flakes, and cirri tinted with gold and pink and crimson,he thought he had never witnessed any effect to equal it. But, whenthey had quietly passed through the narrow belt of wood, and stoodjust within its cover, gazing down at the wondrous 'golden city' thatlay sleeping at their feet, the three friends remained silent andalmost spell-bound. The scene was indeed one to which no descriptioncan possibly do justice. The sun was just high enough to light upthe glistening towers and cupolas; and these, and the spangled skyabove, were reflected in the glassy waters of the lake. Beyond andaround all was haze of a rose-coloured golden hue, which gave to thecentre picture the effect of a vignette. From the upper parts, whichshowed the clearest against this background of rosy mist, the variousbuildings grew less substantial as the eye followed their linesdownwards, till the bridges and embankments seemed almost ghostlyand unreal, yet strangely beautiful in their airy lightness. And thepicture was so faithfully repeated in the lake that, but for thereversal of the images, the line that divided the reality from theshadow could scarcely be discerned; while the whole seemed poised, asit were, in the ruddy-golden haze like a _mirage_ in mid-air. Justbelow them a rocky spur jutted out with clear-cut outline against thecentral scene, the palms and other trees with which it was crownedshowing a lace-work pattern of feathery foliage through which naughtcould be seen but the golden mist. This part alone seemed real; thecity, with its towers, its lofty buildings, its bridges, and its lake,seemed too fairy-like a creation to be indeed an earthly reality.
"THE SUN WAS JUST HIGH ENOUGH TO LIGHT UP THE GLISTENING TOWERS AND CUPOLAS." [_Page 106._]
Of the three who were thus looking out upon this glorious sight, itwould be hard to say, perhaps, which was most affected by its subtleinfluence. Templemore, notwithstanding his affectation of putting onultra-practical glasses through which to regard and analyse everything,had, in reality--as is not infrequent with such characters--a deepundercurrent of appreciation of beauty, whether exhibited in natureor in the works of man. As an engineer, he could appreciate the raregrace and exquisite proportions of the buildings, and of the bridges,viaducts, and other such works, far better than could Elwood's lesstrained mind; and then, his was a naturally generous and unselfishnature, and--he was in love. Such a temperament cannot look uponanything that charms, that satisfies the senses, without wishingthat the loved one were present to participate in the pleasure andgratification experienced. And the absence of that companionship mustnecessarily strike a chord of sadness and longing. He was one, atheart, deeply sensible of these emotions; so sensible, indeed, that heshrank from displaying them to onlookers; and thus it was that he halfunknowingly hid them beneath a veneer of 'matter-of-fact.'
Elwood's younger impulses, on the other hand, bubbled up on alloccasions unchecked and uncontrolled. He was of a highly imaginativeand poetic turn of mind; he was not in love, and hence, the vagueaspirations of his affections had as yet met with nothing uponwhich to rest, or, as it were, to centre themselves. He was filledwith unformed hopes and shapeless expectations. The beautiful wasnot satisfying in itself; it was but a stepping-stone, an enticingindication of something still more pleasing yet to be met with beyond,in the indefinite future. Thus he was always looking forward to anhorizon that lay beyond his ken; while Templemore's hopes and longings,though they also turned upon the future, had found, in the being whohad won his love, a settled, definite purpose in life. Not that thelatter was altogether uninfluenced by that spirit of adventure whichalways actuates, more or less, young men of his age and character;though, in this respect, he might be swayed by somewhat more practicalconsiderations than was the enthusiastic Elwood. In the breasts of thetwo, it could scarcely be but that there was some feeling of exultationand pride in the consciousness that what they had achieved was likelyto bring them a high reward either directly or indirectly--in fame, orwealth, or both--even though no sordid, grasping greed mingled with thegenerous impulses natural to youth.
And Monella? With what feelings was _he_ swayed while he silentlysurveyed the fair city that embodied the fulfilment of what he hadbeen striving after for so many years? He was old, he had no childrenor other kin (he had declared) to interest himself in. Fame, power,riches, he despised--so he had uniformly given his two companions tounderstand. None of the motives that prompted the two younger menseemed to apply in his case; yet the fact was patent to them--had beenall along, since first they met him--that he had been instigated bysome overmastering idea that had become, as Templemore had phrased it,a sort of religion to him, a faith, a belief; that had urged him onunceasingly where success had seemed hopeless and the difficulties ofhis enterprise insurmountable. Templemore, at Monella's side, couldnot but reflect upon this now; as he had similarly reflected upon itwhen first they had found themselves veritably inside--so to speak--ofthe hitherto inaccessible mountain. But now, mingled with Templemore'sadmiring appreciation of all these things, there was a new element inhis feelings towards Monella, which he could only define to himselfas one of reverence. He felt inclined almost to take off his hat, anddeferentially salute the indomitable, high spirit that had led themon to success, where success had seemed but a fallacious, impossible,fatuous dream.
But Monella seemed unconscious of all such thoughts. He gazed out onthe scene before him with a countenance that expressed only a highand simple joy. His tall, commanding form had never seemed to histwo companions so instinct with dignity and latent power as at thismoment; and in his eyes, when he turned his glance, with a smile, tomeet theirs, there were a kindness, a benevolence, a magnanimity even,that seemed to fill up the measure of the feeling of respect that wasgrowing upon them--that made them wonder they had ever ventured totreat such a man as one of themselves. This strange emotion swayed bothof them; they both felt it, though each thought it influenced himselfalone. Afterwards they found this out by comparing notes; and yetagain, in the time to come, they lived to comprehend that this vagueidea had been something more than a fancy; it had been an instinctgrowing out of a solid, though then unknown, reason. It signified thatthe parting of their several ways, as between them and him who had beentheir comrade thus far, had commenced, had been already entered upon.
For a while they continued to gaze with swelling emotions upon thewonderful town. Bathed in the light of the rising sun, it slowly grewmore substantial to the view, and its stately buildings graduallyassumed increased solidity and reality. Their graceful outlines andproportions, their masterly design and bold execution, the noveltyand originality everywhere apparent, impressed Templemore withastonishment, just as they delighted and satisfied the poetic fervourof Elwood. Templemore presently turned to Monella.
"Never have I seen the like of those structures," he exclaimed, "eitherin the places I have visited or in the pictured representations ofthe most celebrated cities of the world. Surely this people must be anation of architects!"
"You speak truly, my friend," Monella returned. "I have travelled theworld over and I have not seen the like elsewhere. But, as I havetold you before--as I warned you I expected would be the case--wehave here the chief town of an ancient people; a race so old that theoldest Egyptian records of which the world has any knowledge relate topeoples, and times, and things that are but as yesterday compared tothe remote period to which these people can trace back their history.So is it written in my parchments."
"And is what we see, that glistens everywhere, truly _gold_--upon thevery spires and roofs?" asked Elwood.
"I cannot say; but it may well be so, for these parchments of mineassert that gold is the most plentiful metal of any in these mountains.They say that the inhabitants used it for common purposes as othernations use iron; and that, in fact, iron and steel were far lesscommon than gold and silver. But I think it is time we s
tarted down theslope to reconnoitre and await our opportunity."
The plan Monella had arranged was that, after concealing in the woodat the top the few camping requisites they had brought with them, theyshould move down towards the city through the clumps of trees, keepingwithin their cover, till they came to the point where the trees ended;that they should remain thus concealed for a time to see what sort ofpeople passed to and fro, stepping out and making their presence knownonly when they saw any one who might be supposed to be a person ofstanding or authority.
Following out this plan, the three moved on through groves andplantations of trees bearing luscious, tempting fruits of a kind andnature totally unknown to them. Wonderful flowers, too, they saw on allsides, and many strange and curious birds; amongst them the harp-bird,whose enchanting notes came floating every now and then upon theirears. In due course they reached the farthest and lowermost clump, andhere they were therefore compelled to pause. So far they had seen noone; but it was yet early morning.
The thicket within the shelter of which they now stood was upon a knollthat was not a great way from the lake. Looking across its watersof turquoise blue, they now made out that which had so puzzled thembefore. Moving on its surface were numbers of white swans of giganticsize; and it was these, as they subsequently ascertained, that drew theboats about which had seemed to glide here and there without sails oroars. They had seen these great swans through their glasses, but hadbelieved them to be vessels fashioned in that shape; deeming them toolarge to be really living creatures.
Suddenly, Elwood gripped Templemore's arm, and pointed to some one--ayouthful maiden seemingly--walking along the border of the lake intheir direction. She came to within a few hundred yards, and then stoodlooking dreamily out over the lake at the towering, palatial buildingsupon the opposite side.
"Great heavens!" Elwood exclaimed in a whisper. "The face, the form,the very _dress_ that I have so often seen in my dreams! Can it bepossible? Am I awake, or is this, too, but a vision from which I shallawake by-and-by?"
Monella put his hand upon his shoulder as a sign to him to be silent,and pointed to other forms approaching from the same direction. Theyall seemed to have come from a great pile of buildings near the water'sedge some half-mile away. It was partially screened by groups of wavingpalms and other trees, which hid from view the entrances.
The new-comers consisted of a tall, handsome man, of a dark-hued skin,and richly dressed, and a following of a score or so of men, apparentlya guard or escort. They carried spears that flashed and glittered inthe sun, as did their burnished shields and helmets. These seemed to beof gold; they wore short black tunics and sandals. They halted--upona sign from the one who seemed to be their leader--while he advancedtowards the girl. Just then she turned and caught sight of him. At thisshe uttered a sharp cry expressive of surprise and fear; then walkedquickly up the slope towards where the three travellers were concealed.
The man followed and overtook her when she was about a hundred andfifty yards from the edge of the wood. He seized her by the wrist; butshe, wresting herself free, turned and confronted him, regarding himwith a proud disdain, in which, however, fear was also plainly--tooplainly--written.
Now that they were closer, the concealed witnesses could distinguishpretty clearly, through their glasses, the features of the two whostood facing one another, neither for a full minute uttering a word.
As to the maiden, she was in very truth a dream of loveliness. Withskin as white and fair as the most delicately reared Englishwoman,glistening golden hair, large grey-blue eyes of entrancing and lustrousbeauty, a perfect oval face, and a figure the very embodiment of grace,she appeared indeed more like the creation of a vision than an earthlybeing of flesh and blood. She was not exactly tall, yet of fair heightfor a woman. Her dress seemed of silk; it was rich-looking, but quietin colour, and flowing in design. She wore golden ornaments enrichedwith glistening gems, and her hair, falling loosely over her shoulders,was confined by a broad gold circlet on the head and was cut shortover the forehead. And in her face was an expression of exquisitesweetness--albeit now there were distracting emotions mingled with it.The clear-cut, pouting lip curled in scorn, though, the while, theeyes showed fear, as do those of the hunted hare. Timidly she glancedaround, as if for aid; but not a soul was to be seen save those whoaccompanied the man she feared, and from them, it was clear, she couldexpect no help.
As to the man himself, he was, as has been said, of fine stature andhandsome; but his was not beauty of a prepossessing character. Hisdark face expressed arrogance and cruelty; in his smile was cold,deadly menace; his haughty features wore a scowl; and his dark eyesfairly blazed with passion. Upon his head he wore a coronet of curiousdesign in lieu of helmet or other covering. His tunic was of blackmaterial--silk apparently--with a large star worked in gold upon thebreast. A belt as of gold was round his waist, and a short sword and adagger were by his side. His hair, full beard, and bushy eyebrows werejet black; so far as one might judge he looked about thirty-five yearsof age. The tunic had short sleeves and was cut low so as to displayhis neck, round which was a kind of necklace; upon his bare arms werebracelets, and in all these ornaments there flashed, as he moved,sparkling jewels of large size and surprising lustre.
Then ensued, between the two, a hot discussion or dispute, though thosewithin the wood were too far away to understand its purport. The manadvanced again and again in a threatening manner towards the girl, whoas often retreated a short distance up the slope; then, each time,turned and faced her adversary.
Suddenly, the man seemed to give way to a burst of fury; with a gesturewhose murderous import there was no possibility of mistaking, he drewhis dagger from its sheath, and tried to seize the girl; but she,eluding him, turned and ran farther up the slope. The man followed, andcoming up with her, seized her by the wrist, and raised the hand thatheld the dagger.
At this moment Monella stepped out from the wood and called loudlyto the assailant, at the same time holding up his hand in warning;but Elwood, revolver in hand, rushed forward in advance of him, andlevelled the pistol at the moment when the blade was poised in the airand was about to be plunged into the bosom of the girl, who had nowfallen upon her knees. He was only just in time; for the weapon hadalready commenced its fatal downward sweep when the report rang out;the murderer's arm gave a jerk that cast the dagger a distance ofsome yards, and the man himself fell backwards with a bullet throughhis heart.
"SHE STOOD REGARDING THEM WITH WONDERING LOOKS." [_Page 115._]
Elwood hastened to the assistance of the girl, who swayed as thoughabout to faint; but the sight of the strangers seemed to rouse her,for she rose to her feet and stood regarding them with wondering andevidently doubtful looks. Then she turned her glance upon the dead man,and shuddered at the thought of the death she had so narrowly escaped.Looking once more at the three who now stood in a group a shortdistance from her--for Elwood had drawn back on seeing her rise to herfeet--she drew herself up with a charming dignity and grace, and, tothe surprise of the two young men, asked, in the language Monella hadtaught them,
"Who are you?"
The words were intelligible enough. The inflection, the accent, or theexact pronunciation, may have been slightly different from Monella's,but the words rang out clear enough.
"Who are you?"
Monella stepped a pace or two towards her. His lofty form seemed togrow in dignity the while he bent his gaze upon her; and, looking upinto his face, she could scarcely fail to read the true meaning of theglance she met. She felt its extraordinary fascination, and yielded toits influence, as so many had before. Her confidence went out to him atonce; and her look, that for the moment had been proud and distrustful,softened into one of friendly interest. She bowed her head as thoughin involuntary respect--the respect a dutiful child might show to aparent--and spoke again; this time varying the form of her question:--
"My father, whence come you?"
"We are strangers from far countries, my daughter,"
Monella made reply."We came here in peaceful and friendly intent, but fate has so orderedit that our arrival has been marked by the shedding of blood. Still,though of that I am deeply regretful in one way, I cannot pretend to besorry, if, as I see reason to believe, it has saved your young life."
"Truly it has, and I thank you; and the king, my father, will thankyou too; though I know not by what marvel it was accomplished, nor bywhat other marvel ye have come here, you who wield the lightning andthe thunder, who hold men's lives in the hollows of your hands, and yetspeak our language."
"Time enough to explain that, anon, my child," was Monella's answer."For the moment we must know what yonder people are about to do. Theirintentions seem scarcely to be friendly."
This referred to the small company of guards or soldiers, who werebeing harangued by one who appeared to be their officer, and who, whenhe had ended his speech, formed them into line, as though for a chargeupon the strangers.
The girl turned round and looked at them; and, doing so, her face grewpale.
"Alas, yes!" she exclaimed. "I had forgotten them for the moment. Theyare the special soldiers of Zelus whom ye have slain; and their officerwill seek to carry you all before the father of Zelus, the dread HighPriest. His vengeance will be cruel and terrible, if you fall into hispower; but, if we could but get back to my father's palace, you wouldbe safe; for he would protect you for my sake--for the sake of what yehave done for me to-day. But alas! How can that be? They are many andye are but three. Ye have not even swords or spears--unless, indeed, yecan serve them as ye have served this one."
"Fear nothing for us, my daughter. We can truly serve these othersin the same way, if the necessity unfortunately should arise. But weseek it not; we have come here, as I have told you, with peacefulintentions, and we have no wish to signalise our arrival by furtherbloodshed. Will you not, yourself, speak to these foolish people, andwarn them not to rush upon destruction? Tell them we are powerful, andthat, in your own words, we hold their lives in the hollows of ourhands. If they will depart in peace, they may, and bear with them thebody of their chief; but, if they dare approach with hostile intent,then shall they fall before us, ere even they have time to come a dozenpaces, even as men are struck down by lightning. Tell them this, andurge them to be friendly; for we are not of the nature of those whotake delight in slaying. To us, to slay is easy, but abhorrent."
The girl heard this with increasing wonder. She viewed the rifles(which all three were now handling) with a curiosity she did not careto hide. She took them for some sort of magic wands.
"I will perform your wish," she said, "but I doubt my power to staythem, for they are men used to working their own will, and now theyseek your lives in revenge for this man's death. Indeed, they well knowthey go to their own deaths if they return to Coryon, the High Priest,and bring not with them those who slew his son."
She turned to go towards the soldiers, who were now standing in tworanks, with spears in rest, awaiting the word of command.
"Stay," said Monella. "If they listen to your words, they will wantto come here to take up the body of their chief. We are willing theyshould do so; but it were better we did not meet, for I do not trustthem, and they might plot treachery. See!" And he took his lasso fromwhere it hung at his waist and laid it in a straight line on theground about twenty feet from the dead body. "We will retire towardsthe wood; and let it be clearly understood that they must not crossthat line nor touch that cord. If any man do so, he shall surely diethen and there. Let them not think, however, that we retire fromfear, because of their number. But now, my daughter, take heed lestthey seize you. Be sure you keep near enough to avail yourself of ourprotection; but stand not between us and them, lest the lightningstrike your own form in its course. Once launched, it goes straight toits mark, and blasts all whom it meets upon its path."
"I understand," she answered. "But you need have no fear for me, sofar as these people are concerned. Their chief has dared more to-daythan has ever been known before; but none of these would lay hand uponUlama, the daughter of their king."
"Then," said Monella, "if you feel sure as to that, do not approachthem, but go thirty or forty yards to the right, and bid them comenear enough for you to address them from there. For the rest we willanswer." And, with a sign to his companions, he walked slowly up theslope towards the wood they had left but a few minutes before.