*CHAPTER XVIII.*
*HOW WE OUTWITTED THE KING.*
We had come to a point in the under-world which the reflected rays ofthe sun reached but dimly. There would have been semi-gloom but for anunreflected glow that fell upon us from above.
The car, as has been brought out in the course of this narrative, hadbeen blown into the crater of a dead volcano. This crater may belikened to a deep basin, pierced with a huge hole at the bottom.
Through the hole fell daylight from the outer shell, bathing the car ina soft radiance. The projectile-shaped house was standing upright, andappeared to have suffered no injury by its fall.
Professor Quinn had already explained to me how this might be possible.The screens of the anti-gravity cubes had been left open by fivedecrees.
The energy of the cubes lightened the house to an extent that made itoffer less than normal resistance to the tempest, and it also buoyed itto withstand the shock of a tumble from the upper crust of the sphere.
How like an old friend that car looked! My heart labored at the meresight of it. It was to be our bridge through space, if so we couldcontrive; although it might easily fall out to prove a bridge for theking and the Gaddbaizets to the earth's undoing.
After we had halted at the base of the car, the king approached theprofessor.
"Your metal house is intact and uninjured," said his majesty, "save forthe door that gives admittance to it. It was necessary to burn out thelock with a draft of zet before the door could be opened. The telescopeand the tub of white pigment have both been replaced, and you will, Ithink, find all your goods and chattels intact. How long before we canstart?"
"Let me first understand your arrangements, your majesty," the professoranswered. "Are you, or Olox, to guide the car through space to yourintended destination?"
"You are to do that. Neither I nor Olox could manage the car, I fear."
"Then I am to accompany you?"
"I have so decided."
"What of my friends?"
"They are to be left here. You need not worry about them, however, asthey will be well cared for. I have already given proof of my interestin them."
"Before I can give you an answer as to when it will be well to start,"Quinn remarked, after a little thought, "I shall have to go into the carand make some calculations."
"We will go in with you," returned the king.
"I should prefer to take only Mr. Munn with me, sir."
The king became suspicious, and Olox got the royal ear and saidsomething in an undertone on his word-box.
"You and Munn may go in," the king said when Olox had finished, "but weshall keep the rest of your friends with us while you are making yourcalculations."
"Very well."
The professor and I thereupon entered the car, watched with someapprehension by Meigs and the rest. Possibly they feared that we wereabout to desert them; if so, the look the professor gave them must haveset their fears at rest.
A survey of the interior of the car showed everything to be exactly aswe had left it. The door at the top of the iron stairway had beenforced precisely as the other at the outside entrance had been, but thiswas a matter of small importance.
The oxygen tank was intact, and the professor showed me how tomanipulate the lever that regulated the supply necessary for the car;there was still plenty of water, of good quality, in the reservoir, andof food, such as we were accustomed to, there was an abundance.Everything appeared to be in proper order and just as it should be.
"We are very fortunate, Mr. Munn," said Quinn, seating himself on a box."I brought you in here with me less to have your help in examining theinterior of the car than to seize an opportunity for giving you a fewdirections which you will find of use.
"When we left Earth we started at an hour which gave us a course thatangled sunward; when you leave Njambai, however, you must do so at anhour when this part of the planet is turned away from the sun, and asfar away as possible. That will cause the car to be hurled toward theouter edge of the solar system and in the direction of the earth'sorbit.
"I wish I could inform you as to the exact position the earth will be inwhen you cross its orbit, but the king's mad project was sprung sosuddenly, and he has acted upon his plan so quickly, that I have had notime for calculations in that respect.
"Your business, however, will be to overhaul the Earth. The telescopewill inform you of the planet's position, and by properly regulating thescreens of the cubes you can hang in the orbit of Terra until it reachesyou; then, once within its influence, shut off the energy of the cubesand suffer the car to fall to its surface. Do I make myself plain?"
"Entirely so, professor," I replied.
"You understand the dangers of landing. All you can do is to experimentwith the atmosphere while you are falling, exactly as we did whenlanding here. On your quickness and discretion will depend the lives ofyourself and the others who will be with you."
"It is a great responsibility, sir," said I, "but you can depend upon meto do my utmost to avoid a disaster."
He pressed my hand to assure me of his confidence.
"Midnight to-night will be the hour to start. The crater of the volcanowill then be at its farthest from the sun. I shall so inform the kingwhen we leave the car."
"Have you thought of any plan whereby we may outwit his majesty?" Iinquired.
"I have thought of it. Prior to the moment, of embarking, I shallrequest his majesty to allow you and the rest of our friends to comeaboard while I detain him and his followers outside for a few finalinstructions. The king will suspect nothing, for he will not imaginethat I would allow you to escape and leave me behind."
"I shudder to think of that part of it," I murmured. "Will you notreconsider your determination, professor?"
"No, Mr. Munn. On that point I am adamant. The instant you enter thecar, hurry aloft and set loose the oxygen. I will drop this bit of ropenear the door when we leave, and you will have to make use of it to tiethe door securely shut on the inside. Mind what I tell you--do not pullthe lever until the door is securely closed."
"I will remember."
"The car is exactly under the crater opening, and you will have a clearpath aloft. Therefore I would advise that you throw the lever to ninetythe instant the door is fastened."
I nodded.
"I think that is all. Your work is simple enough, for in order to reachTerra you have only to reduce or expand the energy of the anti-gravitycubes. We will now go below and rejoin the king."
"Just a few minutes more, professor," I begged. "This may be our lastopportunity for a private talk, and there is something I wish to tellyou."
He turned back from the top of the iron stairway.
"Go ahead, Mr. Munn," said he.
"All of us whom you brought to Njambai," I proceeded, "are changed men.To you alone we owe this, and I wish to go on record, here and now, forgiving you credit. I see my past as I thought I never should see it,and I realize how I have wasted a large part of my life. I shall provea worthy citizen, if we succeed in getting back to Earth, and it is youwho have brought about my reformation."
A glow came to the professor's face. He held up one hand protestingly.
"It is the truth," I insisted. "You have argued with me constantly eversince we were thrown together, and it was while on the road to Baigolthat the truth of your arguments suddenly came home to me."
I stretched out my hand, but he held back.
"You are too shrewd a man, Mr. Munn," said he kindly, "to be sodeceived. There have been times when your artlessness made me wonder,but you have never aroused my wonder quite so much as you have now."
"Why is that?" I asked, puzzled.
"Answer me this, Mr. Munn," he went on. "How did it chance that Mr.Gilhooly so suddenly recovered his reason?"
"He lost his wits suddenly, and crazed people have been known to regaintheir sanity as quickly as they lost it. It mus
t have been so inGilhooly's case."
"Indeed!" he said, smiling. "And was it merely a coincidence that youfound your conscience, and Gilhooly his reason, at the same time?"
"Merely a coincidence," I replied.
He laughed, and it was his first happy laugh since King Gaddbai hadannounced his coming campaign in the direction of Terra.
"Let us go further," he went on. "What caused Markham, Popham and Meigsto change their points of view so miraculously? Was it the coal mines,the lack of food and the need of decent clothing?"
"All that merely paved the way," I averred. "Your arguments did therest."
"You are blind, Mr. Munn! It was not the sufferings our friendsendured, nor my arguments."
"Then what was it?" I demanded.
"The Bolla!"
I recoiled, staring blankly at the kindly face before me.
"Don't let me part from you, Professor Quinn," I whispered hoarsely,"feeling that I have left behind a man of unsound mind! If I thoughtthat, I believe I should remain here with you at any cost."
"Unsound mind?" he returned. "My dear Munn! My brain was neverclearer, nor my reasoning more sound, than at the present moment. Youfound the Bolla. The moment you picked it up, every unworthy thoughtvanished from your mind and you became morally the man you ought to be.You did not understand the cause of your salvation, and you hurled thestone from you. Gilhooly picked it up. What happened then? Did he notrecover his senses and a true outlook upon life at one and the sametime? Yet, as if this were not enough to prove a clear case for theBolla, note the change in Popham, Markham and Meigs when I asked them toexamine the stone. All this, sir, should prove my contention beyond allperadventure. I am filled with wonder because you have gone so farafield in trying to explain what has occurred."
The notion amazed, and, in a measure, disappointed me. A black stonehad turned me from my evil course--a mere bit of insensate matter aboutwhich clustered the traditions and superstitious veneration of allNjambians! My regeneration had come from without, and not from within,and if there was no credit for the professor in my awakening, then therewas still less for myself.
Not the operations of my own mind, urged and guided by the friendlycounsels of the professor, but a stone which I had picked up to castaway, had worked my transformation!
The fact still remained, and would always remain, but it was in no wayflattering to me. What was going on in my mind must have been divined bythe professor, for he stepped close and took the hand which he had amoment before refused.
"The methods of Fate are inexplicable to us mortals, Mr. Munn," said he;"but what matters it how a thing is brought to pass so long as it reallyhappens? And why should we concern ourselves with a failure tounderstand the underlying cause? Great is the Bolla, my friend, eventhough its powers pass our comprehension! I shall make it a point to seethat it is returned to King Golbai, during my probation here. Toaccomplish that, and at the same time keep watchful eyes on KingGaddbai, will not let time hang heavy on my hands."
"And you will not reconsider----"
He knew what I was about to say, pressed my hand restrainingly and gotup from his seat.
Presently he removed a few feet of rope from a bale, and took a last,long look around him. What his thoughts were I will not even hazard aguess.
Cutting loose from every tie that held him to Earth, I knew very wellwhat my feelings would have been under the circumstances. But I havealready stated that the professor was "queer" in his outlook upon life,and in his grasp of ways and means, so my pen hesitates to attempt adescription of his emotions at this critical moment.
When we emerged from the steel shell, the king and his retainers crowdedclose to hear what my companion had to say. His majesty was greatlydisappointed on learning that the start was not to be made until somehours had passed, but he smothered his impatience and busied himselfwith a communication to the regent giving the exact hour the expeditionintended to take its departure.
The historian chosen to accompany the monarch and put into imperishableideographs the history he was to make transcribed the king's message,and it was dispatched by courier to the capital. Following thisbusiness, his majesty entertained us with a review of the Gaddbaizetsselected by Olox for the expedition.
The diminutive soldiers were well-drilled, well-equipped, and presenteda dazzling spectacle in their gilt war paint and yellow kirtles.
They were truly the flower of the country. Each carried a pair ofzetbais, filled to the white tip with a special supply of zet.
Quinn, now that his mind was made up to defeat the king and to remain onNjambia, displayed much interest in the maneuvres, even going so far asto applaud them. Stores of prepared food had been collected in bales,which were piled in a heap beside the car, ready for loading.
One bale was opened toward the close of day, and we used its contentsfor our supper rations. Night fell, and the professor asked me to enterthe car and light the lamp on the table. I did so, and in the glow thatcame through the car windows we who were not gifted with the owl-sightof the Njambaians were able to see a little of what went on around us.
As the night advanced, and King Gaddbai evinced his impatience andexcitement by walking back and forth in front of his picked guard,strains of the national anthem were borne to us from a distance. Louderand louder swelled the tones of the word-boxes, and at last the regentarrived, accompanied by a host from the town.
They were there to give their monarch a rousing send-off, and I smiled alittle as I thought of the disappointment that was likely to overtakethem.
While felicitations were being exchanged between the king and hispeople, Professor Quinn asked me to consult my watch. I found that wewere within fifteen minutes of midnight.
My timepiece was not strictly accurate, inasmuch as in the excitingevents of the morning I had neglected my usual custom of setting thehand three minutes back. However, the indicated time was close enoughfor all practical purposes.
"Into the car with you, Mr. Munn," said the professor as calmly asthough his command were not going to separate him from his kind for alleternity. I would have taken his hand had he not observed the movementand said quickly.
"Be careful! We must not let these people suspect, by a word orgesture, the sort of _coup_ we are planning. Take the others withyou--I will speak to the king and cover your movements as I have alreadyoutlined."
Those were Professor Quinn's last words to me. My final glimpse of himshowed me his resolute face and slender form drifting away into thegloom in the direction of King Gaddbai.
I felt as though I must run after him and drag him into the car whetherhe would or no. How I succeeded in fighting down the mad impulse hasever since been a mystery to me; but I did, and a word to Popham, Meigs,Markham, and Gilhooly, who had already been informed that they were toexpect a startling denouement, brought them after me into the steelstructure.
I heard Olox give a loud command for us to turn back, but his word-boxwas suddenly quieted, and I presumed that the professor had already gonefar enough with his part of the ruse to lull any suspicions that hadarisen.
"Rope that steel door on the inside, Gilhooly!" I cried as I bounded upthe iron stairs.
Gilhooly did not know what had been planned, but leaped instantly to thetask. With a quick pull of the lever I opened the oxygen tank anddashed below once more.
Something had gone wrong outside--I did not know what, and do not knowto this day. The mysterious violet fire which accompanied a discharge ofthe zetbais was rolling all around the steel wall that hemmed us in, anda perfect tumult of shrieks and cries came frantically to our cars.
Violent hands were laid on the door, pushing it inward against the ropemade fast by Gilhooly. Gilhooly and the others hurled themselves at theportal and flung it back, holding it so by main strength.
"We'll be killed!" shouted Meigs.
"No," I yelled, and jumped to the switch board.
The next instant the switch was thrown, and the
billows of fire fadedfrom the car windows as if by magic.
We were saved! Again had we plunged into space, and behind us--livingor dead I knew not--we had left Professor Quinn.
Sinking down on my knees I buried my face in my hands.
Adrift in the Unknown; or, Queer Adventures in a Queer Realm Page 18