Land of the Changing Sun

by Will N. Harben

  Chapter II.

  The two men watched it for several minutes; all the time it seemed to begrowing larger and brighter till, after a while, they saw that the lightcame from something shaped like a ship, sharp at both ends, and coveredwith oval glass. As it slowly rose to the surface they saw that itcontained five or six men, sitting in easy chairs and reclining onluxurious divans. One of them sat at a sort of pilot-wheel andwas directing the course of the strange craft, which was moving asgracefully as a great fish.

  Then the young men saw the man at the pilot-wheel raise his hand,and from the water came the musical notes of a great bell. The vesselstopped, and one of the men sprang up and raised an instrument thatlooked like a telescope to his eyes. With this he seemed to be closelysearching the lake shores, for he did not move for several minutes. Thenhe lowered the instrument, and when the bell had rung again, the vesselrose slowly and perpendicularly to the surface and glided to the shorewithin twenty yards of where the adventurers stood.

  "Could they have seen us?" whispered Thorndyke, drawing Johnston nearerthe side of the cliff.

  "I think so; at all events, they are between us and the outlet; we mayas well make the best of it."

  The men, all except the pilot, landed, and a dazzling electricsearch-light was turned on the spot where Thorndyke and Johnston stood.For a moment they were so blinded that they could not see, and then theyheard footsteps, and, their eyes becoming accustomed to the light, theyfound themselves surrounded by several men, very strangely clad. Theyall wore long cloaks that covered them from head to foot and every manwas more than six feet in height and finely proportioned. One of them,who seemed to be an officer in command, bowed politely.

  "I am Captain Tradmos, gentlemen, in the king's service. It is my dutyto make you my prisoners. I must escort you to the palace of the king."

  "That's cool," said Johnston, to conceal the discomfiture that he felt,"we had no idea that you had a kingdom. We have tramped all over thisisland, and you are the first signs of humanity we have met."

  He would have recalled his words before he had finished speaking, if hecould have done so, for he saw by the manner of the captain that he hadbeen over bold.

  "Follow me," answered the officer curtly, and with a motion of his handto his men he turned toward the odd-looking vessel.

  The two adventurers obeyed, and the cloaked men fell in behind them.Neither Johnston nor Thorndyke had ever seen anything like the peculiarboat that was moored to the rocky shore. It was about forty feet inlength, had a hull shaped like a racing yacht, but which was made ofblack rubber inflated with air. It was covered with glass, save for adoorway about six feet high and three feet wide in the side, and lookedlike a great oblong bubble floating on the still dark water. As theyapproached the searchlight was extinguished, and they were enabled tosee the boat to a better advantage by the aid of the electric lightsthat illuminated the interior. It was with feelings of awe that the twoadventurers followed the captain across the gang-plank into the vessel.

  The electric light was brilliantly white, and in various places pink,red and light-blue screens mellowed it into an artistic effect that wasvery soothing to the eye. The ceiling was hung with festoons of prismsas brilliant as the purest diamonds, and in them, owing to the gentlyundulatory movement of the vessel, colors more beautiful than those ofa rainbow played entrancingly. Rare pictures in frames of delicategold were interspersed among the clusters of prisms, and the floor wascovered with carpets that felt as soft beneath the foot as pillows ofeider-down.

  As he entered the door the officer threw off his gray cloak, and his mendid likewise, disclosing to view the finest uniforms the prisoners hadever seen. Captain Tradmos's legs were clothed in tights of light-bluesilk, and he wore a blue sack-coat of silk plush and a belt of pliantgold, the buckles of which were ornamented with brilliant gems. His eyeswere dark and penetrating, and his black hair lay in glossy masses onhis shoulders. He had the head of an Apollo and a brow indicative of thehighest intellect.

  Leaving his men in the first room that they entered, he gracefullyconducted his prisoners through another room to a small cabin in thestern of the boat, and told them to make themselves comfortable on theluxurious couches that lined the circular glass walls.

  "Our journey will be of considerable length," he said, "and as you areno doubt fatigued, you had better take all the rest you can get. I seethat you need food and have ordered a repast which will refresh you."As he concluded he touched a button in the wall and instantly a table,laden with substantial food, rare delicacies and wines, rose througha trap-door in the floor. He smiled at the expressions of surprise ontheir faces and touched a green bottle of wine with his white taperinghand.

  "The greater part of our journey will be under water, and our winesare specially prepared to render us capable of subsisting on a ratherlimited quantity of air during the voyage, so I advise you to partake ofthem freely; you will find them very agreeable to the taste."

  "We are very grateful," bowed Thorndyke, from his seat on a couch. "I amsure no prisoners were ever more graciously or royally entertained. Tobe your prisoner is a pleasure to be remembered."

  "Till our heads are cut off, anyway," put in the irrepressible American.

  Tradmos smiled good-humoredly.

  "I shall leave you now," he said, and with a bow he withdrew.

  "This is an adventure in earnest," whispered Johnston; "my stars! whatcan they intend to do with us?"

  "One of the first things will be to take us down to the bottom of thislake where we saw them awhile ago, and I don't fancy it at all; what ifthis blasted glass-case should burst? We may have dropped into a den ofoutlaws on a gigantic scale, and it may be necessary to put us out ofthe way to keep our mouths closed."

  "I am hungry, and am going to eat," said the American, drawing acushioned stool up to the table. "Here goes for some of the wine;remember, it is a sort of breath-restorer. I am curious enough not towant to collapse till I have seen this thing through. He said somethingabout a palace and a king. Where can we be going?"

  "Down into the centre of the earth, possibly," and the handsomeEnglishman moved a stool to the table and took the glass ofgreen-colored wine that Johnston pushed toward him. "Some scientistshold that the earth is filled with water instead of fire. Who knowswhere this blamed thing may not take us? Here is to a safe return fromthe amphibious land!"

  Both drank their wine simultaneously, lowered their glasses at the sameinstant, and gazed into each other's eyes.

  "Did you ever taste such liquor?" asked Thorndyke, "it seems to run likestreams of fire through every vein I have."

  Johnston shook his head mutely, and held the sparkling effervescingfluid between him and the light.

  "Ugh! take it down," cried the Englishman, "it throws a green color onyour face that makes you look like a corpse." Johnston clinked the glassagainst that of his companion and they drained the glasses. "Hush, whatwas that?" asked Thorndyke.

  There was a sound like boiling water outside and as if air were beingpumped out of some receptacle, and the vessel began to move up and downin a lithe sort of fashion and to bend tortuously from side to side likea great sluggish fish. Through the partitions of glass they saw one ofthe men closing the door, and in a moment the vessel glided away fromthe shore. The men all sank into easy positions on the couches, anddelightful music as soft as an Aeolian lyre seemed to be breathed fromthe walls and floor. Then the music seemed to die away and a bell downin the vessel's hull rang.

  "We are in the middle of the lake," said Thorndyke, looking throughthe glass toward the black cliffy shore; "the next thing will be ourdescent. I wonder----"

  But he was unable to proceed, and Johnston noticed in alarm thathis eyes were slightly protruding from their sockets. The air seemedsuddenly to become more compact as if compressed, and the water was setinto such violent commotion that it was dashed against the glass sidesin billows as white as snow. Then Johnston found that he could notbreathe freely, and he understood the
trouble of the Englishman.

  Captain Tradmos came suddenly to the door. He was smiling as he motionedtoward the wines on the table.

  "You had better drink more of the wine," he advised sententiously.

  Both of the captives rushed to the table. The instant they had swallowedthe wine they felt relieved, but were still weak. The captain bowed andwent away. Thorndyke's hand trembled as he refilled his friend's glass."I thought I was gone up," he said, "I never had such a choky sensationin my life; you are still purple in the face."

  "Eat of what is before you," said the captain, looking in at the door;"you cannot stand the increasing pressure unless you do."

  They needed no second invitation, for they were half-famished. The fishand meat were delicious, and the bread was delightfully sweet.

  "Look outside!" cried Johnston. The water was now still, but it wasgradually rising up the sides of the boat, and in a moment it had closedover the crystal roof. Both of the captives were conscious of a heavysensation in the head and a dull roaring in the ears. Down they went, atfirst slowly and then more rapidly, till it seemed to them that they haddescended over a thousand feet. Great monsters like whales swam to thevessel, as if attracted by the lights, and their massive bodies jarredagainst the glass walls as they turned to swim away. They sank aboutfive hundred feet lower; and all at once the lights went out, and theboat gradually stopped.

  It was at once so dark that the two captives could not see each other,though only the width of the table separated them. Everything wasprofoundly still; not a sound came from the men in the other rooms.Presently Thorndyke whispered, "Look, do you see that red lightoverhead?"

  "Yes," said Johnston, "it looks like a star."

  "It is our bonfire," said Thorndyke, "that's what betrayed us."

  Again the vessel began to sink, and more rapidly than ever; indeed,as Thorndyke expressed it, he had the cool feeling that nervous peopleexperience in going down quickly in an elevator.

  "If we go any lower," he added, as the great rubber hull seemed tostruggle like some living monster, "the sides of this thing willcollapse like an egg-shell and we will be as flat as pancakes."

  "You need not fear, we have much lower to go!" It was the captain'svoice, but they could not tell from whence it came. Then they heardagain the seductive music, and it was so soothing that they soon fellasleep.

  They had no idea how long they had slept, but they were awakened by theringing of a bell and felt the vessel was coming to a stop. They werestill far beneath the surface; indeed, the boat was resting on thebottom, for in the light of two or three powerful search-lights they sawa wide succession of submerged hills, vales, and rugged cliffs. Beforethem was a great mountain-side and in it they saw the mouth of a darktunnel. They had scarcely noticed it before the vessel rose a little andglided toward the tunnel and entered it. Through the glass walls theycould see that it was narrow, and that the ragged sides and roof werebarely far enough apart to admit them.

  Suddenly one of the men came in and drew a curtain down behind them,and, with a vexed look on his face retired.

  When he was gone Johnston put his lips close to Thorndyke's ear andwhispered:

  "Did you see that?"

  "See what?"

  "Just as he drew the curtain down I saw what looked to me like a cliffof solid gold. It had been dug out into a cavern in which I saw a vessellike this, and men in diving suits digging and loading it."

  This took the Englishman's breath away for a moment, then he remarked:"That accounts for the heel-tap we found; who knows, these people may bepossessors of the richest gold and silver mines on earth."

  The bell rang again. "We are rising," said Johnston. "If this is theonly way of reaching the king's domain, we could never get backto civilization unless they release us of their own accord, that'scertain!"

  "Heavens, isn't it still!" exclaimed the Englishman. "The machineryof this thing moves as noiselessly as the backbone of an eel. I wish Icould understand its works."

  "I am more concerned about where we are going. I tell you we are beingtaken to some wonderful place. People who can construct such marvels ofmechanical skill as this boat will not be behind in other things; thenlook at the physiques of those giants."

  Just then the man who had drawn down the shade came in and raised it.Both the captives pretended to be uninterested in his movements, butwhen he had withdrawn they looked through the glass eagerly.

  "See," whispered Thorndyke, in the ear of his companion, "the walls areclose to us, and are as perpendicular as those of the lake in which theyfound us."

  Johnston said nothing. His attention was riveted to the walls of rock;the vessel was rising rapidly. An hour passed. The soft music hadceased, and the air seemed less dense and fresher. Then the waterssuddenly parted over the roof and ran in crystal streams down the ovalglass.

  They were on the surface, and the vessel was slowly gliding toward theshore which could not be seen owing to there now being no light exceptthat inside the boat. Captain Tradmos entered, followed by two of hismen holding black silken bandages.

  "We must blindfold you," he said; "captives are not allowed to see theentrance to our kingdom."

  Without a word they submitted.

  "This way," said the captain kindly, and, holding to an arm of each, hepiloted them out of the vessel to the shore. Then he led them throughwhat they imagined to be a long stone corridor or arcade from theringing echoes of their feet on the stone pavement. Presently they cameto what seemed to be an elevator, for when they had entered it and satdown, they heard a metallic door slide back into its place, and theydescended quickly.

  They could form no idea as to the distance they went down; but Thorndykedeclared afterward that it was over ten thousand feet. When the elevatorstopped Captain Tradmos led them out, and both of the captives wereconscious of breathing the purest, most invigorating air they had everinhaled. Instantly their strength returned, and they felt remarkablybuoyant as they were led along over another pavement of polished stone.

  Tradmos laughed. "You like the atmosphere?"

  "I never heard of anything like it," said Thorndyke. "It is sodelightful I can almost taste it."

  "It was that which made Alpha what it is--the most wonderful country inthe universe," said the officer. "There is much in store for you."

  The ears of the two captives were greeted by a vague, indefinable hum,like and yet unlike that of a busy city. It was like many far-off soundscarefully muffled. Now and then they heard human voices, laughter, andsinging in the distance, and the twanging of musical instruments.

  Then they knew that they were entering a building of some sort, for theyheard a key turn in a lock and the humming sound in the distance wascut off. They felt a soft carpet under their feet, and the feet of theirguards no longer clinked on the stones.

  When the bandages were removed they found themselves in a sumptuouschamber, alone with the captain. The brilliant light from aquaintly-shaped candelabrum, in the centre of the chamber, dazzled them,but in a few minutes their eyes had become accustomed to it.

  Tradmos seemed to be enjoying the looks of astonishment on their facesas they glanced at the different objects in the room.

  "It is night," he said smilingly. "You need rest after your voyage.Lie down on the beds and sleep. To-morrow you will be conducted to thepalace of the king."

  With a bow he withdrew, and they heard a massive bolt slide into thesocket of a door hidden behind a curtain. The two men gazed at eachother without speaking, for a moment, and then they began to inspect theroom.

  In alcoves half-veiled with silken curtains stood statues in gold andbronze. The walls and ceilings were decorated with pictures unlike anythey had ever seen. Before one, the picture of an angel flying through adark, star-filled sky, they both stood enchanted.

  "What is it?" asked Thorndyke, finding voice finally. "It is not donewith brush or pencil; the features seem alive and, by Jove, you canactually see it breathe. Don't you see the clouds gliding by, and thew
ings moving?"

  "It is light--it is formed by light!" declared the otherenthusiastically, and he ran to the wall, about six feet from thepicture, and put his hand on a square metal box screwed to the wall.

  "I have it," he said quickly, "come here!"

  The Englishman advanced curiously and examined the box.

  "Don't you see that tiny speck of light in the side towards the picture?Well, the view is thrown from this box on the wall, and it is the motionof the powerful light that gives apparent life to the angel. It iswonderful."

  In a commodious alcove, in a glow of pink light from above, was alife-sized group of musicians--statues in colored metal of a Spanishgirl playing a mandora, an Italian with a slender calascione, a Russianplaying his jorbon, and an African playing a banjo. Luxurious coucheshung by spiral springs from the ceiling to a convenient height from thefloor, and here and there lay rugs of rare beauty and great ottomans ofartistic designs and colors.

  "We ought to go to bed," proposed Thorndyke; "we shall have plenty oftime to see this Aladdin's land before we get away from it."

  There were two large downy beds on quaintly wrought bedsteads of brass,but the two captives decided to sleep together.

  Thorndyke was the first to awaken. The lights in the candelabrum wereout, but a gray light came in at the top and bottom of the window. Herose and drew the heavy curtain of one of the windows aside. He shrankback in astonishment.