Chapter XVII.
Bernardino turned to look after her father as he was leaving the room.
"He is going to the observatory," she said to Thorndyke and Johnston."Let us go also." And they followed the king into the room with theglass roof and walls covered with mirrors which he had shown thestrangers several days before. A white-headed old man stood at thestand, his fingers trembling over the half circle of electric buttons.In a mirror before him he was studying the reflection of a town ofperhaps a hundred houses. The streets were filled with excitedcitizens, and a squad of protectors stood ready for action near a row offlying-machines.
"Ornethelo," said the king, and at the sound of his voice the old manturned and bowed humbly.
"All right," went on the king, "I will take your place a moment."
He went to the stand and touched a button. Instantly the scene changed;fields, forests, streams and hills ran by in a murky blur, and thena larger town flashed on the mirror. Here the same stir and alertnesscharacterized the scene. The gaze of every inhabitant was fixed on thethreatening horizon. Rapidly the scenes shifted at the king's will, tilla hundred cities, towns and villages had been reviewed.
"Enough! They are all ready--all faithful," groaned the king, "and,Ornethelo, they may all have to perish to-day, and all for our ambition.Poor mortals!"
Ornethelo's face was half submerged in the beard on his breast, but helooked up suddenly and spoke:
"For their sakes, then, we ought not to delay; there may yet be hope."
"You are right, Ornethelo." There was a ring of hope in the voice of theking. "Quick! show me my capitol, that I may see if all the protectorsare ready."
Ornethelo touched another button, and, as if seen from a great height,the fair and wondrous city dawned before the eyes of the spectators.In every street policemen and protectors and flying-machines stoodin orderly readiness. The housetops were colored with the variegatedcostumes of men, women and children. Over all lay the wondrous sunlight,through the green splendor of which the flakes of soot were falling likeblack snow.
The king touched the old man's arm. "I must see beyond the walls; arethe connections made?"
"Ready, sir."
"Try them; they must not fail me now!"
The old man tremblingly unlocked a cabinet on the table, and another rowof electric buttons was displayed. Ornethelo touched one. Immediatelythere was a sharp clicking sound under the stand, and the view was sweptfrom the mirror. Nothing could be seen but a dark suggestion of toweringcliffs and yawning caverns.
"Not the east, Ornethelo," cried the king impatiently. "Go on! the west!the west!"
The black landscape flashed by like a glimpse of night from a flyingtrain, and then a blur of redly illuminated smoke in rolling billowsseemed to swell out from the surface of the mirror into the room.
"There, slow!" cried the king, and then a frightful scene burst upontheir sight. They beheld a great belching pit of fire and flames. Thesky from the earth to the zenith was a vast expanse of illuminatedsmoke, and the black landscape round about was cut by rivulets of moltenlava rolling on and on like restless streams of quicksilver.
The king leaned against the stand as if faint with despair. "Call PrinceArthur!" he ordered, and almost at that instant the young man appeared.
"Father!"
The king pointed a quivering finger at the mirror, and said huskily:
"Let not the sun go down! Let its light be white as at noon."
"But, father, it has never been done before; it----"
"Alpha has never faced such danger. All our dream is about to end. Go!"
Without a word the young man hastened away, and it seemed scarcely amoment before the sunlight streaming in at the oval glass roof changedfrom green to white.
The king pushed Ornethelo impatiently aside; his eyes held a dull gleamof despair, and he seemed to have grown ten years older. He touched abutton, and the awful scene at the pit gave place to a bright viewof the capitol, which was plainly seen from its crowded centre to itsscattering suburbs. The squads of "protectors" stood like armies readyfor battle, their rigid faces still toward the awful west.
"They are ready--the signal!" yelled the king, waving his hand, "thesignal!" Ornethelo caught his breath suddenly and tottered as he wentacross the room, and touched a button on the wall. The king's eyes wereglued on the mirrored view of the capitol, his trembling hands held out,as if commanding silence. Then a deafening trumpet blast broke on theear. The masses of citizens pressed near the edges of the roofs andclose against the walls along the streets, as the protectors rushed intothe flying-machines. Another trumpet-blast, and away they flew, a longblack line, every instant growing smaller as it receded in the murkydistance. The princess, white and silent, led Thorndyke and Johnstonback to the balcony. The line of machines was now a mere thread in thesky, but the ominous cloud in the west had increased, and fine sand andashes were added to the fall of soot.
"What was that?" gasped the princess. It was a low rumble like distantthunder, and the balcony shook violently.
"An earthquake," said Thorndyke. "I am really afraid there is not aghost of a chance for us; the water running into the fire is sure tocause an eruption of some sort, and even a slight one would be likely toenlarge the opening to the ocean."
Johnston nodded knowingly as he looked into his friend's face, but,considering the presence of the princess, he said nothing.
"My brother, Prince Marentel, is the greatest man in our kingdom," shere marked. "He has taken enough explosives to remove a mountain."
"How will he use them?" asked Thorndyke.
"I don't know, but I fancy he will try to close the opening in someway."
The latter slowly shook his head. "I fear he will fail. The fall must beas voluminous as Niagara by this time."
"My father must have lost hope, or he would not have stopped the sun,"sighed the princess, and she cast a sad glance towards the west. Therolling clouds had become more dense, and the rumbling and booming inthe distance was growing more frequent. A thin gray cloud passed beforethe sun, and a dim shadow fell over the city.
"That is a natural cloud," said Thorndyke; "it comes from the steam thatrises from the pit."
"It is exactly like our rain clouds," returned the princess; "butit comes from the steam, as you say. But let us go into the ElectricAuditorium and hear the news. As soon as anything is done we willhear of it there." The others had no time to question her, for she washastening into the corridor outside. She piloted them down a flight ofstairs into a large circular room beneath the surface of the ground. Itwas filled with seats like a modern theatre, and in the place wherethe stage would have been, stood a mighty mirror over an hundred feetsquare. She led them to a private box in front of the mirror. The roomwas filled from the first row of chairs to the rear with a silent,anxious crowd. In the massive frame of the mirror were numerousbell-shaped trumpets like those on the ordinary phonograph, though muchlarger.
"Watch the mirror," whispered Bernardino as she sat down.
And at that instant the surface of the great glass began to glow likethe sky at dawn, and all the lights in the room went out. Then from thetrumpets in the frame came the loud ringing of musical bells.
"They are ready," whispered Bernardino; "now watch and listen."
The pink light on the mirror faded, and a life-like reflectionappeared--the reflection of a young man standing on a rock in boldrelief against a dark background of rugged, slabbering cliffs and theforbidding mouths of caves.
"Waldmeer!" ejaculated the princess, and she relapsed into silence.
The young man held in his hand a cup-shaped instrument from whichextended a wire to the ground. He raised it to his lips, and instantly acalm, deliberate voice came from the mirror, soft and low and yet loud,enough to reach the most remote parts of the great room.
"The ocean," began he, "is pouring into the 'Volcano of the Dead' in agradually increasing torrent. Prince Marentel hopes temporarily to delaythe crisis by partiall
y turning the torrent away from the pit into thelowlands of the country. For that purpose a portion of the endless wallis being torn down, and Marentel's forces are placing their explosives.After this is done an attempt will be made to stop the original break.There is, however, little hope. The prince has warned the king to beprepared for the worst."
At this point, the speaker turned as if startled toward the red glareat his right. He quickly picked up another instrument attached to a wireand put it to his ear. A look of horror changed his face as he turnedto the audience and began to speak:--"The opening in the wall is notprogressing rapidly. Workmen are drowning and the tunnel of the sun isfilling with water. It will be impossible for the sun to go through tothe east."
Just then there was a far-away crash, and instantly the mirror was void.There was now no sound except the low groans of women in the audienceand the subdued curses of maddened men. The silence was profound. Thenthe mirror began to glow, and the image of another man took Waldmeer'splace.
"It is the Mayor of Telmantio," whispered the princess, "a place nearthe western limits of Alpha."
He held a like instrument to the one used by Waldmeer, and throughit spoke:--"Venus, one of the great stars, has been shaken from thefirmament. It fell in the suburbs of Telmantio, and many lives werelost."
That was all, and the figure vanished. Presently Waldmeer reappeared.He seemed to be standing nearer the pit, for the entire background wasaflame; volumes of black smoke now and then hid him from view, and athick shower of ashes and small stones were falling round him. Hespoke, but his voice was drowned in a deafening explosion, and thewhole landscape about him seemed afire. In the semi-darkness hundreds ofprotectors could be seen struggling in the rushing water, moving stonesand building a dam. Waldmeer again faced his far-off audience andspoke:--"Prince Marentel has turned the course of the stream. All nowdepends on the success or failure of his final test with explosives,which will take place in about half an hour."
"We ought to go outside again," suggested Bernardino, as Waldmeer'simage disappeared; "my father might want us."
Seeing no one in the king's apartment, they passed through it to thebalcony. Half the sky was now covered with mingled fog and smoke, andthe sun could be seen only now and then. A drizzling rain was falling--arain that brought down clots of ashes and soot. But this made nodifference to the throngs in the now muddy and slippery streets. Theystood shivering in damp and soiled clothing, their blearing eyes fixedhopelessly on the lowering signs in the west. Johnston noticed a bentfigure crouched against a wall beneath them. It was Branasko.
"Who is it?" inquired the princess.
"Branasko, the companion of my adventures," he replied.
"Call him to us," she said eagerly, and the American went down to theAlphian.
As they entered together, Branasko uncovered his dishevelled head andbowed most humbly.
"You look tired and sick and hungry; have you eaten anything today?" sheasked.
"Not in two days," he replied.
The princess called to a frightened maid who was wringing her hands in acorridor.
"Give this man food and drink at once," she ordered, and Branasko, witha grateful bow and glance, withdrew. Johnston followed him to the door.
"Fear nothing," he said. "If the danger passes we are safe; the king haspromised to pardon me, and he will do the same for you."
"There is no hope for any of us," replied Branasko grimly; "but I do notwant to die with this gnawing in my stomach; adieu."
"If the worst comes, is there any chance for us to escape from here tothe outer world?" the Englishman was asking the princess when Johnstonturned back to them.
"For a few hundred, yes,--by the sub-water ships, but for all, no; and,then, my father would not consent to rescue a part and not the whole ofhis subjects. He would not try to save himself or any of his family."
The clouds still covered the sun; but on the eastern sky its rays wereshining gloriously. Ever and anon there sounded from afar a low rumblingas if the earth were swelling with heat.
Johnston left the two lovers together and went to the door of theElectric Auditorium, and over the heads of the breathless crowd hewatched the great mirror. After a few moments Waldmeer appeared andspoke:
"Prince Marentel is operating with great difficulty. A large quantity ofhis explosives has been injured by water, but he hopes there is enoughleft intact to serve his purpose. The final explosion will soon takeplace. The greatest peril hangs over Alpha."
Waldmeer's reflection was becoming in-distinct, and sick at heart theAmerican elbowed his way through the muttering crowd into the corridor.Here he met Branasko, and together they walked back to Thorndyke and theprincess, who were mutely watching the signs in the east. Just then thesun slowly emerged from the cloud.
"Look!" cried Bernardino in horror. "The cloud is not moving; thesun has not stopped! It is going down and we shall soon be in utterdarkness. Oh, it is awful--to die in this way!"
The king had just returned, and he over-heard her words. He came hastilyto the edge of the balcony, and gazed at the sun. The others held theirbreath and waited. His face became more rigid; he swayed a little as heturned to her.
"You are right, my daughter," he groaned; "it is going down; thecowardly dogs in the east have deserted their posts. It is going down!It will sink into a tunnel filled with water, and the light of Alphawill be extinguished forever. We are undone! Say your prayers, mychild, your prayers, I tell you, for an Infinite God is angry at ourpretensions!"
"Don't despair, father," and Bernardino put her arms gently round theold man's neck. "You understand the solar machinery; could you not stopthe sun?"
The eyes of the old man flashed. He seemed electrified as he drewhimself from her embrace and looked anxiously over the balustrade to aflying-machine in the street below.
"I might reach the east in time," he cried; "yes, you are right, I wasacting cowardly. The fastest air-ship in Alpha is ready, and Nanleoncan drive it to its utmost speed. If the worst comes, I shall see you nomore, good-bye!" He kissed her brow tenderly, and her eyes filled ashe hastened away. Down below they saw him spring lightly into thegold-mounted car, and the next instant the graceful vessel rose abovethe palace roof and sped like an arrow across the sky toward the east.
A faint cheer broke from the lips of the crowd which seemed suddenly totake new hope from the king's departure. Some of them waved their hatsand scarfs, and many watched the air-ship till it had disappeared in themurky distance.
"He may not get there in time!" cried the princess; "it seems to begoing down faster than it ever did before, and he has a great distanceto go."
The little party on the balcony were silent for a long time. PresentlyBernardino turned her tearful eyes to the face of Thorndyke.
"The smoke and steam do not seem so voluminous, do you think all will gowell?"
The Englishman slowly shook his head. "I don't want to depress you morethan you are; but I think at such a time we ought to realize the worst.It is true, the clouds are not so heavy, and the earth-quakes are lessfrequent, but, unfortunately, it is owing to the fact that the volume ofwater has been turned away from the pit into the tunnel. Be prepared forthe worst. If your father cannot reach the machinery in the east soonenough, our light will go out; and, worse than that, if Prince Marentelshould fail in his next venture with explosives, all hope will be gone."
"I have never desired to live so much as now," she answered, incliningwith an air of tenderness toward him. "I never knew what it was to feardeath till--till you came to us."
He made no reply. There was a lump in his throat and he could not trusthis voice to speech. Branasko and Johnston left them together to go intothe Electric Auditorium. They returned in great haste.
"The prince is ready for the explosion," panted Johnston. "Thorndyke, oldman, this is simply awful! It is not like standing up to be shot at, orbeing jerked through the clouds in a balloon. It seems to me that outthere is the endless space of infinity, and that all t
he material worldis coming to an end. My God! look at that hellish fire, the awful smokeand that black sky! Oh, the blasphemy of a such a paltry imitation ofthe handiwork of the Creator! We are damned! I say damned, and by a justand angry God!"
"Don't be a fool," said Thorndyke, and he threw a warning glance atBernardino, who, with staring, distended eyes was listening to Johnston.
"No, he is right," she said in a low tone. "I have never seen yourworld, but I know my people must be woefully wrong. In your land theysay men teach things about Infinity and an eternal life for the soul;and that one may prepare for that life by living pure, and in strivingto attain a high spiritual state. Oh, why have you not told me aboutthat? It is the one important thing. I have long wanted to know if mysoul will be safe at death, but I can learn nothing of my people. Theyhave always tried to rival God, and, in their mad pursuit of perfectionin science, they have been reduced to--this. That black cloud is thefrown of God, hose mad flames may burst forth at any moment and engulfus."
She uttered a low groan and hung her head as if in prayer. Johnston andThorndyke were awed to silence. Never had the Englishman loved her as atthat moment. She was no longer simply a beautiful human creature, buta divinity, speaking truths from Heaven itself. He felt too unworthy tostand in her presence, and yet his heart was aching to comfort her.
She raised her pallid face heavenward and extended her fair, fragilehands toward the lowering sky and began to pray. "My Creator," she saidreverently, childishly, "I have never come to Thee, but they say thatpeople far away from this dark land, under Thy own sun, moon and starsdo ask aid of Thee, and I, too, want Thy help. Forgive me and my people.They have been sinful, and vain, and thoughtless, but let themnot perish in utter gloom. Forgive them, O thou Maker of all thatexists--thou Creator of pain that we may love joy, Creator of evil thatwe may know good, turn not from us! We are but thoughtless children--andThy children--give us time to realize the awful error of our hollowpretensions! Give them all now, at once, if they are to die, that spiritwhich is awakened in me by the awful majesty of Thy anger! Hear me, OGod!" And with a sob she sank on her knees, clasped her hands and raisedthem upward. Thorndyke tried to lift her up, but she shook her head andcontinued her prayer in silence. A marked change had come over Branasko.He looked at Johnston and Thorndyke in a strange, helpless way, andthen, in a corner of the balcony the begrimed and tattered man fell onhis knees. He knew not the meaning of prayer, but there was somethingin the reverent attitude of the princess that drew his untutored beingtoward his Maker. He covered his face with his hands and his shaggy headsank to his knees.
Johnston hastened back into the Auditorium. Returning in a moment, hefound the Englishman tenderly lifting Bernardino from her knees andBranasko still crouching in a corner.
"What is the news?" asked Thorndyke.
"Everything is ready for the explosion. The prince seems only waitingbecause he dreads failure. The people in there are so frightened thatthey cannot move from their seats."
Just then Branasko raised a haggard face and looked appealingly at theprincess. She caught his eye.
"Fear nothing, good man," she said; "the God of the Christians will notharm us; we are safe in His hands. I felt it here in my heart when Iprayed to Him. Oh, why has my father and the other kings of Alpha nottaught us that grand simple truth! But before I die I want to leave thisdark pit of sin, and look out once into endless, world-filled space."
A joyous flush came into the face of the Alphian. His fear had vanished.She had promised him safety. He bowed worshipfully, but he spoke not,for Bernardino was eagerly pointing to the sun.
"Look!" she cried gleefully, with the merry tremolo of a happy,surprised child. "The sun is not moving. Father has been successful! Itis a good omen! God will save us!"
It was true; the sun was standing still. A deep silence was on the city.The crowds in the street neither moved nor spoke. Without a murmur orcomplaint they stood facing the frowning west. Suddenly the silence wasinterrupted by a low volcanic rumble. The earth heaved, and rolled, andfar away in the suburbs of the city the spire of a public building fellwith a loud crash. A groan swept from mouth to mouth and then died away.
"The cloud is increasing rapidly," said Thorndyke. "I can really seelittle hope. I shall return in a moment."
While he was gone Bernardino knelt and prayed. Again overcome with fearBranasko crouched down in his corner. Another shudder and rumble fromthe earth, another long moan from the people. Thorndyke came back. Hespoke to the princess:
"The dam built by Prince Marentel has been swept away. The ocean ispouring into the internal fires. There is scarcely any hope now."
Branasko groaned, but Bernardino's face was aglow with celestial faith.She shook her head.
"They will not be destroyed in this way," she said; "they have had nochance to know God."
"It all depends on the explosion which may take place at any moment,"and Thorndyke took her into his arms and whispered into her ear, "I donot care for myself; but I cannot bear to think of your suffering pain."
She answered only by pressing his hand. The clouds were now rollingupward in greater volume than ever. It was growing darker. The littlegroup on the balcony could now scarcely see the people below them. Thefall of damp ashes was resumed. The air had grown hot and close.
Boom! Boom! Boom! the streets of the city rose and fell with theundulating motion of a swelling sea. Blacker and blacker grew the sky;closer and closer the atmosphere; damper and damper became the fog;thicker and thicker fell the wet sand and ashes.
"Perhaps we would be safer in the streets," suggested Thorndyke, drawingBernardino closer into his arms, "the palace may fall on us."
But the princess shook her head. "Father would not know where to findme, I shall await him here." Branasko had edged nearer to her. His eyeswere glued on her face and he hung on her words as if his fate were inher hands. He had no regard for the opinions of the others.
"The explosion will soon take place now unless something has happenedcontrary to the expectations of the prince," said the Englishman.
Boom! Boom! kr-kr-kr-kr-boom! The noise seemed to shake the earth toits centre. Now the far-away pit was belching forth fire and moltenlava rather than steam and smoke. The flames had spread out against thesloping roof of the cavern, and seemed to extend for a mile along thehorizon. "They can do nothing in that heat," exclaimed Johnston; "theycould not get near enough to the pit. Thorndyke, old fellow, I can't seea ghost of a chance. We might as well say good-bye."
"Hush!" It was the voice of the princess. "I feel that we shall not belost, I say." And as she spoke Branasko crept toward her and raised thehem of her gown to his white lips. Something dark came between them andthe far-off glare. It was a flying-machine.
"It is father," cried Bernardino, and she called out to him: "Father!father! Here we are, waiting for you!" In a moment he was with them.
"All right in the east," he said gloomily. "Baryonay is there. Theydeserted him, but they returned when the flames went down. This isawful, daughter; it means death! It means annihilation!"
She put her arms round his neck and drew his face close to hers. "No,no," she said earnestly; "I see with a new light--a new spiritual light.There is mercy in the divine heart of Him that made the walls of ourlittle world and constructed countless other worlds. I have prayed formercy, and into my heart has come a sweet peace I never knew before. Weshall not be lost. He will give us time to give up our sinful life hereand seek Him."
The old man quivered as with ague; he searched her face eagerly, drewher spasmodically into his arms, and then sank to the floor, overcomewith exhaustion.
The roar in the west was increasing. Hot ashes, gravel and small stoneswere falling on the roofs and the people. Now and then a cry of pain washeard, but they would not seek the shelter of the buildings. If they hadto die they wanted to fall facing the enemy. Suddenly the king rose. Helooked to the west and groaned. Something told them that the explosionwas coming. Expectation, horrible suspen
se was in the air. There was amighty flare of light. The entire heavens were lighted from horizon tohorizon, and then the light went out.
"Oh, I thought it----" but the princess did not finish her sentence.
"The explosion," said Thorndyke, "the sound will follow in a moment."
"My God, have mercy on us!" cried the king. But his prayer was drownedin a deafening sound. Bernardino had leaned into the arms of herlover. "Don't despair," he said tenderly, "the prince may have beensuccessful."
"I feel that he has," she replied. "But, oh, it is dreadful!"
The crowds below seemed to understand that their fate depended on thenews that would reach them in a few minutes.
Boom! Boom! kr-kr-kr-kr-boom! There seemed to be no lessening of thevolcanic disturbance, and the earth groaned and rocked and quivered asbefore.
"It is impossible to tell yet," groaned the king. "Oh, God, save us;give us a chance to escape this awful doom!"
Johnston bethought himself that he might learn something in the ElectricAuditorium and he went into it. It was empty and dark; not a soul wasthere save himself. He was turning to leave when his eye was drawn tothe great mirror by a faint pink glow appearing upon it. He stood still,a superstitious fear coming over him as he thought of being alone witha possible messenger from the far-away scene of disaster. The light wentout tremblingly; then it flashed up again, and the American thoughthe saw the face of Waldmeer. The light grew steadier, stronger. It wasWaldmeer, but he was submerged in smoke. Hark! he was speaking.
"Marentel is successful! Entrance closed temporarily, and will bestrengthened!"
Johnston rushed out to the balcony. "I have been to the Auditorium," heannounced. "I have seen Waldmeer. He says the experiment was successful.It is closed temporarily, and can be strengthened."
The king grasped the hand of the American. "Thank God!" he ejaculated,"if I can only save my people I shall desire nothing more." The princessmoved toward him affectionately, but he put her aside and retired intothe palace.
"He will at once communicate with the people," remarked Bernardinohopefully, and she turned her face again toward the west. The red glarewas dying down, and the dense clouds in the sky were thinning. Inan hour the face of the sun broke through the smoke, and theflying-machines of the protectors began to return.
That night the king caused the pink light of the "Ideal Dawn" to floodthe eastern sky, and, as before, he appeared in a circle of dazzlinglight and addressed his subjects:
"All danger to life is over; but the ultimate fate of Alpha is sealed.Prince Marentel has effectually closed the entrance of the ocean, butthe internal fires are gradually burning through the rocky bed of theocean. In a couple of years Alpha will be demolished. All our wealthshall be equally distributed among you, and my ships shall transport youto whatever destination you desire. Let there be no haste. Order shallbe preserved throughout."
That was all. The king bowed and the picture faded from view. A deepsilence was over everything. The only light came from the stars andfrom the moon. Then there was a sound like the wind passing over a vastforest of dry-leaved trees--the people were returning to their homes.
"I should have thought they would greet the king's announcement with acheer of joy," said Thorndyke to the princess, as they returned to thepalace.
"They don't know whether to weep or laugh," she replied. "They loveAlpha, and the other world will be strange to most of them. As formyself, now that I am to leave, I feel a few misgivings."
"I shall see that you are perfectly happy," he said tenderly. "You areto be my wife. I shall always love you and care for you; you need haveno fears."
And a moment later, with joyous tears and face aglow, she assured himshe had none.
THE END.
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