*CHAPTER XXX.*
*CAPTURED.*
When the ominous summons to surrender was heard, shouted down from someinvisible person in the air above them, it was Malto who took uponhimself to reply.
His brain had been working quickly. At first he had feared that it wasAgrando's people who had thus found them out, but a moment's reflectionconvinced him that such a thing was extremely improbable. If it wereindeed so, then, such was his detestation of his late master, and horrorof again falling into his clutches, that he would rather have diedfighting than yield.
But Agrando's men would have acted first. There would have been nopreliminary summons; they would simply have used their tridents torender the fugitives powerless at once. The inference was that thesemust be some other people who were not armed with tridents. All thesame, resistance was probably useless, as they could not even see theiradversaries, and a fight could only end in one way. So he called out,'Who are you? And why do you threaten us? We have no quarrel with you,whoever you are. We are peaceable folk.'
'You will find out who we are in good time,' was the answer, given witha grim laugh. 'Will you surrender quietly, or shall we'----
The speaker did not finish the sentence, but waited for an answer, asthough he considered it unnecessary to say more.
There were other sounds, however, which had caught Malto's quickear--sounds as of a number of men moving about amongst the surroundingrocks, and from these he drew the inference that the threat that hadbeen made was not likely to prove an idle one.
'If we yield, what are you going to do with us?' he asked again.
'That is for us to say. We cannot make any bargain with you,' was theanswer given roughly and impatiently.
'Will you guarantee us good treatment? Remember, I have told you we arepeaceable folk. Have you no fear that King Agrando will call you toaccount?'
At this there was a harsh laugh.
'We have no fear of Agrando or his ruffians,' the voice declaredjeeringly. 'You will gain nothing by appealing to him here.'
'Then you ought to welcome us as friends instead of treating us asenemies, for we have no more bitter foe than that same Agrando.'
'Why,' cried another voice, 'the fellow is mocking us! Is he nothimself one of Agrando's myrmidons? He is dressed in the tyrant'suniform--ay, and so is another I can see beside him!'
'A man may wear another's uniform and yet be no friend of'---- Maltobegan, when Malandris interrupted him. It struck him that the secondspeaker was not unknown to him.
'I ought to know that voice!' he exclaimed. 'I should recognise it amonga thousand. Surely it is Landris, who was once a friend of mine!'
'It is Malandris,' they heard the second man then say; and there ensueda colloquy in a low tone between the unseen speakers. Presently thesecond man's voice was heard again.
'If you are Malandris, what are you doing here? If you have come out atthe tyrant's bidding to join in hunting us down'----
'We are fugitives, Landris. We have run away from him, as you yourselfdid once, and for the same reason--because we could put up with histreatment no longer. He condemned me to the cage of the krudias--hisgreat monstrous bats--but by good chance these brave gentlemen, who aremy companions, rescued me, and we all had to flee for our lives inconsequence.'
Again there was a conference in low tones, and what seemed to be anargument ensued. At last the one called Landris said aloud, 'I tell youI will have it so! I know this Malandris to be an honest man, and oncehe saved my life; and I insist that he and those with him shall gobefore the chief and speak for themselves.'
'Oh, very well, if you insist!' the other replied. 'But, recollect, ifthere is trouble about it, it is your doing, not mine.'
'You will have to be bound and blindfolded, Malandris--all of you,'Landris now said. 'I will conduct you to our leader, and you can tellyour story to him. If he believes that you speak the truth he will notharm you--indeed, he may welcome you if so be that you care to join himand fight against Agrando, even as he did with me.'
'Lead us to him, friend Landris. That is all I ask,' Malandris said.
A few moments later the fugitives found themselves in the midst of acrowd of rough-looking men, who climbed down from the adjoining rocks,bringing with them lanterns and pieces of rope.
They were certainly not by any means of attractive appearance, and theirapparel was of the coarsest. Their hair and beards, too, were unkempt,and their manners gruff and surly. But they had the appearance ofalert, hardy veterans of the wilds; and in their handling of theirprisoners there was nothing cruel or insulting.
The one named Landris greeted Malandris with quiet friendliness, and hiscompanion--the one who had called upon them to surrender--also came andconversed with the prisoners. His name, it appeared, was Duralda. Hewas a fine, picturesque figure of a man, with bearded face, shaggy hair,and dressed in what had probably once been a rich costume, but hadevidently seen its best days. This man examined and questioned eachprisoner in turn, but showed no resentment when, acting upon a hint fromMalandris, they told him civilly that they preferred to tell what theyhad to tell to his chief.
Their wings and other belongings were packed up by the band--of whom itwas now seen there were fully a hundred--and in due time the whole partycommenced a march over very difficult, rocky ground.
At the end of some two hours a halt was called. They were thenblindfolded, and the march resumed in slow fashion, each captive beingled by two guards, one on each side.
They were then blindfolded, and the march resumed.]
This time, after ascending some steep, broken ground, they came tosteps, up which their guards assisted them.
At length there was another halt, and a low, tumultuous murmuring soundtold them that they must have arrived in the midst of a considerableassembly.
Then the bandages were removed from their eyes, and they gazed roundupon a marvellous scene.