*CHAPTER XXXII.*
*IVANTA A FUGITIVE.*
Alondria's companions in his scouting expedition were Gerald and Jack,Malto and the outlaw chief Fumenta, the latter having taken the place ofMalandris, who had been left behind.
'You will want some one who knows this region as a guide, or you willnot be able to find your way through the mist,' Fumenta had pointed out.Alondra had been prompt to recognise the wisdom of the suggestion, andgladly accepted it.
It seemed that these outlaws were without flying apparatus of any kindexcept the roughest sort of wings. They lived the life of hunted men,and even if they had possessed airships or other flying machines, theywere without the necessary means of utilising them.
All kinds of air-craft required electricity to work them; which, in itsturn, as with us, required machinery to produce it. Throughout Ivanta'sdominions there were stations here and there at which passing aeronautscould refill their storage batteries on payment of certain specifiedsums. At these stations gigantic engines of immense power were ever atwork, day and night, accumulating the necessary force, and it was uponthis constant supply that all airships were dependent. When theyjourneyed beyond the districts in which these stations were situated,travellers were compelled to be careful not to venture too farafield--no farther, that is, than they could travel back again with thestorage power on board.
For the same reason, the outlaws had none of the usual weapons--thosetridents which wielded such strange, mysterious power; or, if theypossessed any, they were useless to them for want of the needful force.
Throughout the inhabited portion of the planet the same state of thingsprevailed. There were no small weapons other than the tridents, saveswords, spears, and the like. Nor were there any large weapons like ourcannon and big guns. Owing to their great weight, all such contrivanceshad long ago been abandoned as too heavy to be carried in the air, andas being no longer of any use on the ground. An airship depended forits means of offence either upon ramming an adversary, or being able toget above it, and drop upon it bombs, which, upon bursting, produced asimilar effect upon living beings around it to that of thetridents--that is to say, they rendered them for the time beingunconscious. Thus, warfare in the air resolved itself chiefly into amanoeuvring contest, the one which could soar uppermost, and get exactlyover its adversary, usually--other things being equal--gaining theadvantage.
Having no machinery for the production of electricity, and consequentlyno flying apparatus save the clumsy, slow wings without motors, Fumentaand the bands of which he was chief were for the most part restricted intheir operations to nocturnal expeditions. They seldom ventured abroadin the daytime, but remained hidden in their underground retreats.
Fortunately for their purpose, their leader had discovered, amid thearid wilderness of rocky mountains into which he had been driven, anextinct volcano with an ancient crater open to the sky. Within was theimmense cavity which they had made their chief hiding-place, and runninginto it from all points of the compass were endless galleries andpassages--a veritable labyrinth which extended for miles in everydirection. These led to numerous underground grottos, large and loftycaverns, which they had turned into dwelling-places. The whole formed asort of subterranean town.
Not the least remarkable thing about this retreat was the ingenious ruseby which Fumenta had kept its existence unknown to his enemies. He haddiscovered, in some of the lower galleries, considerable accumulationsof sulphur, and whenever, during the daytime, the approach of airshipswas signalled by his scouts, he had sulphur fires lighted in the craterjust beneath the funnel-like opening, sending up columns of smoke andsulphur fumes.
As a consequence, the report had gone forth that the supposedly extinctvolcano had become active again, and its neighbourhood was shunned asdangerous by all not in the secret. A few venturesome inquirers, whohad attempted to make explorations, had been baffled by the sulphurfumes, and had returned declaring that there were evident signs ofrenewed volcanic activity.
Similarly, if, as sometimes happened, an occasional airship, driven outof her course by high winds, passed near the place at night, and saw alight coming up through the opening, it was put down to the same cause.
These notes are necessary to explain the events which follow.
The mist seemed to grow thicker as the adventurers sailed cautiouslyonwards, and it soon became obvious that they would quickly have lostthemselves if they had not had Fumenta to guide them. He, however,seemed to know his way about in it with as much certainty as if it hadbeen clear. He was aided, no doubt, by a dim radiance which struggleddown from the moon above.
He led off to the right, mounting always upwards, till, after they hadtravelled perhaps a mile, he brought them to a halt beside a toweringpeak.
'Here,' he said, in low, guarded tones, 'you had better rest for alittle time, while I reconnoitre from the top of the mountain, whichrises yet some hundreds of feet into the air. It is one of the highestpeaks about here, and these occasional ground-mists scarcely ever reachits top. It may be that we can get a view from its summit over the topof the mist, but at the same time we shall run some risk of being seenourselves. Let me, therefore, make the trial first, as I am more usedto this kind of thing than you are. I will return in a short time andlet you know the result. Do not leave this spot, and, whatever you do,do not talk loudly. Voices travel far in this mist; you cannot tell hownear our enemies may be.'
With that he started off, mounting silently upwards, and the four heleft behind began discussing their recent adventures, and the possiblefuture, in low tones.
'So that's the great outlaw chief!' said Jack. 'What do you think ofhim? I suppose he is to be trusted? I must say I am agreeablysurprised! I like his looks; yet one never knows! He might betray you,Prince, to your enemies. How if he could buy off Agrando's hostilitythat way? It might be a great temptation!'
'I do not think he is one of that sort,' Alondra returned.
'Nor do I,' Gerald put in.
Malto had remained silent. He had seemed to be pondering deeply oversomething. At these words from the others he suddenly woke up, as itwere, from his reverie, and spoke warmly. 'I would stake my life on hisloyalty!' he exclaimed passionately. 'He is a good man--a great man--anupright, brave, honourable man! I feel it, I know it! But why do Iknow it? Why does he rouse such a tumult of strange thoughts and ideasin my breast? That is what has been puzzling me ever since I set eyeson him! Have I seen him before? It seems to me that I have--must havedone so! Yet when? Where? How could it be? My head seems to go roundpuzzling it out, and trying to seize upon some thought, some memory,which I feel, but cannot put into words!'
The others looked in surprise at this outburst.
'Hush! We were warned to be quiet!' said Alondra. 'Our opinions arereally the same as yours. What was said was only spoken in the way ofordinary caution. You need not take it to heart as though we werewronging a friend of yours!'
'A friend of mine!' Malto answered bitterly and somewhat incoherently.'Would that I could call such a man my friend! I have no such friend inthe world! My life, since I was a boy, has been passed among deadlyenemies, who destroyed my father and brought me up as a slave! I haveever been a child of misfortune; and now, see how ill-fortune dogs me!I come across you, and you promise to take me to King Ivanta, to give methe opportunity of pleading my cause with him and asking for my rights;but what comes of it? At once treachery steps in again, and instead ofyour helping me, I only lead you into trouble and fresh misfortune!'
'Nay, it was no doing of yours,' said Alondra gently. 'Have patience,my friend, and all will yet come right! I feel sure it will! My fatheris not going to be beaten by people like Agrando and his confederates.He will soon come to our aid and rescue us, have no fear! Then youshall tell him your story, and he will see that right is done.Meantime, it seems to me, we have been fortunate in meeting withFumenta. If he and his people are to be trus
ted--and I feel sure theyare--we have found useful and faithful allies, and a secure hiding-placewhere we can await developments!'
As the young prince finished, he started. While he had been speakingthe last few words there had been heard a tiny, muffled 'ting-ting,' andnow, in the surrounding stillness, it was heard still more plainly.
'Ting--ting-ting--ting--ting!' it rang out.
'By Jove!' exclaimed Jack, 'that's your wireless telegraph affair!'
Alondra plunged a hand into his breast and brought out the littleinstrument they had seen when they had been in the pavilion.
He placed it on his outstretched palm, and again were heard the clear,silvery notes of the little gongs.
Excitedly he opened it and began to manipulate the miniature levers andpins.
'What did I tell you?' he breathed, in low accents. 'Said I not that myfather would be soon on his way to our assistance?'
Just then Fumenta came gliding back like some weird, mysterious shadow.
'Follow me,' he said, 'and I will show you a strange sight!'
First, however, they told him the news.
'My father King Ivanta has come to seek us,' Alondra said joyously. 'Heis not far away!'
To their surprise the outlaw chief nodded his head and answered slowly,'I know. But he cannot help us. He is in hiding, as we are. He cannotaid us at present. I may, however, help him by offering him a temporaryrefuge, as I have done to you.'
Alondra turned and faced him in amazement, his eyes flashing, and hischeeks flushing with indignation.
'My father--in hiding? You--offering him a refuge?' he gasped. 'Sir,have you suddenly'----
'Peace, my son! You speak too loudly,' rejoined the old man quietly.'However painful it may be to you to hear it, what I have said is butthe exact truth, as I will prove to you presently. Come with me, and Iwill show you something that will surprise you.'
He commenced his upward flight as he spoke, and the others wonderinglyfollowed. His words had, so to speak, struck them dumb; and no oneuttered another word.
After a few minutes' flight it grew lighter, and they could tell thatthey were nearing the limits of the mist above them. Then Fumentastopped upon a sloping rock, and, looking round at his companions toenjoin caution, signed to them to walk slowly up the incline.
They obeyed, and, behold! quite suddenly their heads were above themist. It was almost as if they had put them up through a trap-door andlooked around. The vapours closed round them below like a mantle. Theycould not see their own hands, but they could see for miles around onevery side.
A large fleet of airships could be seen in the air above, goingrestlessly backwards and forwards. The moon which our astronomers callPhobos was throwing a rather feeble light over what seemed to be apinkish-white sea, which was, in reality, the surface of the mist.
The airships were assisting the moonlight by throwing their searchlightsaround in all directions, prowling to and fro, and making sudden dasheshere and there, exactly as might a swarm of huge birds of prey on thewing seeking for food.
'Those,' said Fumenta, indicating the airships, 'are the war-vessels ofAgrando and the allies who have joined him. They know that King Ivanta,in his yacht--not his great "chariot of the skies," the mighty _Ivenia_,look you--is hiding somewhere in the mist below. He must have comehither to seek for you--why he should come in his yacht instead of the_Ivenia_ I know not--and they have chased him here, and have lost him inthe fog!'