CHAPTER XX
THE WORLD OF THE RING
Next morning after breakfast the four men sat upon the balconyoverlooking the lake, and prepared to hear the Chemist's narrative ofwhat had happened since he left them five years before. They had alreadytold him of events in their world, the making of the chemicals and theirjourney down into the ring, and now they were ready to hear his story.
At their ease here upon the balcony, reclining in long wicker chairs ofthe Chemist's own design, as he proudly admitted, they felt at peacewith themselves and the world. Below them lay the shining lake, abovespread a clear, star-studded sky. Against their faces blew the coolbreath of a gentle summer's breeze.
As they sat silent for a moment, enjoying almost with awe the beautiesof the scene, and listening to the soft voice of Lylda singing toherself in the garden, the Very Young Man suddenly thought of the onething lacking to make his enjoyment perfect.
"I wish I had a cigarette," he remarked wistfully.
The Chemist with a smile produced cigars of a leaf that proved a verygood substitute for tobacco. They lighted them with a tiny metal lighterof the flint-and-steel variety, filled with a fluffy inflammable wick--acontrivance of the Chemist's own making--and then he started hisnarrative.
"There is much to tell you, my friends," he began thoughtfully. "Muchthat will interest you, shall we say from a socialistic standpoint? Ishall make it brief, for we have no time to sit idly talking.
"I must tell you now, gentlemen, of what I think you have so far noteven had a hint. You have found me living here," he hesitated andsmiled, "well at least under pleasant and happy circumstances. Yet as amatter of fact, your coming was of vital importance, not only to me andmy family, but probably to the future welfare of the entire Oroidnation.
"We are approaching a crisis here with which I must confess I have feltmyself unable to cope. With your help, more especially with the power ofthe chemicals you have brought with you, it may be possible for us todeal successfully with the conditions facing us."
"What are they?" asked the Very Young Man eagerly.
"Perhaps it would be better for me to tell you chronologically theevents as they have occurred. As you remember when I left you twelveyears ago----"
"Five years," interrupted the Very Young Man.
"Five or twelve, as you please," said the Chemist smiling. "It was myintention then, as you know, to come back to you after a comparativelyshort stay here."
"And bring Mrs.--er--Lylda, with you," put in the Very Young Man,hesitating in confusion over the Christian name.
"And bring Lylda with me," finished the Chemist. "I got back herewithout much difficulty, and in a very much shorter time and with lesseffort than on my first trip. I tried an entirely different method; Istayed as large as possible while descending, and diminished my sizematerially only after I had reached the bottom."
"I told you----" said the Big Business Man.
"It was a dangerous method of procedure, but I made it successfullywithout mishap.
"Lylda and I were married in native fashion shortly after I reachedArite."
"How was that; what fashion?" the Very Young Man wanted to know, but theChemist went on.
"It was my intention to stay here only a few weeks and then return withLylda. She was willing to follow me anywhere I might take her,because--well, perhaps you would hardly understand, but--women here aredifferent in many ways than you know them.
"I stayed several months, still planning to leave almost at any time. Ifound this world an intensely interesting study. Then, when--Loto wasexpected, I again postponed my departure.
"I had been here over a year before I finally gave up my intention ofever returning to you. I have no close relatives above, you know, no onewho cares much for me or for whom I care, and my life seemed thoroughlyestablished here.
"I am afraid gentlemen, I am offering excuses for myself--for mydesertion of my own country in its time of need. I have no defense. Asevents turned out I could not have helped probably, very much, butstill--that is no excuse. I can only say that your world up there seemedso very--very--far away. Events up there had become to me only vaguememories as of a dream. And Lylda and my little son were so near, soreal and vital to me. Well, at any rate I stayed, deciding definitely tomake my home and to end my days here."
"What did you do about the drugs?" asked the Doctor.
"I kept them hidden carefully for nearly a year," the Chemist replied."Then fearing lest they should in some way get loose, I destroyed them.They possess a diabolical power, gentlemen; I am afraid of it."
"They called you the Master," suggested the Very Young Man, after apause. "Why was that?"
The Chemist smiled. "They do call me the Master. That has been forseveral years. I suppose I am the most important individual in thenation to-day."
"I should think you would be," said the Very Young Man quickly. "Whatyou did, and with the knowledge you have."
The Chemist went on. "Lylda and I lived with her father and Aura--hermother is dead you know--until after Loto was born. Then we had a housefurther up in the city. Later, about eight years ago, I built this housewe now occupy and Lylda laid out its garden which she is tremendouslyproud of, and which I think is the finest in Arite.
"Because of what I had done in the Malite war, I became naturally theKing's adviser. Every one felt me the savior of the nation, which, in away, I suppose I was. I never used the drugs again and, as only a veryfew of the people ever understood them, or in fact ever knew of them orbelieved in their existence, my extraordinary change in stature wasascribed to some supernatural power. I have always since been creditedwith being able to exert that power at will, although I never used itbut that once."
"You have it again now," said the Doctor smiling.
"Yes, I have, thank God," answered the Chemist fervently, "though I hopeI never shall have to use it."
"Aren't you planning to go back with us," asked the Very Young Man,"even for a visit?"
The Chemist shook his head. "My way lies here," he said quietly, yetwith deep feeling.
A silence followed; finally the Chemist roused himself from his reverie,and went on. "Although I never again changed my stature, there were athousand different ways in which I continued to make myself--well,famous throughout the land. I have taught these people many things,gentlemen--like this for instance." He indicated his cigar, and thechair in which he was sitting. "You cannot imagine what a variety ofthings one knows beyond the knowledge of so primitive a race as this.
"And so gradually, I became known as the Master. I have no officialposition, but everywhere I am known by that name. As a matter of fact,for the past year at least, it has been rather too descriptive atitle----" the Chemist smiled somewhat ruefully--"for I have had inreality, and have now, the destiny of the country on my shoulders."
"You're not threatened with another war?" asked the Very Young Man.
"No, not exactly that. But I had better go on with my story first. Thisis a very different world now, gentlemen, from that I first enteredtwelve years ago. I think first I should tell you about it as it wasthen."
His three friends nodded their agreement and the Chemist continued.
"I must make it clear to you gentlemen, the one great fundamentaldifference between this world and yours. In the evolution of this racethere has been no cause for strife--the survival of the fittest alwayshas been an unknown doctrine--a non-existent problem.
"In extent this Inner Surface upon which we are now living is nearly asgreat as the surface of your own earth. From the earliest known times ithas been endowed with a perfect climate--a climate such as you are nowenjoying."
The Very Young Man expanded his chest and looked his appreciation.
"The climate, the rainfall, everything is ideal for crops and for livingconditions. In the matter of food, one needs in fact do practicallynothing. Fruits of a variety ample to sustain life, grow wild inabundance. Vegetables planted are harvested seemingly without blight orhazard of
any kind. No destructive insects have ever impededagriculture; no wild animals have ever existed to harass humanity.Nature in fact, offers every help and no obstacle towards making asimple, primitive life easy to live.
"Under such conditions the race developed only so far as was necessaryto ensure a healthful pleasant existence. Civilization here is what youwould call primitive: wants are few and easily supplied--too easily,probably, for without strife these people have become--well shall I sayeffeminate? They are not exactly that--it is not a good word."
"I should think that such an unchanging, unrigorous climate would make arace deteriorate in physique rapidly," observed the Doctor.
"How about disease down here?" asked the Big Business Man.
"It is a curious thing," replied the Chemist. "Cleanliness seems to be atrait inborn with every individual in this race. It is more thangodliness; it is the one great cardinal virtue. You must have noticedit, just in coming through Arite. Personal cleanliness of the people,and cleanliness of houses, streets--of everything. It is trulyextraordinary to what extent they go to make everything inordinately,immaculately clean. Possibly for that reason, and because there seemsnever to have been any serious disease germs existing here, sickness asyou know it, does not exist."
"Guess you better not go into business here," said the Very Young Manwith a grin at the Doctor.
"There is practically no illness worthy of the name," went on theChemist. "The people live out their lives and, barring accident, diepeacefully of old age."
"How old do they live to be?" asked the Big Business Man.
"About the same as with you," answered the Chemist. "Only of course aswe measure time."
"Say how about that?" the Very Young Man asked. "My watch is stillgoing--is it ticking out the old time or the new time down here?"
"I should say probably--certainly--it was giving time of your own world,just as it always did," the Chemist replied.
"Well, there's no way of telling, is there?" said the Big Business Man.
"What is the exact difference in time?" the Doctor asked.
"That is something I have had no means of determining. It was rather acurious thing; when I left that letter for you," the Chemist turned tothe Doctor--"it never occurred to me that although I had told you tostart down here on a certain day, I would be quite at a loss tocalculate when that day had arrived. It was my estimation after my firsttrip here that time in this world passed at a rate about two andtwo-fifth times faster than it does in your world. That is as near as Iever came to it. We can calculate it more closely now, since we haveonly the interval of your journey down as an indeterminate quantity."
"How near right did you hit it? When did you expect us?" asked theDoctor.
"About thirty days ago; I have been waiting since then. I sent nearly ahundred men through the tunnels into the forest to guide you in."
"You taught them pretty good English," said the Very Young Man. "Theywere tickled to death that they knew it, too," he added with areminiscent grin.
"You say about thirty days; how do you measure time down here?" askedthe Big Business Man.
"I call a day, one complete cycle of sleeping and eating," the Chemistreplied. "I suppose that is the best translation of the Oroid word; wehave a word that means about the same thing."
"How long is a day?" inquired the Very Young Man.
"It seems in the living about the same as your twenty-four hours; itoccupies probably about the interval of time of ten hours in your world.
"You see," the Chemist went on, "we ordinarily eat twice between eachtime of sleep--once after rising--and once a few hours before bedtime.Workers at severe muscular labor sometimes eat a light meal in between,but the custom is not general. Time is generally spoken of as so manymeals, rather than days."
"But what is the arbitrary standard?" asked the Doctor. "Do you have anequivalent for weeks, or months or years?"
"Yes," answered the Chemist, "based on astronomy the same as in yourworld. But I would rather not explain that now. I want to take you,later to-day, to see Lylda's father. You will like him. He is--well,what we might call a scientist. He talks English fairly well. We candiscuss astronomy with him; you will find him very interesting."
"How can you tell time?" the Very Young Man wanted to know. "There is nosun to go by. You have no clocks, have you?"
"There is one downstairs," answered the Chemist, "but you didn't noticeit. Lylda's father has a very fine one; he will show it to you."
"It seems to me," began the Doctor thoughtfully after a pause, revertingto their previous topic, "that without sickness, under such ideal livingconditions as you say exist here, in a very short time this world wouldbe over-populated."
"Nature seems to have taken care of that," the Chemist answered, "and asa matter of fact quite the reverse is true. Women mature in life at anage you would call about sixteen. But early marriages are not the rule;seldom is a woman married before she is twenty--frequently she is mucholder. Her period of child-bearing, too, is comparativelyshort--frequently less than ten years. The result is few children, whoserate of mortality is exceedingly slow."
"How about the marriages?" the Very Young Man suggested. "You were goingto tell us."
"Marriages are by mutual consent," answered the Chemist, "solemnized bya simple, social ceremony. They are for a stated period of time, and arerenewed later if both parties desire. When a marriage is dissolvedchildren are cared for by the mother generally, and her maintenance ifnecessary is provided for by the government. The state becomes theguardian also of all illegitimate children and children of unknownparentage. But of both these latter classes there are very few. Theywork for the government, as do many other people, until they are of age,when they become free to act as they please."
"You spoke about women being different than we knew them; how are theydifferent?" the Very Young Man asked. "If they're all like Lylda I thinkthey're great," he added enthusiastically, flushing a little at his owntemerity.
The Chemist smiled his acknowledgment of the compliment. "The status ofwomen--and their character--is I think one of the most remarkable thingsabout this race. You will remember, when I returned from here the firsttime, that I was much impressed by the kindliness of these people.Because of their history and their government they seem to have becomeimbued with the milk of human kindness to a degree approaching theUtopian.
"Crime here is practically non-existent; there is nothing over whichcontention can arise. What crimes are committed are punished with aseverity seemingly out of all proportion to what you would call justice.A persistent offender even of fairly trivial wrongdoing is put to deathwithout compunction. There is no imprisonment, except for those awaitingtrial. Punishment is a reprimand with the threat of death if the offenseis committed again, or death itself immediately. Probably this veryseverity and the swiftness with which punishment is meted out, to alarge extent discourages wrongdoing. But, fundamentally, the capacityfor doing wrong is lacking in these people.
"I have said practically nothing exists over which contention can arise.That is not strictly true. No race of people can develop without someindividual contention over the possession of their women. The passionsof love, hate and jealousy, centering around sex and its problems, areas necessarily present in human beings as life itself.
"Love here is deep, strong and generally lasting; it lacks fire,intensity--perhaps. I should say it is rather of a placid quality.Hatred seldom exists; jealousy is rare, because both sexes, in theiractions towards the other, are guided by a spirit of honesty andfairness that is really extraordinary. This is true particularly of thewomen; they are absolutely honest--square, through and through.
"Crimes against women are few, yet in general they are the mostprevalent type we have. They are punishable by death--even those thatyou would characterize as comparatively slight offenses. It issignificant too, that, in judging these crimes, but little evidence isrequired. A slight chain of proven circumstances and the word of thewoman is all that is requ
ired.
"This you will say, places a tremendous power in the hands of women. Itdoes; yet they realize it thoroughly, and justify it. Although they knowthat almost at their word a man will be put to death, practically never,I am convinced, is this power abused. With extreme infrequency, a femaleis proven guilty of lying. The penalty is death, for there is no placehere for such a woman!
"The result is that women are accorded a freedom of movement far beyondanything possible in your world. They are safe from harm. Their moralsare, according to the standard here, practically one hundred per centperfect. With short-term marriages, dissolvable at will, there is noreason why they should be otherwise. Curiously enough too, marriages arerenewed frequently--more than that, I should say, generally--forlife-long periods. Polygamy with the consent of all parties ispermitted, but seldom practiced. Polyandry is unlawful, and but fewcases of it ever appear.
"You may think all this a curious system, gentlemen, but it works."
"That's the answer," muttered the Very Young Man. It was obvious he wasstill thinking of Lylda and her sister and with a heightened admirationand respect.