*CHAPTER XXXIV.*
*A NIGHT EXPEDITION.*
It was getting near dawn, and the mist was perceptibly clearing away,when the two air-yachts approached the great funnel-shaped openingleading down to the ancient volcano.
Ivanta, who had been wondering how Fumenta was going to keep the promisehe had made that he would hide the airships away, looked with greatcuriosity at the dark, uninviting cavity.
'Are we to try to squeeze in there, friend Fumenta?' he asked. 'Is thatyour idea?'
For answer the outlaw asked what was the length of the larger of the twovessels, and Ivanta gave him the measurement upon the Martian scale.
'I thought so. Then there is room,' he declared.
And so it turned out. By means of a little manoeuvring, the two vesselswere induced to sink slowly through the opening, without touching thesides. And when once through the funnel there was plenty of room forthem in the great dome-like space below to rest, all upstanding, on theground.
Then, upon some metal staging round the base of the funnel, high up inthe domed roof, fires were lighted, and upon them, after a time, whenthey had started a sufficient draught, quantities of sulphur werethrown.
The draught was so great from the maze of underground galleries that allthe fumes were carried up into the sky, while below the air was freshand pure.
'There!' said Fumenta, in well-satisfied tones, when all was in workingorder, 'those sulphur fumes are carried thousands of feet up into theair. That I know to be the fact, because I have been up to make sure.No airships will come near us--they cannot do so without running therisk of asphyxiating every soul on board!'
King Ivanta laughed good-humouredly. His was just the nature toappreciate a clever scientific stratagem such as he saw this was.
'Fumenta, you are a man after my own heart!' he cried. 'I love a manwho can use his brains and bend adverse circumstances to his will! Youand I ought to have been acquainted before. I can see you have thecapacity for ruling, by the way you have drilled and disciplined thoseragged followers of yours. By the stars, I would have made you a king!'
'Perhaps I have been nearer to that than you think, King Ivanta,' wasthe unexpected answer.
Ivanta started and eyed him searchingly. He frowned and puckered hislips, and seemed to be thinking deeply.
'It almost seems to me that we have met before, and that I ought to knowwho you are,' he mused. 'Yet I don't see how such a thing could be.'
'Let us speak of the present and the future, oh king!' returned Fumenta,evidently desirous of changing the subject. 'What are your plans, sir?'
'My friend, I have not yet formed any. Until I know where my greatairship is I am tied down, I fear me, to playing a waiting game. It isa strange experience for one like myself, Fumenta,' he went onphilosophically, 'to find one's self a fugitive. I, who have solved thegreat problem of navigating space itself, who have visited distantplanets, have been outwitted by men of grovelling instincts like Agrandoand Zuanstroom; tricked, deceived, betrayed, and driven to welcome theprotection and hospitality of outlaws!'
'Of outlaws, truly, but not of criminals, King Ivanta,' Fumenta answeredfirmly. 'All my followers are honest men, patriots, honourable fightersfor their own and their country's rights, though their manner of lifehas made them rough and perhaps somewhat soured. Now, sir, let me makea suggestion. In Iraynia I have a much larger following than I havehere. Let us go and show ourselves together there, and I warrant youthe whole land will rise in your favour, and you will find you have atleast one country loyal to you.'
Ivanta looked curiously at the old man, and hesitated.
'But we have need of airships,' he said.
'They have them.'
'And--the sinews of war--money--gold, my friend, gold! Mytreasure-house is by this time in the hands of my foes. Not only that,but they have in their control the fascination of diamonds too. Butthat would not matter so much if I had my own treasury. Without gold,even a king is helpless, my friend. We can do nothing without gold.'
'That I can supply also,' was the startling reply, made quite quietly,and without the least resemblance of boastfulness.
Again Ivanta started, and this time his keen eyes scrutinised theother's face as if doubtful whether he were a madman or a magician.Suddenly he inclined his head and said, 'That your statement astonishedme I need scarcely say. As, however, you have performed all that youpromised thus far, I will not pay you so poor a compliment as to doubtyou in this. Well, now then, since you say you have plenty of gold,there is only one other thing necessary--machinery. Airships are of nouse without a supply-station.'
'We will seize one,' answered the outlaw chief, with unexpecteddecision. 'Lend me your yacht and your outfit, and I will undertake toseize one of Agrando's chief power-stations. It is, as I happen toknow, weakly held just now. But when we have captured it I will showyou how you can defend it against the whole strength of your enemies.It is now daylight. The airships prowling around above us will draw offduring the day when they find you have disappeared; and at night I willguide you to the place I have told you of, and we will seize it and holdit for you.'
'If you do that, Fumenta, you shall be made'----
But the old chief held up his hand. 'I am asking for no reward, ohking--or, at least, none of the kind you have in your mind. I havelived a hard, adventurous life, and am now getting old. Those I lovedare dead, and I have none to care for, and no ambition for myself. Imay, however, ask for some recognition in another form; one which, whenthe time comes, it will give you no trouble, cost you nothing, to grant.I crave your permission to keep my own counsel, and say no more in themeanwhile.'
'So be it, my friend,' said the king, simply and kindly. 'I have nodesire to inquire into your secrets before you are ready to reveal themto me freely and of your own accord.'
Thus was the compact made between these two, who, but a few days beforehad seemed so far apart--the great and powerful king, who had then beena ruler over more than half the planet, and the outlaw leader, who ledthe life of the hunted, and lived in burrows 'like a fox.'
While this talk was taking place the chums and Alondra were comparingnotes with Monck and the two sailors.
'We've seen some queer sort o' fightin', Mr Gerald, since we lost sighto' you,' said Tom Clinch. 'The catamounts played every scurvy trick theycould think of against us! But me and Bob Reid and Mr Monck, we give'em as good as they brought, and we scraped through and got awaysomehow.'
'Yes, but without Mr Armeath,' said Gerald sadly. 'I am not reproachingyou,' he hastened to add, 'but I am terribly anxious about him. Willthey harm him, do you think, Mr Monck? Why should they? He has nothingto do with this upset between King Ivanta and Agrando!'
'Well,' said Monck thoughtfully, 'Agrando and Zuanstroom have gone offto Ivenia, taking Kazzaro with them. They will have their hands prettyfull for the present, at any rate, with organising their forces andestablishing their position, not to mention the question of seizing anddividing out the diamonds. They have left Mr Armeath a prisoner behindthem, and I do not suppose he is in any personal danger so long as theyare absent.'
'That is some little comfort, though not much,' muttered Jack. 'If wecould but find some way to get at him and rescue him from those bruteswhile they are away!'
'Just what I was thinking of,' said Alondra. 'If my father would allowme to take out my yacht, we might make a dash in the night, you know,eh? She and the _Nelda_ are the two fastest fliers in the whole world,except the _Ivenia_. What think you, Monck Affelda? There are othersof our friends, too, you know--Aveena, and nearly a dozen besides, Ihear.'
'We will see, Prince. I will speak to the king about it, and if hisconsent can be gained I am quite ready to join in a forlorn hope of thesort on the chance of rescuing our friends.'
When, however, Ivanta was asked to sanction the 'forlorn hope,' he saidthey must wait first to see the result of the expedition Fu
menta hadplanned, for which the services of both yachts would be required. So,for the moment, the one enterprise had to give place to the other.
The day was passed in telling one another their adventures on bothsides. Scouts came in at intervals and reported the movement of thehostile airships. Some of the latter hovered about for some hours afterdaylight had come and the mist had cleared, as though half-suspiciousthat some trick had been played upon them. They even made ahalf-hearted attempt to approach the column of smoke which ascendedsteadily from the mouth of the 'volcano.' But the smell of suffocatingsulphur fumes was so strong that they came to the conclusion it would besafer to give the place a wide berth.
Soon afterwards they divided into two parties, one returning by the waythey had come, while the other went off in the direction of thewaterless desert, to which they finally concluded the fugitives mustsomehow have managed to flee.
Towards evening the fires were extinguished in readiness for thedeparture of the yachts, and the interior of the old crater was filledwith Fumenta's followers, who were paraded in honour of Ivanta.
'I need not call for volunteers, King Ivanta,' said their chief. 'Everyman is ready and willing to serve you! Select what men you have roomfor, and the rest will remain here awaiting your commands. All areready to fight for you to the death.--Say, my men, is it not so?'
The great vaulted roof rang with the cheers and shouts which went up inresponse to this appeal.
'Long live King Ivanta!' 'Long live Prince Alondra!' was heard on allsides.
King Ivanta could not listen to their greetings given so heartily in hispresent circumstances without emotion. 'My children,' he said, 'yourproffered devotion has touched my heart! That you are trustworthy andbrave I feel assured; and I cannot quarrel with Destiny when, in mygreatest need, it sends me such sturdy supporters.'
As soon as it was quite dark the party of hardy adventurers set out inthe two yachts, Fumenta acting again as pilot on board the _Nelda_.Alondra was in charge of his own craft; and he had with him Gerald andJack, Monck, the two sailors, and Malto and Malandris. Their youngcharge Freddy was left behind, with a couple of attendants to look afterhim.
During the day Alondra had presented Malto to Ivanta, and explained thathe had some request to prefer; but Malto discreetly asked permission todefer it to a more suitable season, and so the matter had dropped.
The two craft glided swiftly onwards for some hours over a country whichshowed no signs of being inhabited. Then a few lights were seen hereand there, telling of scattered villages, and at last a cluster oflights indicated that they were approaching a large town.
While yet some distance away, Fumenta called a halt, and at his requestthe king ordered a small airship to be got out which acted the partwhich a steam pinnace fulfils in regard to one of our men-of-war.
Ivanta, with Arelda and Abralda, two of his officers, entered this withFumenta, and they dropped gently and silently down through the air, andlanded on the ground near a large building which stood alone on theoutskirts of the town.
From the town itself came the hum and low murmur of many people.
Fumenta gave a curious signal, which sounded like the cry of some birdof the night. At first there was no response, but after it had beentwice repeated, a door in the building opened, and a figure came out,closed it, and advanced cautiously towards them.
There were further signs and countersigns given and received on bothsides, and then the stranger spoke. 'Is it the Chief?' he asked.
'It is the Chief,' Fumenta replied. 'You have heard the news, and knowthat the hour has come? Is all prepared?'
'All is prepared, Chief,' answered the man, saluting. 'We have hadeverything ready and waiting for you since the news came; for we thoughtthat you might be here to-night. Do you wish to speak to the men beforewe start?'
'Yes. I have with me some one they will be very surprised to see. Leadthe way.'
With another salute, the man turned and led the way towards the doorfrom which he had just emerged.