*CHAPTER XXXVIII.*
*A GREAT AERIAL BATTLE.*
Having made his dispositions within and without--taking note of theresources now at his disposal, sending out airships as scouts,&c.--Ivanta turned his attention to the wounded. He found Fumenta inclose attendance upon Malto, who was still lying in an almostunconscious state; and Ivanta, who was himself well skilled in suchmatters, made an examination of his wound.
'I think he will pull round,' was his verdict. 'I shall hope yet to seehim, with you, and others of my new friends, around me at my Court atKarendia--my "palace in the clouds."'
Fumenta shook his head. 'I am too old--ay, and too rough and ruggednow--for Court life, sir,' he answered. 'Time was--but we must wait andsee what happens. I shall help you with might and main so long as youneed a trusty ally; after that, when you have succeeded in getting backyour own, I shall make the request which I have already prepared youfor. Then I shall ask but one favour more--the permission to withdrawinto obscurity, and pass the rest of my days in peace. But I ammeanwhile sorely concerned about this brave young fellow. I wasstrangely taken with him when I first saw him, and I need not say howthat feeling has been intensified by his heroic act of bravery andself-sacrifice. But for his devoted action I should now be lying in hisplace, or more likely I should be already dead.'
'It was truly, as you say, an act of heroism,' Ivanta declared withemotion. 'It is passing strange that you two should be joined, as itwere, by such a link; the more so that I have understood that you eachhad some special request to make to me. I shall be curious to see, whenthe time comes, whether the two requests have any connection.'
'I do not see how that could possibly be,' returned Fumenta, withanother shake of his head. 'I have never heard of him before, and heknows no more about me. But his future, if he lives, shall be my care.I can make him rich, wealthy--ay, I can make him one of the wealthiestmen on our globe--and I will do so out of gratitude for what he did.For know, oh king, that I made but recently a great discovery! In oneof the passages beneath the ancient volcano I came across a gold-mine--averitable cave of gold! It was to that I referred when I said I couldsupply you with gold to carry on your warfare with Agrando. What you donot require I shall divide between this young man and those who havebeen my faithful followers.'
'You shall tell me more about it at another time,' rejoined Ivantakindly. 'As to what I shall myself require, it will, all being well, bepaid back later on; for I have no wish to make your friends' share lessthan it would otherwise have been. Send me word if you notice any changein the young man's condition,' he added, as he left to continue hisround of inspection.
Meanwhile, the two chums and Alondra were constantly in and out askingfor news of Malto. To them the unexpected success, thus far, of theirexpedition was cruelly saddened and overshadowed so long as his life wasin danger.
'We owe him much,' Alondra declared. 'But for him we should now beAgrando's prisoners, to a certainty.'
'There is no doubt as to that,' Gerald agreed. 'But apart from any suchconsideration, I like him immensely on his own account. I wonder who heis? There is some mystery about him, I feel sure. Some sad event, Ifancy, must have happened to him which has thrown a blight over hiswhole life.'
'For the matter of that, to be a sort of slave to Agrando is enough toblight anybody's life!' cried Jack warmly. 'Anyway, whoever he is, Ifeel sure he is well-born. His whole manner and bearing--ay, and hisinstincts, so to speak--tell you that much.'
Thus, in low and sorrowful tones, did they speak of their wounded friendwhile they waited about, anxious for bulletins. It was curious to seewhat a good impression the young fellow had made upon all those who hadbeen his companions, even for so short a time.
But their talk was suddenly ended, and their thoughts turned into otherchannels, by news that was just then brought in that a large fleet ofairships had been descried by their aerial scouts.
'Those who think they know,' Monck announced to Ivanta, 'declare thatAgrando himself is probably with them. They recognised the _Alsperro_,which, as you know, sir, is the former warship which he has been usingas a yacht. She is now, I suppose, to act the part of a war-vessel oncemore.'
Fumenta, on hearing the news, hurried from the couch of the woundedyouth to confer with Ivanta.
'The fleet which is approaching is far stronger than yours,' Ivantaexplained to him. 'You cannot hide your vessels here in the fortress,so they must either fight or make their escape--if they can, which, asyou know, is doubtful. As they are manned by and belong to yourfriends, it is fitting that I should ask you which course they willprefer to adopt.'
'I am for fighting at all hazards; and so will they be, I know,'returned Fumenta, with grim determination. 'You need not put thequestion to them.'
'I am glad to hear that, since it accords with my own wishes,' wasIvanta's answer. 'I shall take my measures at once in accordance withyour decision. But you must take charge of your fleet, and, for thetime being, do the best you can at first, as though my yachts were outof it. They are not fitted to bear the brunt of the first attack fromheavier craft, but you will find we shall be able to render you help inanother way. We can rise higher and manoeuvre better than any airshipbelonging either to you or to Agrando.'
'So be it,' said Fumenta simply. 'We will do our best, sir, restassured, apart from your yachts; and if you can help us so much thebetter.'
It was the _Nelda_, the king's yacht, from which Monck had observed theapproach of the hostile squadron. She could soar so high that, by theaid of powerful glasses, the strangers had been sighted at an immensedistance. Then, thanks to her swiftness of flight, she had carried thenews to the fortress before the foe had appeared above the horizon.
When, an hour later, therefore, those in charge of Agrando's powerfulfleet drew near, they found a smaller squadron waiting to give thembattle.
The oncoming fleet halted, and for a while the hostile forces remainedwatching each other. Then amongst Agrando's airships there was seen theflutter of a white flag, which on Mars, as on our own globe, is thegenerally recognised sign of a desire for a parley.
Presently a small pinnace, bearing the white emblem, came flying towardsthe vessel which Fumenta had made what we should term his 'flagship'--alarge-sized craft called by the Martian equivalent for Crescent.
As the pinnace approached, it was seen that the officer in charge of herwas Gorondo, Agrando's generalissimo. A little later he was withinspeaking distance, and delivered his message, which conveyed to Fumentatwo or three pieces of information. The first was that Agrando himselfwas in command of his fleet; the second, that he had somehow heard ofthe outlaw's chief feat--the seizure of the Iraynian squadron; thethird, that he was still ignorant of the capture of the fortress.
The message itself was a haughty and peremptory demand for immediate andunconditional surrender, the bearer taking the trouble to point out thatresistance would be useless, as not only were Agrando's ships larger andfar more numerous than those opposed to him, but another fleet was onits way to join him. Between the two, Fumenta's position would behopeless, more especially as he had no power-station to look to to renewhis supply of electricity. This last assertion it was which showed thatAgrando was unaware of the capture of the fortress.
Fumenta did not enlighten him as to this, but contented himself with arefusal to surrender, couched in terms as curt and peremptory as thoseof the summons.
With a shrug of the shoulders and a sarcastic expression of pity for theforthcoming fate of the 'rebels,' the ambassador returned to his master.
Both fleets then began their aerial war manoeuvres. Agrando formed hisforce into two divisions--not lines, but two planes or tiers, one abovethe other. Fumenta replied by forming his vessels into three similardivisions; whereupon Agrando altered his formation to four tiers.
Each side sent out a number of smaller craft--a kind of mosquito fleet,consisting of different kinds of 'f
liers.' Many of these were partiesof boarders, whose duty it would be to watch their opportunities andthen swarm round any of the opposing vessels which met with a mishap orgot into difficulties.
Upon both sides the men had been already provided with 'parachutecostumes,' which would enable them to float in the air for a while incase of disaster to their vessel, and aid them in making a safe descentto the ground. Then a certain number were fitted out with motor-wings,while others again had wings without motors, and all these differentclasses were organised into separate groupings, just as we dividefighting-men into various classes--such as infantry, cavalry, &c., onland, and sailors, marines, and so on, upon the sea.
Agrando sent up first one, then others of his craft, soaring high intothe air, with the object of getting above the enemy and dropping downmissiles upon them. But even as they mounted above their companionvessels, similar craft were seen rising from the other side to opposethem, and it was between these 'soarers' that the actual conflictcommenced.
All the larger vessels on each side were provided with movableturtle-decks or shields as a protection against missiles hurled fromabove. The real danger from these, however, lay in the injury whichmight be done to the upright spirals or the extended wings, therebycrippling the manoeuvring power of the craft, or causing her to fallheadlong to the ground.
On this account war-vessels did not depend upon one pair of wings alone,but all were fitted with at least two pairs, and some--the biggest--witheven three or four pairs. Spare wings were also held in readiness to berun out at any moment to take the place of those which might suffer. Thesoarers, as stated, began the actual fighting with the efforts of thoseon one side to get above the vessels opposed to them, and of the otherto prevent them from doing so.
While these craft were darting to and fro, chasing each other round, nowshooting upwards, now diving to avoid a threatened collision, suddenly ashock was heard, as two of them met in mid-air, with consequencesmutually disastrous.
A moment or two later both vessels were falling towards the ground,though the course followed was in each case most erratic. Justpreviously they had met and remained for a brief space as though gluedtogether; then they flew apart, and began whirling and whizzing round inseemingly mad fashion, like gigantic bluebottles which have singed theirwings.
As they pursued their eccentric, irresponsible flight, darting this wayand that, now spinning round like humming-tops, now rushing through theair like stray rockets, dangerous alike to friends and foes, each leftbehind it a sort of 'trail,' which wound round and about, marking itsexact course.
This 'trail' consisted of the members of the crews who had jumped orbeen thrown off, and were now floating downwards in their parachutedresses.
Occasionally there were conflicts in mid-air, as individual castawaysfrom the two airships happened to be thrown one against another in theirdescent.
But such incidents as these were but trifles in an aerial battle; and,since they exercised practically no effect in deciding its ultimateissue, attracted little general notice. The main struggle would have tobe fought out between the larger craft when they came to closequarters--a state of things which Agrando was manoeuvring to bringabout.
Fumenta, however, by previous arrangement with Ivanta, was equallyanxious to avoid close fighting just then. Accordingly, he wasexercising every stratagem his lengthened experience could devise whichmight tempt his enemies to alter their close formation and draw them onto attack him in loose order.
Agrando, moving slowly forward, sent out yet more boarders, armed withtridents and shields, in readiness for the attack, and these formedanother curious feature in this strange battle-scene.
They were towed through the air in long strings, holding on to ropesmade fast to their respective vessels, their parachute dress serving forthe most part to maintain their position, with the aid of the ropes, andsmall motor-machines here and there.
As the great array advanced, Fumenta retired--at first as though withreluctance, then more hurriedly, till at last the retreat began to looklike the beginning of a panic-stricken flight.
Then Agrando sent his swiftest vessels ahead, towing with them theirstrings of boarders. In the excitement of pursuit some went faster thanthe rest, whilst others swerved off to right or to left to outflank thefugitives and head them back, thus creating gaps and spaces in their ownranks.
Meantime, where were Ivanta and his two yachts? That was the questionthat was being asked by Fumenta and his trusted lieutenants, and theyasked it more anxiously as the minutes went by.
The outlaw chief had--sorely, it must be confessed, against his ownfeelings--consented to carry out a plan which involved the appearance ofignominious flight. The old fighter did not like the role he was thusplaying; but he had promised, and he was carrying out his part. Thequestion was, would Ivanta arrive soon enough to carry out his part? Ifhe was to do so it was time he put in an appearance.
Fumenta looked upwards and scanned the sky anxiously. Nothing was to beseen but some rather heavy-looking clouds, which were floating with thewind, and would shortly be overhead.
Suddenly, in the midst of one of these clouds, two dark shadows showed.A moment later they had taken form and burst out into the open, and thenthe two yachts came swooping wildly down, with closed wings, like hugebirds stooping to strike their prey.