A Columbus of Space

  CHAPTER IX

  AN AMAZING METROPOLIS

  If I should undertake to describe in detail all the events that nowfollowed in rapid succession, this history would take a lifetime towrite. I must choose only the more significant facts.

  The newcomer, whose remarkable face had immediately impressed me, and notaltogether favorably, proved to be a personage of very great importance,second only, as we could see, to Ala herself. And, what was particularlyimportant for us, he showed none of her friendly disposition. I do notmean to suggest that he seemed inclined to any active hostility, butevidently we were, in his eyes, no better than savages, and consequentlyentitled to no special consideration, and especially to no favors. Jack,who, with all his careless ways, had a penetrating mind for theperception of character, whispered to me, within five minutes after thefellow came aboard:

  "If that galoot had his way, we'd make our entry in irons. Mark my words,there's mischief in him. Hang him! I'm going to keep my pistol handy whenhe's around."

  Edmund, who happened to overhear Jack's remark, interposed:

  "See here, Master Jack, this is no time to be talking of pistols. I trustthat we are done with shooting."

  We were not done with it; but that comes later.

  It was not long before Edmund had discovered a name for the newcomeralso; he called him Ingra. It was singular, he said, that all the namesseemed to be characterized by the prevalence of vowels sounds, but hethought it likely that this arose from the greater ease with which theycould be enunciated. They were like Spanish words, which are the easiestof all for foreigners, and probably also for natives, to pronounce.

  After we reached the coast we descended to the ground, at Edmund'srequest, I believe, because he wished to superintend the loading of thecar upon one of the largest air ships, and it was an unforgettable sightto watch him managing the work as coolly and effectively as if he hadbeen in charge of a gang of workmen at home! And, while I looked, I foundmyself again doubting if, after all, this was not a dream. The workershurrying about, Edmund following them, pointing, objecting, urging anddirecting, with his derby hat, which had come through all our adventures(though somewhat damaged), stuck on the back of his head--and all this onthe planet Venus! No! I could not be awake. But yet I was.

  When we started again, we were escorted by a hundred air ships, forming acomplete circle about us. Now I noticed, what had escaped attentionduring the extraordinary atmospheric display, viz., that these craft werepainted in colors that I should call gorgeous if they had not been soperfectly harmonious and pleasing. Every one looked like the carefulcreation of an artist, and the variety of tints exhibited was incredible.Our own air ship, and its consorts, on the other hand, were very plain intheir decorations. I called Edmund's attention to this and immediately hesaid:

  "Remember what I told you--this has been an exploring expedition, and thecraft taking part in it have been fitted up for rough work. That remindsme that I have not yet made the inquiries that I intended on thatsubject. I shall go to Ala now and see what I can learn."

  She was standing on the deck near the other end, with Ingra beside her.As Edmund approached them, Jack nudged me:

  "Look at that fellow," he said. "Wasn't I right?"

  There was no doubt about it; Ingra scowled and showed every sign ofdispleasure at Edmund's presence. But Ala greeted him graciously, and,apparently, Ingra did not dare to interfere. I could see that Jack wasgrasping his pistol again, but I did not anticipate that there would beany occasion to use it. Nevertheless, I watched them closely for a time,hoping to discover Edmund's method of reading her meaning; as to hercomprehension of his I had no question about that. But I got no light onthe subject, and, as it soon became evident, even to Jack, that there wasno danger this time, we fell to examining the land over which we werepassing.

  We flew at a height of about two thousand feet, so that the range ofvision was very wide. The sea behind us curved into the land in threegreat scallops, separated by acuminate promontories, whose terminalbluffs of sand were as yellow as gold. Away ahead the line of mountains,that we had noticed before, appeared as a dark sierra, and between it andthe sea the country seemed to be very little broken by hills. Largeforests were visible, but from our elevation it was impossible to tellwhether the trees composing them bore any resemblance to terrestrialforms. The open land was about equally divided in area between bareyellowish soil (or what we took to be soil) and bright green expanseswhose color suggested vegetation. Scattered here and there we saw whatappeared to be habitations, but we could not be sure of their nature;and, upon the whole, the land seemed to us to be very thinly populated.

  Many birds accompanied us in our flight, frequently alighting on the deckand other parts of the air ship. They were remarkably tame, allowing usto approach them closely, and we were delighted by their beautifulplumage and their singular forms. This reminds me to say that the motionof the craft was extremely curious--a kind of gentle rising and falling,which was very agreeable when once we were accustomed to it, and whichresembled what one would suppose to be the movement of a bird in flight.This, of course, arose from the structure of the air ship, which, as Ihave before said, seemed to be modeled, as far as its motive parts wereconcerned, upon the principle of wings rather than of simple aeroplanes.But the mechanism was very complicated, and I never arrived at a fullcomprehension of it.

  Edmund remained a long time in conference with Ala, Ingra stayingconstantly with them, and when he had apparently finished his"conversation" we were surprised to see them begin a tour of inspectionof the air ship, finally descending into the interior. This greatlyexcited Jack, who was for following them at once.

  "I can't be easy," he declared. "Nobody can tell what may happen to himif they get him alone."

  But I succeeded in persuading him that there could be no danger, and thatwe ought to trust to Edmund's discretion. They were gone so long,however, that at last I became anxious myself, and was on the point ofsuggesting to Jack that we try to find them, when they reappeared, andEdmund at once came to us, his face irradiated with smiles.

  "I have plenty of news for you," he said, as soon as he had joined us."Never in my life have I spent two hours more delightfully. In the firstplace, I have found out practically all that I wished to know about thisexpedition, and, second, I have thoroughly examined the mechanism of theship. Its complication is only apparent, and the management of it is sosimple that a single man can pilot it easily. I could do it myself."

  We did not appreciate at the time what the knowledge that Edmund had thusacquired meant for us.

  "Well, what about the expedition?" asked Jack. "And where are we going?"

  "From what I can make out," replied Edmund musingly, "Ala is really whatyou called her, Jack, a queen. But such a queen! If we had some like heron the earth, monarchy might not be such a bad thing after all. She is a_savant_."

  "Bluestocking," put in Jack. "This is a new kind of amazon."

  Edmund did not smile.

  "I am in earnest," he continued. "Of course you understand that most ofmy conclusions are really based upon inference. I cannot grasp all thatshe tries to tell me, but her gestures are so speaking, and her eyes sofull of a kind of meaning which seems to force its way into my mind, Icannot tell how, that I am virtually sure of the correctness of myinterpretation. The expedition, which I am certain was planned by her,was intended to explore the outskirts of the dark hemisphere. Perhapsthey meant to penetrate within it, but, if so, the stormy belt that wecrossed was too serious an obstacle for them to overcome. Ourencountering them was the greatest stroke of good fortune that we haveyet had. It places us right at the center of affairs."

  "Where are they going now?"

  "Evidently back to their starting point; which is likely to be a greatcity--the capital and metropolis, most probably. The more I think of itthe stronger becomes my conviction that Ala is really, at least in powerand influence, a queen. And you can see for yourselves that it must be agreat and rich empire that sh
e rules, for remember the extraordinaryreception with which she was greeted, the innumerable air ships, thesplendor of everything."

  "But are we to be well treated? Is there no danger for us in accompanyingthem?"

  "If there were danger, it would be hard for us to escape from it now; butwhy should there be danger? We did not kill the Esquimaux that our polarexplorers brought from the Arctic regions, and for these people, we are agreater curiosity than ever the Esquimaux, or the Pygmies of Africa, werefor us. Instead of encountering any danger, I anticipate that we shall bevery well treated."

  "Perhaps they'll put us in a cage," said Jack, with a ludicrous grimace,"and tote us about as a great moral show for children. If there's aBarnum on Venus, our fate is sealed."

  Jack's humorous suggestion struck home, for there seemed to beprobability behind it, and Henry groaned, while, for my part, I confessthat I felt rather uncomfortable over the prospect. But Edmund did notpursue the conversation, and soon we fell to regarding again thelandscape beneath and far around us. We were gradually nearing themountains, although they were still distant, and presently we caughtsight of what resembled, as much as anything, gigantic cobwebs glitteringwith dew, and rising out of the plain between us and the mountains.

  "There, Edmund," said Jack, "there's another chance to exercise yourgenius for explaining mysteries. What are those things?"

  Edmund watched the objects for several minutes before replying. At lengthhe said, with the decision characteristic of him:

  "Palaces."

  Jack burst out laughing.

  "Castles in Spain, I reckon," he said. "But, really, Edmund, what do youthink they can be?"

  "I have already told you, palaces, or castles, if you prefer."

  "You are serious?" I asked.

  "Perfectly so. They cannot be anything else."

  Seeing our astonishment and incredulity, Edmund added:

  "Since they retain their places, it is evident that they are edifices ofsome kind, attached to the ground. But their great height and aerialstructure indicate that they are erected in the air--floating, I shouldsay, but firmly anchored at the bottom. Really, I cannot see anythingastonishing about it; it accords with everything else that we have seen.Your minds are too hidebound to terrestrial analogies, and you do notgive your imaginations sufficient play with the new materials that arehere offered.

  "This atmosphere," he continued, after a pause, "is exactly suited forsuch things. It is a region of atmospheric calm. If we were not moving,you would hardly feel a breeze, and I doubt if there is ever a high windhere. To build their habitations in the air and make them float likegossamers--could any idea be more beautiful than that, or more in harmonywith the nature of this planet, which is the favorite of the sun, forfirst he inundates it with a splendor unknown to the earth, and thengenerously covers it with a gorgeous screen of cloud which cuts off hisscorching beams but suffers the light to pass, filtered to opalescentether?"

  When Edmund spoke like that, as he sometimes did, suffusing his wordswith the fervor of his imagination, even Henry, I believe, felt his soullifted to unaccustomed heights. We hung upon his lips, and, without aword, waited for him to continue. Presently he murmured, in an undertone:

  "Yes, all this I foresaw in my dream. A world of crystal, houses thatseemed not made with hands, reaching toward heaven, and a people,beautiful beyond compare, dwelling in the aerial home of birds"; andthen, addressing us, in his ordinary tones: "You will see that thecapital, which we are unquestionably approaching, is to a large extentcomposed of this airy architecture."

  And it turned out to be as he had said--when, indeed, was it everotherwise? As we drew nearer, the aerial structures which we had firstseen began to tower up to an amazing height, just perceptibly swaying andundulating with the gentle currents of air that flowed through theirtraceried lattices, while behind them began to loom an immense number offloating towers, rising stage above stage, like the steel monsters of NewYork before they have received their outer coverings, but incomparablylighter in appearance, and more delicate and graceful; truly fairyconstructions, bespangled with countless brilliant points. Yet nearer,and we could see cables attached to the higher structures, and runningdownward as if anchored to the ground beneath, but the ground itself wecould not see, because now we had dropped lower in the air, and a longhill rose between us and the fairy towers, whose slight sinuous motion,affecting so many together, produced a trifling sense of dizziness as wegazed. Still nearer, and we believed that we could see people in thebuoyant towers. A minute later there was no doubt about their presence,for the _colors_ broke forth, and that marvelous interchange of chromaticsignals, which had so astonished us as we drew near the coast, wasresumed.

  "It is my belief," said Edmund, "that, notwithstanding the buoyancy ofthe heavy atmosphere, those structures cannot be maintained at suchelevations without mechanical aid. You will see when we get nearer thatevery stage is furnished with some means of support, probably verticalscrews reacting upon the air."

  Again he had guessed right, for in a little while we were near enough tosee the screws, working in a maze of motion, like the wings of amultitude of insects. The resemblance was increased by their gauzystructure, and, as they turned, they flashed and glittered as ifenameled. (The supernatant structures that they maintained were, as weafterwards ascertained, framed of hollow beams and trusses--a kind ofbamboo, of great strength and lightness.)

  Now we rose over the intervening hill, and as we did so a cry burst fromour lips. A vast city made its appearance as by magic, a magnifiedcounterpart of the aerial city above it. Put all the glories ofConstantinople, Damascus, Cairo, and Bombay, with all their spires,towers, minarets, and domes together, and multiply their splendor athousand times, and yet your imagination will be unable to picture thescene of enchantment on which our eyes rested.

  "It is the capital of Venus," exclaimed Edmund. "There can be nothinggreater than this!"

  It must, indeed, be the capital, for in the midst of it rose an edificeof unparalleled splendor, which could only be the palace of a mightymonarch. Above this magnificent building, which gleamed with metallicreflections, although it was as light and airy in construction asfrostwork, rose the loftiest of the aerial towers, a hundred, twohundred--I cannot tell you how many stories in height, for I neversucceeded in counting them.

  The other air ships now dropped back, and ours alone approached thisstupendous tower, making apparently for its principal landing stage.Along the sides of the tower a multitude of small air ships ran up anddown, stopping at various stages to discharge their living cargoes.

  "Elevators," said Edmund.

  Glancing round we saw that similar scenes were occurring at all thetowers. They were filling up with people, and the continual rising anddescending of the little craft that bore them, the holiday aspect of thegay colors everywhere displayed, and the brilliancy of the wholespectacle moved us beyond words. But the most astonishing scene stillawaited us.

  Just before our vessel reached the landing stage, the enormous tower,from foot to apex, broke out with all the hues of the rainbow, like anenchanted rose tree covered with millions of brilliant flowers at thetouch of a wand. The effect was overwhelming. The air became tremulouswith rippling colors, whose vibrant waves, with quick succession ofconcordant tints afforded to the eye an exquisite pleasure akin to thatwhich the ear receives from a carillon of bells. Our companions, and thepeople crowded on the towers, seemed to be transported with ecstaticdelight.

  "Again the music of the spectrum!" cried Edmund. "The diapason of color!It is their national hymn, or the hymn of their race, written on aprismatic, instead of a sonometric, staff. And, mark me, this has asignificance beyond your conjectures!"

  I believe that our enjoyment of this astonishing spectacle was hardlyless than that of the natives themselves, but the pleasure was suddenlybroken off by a tragedy that struck cold to our hearts.

  We had nearly touched the landing, when we observed that a discussion wasgoing on betwee
n Ala and Ingra, and it quickly became evident that wewere the subject of it. Before we could exchange a word, they approachedus, and Ingra, in a threatening manner, laid his hand on Edmund'sshoulder. In a second Jack had his pistol covering Ingra. Edmund saw themotion, and struck Jack's arm aside, but the weapon exploded, and,clutching her breast, Ala fell at our feet!