Pharaoh's Broker

  CHAPTER VI

  The Iron Men from the Blue Star

  Returning from Long Breath, I could not but notice the entire subsidenceof the terror, which had previously been so marked, and the generalsigns of rejoicing which were now taking its place. It was easy to seethat I was an object of absorbing interest and busy comment. No onepointed the finger at me, for that rude gesture was as unknown as it wasunnecessary. The mere turning of a great pair of eyes quickly in mydirection was an indication, significant enough, that I was beingdenoted.

  I now understood the more composed behaviour of the women. They wereaccustomed to the idea of being taken in war, and never sufferedslaughter or hardship thereby, but merely a change of masters. As theynow left the Park they eyed me curiously, as if wondering from what sortof new master they had escaped. I imagined I could detect some signs ofdisappointment among them, at being cheated out of a trip to a new staror being dismissed from the service of a god. Occasionally one of themwould incline her head gently to the right to meet her rising hand, in adignified salutation. I approached one of the fairest of these andextended my hand. She seemed rather surprised, but calmly placed an ironcoin in my palm! Evidently I must make haste to learn the Kemishsalutation, or I would pass for a common beggar! My hand certainly didlook hard and brown, compared with her perfectly white and transparentskin, through which the blood suffused the beautiful pink flush of life.But even if a hotter sun had scorched and tanned my hand, it did notlook as dark and tough as the coin, although the soldiers had spread thereport that our flesh was of iron.

  The chief business activity in the city seemed to be the transportingfrom the surrounding country of an endless number of fibrous bags filledwith the bread-grain. I saw some of these bags open in the shops, andthe grain was shaped like wheat, but as large and less solid than acoffee berry. Trains of asses bearing these bags were seen in everystreet and entering by every gate. Each train of fifteen or twenty asseswas driven by a sandalled Martian, wearing the spread bird-wing whichseemed to denote the Pharaoh's service. The animals had the lazy,sluggish, plodding habits which I expected, and in these respects theirdriver differed very little from them. He gave an occasional long hiss,followed by a jerky grunt, which sounded like "sh-h-h-h, kuhnk!" andwas evidently intended to hurry the animals, but it served them quite aswell as a lullaby. These drivers, who doubtless had just been hearingstories of me, were a little surprised at coming upon me so soon, butlooked me over deliberately, as if calculating how much iron money Iwould make, if there were no waste in the coinage!

  But I hastened back to the doctor at the Palace, being obliged to leapthe courtyard wall again, for I was not acquainted with the signal tocommand the Terror-birds. He expected no other report of the projectilethan the one I brought.

  "The only hope is that the meddling Martian may have turned in but onebattery," he said. "In time this will exhaust itself, and the projectilewill tumble back upon Mars. If it should strike in the water, it may notbe shattered, but of course it might be submerged. The chances that wewill ever see it again are extremely remote. If it should be discoveredanywhere on the planet, it would probably be coined up into money, andthe fortune of the Pharaoh would hardly buy us iron enough to makeanother. Well, the unexpected always happens. It was a fatal mistakeever to have left it."

  "If it is gone for good," I answered, "let us hope that this planet maysuit us better than the Earth, anyhow. We are certain of an easyexistence here at least. One shield will coin into money enough tosupply our wants a long time. If we had not been so dreadfully secretiveon Earth, perhaps some one, infringing our ideas, might have builtanother projectile and sent a relief expedition!"

  Preparations for the banquet were rapidly being made about the Palace bymen servants. We saw no female servants, and we learned afterward thatthey did no menial work, except the serving of the meals, which wasrather an artistic duty.

  We were conducted to two large ante-chambers, adjoining the banquetroom, where we deposited our armament and proceeded to make ourselves athome as well as we could. The rooms were gloomy and poorly lighted, buta great number of servants were busy waiting upon us, and one presentlybrought in four portable gas-burners, placing them in a circle about myhead as I reclined on a large pillow of soft down, laid on the floor.These burners thus furnished both heat and light, and nearly all therooms were thus lighted and heated throughout the day. They had windowsand a very thick, coarse, translucent but not transparent glass in them.But as the sunlight was never strong, rooms were rarely ever lightenough for comfort without the flames of gas.

  This was my first acquaintance with Martian gases, which I soon found tobe very numerous and various in use. On the other hand, very few liquidsexisted. The atmospheric pressure was so low that what might haveexisted normally as liquids on Earth, took the form of heavy gases here.In every case they were heavier than the air, so that they remained invessels just as a liquid would have done. The four lamps were made ofreeds and shaped like the letter U. The right-hand side of the U was alarge vertical reed, connecting neatly at the bottom with a very muchsmaller reed forming the other prong and terminating at the top in a tipof baked earth, turned downward, so that it would discharge the gas awayfrom the lamp. A light stone weight was fitted to slide neatly down thelarge vertical tube in which the gas was stored, and thus force the gasup to the burner in the smaller tube. If a brighter light was desired, aheavier weight was put on, and to extinguish the light it was onlynecessary to lift the weight, which cut off the supply from the burner.

  While lying on the downy floor-cushion, I was strangely annoyed by thefaint and distant howling of a dog. It seemed to come from the banquetroom adjoining mine, or from the doctor's room on the other side. Icalled in the doctor, who said he heard nothing and had seen no dogs onMars. He tried to make me believe it was a fancy of mine. But presentlywhen a servant entered, he seemed to hear it instantly, for he turnedquickly about and left, but it was fully half an hour later before theplaintive howling ceased.

  "These Kemish people have better ears than we have," I remarked to thedoctor.

  "Yes, both their ears and eyes are much better suited to the conditionsof fainter light, and higher, thinner sounds. There may be music at thebanquet to-night which we cannot hear at all in some of its notes."

  "If there are no foods whose delicate flavours we fail to taste, I shallbe able to get along quite well. I am extremely hungry, and quite readyfor a change of fare." We had only eaten a hasty lunch when we hadre-entered the projectile at Long Breath to await the return of thesoldier.

  Zaphnath himself came to conduct us to the banquet room, and we weremuch surprised at its dark and gloomy character. The entire vastenclosure had but twenty-one flickering fire-brands, suspended overheadand in front of us, to furnish light. There were no tables or chairs, noflowers or decorations, no sign of anything to eat. Other guests weremoving about through the semi-darkness to their places, seeminglywithout inconvenience. I was whispering to the doctor that I would needeyes of much greater candle power to enjoy the function, when we arrivedat our places. A double row of comfortable cushions ran along the edgeof our floor, where it seemed to sink to a lower terrace, whence wecould hear the indistinct hum of women's voices. Zaphnath took his seaton a raised cushion in the middle of the row, and motioned me to thecushion on his right and the doctor to his left. Eighteen other guestsnow reclined upon their cushions to left and right, so that we were allarranged in a direct line, facing the lower terrace whence came thefeminine buzz. Directly opposite each of us was an empty cushion, but notable.

  I was wondering at it all when the fire-brand farthest from me suddenlyexploded a great flaming ball of fire, and we all sprang to our feet.From the terrace below came a grand burst of reed music, a swellingchorus of women's voices, and then each fire-brand in quick successionexploded a burst of flame, which floated down toward the dancing women,but expired above their heads. I soon saw that these white fire-balls,which continued in quick succession throughout the
banquet, and affordedus a glorious if a somewhat appalling light, were caused by thesuccessive discharges of small volumes of heavy gas from twenty-onereed-tanks in the comb of the roof, one above each of the fire-brands.When the discharged gas had floated down to the fire-brand beneath it,there was a quick, bright explosion, and the flame sank menacinglytoward the women below.

  The burst of music, the chorus of huzzahs, and the flashing forth oflight, proved to be a welcome to the Pharaoh, who was standing proudlyon his great throne opposite us, across the terrace and somewhat higher,whence he could look down upon the dancers and singers. He wore a crownof thin iron, surmounted by a golden asp. His elaborately curled wig didnot conceal his ears, from which large golden pendants hung almost tohis shoulders. His own beard was waxed and curled, and trimmed to theshape of a beaver's tail. His dress is best described by calling it afeather velvet, edged with flaring wing and tail plumes of iridescentcolours. In this feather cloth there was none of the rough, gaudy showof the savage, but a discriminating, tasteful blending of colours andharmony of design, imitated from the beauty of the bird itself.

  Grouped about him on the approaches to his throne were one-and-twenty ofhis favourite women, beautifully dressed in feather textures, with thecurved neck and head of a bird surmounting their brows. But theircostume was scant and simple compared with that of the dancing girlsbelow us. They wore a wonderful head-dress, composed of the entire bodyof a small peacock. The head and neck were arched over the forehead, theback fitted tightly, like a hat over their head, the drooping wingscovered their ears, while the fully spread tail arched above their headin its wonderful opalescence. Much of the snowy whiteness of their backsand breasts was bare, and a downy feather ribbon circled the necks,wrists, and ankles. A two-headed iron serpent with golden eyes claspedthe upper arm and gartered the knee, but no jewels of any kind were tobe seen. All the dancers carried long decorated reeds, which theyflourished wondrously, and with which occasionally they executed themost surprising leaps. While there was a stateliness about theirmovements, there were also the most startling acrobatic surprises, madepossible by the feeble gravity.

  The singing women, or what might be called the chorus, were in twelvesets, each group clad in a different colour or design of feather-silk.Their head-dress, while composed of the entire body of a bird ofplumage, lacked the flamboyant tail of the peacock. The music was weirdand whimsical, as there were neither stringed nor brass instruments. Itwas made wholly by women playing upon a vast variety of drums and reeds.There were all sizes of whistling reeds or flutes; several of these ofdifferent lengths were grouped into one instrument like the pipes ofPan; a series of long hollow reeds, when rapidly struck, gave forth amarvellous cadence; while groups of small drums, of different size andtensity, gave curious tones. The whole effect was weirdly eloquent,rather than racy or exciting.

  When the burst of welcome was ended, Zaphnath stretched forth his handand exclaimed, first to us in Hebrew, and then in Kemish,--

  "O Pharaoh, whose power and wisdom from all the Pharaohs have descended,behold, I bring unto thee these two iron men from the Blue Star, who,though excelling in the arts of war, are yet pleased to come out of theruddy heavens to practise peace amongst us!"

  And thus did Zaphnath translate the Pharaoh's response to us:--

  "Unto Ptah, the Centre of Things, to whom the myriad stars of theheavens are but ministering slaves, I, Pharaoh of Kem, do give youwelcome. Whatever pleaseth you in the largeness of this rich land, or inthe matchless beauty of our women, shall be unto you as if ye had ownedit always."

  Whereupon the other guests turned toward us with the right hand upon thecheek, and we awkwardly attempted the same salutation. Then a group ofthe singing women, twenty-one in number, tripping to the weird music,came up the steps which led to our floor, carrying covered dishes. Atthe top they turned and saluted the Pharaoh, and then took their places,one upon each of the cushions opposite us. Before uncovering the dishesthey took me a little by surprise, by bending forward and pressing theirwarm, pink cheek against the right cheek of the guest they were about toserve. My maiden unconsciously shivered a little, for my cheek must havefelt cold, even though my surprised blushes did their best to warm it.Her dish, when opened, contained nothing but flowers, waxy white, butemitting a delicately sweet perfume. She held them toward my face, andpresently breathed gently across them, as if to waft their perfume tome. Then scattering them about my cushion, she pressed her left cheekto mine, arose and tripped down the steps again. There was a modestself-possession about her which enchanted me, and I hoped she would soonreturn bringing something more substantial.

  But another group of maidens, differently clothed, had already begun tomount towards us with earthen goblets and reed-pitchers, which looked asif they might contain wine. Dropping on her knees on the cushion beforeme, this maiden saluted me as the other had done. Then sittinggracefully before me, she tipped her reed pitcher toward the goblet, andpoured out apparently nothing! But, watching the others, I saw themcarry the goblet to their lips and draw a deep breath from it, whiletipping it as one might a glass of wine. I did the same, and inhaled adeep draught of stimulating, wine-flavoured gas, which, when I exhaledit through the nostrils, proved to be deliciously perfumed.

  "I have heard of some poets who could dine upon the fragrance of flowersand sup the sweetness of a woman's kiss, but I am hungry for grosserthings," I whispered to the doctor.

  "There are ten other groups of these serving maidens to come up to us,"he replied. "They will certainly bring us something more tangible beforeit is over. Meantime, while we are in Kem, let us imitate the Kemish;"and I must say he was succeeding remarkably well.

  The next maiden who tripped up toward me was wonderfully beautiful andmost becomingly dressed. I was a little disappointed that, upon takingher place on the cushion in front of me, she omitted the salutation theothers had given. However, she carried a small flask in her right hand,which she placed near my mouth. Then opening the top of it slightly, itjetted forth a deliciously perfumed fine spray, which moistened my lips.Waiting just a moment for me to enjoy the perfume, she then pressed herpretty cheeks in turn against my lips, until they were soft and dry.This was the nearest approach to a kiss which I saw among these people,and I learned it was given always just before eating solid food. Theplate she carried to me contained small morsels of fish, served uponneat little wheaten cakes. There was no knife, fork, chopstick, oranything of that kind, but each little cake was lifted with its morselof fish, and they were together just a delicate mouthful. This maidenquite took my fancy, and I watched her evolutions and listened for hervoice in the chorus during the rest of the banquet, for she had no moreserving to do.

  After this course Zaphnath arose, and waving to the music and singing tocease, he thus addressed the Pharaoh:--

  "It doth appear, O Pharaoh, that these visitors of ours come from astrange, small world, where, though much is done, but little is enjoyed.At thy bidding I have offered unto them all the luxuries of Kem, suchas our people strive all their lives for, and dying still desire; butthey wish no gifts or presents. Like slaves they only wish to work, butat some noble, fitting occupation. This younger man, whose wondrouslearning hath taught him to speak even the tongues of other worlds, hathbeen a great handler of grain upon his proper star, and for him thefitting occupation is not far to seek. Thou knowest how the gathering ofthy bounteous harvests hath distracted my own attention from weightiermatters; wherefore, O Pharaoh, I do entreat thee to put into his chargethe labour of gathering, storing, and distributing all thy harvests; andas a fitting compensation, let him have one measure of grain for everytwenty that he shall gather for thee."

  Nothing could have suited my wishes and abilities better, and my pay onEarth had been only one measure in five hundred. The Pharaoh's reply wasthus translated to us,--

  "The gods put into thy mouth, O Zaphnath, only the ripeness of theirwisdom, and Pharaoh granteth thy requests ere they are uttered. But whatdesireth the wise man?"
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  To this I made answer for the doctor,--

  "When thou knowest his wondrous wisdom touching many things, O Pharaoh,thou mayest think fit to give him a place among thy wise men, where theymay learn from him and he from them. Will it please thee to send aslave for the Larger Eye and have it placed by yonder window, and hewill presently show unto thee many of the wonders of the starry heavensthat are hidden beyond the reach of man's unaided vision."

  While two slaves were despatched in charge of a soldier to bring thetelescope, we were served with a highly-sparkling, gas-charged wine,which further whetted my appetite. Then came another maiden with a smallroast bird, neatly and delicately carved, and each tempting piece waslaid upon a small lozenge of bread. I never ate anything with morerelish.

  There was an excited buzz among the women, and the Pharaoh himself wasvisibly affected at the sight of the telescope, whose burnished brasswas evidently mistaken for gold. The doctor mounted it upon the backs ofslaves near a high window, whence there was a good view of the heavens,and signalled to me to explain its use.

  "O Zaphnath, wilt thou make known unto the Pharaoh, and these, hisguests, that the wondrous value of this instrument lieth not in itsbright and glistening appearance, but in the farther reach and truervision of the heavenly bodies which it affordeth us. With this weascertain all and far more than yon monstrous Gnomons tell thee; welearn the periods of the day, the seasons of the year, and vastly morethan our common tongue hath words to tell thee of. Tell me, whatcallest thou yon risen orb, which hasteneth a rapid backward journeythrough the heavens?" I asked, indicating the full disc of Phobos.

  "That is the Perverse Daughter, sole disobedient Child of Night, whosestubborn, contrary ways are justly punished by her mother. For she mustdraw a veil across her brilliant face for a brief period during everyhasty trip she makes."

  "Behold her, then, just entering upon her punishment!" I exclaimed, forthe regular eclipse was just beginning. "Look! and tell us all thouseest."

  "I see a glorious orb, far larger than the Day-Giver and very near toPtah! But it is the Perverse Daughter, grown larger and come nearer, forshe alone knoweth how to draw the veil of night across her face likethat. Now she hath fully hidden! It is most wonderful, O Pharaoh!"

  "Be not deceived by mere appearance, O Zaphnath," replied the Pharaoh."All that thou seest may be contained within the thing thou gazest into.'Tis true, the Perverse Daughter hath drawn her veil, but be thou surethou seest what is beyond and not merely what is within."

  As soon as this was translated to us, the doctor focussed the telescopeupon the Gnomons, which were just visible over the edge of the plateau,and I said,--

  "Look now again, and behold all the familiar features of the landscape,the plateau yonder and the ponderous Gnomons, which could never becontained within this little enclosure."

  "'Tis all most true, O Pharaoh, and with this little instrument thyreign may be more glorious, and come to greater wisdom, than any of thatlong line of Pharaohs, whose toiling slaves have built the toweringGnomons. Let this grey-beard be made chief of all thy wise men; let theothers teach him our language and make him acquainted with all ourmonuments and records; also command them to record most faithfully allthe wonders which he is able to reveal. Mayhap he may be able to writethy name among the stars of night, to shine for ever, instead of uponthe crumbling stone which telleth of thy ancestors!"

  "O men of Kem," replied the Pharaoh, addressing the other guests, "hearye the wisdom of Zaphnath, which cometh with the swift wings of birds,while thy halting counsel stumbleth slowly upon the lazy legs of asses!What Zaphnath asketh hath already been decreed touching these two menfrom the Blue Star, provided only that they live peaceably among usobedient to our laws."

  We assured him of our obedience and our best efforts to discharge ournew duties, whereupon the feast continued. Courses of small birds' eggsand of fruits and confections were each served by a separate group ofmaidens. When the feast was finally completed, I turned to Zaphnath withmy cigars and said,--

  "In our travelling house I brought with me many such things as these andothers of a smaller, milder form, which might delight the women; but nowthat the house is gone, I have but three, one of which wilt thou send tothe Pharaoh, one keep for thyself, and the other I will smoke to showyou the manner of it. There is naught to fear about them; your taste forheavy vapours will have prepared you to enjoy the warmth and fragranceof this peculiar weed."

  A servant came to carry the one to the Pharaoh, and I struck a matchupon the stone floor and held the cigar designed for Zaphnath in theflame. Then I touched the flame to my own, and puffing gently, I askedZaphnath to do the same. When I saw that his custom of inhaling gasesled him to breathe in the smoke, I puffed very slowly and gently, untilhe should become accustomed to it. When Pharaoh saw that it did no harmto Zaphnath, he lighted his own and inhaled the smoke in long draughtswith evident gusto.

  "How sayest thou, O Zaphnath," he said at last. "Is not this warm vapourmost stimulating? It is a treat worth all the rest of the banquet.Continual feasting hath made the luxuries of Kem to pall upon me, butthis hath novelty and comfort in it. If, indeed, there were many ofthese in thy travelling house, my slaves shall search all the width andbreadth of Ptah, until it be found."

  The music now burst forth again in new volume, and the singing girlswent through a new evolution, which broke up their groups and formedtwelve new ones, containing one girl from each of the previous sets.Then the entire number began ascending the steps together, and I notedthat those approaching me were the twelve maidens who had served meduring the banquet. They came and circled around me, and presentlystopped with their hands upon their cheeks in salute. The other groupsdid the same to the guests they had served, and each guest selected amaiden by saluting her upon the cheek, whereupon she left her circle andtook her position upon the cushion opposite him. Zaphnath, seeing thatwe did not understand this ceremony, explained it to me.

  "It is an ancient custom with the Pharaoh to present each of his guestswith a living reminder of the occasion and his hospitality. Wherefore hedesireth thee to choose which of the twelve serving maidens hath pleasedthee best, and he will give her to thee, to be always thy maidservant."

  I translated this to the doctor, and watched him curiously, with aninquiring twinkle in my eye.

  "Let us accept them, and bestow their liberty upon them," he said.

  I immediately chose the third maiden, who had pressed her pink cheeks tomy lips, and when she came to sit opposite to me upon the cushion, Ispoke to her through Zaphnath,--

  "Thy ways have pleased me, but upon my star we do not think it properto own any slaves. When we know well-favoured and graceful women, suchas thou art, we prefer to be their slaves, rather than they ours. If Icould take thee with me to the Earth, the laws there would set thee freeto do whatever pleased thee best. Wishest thou that I make thee freehere?"

  She was evidently surprised when Zaphnath put this question to her. Shereplied in a sincere and pleading tone, but her words astonished me,--

  "Whatever the dark Man of Ice wisheth, I will do. I know not why he hathasked what I desire. He speaketh of freedom, but I beseech him not tosend me back to that! I was born an unhappy and masterless maiden, andmany years I struggled and laboured for a miserable existence. I droveasses, gleaned in the fields, and did the menial work of men. But I feltI was fit for better, nobler things. At last, I heard that the armies ofthe Pharaoh were coming to my land, and I took heed of my appearance,put on my neatest feather clothing, and went to throw myself before thesoldiers. They were pleased with me, and brought me to this city, wherefortune favoured me, and Pharaoh, looking over all the women whom thesoldiers brought from the wars, chose me, with many others, to join hishousehold. And here in the Palace for a few years I have been happy andwell cared for. I pray thee do not turn me out again; do not degrade meto the labour and misery of freedom. Even the beasts have masters! Theyare housed, and fed, and cared for; why should I then be cast out andleft
to drudge or beg?"

  "Doth she mean this?" I exclaimed. "What then is the chief aim of womenin Kem? What is the highest state to which they may aspire?"

  "'Tis a strange, simple question!" he answered. "There is no greaterblessing for a woman than to belong to the household of the Pharaoh.Here they are delighted with constant music and dancing; their beauty iscultivated and heightened by rich and tasteful clothing; and theircharms and graces may win for them a selection as one of theone-and-twenty favourites of the Pharaoh. What they fear most is beingchosen and carried away by guests whose palaces and ways of life areless luxurious than the Pharaoh's."

  "Why then, as we have no palaces and wish no slaves, it were best toreturn these maidens to the Pharaoh if they will be happier and bettercared for here than anywhere else in all the land of Kem," I said toZaphnath.

  "This age is not ripe for the grand idea of freedom which dominates ourown," remarked the doctor, as we returned the grateful maidens to theconstant delights of an ornate and sensuous slavery.