 Chapter 19 of A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder This is a LibriVox Recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Eddie Winter A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder by James DeMille Chapter 19 The Wonders of the Amir We were drawn on cars up to the first terraced street, and here we found the vast multitude which we had seen from a distance. Crossing this street, we ascended and came to another precisely like it. Then, still going on, we came to a third. Here there was an immense space, not overgrown with trees like the streets, but perfectly open. In the midst arose a lofty pyramid. And as I looked at it, I could not refrain from shadowing. For it looked like the public altar upon which, in due time, I should be compelled to make my appearance, and be offered up as a victim to the terrific superstitions of the Kaseekin. Crossing this great square, we came to a vast portal, which opened into a cavern with twinkling lights. The city itself extended above this, and we could see the terraced streets rising above our heads. But here our progress ended at the great cavern in the chief square opposite the pyramid. On entering the cavern, we traversed an anti-chamber, and then passing on, we reached a vast dome of dimensions so great that I could perceive no end in that gloom. The twinkling lights served only to disclose the darkness and to indicate the immensity of the cavern. In the midst there arose two enormous columns which were lost in the gloom above. It was only by passing through this that we learned its great extent. We at length came to the other end, and here we saw numerous passages leading away. The cavern led us through one of these, and after passing through several other domes of smaller dimensions, we at length reached an apartment where we stopped. This place was furnished with couches and hangings, and lighted with flaming lamps. The light was distressing to those who had accompanied us, and many of them left while the few who remained had to cover their eyes. Here we found that all preparations had been made. The apartments were all illuminated, though a love of light never ceased to be a matter of amazement to the Kosikin, and a bounteous repast was spread for us. But the current and the others found the light intolerable, and soon left us to ourselves. After the repast, some women appeared to take Alma to her chamber, and with the usual kindness of the Kosikin, they assured her that she would not be expected to obey the law of separation, but that she was to remain here, where she would be always within reach of me. After her departure, they came to visit me the lowest man in all the land of the Kosikin, though according to our view he would be esteemed the highest. This was the Curran Godol. His history had already been told me. I had learned that through lack of Kosikin virtue, he had gradually sunk to this position, and now was compelled to hold in his hands more wealth, power and display than any other man in the nation. He was a man of singular appearance. The light was not so troublesome to him as to the others. He merely kept his eyes shaded, but he regarded me with a keen look of inquiry that was suggestive of shrewdness and cunning. I confess, it was with a feeling of relief that I made this discovery, for I longed to find someone among the singular people who were selfish, who feared death, who loved life, who loved riches, and had something in common with me. This I thought I perceived in the shrewd, cunning face of the Curran Godol, and I was glad, for I saw that while he could not possibly be more dangerous to me than those self-sacrificing, self-denying cannibals whom I had thus far known, he might prove of some assistance and might help me to devise some means of escape. If I could only find someone who was a coward, and selfish, and avaricious, if this Curran Godol could but be he, how much brighter my life would be. And so there happened to me an incredible thing, that my highest wish was now to find in the Curran Godol Curran Godol, cowardice avarice, and selfishness. The Curran was accompanied by a young female, richly attired, who I afterward learned was his daughter. Her name was Layla, and she filled the office of Melka, which signifies queen. And though honourable with us, above all, is among the Cossican the lowest in the land. Layla was so beautiful that I looked at her in amazement. She was very tall for one of the Cossican, which made her stature equal to that of an ordinary girl with us. Her hair was rich, dark, and luxuriant, gathered about her head in great masses and bound by a golden band. Her features were delicate and perfect in their outline. Her expression was noble and commanding, her eyes were utterly unlike those of the other Cossican. The upper lids had a slight droop, but that was all, and that was the newest approach to the national blink. Her first entrance into the room seemed to dazzle her, and she shaded her eyes for a few moments. But after that she looked at me fixedly and seemed to suffer no more inconvenience than I did. The perfect liberty of women among the Cossican made this visit from her quite as natural as that of her father. And though she said but little on this occasion she was an attentive listener and close observer. Their visit was long, for they were evidently full of curiosity. They had heard much about me and wished to see more. It was the first time that I had found among the Cossican the slightest desire to know where I had come from. Here too all had been content with the knowledge that I was a foreigner. Now, however, I found in the Coen Gadol and Layela a curiosity that was most eager and intense. They questioned me about my country, about the great world beyond the mountains, about the way in which I had come here, about the manners and customs of my countrymen. They were eager to know about those great nations of which I spoke, who loved light and life. About men who loved themselves better than others. Of that world where men feared death and loved life and sought after riches and lived in the light. The sleeping time came and passed and my visitors were still full of eager questionings. It was Layela who at last thought of the lateness of the hour. At a word from her the Coen Gadol rose with many apologies and prepared to go but before he left he said, When I was a child I was shipwrecked and was taken up a ship which conveyed me to a nation beyond the sea. There I grew up to manhood. I learned their language and manners and customs and when I returned home I found myself an alien here. I do not love darkness or death. I do not hate riches but the result is that I am what I am. If I were like the rest of my countrymen my lot would make me miserable but as it is I prefer it to any other and consider myself not the lowest but the greatest in the land. My daughter is like me and instead of being ashamed of her station she is proud of it and would not give it up even to become a pauper. I will assist you again, I have much to say. With these words the Coen Gadol retired followed by Leila leaving me more hopeful than I had been for a long time. For many jobs following I received visits from the Coen Gadol and from Leila. Alamo was with me until sleeping time and then these other visitors would come. In this at least they resembled the other Kosikin that they never dreamed of interfering with Alamo when she might wish to be with me. The visits were always long and we had much to say but what I lost in sleep I always made up on the following John. The Coen Gadol with his keen shooed face interested me greatly but Leila with her proud face and air of command was a positive wonder. I soon learned that the Coen Gadol was what we term a man of advanced views or perhaps a reformer or a philosophic radical. It matters not which. Suffice it to say that his ideas and feelings differed from those of his nation and if carried out would be equal to a revolution in politics and morals. The Coen Gadol advocated selfishness as a true law of life without which no state can prosper. There were a few of similar views but they were all regarded with great contempt by the multitude and had to suffer the utmost rigor of the law for they were all endowed with vast wealth compelled to live in the utmost splendour and luxury to have enormous retinues and to wield the chief power in politics and in religion. Even this however had not changed the sentiments of the condemned that they were laboring incessantly notwithstanding their severe punishment to disseminate their peculiar doctrines. These were formulated as follows. 1. A man should not love others better than himself. 2. Life is not an evil to be got rid of. 3. Other things are to be preferred to death. 4. Poverty is not the best state for man. 5. Unrequited love is not the greatest happiness. 6. Lovers may sometimes marry. 7. To serve is not more honourable than to command. 8. Defeat is not more glorious than victory. 9. To save a life should not be regarded as a criminal offence. 10. The paupers should be forced to take a certain amount of wealth to relieve the necessities of the rich. These articles were considered both by the Coen Gadol and by Leila to be remarkable for their audacity and were altogether too advanced for mention by any except the chosen few. With a multitude he had to deal differently and had to work his way by concealing his opinions. He had made a great conspiracy in which he was still engaged and had gained immense numbers of adherents by allowing them to give him their whole wealth. Through his assistance many Athens and Coens and Melecs had become artisans, labourers and even paupers but all were bound by him to the strictest secrecy. If anyone should divulge the secret it would be ruined to him and to many others for they would at once be punished by the bestowal of the extremist wealth by degradation to the rank of rulers and commanders and by the severest rigours of luxury power, splendour and magnificence known among the Kaseekin. Overwhelmed thus with the cares of government crushed under the weight of authority and autocratic rule surrounded by countless slaves already to die for them their lives would be embittered and their punishment would be more than they could bear but the philosophic Coen Gadol dared all these punishments and pursued his way calmly and pertinaciously. Nothing surprised the Coen Gadol so much as the manner in which I received his confidences. He half expected to startle me by his boldness but was himself confounded by my words. I told him that in my country self was the chief consideration self-preservation the law of nature death the king of terrors wealth the object of universal search poverty the worst of evils unrequited love nothing less than anguish and despair to command others the highest glory victory honour defeat intolerable shame and other things of the same sort all of which sounded in his ears as he said with such tremendous force that they were like pills of thunder he shook his head despondently he could not believe that such views as mine could ever be attained to among the Kaseekin but Laila was bolder and with all a woman's impetuosity grasped at my fullest meaning and held it firm he is right said Laila the heaven-born Atamore he shall be our teacher the rich shall be esteemed the poor shall be downtrodden to rule over others shall be glorious to serve shall be base victory shall be an honour defeat a shame selfishness self-seeking luxury and indulgence shall be virtues poverty want and squalor shall be things of abhorrence and contempt the face of Laila glowed with enthusiasm as she said these words and I saw in her a daring, intrepid and high-hearted woman full of a woman's headlong impetuosity and disregard of consequences in me she saw one who seemed to her like a prophet and teacher of a new order of things and her whole soul responded to the principles which I announced it required immense strength of mind and firmness of soul to separate herself from the prevalent sentiment of her nation and though nature had done much for her in giving her a larger portion of original selfishness than was common to her people still she was a child of the Kaseekin and her daring was all the more remarkable and so she went further than her father and adopted my extreme views when he shone back and dared more unflinchingly the extremist rigours of the national law and all that the Kaseekin could inflict in the way of wealth, luxury, supreme command palatial abodes, vast retinues of slaves and the immense degradation of the queenly office I spoke to her in a warning voice about her rashness oh said she I have counted the cost and am ready to accept all that they can inflict I embrace the good cause and will not give it up, no not even if they could increase my wealth a thousand fold and sentence me to live a hundred seasons I can bear their utmost inflections of wealth, power, magnificence I could even bear being condemned to live forever in the light oh my friend it is the conviction of right of conscience that strengthens one to bear the greatest evils that man can inflect from these words it was evident to me that Layla was a true child of the Kaseekin for though she was of advanced sentiments she still used the language of her people and spoke of the punishments of the law as though they were punishments in reality now to me and to Alma these so-called punishments seemed rewards it was impossible for me to avoid feeling a very strong regard for this enthusiastic and beautiful girl all the more indeed because she evinced such an undisguised admiration for me she evidently considered me some superior being from some superior race and although my broken and faulty way of speaking the language was something of a trial still she seemed to consider every word I uttered as a maxim of the highest wisdom the tritest of truths the commonest of platitudes the most familiar of proverbs or old souls current among us were eagerly seized by Layla and accepted as truths almost divine as new doctrines for the guidance of the human race these she would discuss with me she would put them into better and more striking language and ask for my opinion then she would write them down for the Cossican knew the art of writing they had an alphabet of their own which was at once simple and very scientific there were no vowels but only consonant sounds the vowels being supplied in reading just as if one should write the words F-T-H-R or D-G-H-T-R and read them father and daughter the letters were as follows P-K-T-B-G-D-F-C-H-T-H-M-L-N-S-H-R there were also three others which have no equivalence in English it soon became evident to me that Layla had a complete ascendancy over her father that she was not only the melker of the Amir but the presiding spirit and the chief administrative genius of the whole nation of the Cossican she seemed to be the new Semiramis one who might revolutionise an empire and introduce a new order of things such indeed was her high ambition and she plainly availed it to me but what was more she frankly informed me but that she regarded me as a heaven sent teacher as one who in this darkness could tell her of the nations of light who could instruct her in the wisdom of other and greater races and help her to accomplish her grand designs as for Alma she seemed quite beneath the notice of the aspiring Layla she never noticed her she never spoke of her and she always made her visits to me after Alma had gone End of Chapter 19 Chapter 20 of a strange manuscript found in a copper cylinder this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Adam Carroll A strange manuscript found in a copper cylinder by James DeMille Chapter 20 The Dark Maiden Layla Layla at length began to make pointed remarks about Alma She loves you, said she, and you love her How is it that you do not give each other up? I would die rather than give up Alma, said I Layla smiled That sun streamed through the cosecan, said she For here to give up your love and to die are both esteemed to the greatest possible blessings but Alma should give you up It is the women with us who make the beginning women generally fall in love first It is expected that they will tell their love first The delicacy of a woman's feelings makes us natural For if a man tells his love to a woman who does not love him it shocks her modesty While if a woman tells a man, he has no modesty to shock That is strange, said I But suppose the man does not love the woman Why, no woman wants to be loved She only wants to love At this I felt somewhat bewildered That, said Layla, is unrequited love Which is the chief blessing here Though for my part I am a philosopher and would wish when I love to be loved in return And then, said I, if so Would you give up your lover in accordance with the custom of your country? Layla's dark eyes rested on me for a moment with a glance of intense earnestness and profound meaning She drew a long breath and had said in a low tremulous voice Never Layla was constantly with me and at length used to come at an earlier time when Alma was present Her manner toward Alma was full of the usual cosecant courtesy and gracious cordiality She was still intent upon learning from me the manners, customs and principles of action of the race to which I belonged She had an insatiable thirst for knowledge and her curiosity extended to all of those great inventions which are the wonder of Christendom Locomotives and steamboats were described to her under the names of Horses of Fire and Ships of Fire Printing was Letters of Power The Electric Telegraph, Messages of Lightning The Organ, Loot of Giants, and so on Yet in spite of the eagerness with which she made her inquiries and the diligence with which she noted all down I could see that there was in her mind something lying beneath it all a far more earnest purpose and a far more personal one in the pursuit of useful knowledge Leila was watchful of Alma She seemed studying her to see how far this woman of another race differed from the cosecant She would often turn from me and talk with Alma for a long time questioning her about her people in their ways Alma's manner was somewhat reserved and it was rendered somewhat more so from the fact that her mind was always full of the prospect of our impending doom as it came and went brought us nearer to that awful time and the hour was surely coming when we should be taken to the outer square and to the top of the Pyramid of Sacrifice Once Leila sat for some time silent and involved in thought At length she began to speak to me Alma, said she, is very different from us She loves you and you love her She ought to give you up Alma, you ought to give up Atomor since you love him Alma looked confused and made some reply to the effect that she belonged to a different race with different customs But you should follow our customs You are one of us now You can easily find another who will take him Alma threw a piteous glance at me and said nothing I, said Leila, will take him She spoke these words with an air of magnanimity as though putting it in the light of a favour to Alma But Alma did not make any reply And after some silence Leila spoke of something else Not long after we were alone together and Leila returned to the subject She referred to Alma's want of sympathy with the manners of the cosecan and asserted that she ought to aim after a separation I love her, said I, with great warmth and will never give her up But she must give you up It is the woman's place to take the first step I should be willing to take you As Leila said this, she looked at me very earnestly as if anxious to see how I accepted the offer It was for me a most embarrassing moment I loved Alma, but Leila also was most agreeable and I liked her very much Indeed, so much so that I could not bear to say anything that might hurt her feelings Among all the cosecan there was not one who was not infinitely inferior to her in my eyes Still, I loved Alma, and I told her so again thinking that in this way I might repel her without giving offence But Leila was quite ready with her reply If you love Alma, said she, that is the very reason why you should marry me This made me feel more embarrassed than ever I stammered something about my own feelings and customs of my race and the fear that I had of acting against my own principles Besides, I added, I'm afraid it would make you unhappy Oh no, said Leila briskly On the contrary, it would make me very happy indeed I began to be more and more aghast of this tremendous frankness and was utterly at a loss what to say My father, continued Leila, is different from the other cosecan And so am I, I seek requital for love and do not think it an evil A sudden thought now suggested itself and I caught at it as a last resort You have, said I, some lover among the cosecan Why do you not marry him? Leila smiled I have no lover that I love, said she, among the cosecan My feeble effort was thus a miserable failure I was about saying something concerning the cosecan alphabet or something else of an equally appropriate nature when she prevented me Atomor, said she, in a low voice Leila, said I, with my mind full of confusion I love you She sat, looking at me with her beautiful face all aglow Her dark eyes fixed on mine with an intense and eager gaze I looked at her and said not one single word Leila was the first to break the awkward silence You love Alma, Atomor But say, do you not love me? You smile at me You meet me always when I come with warm greetings And you seem to enjoy yourself in my society Say, Atomor, do you not love me? This was a perilous and tremendous moment The fact is, I did like Leila very much indeed And I wanted to tell her so But my ignorance of the language did not allow me to observe those nice distinctions of meaning which it is between the words like and love I knew no other word than the one cosecan word meaning love and could not think of any meaning like It was, therefore, a very trying position for me Dear Leila, said I, floundering and stammering in my confusion I love you I But here I was interrupted without waiting for any further words The beautiful creature flung her arms around me and clung to me with a fond embrace As for me, I was utterly confounded, bewildered and desperate I thought of my darling Alma, whom alone I loved It seemed at that moment as though I was not only false to her but as if I was even endangering her life My only thought now was to clear up my meaning Dear Leila, said I, as I sat with her arms around me and with my own around her slender waist I do not want to hurt your feelings Oh, Atomor, oh my love, never, never did I know such bliss as this Here again I was overwhelmed, but I still persisted in my effort Dear Leila, said I, I love Alma most dearly and most tenderly Oh, Atomor, why speak of that? I know it well And so, by our cosecan law, you give her up Among us, lovers never marry So you take me, your own Leila, and you will have me for your bride And my love for you is ten thousand times stronger than that of the cold and melancholy Alma She may marry my papa This suggestion filled me with dismay Oh, no, said I, never, never will I give up Alma Certainly not, said Leila, you do not give her up She gives you up She never will, said I Oh, yes, said Leila, I will tell her that you wish it I do not wish it, said I, I love her and will never give her up It's all the same, said Leila, you cannot marry her at all No one will marry you You and Alma are victims, and the state has given you the matchless honour of death Common people who love one another may marry if they choose And take the punishment which the law assigns But illustrious victims who love cannot marry And so may I add to more you have only me I need not say that all this was excessively embarrassing I was certainly fond of Leila, and liked her too much to hurt her feelings Had I been one of the Kosikin, I might perhaps have managed better But being a European, a man of the Aryan race, being such And sitting there with the beautiful Leila, lavishing all her affections upon me Why, it stands to reason that I could not have the heart to wound her feelings in any way I was taken at an utter disadvantage Never in my life had I heard of women taking the initiative Leila had proposed to me, she would not listen to refusal And I had not the heart to wound her I had made all the fight I could by persisting in asserting my love for Alma But all my assertions were brushed lightly aside as trivial things Let any gentleman put himself in my situation and ask himself what he would do What would he do if such a thing could happen to him at home? But there such a thing could not happen, and so there is no use in supposing an impossible case At any rate, I think I deserve sympathy Who could keep his presence of mind under such circumstances? With us, a young lady who loves one man can easily repel another suitor But here it was very different, for how could I repel Leila? Could I turn upon her and say unhand me? Could I say away, I am another's? Of course I couldn't If I had said such things, Leila would have smiled me down into silence The fact is, it doesn't do for women to take the initiative It's not fair I had stood a good deal among the Kosikhin Their love of darkness, their passion for death, their contempt of riches Their yearning after unrequited love, their human sacrifices, their cannibalism All had more or less become familiar to me, and I had learned to acquiesce in silence But now when it came to this, that a woman should propose to a man It really was more than a fellow good stand, I felt this at that moment very forcibly But then the worst of it was that Leila was so confoundedly pretty And had such a nice way with her that hang me if I knew what to say Meanwhile Leila was not silent, she had all her wits about her Dear papa, said she, would make such a nice husband for Alma He is a widower, you know I could easily persuade him to marry her, he always does whatever I ask him to do But victims cannot marry, you said No, said Leila, sweetly, they cannot marry one another But Alma may marry a dear papa, and then you and I can be married And it will all be very nice indeed, at this I started away No, said I, indignantly, it won't be nice I was engaged to be married to Alma, and I'm not going to give her up Oh, but she gives you up, you know, said Leila, quietly Well, but I'm not going to be given up Why, how unreasonable you are, you foolish boy, said Leila in her most caressing manner You have nothing at all to do with it At this I was in fresh despair, and then a new thought came, which I seized upon Be here, said I, why can't I marry both of you? I'm engaged to Alma, and I love her better than all the world Let me marry her and you, too At this Leila laughed long and merrily Peel after peel of laughter, musical and most merry burst from her It was contagious, I could not help joining in, and so we both sat laughing It was a long time before we regained our self-control Why, that's a town right big of me, exclaimed Leila with a fresh laughter Why, after more here, mad And so she went off again in fresh peels of laughter It was evident that my proposal was not at all shocking, but simply comical, ridiculous, and inconceivable in its absurdity It was to her what the remark of some despairing beauty who would be among us, who, when pressed by two lovers, should express their confused willingness to marry both It was evident that Leila accepted it as a ludicrous jest Laughter was all very well, of course, but I was serious, and felt that I ought not to part with Leila without some better understanding And so I once more made an effort All this, said I, in a mournful tone, is a mere mockery What have I to say about love and marriage? If you loved me, as you say, you would not laugh, but weep You forget what I am What am I, a victim, and doomed Doomed to a hideous fate, a fate of horror, unutterable You cannot even begin to imagine the anguish with which I look forward to that fate which impends over me and Alma Marriage, idle word What have I to do with marriage? What has Alma? There is only one marriage before us, the dread marriage with death Why talk of love to the dying? The tremendous ordeal, the sacrifice, is before us And after that there remains the hideous Mr. Kosek At this, Leila sprang up With her whole face and attitude full of life and energy I know, I know, said she, quickly I have arranged for all Your life shall be saved Do you think that I have consented to your death? Never You are mine I will save you I will show you what we can do You shall escape Can you really save me? I cried I can What, in spite of the whole nation? Leila laughed scornfully I can save you, said she, we can fly There are other nations besides ours We can find some land among the Gojin where we can live in peace The Gojin are not like us But Alma, said I The face of Leila clouded I can only save you, said she Then I will stay and die with Alma, said I, obstinately What, said Leila, do you not fear death? Of course I do, said I But I'd rather die than lose Alma But it's impossible to save both of you Then leave me and save Alma, said I What, would you give up your life for Alma? Yes, and a thousand lives, said I Why, said Leila, now you talk just like the Koseken You might as well be one of us You love death for the sake of Alma Why not be more like the Koseken and seek after our separation from Alma? Leila was not at all offended at my declaration of love for Alma She uttered these words in a lively tone And then said that it was time for her to go End of Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Of a strange manuscript found in a copper cylinder This is a Libu Vox recording All Libu Vox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer Please visit LibuVox.org Recording by Eddie Winter A strange manuscript found in a copper cylinder By James de Merrill Chapter 21 The Flying Monster I retired to bed but could not sleep The offer of escape filled me with excited thoughts These made sleep impossible And as I lay awake I thought that perhaps It would be well to know what might be Leila's plan of escape For I might then make use of it to save Alma I determined to find out all about it on the following John To question her as to the lands of the Gojin To learn all her purpose It might be that I could make use of that very plan To save Alma But if not, why then I was resolved to remain And meet my fate with her If Leila could be induced to take both of us I was of course resolved to go Trusting to chance as to the claims of Leila upon me And determined at all hazards to be faithful to Alma But if she should positively refuse to save Alma Then I thought it possible that I might be able To find in Leila's plan of escape Something of which I might avail myself I could not imagine what it was But it seemed to me that it might be something quite feasible Especially for a desperate man The only thought I had was of escape By means of some boat over the seas In a boat I would be at home I could make use of a sail so as to elude pursuit And could guide myself by the stars The only thing that I wanted to know Was the situation of the lands of the Gojin On the following John The Koen Gadol and Leila came quite early And spent much time I was surprised to see the Koen Gadol Devoting himself in an absurd fashion to Alma It at once occurred to me That Leila had obtained her father's corporation In her scheme And that the old villain actually imagined That he could win the hand of Alma To Alma herself I had said nothing whatever About the proposal of Leila So that she was quite ignorant of the intentions Of her companion But it was excessively annoying to me To see such proceedings going on under my own eyes At the same time I felt that it would be both unwise And uncivil to interfere And I was also quite sure that Alma's affections Were not to be diverted from me by anyone Much less by such an elderly party As the Koen Gadol I was very trained however And in spite of my confidence in Alma My jealousy was excited And I began to think that the party Of philosophical radicals Were not so agreeable as the Orthodox cannibals Who my first met As for Leila She seemed quite unconscious of any disturbance In my mind She was as amiable, as sprightly As inquisitive And as affectionate as ever She even outdid herself To me with an abandon That was quite irresistible After Alma had left me Leila came again And this time she was alone I have come, said she To show you the way in which we can escape Whenever you decide to do so It was a thing above all others Which I wished to know And therefore I questioned her eagerly about it But all of my questions She only replied that she would show me And I might judge for myself Leila led the way And I followed her We traversed long galleries and vast halls All of which were quite empty It was the sleeping time And only those were visible Who had some duties Which kept them up later than usual Faint twinkling lights But feebly illuminated the general gloom At length we came to an immense cavern Which was darker than ever And without any lamps at all Through a vast portal Which was closed with a barred gateway The beams of the brilliant aurora penetrated And disclosed something of the interior Here Leila stopped and peered through the gloom While I stood waiting by her side Wondering what means of escape Could be found in this cavern As I stood I heard through the still air The sound as of living things For a time I saw nothing But at length I described a vast shadowy form Moving forward toward the portal Where the darkness was less It was a form of portentous size And fearful shape And I could not make out at first The nature of it It surpassed all that I had ever seen Its head was large and its jaws long Armed with rows of terrible teeth Like those of a crocodile Its body was of great size It walked on its hind legs So as to maintain itself in an upright attitude And in that position Its height was over 12 feet But the most amazing thing about this monster Has yet to be told As it walked its forearms waved and fluttered And I saw descending from them What seemed like vast folded leather and wings Which shook and swayed in the air at every step Its pace was about as fast as that of a man And it moved with ease and lightness It seemed like some enormous bat Or rather like a winged crocodile Or yet again like one of those monstrous dragons Of which I had read But in whose actual existence I had never believed But here I saw one living and moving before me An actual dragon With the exception of a tail For that appendage which plays so great a part In all the pictures of dragons Had no place here This beast had but a short cauldron appendage And all its terrors lay in its jaws and in its wings For a moment I stood almost lifeless With terror and surprise Then I shanked back Laila laid her hand on my arm Don't be afraid, said she It's only an athelab But once it bites I asked with a shudder Oh no, said Laila It swallows its vitals whole At this I shank away still further Don't be afraid, said Laila again Its jaws are muddled And besides, it's a tame athelab Its jaws run muddled only at feeding time But this one is very tame There are three or four others in here And all as tame as I am They all know me Come up nearer, don't be afraid These athelabs are easily tamed How can such tremendous monsters be tamed? I asked in an incredulous tone All men can tame anything The athelabs are very docile When they are taken young They are very long lived The dragon has been in service here For a hundred seasons and more At this I began to regain my confidence And as Laila moved nearer to the athelab I accompanied her A nearer view, however Was by no means reassuring The dragon look of the athelab Was stronger than ever For I could see that all its body Was covered with scales On its neck and back Was a long ridge of coarse hair And its waist arms was enormous It was with a quaking heart That I stood near But the coolness of Laila reassured me For she went close up As a boy would go up to a tame elephant And she stroked his enormous back And the monster bent down In his terrible head And seemed pleased This, said Laila, is the way we have Of escaping This, I exclaimed doubtfully Yes, said she He is trained to the service We can mount on his back And he will fly with us Wherever I choose to guide him What, I exclaimed as I shrank back Fly Do you mean to say that you will Mount this hideous monster And trust yourself to him Certainly said Laila quietly He is very docile There is harness here With which we can guide him The harness Very much indeed, said I Upon this Laila walked up to the monster And stroked his breast The huge athlep At once lay down upon his belly Then she bought two long straps Like reins And fastened each one To the tip of a projecting tip Of each wing Then she fastened a collar around his neck To which she was attached A grappling line We see to ourselves on his back Said Laila I guide him with his reins When we land anywhere I fasten him with the grapple He looks dull now But if I were to open the gate And remove his muzzle He would be off like the wind But can he carry both of us I asked Easily said Laila He can carry three persons without fatigue Could you mount on his back now Laila readily ascended And mounted with the greatest ease Seating herself on the broadest part Of the back between the wings Here said she Is room for you Will you not come For an instant I hesitated But then the sight of her Seated there as coolly as though She were on a chair reassured me And I climbed up also Though not without a shadow The touch of the fearful monster Was apparent But I conquered my disgust And seated myself close behind Laila Here she sat Holding the reins in her hems With the grapple just in front of her And seated in this position She went on to explain the whole process By which the mighty monster Was guided through the air No sooner had I found myself Actually on the back of the athelab Than all fear left me I perceived fully how completely tame He was and how docile The reins attached to his wings Could be pulled with the greatest ease Just as one would pull the tilleropes Of a boat Familiarity breeds contempt And now since the first tower Had passed away I felt perfect confidence And under the encouragement of Laila I'd become like some rustic Inner menagerie Who at first is terrified By the sight of the elephant But soon gains courage enough To mount upon his back With my newfound courage and presence of mind I listened most attentively To all of Laila's explanations And watched most closely The construction and fastening Of the harness For the thought that occurred to me That this athelab might be of a veil In another way That if I did not fly with Laila I might fly with Alma This thought was only of a vague Sector, a dim suggestion The carrying out of which I scarce dared to think possible Still it was in my mind And had sufficient power over me To make me very curious As to the plans of Laila I determined to find out Where she proposed to go and how far To ask her about the dangers of the way And the means of sustenance It seemed, I confess, Rather on fear to Laila To find out her plans And use them for another purpose But then, that other purpose Was Alma And to me, at that time Every device which was for her safety Seemed fair and honorable Here, said Laila Here, Atomore You see the way of escape The athelab can carry us both far away To a land where you need never fear That they will put you to death A land where the people love light And life Whenever you are ready to go, tell me If you are ready to go now Say so, and at once I will open the door And we shall soon be far away She laid her hand on mine And looked at me earnestly But I was not to be beguiled Into any hasty committal of myself And so I turned her proposal away With a question How far is it, I asked To that land It is too far for one flight, said Laila We go first over the sea Till we come to a great island Which is called Magones Where there are mountains of fire There we must rest And feed the athelab on fish Which are to be found on the shore The athelab knows his way there well For he goes there once every season For a certain sacred ceremony He has done this for 50 or 60 seasons And knows his way there And back perfectly well The difficulty will be When we leave Magones In reaching the land of the Orin The Orin, I repeated Who are they? They are the people among the Gojin Who love life and light It is their land that I wish to reach If possible Where is it, I asked eagerly I cannot explain, said Laila I can only trust to my own skill And hope to find the place We may have to pass over Different lands of the Gojin And if so We may be in danger What is the reason why the athelab Goes to Magones every season, I asked To take there the chief pauper Of the season Who has won the prize of death By starvation It is one of the greatest honours Among the Kosikin Is Magones Bowen? It is an island of fire Without anything on it But craggy mountains And flowing rivers of fire It stands almost in the middle of the sea How can we get away from here? I asked after some silence From here Why? I opened the gates And the athelab flies away That is all But shall we not be prevented? Oh no No one here ever prevents anyone from doing anything Everyone is eager to help his neighbour But if they saw me deliberately Mounting the athelab And preparing for flight Would they not stop me? No I was amazed at this But said I Am I not a victim Preserved for the great sacrifice? You are But you are free to go where you like And do what you like Your character a victim Makes you most distinguished It is the highest honour and dignity To prove that you rejoice in your high dignity And no one dreams That you are anxious to escape But if I did escape Would they not pursue me? Certainly not What would they do for a victim? They would wonder At your unaccountable flight And then choose some distinguished pauper But if I were to stay here Would they not save me from death At my in-treaty? Oh certainly not They would never understand such an in-treaty That's a question of death The supreme blessing No one is capable of such a base act As saving his fellow man from death All are eager to help each other To such a fate But if I were to fly They would not prevent me And they would not pursue me Oh no Are there any in the land Who are exempt from the sacrifice? Oh yes The Athons, Melecs and Kerens These are not worthy of the honour The artisans and tradesmen Are sometimes permitted To attain to this honour The labourers in greater numbers But it is the paupers Who are chiefly favoured And this is a matter of complaint Among the rich and powerful That they cannot be sacrificed Well Why couldn't I be made an Athon Or a Keren And be exempted in that way? Oh, that would be too great a dishonour It would be impossible On the contrary, the whole people Are anxious to honor you To the very uttermost And to bestow upon you The greatest privileges and blessings Which can possibly be given Oh no, it would be impossible for them To allow you to become an Athon Or a Keren As for me, I am Meleca And therefore the lowest in the land Pitted and commiserated By the haughty pauper class And shake their heads At the thought of one like me All the people show upon me Incessantly new gifts And new offices If my present love of light and life Were generally known They would punish me By giving me new contributions Of wealth and new offices and powers Which I do not want But you love riches do not And you must want them still No said Leila I do not want them now Why, what do you want? I asked You, said she With a sweet smile I said nothing But tried desperately to think of something That might divert the conversation Leila was silent for a few moments And then went on in a musing tone As I was saying I love you, Atomor And I hate Alma Because you love her I think Alma is the only human being In all the world That I ever really hated And yet, though I hate her Still strange to say I feel as though I should like to give her The immense blessing of death And that is a very strange feeling indeed For one of the Koshegin Do you understand, Atomor What such can possibly be What such can possibly be I did not answer But turned away the conversation By a violent effort Are there any other Athlebs here? Oh yes How many? Four Are they all as tame as this? Oh yes, all quite as tame There is no difference, whatever Upon this I left the back Of the Athleb And Leila also descended To show me the other monsters At length she unharnessed the Athleb And we left the cavern End of Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Of a strange manuscript Found in a copper cylinder This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings Are in the public domain For more information Or to volunteer Please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Ralph Snelson A strange manuscript Found in a copper cylinder By James DeMille Chapter 22 Escape On the following Jom I told everything to Alma I told her that Leila Was urging me to fly with her And that I had found out All about her plans I described the Athlebs And formed her about the direction Which we were to take The Island of Fire At this intelligence Alma was filled with delight And for the first time since we had come to the Amir There were smiles of joy upon her face She needed no persuasion She was ready to set forth whenever it was fitting And to risk everything upon this enterprise She felt as I did And thought that the wildest attempt Was better than this dull inaction Death was before us here And every Jom as it passed Only brought it nearer True, we were treated with the utmost kindness We lived in royal splendor We had enormous retinues But all this was a miserable mockery Since it all served as the prelude To our inevitable doom For that doom it was hard indeed to wait Anything was better Far better would it be to risk all the dangers Of this unusual and amazing flight To brave the terrors of that drear Isle of Fire, McGonnes Better to perish there of starvation Or to be killed by the hands of the hostile cogent Than to wait here and be destroyed at last By the sacrificial knife Of these smiling, generous, kind-hearted Self-sacrificing fiends To be killed, I and afterward Born to the tremendous mysticosic There was difficulty with Layela That had to be guarded against In the first place that she might not suspect And again that we might choose our time of escape When she would not be at all likely to find us out We resolved to make our attempt Without any further delay Layela was with us for the greater part of that Jom And the Kohen Gadol also gave us much of his company Layela did not seem to have any suspicions Whatever of my secret purpose For she was as bright, as amiable And as devoted to me as ever While the Kohen Gadol sought as before To make himself agreeable to Alma I did not think fit to tell her about Layela's proposal And therefore she was quite ignorant Of the secret plans of the Kohen Gadol Evidently attributing his attention To the unfailing amiability of the Kosican Layela came again after Alma had retired And spent the time in trying to persuade me to fly with her The beautiful girl was certainly never more engaging Nor was she ever more tender Had it not been for Alma It would have been impossible to resist such sweet persuasions But as it was I did resist Layela, however, was not at all discouraged Nor did she lose any of her amiability When she took leave it was with a smile And sweet words of forgiveness on her lips For what she called my cruelty After she left I remained for a time With a painful sense of helplessness The fact is my European training did not fit me For encountering such a state of things As existed among the Kosican It's very easy to be faithful to one's own True love in England When other fair ladies hold aloof Wait to be sought But here, among the Kosican Women have as much liberty and making love as men And there is no law or custom about it If a woman chooses she can pay the most desperate Attention and play the part of a distracted lover To her heart's content In most cases the women actually take the initiative As they are more impressable and impulsive than men And so it was that Layela made me An object of her persistent assault Acting all the time too In accordance with the custom of the country And thus having no thought whatever of indelicacy Since according to the Kosican She was acting simply in accordance With the rights of every woman Now where a woman is urged by one ardent lover To dismiss her other lover She may sometimes find it difficult To play her part satisfactorily But in my case I did not play My part satisfactorily at all The ordeal was too hard And I was utterly unable to show to Layela That firmness and decision of character Which the occasion demanded Yet after all the ordeal at last ended Layela left, as I have said, With sweet words of forgiveness on her lips And I, after a time, succeeded In regaining my presence of mind Alma was waiting She soon joined me We gathered a few articles for the journey The chief of which were my rifle and pistol Which I had not used here And then we set forth Leaving our apartments We traversed the long passages And at length came to the cavern of the Athaleps We met several people on the way Who looked at us with smiles But made no other sign It was evident that they had no commission To watch us But thus far Layela's information was correct Upon entering the cavern of the Athaleps My first feeling was one of helplessness For I had no competence whatever In my own powers of managing these awful monsters Nor did I feel that I could harness them But the emergency was a pressing one And there was no help for it I had seen where Layela had left the harness Now my chief desire was to secure one of the Athaleps The faint light served to disclose nothing but gloom And I waited for a while hoping that one of them Would come forward as before But waiting did no good For no movement was made And I had to try what I could do myself To rouse them So I walked farther in toward the back part Of the cavern, peering through the gloom While Alma remained near the entrance As I advanced I heard a slight noise As of someone moving I thought it was one of the Athaleps And walked on farther, peering through the gloom When suddenly I came full upon a man Who was busy at some work which I could not make out For a moment I stood in amazement and despair Or it seemed as though all was lost And as if this man would at once divine my intent While I stood thus he turned and gave me a very courteous greeting After which, in the usual manner of the Cossican He asked me with much amiability what he could do for me I muttered something about seeing the Athaleps Upon which he informed me that he would show them to me with pleasure He went on to say that he had recently been raised From the low position of Athon to that of feeder of the Athaleps A post involving duties like those of oslars or grooms among us But which here indicated high rank and honour He was proud of his title of epit Which means servant, and more than usually obliging I at once took advantage of his complacence And requested him to show me the Athaleps Upon this he led the way farther on Where I could see through the gloom the shadowy outlines Of four monsters, all of which were resting in an upright posture Against the wall, with their claws fixed on a shelf of rock They looked more than ever like dragons or rather like enormous bats For their wings were disclosed hanging in loose leather folds Can they be roused, I asked, and made to move? Oh, yes, said the epit, and without waiting for any further request He proceeded pull at the loose fan-like wing of the nearest one The monster drew himself together and gave a flutter with his wings And then moved back from the wall Make him walk, said I eagerly The epit, at this, pulled upon his wing once more And the Athalep moved forward Bring him to the portal so that I may see him, said I The epit, still holding the Athalep's wing, pulled at him And thus guided him toward the portal I was amazed at the docility of this terrific monster Yet after all I thought that it was no more astonishing than the Docility of the elephant, which in like manner allows itself to be Guided by the slightest pressure A child may lead a vast elephant with ease And here with equal ease the epit led the Athalep He led him up near to the portal where the aurora light Beamed through far brighter than the brightest moon And disclosed all the vast proportions of the monster I stood and looked on for some time in silence Quite at a loss what to do next And now Leela's words occurred to me as to the perfect Willingness of the Cossican to do anything which one might wish She had insisted on it that they would not prevent our flight And had given me to understand that they would even assist me If I should ask them This is what now occurred to me, and I determined to make a trial So I said, I should like to fly in the air on the Athalep Will you harness him? I confess it was with some trepidation that I said this But the feeling was soon dissipated The epit heard my words with perfect coolness As though they conveyed the most natural request in the world And then proceeded to obey me Just as at home a servant might hear and obey his master Who might say, I should like to take a ride Would you harness the bay mare? So the epit proceeded to harness the Athalep And I watched him in silence But it was the silence of deep suspense And my heart throb painfully There was yet much to be risked The gates had to be opened Others might interfere Layela might come All these thoughts occurred to me as I watched the epit And though the labor of harnessing the Athalep was simple And soon performed Still the time seemed long So the collar was secured around the neck of the Athalep With the grapple attached And the lines were fastened to the wings And then Alma and I mounted The epit now stood waiting for further orders Open the gates, said I The epit did so Alma was seated on the back of the Athalep before me Holding on to the course main I, just behind, held the reins in my hand The gates were opened wide A few people outside, roused by the noise Of the opening gates, stood and looked on They had evidently no other feeling but curiosity All was now ready and the way was open But there was an unexpected difficulty The Athalep would not start And I did not know how to make him I had once more to apply for help to the epit How am I to make him start, I asked Pull at the collar to make him start And pull at the reins to make him stop, said the epit Upon this I pulled at the collar The Athalep obeyed at once He rose almost erect and moved out through the gate It was difficult to hold on, but we did so On reaching the terrace outside The Athalep expanded his vast wings Which spread out over a space of full fifty feet And then with vigorous motions Raised himself in the air It was a moment full of terror to both of us The strange sensation of rising in the air The quivering muscles of the Athalep At the working of the enormous pinions The tremendous display of strength All combined to overwhelm me With a sense of utter helplessness With one hand I clung to the stiff mane Of the monster, with the other I held Alma Who was also grasping the Athalep's hair And thus for some time all thought was taken up In the one purpose of holding on But at length the Athalep lay in the air In a perfectly horizontal position The beat of the wings grew more slow and even The muscular exertion more steady and sustained We both began to regain some degree of confidence And at length I raised myself up and looked around It did not seem long since we had left But already the city was far behind Rising with its long crescent terraces Sparkling and twinkling with innumerable lights We had passed beyond the bay The harbor was behind us The open sea before us The deep water beneath The Athalep flew low Not more than a hundred feet above the water And maintained that distance all the time It seemed indeed as if he might drop Into the water at any time But this was only fancy For he was perfect master of all his movement And his flight was swift and well sustained Overhead the sky was filled with the glory Of the aurora beans which spread everywhere Flashing out from the zenith And illuminating the earth with a glow brighter Than that of the brightest moon Beneath the dark waters of the sea extended With the waves breaking into foam And traversed by galleys, by merchant ships And by the navies of the Cossacken Far away the surface of the sea spread With that marvelous appearance of an endless ascent As though for a thousand miles Rising thus until it terminated half way up the sky And so it rose up on every side So that I seemed to be at the bottom of a basin-shaped world An immense and immeasurable hollow A world unparalleled and unintelligible Far away at almost infinite distances Ar rose the long lines of mountains Which, crowned with ice, gleamed in the aurora light And seemed like a barrier that made forever impossible All ingress and egress On and on we sped At length we grew perfectly accustomed to the situation The motion was so easy and our seats were so secure There were no obstacles in our way No roughness along our path For that pathway was the smooth air And in such a path there could be no interruption No jerk or jar After the first terror had passed There remained no longer any necessity for holding on We could sit and look around with perfect freedom And at length I rose to my feet and almost stood beside me And thus we stood for a long time With all our souls kindled into glowing enthusiasm By the excitement of that adventurous flight And the splendors of that unequaled scene At length the aurora light grew dim Then came forth the stars, glowing and burning in the black sky Beneath there was nothing visible but the darkness of the water Spotted with phosphorescent points While all around a wall of gloom arose Which shut out from view the distant shores Suddenly I was aware of a noise like the beat of vast wings And these wings were not those of our ATHLEM At first I thought it was the fluttering of a sail But it was too regular and too long continued for that At length I saw through the gloom a vast shadowy form In the air behind us and at once the knowledge of the truth flashed upon me It was another monster flying in pursuit Were we pursued? Were there men on his back? Should I resist? I held my rifle poised And was resolved to resist at all hazards Alma saw it all and said nothing She perceived the danger And in her eyes I saw that she, like me, would prefer death to surrender The monster came nearer and nearer Until at last I could see that he was alone And that none were on his back But now another fear arose He might attack our ATHLEM And in that way endanger us He must be prevented from coming nearer Yet to fire the rifle was a serious matter I had once before earned the danger of firing under such circumstances When my op mahera had fled in terror at the report And did not wish to experience the danger Which might rise from a panic-stricken ATHLEM And so as I stood there I waved my arms And gesticulated violently The pursuing ATHLEM seemed frightened At such an unusual occurrence For he veered off and soon was lost in the darkness End of Chapter 22 Recording by Ralph Snelson, Springville, Utah Chapter 23 of a strange manuscript Found in a copper cylinder This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer Please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Ralph Snelson A strange manuscript found in a copper cylinder By James DeMille, Chapter 23 The Island of Fire At last there appeared before us What seemed like a long line of dull red fires And as we looked we could see bursts of flame And pit-full of intervals Which shone out for a few moments And then died away Upon this now our whole attention was fixed For it seemed as though we were approaching our destination And that this place was the Island of Fire A name which from present appearances Was fully justified As we went on and drew steadily nearer The mass of glowing fire grew larger and brighter And what at first had seemed a line Was broken up into different parts One of which far surpassed the others This was higher in the air And its shape was that of a long, thin, sloping line With a burning, glowing globule at each end It seemed like lava running down From the crater of a volcano And this appearance was made certainty On a nearer approach For we saw at the upper point Which seemed the crater an outburst of flame Followed by a new flow of the fiery stream In other places there were similar fires But they were less bright Either because they were smaller or more remote At length we heard beneath us The roar of breakers And saw long white lines of surf Beating upon the shore Our athelab now descended and alighted We clambered to the ground And eye-taking the grapple Fixed its security between two sharp rocks We were at last on Maconus The Island of Fire The brightness of the aurora light Had left us, but it needed not this To show us the dismal nature of the land To which we had come It was a land of horror Where there was nothing but the abomination Of desolation A land overstrewn with blasted fragments Of fractured lava blocks Intermixed with sand From which there arose black precipices And giant mountains that poured forth Rivers of fire and showers of ashes And sheets of flame A tremendous peak arose before us With a crest of fire and sigh Streaked with red torrents of molten lava Between us and it there spread away A vast expanse of impassable rocks A scene of ruin and savage wildness Which cannot be described And all around was the same drear And the pulling prospect Here in the night season The season of darkness and the bottle bloom We stood in this land of woe And not one single sign appeared of life Saved the life that we had brought with us As for food it was vain to think of it To search after it would be useless It seemed indeed impossible to move From the spot where we were Every moment presented some new discovery Which added to the horror of McGonness But Alma was weary For our flight had been long And she wished to rest So I found a place for her Where there was some sand between two rocks And here she lay down and went to sleep I sat a little distance off On a shelf of the rock With my back against it And here, after a little time I also went to sleep At length we awoke But what a waking There was no morning dawn No blessed returning light To greet our eyes We opened our eyes to the same scenes Upon which we had closed them And the darkness was still deep And dense around us Over us both there was a sense Of utter depression And I was so deeply plunged into it That I found it impossible to rouse myself Even for the sake of saying words Of cheer to Alma I had brought a few fragments of food And upon these we made our breakfast But there was the athlete to feed And for him I found nothing Nor could I think of anything Unless he could feed upon rocks and sand Yet food for him was a matter Of the highest consequence For he was all our sport And stay and hope And if the monster were deprived Of food he might turn upon us And satisfy upon us His ravenous appetite These thoughts were painful indeed And added to my despondency Suddenly I heard the sound of running water I started away toward the place From which the sound came And found only a little distance off A small brook trickling along On its way to the shore I called Alma and we both drank And were refreshed This showed an easy way to get to the shore And I determined to go there To see if there were any fish to be found Shellfish might be there Or the carcasses of dead fish Grown up by the sea Upon which the athlete might feed I left my pistol with Alma Telling her to fire it if she heard me fire For I was afraid of losing my way And therefore took this precaution I left it lying on the rock Full cocked and directed her To point it in the air And pull the trigger It was necessary to take these precautions As of course she was quite ignorant Of its nature And tried to follow the torrent This however I soon found to be impossible For the brook on reaching a huge rock Cleansed underneath it and became lost to view I then went toward the shore As well as I could Now climbing over sharp rocks Now going round them until it lengthed After immense labor I succeeded In reaching the water Here the scene was almost as wild As the one I had left There was no beach whatever But a vast extent of wild fragments Of fractured lava blocks Which were evidently the result Of some comparatively recent Convolting of nature For their edges were still sharp And the water had not worn even those Which were within its grasp To anything like roundness Or to anything else Than the jagged and shattered outline Which had originally belonged to them All the shore thus consisted Of vast rocky blocks Over which the sea beat in foam Eager to find something I toiled along this rocky shore For a long distance But without seeing any change I was unwilling to go back baffled Yet I was at length compelled to do so But the necessity of feeding the intellect Was pressing And I saw that our only course now Would be to mount him again Leave this place and seek some other But where could we go? That I could not imagine And could only conclude to trust altogether To the instinct of the intellect Which might guide him to places Where he might contain food Such a course would involve great risk For we might be carried into the midst Of vast blocks of these monsters Yet there was nothing else to be done I now retraced my steps And went for a long time near the sea At length I found a place Where the walking was somewhat easier And went in this way up into the island And away from the sea It seemed to lead in the direction Where I wished to go At length it seemed as if I had walked far enough Yet I could see no signs of Alma I shouted but there was no answer I shouted again and again But with the light result Then I fired my rifle and listened In response there came the report Of the pistol far away behind me It was evident that in coming back Along the shore I had passed by The place where Alma was There was nothing now left But to retrace my steps And this I accordingly did I went back to the shore And returned on my steps Shouting all the time Until at length I was rejoiced To hear the answering shout of Alma After this it was easy to reach her We now took up the grapple And once more mounted The Attileb eager to be off Raised himself quickly in the air And soon our late resting place Was far behind His flight was now different From what it was before Then he stood off in one straight line For a certain fixed destination As though under some guidance For though I did not direct him Still his long training Taught him to fly to McGonness But now training and guidance Were both wanting And the Attileb was left To the impulse of his hunger And the guidance of his instinct So he flew no longer In one undeviating straight line But rose high And bent his head down low And flew and soared in vast circles Even as I have seen a vulture Or a condor sweep about While searching for food All the while we were drawing farther And farther away from the spot Which we had left We passed the lofty volcano We saw more plainly the rivers Of molten lava We passed vast cliffs and bleak mountains All of which were more terrific Than all that we had left behind Now the darkness lessened For the aurora was brightening In the sky and gathering up Swiftly and gloriously all Its innumerable beams And flashing forth its lustrous blow Up on the world To us this was equal to the return Of day it was like a blessed dawn Light had come and we rejoiced And were exceeding glad Now we saw before us Far beyond the black precipices A broad bay with sloping shores And a wide beach which seemed Like a beach of sand The surf broke here But beyond the surf was the gentle Sandy declivity And beyond this there appeared The shores still rocky and barren And desolate but far preferable To what we had left behind Far away in the interior A rose lofty mountains And volcanoes while behind Explained the burning peak Which we had passed Here the atelab wielded In long circuitous flights Which grew lower and lower Until at length he descended To the sandy beach where I saw A vast sea monster lying dead It had evidently been thrown Up here by the sea. It was like one of those monsters Which I had seen from the galley Of the colon at the time Of the sacred hunt. By this the atelab descended And it once began to devour Tearing out vast masses of flesh And exhibiting such veracity And strength of jaw That I could scarcely bear I fastened the grapple securely To the head of the dead monster And leaving the atelab to feed upon it Alma and I went up the beach. On our way we found rocks Covered with seaweed And here we saw that her shell fit. Our search was at length rewarded For suddenly I stumbled upon a place Where I found some lobsters. I crashed two of these But the others escaped. Here at last I had found Signs of life but they were Of the sea rather than of the shore. Delighted with my prey I hastened to Alma to show them to her. She recognized them at once And I saw that they were familiar to her. I then spoke of eating them. But at this proposal She recoiled in horror. She could not give any reason For her repugnance but merely said That among her people they were regarded As something equivalent to vermin. And I found that she would No more think of eating one Than I would think of eating a rat. Upon this I had to throw them away. And we once more resumed our search. At last we came to a place Where numbers of dead fish lay on the sand. Nearer the water they were more fresh And not at all objectionable. I picked up a few Which looked like our common smell And found that Alma had no objection to these. But now the question arose How to cook them. Neither of us could eat them raw. A fire was necessary Yet a fire was impossible. For on the whole island There was probably not one single combustible thing. Our discovery therefore Seemed to have done us but little good. And we seemed destined to starvation When fortunately a happy thought Suggested itself. Walking along I saw far away The glow of some lava which had flowed To the shore at the end of the sandy beach And was probably cooling down At the water's edge. Here then was a natural fire Which might service better Than any contrivance of our own. And toward this we at once proceeded. It was about two miles away But the beach was smooth And we reached the place without any difficulty. Here we found the edge of that lava flood Which seemed eternally descending From the crater beyond. The edge which was nearest to the water Was black and the liquid fire As it rolled down curled over this In a fantastic shape Cooling and hardening into the form Which it thus assumed. Here after some search I found a crevice Where I could approach the fire And I laid the fish upon a crimson rock Which was cooling and hardening Into the shape of a vast ledge of lava. In this way by the aid of nature The fish were broiled And we made our repass. There was nothing here to invite A longer stay and we soon returned To the Appalachian. We found the monster gorged with food A sleep resting upon his hind legs With his breasts supported against The vast carcass. Alma called it a jantanan. It was about sixty feet in length And twenty in thickness With a vast horny head, ponderous jaws And a back covered with scales. Its eyes were a prodigy size And it had the appearance of a crocodile With the vast size of a whale. It was unlike a crocodile however For it had fins rather than paws And must have been as clumsy on the land As a seal or a walrus. It lay on its side And the Athalab had fed itself From the uncovered flesh of its belly. There was nothing here to induce us to stay And so we wandered along the beach In the other direction. On our right was the bay. On our left the rocky shore Beginning at the beach ran back Into the country, a waste Of impassable rocks. For not a tree or plant or blade Of grass relieved the appalling desolation. Once or twice we made an attempt To penetrate into the country Where openings appeared. These openings seemed like the beds Of dried up torrents. We were able to walk but a few paces For invariably we would come To some immense blocks of rock Which barred all farther progress. In this way we explored the beach For miles until it terminated In a savage promontory That rose abruptly from the sea Against which the huge bell Broke in thunder. Then we retraced our steps And again reached the spot Where the Athalab was asleep By the Gemtonan. Alma was now too weary To walk any farther, nor was It desirable to do so. For indeed we had traversed All that could be visited. On one side of the beach was the sea. On the other the impassable rocks. At one end the promontory. At the other the lava fires. There was nothing more for us To do but to wait here until The Athalab should await. And then our actions would depend Upon what we might now decide. This was the question That was now before us. And this we began to consider. We both felt the most unspeakable Aversion for the island. And to remain here Any longer was impossible. We would once more Have to mount the Athalab And proceed to some other shore. But where? Ah, there was the question. Not on the island, For it did not seem possible That in all extent There could be one single spot Capable of affording a resting place. Leela's information With regard to Magonis Had made that much plain I had not taken in her full meaning But now my eyes had seen it. Yet where else could we go? Alma could not tell where Under the sky lay that land Which she loved. I could not guess where to go To find the land of the Oran. Even if I did know I did not feel able to guide The course of the Athalab. And I felt sure That if we were to mount again The mighty monster would Wing his flight back to the very place From which we had escaped The Amir. These thoughts weighed down Our spirits. We felt that we had gained nothing By our flight, And that our future was dark indeed. The only hope left us Was that we might be able To guide the course of the Athalab In some different direction altogether So that we should not Be carried back to the Cosican. And now worn out by the long Fatigues of this job We thought of sleep. Alma lay down upon the sand And I seated myself Leaning against the rock a little Distant soft, having first Reloaded my rifle and pistol. End of Chapter 23 Recording by Ralph Nelson, Springville, Utah Chapter 24 Of a strange manuscript Found in a copper cylinder By James DeMille Chapter 24 Re-Capture How long I slept I do not know, But in the midst of my sleep I do not know How long I slept I do not know How long I slept I do not know How long I slept I do not know How long I slept I do not know, But in the midst of my sleep There sounded voices Which at first intermingled Themselves with my dreams But gradually became separate And sounded from without Rousing me from my slumbers I opened my eyes drowsily But the sight that I saw Was so amazing That in an instant all sleep Left me. I started to my feet Was shining with unusual brilliancy And disclosed everything The sea, the shore, the athelab The jantanan, the promontory All more plainly And more luminously than before But it was not any of these things That now excited my attention And rendered me dumb. I saw Alma standing there At a little distance with despairing face Surrounded by a band of armed Cossacken While immediately before me Regarding me with a keen glance And an air of triumph was Leela Etos misore alonna Said she with a sweet smile Giving me the usual salutation Of the Cossacken. I was too bewildered to say a word And stood mute as before Looking first at her And then at Alma. The sight of Alma, a prisoner once more Surrounded by the Cossacken Excited me to madness. I seized my rifle And raised it as to take aim But Alma, who understood the movement, Cried to me. Put down your sepat rom, Ottomor. You can do nothing for me. The Cossacken are too numerous. Sepat rom, said Leela. What do you mean by that? If your sepat rom has any power Do not try to use it, Ottomor. Or else I shall have to order my followers To give it to Alma the blessing of death. At this my rifle was lowered. The whole truth flashed upon me. And I saw, too, the madness of resistance. I might kill one or two, But the rest would do as Leela said, And I should speedily be disarmed. Well, I knew how powerless Were the thunders of my firearms To terrify these Cossacken, For the prospect of death Would only rouse them to a mad enthusiasm. And they would all rush upon me As they would rush upon a Gentanon To slay and be slain. The odds were too great. A crowd of Europeans Could be held in check far more easily Than these death-loving Cossacken. The whole truth was thus plain. We were prisoners And were at their mercy. Leela showed no excitement Or anger, whatever. She looked and spoke in her usual Gracious and amiable fashion With a sweet smile on her face. We knew, said she, That you would be in distress In this desolate place, And that you would not know How dishonest, and so we have come Full of the most eager desire To relieve your wands. We have brought with us food and drink And are ready to do everything for you That you may desire. We have had great trouble in finding you And have coursed over the shores For vast distances And far over the interior. But our athelebs found you at last By their scent. And we rejoiced to have found you in time And that you're both so well That we have been afraid that you had been suffering. Nay, Atamor, do not thank us. Thanks are distasteful To the Cossican. These brave followers of mine Will all be amply rewarded for this For they will all be made poppers. But as for myself, I want no higher reward Than the delightful thought That I have saved you from suffering. The beautiful smiling Leela Who addressed me in this way With her sweet voice Would not be treated as an enemy. Against her a rifle Could not be leveled. She would have looked at me With the same sweet smile And that smile would have melted All my resolution. Nor could I even persist In my determination to remain. Remain for what? For utter despair? And yet where else could we go? You do not know where lie The lands of the Oran, said Leela. You could not guide him if you didn't know. You're helpless on his back. The art of driving an athelab Is difficult and cannot be Learned without long and severe practice. My fear was that the athelab Might break away from you And return leaving you to perish here. Had you tried to leave this place He would have brought you back To the Amir. To this I said nothing, Partly because it was so true That I had no answer to make No out of deep mortification And dejection. My pride was wounded At being thus so easily baffled By a girl like Leela. And all my grief was stirred By the sadness of Alma. In her eyes there seemed Even now the look of one Who sees death inevitable And the glance she gave to me Was like an eternal farewell. Alma now spoke Addressing herself to Leela. Leela's indescribable mournfulness Is better here than with you. We would rather die here Than go back. Let us, I pray, receive the blessing Of death here. Let us be poppers and exiles And die on McGonness. Leela heard this And stood for a moment in deep thought. No one but a stranger, Said she at length, would ask Such a favour as that. Do you not know that what you ask Is the very highest honours of the Cossacken? Who am I That I can venture to grant such A request as that? Ask for anything in my power And I will be glad to grant it. I have already arranged That you shall be separated from Atomor And that surely is a high privilege. I might consent To bind you hand and foot After the manner of the more Distinguished Azarin. You may also be blindfolded I might even promise After we return to the Amir To keep you confined in utter darkness With barely sufficient food To keep you alive until the time Of the sacrifice. In short, there is no blessing Known among the Cossacken That I will not give so long As it is in my power. And so, Beloved Alma, continue Leela, You have every reason for happiness. You have all the highest blessings Known among the Cossacken. Separation from your lover, poverty, Want, darkness, And finally the prospect Of inevitable death ever before you As the crowning glory of your lot. These words seem to the Cossacken The very excess of magnanimity And involuntary murmurs Of admiration escape them. Although it is just possible That they murmured at the greatness Of the favor that was offered. But to me it sounded like Fiendish mockery, And to Alma it sounded the same. For a groan escaped her. Her fortitude gave away. She sank on her knees, Buried her head in her hands, And wept. Alma, I cried in a fury, We will not go back. We will not be separated. I will destroy all the Athaleps And we shall all perish here together. At least you and I will not be separated. At this Alma started up. No, no, said she. Let us go back. Here we have nothing but death. But we have death also at the Amir And a more terrible one, said I. If you kill the Athaleps, Said Leela, I will give Alma The blessing of death. At this I recoiled in horror And my resolution again gave way. You have some mysterious power Of conferring death, continued Leela, With what Alma calls Your sepid rom, But do not kill the Athaleps, For it will do you no good. Alma would then receive The blessing of death. My followers, these noble Cossican Would rejoice in thus gaining Exile and death on McGonness. As for myself, It would be my highest happiness To be here alone with you. With you I should live For a few sweet yoms And with you I should die. So go on, kill the Athaleps If you wish. Alma, do not. There is no hope. We are their prisoners, and our only hope Is in submission. Upon this all further thought Of resistance left me, And I stood in silence, Stulledly waiting for their action. As I looked around I noticed a movement Near the Jantanan And saw several Athaleps there Which were devouring its flesh. I now went over to Alma And spoke with her. It seemed as though we might never meet again. We were to be separated now. But who could say whether We should be permitted to see each other After leaving this place? We had but little to say. I held her in my arms Regardless of the presence of others. And these, seeing our emotion, At once moved away With the usual delicacy of the Cossican And followed Leela To the Jantanan to see about the Athaleps. At last our interview Was terminated. Leela came And informed us that all was ready For our departure. We walked sadly to the place And found the Athaleps' crowds To receive their riders. There were four beside ours. Leela informed me that I was to go With her, and Alma was to go On another Athalep. I entreated her to let Alma go With me, but she declined Saying that our Athalep could only To, as it seemed fatigued. And it would not be safe To overload him for so long a flight. I told her that Alma And I could go together on the same Athalep. But she objected on the ground Of my ignorance of driving. And so remonstrances And objections being alike Useless, I was compelled To yield to the arrangements That had been made. Alma mounted on another Athalep. I mounted with Leela, And the great monsters expanded Their mighty wings, rose into the air And soon were speeding Over the waters. We went on in silence for some time. I was too despondent to say a word And all my thoughts turned toward Alma Who was now separated from me, Perhaps forever. The other Athaleps went ahead At long intervals apart, Flying in a straight line While ours was last. Leela said nothing. She sat in front of me. Her back was turned toward me. She held in her hands the reins Which hung quite loose at first. But after a while she drew them up And seemed to be directing our course. For some time I did not notice anything in particular. For my eyes were fixed upon the Athalep Immediately before us Upon which was seated the loved form of Alma. Which I could easily recognize. But our Athalep flew slowly. And I noticed that we were falling behind. I said this to Leela, But she only remarked that it was fatigued With its long journey. To this I objected that the others Had made as long a journey And insisted that she should draw nearer. This she at first refused to do. But at length as I grew persistent She complied or pretended to do so. In spite of this, however, We again fell behind. And I noticed that this always happened When the reins were drawn tight. In spite of this, however, When the reins were drawn tight. On making this discovery I suddenly seized both reins And let them trail loose. Whereupon the Athalep at once Showed a perceptible increase of speed Which proved that there was no fatigue In him whatever. This I said to Leela. She acquiesced with a sweet smile And taking the reins again She sat around so as to face me And said, You are very quick. I wish to leave you a time or I wish to fall behind. Why? To save you. To save me? Yes, I can take you to the land of the Oran. Now is the time to escape from death. If you go back, you must surely die. But now, if you will be guided by me I can take you to the land of the Oran. There they all hate death. They love life. They live in the light. There you will find those who are like yourself. There you can love And be happy. But what of Alma, I asked. Leela made a pretty gesture of despair. You are always talking of Alma. Said she. What is Alma to you? She is cold, dull, sad. She never will speak. Let her go. Never, said I. Alma is worth more than all the world to me. Leela sighed. I can never, never, Never said she get from you The least little bit of a kind word Even after all that I have done for you. And when you know that I would lie down And let you trample me under your feet If it gave you any pleasure. Oh, that is not the question at all. Said I. You are asking me to leave Alma To be false to her. And I cannot. Among the Cossackens, said Leela It is the highest happiness For lovers to give one another up. I am not one of the Cossackens. Said I. I cannot let her go away. I cannot let her go back to the Amir To meet death alone. If she dies, she shall see me by her side Ready to die with her. At this, Leela laughed merrily. Is it possible, said she, That you believe that? Do you not know that if Alma goes back alone She will not die? What do you mean? Why, she can only die When you are in her company. She has lived for years among us And we have waited for someone To appear whom she might love So that we might give them both The blessing of death. If that one should leave her, Alma Could not receive the blessing. She would be compelled to live longer Until some other lover should appear. Now by going with me To the land of the Oran You will save Alma's life. And as for Alma, why she will be happy. And dear Papa is quite willing To marry her. You must see, therefore, dear Atmore That my plan is the very best That can be thought of for all of us And a babal for Alma. This, however, was intolerable. And I could not consent To desert Alma, even if By doing so I should save her life. My own nature revolted from it. Still it was not a thing Which I could dismiss on the instant. The safety of Alma's life Indeed required consideration. But then the thought came Of her wonder at my desertion. Would she not think me false? Would not the thought of my falsity Be worse than death? No, said I, I will not leave her. Not even to save her life. Even among us there are things Worse than death. Alma would rather die By the sacrificial knife Than linger on with a broken heart. Oh, no, said Alma. She will rejoice that you are safe. Do you not see that while You are together death is inevitable? But if you separate You may both live and be happy. But she will think me dead, Said I, as a new idea occurred. She will think that some accident Has befallen me. Oh, no, she won't, said Alma. She will think that you have gone off With me. Then that will be worse And I would rather die And have her die with me Than live and have her think me false. You are very, very obstinate, Said Layela sweetly. I made no reply. During this conversation I had been too intent upon Layela's words to notice The Athalabs before me. But now as I looked up I saw that we had fallen far Behind and that Layela had Headed our Athalab in a new Direction. Upon this I once more snatched The reins from her and tried To return to our former course. This however I was utterly Unable to do. Layela laughed. You will have to let me guide Or course, said she. You can do nothing. The Athalab Will now go in a straight line To the land of the Oran. Upon this I started up in Wild excitement. Never, never, never I cried The Athalab and perish in the water. As I said this I raised my rifle. What are you going to do? Cried Layela in the accents of fear. Turn back, I cried, or I will kill This Athalab. Upon this Layela dropped the reins, Stood up and looked at me with a smile. Oh, Atomor! Said she. What a thing to ask. How can I go back now When we have started for the land of the Oran? We shall never reach The land of the Oran, I cried. Perish in the sea. Oh, no, said Layela. You cannot kill the Athalab. You are no more than an insect. Your rod is a weak thing, And will break on his iron frame. It was evident that Layela Had not the slightest idea Of the powers of my rifle. There was no hesitation on my part. I took aim with the rifle. At that moment I was desperate. I thought of nothing but the swift flight Of the Athalab, which was bearing I could not endure that thought, And still less could I endure the thought That she should believe me false. It was therefore in a wild Passion of rage and despair That I leveled my rifle, Taking aim as well as I could at What seemed a vital part under the wing. The motion of the wing rendered This difficult, however, And I hesitated at a moment So as to make sure. All this time Layela stood looking At me with a smile on her rosy lips A twinkle in her eyes, evidently Regarding my words as empty threats, And my act as a vain pretense, And utterly unprepared For what was to follow. Suddenly I fired both barrels In quick succession. The reports rang out in thunder Over the sea. The Athalab gave a wild appalling Shriek and fell straight down Into the water, Fluttering vainly with one wing While the other hung down useless. A shriek of horror burst from Layela. She started back and fell From her standing place into the waves Beneath. The next instant We were all in the water together. The Athalab writhing and lashing The water into foam while I Involuntarily clung to his coarse Main and expected death Every moment. But death Did not come, for the Athalab Did not sink but floated with his Back out of the water, the right Pinion being sunk underneath and Useless, and the lefts Struggling vainly with the sea. But after a time he folded up the left Wing and drew it close into his side And propelled himself with his Long hind legs. His right wing was broken But he did not seem to have Suffered any other injury. Suddenly I heard a cry behind me. Adamor! Oh, Adamor! I looked round and saw Layela. She was swimming in the water And seemed exhausted. In the agitation of the past few moments I had lost sight of her And had thought that she was drowned. But now the sight of her roused me For my stupor and brought me back To myself. She was swimming Yet her strokes were weak And her face was full of despair. In an instant I had flown off my coat Rolled up the rifle and pistol In its folds and sprung Into the water. A few strokes Brought me to Layela. A moment more and I should have been too late. I held her head out of water, Told her not to struggle, and then Struck out to go back. It would have been impossible for me To do this encumbered with such a load Had I not fortunately perceived The floating wing of the Athalem Close beside me. This I seized And by means of it drew Myself with Layela alongside After which I succeeded in Putting her on the back of the animal And soon followed myself. The terror of the rifle Had overwhelmed her, and the suddenness Of the catastrophe had almost Killed her. She had struggled In the water for a long time And had called to me in vain. Now she was quite exhausted And lay in my arms trembling And sobbing. I spoke to her Encouragingly, and wrapped her in My coat, and rubbed her hands And feet, until at last she began To recover. Then she wept Quietly for a long time. Then the weeping fit passed Away. She looked up with a smile And in her face there was Unutterable gratitude. Adamor, said she, I never loved death like the rest Of the Cossackon. But now But now I feel that Death with you would be sweet. Then tears came to her eyes And I found tears coming to My own, so that I had to stoop Down and kiss away the tears of Layela. As I did so she twined Both her arms around my neck Held me close to her inside. Oh, Adamor, Death with you is sweet. And now you cannot reproach me. You have done this yourself With your terrible power. And you have saved my life to let me die With you. You do not hate me Then, Adamor, do you? Just speak once to a poor little girl And say that you do not Hate her. All this was very pitiable. What man that had a heart in His breast could listen unmoved To words like these or look Without emotion upon one so Beautiful, so gentle, and so tender. It was no longer Layela In triumph with whom I had to do But Layela in distress. The light banter, the teasing, Mocking smile, the kindling Eye, the ready laugh All were gone. There was nothing now but mournful Tenderness, the timid appeal Of one who dreaded a repulse The glance of deep affection The abandonment of love. I held Layela in my arms And I thought of nothing now But words of consolation for her. Life seemed over, death Seemed inevitable, and there On the back of the Athelab We floated on the waters And waited for our doom. End of chapter 24 Recording by Ralph Nelson Springville, Utah