 Chapter 8 of The Moon Made by Edgar Rice Burroughs. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain, recording by Thomas Copeland. Chapter 8, A Fight with a Torho. Nayila and I passed through the village of the Novant's undetected since the people of Gavago were cowering in their huts, terror-stricken by the storm. The girl led me immediately to high ground and upward along a barren ridge toward the high mountains in the distance. I could see that she was afraid, though she tried to hide it from me, putting on a brave front that I was sure she was far from feeling. My respect for her increased as I have always respected courage and I believe that it requires the highest courage to do that which fills one with fear. The man who performs heroic acts without fear is less brave than he who overcomes his cowardice. Realizing her fear, I retained her hand in mine, that the contact might impart to her a little of the confidence that I felt now that I was temporarily, at least out of the clutches of the vagas. We had reached the ridge above the village when the thought that we were weaponless and without means of protection overwhelmed me. I had been in so much of a hurry to escape the village that I had overlooked this very vital consideration. I spoke to Nayila about it, telling her that I had best returned to the village and make an effort to regain possession of my own weapons and ammunition. She tried to dissuade me, telling me that such an attempt was for doomed to failure and prophesying that I would be recaptured. But we cannot cross this savage world of yours, Nayila, without means of protection, I urged. We do not know at what minute some fierce creature may confront us. Think how helpless we shall be without weapons with which to defend ourselves. There are only the vagas, she said, to fear in this part of Vana. We know no other dangerous beast except the Torho. They are seldom seen. Against the vagas your weapons would be useless as you already have discovered. The risk of meeting a Torho is infinitely less than that which you would incur if you attempted to enter Gavago's hut to secure your weapons. You simply could not do it and escape for doubtless the dwelling of the chief is crowded with warriors. I was compelled finally to admit the wisdom of her reasoning and to forego an attempt to secure my rifle and pistol, though I can assure you that I felt lost without them, especially when thus venturing forth into a new world so strange to me as Vana and so savage. As a matter of fact, from what I gleaned from Nayila, there was but a single spot upon the entire inner lunar world where she and I could hope to be even reasonably free from danger. And that was her native city of Lath. Even there I should have enemies, she told me, for her race is ever suspicious of strangers. But the friendship of the princess would be my protection, she assured me, with the friendly pressure of the hand. The rain and wind must have persisted for a considerable time, for when it was finally over and we looked back through a clear atmosphere, we found that a low range of mountains lay between us and the distant sea. We had crossed these and were upon a plateau at the foot of the higher peaks. The sea looked very far away indeed, and we could not even guess at the location of the Novan's village from which we had escaped. Do you think they will pursue us? I asked her. Yes, she said, they will try to find us. But it will be like looking for a raindrop in the ocean. They are creatures of the lowlands, I'm of the mountains. Down there, as you pointed into the valley, they might find me easily. But in my own mountains, no. We are near Lath, I asked. I do not know. Lath is hard to find, it is well hidden. It is for this reason that it exists at all. Its founders were pursued by the Kalkars and had they not found an almost inaccessible spot, they would have been discovered in Slane long before they could have constructed an impregnable city. She led me then straight into the mighty mountains of the moon, past the mouths of huge craters that reached through the lunar crust to the surface of the satellite, along the edges of yawning chasms that dropped three, four, yes, sometimes five miles, sheer into frightful gorges, and then out upon vast plateaus, but ever upward toward the higher peaks that seemed to topple above us in the distance. The craters as a rule lay in the deep gorges, but some we found upon the plateaus, and even a few opened into the summits of mountain peaks, as do those upon the outer surface of planets. Those in the low places were, I believe, the openings through which the original molten lunar core was vomited forth by the surface volcanoes upon the outer crust. Naila told me that the secret entrance to Leith lay just below the lip of one of these craters, and it was this she saw. To me the quest seemed hopeless, for as far as the eye could reach, lay not but an indescribable jumble of jagged peaks, terrific gorges, and bottomless craters. Yet always the girl seemed to find a way among or about them. Instinctively, apparently, she found trails and footholds where there were no trails, and where a chamois might have been hard put to it to find secure footing. In these higher altitudes we found vegetation that differed materially from that which grew in the lowlands. Eddable fruits and berries were, however, still sufficiently plentiful to keep us reasonably well supplied with food. When we were tired, we usually managed to find a cave in which we could rest in comparative security. And when it was possible to do so, Naila always insisted upon barricading the entrance with rocks, since there was always the danger, she told me, of our being attacked by torhows. These bloodthirsty creatures, while rare, were nevertheless very much to be feared, since not only were they voracious meat-eaters and of such a savage disposition that they attacked nearly everything they saw in wanted ferocity, but even a minor wound inflicted by their fangs or talons often proved fatal, because of the fact that their principal diet was the poisonous flesh of the rymph and the flying toad. I tried to get Naila to describe the creature to me, but in as much as there was no creature with which we were both familiar that she might compare it with, I learned a little more from her than that it stood between 18 inches and two feet in height, had long, sharp fangs, four legs, and was hairless. As an aide to climbing, as well as to give me some means of protection, I broke a stout and rather heavy branch from one of the mountain trees, the wood of which was harder than any that I had seen growing in the lowlands. To roam a strange and savage world armed only with a wooden stick seemed to me the height of rashness, but there was no alternative until the time arrived when I might find the materials with which to fashion more formidable weapons. I had in mind a bow and arrows and was constantly on the lookout for wood which I considered adapted to the former, and I also determined to forgo my cane with a spear whenever that material for the making of one came to hand. I had little time, however, for such things as it seemed that when we were not sleeping we were constantly on the move, Nila becoming more and more impatient to find her native city as the chances for doing so lessened, and it seemed to me that they were constantly lessening. While I was quite sure that she had no more idea where lay-th-lay than I, yet we stumbled on and on and on the most stupendous mountain ranges that the mind of man can conceive. Nor ever, apparently, did Nila discover a single familiar landmark upon which to hang a shred of hope that eventually we might come upon lay-th. I never saw such a sanguine and hopeful person as Nila. It was her constant belief that lay-th-lay just beyond the next mountain in spite of the fact that she was invariably mistaken, which seemed nevertheless in the exuberance of her enthusiasm for the next gas, which I knew beforehand was going to be a wrong gas. Once, just after we had rounded the shoulder of a mountain, we came upon a little strip of level land clinging precariously to the side of a perpendicular cliff. And so I stood there waiting, my feeble stick grasped in both hands. Just what I expected to do with it I scarcely knew until the side of a mighty peak. I was in the lead, a position which I tried always to take when it was not absolutely necessary for Nila to go ahead in order to find a trail. As I came around the shoulder of the mountain and in full sight of the little level area, I was positive that I saw a slight movement amongst some bushes at my right about halfway along one side of the little plain. As we came abreast of the spot, upon which I kept my eye, there broke upon our ears the most hideous scream that I have ever heard. And simultaneously there leaped from the concealment of the bushes a creature about the size of a North American mountain lion, though quite evidently a reptile and probably a Torhull as such it proved to be. There was something about the head and face which suggested the cat family to me. Yet there was really no resemblance between it and any of the earthly pithons. It came at me with those terrible curved fangs bared and bristling, and as it came it emitted the most terrifying sounds. I have called them screams because that word more nearly describes them than any other, and yet they were a combination of shrieks and moans, the most blood-curdling that I have ever heard. Nila grasped my arm. Run, she cried, run! But I shook her loose and stood my ground. I wanted to run, that I will admit, but where to? The creature was covering the ground at tremendous speed, and our only avenue of escape was the narrow trail over which we had just come, when the Torhull was upon me. Then I swung for its head as a batter swings for a pitched ball. I struck it square upon the nose, a terrific blow that not only stopped it, but it felt it. I could hear the bones crushing beneath the impact of my crude weapon, and I thought that I had done for the thing with that single blow, but I did not know the tremendous vitality of the creature. Almost instantly it was up and at me again, and again I struck it, this time upon the side of the head, and again I heard bones crush, and again it fell, heavily to the ground. What appeared to be cold blood slowly from its wounded face as it came at me for the third time, its eyes glaring hideously, its broken jaws, a gait to seize me, but its shrieks and moans rose to a perfect frenzy of rage and pain. It reared up and struck at me with its talons now, but I met it again with my bludgeon, and this time I broke a foreleg. How long I fought that awful thing I cannot even guess. Time and time again it charged me furiously, and each time, though often by but a miracle of fortune, I managed to keep it from closing, and each blow that I delivered crushed and maimed it a little more. Until at last it was nothing but a bleeding wreck of pulp, still trying to crawl toward me upon its broken legs, and seize me and drag me down with its broken toothless jaws. Even then it was with the greatest difficulty that I killed it, that I might put it out of its misery. Rather exhausted, I turned to look for Noella, and much to my surprise I found her standing directly behind me. I thought you would run away, I said. No, she said. You did not run, and so I did not, but I never thought that you would be able to kill it. You thought that it would kill me then, I asked. Certainly she replied. Even now I cannot understand how you were able to overcome it to a whole with that pitiful little stick of wood. But if you thought I was going to be killed, I insisted, why was it that you did not seek safety in flight? If you had been killed, I should not have cared to live, she said simply. I did not exactly understand her attitude, and scarcely knew what reply to me. It was very foolish of you, I said at last, rather blunderingly, and if we are attacked again, you must run and save yourself. She looked at me for a moment with a peculiar expression upon her face which I could not interpret, and then turned and resumed her way in the direction in which we had been travelling when our journey had been interrupted by the Torho. She did not say anything, but I felt that I had offended her and I was sorry. I did not want her falling in love with me though, and according to earthly standards, her statement that she would rather die than live without me might naturally have been interpreted as a confession of love. The more I thought of it however, as we moved along in silence, the more possible it seemed to me that her standards might differ widely from mine, and that I was only proving myself to be an egotistical ass in assuming that Naila loved me. I wished that I might explain matters to her, but it is one of those things that is rather difficult to explain, and I realized that it might be made much worse if I attempted to do so. We had been such good friends and our fellowship had been so perfect that the apparently strange silence which existed between us was most depressing. Naila had always been a talkative little person and always gay and cheerful, even under the most trying conditions. I was rather tired out after my encounter with the Torho and should have liked to stop for a rest, but I did not suggest it. Neither did Naila, and so we continued on our seemingly interminable way, though almost exhausted as I was I dropped some little distance behind my beautiful guide. She was quite out of sight ahead of me upon the winding trail when suddenly I heard her calling out. I answered her as simultaneously I broke into a run for I did not know but what she might be in danger, though her voice did not sound at all like it. She was only a short distance ahead and when I came inside of her I saw her standing at the edge of a mighty crater. She was facing me and she was smiling. Oh, Julian, she cried, I have found it. I am home and we are safe at last. I am glad Naila said, I have been much worried on account of the dangers to which you have been constantly subjected as well as because of a growing fear that you would never be able to find lathe. Oh my, she exclaimed, I knew that I would find it. If I had to hunt through every mountain range in Vana I would have found it. You are quite sure that this is the crater where lies the entrance to lathe? I asked her. There is no doubt of it, Julian, she replied and she pointed downward over the lip of the crater toward a narrow ledge which lay some twenty feet below and upon which I saw what appeared to be the mouth of a cave opening into the crater. But how are we going to reach it? I asked. It may be difficult, she replied but we will find a way. I hope so, Naila, I said but without a rope or wings I do not see how we are going to accomplish it. In the mouth of the tunnel explained Naila, there are long poles each of which has a hook at one end. Ages ago there were no other means of ingress or egress to the city and those who came out to hunt or for any other purpose came through this long tunnel from the city and from the ledge below they raised their poles and placed the hooked ends over the rim of the crater which it was a simple matter to clamor up or down the poles as they wished but it has been long since these tunnels were used by the people of Vahna who had no further need of them after the perfection of the flying wings which you saw me using when I was captured by the Vahgas. If they used poles so may we, I said since there are plenty of young trees growing close to the rim of the crater the only difficulty will be in one of them. We can do that, said Naila if we can find some sharp fragments of stone it will be slow work but it can be done and she started immediately to hunt for a fragment with a cutting edge I joined her in the search and it was not long before we had discovered several pieces of obsidian with rather sharp edges we then started to work upon a young tree about 4 inches in diameter almost straight for a height of some 30 feet cutting the tree down with our bits of lava glass was tedious work but finally it was accomplished and we were both much elated when the tree toppled and fell to the ground cutting away the branches occupied almost as long a time but that too was finally accomplished the next problem which confronted us was that of making the top of the pole secure enough to hold while we descended to the ledge before the mouth of the tunnel we had no rope and nothing with which to fashion one other than my garments which I was loath to destroy in as much as in these higher altitudes it was often cold presently however I hit upon a plan which if Naila's muscles and my nerves withstood the strain it might put upon them bad fare to assure the success of our undertaking I lowered the larger end of the pole over the side of the crater until the butt rested upon the ledge before the mouth of the tunnel then I turned to Naila lie down flat at full length Naila I directed her and hold this pole securely with both hands you will only have to keep it from toppling to the sides or outward and to that I think your strength is equal while you hold it I will descend to the mouth of the tunnel and raise one of the regular hooked poles which you say should be deposited there if they are not I believe that I can hold our own pole securely from below while you descend she looked over into the vast abyss below and shut it I can hold it at the top she said if the bottom does not slip from the ledge that is a chance that I shall have to take I replied but I will descend very carefully and I think there will be little danger upon that score I could see upon a more careful examination of the ledge below that there was some danger of an accident such as she suggested Naila took her position as I had directed and lay grasping the pole securely in both hands at the rim of the crater which was absolutely perpendicular at this point and I prepared to make the perilous descent I can assure you that my sensations were far from pleasurable as I looked over into that awful abyss the crater itself was some four or five miles in diameter and as I had every reason to suspect extended fully 250 miles through the lunar crust to the surface of the moon it was one of the most impressive moments of my life as I clung balancing upon the edge of that huge orifice gazing into the silent mysterious depths below and then I seized the pole very gently and lowered myself over the edge courage Julian whispered Naila I shall hold very tight I shall be quite safe Naila I assured her I must be safe for if I am not how are you to reach the ledge and lathe as I descended very slowly I tried not to think at all but to exclude from my mind every consideration of the appalling depths beneath me I could not have been more than two feet of courage when the very thing that we both tried so hard to guard against transpired a splintered fragment of the pole's butt crumbled beneath my weight and that slight jar was just sufficient to start the base of my precarious ladder sliding toward the edge of the narrow projection upon which I had rested it and beyond which lay eternity above me I heard a slight scream and then the pole slipped from the edge and I felt myself falling it was over in an instant my feet struck the ledge and I threw myself within the mouth of the tunnel and then above me I heard Naila's voice crying in agonized tones Julian! Julian! I am falling! instantly I sprang to my feet and peered upward from the mouth of the tunnel upon a sight that froze my blood so horrifying did it seem for there above me still clinging to the pole hung Naila her body with the exception of her legs completely over the edge of the crater just as I looked up she dropped the pole and although I made a grab for it I missed it and it fell past me into the mouth of the crater Julian! Julian! you are safe! she cried I am glad at that it terrified me so when I thought you were falling and I tried my best to hold the pole but your weight dragged me over the edge of the crater goodbye Julian I cannot hold on much longer you must Naila! I cried do not forget the hooked poles that you told me of I will find one and have you down in no time and even as I spoke I turned and dove into the tunnel but my heart stood still at the thought that the poles might not be there my first glance revealed only the bare rock of walls and floor and ceiling and no hooked poles in sight I sprang quickly farther into the tunnel which turned abruptly a few yards ahead of me and just around the bend my eyes were gladdened by the sight of a dozen or more of the poles which Naila had described seizing one of them I ran quickly back to the entrance I was almost afraid to look up but as I did so I was rewarded by the sight of Naila's face smiling down at me she could smile even in the face of death could Naila for a moment more Naila I cried to her as I raised the pole and caught the hook upon the crater's rim there were small truberances on either side of the pole for its entire length which made climbing it comparatively simple make haste Julian she cried I am slipping it wasn't necessary for her to tell me to make haste I think that I never did anything more quickly in my life than I climbed that pole but I reached her too soon for even as my arm slipped about her her hold upon the ledge above gave way and she came down head foremost upon me I had no difficulty in catching her and supporting her weight my only fear was that the hook above might not sustain the added weight under the strain of her falling body but it held and I blessed the artisan who had made it thus strong a moment later I descended to the mouth of the tunnel and drawn Naila into the safety of its interior my arm was still around her and hers about me as she stood there sobbing upon my breast she was utterly relaxed and her supple body felt so helpless against me that there was suddenly a rouse within me no feeling such as I had never experienced before a rather indescribable feeling yet one which induced seemingly an irresistible and ridiculous desire to go forth and slay whole armies of men in protection of this little moon maid it must have been a sudden mental reversion to some ancient type of crusading ancestor of the Middle Ages some knight in armor from whose loins I had sprung transmitting to me his own flamboyant yet none the less admirable chivalry the feeling rather surprised me for I have always considered myself more or less practical and hard headed but more sober thought finally convinced me that it was but a nervous reaction from the thrilling moments through which we had both just passed coupled with her entire helplessness and dependence upon me be that as it may I disengaged her arms from about my neck as gently and as quickly as I could and lowered her carefully to the floor of the tunnel so that she sat with her back at least one of the walls you are very brave Julian she said and very strong and I'm afraid I am not very brave I told her I am almost weak from fright even now I was so afraid that I would not reach you in time my love it is the brave man who is afraid after the dangerous past she said he has no time to think of fear until after the happening is all over you may have been afraid for me Julian but you could not have been afraid for yourself or otherwise you would not have taken the risk of catching me as I fell even now I cannot understand how you were able to hold me perhaps I reminded her I am stronger than the men of Vana for my earthly muscles are accustomed to overcoming a gravity six times as great as that upon your world when the same accident happened upon earth I might not have been able to hold you when you fell End of Chapter 8 Recording by Thomas Copeland Chapter 9 of The Moon Made by Edgar Rice Burroughs This LibriVox recording is in the public domain Recording by Thomas Copeland Chapter 9 An Attack by Kalkars The tunnel in which I found myself and along which Naila Ledmit or the city of Leith was remarkable in several particulars It was largely of natural origin seemingly consisting of a series of caves which may have been formed by bubbles in the cooling lava of the original molten flow and which had later been connected by man to form a continuous subterranean corridor The caves themselves were usually more or less spherical in shape and the debris from the connecting passageways had been utilized to fill the bottoms of them to the level of the main floor of the passageway The general trend of the tunnel was upward from the point at which we had entered it and there was a constant draft of air rushing along it in the same direction in which we were moving assuring me that it was undoubtedly well ventilated for its full length The walls and ceiling were coated with a substance of which radium was evidently one of the ingredients since even after we had lost sight of the entrance the passageway was well illuminated We had been moving along in silence for quite a little distance when I finally addressed Naila It must seem good I said to travel again this familiar tunnel of your native city I know how happy I should be were I thus approaching my own birthplace I am glad to be returning to Leith for many reasons but for one, I am sorry and as for this passageway it is scarcely more familiar to me than to you since I have traversed it but once before in my life and that when I was a little girl and came here with my father in his court upon the occasion of his periodical inspection of the passageway which is now practically never used If you are not familiar with the tunnel I asked are you sure that there is no danger of our going astray at some fork or branch? There is but the one passageway she replied which leads from the crater to Leith and how long is the tunnel I asked will we soon enter the city? No, she replied it is a great distance from the crater to Leith We had covered some little distance at this time possibly five or six miles and she had scarcely ceased speaking when a turn in the passageway led us into a cave of larger proportions than any through which we had previously passed and from the opposite side of which two passageways diverged I thought there were no branches I remarked I do not understand it she said there is no branch from the tunnel of Leith Could it be possible that we are in the wrong tunnel? I asked this does not lead to Leith A moment before I should have been sure that we were in the right tunnel she replied but now Julian I do not know for never had I heard of any branch of our own tunnel We had crossed the cave and were standing between the openings of the two divergent passageways which one shall we take I asked but again she shook her head I do not know she replied Listen, my gosh and her, what was that? for I was sure that I had heard a sound issuing from one of the tunnels We stood peering into an aperture which revealed about a hundred yards of the passageway before an abrupt turn hid the continuation of it from our view We could hear what now resolved itself into the faint sound of voices approaching us along the corridor and then quite suddenly the figure of a man appeared around the corner of the turn Naila leaped to one side out of sight drawing me with her A kalka she whispered Oh Julian if they find us we are lost If there is only one of them I can take care of them I said There will be more than one she replied There will be many Then let us return the way we came and make our way to the top of the crater's rim before they discover us We have now hooked poles into the crater including the one which we used to ascend from the mouth of the tunnel thus effectually preventing any pursuit We cannot cross this room again to the tunnel upon the opposite side without being apprehended she replied Our only hope is in hiding in this other tunnel until they have passed and trusting to chance that we meet no one within it Come then I said I like the idea of flying like a scared rabbit but neither would there be any great wisdom in facing armed men without a single weapon of defense Even as we had whispered thus briefly together we found the voices from the other tunnel had increased and I thought that I noted a tone of excitement in them though the speakers were still too far away for us to understand their words We moved swiftly up the branch tunnel Naila in the lead and after passing the first turn we both felt comparatively safe for Naila was sure that the men who had interrupted our journey were a party of hunters on their way to the outer world by means of the crater through which we had entered the tunnel and that they would not come up the branch in which we were hiding Thus believing we halted after we were safely out of sight and hearing of the large cave we had just left That man was a call car said Naila which means that we are in the wrong tunnel and that we must retrace our steps and continue our search for lay upon the surface of the ground Her voice sounded tired and listless as though hope had suddenly deserted her brave heart We were standing shoulder to shoulder in the narrow corridor and I could not resist the impulse to place an arm about her and comfort her Do not despair Naila a vector We are no worse off than we have been and much better off than before we escaped the vagas of Gavagal Then do you not recall that you mentioned one drawback to your return to Leith that you might be as well off here as there? What was the reason Naila? Kota wants me in marriage, she replied Kota is very powerful He expects one day to be a gemadar of Leith this he cannot be while I live unless he marries me Do you wish to marry him? I asked No, she said, not now Before, she hesitated Before I left Blade I did not care so very much but now I know that I cannot wed with Kota and your father I continued What of him? Will he insist that you marry Kota? He cannot do otherwise but Naila, for Kota is very powerful If my father refuses to permit me to marry him Kota may overthrow him and when my father is dead should I still refuse to marry Kota he may slay me also and then become gemadar easily for the blood of gemadars flows in his veins It appears to me Naila that you will be about as badly off at home as anywhere else in Bana It is too bad that I cannot take you to my own earth for you would be quite safe and I am sure happy I wish that you might, Julian She replied simply I was about to reply when she placed slim fingers upon my lips Hush, Julian She whispered They are following us up this corridor Come quickly We must escape before they overtake us And so saying she turned and ran quickly along the corridor which led neither of us knew with her But we were soon to find out for we had gone but a short distance when we came to the tunnel's end in a large circular chamber at one end of which was a rostrum upon which were a massive elaborately carved desk and a chair of similar design Below the rostrum were arranged other chairs in rows with a broad aisle down the centre The furniture, though of peculiar design and elaborately carved with strange figures of unearthly beasts and reptiles was not for all of that markedly dissimilar to articles of the same purpose fabricated upon earth The chairs had four legs, high backs and broad arms seeming to have been designed equally for durability, service and comfort I glanced quickly around the apartment as we first entered only taking in the details later but I saw that there was no other opening than the one through which we had entered We will have to wait here in our lives said perhaps though all would be well the con-cars may prove friendly She shook her head negatively No, she said they will not be friendly What will they do to us, I asked They will make slaves of us, she replied and we shall spend the balance of our lives working almost continuously until we drop with fatigue to the cruelest of taskmasters for the con-cars hate us of lathe and will hesitate at nothing that will humiliate or injure us She had scarcely ceased speaking when there appeared in the entrance of the cave the figure of a man about my own height dressed in a tunic similar to Naie Laws but evidently made of leather He carried a knife slung in a scabbard depending from a shoulder belt and in his right hand he grasped a slender lance His eyes were close set upon either side of a prominent hooked nose They were watery, fishy, blue eyes and the hair growing profusely above his low forehead was flaxen in colour His physique was admirable except for a noticeable stoop His feet were very large and his gait awkward when he moved Behind him I could see the heads and shoulders of others They stood there grinning at us for a moment most malevolently it seemed to me and then they entered the cave a full dozen of them There were several types with eyes and hair of different colours the former ranging from blue to brown the latter from light blonde to almost black As they emerged from the mouth of the tunnel they spread out and advanced slowly toward us We were cornered like rats in a trap how I longed for the feel of my automatic at my hip I envied them their slender spears and their daggers If I could have but these I might have a chance at least to take Nayila out of their clutches and save her from the hideous fate of slavery among the Kalkars for I had guessed what such slavery would mean to her from the little that she had told me and I had guessed too that she would rather die than submit to it For my own part life held little for me I had long since definitely given up any hope of ever returning to my own world or of finding the ship and being reunited with West and Jay and Norton There came upon me at that moment however a sense of appreciation of the fact that since we had left the village of the Novans I had been far from unhappy nor could I attribute this to our else than the companionship of Nayila a realisation that convinced me that I should be utterly miserable were she to be taken from me now Was I to submits you kindly then to capture and slavery for myself and worse than death for Nayila with the assurance of consequence separation from her No! I held up my hand as a signal for the advancing Kalkars to halt Stop! I commanded Before you advanced farther I wished to know your intentions toward us We entered this tunnel mistaking it for that which led to the city of my companion Permit us to depart in peace and all will be well All will be well anyway replied the leader of the Kalkars You are a strange creature such as I had never seen before in Bhanah Of you we know nothing except that you are not of the Kalkars and therefore an enemy of the Kalkars but this other is from Lath You will not permit us to go in peace then I demanded He laughed sneeringly nor in any other way he said I had been standing in the aisle with my hand upon one of the chairs near the rostrum and now I turned to Nayila who was standing close beside me Come, I said to her, follow me stay close behind me Several of the Kalkars were coming down the main aisle toward us and as I turned toward them from speaking to Nayila I raised the chair and my hand had been resting upon and swinging it quickly around my head hurled it full in the face of the leader As he went down Nayila and I ran forward gaining a little toward the opening of the tunnel and then without pausing I hurled another chair and a third and a fourth in rapid succession The Kalkars tried to bring us down with their lenses but they were so busy dodging chairs that they could not cast their weapons accurately and even those few which might otherwise have struck us were warded off by my rather remarkable engines of defense There had been four Kalkars advancing toward us down the center aisle the balance of the party had divided half of it circling the cave to the left and the other half to the right with the evident intention of coming up the center aisle from behind us This maneuver had started just before I commenced hurling chairs at the four directly in front of us and now when those who had intended to take us from the rear discovered that we were likely to make our way through to the tunnel's entrance some of them sprang toward us along the passageways between the chairs which necessitated my turning and devoting a moment's attention to them One huge fellow was in the lead coming across the backs of the chairs leaping from seat to seat and being the closest to me he was naturally my first target The chairs were rather heavy and the one that I let drive at him caught him full in the chest with an impact that brought a howl from him and toppled him over across the backs of the chairs behind him where he hung limp and motionless Then I turned my attention again to those before us all of whom had fallen before my massive ammunition Three of them lay still but one of them had scrambled to his feet and was in the very act of casting his lance as I looked I stopped the weapon with a chair and as the fellow went down I caught a glimpse of nahi la from the corners of my eyes as she snatched the lance from the first cowcar who had fallen and hurled at someone behind me I heard a scream of rage and pain and then I turned in time to see another of the cowcars fall almost to my feet the lance embedded in his heart The way before us was temporarily open while the cowcars behind us had paused momentarily at least in constant consternation at the havoc I wrought with these unseemly weapons against which they had no defence Get two knives and two lances from those who have fallen I cried to nahi la while I hold these others back She did as I bad and slowly we backed toward the mouth of the tunnel My chairs had accounted for half our enemies when at last we stood in the opening each armed with a lance and a knife Now run nahi la Never ran before I whispered to my companion I can hold them off until you have reached them out of the tunnel and clamor to the rim of the crater If I am lucky I will follow you I will not leave you, Julian, she replied We will go together or not at all But you must nahi la I insisted it is for you that I have been fighting them What difference can it make in my fate where I am when in vana all here are my enemies She laid her hand gently upon my arm I will not leave you, Julian, she repeated and that is final The call-cars within the room were now advancing toward us menacingly Halt! I cried to them You see what fate your companions have met because you would not let us go in peace That is all we ask I am armed now and it will be death to any who follow us They paused and I saw them whispering together as nahi la and I backed along the corridor a turn in which soon shut them from our view Then we wheeled and ran like deer along the winding passageway I did not feel very safe from capture at any time but at least I breathed a sigh of relief after we had passed the chamber from which the call-cars had run us into the cul-de-sac and we had seen no sign of any other of their kind We heard no sound of pursuit but that in itself meant nothing since the call-cars are shod with soft leather sandals the material for which, like all their other leather trappings is made of the skins of vagas and of the prisoners from Leith As we came to the pile of hooked poles which marked the last turn before the entrance of the tunnel I breathed an inward sigh of relief stooping, I gathered them all in my arms and then we ran on to the opening into the crater where I cast all but one of the poles into the abyss that which I retained I hooked over the lip of the crater and then turning to Naila I bet her ascend You should have saved two of the poles, she said and then we could have ascended together but I will make haste and you can follow me immediately for we do not know but that they are pursuing us I cannot imagine that they will let us escape thus easily Even as she spoke I heard the soft patter of sandal shot feet up the corridor Make haste Naila, I cried, they come Climbing a pole is slow work at best but when one is suspended over the brink of a bottomless chasm and is none too sure of the security at the hook that is holding the pole above one must needs move cautiously Yet even so Naila scrambled upward so rapidly as to fill me with apprehension for a safety Nor were my fears entirely groundless for standing in the mouth of the tunnel where I could keep one eye upon Naila and the other toward the turn around which my pursuers would presently come in view I saw the girls hands grasp the rim of the crater at the very instant that the hook came loose and the pole dropped past me into the abyss I might have caught it as it fell but my whole mind was fixed upon Naila and her grave danger would she be able to draw herself upward or would she fall I saw her straining frantically to raise her body above the edge of the volcano and then from up the corridor behind me came an exultant cry and I turned to face a brawny call car who was racing toward me End of chapter 9 Recording by Thomas Copeland Chapter 10 of The Moon Maid by Edgar Rice Burroughs LibriVox Recording is in the public domain Recording by Thomas Copeland Chapter 10, The City of Calcutters Now indeed did I have reason to curse the stupidity that it permitted me to cast into the abyss all of the whole save one since even this one was now lost to me and I was utterly without means of escape from the tunnel As the fellow approached me at a rapid run I hurled my lance but being unaccustomed to the weapon I missed and then he was upon me dropping his own lance as he leaped for me for it was evidently his desire to take me alive and done harm I thought that I was going to have him now for I believed that I was more than a match for him but there are tricks in every method of attack and this lunar warrior was evidently well schooled in his own methods of offense He scarcely seemed to touch me and yet he managed to trip me and push me simultaneously so that I fell heavily backward to the ground and turning a little sideways as I fell I must have struck my head against the side of the tunnel for that is the last that I remember until I regained consciousness in the very cave that now he lined I had reached when we saw the first of the Kalkars I was surrounded by a party of eight of the Kalkars two of whom were half-carrying half-dragging me I learned later that in the fight before the rostrum I had killed four of their number The fellow who had captured me was in very good humor, doubtless because of his success and when he discovered that I had regained consciousness he started to converse with me You thought that you could escape from Gath, did you? He cried But never You might escape from the others, but not from me No, not from Gath I did the principal thing that I desired to do I replied, wishing to learn if I lied escaped What is that? Demanded Gath I succeeded in accomplishing the escape of my companion I replied He made a rye face at that If Gath had been there a moment earlier she would not have escaped either, he said And by that I knew that she had escaped unless she had fallen back into the crater and I was amply repaid for my own capture if it had won freedom for Naila Although I did not escape this time I said, I shall next time He laughed a nasty laugh There will be no next time, he said But we are taking you to the city and once there there is no escape For this is the only avenue by which you can reach the outer world and once within the city you never can retrace your steps to the mouth of the tunnel I was not so sure of that myself for my sense of direction and that of location are very well developed within me The degree of perfection attained in orientation by many officers of the International Peace Fleet has been described as almost miraculous and even among such as these my ability in this line was a matter of comment I was glad therefore that the fellow had warned me since now I should be particularly upon the watch for each slightest scrap of information that would fix in my memory whatever route I might be led over From the cave in which I regained consciousness there was but a single route to the mouth of the tunnel But from here on into the city I must watch every turn and fork and crossing and draw upon the tablets of my memory an accurate and detailed map of the entire route We do not even have to confine our prisoners continued gap after we have so marked them that their ownership may always be determined How do you mark them? I asked With heated irons we make the mark of the owner here and he touched my forehead just above my eyes Pleasant I thought to myself and then allowed shall I belong to you? I do not know he replied but you will belong to whomever the 24 allot you We moved on after we left the cave for a considerable period of time in silence I was busy making mental notes of every salient feature that might be useful to me in retracing my steps But I found nothing other than a winding and gently ascending corridor without crossings or branches until we reached the foot of a long flight of stone steps to the summit of which we emerged into a large chamber in the walls of which there must have been at least a dozen doorways where to my great disappointment I was immediately blindfolded They whirled me around then but evidently it was done perfunctorily since it was exactly one full turn and I was halted in my tracks facing precisely in the same direction that I had been before This I was positive of for our powers of orientation are often tested in this way in the air service Then they marched me straight forward across the room through a doorway directly opposite that at which I had entered the chamber I could tell when we left the larger chamber and entered the corridor from the different sound which our footsteps made We advanced along this corridor in 97 paces when we turned abruptly to the right and at the end of 33 paces emerged into another chamber as I could easily tell again from the sound of our footsteps the instant we crossed threshold They led me about this chamber a couple of times with the evident intention of bewildering me but in this they did not succeed for when they turned again into the corridor I knew that it was the same corridor from which I had just emerged and that I was retracing my steps This time they took me back 33 paces and then turned abruptly to the right I could not but smile to myself when I realized that we were now continuing directly along the same corridor as that which we had entered immediately after they had first blindfolded me that a little excursion through the short corridor into the second chamber having been but a ruse to bewilder me A moment later at the foot of a flight of steps they removed the blind evidently satisfied that there was now no chance of my being able to retrace my steps and find the main tunnel leading to the crater While as a matter of fact I could easily retraced every foot of it blindfolded From here on we climbed interminable stairways passed through numerous corridors and chambers all of which were illuminated by the radium bearing substance which coated their walls and ceilings and then we emerged suddenly upon a terrace into the open air and I obtained my first view of a lunar city It was built around a crater and the buildings were terraced back from the rim the terraces being generally devoted to the raising of garden truck and the principal fruit bearing trees and shrubs The city extended upwards several hundred feet the houses as I learned later being built one upon another the great majority of them therefore being without windows looking upon the outer world I was led along the terrace for a short distance and during this brief opportunity for observation I deduced that the cultivated terraces lay upon the roofs of the tier of buildings next below To my right I could see the terrace steps extending downward to the rim of the crater Nearly all the terraces were covered with vegetation and in numerous places I saw what appeared to be vagas feeding upon the plants and this I later learned was the fact and that the call cars when they were able to capture members of the race of vagas keep them in captivity and breed them as we breed cattle for their flesh It is necessary to some extent to change the diet of the vagas almost exclusively to vegetation though this diet is supplemented by the flesh of the call cars and their lathean slaves who die the vagas thus being compelled to serve the double purpose of reducing flesh for the call cars and acting as their scavengers as well Upon my left were the faces of buildings uniformly two stories in height with an occasional slender tower rising 15, 20 or sometimes as high as 30 feet from the terrace roofs above It was into one of these buildings that my captors led me after we had proceeded a short distance along the terrace and I found myself in a large apartment in which were a number of male call cars and at the desk facing the entrance a large entirely bald man who appeared to be of considerable age To this person I was led by Gapth who narrated my capture and the escape of Naila The fellow before whom I was brought questioned me briefly He made no comment when I told him that I was from another world but he examined my garments rather carefully and then after a moment turned to Gapth We will hold him for questioning by the 24 he said If he is not a vana he is neither call car nor lathean and consequently he must be flesh of a lower order and therefore may be eaten He paused a moment and fell to examine a large book which seemed to be filled with plans upon which strange hieroglyphics appeared He turned over several leaves and finally coming evidently to the page he sought he ran a forefinger slowly over it until it came to rest near the centre of the plant You may confine him here he said to Gapth in chamber 8 of the 24th section at the 7th elevation and you will produce him upon orders from the 24 when next they meet and then to me it is impossible for you to escape from the city but if you attempt it it may be difficult for us to find you again immediately and when we do you will be tortured to death as an example to other slaves Go I went following Gapth and the others who had conducted me to the presence of this creature They led me back into the very corridor from which we had emerged upon the terrace and then straight into the heart of that amazing pile four fully half a mile where they shoved me roughly into an apartment at the right of the corridor with the admonition that I stayed there until I was wanted I found myself in a dimly lighted rectangular room the air of which was very poor and at the first glance I discovered that I was not alone for upon a bench against the opposite wall set a man he looked up as I entered and I saw that his features were very fine and that he had black hair like Nayila he looked at me for a moment with a puzzled expression in his eyes and then he addressed me You too are a slave he asked I am not a slave I replied I am a prisoner it is all the same he said but from whence come you before in Vana I do not come from Vana I replied and then I briefly explained my origin and how I came to be in his world he did not understand me I am sure for although he seemed to be and really was highly intelligent he could not conceive of any condition concerning which he had had no experience and in this way he did not differ materially from intelligent and highly educated earth men so I asked at length you are not a Kalkar from whence come you I am from Leith he replied I fell outside the city and was captured by one of their hunting parties while this enmity I asked between the men of Leith and the Kalkars who are the Kalkars anyway you are not of Vana he said that I can see or you would not ask these questions the Kalkars derive their name from the corruption of a word meaning the thinkers ages ago we were one race a prosperous people living at peace with all the world of Vana the Vagas we bred for flesh as we do today within our own city of Leith and as the Kalkars do within their city our cities towns and villages covered the slopes of the mountains and stretched downward to the sea no corner of the three oceans but knew our ships and our cities were joined together by a network of routes along which passed electrically driven trains he did not use the word trains but an expression which might be liberally translated as ships of the land while other great carriers flew through the air our means of communication between distant points were simplified by science through the use of electrical energy with the result that those who lived could talk with those who lived in any other part of Vana though it were to the remotest ends of the world there were ten great divisions each ruled by its gemadon and each division vied with all the others in the service which it rendered to its people there were those who held high positions and those who held low there were those who were rich and those who were poor but the favors of the state were distributed equally among them and the children of the poor had the same opportunities for education as the children of the rich and there it was that our troubles first started there is a saying among us that no learning is better than a little and I can well believe this true when I consider the history of my world where as the masses became a little educated they developed among them a small coterie that commenced to find fault with everyone who had achieved greater learning or greater power than they finally they organized themselves into a secret society called the thinkers but known more accurately to the rest of Vana as those who thought that they thought it is a long story for it covers a great period of time but the result was that slowly at first and later rapidly the thinkers who did more talking than thinking filled the people with dissatisfaction until at last they arose and took over the government and commerce of the entire world the gemadars were overthrown and the ruling class driven from power the majority of them being murdered though some managed to escape and it was these my ancestors who founded the city of Leith it is believed that there are other similar cities in remote parts of Vana inhabited by the descendants of the gemadar and noble classes but Leith is the only one of which we have knowledge the thinkers would not work and the result was that both government and commerce fell into rapid decay they not only had neither the training nor the intelligence to develop new things but they could not carry out the old that had been developed for them the arts and sciences languished and died with commerce and government and Vana fell back into barbarism they saw their chance and threw off the yoke that had held them through countless ages as the Kalkars had driven the noble class into the lofty mountains so the Vagas drove the Kalkars practically every vestige of the ancient culture and commercial advancement of Vana has been wiped from the face of the world the Leithians have held their own for many centuries but their numbers have not increased many generations elapsed before the Leithians found sanctuary in the city of Leith and during that period they too lost all touch with the science and advancement and the culture of the past nor was there any way in which to rebuild where the Kalkars had torn down since they had destroyed every written record and every book in every library in Vana and so occupied are both races in eking out a precarious existence that there is little likelihood there will ever again be any advancement made along these lines it is beyond the intellectual powers of the Kalkars and the Leithians are too weak numerically to accomplish art it does look hopeless I said almost as hopeless as our situation there is no escape I imagine from this Kalkar city is there no he said none whatever there is only one avenue confused when we are brought into the city that it would be impossible for us to find our way out again through this labyrinth of corridors and chambers and if we did win our way to the outer world we would be as bad off I presume for we could never find Leith and sooner or later would be recaptured by the Kalkars were taken by the Babas am I not right no he said you are not right if I could reach the rim of the crater beyond the city I could find my way to Leith I know the way well for I am one of Kota's hunters and am thoroughly familiar with the country for great distances in all directions from Leith so this was one of Kota's men I was glad indeed that I had not mentioned Nayila or told him of her possible escape or of my acquaintance with her and who is Kota I asked feigning ignorance Kota is the most powerful noble of Leith he replied some day he will be Jemidar for now that Nayila the princess is dead and Sagroth the Jemidar grows old it will not be long before there is change and if the princess should return to Leith I asked would Kota still become Jemidar then upon the death of Sagroth he would become Jemidar in any event replied my companion for had the princess not been carried off by the air that runs away Kota would have married her unless she refused in which event she might have died people do die you know you feel no loyalty then I asked for your old Jemidar Sagroth or for his daughter the princess on the contrary I feel every loyalty toward them but like many others I am afraid of Kota for he is very powerful and we know that sooner or later he will become ruler of Leith that is why so many of the high nobles have attached themselves to him it is not through love of Kota but through fear that he recruits his ranks but the princess I explained would the nobles not rally to our defense what would be the use he asked we have Leith do but exist in the narrow confines of our prison city there is no great future to which we may look forward in this life but future incarnations may hold for us a brighter prospect it is no cruelty then to kill those who exist now under the chaotic reign of anarchy which has reduced Vana to a wilderness I partially caught his rather hopeless point of view and realized that the fellow was not bad or disloyal at heart but like all his race reduced to a state of hopelessness that was the result of ages of retrogression to which they could see no end I can find the way to the mouth of the tunnel where it opens into the crater I told him but how can we reach it unarmed through a city populated with our enemies who would slay us on sight there are never very many people in the chambers or corridors far removed from the outer terraces and if we were branded upon the forehead as accepted slaves are and your apparel was not so noticeable we might possibly reach the tunnel without weapons yes I said my clothes are a handicap they would immediately call attention to us yet it is worth risking for I know that I can find my way back to the crater and I should rather die than remain a slave of the Kalkars the truth of the matter was that I was not prompted so much by a whorrence of the fate that seemed in store for me as by a desire to learn if Naila had escaped I was constantly haunted by the horrid fear that her hold upon the rim of the crater had given and that she had fallen into the abyss below gaps had thought that she had escaped but I knew that she might have fallen without either of us having seen her since the pole up which she had clamored had been fastened a little beyond the opening of the tunnel so that had her hold become loosened she would not have fallen directly past the aperture the more I thought of it the more anxious I became to reach Lath and institute a search for her while we were still discussing our chances of escape two slaves brought us food in the shape of raw vegetables and fruit I scanned them carefully for weapons but they had none the circumstance to which they may owe their lives I could have used their garments if they had been other than slaves but I had hit upon a bolder plan than this and must wait patiently for a favorable opportunity to put it into practice after eating I became sleepy and was about to stretch out upon the floor of our prison when my companion whose name was Mogul told me that there was a sleeping apartment adjoining the room in which we were that had been set apart for us the doorway leading to the sleeping chamber was covered by heavy hangings and as I parted them and stepped into the adjoining chamber I found myself in almost total darkness the walls and ceiling of this room not having been treated with the illuminating coating used in the corridors and apartments which they wished to maintain in a lighted condition I later learned that all their sleeping apartments were thus naturally dark in one corner of the room there was a pile of dry vegetation which I discovered must answer the purpose of mattress and covering should I require any however I was not so particular as I had been accustomed to only the roughest of fare since I had left my luxurious state room aboard the Barzul how long I slept I do not know but it was awakened by Mogul calling me he was leaning over me shaking me by the shoulder you are wanted, he whispered to take us before the 24 tell them to go to the devil I said for I was very sleepy and only half away of course he did not know what devil meant but evidently he judged for my tone that my reply was disrespectful to the Kalkars to not anger them he said it will only make your fate the harder when the 24 command all must obey who are the 24 I demanded they composed the committee for our city I was thoroughly awakened now and rose to my feet following him into the adjoining chamber where I saw two Kalkar warriors standing impatiently awaiting us as I saw them a phrase leaped to my brain and kept repeating itself there are but two they were across the room from us standing by the entrance and Mogul was close to me there are but two I whispered to him in a low voice you take one and I will take the other you dare I will take the one at the right he replied and together we advanced across the room slowly toward the unsuspecting warriors the moment that we were in reach of them we leaped for them simultaneously I did not see how Mogul attacked his man for I was busy with my own though it took me but an instant to settle him for I struck him a little terrific blow upon the chin and as he fell I leaped upon him resting his dagger from his scabbard and plunging it into his heart before he could regain his senses from the stunning impact of my fist then I turned to assist Mogul only to discover that he needed no assistance but was already arising from the body of his antagonist whose throat was cut from ear to ear with his own weapon quick I cried to Mogul for a moment and a moment later we had deposited the two corpses in the dimly lighted apartment we will leave the city as Kalkar warriors I said commencing to strip the accouterments and garments from the man I had slain Mogul grinned not a bad idea he said if you can find the root to the crater it is possible that we may yet escape it took us but a few moments to effect the change in the bodies beneath the vegetation that had served us as a bed and stepped out into the other chamber where we could have a good look at one another we realized that if we were not too closely scrutinized we might pass safely through the corridors beneath the Kalkar city where the Kalkars are our Mogul breed comprising many divergent types my complexion which differed outrageously from that of either the Kalkars or the Lathians constituted our greatest danger but we must take the chance and at least we were armed lead the way, said Mogul and if you can find the crater I can assure you that I can find Lath very good, I said comm and stepping into the corridor I moved off confidently in the direction that I knew I should find the passageways and stairs along which I had been conducted from the crater tunnel I was as confident of success as though I were traversing the precinct of my native city we traveled a considerable distance without meeting anyone and at last reached the chamber in which I had been blindfolded as we entered it I saw fully a score of Kalkars lolling upon benches or lying upon vegetation that was piled upon the floor they looked up as we entered and at the same time Mogul stepped in front of me who are you and where are you going demanded one of the Kalkars by order of the 24 said Mogul and stepped into the room instantly I realized that he did not know in which direction to go and that by his hesitancy all might be lost straight ahead straight across the room I whispered to him and he stepped out briskly in the direction of the entrance to the tunnel fortunately for us the chamber was not brilliantly lighted and the Kalkars were at the far end of it otherwise they must certainly have discovered my deception at least since any sort of close inspection would have revealed the fact that I was not Hathana however they did not fault us though I was sure that I saw one of them eyeing me suspiciously and I ventured to say that I took the last 20 steps without drawing a breath it was quickly over however and we had entered the tunnel which now led without further confusing ramifications directly to the crater we were fortunate, I said to Mogul that we were, he replied in silence then that we might listen for pursuit or for the sound of Kalkars ahead of us we hastened rapidly along the descending passageway toward the mouth of the tunnel where it opened into the crater and at last as we rounded the last turn and I saw the light of day ahead of me I breathed the deep sigh of relief though almost simultaneously my happiness turned to despair in my recollection that there were no hoped poles here to assist us to the summit of the crater wall what were we to do Mogul, I said turning to my companion as we halted at the end of the tunnel there are no poles with which to ascend I had forgotten it but in order to prevent the Kalkars from ascending after me I threw all but one into the abyss and that one slipped from the rim and was lost also just as my pursuers were about to seize me I had not told Mogul that I had had a companion since it would be difficult to answer any questions he may propound on the subject without revealing the identity of Naila oh, we can overcome that replied my companion we have these two spheres which are extremist out and in as much as we shall have plenty of time we can easily arrange them in some way that will permit us to ascend to the summit of the crater that we were not pursued the Kalkars at Spears had a miniature crescent shaped hook at the base of their point similar to the larger ones affected by the Babas Mogul thought that we could fasten the two spheres securely together and then catch the small hook of the upper one upon the rim of the crater testing its hold thoroughly before either of us attempted to ascend beneath his tunic he wore a rope coiled around his waist which he explained to me was a customary part of the equipment of the All-Ladians it was his idea to tie one end of this around the waist of whichever of us ascended first the other going as far back into the tunnel as possible and bracing himself so that in the event that the climber fell he would be saved from death though I figured that he would get a rather nasty shaking up in some bad bruises under the best of circumstances I volunteered to go first and began fastening one end of the rope securely about my waist while Mogul made the two spheres fast together with a short length that he had cut from the other end he worked rapidly with deft, nimble fingers and seemed to know perfectly well what he was doing in the event that I reached the summit in safety I was to pull up the spears and then haul Mogul up by the rope having fastened the rope to my satisfaction I stood as far out upon the ledge before the entrance to the tunnel as I safely could and with my back toward the crater looked up at the rim 20 feet above me in a vain attempt to select from below if possible a reasonably secure point upon which to hook the spear as I stood thus upon the edge of eternity steadying myself with one hand against the tunnel wall there came down to me out of the tunnel a noise which I could not mistake Mogul hurt it too and looked at me with a rueful shake of his head and a shrug of his shoulders everything is against us earth man he said well this was the name he had given me when I told him what my world was called end of chapter 10 recording by Thomas Copeland chapter 11 of The Moon Made by Edgar Rice Burroughs this LibriVox recording is in the public domain recording by Thomas Copeland chapter 11 a meeting with Kota the pursuers were not yet in sight but I knew from the nearness of the sound of approaching footsteps that it would be impossible to complete the splicing of the spears to find a secure place for the hook above and for me to scramble upward to the rim of the crater and all Mogul after me before they should be upon us our position looked almost hopeless I could think of no avenue of escape and yet I tried and as I stood there with bent head my eyes cast upon the floor of the tunnel they fell upon the neatly coiled row lying at my feet one end of which was fast and securely about my waist instantly there flashed into my mind a mad inspiration I glanced up at the overhanging rim above me could I do it there was a chance the lesser gravity of the moon placed the thing within the realm of possibility yet by all earthly standards it was impossible I did not wait, I could not wait for had I given the matter any thought I doubt that I would have had the nerve to attempt it behind me lay a cavern opening into the depths of space into which I should be dashed if my mad plan failed but more of it better death than slavery I stoop low then and concentrating every faculty upon absolute coordination of mind and muscles I leaped straight upward with all the strength of my legs and in that instant during which my life hung in the balance of what did I think of home, of earth of the friends of my childhood no of a pale and lovely face with great dark eyes and a perfect forehead surmounted by a wealth of raven hair it was the image of Na'ilah the moon maid that I would have carried with me into eternity had I died that instant but I did not die my leap carried me above the rim of the crater where I lunged forward and fell sprawling my arms and upper body upon the surface of the ground instantly I turned about and lying upon my belly seized the rope in both hands quick mogul fast about you keep hold of the spears and I will drag you up pull away he answered me instantly I have no time to make the rope fast about me they are almost upon me pull away and be quick about it I did is he bad and a moment later his hands grasped the rim of the crater and with my assistance he gained the top dragging the spears after him for a moment he stood there in silence looking at me with a most peculiar expression upon his face then he shook his head I do not understand yet he said how you did it but it was very wonderful I scarcely expected to accomplish it in safety myself I replied but anything is better than slavery from below us came the voices of the car cars in angry altercation mogul picked up a fragment of rock and leaning over the edge of the crater threw it down among them I got one he said turning to me with a laugh he tumbled off into nothing they hate that they believe that there is no reincarnation for those who fall into a crater do you think that they will try to follow us I asked no he said they will be afraid to use their hope poles here for a long time lest we should be in the neighborhood and shove them off into the crater I will drop another rock down if any of them are in sight and then we will go upon our way I do not fear them here in the hills anyway there is always plenty of broken stone upon the level places and we have lay there trained to use it most effectively almost as far as I can go I can score a hit the car cars had withdrawn into the tunnel so mogul lost his opportunity to dispatch another and presently turned away from the crater and set out into the mountains I following close behind I can assure you that I felt much better now that I was armed with a spear and a knife and as we walked I practiced casting stones at mogul's suggestion and under his instruction until I became rather proficient in the art I shall not weary you with the narration of our journey to lathe how long it took I do not know it may have consumed a day a week a month for time seemed quite a meaningless term in vana but at length after clamoring laboriously from the bottom of a steep gorge we stood upon the edge of a rolling plateau and at some little distance beheld what at first appeared to be a cone shaped mountain rising fully a mile into the air above the surface of the plateau there cried mogul is lathe the crater where lies the entrance to the tunnel leading to the city is beyond it as we approached the city the base of which we must skirt in order to reach the crater beyond I was able to obtain a better idea of the dimensions and methods of construction of this great interior lunar city the base of which was roughly circular and about six miles in diameter ranging from a few hundred to a thousand feet above the level of the plateau the base of the city appeared to be the outer wall of an ancient extinct volcano the entire summit of which had been blown off during some terrific eruption of a bygone age upon this base the ancient latheans had commenced the construction of their city the houses of which rose one upon another as did those of the Kalkar city from which we had just escaped the great age of lathe was attested by the tremendous height to which these superimposed buildings had arisen the loftiest wall of lathe now rising fully a mile above the floor of the plateau narrowed terraces encircled the periphery of the towering city and as we approached more closely I saw doors and windows opening upon the terraces and figures moving to and fro the whole resembling closely an enormous hive of bees when we had reached a point near the base of the city I saw that we had been discovered for directly above us there were people at various points who were unquestionably looking down at us and commenting upon us they have seen us from above I said to Mogo why don't you hail them take us for Kalkars he replied it is easier for us to enter the city by way of the tunnel where I shall have no difficulty in establishing my identity if they think we are Kalkars I said will they not attack us no he replied Kalkars often pass lathe if they do not try to enter the city we do not molest them your people fear them then I asked it practically amounts to that he replied they greatly outnumber us perhaps a thousand to one and as they are without justice mercy or honor we try not to antagonize them unnecessarily we came at length to the mouth of the crater and here Mogo looped to the rope about the base of a small tree growing close to the rim and slipped down to the opening of the tunnel directly beneath I followed his example and when I was beside him Mogo pulled the rope in coiled it about his waist and we set off along the passageway heading toward lathe after my long series of adventures with unfriendly people in Vana I had somewhat the sensation of one returning home after a long absence for Mogo had assured me that the people of lathe would receive me well and that I should be treated as a friend he even assured me that he would procure for me a good birth in the service of Kota my greatest regret now was for Na'ila and that she was abandoned instead of Mogo I was quite sure that she was lost or had she escaped falling back into the crater outside the Kaukar city I doubted that she could successfully have found the way to lathe my heart had been heavy since we had been separated and I had come to realize that the friendship of this little moon made had meant a great deal more to me than I had thought I could scarcely think of her now without a lump coming into my throat that one so young and lovely should have met so untimely an end the distance between the crater and the city of lathe is not great and presently we came directly out upon the lower terrace within the city this terrace is at the very brim of the crater around which lathe is built and here we ran directly into the arms of a force of about 50 warriors Mogo emerged from the tunnel with his spear grasped in both hands high above his head the point toward the rear and I likewise since he had cautioned me to do so so surprised were the warriors to see any creatures emerge from this tunnel which had been so long to use that we were likely to have been slain before they realized that we had come before them with a signal of peace the guard that has maintained at the inner opening of the tunnel is considered by the latheans as more or less of an honorary assignment the duties of which are performed perfunctorily what do you hear cock cars exclaimed the commander of the guard we are not cock cars, replied my companion I am Mogo the paladar and this be my friend can it be that you covo the comadar do not know me ah cried the commander of the guard it is indeed Mogo the paladar you have been given up as lost I was lost indeed had it not been for this my friend replied Mogo nodding his head in my direction I was captured by the cock cars and incarcerated in city number 337 you escaped from a cock car city exclaimed covo in evident incredulity that is impossible it has never been accomplished but we did accomplish it replied Mogo thanks to my friend here and then he narrated briefly to covo the details of our escape it scarce seems possible commented the ladian when Mogo had completed his narrative and what may be the name of your friend Mogo and for what country did you say he came he calls himself Julan fit replied Mogo for that was as near as he could come to the pronunciation of my name and so it was that as Julan fit I was found to the Lathians as long as I remained among them they thought that fifth which they pronounced fit was a title similar to one of those which always followed the name of its possessor in Laid as Sagroth the Gemadar or Emperor covo the Commadar a title which corresponds closely to that of the English Duke and Mogo the Paladar or Count and so to humor them I was thereafter called sometimes Julan fit and sometimes Julan Javadar as the spirit moved him who addressed me at Mogo's suggestion covo the Commadar detailed a number of his men to accompany us to Mogo's dwelling lest we have difficulty in passing through the city in our Kalkar garb as we had stood talking with covo my eyes had been taking in the interior sights of this lunar city the crater about which Laid is built appeared to be between three and four miles in width the buildings facing it and rising terrace upon terrace to a height of a mile at least were much more elaborate of architecture and far richer in carving than those of the Kalkar city number 337 the terraces were broad and well cultivated and as we ascended toward Mogo's dwelling I saw that much pains were taken to elaborately landscape many of them there being pools and rivulets and waterfalls in numerous places as in the Kalkar city there were Gagas fattening for food in little groups upon various terraces they were sleek and fat and appeared contented and I learned later that they were perfectly satisfied with their lot having no more conception of the purpose for which they were bred for the faith that awaited them at the birth the Yugas of Laid have induced this mental state in their Baba's herds by a process of careful selection covering a period of ages possibly during which time they have conscientiously selected for breeding purposes the most stupid and unimaginative members of their herds at Mogo's dwelling we were warmly greeted by the members of his family all of whom like the other Laidians I had seen were of striking appearance the men were straight and handsome the women physically perfect and of great beauty I could see in the affectionate greetings which they exchanged an indication of a family life and ties similar to those which are most common upon earth while their gracious and hospitable reception of me marked them as people of highly refined sensibilities first of all they must hear Mogo's story and then after having congratulated us and praised us they set about preparing baths and fresh apparel for us in which they were assisted by a corps of servants descendants I was told of the faithful servitors who had remained loyal to the noble classes and accompanied them in their exile we rested for a short time after our baths and then Mogo announced to whom it was necessary that he report and that he would take me with him I was apparel now in raiment befitting my supposed rank and carried the weapons of a Laidian gentleman a short lance or javelin a dagger and a sword but with my relatively darker skin and my blonde hair I could never hope to be often an object of remark in any Laidian company owing to the color of my hair some of them thought that I was a Kalka but upon this score my complexion set them right Kota's dwelling was indeed princely stretching along a broad terrace for fully a quarter of a mile with its two stories and its numerous towers and minarets the entire face of the building was elaborately and beautifully carved the decorations in their entirety recording pictographically the salient features of the lives of Kota's ancestors armed nobles stood on either side of the massive entrance way and long before we reached this lunar prince I realized that possibly he was more difficult to approach than one of earthly origin but at last we were ushered into his presence and Mogo with the utmost deference presented me to Kota the Javada having assumed a princely title and princely raiment I chose to assume princely provocative as well believing that my position among the Lathians would be better assured and all my interests furthered if they thought me of royal blood and so I acknowledged my introduction to Kota as though we were equals and that he was being presented to me upon the same footing that I was being presented to him I found him like all his fellows a handsome man but with a slightly sinister expression which I did not like possibly I was prejudiced against him for what Naila had told me but be that as it may I conceived a dislike and distrust for him the moment that I laid eyes upon him and I think too that he must have sensed my attitude for though he was outwardly gracious and courteous I believe that Kota the Javada never liked me it is true that he insisted upon allotting me quarters within his palace and that he gave me service high among his followers but I was at that time a novelty among them and Kota was not alone among the royalty who would have been glad to have entertained me and showered favors upon me precisely as to earth men when a title stranger or famous man from another land comes to their country although I did not care for him I was not local to accept his hospitality since I felt that because of my friendship for Naila I owed all my loyalty since I brought the gemadar and if by placing myself in the camp of the enemy I might serve the father of Naila I was justified in so doing I found myself in a rather peculiar position in the palace of Kota since I was supposed to know little or nothing of internal condition in Leith and yet had learned from both Naila and Mogo a great deal concerning the intrigues and politics of the Smyr city for example I was not supposed to know of the existence of Naila not even did Mogo know that I had heard of her and so until her name was mentioned I could ask no questions concerning her though I was anxious indeed to discover if by any miracle of chance she had returned in safety to Leith or if ought to been learned concerning her fate Kota held me in conversation for a considerable period of time asking many questions concerning earth and my voyage from that planet to the moon I knew that he was skeptical and yet he was a man of such intelligence as to realize there must be something in the universe beyond his understanding for his knowledge his eyes told him that I was not a native of Varna and his ears must have corroborated the testimony of his eyes for try as I would I never was able to master the Varnahan language as for a native at the close of our interview Kota announced that Mogo would also remain in quarters in the palace suggesting that if it was agreeable to me my companion should share my apartments with me nothing would give me greater pleasure Kota Javadar I said than to have my good friend Mogo the paladar always with me excellent excellent Kota you must both be fatigued go therefore to your apartments and rest presently I will repair to the palace of the Javadar with my court and you will be notified in sufficient time to prepare yourselves to accompany me the audience was at an end and we were led by nobles of Kota's palace to our apartments which lay upon the second floor in pleasant rooms overlooking the terraces down to the brink of the great yawning crater below until I threw myself upon the soft mattress that served as a bed for me I had not realized how physically exhausted I had been scarcely had I permitted myself to relax in the luxurious ease which preceded sleep ere I was plunged into profound slumber which must have endured for a considerable time since when I awoke I was completely refreshed Mogo was already up and in the bath a marble affair fed by a continuous supply of icy water which originated among the ice-clad peaks of the higher mountains behind Leith the bather had no soap but used rough fiber gloves with which he rubbed the surface of his skin until it glowed these baths rather took one's breath away but amply repaid for the shock by the sensation of exhilaration and well-being which resulted from them in addition to private baths in each dwelling each terrace supported a public bath in which men women and children supported themselves recalling to my mind the ancient Roman baths which earthly history records the baths of the gemadar which I was later to see in the Palace of Satroth were marvels of beauty and luxury here when the emperor entertained his guests amused themselves by swimming and diving which from what I had been able to judge are the national sports of the ladies the caulkars care less for the water but the vabas they entered through necessity I followed Mogo in the bath in which my first sensation was that I was freezing to death while we were dressing a messenger from Kota summoned us to his presence with instructions that we would be prepared to accompany him to the Palace of Satroth the gemadar End of Chapter 11 Recording by Thomas Popet