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08 - Baron Trump's Marvellous Underground Journey - Ingersoll Lockwood · Classic Science Fiction Books

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  Speaker 1: Chapter eight. Good morning, as long as it lasts, plain
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  Speaker 1: talk from Master Coldsoll, wonders of Goggleland. We enter the
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  Speaker 1: city of the Micamenkes brief description of it. Are approach
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  Speaker 1: to the royal palace Queen Galaxa and her crystal throne.
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  Speaker 1: Master cold Sol's tears. I don't think the darkness lasted
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  Speaker 1: over three hours. Perhaps it was longer, but Master cold
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  Speaker 1: Sooll was obliged to shake me gently. Ere he could
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  Speaker 1: rouse me now, little Baron, said he, after he had
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  Speaker 1: wished me a good morning, with the usual as long
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  Speaker 1: as it lasts tacked on to it. If thou art
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  Speaker 1: quite willing, I'll conduct THEE to the court of our
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  Speaker 1: gracious Mistress, Queen Galaxa. Our wise men have often discoursed
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  Speaker 1: to her concerning the upper world and the terrible sufferings
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  Speaker 1: of its people, exposed as they are, to be frozen
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  Speaker 1: by the pitiless cold and then burned by the scorching
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  Speaker 1: rays of what they call their sun. And she will
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  Speaker 1: no doubt aim to be pleased at say of THEE,
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  Speaker 1: although I must warn THEE that thou art most uncomely,
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  Speaker 1: that thou seems so black and hard to me, scarcely
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  Speaker 1: to be human by rather a bit of living earth
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  Speaker 1: or row. I greatly fear me that thou wilt make
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  Speaker 1: our people extremely vain by comparison, thy four footed companion.
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  Speaker 1: We know well by sight, having often seen his petrified
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  Speaker 1: image in the rocks of the dark chambers of our world.
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  Speaker 1: Master cold Sol said I, as we walked along. When
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  Speaker 1: thou givest to know me better, thou wilt find me
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  Speaker 1: more commonly. And although I shall not be able to
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  Speaker 1: show THEE my heart, I hope to be able to
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  Speaker 1: prove to THEE and Thine that I have such a thing,
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  Speaker 1: no doubt, no doubt, little baron, exclaimed Master cold Sol.
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  Speaker 1: But be not offended. It is not more pleasant for
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  Speaker 1: me to tell THEE these disagreeable things that it is
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  Speaker 1: for THEE to hear them. But I am paid to
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  Speaker 1: do it, and I must earn my wage. Vanity grows
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  Speaker 1: apace in our world, and I prick its bubbles whenever
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  Speaker 1: I see them. To my great wonder, I now discover
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  Speaker 1: that the world of the Macamenke's had its lakes and
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  Speaker 1: rivers like our own, only of course they were smaller
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  Speaker 1: and mirror faced, being never visited by the faintest Zephyr.
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  Speaker 1: To my question as to whether they were peopled with
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  Speaker 1: living things, Master cold Sol informed me that they literally
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  Speaker 1: swarmed with the most delicious fish, both in scales and shells.
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  Speaker 1: But think not, little Baron. He added, that we of
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  Speaker 1: Goggleland have no other food than such as we draw
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  Speaker 1: from the water. For in our gardens grow many kinds
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  Speaker 1: of delicate vegetables, springing up in a single night, almost
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  Speaker 1: as light as foam and just as white. But we
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  Speaker 1: are small eaters, little Barren, and rarely find it necessary
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  Speaker 1: to put to death a large shellfish. We merely lay
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  Speaker 1: hold of his great claw, which he obligingly drops into
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  Speaker 1: our hand, and forthwith sets about growing another. But tell me,
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  Speaker 1: I pray, Master cold Sol said, I where ye find
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  Speaker 1: the silk to weave such soft and beautiful so stuff
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  Speaker 1: as that thy garment is fashioned from. In this underworld
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  Speaker 1: of ours, little Baron replied Master Coldzall, there are many
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  Speaker 1: vast recesses not reached by the river light, and in
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  Speaker 1: these dark chambers flit about huge night moths, like restless
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  Speaker 1: spirits forever on the wing. But of course they are not,
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  Speaker 1: for we find their eggs glued against the rocky sides
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  Speaker 1: of these caverns, and co let them carefully. The worms
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  Speaker 1: that are hatched from them spin huge cocoons, so large
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  Speaker 1: that one may not be hidden in my hand. And these, unwound,
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  Speaker 1: give unto our looms all the thread they need. And
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  Speaker 1: the beautiful wood, I continued, which I see about me,
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  Speaker 1: carved and fashioned into so many articles. Whence comes it
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  Speaker 1: from the quarries, answered Master Coldzall quarries, I repeated, wonderingly,
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  Speaker 1: Why yes, little Baron, said he, For we have quarries
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  Speaker 1: of wood, as no doubt the hst quarries of stone.
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  Speaker 1: Our wise men tell us that, thousands and thousands of
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  Speaker 1: years ago, vast for us grown in your world, were
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  Speaker 1: in the upheavals, and falling in of the Earth's crust,
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  Speaker 1: thrust down into ours, the gigantic chunks watched closely together
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  Speaker 1: and standing in a bolt upright, just as they grew.
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  Speaker 1: At least, so we find them when we have dug
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  Speaker 1: away the harlen clay that has shut them in these
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  Speaker 1: many ages. But see, little Baron, that we are now
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  Speaker 1: entering the city yonder is the royal Palace. Will t
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  Speaker 1: walk with me thither? Ah, dear friends, would that I
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  Speaker 1: could make you see this beautiful city of the underworld,
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  Speaker 1: just as it showed itself to me. Then spread out
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  Speaker 1: so gloriously beneath the glittering domes and vaulted corridors, from
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  Speaker 1: which poured down upon the exquisitely carved and polished entrances
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  Speaker 1: to the living chambers of this happy folk, a flood
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  Speaker 1: of white light, apparently more dazzling than our noonday sun,
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  Speaker 1: so strangely beautiful that many times I paused to gaze
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  Speaker 1: upon it. Young and all, all clad in the same
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  Speaker 1: gracefully flowing garbs of silk, now purple, now royal blue,
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  Speaker 1: and now rich vermilion, were hurrying hither and thither, each
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  Speaker 1: armed with the inevitable black fan, and the baby face
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  Speaker 1: of each aglow with life and sweet content, while a
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  Speaker 1: hundred fountains springing from crystal patients glistened in the dazzling
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  Speaker 1: white light, and ten times a hundred flags amid gonflungs,
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  Speaker 1: hung listless but rich and splendor from invisible wires. Strange
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  Speaker 1: music came floating along from the gracefully shaped barges with
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  Speaker 1: silken awnings, which were gliding noiselessly over the surface of
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  Speaker 1: the winding river. The oars, stirring the waters until the
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  Speaker 1: wake seemed a path through molten silver. As vulgar and
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  Speaker 1: I followed Master Cold Soul along the streets of polished marble.
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  Speaker 1: It was not long before a crowd of Micaminke's was
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  Speaker 1: at our heels, whispering all sorts of uncomplimentary things about us,
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  Speaker 1: mingled with not a few fits of suppressed laughter. The
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  Speaker 1: court depressor reproved them sternly. Cease your ill timed mirth,
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  Speaker 1: said he, and go about her business. Must I pause
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  Speaker 1: until you a gruesome tale to check your foolish gaiety?
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  Speaker 1: No ye nought that all silly mirth does quicken your
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  Speaker 1: hearts and make them run down just so much sooner.
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  Speaker 1: At these words of Master Coal's Soul, they fell back
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  Speaker 1: and put an end to their giggling. But it was
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  Speaker 1: only for a moment, and by the time we reached
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  Speaker 1: the portal of the Royal Palace, a still louder and
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  Speaker 1: noisier crowd was close behind us. Master Coal's Soul suddenly halted, and,
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  Speaker 1: drawing forth a huge pocket handkerchief, began to weep furiously.
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  Speaker 1: It was not without its effect, and from that moment
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  Speaker 1: I could see that the Micamenkes were inclined to take
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  Speaker 1: a more serious view of my arrival and their city,
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  Speaker 1: although it was only cold Soul's presents that kept them
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  Speaker 1: from bursting out into fits of violent laughter. Above the
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  Speaker 1: portals of the Queen's palace there were large openings hewn
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  Speaker 1: in the rock for the purpose of admitting light into
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  Speaker 1: the royal apartments. But these windows, if they may be
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  Speaker 1: called such, were hung with silken curtains of delicate colors,
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  Speaker 1: so that the light which entered the throne room was
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  Speaker 1: tempered and softened. The room itself was likewise hung with
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  Speaker 1: silken stuffs, which gave it a look of oriental splendor.
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  Speaker 1: But never, in my travels amongst strange peoples of far
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  Speaker 1: away lands, had my eyes ever rested upon iny work
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  Speaker 1: of art that equaled the crystal throne upon which sat
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  Speaker 1: galaxa queen of the Macaminkis. In the upper world, most
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  Speaker 1: diligent search had never been able to unearth a piece
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  Speaker 1: of rock crystal more than about three feet in diameter.
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  Speaker 1: But here in Queen Galaxis thrown four glorious columns at
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  Speaker 1: least fifteen feet in height and at their base three
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  Speaker 1: feet in diameter, shot up in matchless splendor, their lower
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  Speaker 1: parts shut in spangles of gold that glittered with ever
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  Speaker 1: varying hues as a different light fell upon them. The
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  Speaker 1: cross pieces and pieces making up the back and arms
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  Speaker 1: had been chosen on account of the exquisitely beautiful hair
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  Speaker 1: and needle shaped crystals of other metals which they enclosed.
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  Speaker 1: A silken boldishing of rare beauty covered in the throne,
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  Speaker 1: and from its edges dropped heavy cords and tassels of
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  Speaker 1: rich color and the perfection of human handicraft as to
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  Speaker 1: the fineness and finish. At the foot of the throne
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  Speaker 1: sat the young Princess Cristelina, and standing behind her and
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  Speaker 1: engaged in combing her long silken tresses, was her favorite
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  Speaker 1: waiting maid, Damoiselle Glowstone. While rounded about in files and
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  Speaker 1: group wise stood lords and ladies, courtiers and counselors by
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  Speaker 1: the dozen. As master coldsall advanced to salute the queen.
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  Speaker 1: A throng of the idlers who had followed at our heels,
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  Speaker 1: crowded into the inter room with loud outbursts of laughter.
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  Speaker 1: The court depressor was greatly incensed, and turning upon the throng,
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  Speaker 1: he began weeping again. With wonderful energy. But I noticed
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  Speaker 1: that it was nothing but sound. Not a tear fell
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  Speaker 1: to obscure the crystal clearness of his eyes. Then he
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  Speaker 1: began chanting a sort of song which was intended to
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  Speaker 1: have a depressing influence on the wild mirth of the
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  Speaker 1: Mica Minkey's. I can only recollect one verse of this
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  Speaker 1: solemn chant of the court depressor. It ran as follows,
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  Speaker 1: weep mac A monkey's weep, Oh weep for the eyeless
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  Speaker 1: man in the City of Light, for the mouthless man,
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  Speaker 1: in Plenty's Powers, for the earless man, in Music's realm,
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  Speaker 1: for the noseless man, in the Kingdom of Flower, weep
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  Speaker 1: Mica Monkey's weep, oh weep. The thing only laughed alouder,
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  Speaker 1: crying out, nay, Master cove soul, And we will not
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  Speaker 1: weep for them, weep for them thyself. At last, Queen
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  Speaker 1: Galaxa raised the slender golden wand tipped with a diamond
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  Speaker 1: point that lay within her hand, and instantly a hush
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  Speaker 1: came upon the whole place, while every eye was riveted
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  Speaker 1: upon bulgar and me. End of Chapter eight