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07 - Baron Trump's Marvellous Underground Journey · Adventure Books Library

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  Chapter seven, Our first night in the underworld, and how it was followed
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  by the first break of day, Bulgar's warning, and what it meant we
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  fall in with an inhabitant of the world within a world his name, and
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  calling mysterious return of night, the land of beds, And how our new
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  friend provided one for us. So heavy with sleep did my eyelids become at
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  last that I knew that it must be night in the outer world. And
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  so we halted, and I stretched myself at full length on that marble floor,
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  which, by the way, was pleasantly warm beneath us, and the
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  air, too, was strangely comforting to the lungs, there being a complete
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  absence of that smell of earth and odor of dampness so common in vast subterranean
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  chambers. My sleep was long continued and most refreshing. Vulgar was already awake.
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  However, when I sat up and tried to look about me, he
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  began tugging at the string which I had fastened to his collar, as if
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  he wanted to lead me somewhere. So I humored him and followed along.
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  After, to my delight, he led me straight to a pool of deliciously
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  sweet and cold water. Here we drank our fill, and, after a
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  very frugal breakfast on some dried figs, set out again on our journey along
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  the Marble Highway. Suddenly, to my more than joy, the faint and
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  uncertain light of the place began to strengthen. Why, it seemed almost as
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  if the day of the upper world were about to break, So delicate were
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  the various hues in which the ever increasing light clothed itself. Then, as
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  if a frightened at its own increasing glory, it would fade away again,
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  almost a gloom. Ere many moments again this faint and mysterious glow would return,
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  beginning with the softest yellow, then changing to a dozen different tints,
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  and, like a fickle made uncertain which to wear, put all aside and
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  down the lily's garb vulgar, and I wandered along the Marble Highway, almost
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  afraid to break the stillness so deep that it seemed to me as if I
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  could hear those sportive rays of light in their play against the many colored rocks
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  arching this mighty corridor. Now, as the Marble Highway swept around in a
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  graceful curve, a dazzling flood of light burst upon us. It was sunrise
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  in the world within a world. Whence came this flood of dazzling light,
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  which now caused the sides and arching roof to glow and sparkle, as if
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  we had suddenly entered one of Nature's vast door houses of polished gems. Shading
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  my eyes with my hand, I looked about me in order to try and
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  solve the mystery. It did not take me long to understand at all.
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  Know, then, dear friends, that the seedlings, domes, and arched
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  rules of this underground world were fretted with a metal of greater hardness than any
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  known to us children of sunshine. Its seams ran hither and thither like the
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  veins of gignantic leaves, and at certain hours, currents of electricity from some
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  vast internal reservoir of nature's own building streamed through these metal traceeries until they glowed
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  with a heat so white as to give off the flood of dazzling light of
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  which I have already spoken. The current never came with a sudden rush or
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  burst, but began gently and timidly, so to speak, as if feeling
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  its way along. Hence the beautiful tints that had always preceded sunrise in this
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  lower world, and made it so much like the coming and going of our
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  glorious sunshine. The marble highway now divided, and the two halves of the
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  fork, curving away to the right and left, enclosed a small but exquisitely
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  ornamented perk, or pleasure ground, I might call it, Provided with seats
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  of some dark wood beautifully polished and carved, this park was ornamented with four
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  fountains, each springing from a crystal basin and spreading out into a feathery spray
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  that glistened like whirling snow in the dazzling white light. As Vulgar and I
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  directed our steps toward one of the benches with the intention of taking a good
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  rest, a low growl from him warned me to be on the alert.
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  I gave a second look. A human being was seated on the bench beside
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  myself. As I was with curiosity to come face to face with this inhabitant
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  of the underworld, the first we had met, I made a halt,
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  determined to ascertain, if possible, whether he was quite harmless before accosting him.
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  He was small in stature and clad entirely in black, a sort of
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  loose flowing robe, much like a Roman toga. His head was bare,
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  and what I could see if it was a round, smooth and rosy,
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  with about as much hair, or rather fuzz upon it as the head of
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  an infant six weeks old. His face was hidden by a black fan,
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  which he carried in his right hand, and the uses of which you will
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  learn later on. His eyes were shielded from the intense glare of the light
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  by a pair of colored glass gulls. As he raised his hand between me
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  and the light, I couldn't help catching my breath. I could see right
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  through it. The bones were as clear as amber. His head, too,
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  was only a little less opaque. Suddenly, two words from Don Fum's
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  men script flashed through my mind, and I exclaimed, joyously, vulgar,
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  We're in the land of the transparent folk. At the sound of my voice,
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  the little man arose and made a low bow, lowering his fan to
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  his breast where he held it. His baby face was ludicrously sad and solemn.
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  Yes, sir Stranger, said he in a low musical voice. Thou
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  art indeed in the land of the micam and geese. Make a man in
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  the land of the transparent folk, called also Goggleland. But if I should
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  show THEE my heart, thou wouldst see that. I am deeply pained to
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  think that I should have been the first to bid THEE welcome. For no,
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  sir, stranger, that thou speakest with Master hold Soul, the court
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  depressor, the saddest man in all goggle Land. And by the way,
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  sir, permit me to offer THEE a pair of goggles for thyself and also
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  a pair for thy four footed companion, for our intense white light would blind
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  THEE both in a few days. I thanked Master Cold Soul very warmly for
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  the goggles, and proceeded to set one peristrite my nose and to tie the
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  other in front of Bulgar's eyes. I then, in most courteous manner,
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  informed Master Cold Soul who I was, and begged him to explain the cause
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  of his great sadness. Well thou must know, little Baron, said he,
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  after I had taken his seat beside him on the bench, that we,
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  the loving subjects of Queen Galaxa, whose royal heart is almost run down,
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  excuse these tears. Living as we do in this beautiful world, so
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  unlike the one you inhabit, which our wise men tell us, is built
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  strange, to say, on the very outside of the Earth's crust, where
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  it is most exposed to the full sweep of blinding snow, freezing blast,
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  pelting hail, drowning rain, and choking dust. Living as we do,
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  I say, in this vast temple by nature's own hands, builded were disease
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  is unknown, and where our hearts run down like clocks that may have but
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  one winding, we are prone a last to be too happy, to laugh,
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  too much, to spend too much time in idle gaiety, chattering the
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  time away like thoughtless children, amused with baubles, delighted with tinsel nothings.
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  Know, then, little Baron, that mine is the business to check this
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  gaiety, to put an end to this childish believe, to depress our people's
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  spirits lest they run too high. Hence my garb of inky hue, my
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  rueful countenance, my frequent outflowing of tears, my voice ever a tuned to
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  sadness. Excuse me, little Baron, my fans slipped, then, didst
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  see through me? I would not have thee sea my heart to day for
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  some way or other I cannot bring it to a slow pace. It is
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  dreadfully unruly. I assured him that I had not seen through him as yet.
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  And now, dear friends, I must explain that, by the laws
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  of the Micamenkies, each man, woman and child must wear in their garments
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  a heart shaped opening on their breast directly over their hearts, with a correspond
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  in one at the back, so that, under certain conditions, when the
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  law allows it, each may have the right to take a look at his
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  neighbor's heart and see exactly how it is beating, whether faster or s law,
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  whether throbbing or leaping, or whether pulsating naturally. But this privilege is
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  only accorded, as I have said, under certain conditions. Hence, to
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  shut off inquisitive glances, each my tamenki is allowed to carry a black fan
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  with which to cover the heart shaped opening above described, and in this way
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  conceal his or her feelings to a degree, I say, to a degree,
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  for I may as well tell you right here that falsehood is unknown,
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  or more correctly stated, impossible, in the land of the transparent ful,
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  for the reason that so wondrously clear, limpid and crystal like are their eyes.
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  The slightest attempt to say one thing while they are thinking another royals and
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  clouds them as if a drop of milk had fallen into a glass of the
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  purest water. As I sat gazing at this strange little being seated on the
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  bench there beside me, I recalled the conversation which I had had with a
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  learned Russian at slow Richagutsk, said he, speaking of his people, we
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  are all born with light hair, brilliant eyes, and pale faces, for
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  we have sprung up under the snow. And I thought to myself, how
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  delighted, how entranced he would have been to look upon this curious being,
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  borne not under the snow, but far under the surface of the earth.
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  Were in these vast chambers of this world within the world, this strange folk
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  had, like plants grown in a dark, deep cellar, gradually parted with
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  all their coloring, until their eyes glowed like orbs of pure crystal, until
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  their bones had been bleached to amber clearness, and their blood coursed colorless through
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  colorless veins. While sitting there, following out the strain of thought, the
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  clear white light suddenly begun to flicker and to play fantastic tricks upon the walls
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  by dancing in garbs of ever changing hues. Now brightest yellow, now palest
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  green, now glorious purple, now deepest crimson. Ah little Baron exclaimed Master
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  Coldsaw, that was an uncommonly short day. Rise, Please, I made
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  haste to obey. Whereupon he touched a spring, and the bench opened in
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  the center, disclosing two very comfortable beds. In a few moments, night
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  will be upon us, continued the Mcamenkey. But how SEO is that we
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  have not been taken by surprise? I should explain to thee little baron that,
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  owing to the capricious manner on which our river of light is apt both
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  to begin and to see slowing, we are never able to tell how long
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  a day or a night will prove to be. This is what we call
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  twilight in thy world. I suppose day goes out with a terrible bang.
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  For our wise men tell us that nothing can be done in the upper world
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  without making a noise. That your people really love noise, and that the
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  man who makes the greatest noise is considered the greatest man. Owing to the
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  fact, little Baron, that no and goggleland can tell how long the day
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  will last, or how long it may be necessary to sleep. Our laws
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  permit no one to set any exact time when a thing shall be done,
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  or to exact any promise to do this or that on a certain day,
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  for bless thy soul, that they may not be ten minutes long. Hence
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  we say, if tomorrow be over five hours long, come to me at
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  the beginning of the sixth hour. And we never wish each other a plain
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  good night, but say good night as long as it lasts. What's more,
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  little baron as Knight is apt to come upon us this way unawares.
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  By law. All the beds belong to the state. No one is allowed
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  to own his own bed, For when night overtakes him, he may be
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  at the other end of the city, and some other subject of Queen Galaxa
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  may be in front of his door. And no matter where night may overtake
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  him micamemki, he is sure to find a bed. There are beds everywhere.
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  By touching his spring, they dropped from the walls. They pull out
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  like drawers. There are under the tables and the divans, in the perks,
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  in the market place, by the roadside benches, bins, boxes,
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  barrels, and barrels. By pressing his spring may in an instant be transformed
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  into beds. It is the land of beds, little Baron, but ah,
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  I behold the twilight goes to its end. Good night, as long
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  as it lasts. And with this Master Coltzell stretched himself out and began to
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  snore, having first carefully covered up the two holes in the front and back
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  of his garment so that I shouldn't have a chance to take a peep through
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  him in case I should wake up first. Bulger and I were right glad
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  to lay our limbs on a reel bed, although from the way my four
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  footed brother followed his tail around and around, I could see that he wasn't
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  particularly delighted with the softness of the couch. End of Chapter seven