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12 - Moon Maid by Edgar Rice Burroughs · Moon Maid

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  Speaker 1: By Thomas Copeland, Chapter eleven, A meeting with Kotan. The
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: pursuers were not yet in sight, but I knew from
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  Speaker 1: the nearness of the sound of approaching footsteps that it
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  Speaker 1: would be impossible to complete the splicing of the spears,
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  Speaker 1: to find a secure place for the hook above, and
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  Speaker 1: for me to scramble upward to the rim of the crater,
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  Speaker 1: and all mogo after me before they should be upon us.
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  Speaker 1: Our position looked almost hopeless. I could think of no
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  Speaker 1: avenue of escape, and yet I tried. And as I
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  Speaker 1: stood there with bent head, my eyes cast upon the
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  Speaker 1: floor of the tunnel, they fell upon the neatly coiled
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  Speaker 1: rope lying at my feet, one end of which was
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  Speaker 1: fastened securely about my waist. Instantly there flashed into my
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  Speaker 1: mind a mad inspiration. I glanced up at the overhanging
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  Speaker 1: rim above me. Could I do it? There was a chance.
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  Speaker 1: The lesser gravity of the moon placed the thing within
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  Speaker 1: the realm of possibility, And yet by all earthly standards
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  Speaker 1: it was impossible. I did not wait. I could not wait,
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  Speaker 1: for had I given the matter any thought, I doubt
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  Speaker 1: that I would have had the nerve to attempt it.
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  Speaker 1: Behind me lay a cavern opening into the depths of space,
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  Speaker 1: into which I should be dashed if my mad plan failed.
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  Speaker 1: But what of it better death than slavery. I stooped
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  Speaker 1: low then, and concentrating every faculty upon absolute coordination of
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  Speaker 1: mind and muscles, I leaped straight upward with all the
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  Speaker 1: strength of my legs, and in that instant during which
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  Speaker 1: my life hung in the balance of what did I
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  Speaker 1: think of, home of Earth, of the friends of my childhood. No,
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  Speaker 1: of a pale and lovely face, with great dark eyes
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  Speaker 1: and a perfect forehead surmounted by a wealth of raven hair.
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  Speaker 1: It was the image of Nahillah, the moon made that
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  Speaker 1: I would have carried with me into eternity had I
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  Speaker 1: died that instant. But I did not die. My leap
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  Speaker 1: carried me above the rim of the crater, where I
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  Speaker 1: lunged forward and fell, sprawling my arms and upper body
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  Speaker 1: upon the surface of the ground. Instantly I turned about, and,
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  Speaker 1: lying upon my belly, seized the rope in both hands.
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  Speaker 1: Quick Mobo, I cried to my companion below. Make the
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  Speaker 1: rope fast about you, keep hold of the spears, and
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  Speaker 1: I will drag you up away. He answered me instantly.
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  Speaker 1: I have no time to make the rope fast about me.
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  Speaker 1: They are almost upon me. Pull away and be quick
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  Speaker 1: about it. I did to see that, and a moment
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  Speaker 1: later his hands grasped the rim of the crater, and
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  Speaker 1: with my assistance, he gained the top, dragging the spears
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  Speaker 1: after him. For a moment he stood there in silence,
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  Speaker 1: looking at me with a most peculiar expression upon his face.
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  Speaker 1: Then he shook his head. I do not understand yet,
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  Speaker 1: he said, how you did it, But it was very wonderful.
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  Speaker 1: I scarcely expected to accomplish it in safety myself, I replied,
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  Speaker 1: but anything is better than slavery. From below us came
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  Speaker 1: the voices of the coal cars in angry altercation. Mogo
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  Speaker 1: picked up a fragment of rock, and, leaning over the
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  Speaker 1: edge of the crater, threw it down among them. I
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  Speaker 1: got one, he said, turning to me with a laugh,
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  Speaker 1: tumbled off into nothing. They hate that. They believe that
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  Speaker 1: there is no reincarnation for those who fall into a crater.
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  Speaker 1: Do you think that they will try to follow us,
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  Speaker 1: I asked, no. He said, they will be afraid to
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  Speaker 1: use their poles here for a long time, lest we
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  Speaker 1: should be in the neighborhood and shove them off into
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  Speaker 1: the crater. I will drop another rock down if any
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  Speaker 1: of them are in sight, and then we will go
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  Speaker 1: upon our way. I do not fear them here in
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  Speaker 1: the hills anyway. There is always plenty of broken stone
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  Speaker 1: upon the level places, and we have laid or trained
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  Speaker 1: to use it most effectively. Almost as far as I
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  Speaker 1: can go, I can score hid. The coll cars had
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  Speaker 1: withdrawn into the tunnel, so Mogo lost his opportunity to
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  Speaker 1: despatch another, and presently turned away from the crater and
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  Speaker 1: set out into the mountains, I following close behind. I
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  Speaker 1: can assure you that I felt much better now that
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  Speaker 1: I was armed with a spear and a knife. And
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  Speaker 1: as we walked I practiced casting stones at Motor's suggestion
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  Speaker 1: and under his instruction, until I became rather proficient in
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  Speaker 1: the art. I shall not weary you with the narration
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  Speaker 1: of our journey to Lathe. How long it took, I
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  Speaker 1: do not know. It may have consumed a day, a week,
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  Speaker 1: a month, for time seemed quite a meaningless term in Vana.
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  Speaker 1: But at length, after clambering laboriously from the bottom of
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  Speaker 1: a steep gorge, we stood upon the edge of a
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  Speaker 1: rolling plateau, and at some little distance beheld what at
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  Speaker 1: first appeared to be a cone shaped mountain, rising fully
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  Speaker 1: a mile into the air above the surface of the plateau.
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  Speaker 1: There cried, Mocho is Lathe. The crater where lies the
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  Speaker 1: entrance to the tunnel leading to the city is beyond it.
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  Speaker 1: As we approached the city, the base of which we
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  Speaker 1: must skirt in order to reach the crater beyond, I
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  Speaker 1: was able to obtain a better idea of the dimensions
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  Speaker 1: and methods of construction of this great interior lular city,
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  Speaker 1: the base of which was roughly circular and about six
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  Speaker 1: miles in diameter, ranging from a few hundred to a
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  Speaker 1: thousand feet above the level of the plateau. The base
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  Speaker 1: of the city appeared to be the outer wall of
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  Speaker 1: an ancient extinct volcano, the entire summit of which had
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  Speaker 1: been blown off during some terrific eruption of a bygone age.
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  Speaker 1: Upon this base, the ancient Lathians had commenced the construction
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  Speaker 1: of their city, the houses of which rose one upon another,
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  Speaker 1: as did those of the Colcar city from which we
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  Speaker 1: had just escaped. The great age of Lathe was attested
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  Speaker 1: by the tremendous height to which these superimposed buildings had
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  Speaker 1: arisen the loftiest wall of Lathe, now rising fully a
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  Speaker 1: mile above the floor of the plateau. Narrow terraces encircled
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  Speaker 1: the periphery of the towering city, and as we approached
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  Speaker 1: more closely, I saw doors and windows opening upon the terraces,
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  Speaker 1: and figures moving to and fro the whole, resembling closely
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  Speaker 1: an enormous hive of bees. When we had reached a
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  Speaker 1: point near the base of the city, I saw that
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  Speaker 1: we had been discovered, for directly above us there were
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  Speaker 1: people at various points who were unquestionably looking down at
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  Speaker 1: us and commenting upon us. They have seen us from above.
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  Speaker 1: I said to Mogo, why don't you hail them? They
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  Speaker 1: take us for call cars. He replied, it is easier
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  Speaker 1: for us to enter the city by way of the tunnel,
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  Speaker 1: for I shall have no difficulty in establishing my identity
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  Speaker 1: if they think we are call cars, I said, will
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  Speaker 1: they not attack us? No, he replied, call cars often
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  Speaker 1: pass laid. If they do not try to enter the city,
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  Speaker 1: we do not molest them. Your people fear them, then,
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  Speaker 1: I asked, it practically amounts to that. He replied. They
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  Speaker 1: greatly outnumber us, perhaps a thousand to one, and as
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  Speaker 1: there without justice, mercy or honor, we try not to
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  Speaker 1: antagonize them unnecessarily. We came at length to the mouth
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  Speaker 1: of the crater, and here Mogo looked to the rope
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  Speaker 1: about the base of a small tree growing close to
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  Speaker 1: the rim, and slipped down to the opening of the
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  Speaker 1: tunnel directly beneath. I followed his example, and when I
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  Speaker 1: was beside him, Mogo pulled the rope in coiled it
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  Speaker 1: about his waist, and we set off along the passageway
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  Speaker 1: leading toward Lathe. After my long series of adventures with
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  Speaker 1: unfriendly people in Vana, I had somewhat the sensation of
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  Speaker 1: one returning home after a long absence. For Mogo had
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  Speaker 1: assured me that the people of Lathe would receive me
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  Speaker 1: well and that I should be treated as a friend.
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  Speaker 1: He even assured me that he would procure for me
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  Speaker 1: a good berth in the service of Kota. My greatest
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  Speaker 1: regret now was for Nailah, and that she was not
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  Speaker 1: my companion instead of Mogo. I was quite sure that
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  Speaker 1: she was lost, for had she escaped falling back into
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  Speaker 1: the crater outside the Cochar city, I doubted that she
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  Speaker 1: could successfully have found a way to Lathe. My heart
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  Speaker 1: had been heavy since we had been separated, and I
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  Speaker 1: had come to realize that the friendship of this little
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  Speaker 1: moon maid had meant a great deal more to me
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  Speaker 1: than I had thought. I could scarcely think of her
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  Speaker 1: now without a lump coming into my throat, for it
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  Speaker 1: seemed cruel, indeed, that one so young and lovely should
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  Speaker 1: have met so untimely an end. The distance between the
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  Speaker 1: crater and the city of Lathe is not great, and
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  Speaker 1: presently we came directly out upon the lower terrace within
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  Speaker 1: the city. This terrace is at the very grim of
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  Speaker 1: the crater around which Lathe is built, and here we
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  Speaker 1: ran directly into the arms of a force of about
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  Speaker 1: fifty warriors. Mogo emerged from the tunnel with his far
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  Speaker 1: grasped in both hands high above his head, the point
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  Speaker 1: toward the rear, and I likewise, since he had cautioned
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  Speaker 1: me to do so. So surprised were the warriors to
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  Speaker 1: see any creatures emerge in this tunnel, which had been
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  Speaker 1: so long disused, that we were likely to have been
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  Speaker 1: slain before they realized that we had come before them
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  Speaker 1: with a signal of peace. The guard that is maintained
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  Speaker 1: at the inner opening of the tunnel is considered by
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  Speaker 1: the Lathians as more or less of an honorary assignment,
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  Speaker 1: the duties of which are performed perfunctorily. What do you hear, Kalkcars,
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  Speaker 1: exclaimed the commander of the Guard. We are not Kalkars,
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  Speaker 1: replied my companion. I am Mogo, the Paladar, and this
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  Speaker 1: be my friend. Can it be that you, Kovo the Commandarre,
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  Speaker 1: do not know me, ah, cried the commander of the Guard.
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  Speaker 1: It is indeed, Mogo the Paladar. You have been given
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  Speaker 1: up as lost. I was lost. Indeed, had it not
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  Speaker 1: been for this, my friend, replied Mogo, nodding his head
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  Speaker 1: in my direction. I was captured by the Calcars and
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  Speaker 1: incarcerated in city number three hundred thirty seven. You escaped
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  Speaker 1: from a Kalkhar city, exclaimed Kovo, in evident incredulity. That
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  Speaker 1: is impossible. It has never been accomplished. But we did
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  Speaker 1: accomplish it, replied Mogo, thanks to my friend here. And
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  Speaker 1: then he narrated briefly to Kobo the details of our escape.
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  Speaker 1: It scarce seems possible, commented the Lathian when Mogo had
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  Speaker 1: completed his narrative. And what may be the name of
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  Speaker 1: your friend Morogo, and from what country did you say
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  Speaker 1: he came? He calls himself ju Lenfitt, replied Mogo, for
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  Speaker 1: that was as near as he could come to the
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  Speaker 1: pronunciation of my name. And so it was that as
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  Speaker 1: Julan Fit, I was known to the Lathians as long
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  Speaker 1: as I remained among them. They thought that fifth which
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  Speaker 1: they pronounced fit was a title similar to one of
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  Speaker 1: those which always followed the name of its possessor in Lathe,
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  Speaker 1: as Sagrath, Pajemadar or Emperor Kovo the Kamadar, a title
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  Speaker 1: which corresponds closely to that of the English duke and
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  Speaker 1: Mogo the Paladar or count. And so to humor them,
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  Speaker 1: I told them that it meant the same as their
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  Speaker 1: Javadar or prince. I was thereafter called sometimes Judan Fit
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  Speaker 1: and sometimes Julan Javadar, as the spirit moved him who
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  Speaker 1: addressed me. At Mogo's suggestion, Kovo the Kamadar detailed a
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  Speaker 1: number of his men to accompany us to Mogo's dwelling,
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  Speaker 1: lest we have difficulty in passing through the city. In
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  Speaker 1: our kalkhar Garb. As we had stood talking with Kovo.
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  Speaker 1: My eyes had been taking in the interior sights of
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  Speaker 1: this lower city. The crater about which lay this built
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: appeared to be between three and four miles in width.
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  Speaker 1: The buildings facing it, and rising terrace upon terrace to
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  Speaker 1: a height of a mile at least, were much more
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  Speaker 1: elaborate of architecture and far richer in carving than those
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  Speaker 1: of the Kalkar City number three hundred thirty seven. The
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  Speaker 1: terraces were broad and well cultivated, and as we ascended
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  Speaker 1: toward Mogo's dwelling, I saw that much pains had been
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  Speaker 1: taken to elaborately landscape, many of them there being pools
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  Speaker 1: and brivulets and waterfalls. In numerous places, as in the
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  Speaker 1: Kalkar city, there were dagas fattening for food in little
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  Speaker 1: groups upon various terraces. They were sleek and fat, and
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  Speaker 1: appeared contented, and I learned later that they were perfectly
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  Speaker 1: satisfied with their lot, having no more conception of the
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  Speaker 1: purpose for which they were bred, for the faith that
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  Speaker 1: awaited them than have the beef cattle of earth. The
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  Speaker 1: Yucas of Lathe have induced this mental state in their
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  Speaker 1: vaga's herbs by a process of careful selection covering a
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  Speaker 1: period of ages, possibly during which time they have conscientiously
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  Speaker 1: selected for breeding purposes the most stupid and unimaginative members
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  Speaker 1: of their herds. At Mogo's dwelling, we were warmly greeted
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  Speaker 1: by the members of his family, his father, mother, and
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  Speaker 1: two sisters, all of whom, like the other Latians I
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  Speaker 1: had seen, were of striking appearance. The men were straight
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  Speaker 1: and handsome, the women physically perfect and of great beauty.
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  Speaker 1: I could see in the affectionate greetings which they exchanged
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  Speaker 1: an indication of a family life and ties similar to
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  Speaker 1: those which are most common upon Earth, while their gracious
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  Speaker 1: and hospitable reception of me marked them as people of
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  Speaker 1: highly refined sensibilities. First of all, they must hear Mogo's story,
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  Speaker 1: and then, after having congratulated us and praised us, they
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  Speaker 1: set about preparing baths and fresh apparel for us, in
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  Speaker 1: which they were assisted by a corps of servants descendants.
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  Speaker 1: I was told of the faithful servitors who had remained
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  Speaker 1: loyal to the noble classes and accompanied them in their exile.
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  Speaker 1: We rested for a short time after our baths, and
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  Speaker 1: then Mogo announced that he must go be for Kota
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  Speaker 1: to whom it was necessary that a report, and that
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  Speaker 1: he would take me with him. I was appareled now
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  Speaker 1: in raiment befitting my supposed rank, and carried the weapons
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  Speaker 1: of a Lathian gentleman, a short lance or javelin, a dagger,
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: and a sword. But with my relatively darker skin and
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  Speaker 1: my blonde hair, I could never hope to be often
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  Speaker 1: an object of remark in any Lathian company. Owing to
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: the color of my hair, some of them thought that
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: I was a caalcar but upon this score my complexion
• 14:32
  Speaker 1: set them right. Koto's dwelling was indeed princely, stretching along
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  Speaker 1: a broad terrace for fully a quarter of a mile,
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  Speaker 1: with its two stories and its numerous towers and minarets.
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  Speaker 1: The entire face of the building was elaborately and beautifully carved,
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  Speaker 1: the decorations in their entirety, recording pictographically the salient features
• 14:54
  Speaker 1: of the lives of Kroto's ancestors. Armed nobles stood on
• 14:59
  Speaker 1: either side of the mass of entrance way, and long
• 15:02
  Speaker 1: before we reached this lunar prince, I realized that possibly
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  Speaker 1: he was more difficult to approach than one of earthly art.
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: But at last we were ushered into his presence, and Mogo,
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  Speaker 1: with the utmost deference, presented me to Koto the Javadar.
• 15:17
  Speaker 1: Having assumed a princely title and princely raymond. I chose
• 15:21
  Speaker 1: to assume princely provocatives as well, believing that my position
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  Speaker 1: among the Lathians would be better assured and all my
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  Speaker 1: interests further if they thought me of royal blood. And
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: so I acknowledged my introduction to Kota as though we
• 15:36
  Speaker 1: were equals, and that he was being presented to me
• 15:39
  Speaker 1: upon the same footing that I was being presented to him.
• 15:44
  Speaker 1: I found him, like all his fellows, a handsome man,
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: but with a slightly sinister expression which I did not like.
• 15:52
  Speaker 1: Possibly I was prejudiced against him from what Naillah had
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: told me. Let be that as it may, I conceived
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  Speaker 1: a dislike and distrusts for him the moment that I
• 16:01
  Speaker 1: laid eyes upon him. And I think too that he
• 16:03
  Speaker 1: must have sensed my attitude, for though he was outwardly
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  Speaker 1: gracious and courteous, I believe that Kota the Javadar never
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  Speaker 1: liked me. It is true that he insisted upon allotting
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: me quarters within his palace, and that he gave me
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  Speaker 1: service high among his followers, but I was at that
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  Speaker 1: time a novelty among them, and Kota was not alone
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  Speaker 1: among the royalty who would have been glad to have
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  Speaker 1: entertained me and showered favors upon me, precisely as to
• 16:32
  Speaker 1: earth men when a title, stranger, or famous man from
• 16:36
  Speaker 1: another land comes to their country. Although I did not
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: care for him, I was not loath to accept his hospitality,
• 16:43
  Speaker 1: since I felt that because of my friendship for Na'illah,
• 16:47
  Speaker 1: I owed all my loyalty to Sagrata Jamadar, and if
• 16:51
  Speaker 1: by placing myself in the camp of the enemy, I
• 16:53
  Speaker 1: might serve the father of Naillah, I was justified in
• 16:57
  Speaker 1: so doing. I found myself in a rather peculiar position
• 17:01
  Speaker 1: in the palace of Kotah, since I was supposed to
• 17:04
  Speaker 1: know little or nothing of internal condition in Lathe, and
• 17:08
  Speaker 1: yet had learned from both Na'illah and Mogo a great
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: deal concerning the intrigues and politics of this smaller city.
• 17:15
  Speaker 1: For example, I was not supposed to know of the
• 17:18
  Speaker 1: existence of Nailah. Not even did Mogo know that I
• 17:23
  Speaker 1: had heard of her, and so until her name was mentioned,
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  Speaker 1: I could ask no questions concerning her, though I was
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  Speaker 1: anxious indeed to discover if by any miracle of chance,
• 17:33
  Speaker 1: she had returned in safety to Laithe, or if ought
• 17:36
  Speaker 1: have been learned concerning her fate. Kotah held me in
• 17:41
  Speaker 1: conversation for a considerable period of time, asking many questions
• 17:45
  Speaker 1: concerning Earth and my voyage from that planet the moon.
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  Speaker 1: I knew that he was skeptical, and yet he was
• 17:53
  Speaker 1: a man of such intelligence as to realize that there
• 17:56
  Speaker 1: must be something in the universe beyond his understanding. Or no,
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  Speaker 1: his eyes told him that I was not a native
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  Speaker 1: of Vana, and his ears must have corroborated the testimony
• 18:07
  Speaker 1: of his eyes. For try as I would, I never
• 18:09
  Speaker 1: was able to master the van Nahan language so that
• 18:12
  Speaker 1: I could pass for a native. At the close of
• 18:15
  Speaker 1: our interview, Kotah announced that Mogo would also remain in
• 18:19
  Speaker 1: quarters in the palace, suggesting that if it was agreeable
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: to me, my companion should share my apartments with me.
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  Speaker 1: Nothing would give me greater pleasure, Kotar Jabadar, I said,
• 18:30
  Speaker 1: than to have my good friend Mobo the Paladar always
• 18:33
  Speaker 1: with me. Excellent, exclaimed Kotan, you must both be fatigued
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  Speaker 1: go therefore to your apartments and rest. Presently. I will
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  Speaker 1: repair to the palace of the Jemadar with my court,
• 18:45
  Speaker 1: and you will be notified in sufficient time to prepare
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  Speaker 1: yourselves to accompany me. The audience was at an end,
• 18:52
  Speaker 1: and we were led by nobles of Kota's palace to
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  Speaker 1: our apartments, which lay upon the second floor in pleasant rooms,
• 18:59
  Speaker 1: over the terraces down to the brink of the great
• 19:02
  Speaker 1: yawning crater below. Until I threw myself upon the soft
• 19:07
  Speaker 1: mattress that served as a bed for me, I had
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: not realized how physically exhausted I had been. Scarcely had
• 19:14
  Speaker 1: I permitted myself to relax in the luxurious ease which
• 19:17
  Speaker 1: preceded sleep. Ere I was plunged into profound slumber, which
• 19:22
  Speaker 1: must have endured for a considerable time, since when I
• 19:25
  Speaker 1: awoke I was completely refreshed. Mogo was already up and
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: in the bath, a marble affair fed by a continuous
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: supply of icy water which originated among the ice clad
• 19:37
  Speaker 1: peaks of the higher mountains behind Lathe. The bather had
• 19:41
  Speaker 1: no soap, but used rough fiber gloves with which he
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: rubbed the surface of his skin until it glowed. These
• 19:48
  Speaker 1: baths rather took one's breath away, but amply repaid for
• 19:51
  Speaker 1: the shop by the sensation of exhilaration and well being
• 19:55
  Speaker 1: which resulted from them. In addition to private baths in
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: each dwelling, each terrace supported a public bath in which men,
• 20:03
  Speaker 1: women and children disported themselves, recalling to my mind the
• 20:07
  Speaker 1: ancient Roman baths which earthly history records. The baths of
• 20:12
  Speaker 1: the Jemadar, which I was later to see in the
• 20:14
  Speaker 1: Palace of Sakraf, were marvels of beauty and luxury. Here,
• 20:19
  Speaker 1: when the emperor entertained, his guests amused themselves by swimming
• 20:23
  Speaker 1: and diving, which from what I have been able to judge,
• 20:26
  Speaker 1: are the national sports of the Lathians. The Kalkars care
• 20:30
  Speaker 1: less for the water, while the Vadas only enter it
• 20:33
  Speaker 1: through necessity. I followed Mogo in the bath, in which
• 20:37
  Speaker 1: my first sensation was that I was freezing to death.
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: While we were dressing, a messenger, Vankota, summoned us to
• 20:45
  Speaker 1: his presence with instructions that we were to be prepared
• 20:48
  Speaker 1: to accompany him to the Palace of Sagraf. The Jemadar
• 20:52
  Speaker 1: end of Chapter eleven, recorded by Thomas Copeland,