Chapter XI: The City and Its Welcome

“My friends,” began Carmichael in an almost trembling voice, “there is no need for me to tell you that the supreme hour has come at last. All that we have dared and anything we may have suffered has led up to this, and we may put it behind us. Before us now lies the solemn duty of doing the right thing for two worlds and so acting that we shall not make our return home impossible, for if we do we only benefit ourselves. Now the first thing to face is the initial peril, the greatest as well as the nearest. A glance suffices to show us that force is out of the question, and that we cannot play the part of demi-gods even if we wished to. How, then, shall we best and most wisely disclose ourselves to those people, who of course cannot speak a word of any language with which we are familiar, whose manners are as unknown to us as their weapons, and who may even have totally different ideas as to both justice and mercy from any terrestrial races.”

“You state a big problem, Professor,” replied Carysfort, “but I think it will conduce to simplify it if we decide first of all whether we shall boldly venture into their midst or approach them in deferential guise.”

“Stick to our good old machine, that is my advice,” said Abercromby; “if they have artillery or other contrivances to blow us up they can the more easily destroy us piecemeal if we take a walking tour and present ourselves as solitary wayfarers.”

“That cannot be thought of,” said Carmichael. “The choice lies between soaring towards the city in the air, or pitching quite near to it and keeping close to the Asteroid.”

“A thought occurs to me,” said Radcliffe, “that it might not be a bad plan to entrench ourselves where we are, but not to leave them to find us out, which would be cowardice, but to signal to them and make them send a deputation to us. This would force them to show whether they meant to be friendly or hostile.”

“Excellent, capital!” said Frank Abercromby. “But what signals do you propose?”

“The rockets,” answered Radcliffe.

“I think the idea is feasible and also wise,” said the Professor thoughtfully. “Its chief merit lies in this, that but a small number can come to us in this elevated place, whereas if we went to the city we should have the whole multitude upon our hands. The going to the city or encamping near to it might well suggest to them hostilities, whereas our signalling to them could not be regarded in such a light.”

The decision having been taken, it only remained for them to put it into execution, and this they resolved to do at once. Having seen to their arms and ammunition, the rocket apparatus was placed in readiness, and the first rocket was discharged by the Professor. It rose into the sky with a loud explosion, and the fiery train must have been visible to every part of the city. A few minutes later a second rocket was discharged and after that a third.

“These must suffice,” said he; “we must not waste our supply.”

Some little time elapsed during which the party closely examined every part of the scene before them with the help of their telescopes. They were too far off to make out the inhabitants, but they could gain clear information as to the houses. The architecture was somewhat Oriental in character, though Radcliffe thought that it bore a resemblance to the accounts given of ancient Mexico and Peru in the histories of Prescott. There were broad streets and squares with fountains and gardens in the midst; the larger houses were of very imposing aspect. There seemed no evidence of squalor or poverty anywhere, but of affluence and repose. In fact, _repose_ was one of the prevailing features.

It was a veritable garden city or pleasure city; there was neither hurry nor tumult. They noted also an utter absence of fortification or military defence. Either the Venusians had no enemies on their planet who could molest them, or they had concealed weapons and resources that rendered visible precautions needless.

Suddenly they all noticed a small object rise up like a bird upon the wing from the terrace of a huge palace on the top of the highest hill. It was evidently coming towards them, and that rapidly.

“An airship I declare,” cried Abercromby. “That, then, was the object that gave us such a fright the other evening.”

The flying vessel came nearer and nearer; it was more graceful and ethereal than the Asteroid, though the machinery by which it was propelled was much the same in character. It had no outer balcony, nor did it seem to carry any weapons. It slowed down within a few yards of them, and then a click was heard, a panelled door flew open, and two beings alighted, evidently a man and a woman. They were about the same height as average terrestrials; they had a pale complexion with a slight yellowish tinge; their dress was simple, a flowing classical-like drapery with a girdle of crimson. They wore upon their heads tiaras of gold, while the woman’s head was adorned with a coronet. Each carried in the hand a small tube of green-coloured metal.

Carmichael, motioning to the others to stand back, while keeping his hand upon his revolver in case of need, stepped forward, bowing and smiling, and making every demonstration of peace and goodwill. The two Venusians did not reciprocate his advances; their whole bearing was haughty and aloof.

The Professor spoke a few words, and tried the expedient of leading forward each of his companions and presenting them.

The strangers conversed rapidly with each other in a very musical and harmonious language. The man was rather eager and excited, the woman haughty and stern. Suddenly she raised the tube in her hand and pointed it at the Professor.

Radcliffe sprang forward and interposed to shield him, guessing the deadly intent. At this she lowered the weapon and said a few words to her companion. He nodded, and she pointed the green metal tube not at them but at a tall tree a little to the right; a faint flash followed, and suddenly the tree stood blasted before them as by a stroke of lightning. A cry broke from the party and all drew their revolvers; but Radcliffe spoke an earnest word and, taking his own weapon, he laid it upon the ground. This was understood, and the two Venusians replaced their metal tubes in their girdles.

They paused a moment, then they made signs to Radcliffe to approach them. The man took the hand he stretched out and grasped it; the woman would not, but her lips parted into the semblance of a smile which at least denoted a relaxing of enmity. Struck by a thought, the Professor hurried to fetch a large map of the solar system with all the planets and their orbits clearly marked. Radcliffe held this out to the Venusians, who took it and examined it with the greatest interest, making frequent comments one to the other.

Abercromby, who would have made his fortune on the stage, then went through a pantomimic performance to describe the purpose of the expedition and the course which it had taken. The Venusians looked on, till the man grew impatient and the woman more and more scornful.

Suddenly Radcliffe pointed to the map, and described with his pencil the journey of the Asteroid from the earth to Venus. He took a sheet of white paper and drew sketches of Venus as a planet and of the Asteroid approaching her. The Venusians were now intensely interested, and even pressed him by signs to tell them more. He went on for another quarter of an hour, till they signified that they had heard enough. They did not condescend to take further notice of the others, but shook hands with him, this time both of them, pointed once and again in the direction of their city, stepped into their machine, and instantly took to flight, returning in the same direction as that in which they had come.

* * * * *

“A queer business this,” said Abercromby. “You were evidently in high esteem, Radcliffe, old man; that amiable female meant to put daylight through us, as the Americans say, if you had not curried favour.”

“Abercromby, don’t be jealous,” said Carysfort; “some other Venusian maid will fall in love with you if you have a little patience and do not expect to take a whole planet by storm.”

“I’m not a bit jealous,” said Abercromby, “only Radcliffe captivated both the jokers, and did not leave us even the man.”

“Well, he saved all our lives, except at the expense of a deed which would have aroused the whole world against us,” replied the Professor. “But we must now decide, and quickly, upon what is to be done next.”

“Follow them to the city, as they pointed the way to it,” said Radcliffe.

“I think we had better do so,” answered Carmichael; “their gestures certainly wore the aspect of invitation, if not of command.”

“I scarcely think we are very sure of a friendly reception,” observed the engineer, “and yet if we stay here, they will hunt us out, or capture us by main force.”

“Where is Jackson?” asked Carmichael.

“Down in the store-room,” said Abercromby sarcastically. “When the Venusians got ready their shots he bethought himself that the kettle wanted watching. My old grandfather, who used to dine on board ship with Charlie Napier and the other paladins of the ‘roaring fifties,’ once heard a naval captain tell a story of how a black cook ran down into the stoke-hole as soon as the French or the Russians commenced firing. Well, the officer hauled him up on deck and rated him for a cowardly rascal. The nigger was equal to the occasion. ‘Good heart, massa!’ he said; ‘good heart! bad legs, massa, bad legs! Legs run away with the heart!’”

Carmichael laughed, and then the whole party got inside the Asteroid, and the engines being set in motion, they rose high into the air and winged a straight flight to the great city.

As a measure of prudence, the Professor raised the altitude of the Asteroid a mile above the ground, and shaped his course for the terraced building on the hill. They could see vast multitudes pouring out of the houses and standing, pointing with upraised arms to the machine, and watching intently its every movement.

At last the great palace lay below them, and they slowly descended till they alighted upon the ground in the courtyard. Hardly had they done so when excited crowds of men and women came rushing forth.

In a moment, before the travellers had had time to give explanations by signs, they were seized by furious hands, their weapons struck from them, and they would soon have been torn in pieces had not two officials, in gorgeous attire, thrust their way forward and spoken some words in a high and authoritative tone. Then the crowd fell back, still uttering such cries of rage and fury that they expected each moment would be their last. But the officers of the court kept their authority, and Carmichael, Carysfort, Abercromby, and Radcliffe were led into an adjoining room, where their hands were tightly bound, and they were bidden to follow. They were then dragged along a number of passages till they arrived at last before a door which, on being opened, led into a small quadrangle open to the sky, with a few shrubs and flowers growing in the centre, and several rooms opening into it, one large, the others small. Then the officers released them from their fetters and immediately departed.

* * * * *

The first thing the ill-fated travellers did when the door closed upon them was to count their numbers, and then they made the startling discovery that there was one missing.

“Where is Jackson?” asked the Professor, in a transport of alarm.

“Don’t trouble about him,” said Carysfort; “he is safe in the machine.”

“Good heavens! How came we to leave him?” said the Professor.

“He is better off than we are,” remarked Carysfort; “he has the means of escape, while we are trapped.”

“I suppose the next event will be the lord high executioner,” muttered Abercromby. “Why were we such idiots as not to stick to the Asteroid?”

“Well, it is done now,” replied Carmichael; “but remember that with their weapons, of which we have had a sample already, they could have not only destroyed us but wrecked the Asteroid as well. A mob hammering at the windows could soon have effected an entrance. But if I _did_ lose my head for a minute, I can only ask your forgiveness. As to poor Jackson, he is free to do what we did not or could not do, and I think he will have had sense enough to get away and loyalty enough not to go away altogether. Anyway, God alone can protect us now.”

“I, who have the least interest in living,” said Radcliffe, “beg you all not to give up hope. Just consider, even if the Venusians had come down upon London and smashed the dome of St. Paul’s, English justice would not kill them without full enquiry, and all the scientists in the world would clamour for their lives to learn what secrets they had to tell. So it will be with us, depend upon it; we shall be allowed to live, though I fear we shall never be allowed to return. For your sakes, and for the world’s sake, I am deeply sorry, though personally I would prefer to live here till the call comes to go where the wicked cease from troubling and where the weary are at rest.”

Abercromby was just about to expatiate on the better prospects they might have had in Mars when the door opened, and some men appeared bearing food and drink upon a large platter. This done, they retired, without a word, though it would have been of little use to have attempted conversation.

“I believe we shall be kept alive till we have learned their blessed language,” muttered Abercromby; “and we had better assume at once that it takes as long to learn it as Chinese. Meantime we can grow fat at the Government expense. I wonder who bosses the show here, whether king, queen, president, or council of elders. Also whether Free-trade or Protection is in the ascendant?”

But poor Abercromby’s jokes fell very flat upon the weary and dispirited men, who ate their meal and then stretched themselves upon the none too luxurious couches provided for them and fell asleep, wishing they could wake up to hear the waves beat upon Northumbria’s shore in their Cullercoats lodging or in the lonely house at Newbiggin.

Two days passed in the same miserable uncertainty. Three times during each day they were waited on by silent attendants; their food was of the nature of dough cakes, and their drink was of a light kind of fruity wine, very palatable but somewhat disposed to bring on a state of drowsiness if they partook too freely of it.

They were at full liberty to promenade the courtyard, and to wander in and out of the adjoining rooms. They scarcely ever caught sounds from the outside world, except, now and again, the singing of birds.

But one day, just after they had risen, they heard Abercromby calling them from the parlour or dining-room in tones hoarse with excitement. He was holding in his hand a number of sheets of paper.

“Come here, all of you, and solve this riddle for me. I want you to prove to my own private satisfaction that I am neither mad nor drunk.”

“What have you got there?” said Carysfort. “Why! bless my stars! this is some of our manuscript paper from the Asteroid. Where did you find it?”

“On the table here, staring me in the face.”

The Professor took up the sheets, scanned them very carefully, and then said, “This is an alphabet of the Venusian language, and here are lists of Venusian words and phrases. Now we see that Radcliffe’s theory is quite correct. This is our first lesson in the language, and it will no doubt be followed by many others. It is clear now that our lives are safe, till we are able to render a complete account of our unlucky selves, and perhaps afterwards, if we give satisfaction.”

“That is all very well so far as it goes, Professor,” replied Abercromby, “and it is a great convenience and a skilful piece of work. But one thing seems for a moment to have escaped your notice.”

“What is that?” asked Carmichael quickly.

“Where the dickens does the English come from and who holds the chair of terrestrial languages in this planet’s university?”

“Forgive me, Abercromby; for the moment I was so taken up with the personal aspect of this discovery that I forgot the more amazing side of it. Now am I utterly thunderstruck, and have not a word to say.”

“Of all the things that have befallen us since we left the earth this transcends every one of them,” replied the engineer.

Radcliffe ventured the remark that the Venusians must have taken possession of the Asteroid and stolen the paper, or else poor Jackson must have been compelled to give it up.

The Professor admitted that this was quite possible, but it did not elucidate the amazing problem of how English could be known in Venus.

The Professor sat with his head buried in his hands. Radcliffe took up the paper and scrutinised each of the English words.

“There are but three suppositions,” remarked Carmichael at length. “One, that some Englishman or American has forestalled us. This, I think, is absurd; the very attitude of the people is opposed to it. Another, that the Venusians possess powers unknown to man and can master other forms of speech at will. But, if that were so, they might talk to us at once. There is one theory more--pure and absolute miracle--the act of God. On this I am too reverent by nature to offer any criticism. I confess myself to have received as astounding a shock to my intellect as our casualty has dealt to our liberty and our hopes.”