Chapter XVI: We View the Hidden City

“Shall I make coffee?” I heard Paul ask.

Opening my eyes I found the sun streaming through the barred window. The others except Archie and Pedro were awake.

As if to answer our leader’s question steps were heard on the marble floor of the passage outside. Bars were removed, the door swung open and in came four soldiers bearing our breakfast.

This consisted of fresh sweet milk, a plentiful supply of fruits, including peaches, dates and melons, and a quantity of excellent bread made into small loaves and baked with a hard crust.

I made a mental examination of these strange people as they arranged the food upon the table. Their complexions were much fairer than my own, which was well browned by sun and weather; yet they lived in a tropical climate. Every Tcha we had seen so far had red hair, and I may as well add that every Tcha we saw afterward, male and female, possessed red hair, with its invariable accompaniment of blue eyes. They were very careful of their personal appearance, being as neat as wax from head to toe. The casques of these soldiers, who also acted as police—they were called “public guardians”—were formed of plates of gold hardened by means of some alloy.

As soon as they had performed their duties these men withdrew, leaving us to gather round the golden table, pouring milk from a golden tankard into golden goblets and eating from golden plates. All these utensils were skillfully engraved with conventional decorative designs, no figures or landscapes being used whatever. Around the base of the tankard was set a row of brilliant red stones which Paul after examination pronounced rubies of almost priceless purity and size.

“There’s almost enough wealth here in this room,” he said, “to repay us for coming.”

“Then let’s take it and go,” I suggested.

“_Can_ we go?” inquired Chaka.

Not just then, I realized perfectly.

After giving us ample time for our breakfast the young officer reappeared. He was accompanied by a single soldier bearing over his arm a number of white togas.

“I am commanded to take the strangers before the Tribunal,” he announced.

“Very well,” said Paul. “We are ready to go.”

“You must go unarmed.”

At a signal from Allerton we laid down our guns and revolvers, drew our knives and placed all in a heap upon the floor. We stuck to the electrites.

“Remove your flying clothes,” commanded the officer.

“We refuse to do that,” said Paul, firmly.

“You must go before the Tribunal naked, save for these robes I have brought,” was the stern decree.

Paul smiled and sat down indifferently upon a sofa.

“Then we won’t go,” said he. “You must remember, my good man, that our customs are not the same as your own. We are neither your prisoners nor your slaves, but your guests. We will submit to no indignities at your hands, sir. If you so desire, we will wear the robes you have brought, but only over our other garments.”

The officer bowed, turned on his heel and left the room, his attendant following.

“That’s the way to treat ’em,” cried Archie, jubilantly. “When they find we’re not to be bulldozed they’ll show us more respect.”

Not many of us were so optimistic. I did not like the look on the officer’s face as he retired.

“He has probably gone to report and receive further orders,” said Paul, a bit anxiously. “I think I was right to be so positive, but it is hard to judge these people. One thing is certain, we mustn’t give up our electrites or gas-jackets. If it comes to open war at any time I am confident these devices will save us and permit us to escape.”

We all fully agreed with him in this, and having planned and discussed our actions in case of emergencies we settled down to wait, as patiently as might be, the course of events.

Suddenly a shutter swung across the window with a click, shutting out the light and leaving us in darkness. I felt my way to the cord, drew the mask from before the electric lamp and so lighted the room artificially.

“I wonder what that was for?” exclaimed Paul, uneasily, as we all stared at the shutter before the window. “Can you explain it, brother?”

Chaka shook his head. “The Tcha queer people. It is not easy to understand them,” he said.

A fragrance, as of some delightful perfume, was now wafted to our nostrils from some hidden source. We all noticed this, but no one made any remark at first. The perfume grew stronger, presently, and more pungent. I was sitting on a couch and threw myself back against the cushions, feeling drowsy and inert. My eyes closed; I felt a delicious sense of oblivion stealing over me. Somewhere out of space I heard Paul’s voice saying:

“Resist it! resist this fatal essence, or we are lost!”

I had no especial desire to resist anything. Just then I felt entirely comfortable and contented. Dreams were coming to me; dreams rose-colored and sweet. I wandered in cool forests, picking brilliant wild flowers and listening to the songs of birds. The songsters were Birds of Paradise, superbly plumed, and they sat on the branches of trees and talked, as well as sang, telling me pretty fables. Other delights I enjoyed, wading in a clear brook and catching fishes in a straw hat, as I once did as a small boy. Then I leaped upon a green bank and raced up and down in thoughtless glee.

Some one caught me and began shaking me with no gentle hand.

“Sam! Sam, my lad! Wake up—wake up!”

In much disgust at being disturbed I opened my eyes. Sunshine again in the room. The shutter had been removed from the window. Joe was bending anxiously over me, while black Nux fanned me gently.

The dream dissolved. I sat up, quickly recovering my wits.

All but Nux and Joe were still asleep under the influence of the powerful narcotic which had filled the room. I ran to Paul and began to shake and fan him. Joe tackled Archie and Nux tried to restore Chaka. Bry came to unassisted and presently joined us.

Five minutes later we had all recovered and sat staring at one another in bewilderment. There was no trace of headache or other bodily ill-effect from our enforced loss of consciousness; but a far greater misfortune had overtaken us.

We had been stripped naked while we slept and all our equipment and outfit, defensive and aggressive, including the four chests, had been taken from us.

We were helpless prisoners in the hidden city of the Tcha.

Whatever confidence in ourselves we had felt before we endured this irreparable loss was now reduced to a minimum. I am quite sure there was not a coward among us, as the term is generally understood; but our present predicament was serious enough to make the bravest of the brave anxious and despondent.

We said nothing for a time. There was nothing to say. Archie, who usually grumbled and complained, now startled us by an abrupt laugh.

“What fools we were to think we could outwit these Tcha,” he said, in a voice that was positively cheerful. “They haven’t been hidden from the world all these thousands of years without getting a little civilized in their own way; and, by jinks! it was as clever a dodge as I ever heard of. No threats, no force, no back-talk. They laid down the law to us, and found we wouldn’t agree to it. So they made us come to time, in the pleasantest possible manner. They deserve to win, those fellows. Hurrah for the Tcha!”

“I’m inclined to think,” said Allerton, with a sigh, “it’s all up with us now. I’m sorry, lads, that I drew you into this trap.”

“Don’t mention it, Paul,” I replied, trying to shake off a sense of impending doom. “We got along famously under your leadership until just now, and what has happened is in no way your fault. Let’s brace up, all of us, and take things as they come.”

“Of course,” remarked Joe, in his slow way. “I’ve been in places nearly as desperate as this before, and managed to wiggle out alive. We seem to be beaten, at present, but it’s a good omen that these people didn’t kill us while we lay unconscious and at their mercy.”

“That’s true,” nodded Ned Britton. “While there’s life, there’s hope.”

“We won’t show the white feather, anyhow,” said Archie. “If it comes to dying, as it may, we’ll die game.”

Pedro gave a sob and drew his hand across his eyes.

“Don’ mine me,” he said, apologetically. “If Pedro mus’ die, he die like a game, too—a much small game. But Pedro no like to die. It hurt so bad.”

“So it does,” laughed Archie. “We’re none of us hankering for it, my boy.”

Nux and Bryonia were seemingly unmoved. They were accustomed to accepting the inevitable with philosophy.

“Bad t’ing, Mars’ Sam,” was all Nux said; and Bry shook his head and remarked:

“I like to have one big fight to end it. If big fight come, Bry don’t mind.”

Chaka was silent and reserved. After clasping his Brother Paul’s hand a moment he relapsed into a state of dignified unconcern. He reminded me of the Mussleman who is content with this life but is willing to die because he believes the next life better.

Before long the officer returned, with his attendant and the robes. We had braced up now and showed neither anger at what had occurred nor fear at our helpless condition. On his part the young fellow made no reference to his easy victory over us. He quietly passed around the robes and sandals, waited until we had put them on and then said, somewhat more respectfully than before:

“You will now accompany me to the Tribunal.”

With this he turned to leave the room. We followed in double file, Chaka and Paul first, then Joe and I, Archie and Ned, Nux and Bryonia and Pedro at the end. We assumed a demeanor of proud indifference which I assure you we were far from feeling.

Down the corridor, along the big hall and through the door we marched, and not a soldier appeared to guard us. It was not necessary.

Now we had our first daylight view of the magnificent valley and the city of Tcha.

From the level where we stood the mountain sides rose almost perpendicularly to a height of two hundred feet or more; not in smooth cliffs, but rugged, irregular and picturesque. At the base of these sides had been built the largest and most important of the palaces and dwellings; but these were all at the south end of the oval valley. The north end was fitted with huge buildings more substantial than ornate, and here we afterward learned were located the manufactories and warehouses. A broad boulevard ran before this unbroken circle of buildings, and it was bordered by parkings of close cropped grass, drinking fountains and broad-spreading palms. Then came a circle of less imposing dwellings, in two rows, one facing the first or Great Boulevard, the other row facing the valley on a second boulevard, this of course being of less extent, as it formed the inner circle. The same arrangement was repeated five times, thus carrying the city proper in a vast belt around the outer edge of the valley.

All of the central space was devoted to agriculture, and except for a few public buildings only granaries and storehouses were built there. Yet it was all as elaborately laid out as a public park, and the soil must have been wonderfully fertile.

One or two natural brooks that flowed through the place fed several canals used for irrigation and boating; and although the Vale of Tcha was really extensive, without an inch of waste space, it was so hemmed in by the mountain that it looked like a toy kingdom.

Escorted by the officer we traversed paths bordered with gay flowers which led through the pasture lands and grain fields, making indirectly toward a large enclosure near the north end of the valley. I could not imagine what this place was, at first, but saw many white-robed figures flocking to it from various parts of the town. When we drew nearer it resolved itself into a great outdoor hall, built much like the ancient Greek theatres, although it was probably much older than the Greek nation.

All unguarded we followed our conductor to the entrance of this theatre. There was no possible chance to escape. While we were in the Vale of Tcha and unarmed we were virtually in a prison, with ten thousand native inhabitants for jailors.