the metal monster-第58章

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There　was　a　plaintive　whinnying　at　the　open　door。　A　long　and　hairy　face；　a　pair　of　patient；　inquiring　eyes　looked　in。　It　was　a　pony。　For　a　moment　it　regarded　usand　then　trotted　trustfully　through；　ambled　up　to　us；　poked　its　head　against　my　side。

It　had　been　ridden　by　one　of　the　Persians　whom　Ruth　had　killed；　for　under　it；　slipped　from　the　girths；　a　saddle　dangled。　And　its　owner　must　have　been　kind　to　itwe　knew　that　from　its　lack　of　fear　for　us。　Driven　by　the　tempest　of　the　night　before；　it　had　been　led　back　by　instinct　to　the　protection　of　man。

〃Some　luck！〃　breathed　Drake。

He　busied　himself　with　the　pony；　stripping　away　the　hanging　saddle；　grooming　it。





CHAPTER　XXXI

SLAG！

That　night　we　slept　well。　Awakening；　we　found　that　the　storm　had　grown　violent　again；　the　wind　roaring　and　the　rain　falling　in　such　volume　that　it　was　impossible　to　make　our　way　to　the　Pit。　Twice；　as　a　matter　of　fact；　we　tried；　but　the　smooth　roadway　was　a　torrent；　and；　drenched　even　through　our　oils　to　the　skin；　we　at　last　abandoned　the　attempt。　Ruth　and　Drake　drifted　away　together　among　the　other　chambers　of　the　globe；　they　were　absorbed　in　themselves；　and　we　did　not　thrust　ourselves　upon　them。　All　the　day　the　torrents　fell。

We　sat　down　that　night　to　what　was　well…nigh　the　last　of　Ventnor's　stores。　Seemingly　Ruth　had　forgotten　Norhala；　at　least；　she　spoke　no　more　of　her。

〃Martin；〃　she　said；　〃can't　we　start　back　tomorrow？　I　want　to　get　away。　I　want　to　get　back　to　our　own　world。〃

〃As　soon　as　the　storm　ceases；　Ruth；〃　he　answered；　〃we　start。　Little　sisterI　too　want　you　to　get　back　quickly。〃

The　next　morning　the　storm　had　gone。　We　awakened　soon　after　dawn　into　clear　and　brilliant　light。　We　had　a　silent　and　hurried　breakfast。　The　saddlebags　were　packed　and　strapped　upon　the　pony。　Within　them　were　what　we　could　carry　of　souvenirs　from　Norhala's　homea　suit　of　lacquered　armor；　a　pair　of　cloaks　and　sandals；　the　jeweled　combs。　Ruth　and　Drake　at　the　side　of　the　pony；　Ventnor　and　I　leading；　we　set　forth　toward　the　Pit。

〃We'll　probably　have　to　come　back；　Walter；〃　he　said。　〃I　don't　believe　the　place　is　passable。〃

I　pointedwe　were　then　just　over　the　threshold　of　the　elfin　globe。　Where　the　veils　had　stretched　between　the　perpendicular　pillars　of　the　cliffs　was　now　a　wide　and　ragged…edged　opening。

The　roadway　which　had　run　so　smoothly　through　the　scarps　was　blocked　by　a　thousand　foot　barrier。　Over　it；　beyond　it；　I　could　see　through　the　crystalline　clarity　of　the　air　the　opposing　walls。

〃We　can　climb　it；〃　Ventnor　said。　We　passed　on　and　reached　the　base　of　the　barrier。　An　avalanche　had　dropped　there；　the　barricade　was　the　debris　of　the　torn　cliffs；　their　dust；　their　pebbles；　their　boulders。　We　toiled　up；　we　reached　the　crest；　we　looked　down　upon　the　valley。

When　first　we　had　seen　it　we　had　gazed　upon　a　sea　of　radiance　pierced　with　lanced　forests；　swept　with　gigantic　gonfalons　of　flame；　we　had　seen　it　emptied　of　its　fiery　mistsa　vast　slate　covered　with　the　chirography　of　a　mathematical　god；　we　had　seen　it　filled　with　the　symboling　of　the　Metal　Hordes　and　dominated　by　the　colossal　integrate　hieroglyph　of　the　living　City；　we　had　seen　it　as　a　radiant　lake　over　which　brooded　weird　suns；　a　lake　of　yellow　flame　froth　upon　which　a　sparkling　hail　fell；　within　which　reared　islanded　towers　and　a　drowning　mount　running　with　cataracts　of　sun　fires；　here　we　had　watched　a　goddess　woman；　a　being　half　of　earth；　half　of　the　unknown　immured　within　a　living　tomba　dying　tombof　flaming　mysteries；　had　seen　a　cross…shaped　metal　Satan；　a　sullen　flaming　crystal　Judas　betrayitself。

Where　we　had　peered　into　the　unfathomable；　had　glimpsed　the　infinite；　had　heard　and　had　seen　the　inexplicable；　now　was

Slag！

The　amethystine　ring　from　which　had　been　streamed　the　circling　veils　was　cracked　and　blackened；　like　a　seam　of　coal　it　had　stretched　around　the　Pita　crown　of　mourning。　The　veils　were　gone。　The　floor　of　the　valley　was　fissured　and　blackened；　its　patterns；　its　writings　burned　away。　As　far　as　we　could　see　stretched　a　sea　of　slagcoal　black；　vitrified　and　dead。

Here　and　there　black　hillocks　sprawled；　huge　pillars　arose；　bent　and　twisted　as　though　they　had　been　jettings　of　lava　cooled　into　rigidity　before　they　could　sink　back　or　break。　These　shapes　clustered　most　thickly　around　an　immense　calcified　mound。　They　were　what　were　left　of　the　battling　Hordes；　and　the　mound　was　what　had　been　the　Metal　Monster。

Somewhere　there　were　the　ashes　of　Norhala；　sealed　by　fire　in　the　urn　of　the　Metal　Emperor！

From　side　to　side　of　the　Pit；　in　broken　beaches　and　waves　and　hummocks；　in　blackened；　distorted　tusks　and　warped　towerings；　reaching　with　hideous　pathos　in　thousands　of　forms　toward　the　charred　mound；　was　only　slag。

From　rifts　and　hollows　still　filled　with　water　little　wreaths　of　steam　drifted。　In　those　futile　wraiths　of　vapor　was　all　that　remained　of　the　might　of　the　Metal　Monster。

Catastrophe　I　had　expected；　tragedy　I　knew　we　would　findbut　I　had　looked　for　nothing　so　filled　with　the　abomination　of　desolation；　so　frightful　as　was　this。

〃Burned　out！〃　muttered　Drake。　〃Short…circuited　and　burned　out！　Like　a　dynamolike　an　electric　light！〃

〃Destiny！〃　said　Ventnor。　〃Destiny！　Not　yet　was　the　hour　struck　for　man　to　relinquish　his　sovereignty　over　the　world。　Destiny！〃

We　began　to　pick　our　way　down　the　heaped　debris　and　out　upon　the　plain。　For　all　that　day　and　part　of　another　we　searched　for　an　opening　out　of　the　Pit。

Everywhere　was　the　incredible　calcification。　The　surfaces　that　had　been　the　smooth　metallic　carapaces　with　the　tiny　eyes　deep　within　them；　crumbled　beneath　the　lightest　blow。　Not　long　would　it　be　until　under　wind　and　rain　they　dissolved　into　dust　and　mud。

And　it　grew　increasingly　obvious　that　Drake's　theory　of　the　destruction　was　correct。　The　Monster　had　been　one　prodigious　magnetor；　rather；　a　prodigious　dynamo。　By　magnetism；　by　electricity；　it　had　lived　and　had　been　activated。

Whatever　the　force　of　which　the　cones　were　built　and　that　I　have　likened　to　energy…made　material；　it　was　certainly　akin　to　electromagnetic　energies。

When；　in　the　cataclysm；　that　force　was　diffused　there　had　been　created　a　magnetic　field　of　incredible　intensity；　had　been　concentrated　an　electric　charge　of　inconceivable　magnitude。

Discharging；　it　had　blasted　the　Monstershort…circuited　it；　and　burned　it　out。

But　what　was　it　that　had　led　up　to　the　cataclysm？　What　was　it　that　had　turned　the　Metal　Monster　upon　itself？　What　disharmony　had　crept　into　that　supernal　order　to　set　in　motion　the　machinery　of　disintegration？


We　could　only　conjecture。　The　cruciform　Shape　I　have　named　the　Keeper　was　the　agent　of　destructionof　that　there　could　be　no　doubt。　In　the　enigmatic　organism　which　while　many　still　was　one　and　which；　retaining　its　integrity　as　a　whole　could　dissociate　manifold　parts　yet　still　as　a　whole　maintain　an　unseen　contact　and　direction　over　them　through　miles　of　space；　the　Keeper　had　its　place；　its　work；　its　duties。

So　too　had　that　wondrous　Disk　whose　visible　and　concentrate　power；　whose　manifest　leadership；　had　made　us　name　it　emperor。

And　had　not　Norhala　called　the　DiskRuler？

What　were　the　responsibilities　of　these　twain　to　the　mass　of　the　organism　of　which　they　were　such　important　units？　What　were　the　laws　they　administered；　the　laws　they　must　obey？

Something　certainly　of　that　mysterious　law　which　Maeterlinck　has　called　the　spirit　of　the　Hiveand　something　infinitely　greater；　like　that　which　governs　the　swarming　sun　bees　of　Hercules'　clustered　orbs。

Had　there　evolved　within　the　Keeper　of　the　Cones　guardian　and　engineer　as　it　seemed　to　have　beenambition？

Had　there　risen　within　it　a　determination　to　wrest　power　from　the　Disk；　to　take　its　place　as　Ruler？

How　else　explain　that　conflict　I　had　sensed　when　the　Emperor　had　plucked　Drake　and　me　from　the　Keeper's　grip　that　night　following　the　orgy　of　the　feeding？

How　else　explain　that　duel　in　the　shattered　Hall　of　the　Cones　whose　end　had　been　the　signal　for　the　final　cataclysm？

How　else　explain　the　alinement　of　the　cubes　behind　the　Keeper　against　the　globes　and　pyramids　remaining　loyal　to　the　will　of　the　Disk？

We　discussed　this；　Ventnor　and　I。

〃This　world；〃　he　mused；　〃is