Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 85: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE tower—all who can leave their tasks to come. You will stand there with him. He will ask that we of the Light Country allow you to remain here in peace among us. ‘And this captive earth man of Tao’s ”— she laid her hand lightly on Mercer’s shoulder—‘“ he will ask, too, that he be given sanctuary among us. Our people still are kindly—most of them—and they will see the justice of what he asks.” I suggested then that Miela tell the king that we had determined, if we could, to frus- trate Tao in his plans; and showed her how -to point out to him that such an outcome would, if successful, make his throne secure and insure peace for his nation. He asked me bluntly what it was [I thought I could do. ‘The vague beginnings of a plan were forming in my mind. “ Tell ‘him, Miela, I think we can rid the Light Country of Tao’s emissaries—send them back—without causing any disturbances among the people. Ask him if that would not be a good thing.” The king nodded gravely as this was translated. “He asks you how?” Miela said next. “Tell him, Miela, that there are some things that might happen of which he would be very glad, but which it might be better he did not know. You understand. Make him see that we will be responsible for this —that he needn’t have anything to do with it or know anything about it. Then, if we do anything wrong against your laws, he will be perfectly safe in stopping and pun- ishing us.” Miela nodded, and began swiftly telling this to the king. As she spoke I saw his eyes twinkle and a swift little series of nods from the aged men about the table ‘made me know that I had carried my point. During the latter part of this talk I had noticed the growing murmur of voices out- side the castle. The old man who had left the room at the king’s order came back. * “The people now are gathering,” Miela said. ‘‘In a moment we shall go up into the tower.” _» The king’s councilors now rose and with- ‘drew, and a few moments later the king, without formality, led the four of us through the casile and up into the tower. FIRE - wearer was noticeable in both sexes. PEOPLE. 875 We climbed a little stone staircase in the tower and came into a circular room some sixty feet above the ground. A small door- way from this room gave access to the narrow balcony which girdled the tower. The sounds of the gathering crowd came up plainly from the gardens below. We waited for a time, and then, at a sign from the king, stepped together upon the balcony. The gardens below were full of people— gathered among the palms and moving about for points of vantage from which to obtain a view of the balcony. Most of them were men and older women. The girls were, nearly all of them, in the air, flying about the tower and hovering near the bal- cony, staring at us curiously. The women were, for the most part, dressed as I have described Lua. The men wore knee-length trousers of fabric or leather, and sometimes a shirt or leather jacket, although a difference of cos- tume that made evident the rank of the All were bareheaded, with the exception of the king’s guards, who were thus plainly dis- tinguishable, standing idly about among the crowd. \ As we stepped out into view of the people a louder murmur arose, mingled with a rip- ple of applause. Three or four girls, hover- ing only a few feet in front of us, clapped their hands and laughed. The king placed Mercer and me on either side of him, and, standing with his hands on our shoulders, leaned over the balcony rail and began to speak. A silence fell over the crowd; they lis- tened quietly, but with none of that respect and awe with which a people usually faces its king. Miela whispered to me. “‘ He is telling them about your earth, and that you came here to visit us in friendly spirit.” There were some murmurs of dissent as the king proceeded, and once some bolder individual shouted up a question, at which a wave of laughter arose. As it died away, and the crowd appeared to listen to the king’s next words, a stone suddenly came whirling up from below, narrowly missing the king’s head. A sudden hush fell over the people at ee hostile act; then a tumult cComiclo©olkks.con