The Iron Men From The Blue Star

: Other World Life

Returning from Long Breath, I could not but notice the entire subsidence

of the terror, which had previously been so marked, and the general

signs of rejoicing which were now taking its place. It was easy to see

that I was an object of absorbing interest and busy comment. No one

pointed the finger at me, for that rude gesture was as unknown as it was

unnecessary. The mere turning of a great pair of eyes quickly in my

d rection was an indication, significant enough, that I was being

denoted.



I now understood the more composed behaviour of the women. They were

accustomed to the idea of being taken in war, and never suffered

slaughter or hardship thereby, but merely a change of masters. As they

now left the Park they eyed me curiously, as if wondering from what sort

of new master they had escaped. I imagined I could detect some signs of

disappointment among them, at being cheated out of a trip to a new star

or being dismissed from the service of a god. Occasionally one of them

would incline her head gently to the right to meet her rising hand, in a

dignified salutation. I approached one of the fairest of these and

extended my hand. She seemed rather surprised, but calmly placed an iron

coin in my palm! Evidently I must make haste to learn the Kemish

salutation, or I would pass for a common beggar! My hand certainly did

look hard and brown, compared with her perfectly white and transparent

skin, through which the blood suffused the beautiful pink flush of life.

But even if a hotter sun had scorched and tanned my hand, it did not

look as dark and tough as the coin, although the soldiers had spread the

report that our flesh was of iron.



The chief business activity in the city seemed to be the transporting

from the surrounding country of an endless number of fibrous bags filled

with the bread-grain. I saw some of these bags open in the shops, and

the grain was shaped like wheat, but as large and less solid than a

coffee berry. Trains of asses bearing these bags were seen in every

street and entering by every gate. Each train of fifteen or twenty asses

was driven by a sandalled Martian, wearing the spread bird-wing which

seemed to denote the Pharaoh's service. The animals had the lazy,

sluggish, plodding habits which I expected, and in these respects their

driver differed very little from them. He gave an occasional long hiss,

followed by a jerky grunt, which sounded like "sh-h-h-h, kuhnk!" and

was evidently intended to hurry the animals, but it served them quite as

well as a lullaby. These drivers, who doubtless had just been hearing

stories of me, were a little surprised at coming upon me so soon, but

looked me over deliberately, as if calculating how much iron money I

would make, if there were no waste in the coinage!



But I hastened back to the doctor at the Palace, being obliged to leap

the courtyard wall again, for I was not acquainted with the signal to

command the Terror-birds. He expected no other report of the projectile

than the one I brought.



"The only hope is that the meddling Martian may have turned in but one

battery," he said. "In time this will exhaust itself, and the projectile

will tumble back upon Mars. If it should strike in the water, it may not

be shattered, but of course it might be submerged. The chances that we

will ever see it again are extremely remote. If it should be discovered

anywhere on the planet, it would probably be coined up into money, and

the fortune of the Pharaoh would hardly buy us iron enough to make

another. Well, the unexpected always happens. It was a fatal mistake

ever to have left it."



"If it is gone for good," I answered, "let us hope that this planet may

suit us better than the Earth, anyhow. We are certain of an easy

existence here at least. One shield will coin into money enough to

supply our wants a long time. If we had not been so dreadfully secretive

on Earth, perhaps some one, infringing our ideas, might have built

another projectile and sent a relief expedition!"



Preparations for the banquet were rapidly being made about the Palace by

men servants. We saw no female servants, and we learned afterward that

they did no menial work, except the serving of the meals, which was

rather an artistic duty.



We were conducted to two large ante-chambers, adjoining the banquet

room, where we deposited our armament and proceeded to make ourselves at

home as well as we could. The rooms were gloomy and poorly lighted, but

a great number of servants were busy waiting upon us, and one presently

brought in four portable gas-burners, placing them in a circle about my

head as I reclined on a large pillow of soft down, laid on the floor.

These burners thus furnished both heat and light, and nearly all the

rooms were thus lighted and heated throughout the day. They had windows

and a very thick, coarse, translucent but not transparent glass in them.

But as the sunlight was never strong, rooms were rarely ever light

enough for comfort without the flames of gas.



This was my first acquaintance with Martian gases, which I soon found to

be very numerous and various in use. On the other hand, very few liquids

existed. The atmospheric pressure was so low that what might have

existed normally as liquids on Earth, took the form of heavy gases here.

In every case they were heavier than the air, so that they remained in

vessels just as a liquid would have done. The four lamps were made of

reeds and shaped like the letter U. The right-hand side of the U was a

large vertical reed, connecting neatly at the bottom with a very much

smaller reed forming the other prong and terminating at the top in a tip

of baked earth, turned downward, so that it would discharge the gas away

from the lamp. A light stone weight was fitted to slide neatly down the

large vertical tube in which the gas was stored, and thus force the gas

up to the burner in the smaller tube. If a brighter light was desired, a

heavier weight was put on, and to extinguish the light it was only

necessary to lift the weight, which cut off the supply from the burner.



While lying on the downy floor-cushion, I was strangely annoyed by the

faint and distant howling of a dog. It seemed to come from the banquet

room adjoining mine, or from the doctor's room on the other side. I

called in the doctor, who said he heard nothing and had seen no dogs on

Mars. He tried to make me believe it was a fancy of mine. But presently

when a servant entered, he seemed to hear it instantly, for he turned

quickly about and left, but it was fully half an hour later before the

plaintive howling ceased.



"These Kemish people have better ears than we have," I remarked to the

doctor.



"Yes, both their ears and eyes are much better suited to the conditions

of fainter light, and higher, thinner sounds. There may be music at the

banquet to-night which we cannot hear at all in some of its notes."



"If there are no foods whose delicate flavours we fail to taste, I shall

be able to get along quite well. I am extremely hungry, and quite ready

for a change of fare." We had only eaten a hasty lunch when we had

re-entered the projectile at Long Breath to await the return of the

soldier.



Zaphnath himself came to conduct us to the banquet room, and we were

much surprised at its dark and gloomy character. The entire vast

enclosure had but twenty-one flickering fire-brands, suspended overhead

and in front of us, to furnish light. There were no tables or chairs, no

flowers or decorations, no sign of anything to eat. Other guests were

moving about through the semi-darkness to their places, seemingly

without inconvenience. I was whispering to the doctor that I would need

eyes of much greater candle power to enjoy the function, when we arrived

at our places. A double row of comfortable cushions ran along the edge

of our floor, where it seemed to sink to a lower terrace, whence we

could hear the indistinct hum of women's voices. Zaphnath took his seat

on a raised cushion in the middle of the row, and motioned me to the

cushion on his right and the doctor to his left. Eighteen other guests

now reclined upon their cushions to left and right, so that we were all

arranged in a direct line, facing the lower terrace whence came the

feminine buzz. Directly opposite each of us was an empty cushion, but no

table.



I was wondering at it all when the fire-brand farthest from me suddenly

exploded a great flaming ball of fire, and we all sprang to our feet.

From the terrace below came a grand burst of reed music, a swelling

chorus of women's voices, and then each fire-brand in quick succession

exploded a burst of flame, which floated down toward the dancing women,

but expired above their heads. I soon saw that these white fire-balls,

which continued in quick succession throughout the banquet, and afforded

us a glorious if a somewhat appalling light, were caused by the

successive discharges of small volumes of heavy gas from twenty-one

reed-tanks in the comb of the roof, one above each of the fire-brands.

When the discharged gas had floated down to the fire-brand beneath it,

there was a quick, bright explosion, and the flame sank menacingly

toward the women below.



The burst of music, the chorus of huzzahs, and the flashing forth of

light, proved to be a welcome to the Pharaoh, who was standing proudly

on his great throne opposite us, across the terrace and somewhat higher,

whence he could look down upon the dancers and singers. He wore a crown

of thin iron, surmounted by a golden asp. His elaborately curled wig did

not conceal his ears, from which large golden pendants hung almost to

his shoulders. His own beard was waxed and curled, and trimmed to the

shape of a beaver's tail. His dress is best described by calling it a

feather velvet, edged with flaring wing and tail plumes of iridescent

colours. In this feather cloth there was none of the rough, gaudy show

of the savage, but a discriminating, tasteful blending of colours and

harmony of design, imitated from the beauty of the bird itself.



Grouped about him on the approaches to his throne were one-and-twenty of

his favourite women, beautifully dressed in feather textures, with the

curved neck and head of a bird surmounting their brows. But their

costume was scant and simple compared with that of the dancing girls

below us. They wore a wonderful head-dress, composed of the entire body

of a small peacock. The head and neck were arched over the forehead, the

back fitted tightly, like a hat over their head, the drooping wings

covered their ears, while the fully spread tail arched above their head

in its wonderful opalescence. Much of the snowy whiteness of their backs

and breasts was bare, and a downy feather ribbon circled the necks,

wrists, and ankles. A two-headed iron serpent with golden eyes clasped

the upper arm and gartered the knee, but no jewels of any kind were to

be seen. All the dancers carried long decorated reeds, which they

flourished wondrously, and with which occasionally they executed the

most surprising leaps. While there was a stateliness about their

movements, there were also the most startling acrobatic surprises, made

possible by the feeble gravity.



The singing women, or what might be called the chorus, were in twelve

sets, each group clad in a different colour or design of feather-silk.

Their head-dress, while composed of the entire body of a bird of

plumage, lacked the flamboyant tail of the peacock. The music was weird

and whimsical, as there were neither stringed nor brass instruments. It

was made wholly by women playing upon a vast variety of drums and reeds.

There were all sizes of whistling reeds or flutes; several of these of

different lengths were grouped into one instrument like the pipes of

Pan; a series of long hollow reeds, when rapidly struck, gave forth a

marvellous cadence; while groups of small drums, of different size and

tensity, gave curious tones. The whole effect was weirdly eloquent,

rather than racy or exciting.



When the burst of welcome was ended, Zaphnath stretched forth his hand

and exclaimed, first to us in Hebrew, and then in Kemish,--



"O Pharaoh, whose power and wisdom from all the Pharaohs have descended,

behold, I bring unto thee these two iron men from the Blue Star, who,

though excelling in the arts of war, are yet pleased to come out of the

ruddy heavens to practise peace amongst us!"



And thus did Zaphnath translate the Pharaoh's response to us:--



"Unto Ptah, the Centre of Things, to whom the myriad stars of the

heavens are but ministering slaves, I, Pharaoh of Kem, do give you

welcome. Whatever pleaseth you in the largeness of this rich land, or in

the matchless beauty of our women, shall be unto you as if ye had owned

it always."



Whereupon the other guests turned toward us with the right hand upon the

cheek, and we awkwardly attempted the same salutation. Then a group of

the singing women, twenty-one in number, tripping to the weird music,

came up the steps which led to our floor, carrying covered dishes. At

the top they turned and saluted the Pharaoh, and then took their places,

one upon each of the cushions opposite us. Before uncovering the dishes

they took me a little by surprise, by bending forward and pressing their

warm, pink cheek against the right cheek of the guest they were about to

serve. My maiden unconsciously shivered a little, for my cheek must have

felt cold, even though my surprised blushes did their best to warm it.

Her dish, when opened, contained nothing but flowers, waxy white, but

emitting a delicately sweet perfume. She held them toward my face, and

presently breathed gently across them, as if to waft their perfume to

me. Then scattering them about my cushion, she pressed her left cheek

to mine, arose and tripped down the steps again. There was a modest

self-possession about her which enchanted me, and I hoped she would soon

return bringing something more substantial.



But another group of maidens, differently clothed, had already begun to

mount towards us with earthen goblets and reed-pitchers, which looked as

if they might contain wine. Dropping on her knees on the cushion before

me, this maiden saluted me as the other had done. Then sitting

gracefully before me, she tipped her reed pitcher toward the goblet, and

poured out apparently nothing! But, watching the others, I saw them

carry the goblet to their lips and draw a deep breath from it, while

tipping it as one might a glass of wine. I did the same, and inhaled a

deep draught of stimulating, wine-flavoured gas, which, when I exhaled

it through the nostrils, proved to be deliciously perfumed.



"I have heard of some poets who could dine upon the fragrance of flowers

and sup the sweetness of a woman's kiss, but I am hungry for grosser

things," I whispered to the doctor.



"There are ten other groups of these serving maidens to come up to us,"

he replied. "They will certainly bring us something more tangible before

it is over. Meantime, while we are in Kem, let us imitate the Kemish;"

and I must say he was succeeding remarkably well.



The next maiden who tripped up toward me was wonderfully beautiful and

most becomingly dressed. I was a little disappointed that, upon taking

her place on the cushion in front of me, she omitted the salutation the

others had given. However, she carried a small flask in her right hand,

which she placed near my mouth. Then opening the top of it slightly, it

jetted forth a deliciously perfumed fine spray, which moistened my lips.

Waiting just a moment for me to enjoy the perfume, she then pressed her

pretty cheeks in turn against my lips, until they were soft and dry.

This was the nearest approach to a kiss which I saw among these people,

and I learned it was given always just before eating solid food. The

plate she carried to me contained small morsels of fish, served upon

neat little wheaten cakes. There was no knife, fork, chopstick, or

anything of that kind, but each little cake was lifted with its morsel

of fish, and they were together just a delicate mouthful. This maiden

quite took my fancy, and I watched her evolutions and listened for her

voice in the chorus during the rest of the banquet, for she had no more

serving to do.



After this course Zaphnath arose, and waving to the music and singing to

cease, he thus addressed the Pharaoh:--



"It doth appear, O Pharaoh, that these visitors of ours come from a

strange, small world, where, though much is done, but little is enjoyed.

At thy bidding I have offered unto them all the luxuries of Kem, such

as our people strive all their lives for, and dying still desire; but

they wish no gifts or presents. Like slaves they only wish to work, but

at some noble, fitting occupation. This younger man, whose wondrous

learning hath taught him to speak even the tongues of other worlds, hath

been a great handler of grain upon his proper star, and for him the

fitting occupation is not far to seek. Thou knowest how the gathering of

thy bounteous harvests hath distracted my own attention from weightier

matters; wherefore, O Pharaoh, I do entreat thee to put into his charge

the labour of gathering, storing, and distributing all thy harvests; and

as a fitting compensation, let him have one measure of grain for every

twenty that he shall gather for thee."



Nothing could have suited my wishes and abilities better, and my pay on

Earth had been only one measure in five hundred. The Pharaoh's reply was

thus translated to us,--



"The gods put into thy mouth, O Zaphnath, only the ripeness of their

wisdom, and Pharaoh granteth thy requests ere they are uttered. But what

desireth the wise man?"



To this I made answer for the doctor,--



"When thou knowest his wondrous wisdom touching many things, O Pharaoh,

thou mayest think fit to give him a place among thy wise men, where they

may learn from him and he from them. Will it please thee to send a

slave for the Larger Eye and have it placed by yonder window, and he

will presently show unto thee many of the wonders of the starry heavens

that are hidden beyond the reach of man's unaided vision."



While two slaves were despatched in charge of a soldier to bring the

telescope, we were served with a highly-sparkling, gas-charged wine,

which further whetted my appetite. Then came another maiden with a small

roast bird, neatly and delicately carved, and each tempting piece was

laid upon a small lozenge of bread. I never ate anything with more

relish.



There was an excited buzz among the women, and the Pharaoh himself was

visibly affected at the sight of the telescope, whose burnished brass

was evidently mistaken for gold. The doctor mounted it upon the backs of

slaves near a high window, whence there was a good view of the heavens,

and signalled to me to explain its use.



"O Zaphnath, wilt thou make known unto the Pharaoh, and these, his

guests, that the wondrous value of this instrument lieth not in its

bright and glistening appearance, but in the farther reach and truer

vision of the heavenly bodies which it affordeth us. With this we

ascertain all and far more than yon monstrous Gnomons tell thee; we

learn the periods of the day, the seasons of the year, and vastly more

than our common tongue hath words to tell thee of. Tell me, what

callest thou yon risen orb, which hasteneth a rapid backward journey

through the heavens?" I asked, indicating the full disc of Phobos.



"That is the Perverse Daughter, sole disobedient Child of Night, whose

stubborn, contrary ways are justly punished by her mother. For she must

draw a veil across her brilliant face for a brief period during every

hasty trip she makes."



"Behold her, then, just entering upon her punishment!" I exclaimed, for

the regular eclipse was just beginning. "Look! and tell us all thou

seest."



"I see a glorious orb, far larger than the Day-Giver and very near to

Ptah! But it is the Perverse Daughter, grown larger and come nearer, for

she alone knoweth how to draw the veil of night across her face like

that. Now she hath fully hidden! It is most wonderful, O Pharaoh!"



"Be not deceived by mere appearance, O Zaphnath," replied the Pharaoh.

"All that thou seest may be contained within the thing thou gazest into.

'Tis true, the Perverse Daughter hath drawn her veil, but be thou sure

thou seest what is beyond and not merely what is within."



As soon as this was translated to us, the doctor focussed the telescope

upon the Gnomons, which were just visible over the edge of the plateau,

and I said,--



"Look now again, and behold all the familiar features of the landscape,

the plateau yonder and the ponderous Gnomons, which could never be

contained within this little enclosure."



"'Tis all most true, O Pharaoh, and with this little instrument thy

reign may be more glorious, and come to greater wisdom, than any of that

long line of Pharaohs, whose toiling slaves have built the towering

Gnomons. Let this grey-beard be made chief of all thy wise men; let the

others teach him our language and make him acquainted with all our

monuments and records; also command them to record most faithfully all

the wonders which he is able to reveal. Mayhap he may be able to write

thy name among the stars of night, to shine for ever, instead of upon

the crumbling stone which telleth of thy ancestors!"



"O men of Kem," replied the Pharaoh, addressing the other guests, "hear

ye the wisdom of Zaphnath, which cometh with the swift wings of birds,

while thy halting counsel stumbleth slowly upon the lazy legs of asses!

What Zaphnath asketh hath already been decreed touching these two men

from the Blue Star, provided only that they live peaceably among us

obedient to our laws."



We assured him of our obedience and our best efforts to discharge our

new duties, whereupon the feast continued. Courses of small birds' eggs

and of fruits and confections were each served by a separate group of

maidens. When the feast was finally completed, I turned to Zaphnath with

my cigars and said,--



"In our travelling house I brought with me many such things as these and

others of a smaller, milder form, which might delight the women; but now

that the house is gone, I have but three, one of which wilt thou send to

the Pharaoh, one keep for thyself, and the other I will smoke to show

you the manner of it. There is naught to fear about them; your taste for

heavy vapours will have prepared you to enjoy the warmth and fragrance

of this peculiar weed."



A servant came to carry the one to the Pharaoh, and I struck a match

upon the stone floor and held the cigar designed for Zaphnath in the

flame. Then I touched the flame to my own, and puffing gently, I asked

Zaphnath to do the same. When I saw that his custom of inhaling gases

led him to breathe in the smoke, I puffed very slowly and gently, until

he should become accustomed to it. When Pharaoh saw that it did no harm

to Zaphnath, he lighted his own and inhaled the smoke in long draughts

with evident gusto.



"How sayest thou, O Zaphnath," he said at last. "Is not this warm vapour

most stimulating? It is a treat worth all the rest of the banquet.

Continual feasting hath made the luxuries of Kem to pall upon me, but

this hath novelty and comfort in it. If, indeed, there were many of

these in thy travelling house, my slaves shall search all the width and

breadth of Ptah, until it be found."



The music now burst forth again in new volume, and the singing girls

went through a new evolution, which broke up their groups and formed

twelve new ones, containing one girl from each of the previous sets.

Then the entire number began ascending the steps together, and I noted

that those approaching me were the twelve maidens who had served me

during the banquet. They came and circled around me, and presently

stopped with their hands upon their cheeks in salute. The other groups

did the same to the guests they had served, and each guest selected a

maiden by saluting her upon the cheek, whereupon she left her circle and

took her position upon the cushion opposite him. Zaphnath, seeing that

we did not understand this ceremony, explained it to me.



"It is an ancient custom with the Pharaoh to present each of his guests

with a living reminder of the occasion and his hospitality. Wherefore he

desireth thee to choose which of the twelve serving maidens hath pleased

thee best, and he will give her to thee, to be always thy maidservant."



I translated this to the doctor, and watched him curiously, with an

inquiring twinkle in my eye.



"Let us accept them, and bestow their liberty upon them," he said.



I immediately chose the third maiden, who had pressed her pink cheeks to

my lips, and when she came to sit opposite to me upon the cushion, I

spoke to her through Zaphnath,--



"Thy ways have pleased me, but upon my star we do not think it proper

to own any slaves. When we know well-favoured and graceful women, such

as thou art, we prefer to be their slaves, rather than they ours. If I

could take thee with me to the Earth, the laws there would set thee free

to do whatever pleased thee best. Wishest thou that I make thee free

here?"



She was evidently surprised when Zaphnath put this question to her. She

replied in a sincere and pleading tone, but her words astonished me,--



"Whatever the dark Man of Ice wisheth, I will do. I know not why he hath

asked what I desire. He speaketh of freedom, but I beseech him not to

send me back to that! I was born an unhappy and masterless maiden, and

many years I struggled and laboured for a miserable existence. I drove

asses, gleaned in the fields, and did the menial work of men. But I felt

I was fit for better, nobler things. At last, I heard that the armies of

the Pharaoh were coming to my land, and I took heed of my appearance,

put on my neatest feather clothing, and went to throw myself before the

soldiers. They were pleased with me, and brought me to this city, where

fortune favoured me, and Pharaoh, looking over all the women whom the

soldiers brought from the wars, chose me, with many others, to join his

household. And here in the Palace for a few years I have been happy and

well cared for. I pray thee do not turn me out again; do not degrade me

to the labour and misery of freedom. Even the beasts have masters! They

are housed, and fed, and cared for; why should I then be cast out and

left to drudge or beg?"



"Doth she mean this?" I exclaimed. "What then is the chief aim of women

in Kem? What is the highest state to which they may aspire?"



"'Tis a strange, simple question!" he answered. "There is no greater

blessing for a woman than to belong to the household of the Pharaoh.

Here they are delighted with constant music and dancing; their beauty is

cultivated and heightened by rich and tasteful clothing; and their

charms and graces may win for them a selection as one of the

one-and-twenty favourites of the Pharaoh. What they fear most is being

chosen and carried away by guests whose palaces and ways of life are

less luxurious than the Pharaoh's."



"Why then, as we have no palaces and wish no slaves, it were best to

return these maidens to the Pharaoh if they will be happier and better

cared for here than anywhere else in all the land of Kem," I said to

Zaphnath.



"This age is not ripe for the grand idea of freedom which dominates our

own," remarked the doctor, as we returned the grateful maidens to the

constant delights of an ornate and sensuous slavery.