The Strange Bravery Of Miss Blank

: Other World Life

Telescope, rifles, and shields were tumbled into the projectile

pell-mell, and without stopping to close the port-hole, we steered

towards the city as we mounted rapidly. When the soldiers, weary of

running, saw us start, they were stricken with a new fear, and made all

possible haste for shelter. When they perceived that we were rising into

the red haze, they took a little courage, but still hastened.



"P
rhaps they think we are mounting to the sky for more thunder and

lightning," I suggested. "Little do they know the destruction we could

do them with the handful of ammunition we have, if we really meant war

as much as they at first desired it and now fear it!"



By this time we were almost above the thickest crowd of the fleeing

army, while the most energetic runners and the Terror-bird that had

turned back had reached the heart of the city; and we could see the

alarm spreading like wild-fire to all its inhabitants. I was busy

loading the rifles with the cartridges which the doctor had robbed of

their bullets for the pickle-bottle experiment soon after our start.



"We will execute a little coup, to show them the difficulties of

retreat when the enemy is armed with gravity projectiles," said the

doctor. "Do you see that great gate of the city they are all making for?

We will drop down there, just in front of them, and prevent their

entrance. It will be better to keep the whole army outside the walls, if

possible, for its absence and disorganization will make the rulers all

the more tractable when we are ready to drop down into their city and

make peace with them on our own terms."



"I must say you are a good general, Doctor!" I exclaimed. "You plan the

campaign, and I will do the fighting."



The blank dismay of the soldiers when they saw us descending again, and

their abject desperation when they perceived that we should land in

front of them and cut off their entrance to the city, was pitiful to

see.



"Doctor, do you remember the grand display and the proud strength with

which these soldiers marched forth? Look at the difference now!"



"Oh, war! war!" he exclaimed. "The glory of its beginning! The terror of

its prosecution! The misery of its end! Would that it could always be

carried on by terrorizing the mind instead of by slaying the body!"



As we were about to come to land in front of the straggling multitude of

soldiers, I fired a dozen blank cartridges as rapidly as I could work

the rifle. This was at very near range, and although the explosions

sounded weak to me, the excessive flaming of the powder added a new

terror. The disorganized army stopped in dread; the stragglers pushing

up from behind, and the frightened turning of those in front, crushed

the multitude together and increased the confusion. Throngs of people,

whose curiosity was still stronger than their fear, were coming out from

the city. As they saw us float down and land, and then heard the firing,

they turned and rushed within the gates again, ready to believe far

worse stories than they had yet heard.



"We must scatter this rabble army and put it wholly to rout," insisted

the doctor. "I will swing amongst them and over their heads, while you

burn powder for them. If they won't scatter, use your revolver and wound

one or two of them."



"No, I will not harm another man," I answered. "They are too weak and

defenceless a foe, and are no match for us. Hereafter I will fight only

with the birds."



We rose and sailed slantingly toward them, but they had already started

to disperse. Those who had jumping-staves disentangled themselves from

the crowd and scattered into the bushy wastes. I continued firing until

my blank cartridges were gone, and then we landed just outside the

entrance and emerged from the projectile to examine the gates and see if

we could close and fasten them.



Within the wall those who had gained entrance during our last movements

were rapidly retreating toward the centre of the city, warning all whom

they passed. One single stately figure showed no fear, and paid no heed

to the exclamations of the runners. The ampler dress and flowing flaxen

hair indicated that it was a woman, and to our surprise, though she was

well clothed, she seemed to be demanding alms of every one as she

approached us. No one gave her anything, and occasionally a runner

seized her arm and tried to persuade her to return. But she caught none

of their excitement, and composedly pursued her course.



"Egad! This beautiful girl is braver than the whole Martian army!" I

exclaimed in amazement, as she calmly approached where I was standing by

the gate and extended her fair, plump hand. If she was asking alms, I

had nothing to give her; but here, at least, was one pacific, composed,

and reasonable person. Perhaps it was the queen, or a diplomatic envoy

of the ruler!



"Now is the time to demonstrate our friendliness," I exclaimed, and

reaching forth my hand I grasped hers in a warm clasp of welcome.



She looked up at me blankly. Her beautiful face carried no expression of

satisfaction or surprise. Her transparent complexion was neither paled

by fear nor flushed by pleasure. Her great dreamy eyes, of a deep liquid

blue, wandered unfixedly in their languid gaze. Still holding her soft

hand, which was far warmer than my own, I opened her fingers with my

other hand and pointed at her pink extended palm as if to inquire what

she wished. I watched her closely, but she made no sign, said nothing,

looked nothing.



"Since I do not know you, I can think of no more fitting name to call

you by than Miss Blank," I said, more to express my thought in

articulate sounds than anything else, for I had no idea she would

understand me. From her expression I could not judge whether she had

even heard me, to say nothing of comprehending. She was looking beyond

me, through the gate, as if searching others from whom she might ask

alms. Seeing none, she wheeled slowly about to return. Unwillingly I

released her hand, and stood unspeakably puzzled by the whole matter.

She was commanding in appearance, being taller than I by a few inches,

not slim, but well proportioned. She had the stately serenity of a

dreaming queen, but the blank, unresponsive soul of one who dwelt within

herself; and though she saw, she did not realize the existence or

meaning of anything outside.



"Doctor, will all your learning solve this riddle for me!" I exclaimed.

"Can all the Martian women be like this? She is beautiful of body and

strangely warm and winning to the touch, but as cold of heart as the

drifting snow that suffocates a poor lost lamb. She has had a strange

influence over me; a puzzling, baffling attraction. A suggestion of

something delicate and subtlely charming, which, when one seeks to seize

and to define, retires icily behind the drawn curtain of her soul."



"I hope you won't play the lost lamb to her snowdrift!" he sneered, in a

way that I resented. "One would think she had hypnotized you on the

spot! And she must be in a trance herself, for she had not sense enough

to fear us."



"Those who have the most sense fear us the least!" I retorted.



"But fear is our sharp weapon now," he answered; "and some of the

stragglers, looking back, saw you stand there holding her hand in a

manner far from warlike. They will report this to the rulers unless we

forestall them. Come, fasten the gates tightly upon the inside to keep

the soldiers out, and I will sail over the wall to pick you up."



"Doctor, we make our peace at once, and fight no more with the brothers

of this girl," I said with decision.



The massive gates were of hewn stone, turning in sockets at their outer

corners above and below. They swung as easily as if hung upon hinges,

and when closed a slab of stone came down to bar them. I made them

fast, and then called out to the doctor,--



"Don't come for me. I have found a jumping-staff, and I think I can leap

to the top of the wall."



It was a sheer fifteen feet of solid masonry, but my chief delight since

landing on Martian soil was the inordinate springiness of my leg muscles

against the feeble gravity. I ran and sprang lustily with the aid of the

cross-bow, and I remember the doctor's surprised look when he saw me

clear the entire wall without touching the top and land safely with a

very mild jolt on his side.



A short oblique ascent of the projectile brought us over the city, and

revealed to us the condition of desperate panic into which the wild

reports of the soldiers and the bird-rider had thrown the frantic

populace. The soldiers still within the walls could not restrain the

people, or did not try. If there was any government, it lacked a head or

could not command attention. The stubborn instinct of self-preservation

was king. Distracted throngs surged out at one gate, to separate and

waver and hesitate, and finally to fight for a speedy entrance at

another. On one side soldiers were apparently ordering people down from

the wall, while on another the excited populace was hauling sentinel

soldiers from the same elevation, lest our attention should be

attracted. Within, strong men were weeping and wailing; without, nervous

men were haranguing the vacillating multitude; but more were stolidly

pushing with the rabble or being hustled by it.



Only one sign of order and forethought was apparent. Evidently for

better safety and for an easier defence, the women and children had been

taken to a central park or pleasure ground, and left there with a small

guard of soldiers. The men to whom they belonged had apparently all gone

elsewhere.



"Doctor, we must put an end to this fear and frenzy at the earliest

possible moment. If we are not destroying those people, we are exciting

them to destroy each other, which is equally blameworthy. We must go

down at once, but we had best avoid the frantic men. The women seem far

more reposeful. Let us drop quietly into that open field in the park,

and I will make friendly signs to the women, pat the children on the

head, and give them all to understand that we mean no harm."



He evidently saw that we had quite overdone the scare, and was as much

impressed by the terrible picture below as I was. We turned down without

delay, and landed quietly behind a clump of trees. I took a tin of sweet

biscuits under my arm, and the doctor following me, with a generous

handful of his trinkets and tinsel toys, we left the projectile, and

rounding the grove of dwarfed trees we approached the romping children

first. I patted their flaxen curls, lightly pinched their cheeks, and

handed each of them a sweet biscuit. Then, while the doctor distributed

strange toys amongst them, I put on my most courtly ways and addressed

myself to the women. Their first impulses of fear had been somewhat

allayed by our attentions to the children, and I bowed profusely and

made bold to kiss the hands of a few of the youngest of them. Each of

these looked to see if I had left anything visible or harmful on her

hand, from which I judged the custom was wholly strange to them. The

others looked on askance and whispered excitedly among themselves.



One of the soldiers who had seen us approach, but offered no resistance,

had now started to run, as fast as his jumping-staff would carry him,

toward the palace. I knew at once that this meant some new development,

and I hoped it meant a report of our friendly actions and a truce all

around. But the doctor reminded me that we must be prepared for

surprises and treachery. Therefore we re-entered the projectile, and out

of the sight of all the Martians I re-loaded the rifles, and then we

waited a long time.



Our patience was finally rewarded, for we saw the soldier returning,

slowly leading a woman. In her left arm, which the soldier held, she

carried something white which wriggled occasionally. All this we

considered so favourable a development that we went out again, bowing to

the women about us, petting the children, and looking as peaceable and

amiable as the politest of Earth's people. But it may have passed for

imbecility, or worse, on Mars.



When I looked toward the soldier again, my heart began a queer thumping,

for he was leading no other than the woman who had met us at the gate,

and she was carrying our white rabbit, which we had released early that

morning a long way from this spot.



"By all that is wonderful!" I exclaimed to the doctor, "if we have not

fallen upon a country which is ruled by yon dumb queen, and she brings

to us as a peace offering the only thing that we have lost!"



"Since when have potentates learned to beg, and forgotten to command and

to exact?" he answered with half a sneer. "See, she still extends her

hand to every one she passes."



And as the soldier, trained to revere a beard, led the woman directly up

to the doctor, she stretched forth her pretty palm again; but if he had

presumed to take it I could have struck him! To my cordial grasp I added

a kiss this time, and then I raised my eyes slowly to her face, fearing

to see that blank look again. There was no look in her eyes; they did

not look, they only wandered!



The soldier, who still held her other arm, waved his cross-bow toward

the palace meaningly, and a hush fell upon the murmuring crowd. I

ignored him and spoke to her,--



"If thou art the queen, command me but by a look or sign, and I obey.

And if thou art not the queen, then they should make thee one. Dost thou

wish us to follow thee to yon palace?" said I; but the only mind that

understood scoffed at my rapturous declamation.



The woman merely drew her hand from my warm clasp and stretched it out

to the people, who crowded about and paid her no attention. Then the

soldier, as if suddenly remembering, took the rabbit from her arm and

handed it to me. She looked about at this, as if missing the snuggling

animal, and I stared hard at the meddling soldier to reprove him for

interfering with his queen, and gently restored the rabbit to her arm.



"The soldier wishes us to go to the palace," put in the doctor. "But we

must not go unarmed. He may be leading us into an ambush. Let us take

all of our arms and follow him."



Accordingly, we buckled on the swords, and took the rifles on our

shoulders. As we dragged out the heavy shields, the soldier pointed to a

group of donkeys laden with bags of something like grain. I waved

assent, and the muleteer unburdened one of them and loaded the shields

upon him.



"Why not take the telescope?" I suggested; "it is big and bright, and

perhaps they may fear it too. Or we may wish to show its wondrous use."

As I drew it out the crowd started back, but the soldier and the

muleteer gingerly loaded it upon another donkey. Then the soldier took

the woman's arm again, and pushed her extended palm around toward me, as

if I would be unwilling to go unless I had it. My right hand held my

rifle, but I was secretly glad that my left was free to clasp the

woman's hand. The doctor walked behind to watch the muleteer, and thus

we marched to the palace.



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