登陆注册
5149900000034

第34章 WITH THE YELLOW MEN(3)

We, therefore, approached Kadabra at a point several miles from that at which the party had quitted it in the morning, and so were relieved of the danger of embarrassing questions and explanations on the part of the gate captain, whom we had said had directed us to this particular hunting party.

We had come quite close to the city when my attention was attracted toward a tall, black shaft that reared its head several hundred feet into the air from what appeared to be a tangled mass of junk or wreckage, now partially snow-covered.

I did not dare venture an inquiry for fear of arousing suspicion by evident ignorance of something which as a yellow man I should have known; but before we reached the city gate I was to learn the purpose of that grim shaft and the meaning of the mighty accumulation beneath it.

We had come almost to the gate when one of the party called to his fellows, at the same time pointing toward the distant southern horizon.Following the direction he indicated, my eyes descried the hull of a large flier approaching rapidly from above the crest of the encircling hills.

"Still other fools who would solve the mysteries of the forbidden north," said the officer, half to himself.

"Will they never cease their fatal curiosity?""Let us hope not," answered one of the warriors, "for then what should we do for slaves and sport?""True; but what stupid beasts they are to continue to come to a region from whence none of them ever has returned.""Let us tarry and watch the end of this one," suggested one of the men.

The officer looked toward the city.

"The watch has seen him," he said; "we may remain, for we may be needed."I looked toward the city and saw several hundred warriors issuing from the nearest gate.They moved leisurely, as though there were no need for haste--nor was there, as I was presently to learn.

Then I turned my eyes once more toward the flier.She was moving rapidly toward the city, and when she had come close enough I was surprised to see that her propellers were idle.

Straight for that grim shaft she bore.At the last minute Isaw the great blades move to reverse her, yet on she came as though drawn by some mighty, irresistible power.

Intense excitement prevailed upon her deck, where men were running hither and thither, manning the guns and preparing to launch the small, one-man fliers, a fleet of which is part of the equipment of every Martian war vessel.Closer and closer to the black shaft the ship sped.In another instant she must strike, and then I saw the familiar signal flown that sends the lesser boats in a great flock from the deck of the mother ship.

Instantly a hundred tiny fliers rose from her deck, like a swarm of huge dragon flies; but scarcely were they clear of the battleship than the nose of each turned toward the shaft, and they, too, rushed on at frightful speed toward the same now seemingly inevitable end that menaced the larger vessel.

A moment later the collision came.Men were hurled in every direction from the ship's deck, while she, bent and crumpled, took the last, long plunge to the scrap-heap at the shaft's base.

With her fell a shower of her own tiny fliers, for each of them had come in violent collision with the solid shaft.

I noticed that the wrecked fliers scraped down the shaft's side, and that their fall was not as rapid as might have been expected;and then suddenly the secret of the shaft burst upon me, and with it an explanation of the cause that prevented a flier that passed too far across the ice-barrier ever returning.

The shaft was a mighty magnet, and when once a vessel came within the radius of its powerful attraction for the aluminum steel that enters so largely into the construction of all Barsoomian craft, no power on earth could prevent such an end as we had just witnessed.

I afterward learned that the shaft rests directly over the magnetic pole of Mars, but whether this adds in any way to its incalculable power of attraction I do not know.I am a fighting man, not a scientist.

Here, at last, was an explanation of the long absence of Tardos Mors and Mors Kajak.These valiant and intrepid warriors had dared the mysteries and dangers of the frozen north to search for Carthoris, whose long absence had bowed in grief the head of his beautiful mother, Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium.

The moment that the last of the fliers came to rest at the base of the shaft the black-bearded, yellow warriors swarmed over the mass of wreckage upon which they lay, making prisoners of those who were uninjured and occasionally despatching with a sword-thrust one of the wounded who seemed prone to resent their taunts and insults.

A few of the uninjured red men battled bravely against their cruel foes, but for the most part they seemed too overwhelmed by the horror of the catastrophe that had befallen them to do more than submit supinely to the golden chains with which they were manacled.

When the last of the prisoners had been confined, the party returned to the city, at the gate of which we met a pack of fierce, gold-collared apts, each of which marched between two warriors, who held them with strong chains of the same metal as their collars.

Just beyond the gate the attendants loosened the whole terrible herd, and as they bounded off toward the grim, black shaft I did not need to ask to know their mission.Had there not been those within the cruel city of Kadabra who needed succor far worse than the poor unfortunate dead and dying out there in the cold upon the bent and broken carcasses of a thousand fliers I could not have restrained my desire to hasten back and do battle with those horrid creatures that had been despatched to rend and devour them.

As it was I could but follow the yellow warriors, with bowed head, and give thanks for the chance that had given Thuvan Dihn and me such easy ingress to the capital of Salensus Oll.

Once within the gates, we had no difficulty in eluding our friends of the morning, and presently found ourselves in a Martian hostelry.

同类推荐
  • 孙子注

    孙子注

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 了明篇

    了明篇

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • GREAT EXPECTATIONS

    GREAT EXPECTATIONS

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 贤愚经

    贤愚经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 华严关脉义记

    华严关脉义记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 强宠之狼不爱羊

    强宠之狼不爱羊

    什么?!她掉下山崖没被摔死却被拍卖了?!楚未晞悲催的成为被挤下华山的第一人,本以为大难不死必有后福的,可是现实告诉她这世界可没有那么简单!机器人?男多女少?男女比例1:100?还会被政府指定老公?这都是什么鬼啊!楚未晞大怒,那个买了她的将军还是殿下的!快点来解释一下啊!他温柔高贵,他彬彬有礼,他是将军手握兵权战无不胜,他是皇子手握政权权倾天下,他是整个星际最值钱的单身男人,他无条件的宠她、娶她对她有求必应还要和她生孩子。可是,他不爱她。本文绝不小白,女主外表呆萌实则坚强隐忍,走女渐强路线不是女王路线,喜欢的亲欢迎围观~
  • 春花秋月何时了

    春花秋月何时了

    本书以唐宋词人的风花雪月和经典词作为线索,通过对唐宋词人及其脍炙人口名篇的趣味化解读,讲述了著名词人与词背后那不为人知的故事,常有知人论世之语。同时,作者结合这些词人的身世背景、性格学养、情感经历等方面,来探寻唐宋词艺术的发展与演变及词中蕴涵的人生哲理。
  • 都市里的黄粱一梦

    都市里的黄粱一梦

    面对生活坚持不懈和穷追猛打的考验,我们除了能做一些不想做而不得不做的事情,就是要取代一些想做而不能做的事。都市的生活就是要打破你梦幻般的美好,让你看清并接受真实的残酷。
  • 爱你是我最甜的时光

    爱你是我最甜的时光

    慕心尘觉得自己真是倒霉,四年前被老公无情赶出家门,现在又被这个和前老公长得一模一样的小叔子接回家给她已逝的老公守寡,好吧,她认命……只是这好像跟她想像中有些不一样,不凄凉,不无助,还有个极品帅男人对她从头到脚的照顾。夜里男人霸道欺身而上,强势入侵。“不要,你不能这么无耻,我要改嫁。”“想改嫁,下辈子吧。”两本红本本甩在她面前,她目瞪口呆,她什么时候和他结婚了。男人再次霸气压倒:“你说我无耻,那你不是把全天下所有的男人都骂进去了……”
  • 今岁当开墨色花

    今岁当开墨色花

    她轻启朱唇如水江南分花拂柳而出青衣水袖流转缠绵入骨的红豆刻出惨淡的典拓她淡扫娥眉等着青青世子叮当的环佩之声款款而来一日不见兮,如隔三秋她拨腕勾弦箜篌凄凄,相思倾了一座城纵我不往,子宁不嗣音?挑兮达兮,只有苍苍的蒹葭随波逐流青色的芦苇眉子坐落在微雨的乌镇,摇曳出似水流年原来有一阙词欢喜而忧伤,无法用文字一气呵成:只缘感君一回顾,使我思君朝与暮。
  • 唯宠

    唯宠

    她,一个清冷优雅高贵如斯的女子,面临未开花结果的恋情,她放弃了大好前途,只为了一句‘等我’而默默无闻着。她,作为S市的高干子弟,从不高调宣扬,也从不将身份作为自己炫耀的资本。哥哥身为家里的长子,身上背负着太重负担,而她却被哥哥保护的极好,低调的生活着,是哥哥背后无忧无虑的乖乖女。当追了她三年,在一起两年的初恋男友,为了女人的身体和事业的追求,果断和她说出了分手,她嘴上嘲讽的勾起一笑,冷淡的同意分手。当她苦苦暗恋三年的高中同学,突然回国。这让她心底泛起丝丝生机,这次,她还会再次错过吗?他是B市低调花心鼎鼎大名的左家二少。他,多变无常。而她,永远摸不透他在想什么。他说,你和我是同一类人,我们都是生活在哥哥的保护下,痛快畅意,唯心所欲的活着。分手后的这一年究竟是她的桃花运盛开,还是冤家找上门?片段一:“莫音,我们分手吧!”“我觉得婚姻没有父母的祝福和支持是不幸福的,陶子前一段时间对我表白,她爸说只要和她在一起,我年底就可以升为学院副院长,你知道的,我家庭条件一般,又是外地的,这次是我难得的机会,所以……”夏阳的意思很明显了,她莫音没有厚实的家庭背景,给不了他事业上的帮助。陶子,那个美丽开朗,在私立音乐学院中,跟她玩得最熟的老师,竟然……片段二:林清礼:“莫音,我喜欢你。”莫音的手握着手机颤抖了一下,尽管她听到电话那头窃窃笑声,但眼泪还是缓缓落下,平定了一下心情,淡淡的说道:“玩大冒险又输了?”林清礼:“我这次选得真心话。”片段三:左左转身,看着一脸认真的莫音,说出一番让她抓狂的话,“男人逢场作戏,玩玩罢了,又不是认真的。”莫音冷眼看向左左,快速的吐出一串话,“那是因为左少没有找到心爱的女人,当然不理解那种天天想着一个人,什么好的东西都想捧到她面前的感觉!”左左桃花眼眨呀眨,邪勾起唇角,与之前那个忧伤沉稳的男人完全不同,他吹了一声口哨,“哟,妹妹,看样子,你很了解相思之苦,那么,你心仪的男人又是谁呢?”配乐:蔡依林《柠檬草的味道》伊戈尔?克鲁托伊《悲伤的天使》钢琴曲伊戈尔?克鲁托伊《你是上帝赐予我的》钢琴曲DjOkawari《flowerdance》钢琴曲一杯花茶,一首配乐,希望妞们看书愉快。四首配乐,是我写这篇文必听的,淡淡的忧伤,淡淡的感悟。人生就是这么起起伏伏,这么狗血。
  • 三字经(普及版)

    三字经(普及版)

    《三字经(普及版)》的特点是,对《三字经》全文做了通俗易懂的讲解,并设置5个板块,以帮助读者全面领会它的内涵。例如,每段句子依照内容,精选一则故事,用故事形象说明道理;用一则知识链接,开拓读者的视野。这正是《三字经(普及版)》的不同之处,相信每一个青少年都会从中真正受益。
  • 邪王萌宠:天才神妃难驯服

    邪王萌宠:天才神妃难驯服

    她,国际第一间谍,却痴迷古剑。一次穿越成了明神国的三公主。斗太子坑皇上,打王爷欺魔君。时而装逼卖萌,时而霸气侧漏。他,舜祁大陆的最强者,翻手为云覆手为雨,却独独对她情有独钟,溺爱成瘾。他,魔域大陆的统治者,嗜血狠戾,誓言一统天下,却甘为她粉身碎骨。他,一国皇帝,心怀天下,却为她倾尽所有,誓言非卿不娶。穿越逗比无极限,却引无数英雄尽折腰!【情节虚构,请勿模仿】
  • 梦想为王

    梦想为王

    一个关于足球梦想的故事......哪怕身处最肮脏灰暗的深渊,也要抬头看见那光明的梦想
  • 打造销售人脉的终极技巧

    打造销售人脉的终极技巧

    本书向读者详细介绍如何拓展自己的人脉圈子,广交朋友,做好、做熟、做深每位客户,扩大自己的个人影响,建立良好的个人口碑,让客户免费帮你销售等一系列的技巧和方法,帮助读者在销售工作中更好地与人交际,做好销售该书它既能为刚入行的销售员雪中送炭,也...