“Quick!” I cried to Moh-goh, “drag them into the sleeping apartment
before we are discovered;” and a moment later we had deposited the
two corpses in the dimly lighted apartment adjoining.
“We will leave the city as Kalkar warriors,” I said, commencing to
strip the accoutrements and garments from the man I had slain.
Moh-goh grinned. “Not a bad idea,” he said. “If you can find the
route to the crater it is possible that we may yet escape.”
It took us but a few moments to effect the change, and after we had
hidden the bodies beneath the vegetation that had served us as a bed
and stepped out into the other chamber, where we could have a good
look at one another, we realized that if we were not too closely
scrutinized we might pass safely through the corridors beneath the
Kalkar city, for the Kalkars are a mongrel breed, comprising many
divergent types. My complexion, which differed outrageously from that
of either the Kalkars or the Laytheans, constituted our greatest
danger, but we must take the chance, and at least we were armed.
“Lead the way,” said Moh-goh, “and if you can find the crater I can
assure you that I can find Laythe.”
“Very good,” I said, “come,” and stepping into the corridor I moved
off confidently in the direction that I knew I should find the
passageways and stairs along which I had been conducted from the
crater tunnel. I was as confident of success as though I were
traversing the most familiar precinct of my native city.
We traveled a considerable distance without meeting anyone, and at
last reached the chamber in which I had been blindfolded. As we
entered it I saw fully a score of Kalkars lolling upon benches or
lying upon vegetation that was piled upon the floor. They looked up
as we entered, and at the same time Moh-goh stepped in front of me.
“Who are you and where are you going?” demanded one of the Kalkars.
“By order of The Twentyfour,” said Moh-goh, and stepped into the
room. Instantly I realized that he did not know in which direction to
go, and that by his hesitancy all might be lost.
“Straight ahead, straight across the room,” I whispered to him, and
he stepped out briskly in the direction of the entrance to the
tunnel. Fortunately for us, the chamber was not brilliantly lighted,
and the Kalkars were at the far end of it; otherwise they must
certainly have discovered my deception, at least, since any sort of
close inspection would have revealed the fact that I was not of Va-
nah. However, they did not halt us, though I was sure that I saw one
of them eyeing me suspiciously, and I venture to say that I took the
last twenty steps without drawing a breath.
It was quickly over, however, and we had entered the tunnel which now
led without further confusing ramifications directly to the crater.
“We were fortunate,” I said to Moh-goh.
“That we were,” he replied.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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