“He calls himself Ju-lan-fit,” replied Moh-goh, for that was as near
as he could come to the pronunciation of my name. And so it was that
as Ju-lan-fit I was known to the Laytheans as long as I remained
among them. They thought that fifth, which they pronounced “fit,” was
a title similar to one of those which always followed the name of its
possessor in Laythe, as Sagroth the Jemadar, or Emperor; Ko-vo the
Kamadar, a title which corresponds closely to that of the English
Duke; and Moh-goh the Paladar, or Count. And so, to humor them, I
told them that it meant the same as their Javadar, or Prince. I was
thereafter called sometimes Ju-lan-fit, and sometimes Ju-lan Javadar,
as the spirit moved him who addressed me.
At Moh-goh’s suggestion, Ko-vo the Kamadar detailed a number of his
men to accompany us to Moh-goh’s dwelling, lest we have difficulty in
passing through the city in our Kalkar garb.
As we had stood talking with Ko-vo, my eyes had been taking in the
interior sights of this lunar city. The crater about which Laythe is
built appeared to be between three and four miles in width, the
buildings facing it and rising terrace upon terrace to a height of a
mile at least, were much more elaborate of architecture and far
richer in carving than those of the Kalkar City No. 337. The terraces
were broad and well cultivated, and as we ascended toward Moh-goh’s
dwelling I saw that much pains had been taken to elaborately
landscape many of them, there being pools and rivulets and waterfalls
in numerous places. As in the Kalkar city, there were Va-gas
fattening for food in little groups upon various terraces. They were
sleek and fat and appeared contented, and I learned later that they
were perfectly satisfied with their lot, having no more conception of
the purpose for which they were bred or the fate that awaited them
than have the beef cattle of Earth. The U-gas of Laythe have induced
this mental state in their Va-gas herds by a process of careful
selection covering a period of ages, possibly, during which time they
have conscientiously selected for breeding purposes the most stupid
and unimaginative members of their herds.
At Moh-goh’s dwelling we were warmly greeted by the members of his
family—his father, mother and two sisters—all of whom, like the other
Laytheans I had seen, were of striking appearance. The men were
straight and handsome, the women physically perfect and of great
beauty.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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