After eating I became sleepy and was about to stretch out upon the floor
of our prison when my companion, whose name was Moh-goh, told me that
there was a sleeping apartment adjoining the room in which we were, that
had been set apart for us.
The doorway leading to the sleeping chamber was covered by heavy
hangings, and as I parted them and stepped into the adjoining chamber, I
found myself in almost total darkness, the walls and ceiling of this
room not having been treated with the illuminating coating used in the
corridors and apartments which they wished to maintain in a lighted
condition. I later learned that all their sleeping apartments were thus
naturally dark. In one corner of the room was a pile of dried vegetation
which I discovered must answer the purpose of mattress and covering,
should I require any. However, I was not so particular, as I had been
accustomed to only the roughest of fare since I had left my luxurious
stateroom aboard _The Barsoom_. How long I slept I do not know, but I
was awakened by Moh-goh calling me. He was leaning over me, shaking me
by the shoulder.
“You are wanted,” he whispered. “They have come to take us before The
Twentyfour.”
“Tell them to go to the devil,” I said, for I was very sleepy and only
half awake. Of course, he did not know what devil meant, but evidently
he judged from my tone that my reply was disrespectful to the Kalkars.
“Do not anger them,” he said, “it will only make your fate the harder.
When The Twentyfour command, all must obey.”
“Who are The Twentyfour?” I demanded.
“They compose the committee that rules this Kalkar city.”
I was thoroughly awakened now and rose to my feet, following him into
the adjoining chamber, where I saw two Kalkar warriors standing
impatiently awaiting us. As I saw them a phrase leaped to my brain and
kept repeating itself: “There are but two, there are but two.”
They were across the room from us, standing by the entrance, and Moh-goh
was close to me.
“There are but two,” I whispered to him in a low voice, “you take one
and I will take the other. Do you dare?”
“I will take the one at the right,” he replied, and together we advanced
across the room slowly toward the unsuspecting warriors. The moment that
we were in reach of them we leaped for them simultaneously. I did not
see how Moh-goh attacked his man, for I was busy with my own, though it
took me but an instant to settle him, for I struck him a single terrific
blow upon the chin and as he fell I leaped upon him, wresting his dagger
from its scabbard and plunging it into his heart before he could regain
his senses from the stunning impact of my fist. Then I turned to assist
Moh-goh, only to discover that he needed no assistance, but was already
arising from the body of his antagonist, whose throat was cut from ear
to ear with his own weapon.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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