“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.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account