Life on other planets -- Fiction; Science fiction; Venus (Planet) -- Fiction
“It is treason,” Doggo wrote in reply, but this time he did not tear up
the correspondence.
“Treason?” Myles asked. If he had spoken the word, he would have spoken
it with scorn and derision. “Treason? Is it treason to support your own
queen? What has become of the national pride of the once great Formians?
Look! I pledge myself to the cause of Formis, rightful Queen of Formia.
Formis, daughter of Doggo! What say you?”
This time, as he tore up the correspondence, Doggo signified an
affirmative. And thus there resulted further correspondence.
“Doggo,” Myles wrote, “can you get to the antenna of the queen?”
The ant-man indicated that he could.
“If she has inherited any of your character,” Myles continued, “she will
assert herself, if given half a chance.”
So the Pitmanesque conversation continued. Long since had the pink light
of Porovian evening faded from the western sky. The ceiling vapor-lamps
were lit. The night showed velvet-black through the slit-like windows.
And still the two old friends wrote on, Myles Standish Cabot, the
Bostonian, and Doggo, No. 334-2-18, the only really humanlike ant-man
whom Myles had ever known among the once dominant race of Poros.
Finally, as the dials indicated midnight, the two conspirators ceased
their labors. All was arranged for the _coup d’ etat_.
They tore into shreds every scrap of used paper, leaving extant merely
the ant-man’s concluding words: “Meanwhile you are my prisoner.”
Doggo then rang a soundless bell, which was answered by a worker ant,
whom he inaudibly directed to bring sufficient draperies to form a bed
for the earth-man. These brought, the two friends patted each other a
fond good night, and the tired earth-man lay down for the first sleep
which he had had in over forty earth hours.
It hardly seemed possible! Night before last he had slept peacefully on
a conventional feather-bed in a little New England farmhouse. Then had
come the S O S message from the skies; and here he was now, millions of
miles away through space retiring on matted silver felting on the
concrete floor of a Porovian ant-house. Such are the mutations of
fortune!
With these thoughts the returned wanderer lapsed into a deep and
dreamless sleep.
When he awakened in the morning there was a guard posted at the door.
Doggo did not show up until nearly noon, when he rattled in, bristling
with excitement.
Seizing the pad he wrote: “A stormy session of the Council of Twelve! We
are all agreed that you must be indicted for high crimes and
misdemeanors. But the great question is as to just what we can charge
you with.”
“Sorry I can’t assist you,” the earth-man wrote. “How would it be if I
were to slap your daughter’s face, or something? Or why not try me for
general cussedness?”
“That is just what we finally decided to do,” the ant-man wrote in
reply. “We shall try you on general principles, and let the proper
accusation develop from the evidence.
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.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account