The Romance of Golden Star ...Griffith, George Chetwynd
Science
The Romance of Golden Star ...
Griffith, George Chetwynd
Fantasy fiction
'I will take good care of that,' he said in a tone whose strangeness
told me more than his words, and with that he turned away and sat down
beside the professor, with the thoughts that were within his heart still
unspoken. As soon as he had gone back to his seat I called Francis
Hartness to me and set him beside me on the right hand of the throne,
and then I told who he was and showed that he was well skilled in those
new arts of warfare which had taken the place of our ancient methods,
and how he had promised to use his knowledge for me and lead my armies
into battle, hazarding his own life on the chance of our success; and
when I had said this I named him leader of all those who should range
themselves under the Rainbow Banner when the day of battle came, and
bade all present obey his orders and enforce obedience to them, even as
though his commands were my own.
Then I bade Francis Hartness himself speak all that was in his mind
freely and without fear of betrayal concerning the war that was soon to
be waged between the rival factions of our oppressors and the means that
were to be used to turn their strife to our own account, and this he
did, speaking in fluent Spanish and in short, clear sentences, as a man
of action and a soldier should speak.
He told how he had made himself acquainted with the forces on both
sides, and how, with the help of Tupac, he had sounded the feelings of
those by whom the fighting would have to be done, and had found them
willing to leave the service of the schemers who sought to make
themselves tyrants over the land, and fight for those whose purpose it
was to restore the ancient rule and give liberty to all to use their
lives as they thought best and to win for themselves as many of the
gifts of the All-Father as they were able to do. He told, too, how he
had sent many messages over the lightning-wires to his own country,
bidding friends like himself in war to come out as quickly as might be
to find the fortune that awaited them, yet saying nothing of war but
only of gold that was to be had for the taking.
When he had finished, I bade Tupac summon all who were present to the
foot of the throne, and then I spoke to them of the plans that I had
made with Francis Hartness in all their details, and showed them how
each, according to his opportunities, could give his help in carrying
them out, and then, as by this time the night was far spent and there
was yet work of another sort to do, I sent them back to their seats, and
calling Ruth and Golden Star to me, I bade them follow me, and led the
way down the hall and through one of the passages at the end until I
brought them to a chamber which Tupac and his comrades had already
prepared for them by my orders, and here I left them to take their rest
together, promising to return in the morning.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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