A PRISONER
The of Vairking soldiers, with Myles Cabot as their prisoner, had near the to the palace, when they from the through a gate.
“Where are they going to take me now?” Myles wondered.
This question was soon answered, for the party entered a which was a of the class. The was well lighted, so that Miles at the glare.
The leader of the party himself in of his prisoner, with hands on his hips, and with irrelevance: “Well, we Quivven, didn’t we?”
The at him in surprise. It was Jud! Jud, as a common soldier.
Cabot laughed with relief.
“You gave me a hundred-and-forty-fourth part of a day,” he asserted. “I didn’t you in your clothes. What is the great idea?”
“‘The great idea’,” the replied, “to your phrase, is that I did Theoph the Grim. He me to you in his name. The little will report your to Arkilu, and her father will to where you are imprisoned.
“Meanwhile I shall give the one time to escape, and shall then send a second to your effects. Your will start immediately. Come, the prisoner.”
As soon as his were loosed, Myles the hand of his benefactor.
“You are all right!” he exclaimed. “You have succeeded without anything to explain.”
“I always succeed, and have to anything!” Jud a coldly.
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And so, late that night, the Radio Man, in leather and helmet, and with a rapier, set out with his for the western mountains. In silence, and with the minimum of lights, they the of Jud’s and then the of the city until they came to the west gate, where a pass by Theoph the Grim gave them free exit. Thence they moved across the plain, with out to against with any Roies.
By they had the of the foothills, and there they for a full day of much needed rest. Finally, on the second their from Vairkingi, their started.
The of the was an named Crota. During the at the encampment, Myles to Crota in detail the particular of copper which the of the copper used for purposes on the of Cupia.
After to this for about the time, Crota and said, “We Vairkings place no stock in stones, as for our children, but I do the little with which the children of one of the hill villages are to play tum-tum. This village, Sur by name, is only a day’s to the southward. Let us turn our steps and learn from the children where they their toys.”
“‘Out of the mouths of and sucklings,’” the earth-man to himself.
And so they set out to the southward, a which in and out the silver-green hills, which were for the most part wooded.
Toward the close of the day, Crota’s with the of the village which they were seeking; and after an of by runner, the was free passage to proceed. Shortly they came in of the village itself.
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From among the there one with sides, and with a on which the village of Sur by a palisade.
Up the of the there ran a narrow path, cut in the rock, and by many a from which be or on any so as to attempt the ascent.
Along this path the in single file with many to their breath; and they the Cabot full well how it was that Sur, the of Vairkingian civilization, had so long and so the of the wild and Roies.
The inhabitants, Vairkings, out in large numbers to the visitors and to the and the much of the earth-man. Guides the to a large public where, after a speech of welcome by the of the village, they were and for the night.
Between the and the visiting soldiers out to see the by the pink light of the setting sun. Cabot and Crota together walked to the west to the sunset.
As the two of them on the parapet, a noise on the walk them their reverie. Looking down, they saw three children some small objects along the ground. With a of and pleasure, the Vairking soldier upon the youngsters, up one of the toys, and it to the earth-man.
“Tum-tum,” Crota announced, and sure it was one of the small game-cubes, which he had to his companion.
But the had had the opportunity to it, the let out a of rage, and to Myles with and teeth and feet.
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“Stop that!” Crota shouted, him by one arm and him away. “We don’t want to keep your tum-tum; we want to look at it. This has a tum-tum.”
“Gentleman?” the boy from a safe distance. “Common soldier! Bah!”
But Myles Cabot was too to notice the insult. The small in his hand was a crystal, but or not he not tell in the light. In fact, it might be the which gave the its tinge.
Taking a small knife from a leather that from his belt, Myles offered it to the child in for the toy, in of Crota’s at the extravagance.
The boy the offer, remarking: “Thank you, sir. You should take off those clothes.”
It was a very and compliment. Gentlemen Vairkings clothes. Cabot was impressed.
“Your name, my son?” he asked, the little on the head.
“Tomo the Brief,” was the reply.
“I shall it.”
Then he to the public hall, to his purchase by the light of the oil flares.
Sure enough, it out to be pyrites, and by its color a rich in copper. To the Radio Man it meant the step toward the of the radio on two worlds; the of a complete sending and set out of nothing but materials in their natural without the of a single man-made tool, utensil, or chemical. To this day Myles this as a in of that occasion.
As he on the of the public that night the earth-man the events of the day until he came to the of the purchase of the from little Tomo.
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“Your name, my son?” Cabot had asked him.
“‘My son’,” Cabot. “I have a son of my own across the on the of Cupia, and a wife, the most and lady in Poros. They are in danger, or were many months ago when I the S O S which me to return through the to this planet. Oh, how I wish that I learn what that was, and what has to them since then!”
Thus he mused; and yet when he came to up the time since his he was able to account for less than three of earth time. Perhaps there was still a of rescue, if he would but hurry.
The which had his Lilla’s call for help was to the return of Prince Yuri across the seas. For all that Myles knew, Princess Lilla and the Cupians were still out against their prince.
The message which Cabot had out into the from the radio station of the had been sent only a days after the S O S. If by Lilla or any of her friends, it had to them to their to the usurper; and if by Yuri, it had into him the of the Great Builder.
Musing and thus, the earth-man into a sleep, through which there a of ant-men, Cupians, bees, and Vairkings, with occasional of a little blue-eyed head, sometimes by and two antennae, but sometimes with fur.
Shortly after he awoke, and Crota. No time must be lost! The Princess Lilla must be saved!
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But there was nothing they do until their the food for the meal. From the they now that the tum-tum were in a in the only a from the village; and that, although the perfect were and prized, the were present in great quantities. In fact, hundreds of had been and over in search of perfect cubes, and thus all this would be available in return for the trouble of it into carts.
As soon as be with the of Sur, Cabot and his party, by guides, the narrow path to the plain the village, and up a to the quarry, where they all that had been told them.
It was a sight; a out of a in which there to a of gold.
But on close inspection, every was to be or or out of proportion, or part way through or into some other cube.
The soldiers, those from Vairkingi and those from Sur, up the and started the out of the solid formation, in search for perfect cubes, while their two them with from below.
All at once there came a shriek, and one of the Vairkings the whole length of the pile, almost at Cabot’s feet, where he perfectly still, the of an from one eyeball.
“Roies!” Crota shouted.
Instantly every of the party took with some or tree.
They had not long to wait, for a of from up the soon them of the of the enemy. So the Vairkings alert. Those who had them and a flint-tipped at every of or in the the of the enemy had come.
“We know not their number,” Crota to Cabot. “And since we have our mission let us return to Sur as as possible.”
“Agreed,” the earth-man replied.
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The was as follows. Crota to the village to the of the situation. Then, a small of and to their retreat, he the of the in open order, and set out for Sur as as the would permit.
The enemy well hidden, but it was from the of and that their numbers were augmenting. Noting this, Crota sent another ahead with this information.
It now necessary to and the guard, of which were dead, more and the and out of ammunition. This done, Crota ordered the main of his to and take up the quick.
The result was unexpected. A hundred or more Roies the through the Vairking guard, and at Cabot’s men, who at once ran to again and took of the enemy.
But the Roies so the Vairkings that the not be stemmed, and soon the two groups were together in a mass. The was met, on spear. Then the were drawn, and Cabot himself and against three warriors.
The was the spot of the Vairkings, and it was this point which the Roies to reach, as Cabot soon noted. That matters, for one’s against such as these was easy for a such as he. Accordingly, one by one, he ran three through the body.
Just as he was his from his last victim, he noted that Crota was being hard pressed by a Roy swordsman; so he to his friend’s assistance. And he was just in time, for as Cabot approached, the Roy the leather-clad Vairking’s from his hand with a particularly sideswipe, and thus had Crota at his mercy.
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But the one up his advantage, the earth-man his own like a spear, and the Roy, through the back, Crota with him as he fell.
Cabot paused to breath, and was just with the lucky results of his throw, when a of “Yield!” him him to wheel about and a new enemy. The author of the was a with a placid, almost bovine, face, which intellect.
“And to would I yield, if I did yield?” Myles asked, the of his new enemy.
“Grod the Silent, King of the Roies,” was the reply.
“I that Att the Terrible was king of your people,” the earth-man returned, for time.
“That is what Att thinks too,” the other answered with a smile.
But the was short-lived, for Myles Cabot, having his opponent’s attention by this conversation, under the of the Grod, and planted his square on Grod’s chin. Down the king, his from his hand. In an Myles up the and his foe.
Just as he was about to its point into Grod’s vitals, there to him the proverb of Poblath: “While dispute, the is at peace.”
With Grod the Silent and Att the Terrible for the of the Roies, Vairkingia might a from the of this wild and race. He would the Roy for dead, than put him actually in that condition. Accordingly, he to the of his companions.
Crota was already in the fray, his own in his hands once more, and the of his late at his side. Quite he did not to be again.
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Three Vairking common soldiers and Crota and Myles now seven Roies. This a match, for the and the leather of the men of Vairkingi and Sur, the numbers of their antagonists. What the outcome would have been can be known, for at that moment, the from the village came up the ravine; and at the same instant, the of the were with Roies, who sent a of upon those below.
The twelve separated. Cabot and his passed the protection of his and the return to Sur was renewed. The of the party out a guard, and the Vairking on the with and arrows, but the Roies every step of the retreat.
There was some when Cabot’s party the plain where the with the village of Sur on its summit, for not from the of the to the of the rocks. But, as the party the of the narrow path on the of the cliff, they noted that the Roies were solid banks of and were across the plain.
Arrows now to from at the Vairking party, of and the of the cliff. And then the just above Myles on the narrow path his with a and square upon the earth-man, who himself and the body, thus it from being to pieces at the of the rocks.
Whether or not the soldier was not be until Myles should have the summit, so up he with his until he the protection of the palisade, where he the Vairking on the ground and open his leather to see if any life were present.
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The man still breathed, though hoarsely, and his still beat; but there was a in one of his chest.
No from this hole. Myles the man over to see if the clear through. It did—almost. And from the man’s there the of a bullet, the steel-sheathed of a bullet!
