the metal monster-第17节

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houlder。

〃Give　her　back　to　me；　I　say！〃　he　cried。　〃Give　her　back　to　me！〃

The　woman's　eyes　grewawful。　Out　of　the　distended　pupils　the　strange　stars　blazed；　upon　her　face　was　something　of　the　goddess　outraged。　I　felt　the　shadow　of　Death's　wings。

〃No！　NoNorhala！　No；　Martin！〃　the　veils　of　inhuman　calm　shrouding　Ruth　were　torn；　swiftly　the　girl　we　knew　looked　out　from　them。　She　threw　herself　between　the　two；　arms　outstretched。

〃Ventnor！〃　Drake　caught　his　arms；　held　them　tight；　〃that's　not　the　way　to　save　her！〃

Ventnor　stood　between　us；　quivering；　half　sobbing。　Never　until　then　had　I　realized　how　great；　how　absorbing　was　that　love　of　his　for　Ruth。　And　the　woman　saw　it；　too；　even　though　dimly；　envisioned　it　humanly。　For；　under　the　shock　of　human　passion；　that　which　I　thought　then　as　utterly　unknown　to　her　as　her　cold　serenity　was　to　us；　the　sleeping　soulI　use　the　popular　word　for　those　emotional　complexes　that　are　peculiar　to　mankindstirred；　awakened。

Wrath　fled　from　her　knitted　brows；　her　eyes　dropping　to　the　girl；　lost　their　dreadfulness；　softened。　She　turned　them　upon　Ventnor；　they　brooded　upon　him；　within　their　depths　a　half…troubled　interest；　a　questioning。

A　smile　dawned　upon　the　exquisite　face；　humanizing　it；　transfiguring　it；　touching　with　tenderness　the　sweet　and　sleeping　mouthas　a　hovering　dream　the　lips　of　the　slumbering　maid。

And　on　the　face　of　Ruth；　as　upon　a　mirror；　I　watched　that　same　slow；　understanding　tenderness　reflected！

〃Come；〃　said　Norhala；　and　led　the　way　through　the　sparkling　curtains。　As　she　passed；　an　arm　around　Ruth's　neck；　I　saw　the　marks　of　Ventnor's　fingers　upon　her　white　shoulder；　staining　its　purity；　marring　it　like　a　blasphemy。

For　an　instant　I　hung　behind；　watching　their　figures　grow　misty　within　the　shining　shadows；　then　followed　hastily。　Entering　the　mists　I　was　conscious　of　a　pleasant　tingling；　an　acceleration　of　the　pulse；　an　increase　of　that　sense　of　well…being　which；　I　grew　suddenly　aware；　had　since　the　beginning　of　our　strange　journey　minimized　the　nervous　attrition　of　constant　contact　with　the　abnormal。

Striving　to　classify；　to　reduce　to　order；　my　sensations　I　drew　close　to　the　others；　overtaking　them　in　a　dozen　paces。　A　dozen　paces　more　and　we　stepped　out　of　the　curtainings。





CHAPTER　XI

THE　METAL　EMPEROR

We　stood　at　the　edge　of　a　well　whose　walls　were　of　that　same　green　vaporous　iridescence　through　which　we　had　just　come；　but　finer　grained；　compact；　as　though　here　the　corpuscles　of　which　they　were　woven　were　far　closer　spun。　Thousands　of　feet　above　us　the　mighty　cylinder　uprose；　and　in　the　lessened　circle　that　was　its　mouth　I　glimpsed　the　bright　stars；　and　knew　by　this　it　opened　into　the　free　air。

All　of　half　a　mile　in　diameter　was　this　shaft；　and　ringed　regularly　along　its　height　by　wide　amethystine　bands　like　rings　of　a　hollow　piston。　They　were；　in　color；　replicas　of　that　I　had　glimpsed　before　our　descent　into　this　place　and　against　whose　gleaming　cataracts　the　outlines　of　the　incredible　city　had　lowered。　And　they　were　in　motion；　spinning　smoothly；　and　swiftly。

Only　one　swift　glance　I　gave　them；　my　eyes　held　by　a　most　extraordinaryedificealtarmachineI　could　not　find　the　word　for　itthen。

Its　base　was　a　scant　hundred　yards　from　where　we　had　paused　and　concentric　with　the　sides　of　the　pit。　It　stood　upon　a　thick　circular　pedestal　of　what　appeared　to　be　cloudy　rock　crystal　supported　by　hundreds　of　thick　rods　of　the　same　material。

Up　from　it　lifted　the　structure；　a　thing　of　glistening　cones　and　spinning　golden　disks；　fantastic　yet　disquietingly　symmetrical；　bizarre　as　an　angled　headdress　worn　by　a　mountainous　Javanese　godyet　coldly；　painfully　mathematical。　In　every　direction　the　cones　pointed；　seemingly　interwoven　of　strands　of　metal　and　of　light。

What　was　their　color？　It　came　to　methat　of　the　mysterious　element　which　stains　the　sun's　corona；　that　diadem　seen　only　when　our　day　star　is　in　eclipse；　the　unknown　element　which　science　has　named　coronium；　which　never　yet　has　been　found　on　earth　and　that　may　be　electricity　in　its　one　material　form；　electricity　that　is　ponderable；　force　whose　vibrations　are　keyed　down　to　mass；　power　transmuted　into　substance。

Thousands　upon　thousands　the　cones　bristled；　pyramiding　to　the　base　of　one　tremendous　spire　that　tapered　up　almost　to　the　top　of　the　shaft　itself。

In　their　grouping　the　mind　caught　infinite　calculations　carried　into　infinity；　an　apotheosis　of　geometry　compassing　the　rhythms　of　unknown　spatial　dimensions；　concentration　of　the　equations　of　the　star　hordes。

The　mathematics　of　the　Cosmos。

From　the　left　of　the　crystalline　base　swept　an　enormous　sphere。　It　was　twice　the　height　of　a　tall　man；　and　it　was　a　paler　blue　than　any　of　these　Things　I　had　seen；　almost；　indeed；　an　azure；　different；　too；　in　other　subtle；　indefinable　ways。

Behind　it　glided　a　pair　of　the　pyramidal　shapes；　their　pointed　tips　higher　by　a　yard　or　more　than　the　top　of　the　sphere。　They　pausedregarding　us。　Out　from　the　opposite　arc　of　the　crystal　pedestal　moved　six　other　globes；　somewhat　smaller　than　the　first　and　of　a　deep　purplish　luster。

They　separated；　lining　up　on　each　side　of　the　leader　now　standing　a　little　in　advance　of　the　twin　tetrahedrons；　rigid　and　motionless　as　watching　guards。

There　they　stoodthat　enigmatic　row；　intent；　studying　us　beneath　their　god　or　altar　or　machine　of　cones　and　disks　within　their　cylinder　walled　with　light。

And　at　that　moment　there　crystallized　within　my　consciousness　the　sublimation　of　all　the　strangenesses　of　all　that　had　gone　before；　a　panic　loneliness　as　though　I　had　wandered　into　an　alien　worlda　world　as　unfamiliar　to　humanity；　as　unfamiliar　with　it　as　our　own　would　seem　to　a　thinking；　mobile　crystal　adrift　among　men。

Norhala　raised　her　white　arms　in　salutation；　from　her　throat　came　a　lilting　theme　of　her　weirdly　ordered；　golden　chanting。　Was　it　speech；　I　wondered；　and　if　soprayer　or　entreaty　or　command？

The　great　sphere　quivered　and　undulated。　Swifter　than　the　eye　could　follow　it　dilated；　opened！

Where　the　azure　globe　had　been；　flashed　out　a　disk　of　flaming　splendors；　the　very　secret　soul　of　flowered　flame！　And　simultaneously　the　pyramids　leaped　up　and　out　behind　ittwo　gigantic；　four…rayed　stars　blazing　with　cold　blue　fires。

The　green　auroral　curtainings　flared　out；　ran　with　streaming　radianceas　though　some　Spirit　of　Jewels　had　broken　bonds　of　enchantment　and　burst　forth　jubilant；　flooding　the　shaft　with　its　freed　glories。　Norhala's　song　ceased；　an　arm　dropped　down　upon　the　shoulders　of　Ruth。

Then　woman　and　girl　began　to　float　toward　the　radiant　disk。

As　one；　the　three　of　us　sprang　after　them。　I　felt　a　shock　that　was　like　a　quick；　abrupt　tap　upon　every　nerve　and　muscle；　stiffening　them　into　helpless　rigidity。

Paralyzing　that　sharp；　unseen　contact　had　been；　but　nothing　of　pain　followed　it。　Instead　it　created　an　extraordinary　acuteness　of　sight　and　hearing；　an　abnormal　keying　up　of　the　observational　faculties；　as　though　the　energy　so　mysteriously　drawn　from　our　motor　centers　had　been　thrown　back　into　the　sensory。

I　could　take　in　every　minute　detail　of　the　flashing　miracle　of　gemmed　fires　and　its　flaming　ministers。　Halfway　between　them　and　us　Norhala　and　Ruth　drifted；　I　could　catch　no　hint　of　voluntary　motion　on　their　part　and　knew　that　they　were　not　walking；　but　were　being　borne　onward　by　some　manifestation　of　that　same　force　which　held　us　motionless。

I　forgot　them　in　my　contemplation　of　the　Disk。

It　was　oval；　twenty　feet　in　height；　I　judged；　and　twelve　in　its　greatest　width。　A　broad　band；　translucent　as　sun　golden　chrysolite；　ran　about　its　periphery。

Set　within　this　zodiac　and　spaced　at　mathematically　regular　intervals　were　nine　ovoids　of　intensely　living　light。　They　shone　like　nine　gigantic　cabochon　cut　sapphires；　they　ranged　from　palest；　watery　blue　up　through　azure　and　purple　and　down　to　a　ghostly　mauve　shot　with　sullen　undertones　of　crimson。

In　each　of　them　was　throned　a　flame　that　seemed　the　very　fiery　essence　of　vitality。

TheBODYwas　convex；　swelling　outward　like　the　boss　of　a　shield；　shimmering　rosy…gray　and　crystalline。　From　the　vital　ovoids　ran　a　pattern　of　sparkling　threads；　irised　and　brilliant　as　floss　of　molten　jewels；　converging　with　interfacings　of　spirals；　of　volutes　and　of　triangles　into　the　nucleus。

And　that　nucleus；　what　was　it？

Even　now　I　can　but　guessbrain　in　part　as　we　understand　brain；　certainly；　but　far；　far　more　than　that　in　its　energies；　its　powers。

It　was　like　an　immense　rose。　An　incredible　rose　of　a　thousand　close　clustering　petals。　It　blossomed　with　a　myriad　shifting　hues。　And　instant　by　instant　the　flood　of　varicolored　flame　that　poured　into　its　petalings　down　from　the　sapphire　ovoids　waxed　and　waned　in　crescendoes　and　diminuendoes　of　relucent　harmoniesecstatic；　awesome。

The　heart　of　the　rose　was　a　star　of　incandescent　ruby。

From　the　flaming　crimson　center　to　aureate；　flashing　penumbra　it　was　instinct　with　and　poured　forth　powerpower　vast　and　conscious。

Not　with　that　same　completeness　could　I　realize　the　ministering　star　shapes；　half　hidden　as　they　were　by　the　Disk。　Their　radiance　was　less；　nor　had　they　its　miracle　of　pulsing　gem　fires。　Blue　they　were；　blue　of　a　peculiar　vibrancy；　and　blue　wer