Fifteen Hundred Miles An Hour

"'And what may this one cloud of sorrow be?'

"'To be separated from you, even for one hour – one moment. My heart is yearning for the time when we may part no more – when I may proudly call you mine; MINE for ever!'

"'But is there no one who beckoneth to thee from that star-world yonder; no memory of one fairer in thy sight than I?'

"'Ah, darling,' I sighed, 'have I not told you that, until I saw you, I knew not Love; and that the women of my native Earth cannot compare with you in grace and beauty? I have but a single thought for all those teeming millions of humanity that people yon shining star, and that one is for the old father, who parted from me with his blessing when I left its surface years ago.'

"'And I may never see him! Dost thou know Harry, I have great curiosity to visit thy native world. All would seem so wondrous strange to me.'

"'And perhaps the day may yet come when I shall take my darling yonder; for I hear from my companions that great things are being planned, and that your royal father takes a deep interest in them. But now tell me, dear one, if to-morrow I may take you to myself for ever? Is the morn to bring your bridal day?'

"'Ah, thy words have stirred sad thoughts within my heart. To-morrow thou hast promised to fight Perodii.'

"'And when the fight is over? – '

"'Why, then, if all – be – well,' she sighed, 'thou mayest have thy wish; for then will I become thy wife,' and she hid her blushing face, and stole yet closer into my arms.

"'Your words, dear one, make me feel happier than I can say,' and for a few moments neither of us spoke; and only the loud, fast beating of our own hearts broke the silence surrounding us.

"'Now, Harry, I must leave thee. I would see my father before the evening hath passed.'

"'Then, when I see your dear face again, I may leave you no more. You will not be present at this fray to-morrow?'

"'No, dear Harry, I could not. But I will pray for thee; and when all is over, and thou art victorious – as I trust thou mayest be – then will I come to bring thee thy reward. Now, fare thee well; and may all good fortune attend thee on the morrow,' and trying bravely to conceal her agitation and her tears, Volinè walked with me through the silver, sheeny moonlight unto the Palace; where, with a last, sweet kiss, she left me, and went her way.

"The night was a restless, sleepless one for me; and right gladly I welcomed the first streaks of what was to prove one of the most eventful days of my life. I was up with the sun, and the first person I saw was Himos; and from him I learned particulars of the coming duel. We were to fight with a peculiar kind of short, broad sword, in a large arena, where combats of this description were wont to be decided. The hour for the fray was ten; and the King had signified his intention of being present, and acting as umpire between us. Then came Sandy – his face absolutely beaming with delight at the prospect of a little fighting; and with a due sense of his importance on acting as my second.

"'By bonnie Prince Charlie's memory, Mr. Graham, this is real guid news. I hear that ye are aboot to ha' a tussel with Peerodii. De'il tak' him, when ye ha' done wi' him, Mr. Graham, for the muckle harm he has warked for us; and they do say that we are going to ha' a weddin', too. Weel, weel, Sandy Cam'bell will step ye a Highland reel, if he do it without the pipes an' a' that; an' good luck to ye an' your winsome bride, say I; for she is a bra' fine girl, and enough to turn the heads of a' who clap their een on her.'

"'Thanks for all your good wishes, Sandy; and should we triumph over this rascal, you shall dance at my wedding to-night.'

"'Should we triumph, Mr. Graham. De'il a doot aboot it. He's na fightin' sort.'

"'Well, Sandy, we shall soon know, now, whether there is any real grit in him or not. But have you heard anything from the Doctor about this business?' I asked, just out of curiosity.

"'Indeed, an' I have. The Doctor is powerful annoyed; and I heard him tell Mr. Temple, only last night, that this affair bears out what he has insisted on a' the time, that ye are daft – love daft; and it was no guid sayin' anything to ye, for ye were bound to gang ye're ain gait.'

'"Poor old boy! Well, I hope he is in better temper to-day; for we must have him at the wedding – that is, all being well. And now, Sandy, my boy, hasten away and learn what you can of the arrangements made for the fight. I am growing impatient to get it over, one way or the other.'

"'Right ye are, Mr. Graham. Sandy Cam'bell will do the best he can, for ye ha been a guid friend to me.'

"And so saying, the blunt, yet honest Scot, took himself off in the highest spirits, rejoicing that for one day, at least, he would be free from the task of hunting for the Doctor's 'specimens' to engage in duties more congenial to his tastes.

"I studiously avoided contact with either the Doctor or Temple, taking breakfast in my own room, from which I did not stir until summoned by the King's Marshals to accompany them to the arena. I felt in little mood to talk until this fight was over. Just before their arrival, I was agreeably surprised by a visit from Irolne, who brought me a single white flower from her mistress, with the following message:

"'Wear this for Volinè's sake. She loves thee, and prays for him she loves.'

"The arena was situated in a remote part of the Palace grounds, entirely strange to me. We could have travelled there by one of those wonderful 'tubes,' but I preferred to go on foot, thinking that the walk in the morning air might do me good. This duel between Perodii and myself had made a great sensation, not only in Edos, but in all the cities for many leagues around, and, early as was the hour, a vast concourse had assembled – all of noble birth, or high in station – to witness the fight. This colossal arena was open to the sky, although round the sides a kind of awning had been erected over the spectators, who must have numbered quite two hundred thousand strong. In the centre was a table on which half-a-dozen short swords were placed, and here I saw Sandy carefully examining and testing the blades. Already the King was seated, and by his side were Temple, the Doctor, and a few of the highest Ministers. I stood with Himos at the entrance to the arena, concealed from the gaze of the spectators, waiting for the proceedings to begin; but of my antagonist I had not yet caught a glimpse. Then Sandy came and helped me to prepare myself for the fight. This I did by taking off hat, coat, and vest, and with shirt-sleeves rolled up above my elbows, a scarlet sash bound tightly round my waist, I soon felt ready, even eager, for the fray.

"We had not long to wait. First came twenty heralds into the arena, and having sounded a mighty blast upon their instruments, a Marshal stepped forward, and then a great silence fell as he prepared to speak.

"In a clear, ringing voice, which, owing to some marvellous system of acoustics, must have been heard to the uttermost parts of this grand enclosure, he said:

"'Man of Ramos, His Highness Prince Perodii being thy rival to the hand of our gracious mistress Volinè, the King's daughter, hath called upon thee to fight with him, so that this issue between ye may be fairly tried by courage, strength, and the use of swords.'

"Here, followed by faithful Sandy, I walked into the centre of the arena, bowing to the King, amidst a loud murmur of excitement and curiosity from the surrounding throng.

"Then followed another deafening blast from the twenty heralds, and once again the Marshal spoke:

"'Prince Perodii, this man of Ramos, thy rival to the hand of Volinè, our mistress, hath answered unto thy challenge, and standeth ready, so that this issue between ye may be fairly tried by courage, strength, and the use of swords.'

"Then once more amid murmurs of excitement, mingled not a little with applause from those who evidently were friends of my rival, Perodii, stripped to the waist, walked proudly and confidently forward from another entrance towards me, stopping half-a-dozen paces from where I stood. Each looked fiercely at the other, yet neither spoke. Again a terrible silence fell as the King rose up and said:

"'Rivals for my beloved daughter's favour, ye have met to fight, so that the bitter enmity between ye may be closed. May God decide which is the better man by giving him strength to overcome the other. Let truth and honour and courage, triumph over lies and shame and cowardice. Take ye each a weapon, and let my sitting down be the signal for ye to begin.'

"Then we each stepped forward and took a sword; beautifully finished weapons, about two feet in length and two inches in breadth, dagger pointed, and keen as razors on their innermost edge.

"Each with his gleaming naked sword clasped in his right hand then faced the other, and after a moment's pause, Perodii spoke:

"'So, at last, the hour of my vengeance hath come; and here by my right of birth and station may I slay thee, and sweep thee from my path. Look to it, for thy moments now are numbered.'

"'I wait for you, Perodii, and may Heaven defend the right.'

"'Keep thy holy words for thine own comfort, thou boasting, short-lived fool; but methinks I will cut still shorter thy puny span with this,' and as he spoke he held aloft the glittering blade.

"'You speak that of which you know nothing, Perodii. My span of life is now as long as yours; for know you not that I have passed through holy rites that have endowed me with a fuller measure of years? But we waste time in profitless talk. Come, put up your sword, and defend yourself – '

"'Hold! I see Echri's ring upon thy finger. Come, fight fairly. Take off that cursed relic. We want none of Echri's magic here.'

"'Coward! then you fear its virtues now! Well, I have no wish to take advantage of you. Here, Sandy, hold this ring, and take care of it well. I would not lose it for a world'; and so saying, I slipped the precious talisman from my finger, and turned to give it to Sandy.

"That moment nearly proved fatal to me; for, without warning, Perodii rushed forward and made a terrible thrust at my unguarded body. But Sandy was too quick for him, and putting out his foot, he threw the Prince headlong.

"'Na, na, Mr. Perodii, none o' that here. Ye've got to fight fair and square, and not tak' a mon unawares.'

"'Coward!' I shouted. 'Get up and defend yourself, or my indignation may prompt me to slay you where you are.'

"But Perodii, without another word, jumped to his feet again and attacked me with fury. Our swords flashed like silver in the sunlight as we parried each other's blows and thrusts, Perodii trying his best to strike me, I acting on the defensive, having decided to bide my time until the first frenzy of his attack was spent. Not a sound was heard save the clashing of swords, and our deep-drawn breaths. Then Perodii, in one of his mad onslaughts, slipped and nearly fell, but recovered himself before I had time to drive in a blow; yet a thrilling sigh of excitement burst from the crowd, who thought that all was over. Again we drew back, panting for breath, and burning with desire to slay each other. Again with eyes sparkling in anger we closed, and once more the flashing, clanging swords sang the song of our hatred. Perodii was skilled in the use of his weapon, and fought hard, but I think his courage was only the outcome of his deadly hate, which had worked him up into an uncontrollable rage. At last I clumsily gave him his chance, and was too late completely to parry one of his fierce strokes. His blade glanced off my own, and inflicted a deep, stinging cut in my arm. Amidst my pain I heard cries of concern from the Doctor and Temple, as each jumped to their feet; but the King sat calmly looking on. Then we drew back and stood panting until Sandy had deftly and quickly bound up my wound, saying:

"'Gang in again, Mr. Graham, he's getting spent; besides, your wound will stiffen if ye do not keep your arm at wark.'

"Again we closed; and stung to desperation by my smarting wound, and thoughts of her who lonely and sadly was praying for me, and whose blood-stained flower still clung, ragged and drooping, to my heart, I fought and fought like one possessed, driving my antagonist back inch by inch, step by step, and forcing him to defend himself rather than to attack me. At last my opportunity came, and, with a rapid twisting stroke, I wrenched his blade from his hand and sent it spinning and gleaming into the air, amid a roar of excitement from the onlookers. But before I could recover myself he closed with me, and then began a wild, terrible struggle for life. Soon we rolled to the ground together, and first one and then the other was uppermost and had a transient advantage. Then we got on to our feet again, struggling one against the other, swaying now to this side, now to that, until I clasped him round the waist, and summoning all my strength for one mighty effort, I bent him nearly double as I would a reed, and hurled him limp and helpless over my head! Quick as lightning I ran and seized my sword, and before Perodii could recover or attempt to rise, my foot was planted on his breast, and my notched and gleaming sword held high over his throat.

"'God,' I cried, 'has given you into my power; and now will I justly avenge all the insults you have heaped on me and mine, and wipe out the wrongs you have done the woman I love!'

"Here Volinè entered, and sat down by her father's side, pale and trembling, and with tears starting down her lovely cheeks.

"'Mercy, as thou hopest for the same,' Perodii whined in fear, now thoroughly cowed, and all the fight and courage knocked out of him by that last, terrible fall.

"'Mercy! What mercy would you have shown me were I in your place? However, if mercy you really crave, buy your miserable, worthless life by answering what I ask of you,' I shouted, withdrawing my foot and letting him rise. 'Now, say that you lied when you conspired against Kios, and worked his disgrace and banishment to Pamax.'

"'What know ye of Kios?'

"'Speak the words that clear his name, or die,' I thundered.

"'Then, in this, I admit that I swore falsely, and conspired to ruin an – innocent – man.'

"'Further; you know full well the rest.'

"'And that I did this thing to save myself from his just wrath, having ruined his only child,' he continued, amidst a growing storm of indignation.

"'Now will we speak of Volinè; she whom you have so foully wronged and slandered. Say that you lied in the Hall of Judgment, and to the King. Say that Volinè's honour is as untarnished as the mountain snow.'

"'Never!' he hissed. 'Thou hast humbled me enough. Curse thee!'

"'I am not here to parley. Say this. By the great God, you shall say it on your bended knees, or my sword shall sheath itself in your heart,' I shouted, waxing wroth as I thought of my darling's undeserved disgrace from the mouth of this scoundrel.

"'My words were lies,' he hissed rather than spoke, as he sank upon, his knees, forced thereto at the point of my naked sword; and a look of malignant hatred stole over his face, as he glared at me with his bloodshot, glittering eyes in impotent rage, like some wild-beast helpless in the hunter's toils.

"'Now take yourself away, and never again molest me or mine, or dare to meddle with affairs that do not concern you. I stay me from wetting my hands in blood upon this, my wedding morn – Volinè's nuptial day shall not be one of bloodshed, but stainless and happy as my bonny bride herself. Now, get you gone while the spirit of my mercy lingers – go, and dare not to cross my path again,' and, amidst shouts of derision and anger, the vanquished Prince left the arena, and we saw him no more.

"Then the heralds stepped forward again, and blew another blast; and the Marshal commanded silence for the King to speak. He rose from his daughter's side, looking supremely pleased and gratified, and said:

"'Man of Ramos, thou hast fought fairly and valiantly, and shown mercy to a vanquished foe, which doth thee great honour. Thou hast answered thy rival's challenge as only a brave man couldst; and now most freely do I give thee my daughter to wife. She shall dower thee ten thousand times more handsomely than any woman of the star-world, Ramos, thou hast lately left.'

"'And her husband shall not be penniless, for I hereby promise him the sum of fifty thousand pounds sterling, as soon as communication is again established between Gathma and Earth, and he may be able to present my cheque for that amount,' said Temple, jumping to his feet in excitement.

"'There are riches here enough for both; but still I admire the spirit that hath prompted thee to make that remark,' the King answered, smiling. 'Now let the day that dawned on strife and battle set on love and peace, for my daughter tells me she hath set the remainder thereof apart for a bridal feast.'

"Then a great, loud shout went up from the assembled throng, and the heralds played a song of victory upon their brazen instruments, as I stood blood-stained and ragged from the fray before the King, the observed of every eye.

"'Oh, King! I crave one more act of royal grace. Let worthy Kios, disgraced and wronged without cause, find place again in royal favour; and I would also ask that brave and gallant Kaosp, a captain in your guard, be freed from captivity and restored to place. Both these men owe their downfall to the cunning and the knavery of Perodii.'

"''Tis but justice what thou hast asked, and it shall be done.'

"Then, bowing low to the King and Volinè, I withdrew to put myself in better array. Temple also came, and was congratulating me heartily on my victory, when the Doctor made his appearance.

"'Well, Graham,' he began, holding out his hand, 'it did my old heart good to see how you thrashed that villain. So the poor Sirius is avenged; for this public disgrace to such a man as Perodii is a terrible punishment. Well done, my friend! But let us see your injury. Ah! merely a flesh wound; deep, but not dangerous, and will soon heal.'

"'But, Doctor, I thought I was too deep in your disfavour ever to win any expressions of approval from you again,' I retorted.

"'There, there, Graham, let all differences of opinion be put aside to-day. I am apt to speak hastily; and old men, with life behind them, are often too prone to judge the actions of younger men by their own experience. I withdraw all I have said, and wish, yes, heartily wish, her and you every happiness. I have too lively a recollection of your great assistance to my project, both on Earth and during our journey hither, to grudge you the happiness you have tried so hard to win, and on which it is evident your heart is fixed. Although my sentiments regarding women in general may never alter, I shall certainly make an exception in favour of the wondrous fair lady who is so soon to become your wife. But mind, Graham, this is the only exception I ever made during my life's experience of the sex that is as frail as it is fair.'

"'Well and rightly spoken, Doctor,' broke in Temple. 'To-day, of all others, is a most opportune one to express such opinions. As you say, we owe a good deal to Graham; and I am sure we all wish him joy and continued happiness.'

"'I thank you, Doctor, and you, too, Mr. Temple, for your kindly words, especially for those that relate to the girl I am about to wed. Now, I am sure you will excuse me; for my place is by her side, after the hours of suspense she has suffered, since she knew of this fight with Perodii. We shall meet again, I hope, a little later on, when, perhaps, I may have the happiness of being supported at the coming ceremony by two such old and trusty friends.'

"'That you may,' answered the Doctor and Temple together, as I hastened to Volinè, eager to rejoin my darling, and to soothe her fears away."