Fifteen Hundred Miles An Hour 38

Fifteen Hundred Miles An Hour 38

"'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?'