The Day of Resis

Sedai, who had been such a prominent figure in the first part of the journey, and who had played such a part in the real cause of the expedition, had not been forgotten since reaching the Land of On, but so many new and strange things had come up to occupy the time and minds of our friends, and so many attendants had been placed at their disposal, Sedai had not been called upon to perform the many little duties to which he had become accustomed, and he was left to enjoy himself much as he saw fit. He had accompanied the party on the first part of the journey, but the King wished to send word back to the city, of the change in the programme and of their intention to proceed to the far end of the country before their return, and Sedai had offered to carry the message. Not that native messengers were wanting, but Sedai seemed to find more enjoyment in the delightfully cool and comfortable city than he did riding through the somewhat heated country.

But he had been too long accustomed to the march, and the white companions of the past few weeks had become too dear to him, to long remain away from them; so after spending one day in the city, he determined to start out and overtake the party. But now a strange thing occurred. Far off in the west, just creeping up from the horizon, rose a dark cloud, at first no larger than a zebra, but growing in size each moment and fast approaching the city. It soon overcast half the heavens and the entire populace was standing in the streets gazing at this wonder. The cloud had cut off the twilight completely and now, while it was yet early, darkness was over all, a darkness which was appalling. The populace exchanged looks of wonderment, but offered no explanation of this strange freak of the elements.

Sedai, who had long been accustomed to seeing these fearful electric and wind storms, was surprised to see the wonderment in the faces of these people. Turning to one who was near him, he said:

“Why do you gaze at the heavens in that way; have you never before seen a storm?”

“Many of them,” answered the man, “but never at this time of the year, and never at any time as fierce a one as this promises to be.”

“It does indeed look very threatening,” said Sedai.

The night grew even darker, and then the lightning broke through the black clouds for a moment illuminating the beautiful city which the inhabitants had for the first time in their lives, failed to lighten. The thunder rolled up from the west, making a deafening roar, and still the people stood gazing, so overpowered were they by this strange event. And now the fitful gusts of wind reached them, and then a few drops of rain fell; and listen: what is that fearful sound. It is not thunder, for the thunder is roaring peal on peal and cannot be mistaken. This is something else. It can be heard only when the thunder rests for a moment. And it is growing nearer, and a little longer and it seems to be almost on them.

Like a flash it comes to Sedai.

“It is the simoon,” he cries, in such an alarmed voice that all look at him in surprise. Again he called out, “the simoon.” And now the natives all crowded around asking him what he meant. He had not learned the language sufficiently to make them understand by words, but by making signs he explained to them how the great winds sweep over the earth, leveling houses, trees and all else to the ground. Even then they showed no signs of fear. But one of them happened to remember the King, and that he, with the strange guests, was somewhere in the country, over which the storm was now approaching.

“The King,” the man cried, and then, the others catching his meaning, and realizing the King’s danger, the cry of “the King” rose high above the roar of the storm.

Sedai grasped the situation at once and knew that the King and his friends must be in imminent peril. The storm had come up just at that hour of the evening when the party, having rested during the heat of the day, might be expected to be on the road. If this was true and they were near no villa at the time, they must have fallen victims to the storm. But the populace was also fully aroused now, and already men were appearing in the streets astride of zebras, waiting only for others to congregate when they would hurry on to the rescue of the King and his party, if it was not already too late.

Sedai also brought out his zebra and joining the party, they started for the shore of the lake, knowing that somewhere near this would be found the King and his party. They started down the Avenue of On with the hope of reaching the King and his friends in time to help them, but the air was now becoming thick with sand and even sticks and stones, and the rescuing party were riding right in the face of this merciless hurricane. The zebras held their heads far down and moved on determinedly. Their riders lay close to their necks, endeavoring in this way to protect their faces. But it grew worse. The zebras, now thoroughly blinded, stumbled on, making heroic efforts to keep up the uneven struggle, but their pace was growing slower and slower and there seemed to be no chance for their getting much further. Suddenly Sedai’s zebra turned to the right and left the avenue, the others followed. The party dared not open their eyes to see where the zebras were taking them, but after a little while noticing a cessation of the pitiless rain of sand and gravel, they opened their eyes as well as they could, and found that the animals had left the road and had sought shelter from the fearful storm near one of the farm villas. They had stopped under the east wall which protected them to some extent.

The men hurriedly dismounted and led the zebras to the large stable in the rear. All realized that it was useless to try to proceed further in the pitiless storm; it would only be death to do so, and they could not help their friends if they were in such a condition as the storm promised to put them in if they continued. Another hour of that fearful onslaught of gravel and sand, and small sticks and twigs, and every man would be dead. So they determined to wait until the storm would abate, when they would hurry on and give assistance to their friends, if it was not forever too late.

The inky blackness of the night, lit up only occasionally by the lightning, the fearful peals of thunder, the roaring of the storm as it rushed madly on, made the night one never to be forgotten. It must have been several hours past midnight before it abated in the least, and after it had once spent its wild fury it died quickly, and in a very short time it was perfectly calm.

Sounds of wounded and distressed animals could now be heard, pitiful in their mournful cries; trees could still be heard falling, and the night-birds which had escaped the fury of the storm, again took up their flight, giving out most dismal screeches. But the storm had passed, and Sedai and his party were again moving slowly along the avenue, for the night was still dark and many fallen trees now covered this beautiful highway.

So hurrying was out of the question, but the zebras, who had had their eyes washed out in the stable, and keen-sighted and sure-footed now, they went along at a good pace, considering the condition of the road. But it was so dark, and they had now proceeded far enough on their journey to expect to meet couriers from the King and party, if there were any left to tell the tale. Torches had been procured at the villa at which they had sought shelter, and lighting these, they carried them high above their heads with good effect. The lights threw weird shadows along the avenue as they picked their way through the debris. The storm seemed not to have touched the avenue or the grand trees bordering it, but had taken a course parallel to this, the outer edge of which had come very close to the southern border of the avenue. It was not, then, the avenue shade trees which occasionally lay across it, but the forest trees which covered the fields on each side. So close, however, had the tornado or cyclone come to the avenue, that some of the branches of its bordering trees had been cut off as with a knife.

Occasionally, in the glare of the torches, a wounded or dead animal would be seen. In one instance, a deer had been killed by a falling tree, and its mate, which had probably been with it at the time, now lay beside its dead licking the eyes and face. Again, a zebra had been torn and lacerated by the fierceness of the storm, and as it saw the lights and the familiar forms of the zebra in the cavalcade, it made a painful effort to rise and follow. Sedai seeing its suffering, dismounted and killed the poor beast, thus putting it out of its misery. The onyx pavement was covered with dead and wounded birds, the storm having played greater havoc among the winged inhabitants, than among any of the other.

At last faint streaks of dawn lighted up the eastern heaven, and gradually it grew lighter, until the great hot sun burst forth, its rays disclosing a scene of fearful devastation. But our friends had but little time to notice all of this. They were looking for the wounded or dead bodies of the King and his party. But look as they might, they could not see either a wounded or dead zebra or elephant, in this part of the avenue. This was probably because these animals had stables, into which they could run if they chose, and as all the buildings were of onyx, and built to stand for centuries, the storm’s violence had no effect on them.

The rescuing party’s progress had necessarily been slow, for they were not only hindered by fallen trees and other debris which strewed the avenue, but a great deal of time had been taken up in looking over the ground carefully, they fearing that if they did not do this, they might pass some of their wounded friends. They had now reached the lake, and the numerous inlets, or bays, which stretched into the mainland for a short distance, showed, from the appearance of their banks, that they had also received harsh treatment by the storm. Near one of these, lay, with its body half twisted in two, one of the sea monsters which had been sucked from the stream and hurled against a neighboring tree. Many fishermen’s boats were strewn along the banks smashed to splinters. The villa in which the King and party had spent the night of prayer, was visited by the rescuers, but the bewildered attendants here could only say that the King and his party had left the morning before, and had not again returned. Then Sedai, and those with him, after exchanging their poor, tired zebras for fresh ones, and after a hasty meal, pushed on. They might reasonably suppose that the party had reached a point at least twenty miles farther to the northwest before the storm broke in its fury; but it might have been that they saw the storm approaching even before those in the city did, and fearing serious consequences had turned back. In this case the rescuers might expect to meet them at any time now and especial care was taken to look behind each fallen tree or pile of debris.

An elephant had been taken along from the last villa in hopes that he might be able to sooner detect their near approach to any of his companions used by Onrai and his party. These animals are very sagacious and their senses are very acute, they being able to hear the slightest noise or see the most minute object, while their scent is only equaled by a bloodhound.

Carefully this great beast picked his way, stepping gingerly over the fallen trees and testing each bridge with his fore legs before venturing to cross it. The distance between the villa and where our friends might expect to be found, if safe, was now half covered and the rescuers had gained heart with each step forward, for if those whom they were seeking were not found within the next few miles, they would know that they were safe. Suddenly the elephant stopped, and sniffing the air gave a sharp, quick cry. Looking to the left the party saw the huge body of an elephant, and beside it that of a woman.