The first American King

Captain Robert lost no time in carrying out the order thus received to remove the prisoners. Placing himself between them, he marched from the tent and hurried down the cañon.

“I warned you to take matters quietly,” he said reproachfully. “Yet you seem to have acted like a keg of explosives from the moment you got inside the tent.”

“I wish I could find myself face to face with that scoundrel, man to man, for a few minutes!” retorted Mortimer. “Oh, for a company of the Guards at my back at this moment and I’d soon teach that fellow and those behind him here a lesson. Prisoners or dead he said they would be shortly. I’d show him that these same Guards were very much alive!”

“Prisoners or dead, eh?” repeated Robert. “Did he tell you that?”

“Yes,” answered Mortimer impatiently.

“He spoke only the truth,” said Robert solemnly.

Dean started. This was the second time within a few minutes he had heard this declaration and the man who now uttered it spoke earnestly and with conviction. In Mortimer the words created nothing save irritation and impatience. The idea of a body of bandits, or other ruffians, talking of annihilating the famous Guards—one of the crack regiments of the world. It was too preposterous!

“Are you afflicted, too?” he asked with contempt. “But never mind that! What’s this body of men here? We are at least entitled to know to whom we are prisoners.”

They had come to the end of the cañon and had reached the main valley. Robert led in sharp turn to the right and kept along parallel with the base of the mountain.

“I may not answer your questions,” he replied, “but unless I am much mistaken, there will shortly arrive here one high in authority with whom you will talk. This air-ship of yours must be reported at once. It is the most momentous thing which could have happened.”

“Why so? And who is this one high in authority of whom you speak?” asked Mortimer.

Robert parried his question with the query:

“Suppose you tell me where you got your air-ship? Did you secure it from one of our camps?”

“That ruffian back there has already asked me that,” replied Mortimer, “and I told him that it wasn’t stolen, as he seemed to think, from any of your people, but was the legitimate property of His Majesty, the King.”

“Then it was sold to the royalists by some renegade of our party,” exclaimed Robert excitedly.

“Not at all,” replied Mortimer. “There you’re quite wrong.”

“Who built it, then? Have you any more such ships?” continued Robert with the same avidity.

“Steady, now!” replied Mortimer, smiling at the other’s eagerness. “You’re not particularly liberal in the matter of information and we’re not generous, either,” he added with sarcasm, “after the treatment we have experienced here.”

“For that,” replied Robert humbly, “I ask your pardon in my behalf and in behalf of many others here who will learn and not approve of what has been done. The Colonel is a hard man—a brutal man, if you will—but a highly capable one. Hence he is in command here. Blood will have to be shed so that our cause may prevail, but the great mass of us are, I may truly say, opposed to any unnecessary violence.”

“You speak strangely,” said Mortimer.

“Perhaps it may so seem to you,” replied Robert, “but it’s nevertheless true. When the hour comes we shall strike, to the full extent that may be necessary, but not one step beyond that. Those are the orders—the orders of the High President.”

“The High President!” exclaimed Mortimer, coming to a dead stop. “Ah! I see—I see! I’ve heard that title before. This—this—camp is a camp of Reactionists and you—you—you—are rebels—conspirators against the King!”

“Hush!” said Robert warningly.

“You deny it!” cried Mortimer.

“I affirm or deny nothing!” replied Robert. “I’ve already said too much. Come, let us move on.” He touched Mortimer lightly on the arm.

They walked a short distance further on down the valley, to a large circular opening between the mountains, where a singular sight confronted them. In that great circular valley, moored to right and left, like shipping in a harbor, lay some two dozen air-ships of varying sizes. In the foremost rank were the four great ships which had effected their capture, and nestling behind these four was their own craft, the “Royal Dean.” Here and there men at work were moving about among the ships.

Silently they stared for a moment upon the scene before them.

“I would much like to inspect some of these,” whispered Dean to Robert. “May I?”

“I hardly think I have authority to grant you that privilege,” replied Robert, smiling, “but your ship will doubtless be subjected to very careful scrutiny by us. By the way, is there anything about it that requires attention for the moment?”

“Nothing,” replied Dean; “everything is automatically controlled and it can remain as it is for a month without injury.”

“Did you take part in fitting it up?” asked Robert curiously.

“For any and all information,” replied Dean, with a laugh, “I must refer you to Captain Mortimer.”

Robert good-naturedly joined in the laugh against himself and led the way on board one of the larger air-ships. This air-ship was supplied with quite a spacious cabin and into this cabin Robert showed his prisoners, unbinding the ropes which confined their arms.

“This will have to be your dungeon cell for the present,” he said, with a wave of the hand around the cabin, “and I think you will agree it might be worse. For my part, I’ll do all in my power to make you as comfortable as possible. We have a very fair commissariat department, I think you’ll find, and I’ll at least see to it that you’re well looked after in that direction. My quarters are quite close to yours and whatever is prepared for my daughter and myself you shall share.”

“Your daughter,” repeated Mortimer. “Was that the lady whom we saw when we landed?”

“Yes,” replied Robert; “my only child. The organization here sought me because of my knowledge of mechanics which rendered me useful in connection with these air-ships. I would never have consented to come, though, if it had meant separation from my girl, so they agreed to her coming with me. She’s a great favorite here. They call her ‘The Daughter of the Regiment.’ But, while I am talking away to you, I expect you are pretty hungry.”

“I confess to experiencing a sense of vacuum,” said the Professor.

“I’m as hungry as a bear,” said Mortimer.

“Then your wants in that respect shall be quickly supplied,” replied Robert cheerily. “In the meantime you’ll forgive me, I know, if I secure this door on the outside and put a man on guard. That’s the usual military process, I believe, Captain?”

“Very well,” answered Mortimer, with a laugh. “I promise you not to escape during the next hour—not until after breakfast.”

“And your sword,” said Robert, glancing at the scabbard which hung by Mortimer’s side. “I suppose, according to strict military rule, I ought to demand that you give it up.”

Mortimer’s face darkened.

“I served through the Russian war,” he said, “and was never taken prisoner. To yield up my sword would be a new experience to me. I’ll yield it to none here, and those who would have it must take it by force.”

“Well,” answered Robert in a conciliatory tone, “we needn’t quarrel over that. We hold you securely enough here as it is and can afford to leave you your sword.”

With these words, he stepped from the cabin, secured the door on the outside and the two prisoners were alone. Instinctively they turned and faced each other.

“A pretty mess we’ve made of it!” exclaimed Mortimer, with a laugh. “We started out to capture those fellows and here they’ve turned the tables and captured us. A nice little ambuscade we’ve walked, or rather flown, into. The worst of it, too, is that I thought it was only a night’s work and I didn’t even get leave of absence from the Guard—all of which is quite an infraction of military discipline.”

“And I,” bewailed the Professor, “what a mess I’ve made of it! Never once in the excitement of the chase did I think of using the aërestograph to communicate with our friend Kearns. You see, I was kept pretty busy handling the air-ship and keeping watch on the movements of the fellows in front of us. Still, I suppose I ought to have managed to send him a message or two.”

“Not at all,” replied Mortimer; “you were not to blame. Up to the moment of our capture what news was there to send? We were every moment awaiting developments.”

“And when those developments occurred,” remarked the Professor dryly, “it was no longer in our power to send messages.”

“Quite so,” assented Mortimer, “but all that happened was so utterly unlooked for that we could hardly have been expected to foresee it. Those who are disposed to criticise may be reminded of the old axiom that foresight is never equal to hindsight.”

“Quite true,” answered the Professor, “but what can you suggest as the best way out of our present position? What shall we do?”

There was a sound at the door, as of someone at work on the outer fastenings.

“Nothing—until after breakfast,” replied Mortimer. “Ah, here it comes, I think—and welcome.”

As he spoke the door opened and there appeared, at the head of the steps leading down into the cabin, the graceful figure of a girl carrying a large tray substantially laden with food. At a glance they recognized her as she whom they had seen upon landing.

Professor Dean rose and bowed.

“Miss Robert, I believe?” said Captain Mortimer, also rising and bowing.

The girl deposited her heavy tray, ran over to a locker and procured a white tablecloth which she spread upon the table.

“Yes,” she replied, with a merry laugh, “but here in the camp they call me ‘Valerie.’”

And she turned a pair of merry brown eyes upon them, eyes that rested with evident admiration on Mortimer’s jaunty military jacket, with its gay trappings. As she stood there smiling, with her high color, her jet-black hair, her graceful figure, and large but very white teeth showing between her full, scarlet lips, she was unquestionably a very pretty girl.

“Valerie,” repeated Mortimer, gallantly. “That is certainly a very pretty name, but a rather uncommon one in this country.”

“Yes,” assented Valerie, still laughing, as she busied herself with the table; “I suppose it is. My mother was French and I was named after her. They tell me you come direct from the palace,” she prattled on. “Are any of the ladies there called Valerie?”

“I think not,” replied Mortimer, joining in her merry mood. “It would be hard, even at Court, to find a name as pretty as that.”

“And is it true that the ladies are wearing dresses cut in Directoire style?” continued Valerie.

Mortimer broke into a hearty laugh.

“Really,” he said, “I am not competent to answer that. Perhaps,” he added mischievously, “my friend Professor Dean, who takes a great interest in the ladies, can inform you upon that subject.”

Thus appealed to, the Professor fairly blushed.

“Well,” he stammered confusedly, “I don’t know much about ladies’ dresses, but it is true that the fashions have reverted to something like that which was in vogue some two centuries ago and the ladies at the Court to-day are wearing dresses which suggest those of the days of the French Directoire.”

“There!” exclaimed Mortimer triumphantly. “You see he is an authority and I referred you to the right source for information.”

“It must be a very pretty fashion,” remarked the girl musingly. “How I would like to see those dresses—and the Court and the ladies there! What a pity it seems that a Court is wicked and must be done away with.”

“What makes you think the Court is wicked?” asked Mortimer curiously.

“Oh,” replied the girl, “I have always been taught that. Everybody here says it is. But I am keeping you from your breakfast,” she added, hastily.

“Not at all,” protested Mortimer and the Professor together. “Pray stay.”

“No; I must go,” she replied regretfully. “I was specially told I must not talk much to you and if I stay too long, father will suspect and not let me come again, and,” she added with a saucy smile and a final admiring glance at Mortimer’s uniform, as she fled up the steps, “I want to come again.”

As the door closed behind her the Professor turned to Mortimer.

“They say that every woman is at heart a royalist and I verily believe this very attractive young woman has a leaning that way.”

“The saying is a very true one,” replied Mortimer. “From what little I have read and observed on the subject, I should say that the women—God bless them!—had much to do, by indirect but nevertheless powerful influence, with the formation of the monarchy, and womankind to-day is to be reckoned as one of the staunchest supports of the throne.”

And with this summary of the situation, he turned with interest to the breakfast before them.

They spent the remainder of the morning and afternoon in arguing over various measures and plans of escape. There was a sentinel, they knew, constantly on duty outside the cabin door, and should they break out and confront this man there were doubtless plenty of his comrades at hand to come to his assistance before an escape could be made. From what little they had seen of the valley they had perceived that it was apparently enclosed on all sides by high, precipitous mountains, which would take much time and effort to scale and would afford excellent opportunities for pursuit and recapture. Any clumsy and unsuccessful effort at escape would naturally lead to greater vigilance on the part of their captors. They were both agreed that they must be patient for the moment and watch for some favorable opportunity before venturing an attempt.

Their dinner was brought them by Valerie, who stayed longer than before, chatting gayly and coquetting at a lively rate with Mortimer. After dinner they received a visit from Captain Robert, who came with a bundle under his arm.

“I cannot offer you cigars,” he said, “for there is a shortage of those luxuries here, but I can give you some excellent tobacco.” He took the bundle from under his arm and laid upon the table some long clay pipes and a stone jar filled with tobacco.

“There’s a great consumption of pipes among our people,” he said, “and we manufacture these ourselves—both the long and the short variety.”

The Professor smiled.

“You seem to have extensive facilities for various kinds of manufacturing,” he remarked with meaning.

Captain Robert laughed outright.

“I’m not going to give you any information on that point,” he said, “but I can tell you something of interest.”

“Yes?”

“The news of your capture and of your air-ship,” continued Captain Robert, “has been forwarded to headquarters and it seems to have made, as I predicted, quite a stir.”

“Ah! is that all!” answered the Professor, with some disappointment.

“By no means,” replied Robert. “A certain important personage is on his way here. To-morrow you will receive a visit.”

“From whom?” inquired Dean curiously.

The other dropped his voice to a whisper:

“From the High President himself!”