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.Astonished at the loudness of his own voice, Speedy swayedbackwards himself.Then, as he was debating whether to stay in the ship or toalight and try to find out where he was, a little square-faced fellowseparated himself from his companions and slowly approached him.He hadscribbled something on a card, and handing the card to Speedy he hastilyscuttled back to his place."Lower your voice," directed the card in a nervous scrawl."Youare in Subterranea." Very much relieved to find he could understand thelanguage of this odd race of underearth dwellers, Speedy nodded to show thathe understood, and rather timidly the Subterraneans began to draw nearer.Theywere undersized, thin and undernourished little fellows, but dressed withgreat magnificence in metal-cloth robes, tall, stiff headdresses and shoes ofpure gold, decorated with precious stones.Their square, not unpleasant faceswere almost granite in color and though not of stone, seemed hard andmummy-like.Probably from this queer air and no sun, decided Speedy, staringPage 22ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlat them with frank curiosity, and beginning to think that Subterranea mightprove almost as interesting as Mars.The Skyrocket had come to a stop in the public square of thisquaint underground city.Crooked pillars of irregular rock held up the bluestone sky in which the torpedo had cut a terrible gash.Radium stars in thesky sent out a misty phosphorescent glow.From the square, arched passagewaysbranched out in every direction, not unlike the subways at home, except thatthey were much higher and lighter, beautifully tiled, and decorated withprecious stones.Speedy was about to whisper a question, when a loud trumpetblast made him turn quickly to the left."The Shah!" hissed the square faces impressively."His ImperialLowness, the Shah!" And waving their arms they bent down all together, like afield of wheat swept by a sudden wind, Wide-eyed with interest, Speedy saw animportant little man dressed all in cloth of gold, with a headdress at least ayard high.He was seated cross-legged on a giant blue earthworm.It was aslarge and ugly as a sea serpent and its center section was raised to form acomfortable seat for the queer little monarch.On either side walkedgorgeously attired attendants waving metal flags.As the great earthworm cameto a stop, the Shah glanced inquiringly at Speedy, next up at the hole in thesky, and then, leaning down, took from the slave at his right a large mask andheld it up to his face.The mask wore a ferocious scowl and Speedy began tofeel rather uncomfortable."Oh pshaw, Shah!" he whispered in anembarrassed wheeze, "how could I help breaking through the roof?" Instead ofanswering, the Shah clapped his hands twice and handed the mask back to theslave.Now out stepped a stiff little Subterranean, whom Speedy quite rightlyguessed to be the Chief Counselor of the Shah.He seemed also to be a rhymerof no mean ability, and in low rapid verses began to drone out the following:"The Shah The Shah! Of SubterraneAH!In the tenth year of his splendid subter reign;And whom the Shah displeases, his Headman quickly seizesAnd hurls instanter from the Shah's domain!I'm his Headman, as you see, all his subjects bow to me,My name is Rhomba, see that you attend,Why have you come at all? Did you fly or jump or fall,Are you interloper, enemy, or friend?""Friend," answered Speedy in a low voice, and chuckling in spiteof himself.But his answer did not seem to appease his Imperial Lowness atall.Looking again at the hole in his sky, he took up the frowning mask andturned it again toward the boy."Gosh!" thought Speedy uneasily, "I've certainly got to do sometall explaining; now what in Sam Hill shall I tell them?" All the little menwere staring at him expectantly, and the one who had given him the cardwhispered aside to the monarch.Page 23ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"I think, from his high voice, he must be one of thoseUpperdwellers.""Speak, Upperdweller," hissed Rhomba, while the Shah changed hisfrowning mask for one whose blank expression upset Speedy even more than thefrown.But remembering that he was the nephew of a famous scientist, and theholder of several records for high jumps and track events, he pulled himselftogether and in a calm whisper explained how the Skyrocket, in which he andUncle Billy had intended to explore the sky, had gone off without theinventor; how he had turned the ship downward and crashed through to thecenter of the earth and landed in Subterranea through no intention or fault ofhis own.During this recital the Shah changed his mask twice.The first showedfaint surprise, but the mask held up and slightly awry as Speedy finished hisstory was frankly yawning.Smothering his resentment at such treatment, Speedywent on hurriedly, "You see, if Uncle Billy had just been a little quicker,we'd have gone up instead of down and I'd never have come here at all.It wasjust a mix-up," he concluded earnestly."Mix-down,' corrected Rhomba severely, as the Shah shook his head to showthat the explanation was not satisfactory.Then, making several strangesignals to his Headman, he tapped the earthworm with his heels and movedgrandly and unconcernedly out of the square."Well?" inquired Speedy in a defiant whisper, as the Shahdisappeared down a long, dim, blue tunnel."He doubts the truth of all you say;But mend the sky and you can stayAnd work upon the realm's defences-If not, you'll take the consequences!""And what are the consequences?" asked Speedy in a faint voice,for he had no desire to work for this crude little King."Well," answered Rhomba, with a careless wave of his hand, "weusually throw lawbreakers to the fire fish in Lava Lake, and I suppose skybreakers might be called lawbreakers, too.""Lava Lake!" exclaimed Speedy, beginning to feel downrightfrightened."But see here, how am I going to mend a great jagged hole likethat? Why, I can't even reach it!" In his indignation he forgot to whisper,and at the terrible racket made by his voice the Subterraneans took to theirgold heels.That is, all except Rhomba, who seemed to feel it his duty toremain."That's your affair," he muttered indifferently."You broke thesky-now mend it!" Switching his stiff robes from side to side, the Shah'sChief Headman followed the others, leaving Speedy all alone in the center ofthe square.His first impulse was to run, but a short dash down one of thetiled passageways convinced him that he would be lost in no time.Every fewyards it turned and twisted and was intersected by other tunnels, and a bodymight as well have hoped to find his way out of a labyrinth.Picking his wayslowly back to the square, Speedy was surprised to see one of the Shah'sPage 24ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]