the note contained.'
'I think your idea is the best one,' said the general; 'but why did you stay so long in Amlot—if you could have escaped?'
'I had several reasons,' I replied. 'I suspected that Mintep, jong of Vepaja and father of my princess, was a prisoner there. I also wanted to gather what information I could for the Sanaran high command. Lastly, I had to establish myself before I could safely make an effort to escape. I became an officer in the Zani Guard and was, for a while, acting governor of the Gap kum Rov.'
'And you absorbed some information?'
'Much,' I replied. 'I have learned that a counterrevolution is about to be launched, the proponents of which hoped to restore Kord to his throne.'
'You say 'hoped,’' commented a noble. 'Have they now given up the idea?'
'Kord is dead,' I said.
I might as well have thrown a bomb among them. They leaped to their feet almost as one man. 'Kord dead?' It was the same stunned reaction that I had seen before.
'But,' cried one, 'we have heard that rumor often before, but it has never been substantiated.'
'I saw him die,' I told them; then I had to go all over that harrowing episode again.
Well, at last they prepared to go; but before they did I propounded another question. 'And now, gentlemen,' I said, 'just who is going to protect my princess and me from Muso. If I am not mistaken, I stand a good chance of being assassinated the first time I go on the streets.'
'He is right,' said the general.
'He should certainly be protected, General Varo,' agreed Taman .
'Well,' said Varo, 'I know of no safer place for them than where they are now, under the protection of the man who is next in line for the throne of Korva, after Muso.'
There was a subdued cheer at that, but I was not surprised. Taman was the most popular man in Sanara. He sat for a moment with his head bowed, and then he looked up at Varo. His face showed traces of mental strain; his manner was tinged with embarrassment.
'I wish that I might agree with you in that,' he said; 'but, unfortunately, I cannot. As a matter of fact, I believe that my palace would be the least safe place for Carson of Venus and the janjong of Vepaja. During the past ten days three attempts have been made upon my life—twice by poison, once by dagger.'
The disclosure so shocked the assembled nobles, that, for a moment, there was deep silence; then Varo spoke.
'Were the scoundrels apprehended?' he asked. 'Do you know who they were?'
'Yes,' replied Taman , 'but they were only the instruments of another.'
'And you know who that may be?' asked a noble.
'I can only surmise,' replied Taman . 'Unfortunately, my retainers killed all three before I had an opportunity to question them.'
'Perhaps I had better remain here, then,' I said, 'as additional protection for the next jong of Korva.'
'No,' said Taman . 'I appreciate your generosity; but I am well protected by my own people, and there are more important things for you to do.'
'You may come to my palace,' said Varo. 'I swear no one shall take you from there, even if I have to protect you with the entire army of Sanara.'
I shook my head. 'Muso will unquestionably send for me,' I said. 'Should you refuse to give me up, his suspicions would be aroused; and our entire plan might come to nothing. I think I have a solution of the problem.'
'What is it?' asked Taman .
'Let Varo prepare his message to the enemy at once. At the same time I shall write my report to Muso. Get two officers to volunteer for extra hazardous duty. I shall want them to accompany me. As soon as Varo's message is ready, Varo can order me out on special duty. I shall take my princess and the two officers with me, drop the message behind the enemy lines, and remain away until you shall have had time to determine Muso's guilt or assure yourselves of his innocence. When I return above Sanara, liberate one balloon if it is unsafe for me ever to return to Sanara; liberate two if I am to return another day for further advice; liberate three if it is safe for me to land. In the event that I cannot land in safety to myself, I shall land the two officers the night that I get the message; and I must have your assurance now that I shall be permitted to do so and take off again in safety.'
'The entire plan is excellent,' said Taman . 'Please put it in writing; so that there shall be no misunderstanding of the signals.'
'May I ask why you wish to have two of our officers accompany you?' asked Varo.
'One of them will have to go with me into Amlot while I attempt to liberate the jong of Vepaja from the Gap kum Rov; the other will remain with my princess and the ship while I am away in Amlot.'
'I shall have no difficulty in obtaining volunteers,' said Varo. 'Now, if we are to get you away before dawn, we must get to work.'
Chapter 14—Back to Amlot
An hour before dawn we left the palace of Taman ; Duare, the two officers who had volunteered to accompany us, and I. Because of Duare, I felt nervous and uneasy; for we had to leave the palace in full view of the guards before the palace of Muso , directly across the avenue; and while the fact that Varo had furnished us with a strong guard imparted a feeling of greater security, yet, at the same time, it certainly made us extremely conspicuous. There were ten military gantors loaded with soldiers, constituting what, to me, had taken on the proportions of a pageant; and I can tell you that I breathed a sigh of relief when I had my party aboard the ship and was taxiing out for the take-off; and as we soared above the walls of Sanara and out across open country, I was happier than I had been for many days. Once again I was free, and I had Duare with me.
I had put Ulan and Legan, the two officers, in the cabin. Duare sat beside me, and there was a basket of small bombs in each cockpit. The ship was more heavily laden than it had ever before been, but that had seemed to make no appreciable difference in the take-off, nor could I see that she handled differently in flight. We had determined in Havatoo, while designing her, that she would easily lift a load of fifteen hundred pounds; so I had had little doubt that she would have no trouble with the approximately thousand-pound load that she was now carrying.
I flew slowly toward the enemy camp, killing time until daylight should have come. Ulan and Legan were thrilled beyond words, for this was the first flight either of them had taken; while Duare and I were just content to be together again, holding hands like a couple of kids.
I had hurriedly contrived a tiny parachute before leaving Taman 's palace. It consisted of a square of very light fabric woven from the web of a small cousin of the targo, a giant spider that inhabits the mile-high trees that grow in many parts of Amtor; and which is so sheer as to be almost invisible, yet quite strong. To the four corners of this square piece I had tied strings, and to the ends of these strings I had attached the leather envelope which bore Varo's message to the enemy.
Dawn was just breaking as we flew over the Zani camp. An alert sentry must have sighted us, for I distinctly heard a shout; and almost immediately saw men running from the shelters which lined the streets of the camp. I continued to circle above them, well out of range of r-rays, until it was entirely light; then, estimating the velocity of the wind, I flew a little way beyond the windward side of the camp and tossed the message overboard. The little parachute opened immediately and floated gracefully down toward the camp. I could see thousands of men by now standing with upturned faces, watching it. They must have thought that it was some new engine of destruction, for when it came close to the ground near the center of the camp, they scattered like sheep. I continued to circle until I saw a brave soul advance to where the message lay and pick it up. Then I dipped a wing and flew away.
The trip to the island was uneventful. I circled Lodas's house for quite some time, but no smoke signal was lighted; then I dropped over to the island and landed. The country, except in the vicinity of the cities, is strangely deserted in every part of Amtor that I have visited. Between Sanara and the farm of Lodas we had not seen a sign of human life except that in the camp of the Zanis, which, of course, was no permanent habitation. Few farmers
