A Voyage to Arcturus Part 51

"What do you make of that?" he asked in a tone of astonishment.

Corpang shook his head and said nothing.

Within two minutes the flying object, whatever it was, had diminished the distance between them by one half. It resembled a boat more and more, but its flight was erratic, rather than smooth; its nose was continually jerking upward and downward, and from side to side. Maskull now made out a man sitting in the stern, and what looked like a large dead animal lying amids.h.i.+ps. As the aerial craft drew nearer, he observed a thick, blue haze underneath it, and a similar haze behind, but the front, facing them, was clear.

"Here must be what we are waiting for, Corpang. But what on earth carries it?"

He stroked his beard contemplatively, and then, fearing that they had not been seen, stepped onto the highest rock, bellowed loudly, and made wild motions with his arm. The flying-boat, which was only a few hundred yards distant, slightly altered its course, now heading toward them in a way that left no doubt that the steersman had detected their presence.

The boat slackened speed until it was travelling no faster than a walking man, but the irregularity of its movements continued. It was shaped rather queerly. About twenty feet long, its straight sides tapered off from a flat bow, four feet broad, to a sharp-angled stern.

The flat bottom was not above ten feet from the ground. It was undecked, and carried only one living occupant; the other object they had distinguished was really the carca.s.s of an animal, of about the size of a large sheep. The blue haze trailing behind the boat appeared to emanate from the glittering point of a short upright pole fastened in the stem. When the craft was within a few feet of them, and they were looking down at it in wonder from above, the man removed this pole and covered the brightly s.h.i.+ning tip with a cap. The forward motion then ceased altogether, and the boat began to drift hither and thither, but still it remained suspended in the air, while the haze underneath persisted. Finally the broad side came gently up against the pile of rocks on which they were standing. The steersman jumped ash.o.r.e and immediately clambered up to meet them.

Maskull offered him a hand, but he refused it disdainfully. He was a young man, of middle height. He wore a close-fitting fur garment. His limbs were quite ordinary, but his trunk was disproportionately long, and he had the biggest and deepest chest that Maskull had ever seen in a man. His hairless face was sharp, pointed, and ugly, with protruding teeth, and a spiteful, grinning expression. His eyes and brows sloped upward. On his forehead was an organ which looked as though it had been mutilated--it was a mere disagreeable stump of flesh. His hair was short and thin. Maskull could not name the colour of his skin, but it seemed to stand in the same relation to jale as green to red.

Once up, the stranger stood for a minute or two, scrutinising the two companions through half-closed lids, all the time smiling insolently.

Maskull was all eagerness to exchange words, but did not care to be the first to speak. Corpang stood moodily, a little in the background.

"What men are you?" demanded the aerial navigator at last. His voice was extremely loud, and possessed a most unpleasant timbre. It sounded to Maskull like a large volume of air trying to force its way through a narrow orifice.

"I am Maskull; my friend is Corpang. He comes from Threal, but where I come from, don't ask."

"I am Haunte, from Sarclash."

"Where may that be?"

"Half an hour ago I could have shown it to you, but now it has got too murky. It is a mountain in Lichstorm."

"Are you returning there now?"

"Yes."

"And how long will it take to get there in that boat?"

"Two--three hours."

"Will it accommodate us too?"

"What, are you for Lichstorm as well? What can you want there?"

"To see the sights," responded Maskull with twinkling eyes. "But first of all, to dine. I can't remember having eaten all day. You seem to have been hunting to some purpose, so we won't lack for food."

Haunte eyed him quizzically. "You certainly don't lack impudence.

However, I'm a man of that sort myself, and it is the sort I prefer.

Your friend, now, would probably rather starve than ask a meal of a stranger. He looks to me just like a bewildered toad dragged up out of a dark hole."

Maskull took Corpang's arm, and constrained him to silence.

"Where have you been hunting, Haunte?"

"Matterplay. I had the worst luck--I speared one wold horse, and there it lies."

"What is Lichstorm like?"

"There are men there, and there are women there, but there are no men-women, as with you."

"What do you call men-women?"

"Persons of mixed s.e.x, like yourself. In Lichstorm the s.e.xes are pure."

"I have always regarded myself as a man."

"Very likely you have; but the test is, do you hate and fear women?"

"Why, do you?"

Haunte grinned and showed his teeth. "Things are different in Lichstorm.... So you want to see the sights?"

"I confess I am curious to see your women, for example, after what you say."

"Then I'll introduce you to Sullenbode."

He paused a moment after making this remark, and then suddenly uttered a great, ba.s.s laugh, so that his chest shook.

"Let us share the joke," said Maskull.

"Oh, you'll understand it later."

"If you play pranks with me, I won't stand on ceremony with you."

Haunte laughed again. "I won't be the one to play pranks. Sullenbode will be deeply obliged to me. If I don't visit her myself as often as she would like, I'm always glad to serve her in other ways.... Well, you shall have your boat ride."

Maskull rubbed his nose doubtfully. "If the s.e.xes hate one another in your land, is it because pa.s.sion is weaker, or stronger?"

"In other parts of the world there is soft pa.s.sion, but in Lichstorm there is hard pa.s.sion."

"But what do you call hard pa.s.sion?"

"Where men are called to women by pain, and not pleasure."

"I intend to understand, before I've finished."

"Yes," answered Haunte, with a taunting look, "it would be a pity to let the chance slip, since you're going to Lichstorm."

It was now Corpang's turn to take Maskull by the arm. "This journey will end badly."

"Why so?"

"Your goal was Muspel a short while ago; now it is women."