Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-02-06
CHAPTER XVII.
DESTRUCTION OF ATLANTIS.

| DESTRUCTION OF ATLANTIS.
tottcripg old priest came up and
touched inc on the shoulder.
"Wcll?' / said. sharply having
small taa,e for interruption just now.
News has been carried to the
Three, my king. of what is threat
ened."
Then they will know that 7 stand
here now. brother. 70 enjoy the finest
fght of all my life When It is
finished | shall go to tho gods. and
be there standing behind the stars
70 welcome them when presently
they also arrive. They have my re-
grets that they are too old and
too feeble 10 die and look upon a
fine killing themselves"
II nave commands from them. my
king. TO lay upon you. which I fear
you will like but slcnderly. You are
forbidden 10 find yorr death here
in the fighting They have further
use for you yet"
| | turned on the old man angrlv
enough. 81 shall take no such order,
my brother. ! am not going to be-
lieve il was ever given. You must
have misunderstood. If am man.
! if ] am priest. if am soldier if
| am king. then it stands TO nv
honor that no enemy should pass
this gate while vet I live. And you
may GO back and throw that mes
sage at their teeth"
The old man smiled enviously. He.
too. had been a keen soldier in his
day. II told them you would not
easily believe such message. and
asked them for sign, and they bore
with roe, and gave me one. ] was to
give you this jewel. my king"
How came they by that? It is a
| bracelet from the elbow of Nais"
They must have stripped her of It,
/ I did not know il came from NaiS
| The word | was to bring you said
that the owner Of the Jewel was in
| side the Ark Of the Mysteries. and
waited You there. The use which he
Three have for you further concerns
| her also"
Even when I heard that, Will free
! H. confess that my obedience was
sorcly tried. and have the less
shame in setting il down on these
sheets, because ! know that all true
soldiers vii; feel sympathy for my
| plight. Indeed. tho promise of the
battle was very tempting. Bur in
the end my love for Nais prevailed,
and ! gave the salutatiuu that was
needfnl in token hat | heard the or
| der and obryed it.
To the knot Of priests who were
| left for the defense turned and
made my farewellS. "Nou will have
what ! shall miss. my brothers" |
said. II envy you that fight. But.
though | am king of Atlantis. s,ill
] am only one OF the Seven. and so
am servant Of the Three, and must
obey their order. They speak in
words the will Of the most high
gods, and we must do as they com
mand. You will stand behind the
stars before como. and ! ask Of Won
| that You will commend me 10 those
you meet there. 1t j. not my OWN
| will that ! shall not appear there by
your side"
They heard my words with smiles,
and very courteously saluted me- with
their weapons. and there we parted.
Il did not see the fight. but | know il
was good, from the time which
passed before Phorencc'S hordes
broke ont on the crest of the noun
tain. They died hard, that last rem
nant of the lesser priests of Atlantis.
With sour enough feeling went
up to the head of he pass, and then
through the groves, and between the
temples and colleges and houses
which stood on the upper slopes of
the Sacred Mountain, till 7 reached
that boundary beyond which in mild
er days it was death for any bnt the
privileged few to pass But the
time, ii appeared Ia mt, was past for
conventions, and, moreover, my own
temper was hot; and il is likely that
] should have STROBE on with little
scruple il had not been interrupted.
But in the temple which marked the
boundary there was old Zaemon
waiting: and he, with due solemnity
of words, and with the whole OF some
ancient ritual ordained for that pur-
pose, sought dispensation from the
high gods for my trespass, Vhd would
not give me way till he was through
with his ceremony.
Already Phorenice's tower and
bridge were in position. for the clash
and yelling of a fight told that the
small handful of priests on the ram
part of the last gate were bartering
their lives for the highest return in
dead that they could earn. They
were trained fighting men oil. but
old and feeble, and the odds against
them were too enormous to be
stemmed for over long. In very
short time the place would he put 10
the storm and the roof of the Sacred
Mountain would he AT the open
mercy OF the invader. If there was
any further thing to be done, it was
well thut IL should he set phn,t