Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1902-04-19

home, or (as here) some new-fangled
machine like Phorenice's fire tubes
make one in a thousand of their way
ering darts find the life; and so, though
the general attacking loses his hun
dreds, the defenders also are not with
out their dead.
The slaughter, as it turned out, had
been prodigious. AS fastas the storm
ers came up, the priests who held the
lowest gate remaining to US rained
down great rocks upon them till the
narrow alley of the stair was paved
with their writhing dead. But Pho
renice stood on a spur of the rock be-
low them urging on the charges, and
with an insane valor company after
company marched up to hurl them
selves hopelessly against the defenses.
They had no machines to batter the
massive gates, and their attack was as
pathetically useless as that of child
who hammers against wall with an
orange; and meanwhile the terrible
stones from above moved them down
remorselessly.
Company after company of the
troops marched into this terrible
death trap, and not man of all of
them ever came back. Nor was it
Phorenice's policy that they should do
so. In her lust for this final conquest,
she was minded to pour out troops tiH
she had filled up the passes with the
slain, so that at last she might march
on to level fight over the bridge of
their poor bodies. 1t was no part of
Phorenice's mood ever to count the
cost. She set down the object which
was to be gained, and it was her pol
icy that the people of Atlantis were
there to gain it for her.
Two gates then had she carried in
this dreadful fashion, slaughtering
those priests that stood behind them
who had not been already shot down.
And here 1 came down from above to
take my share in the fight. There was
no trumpet to announce nay coming, no
herald to proclaim my quality, but the
priests as a sheer custom picked up
'Deucalion!" as battle cry; and
some shouted that, with king to lead,
1t was clear that the name carried to
the other side and bore weight with it.
A company of poor, doomed wretches
who were hurrying up stopped in their
charge. The word "Deucalion!" was
banded round and handed back down
the line. / thought, with some grim
satisfaction, that here was evidence
1 was not completely forgotten in the
land
There came shouts to them from be-
hind to carry on their advance; but
they did not bulge; and presently a
glittering officer painted up, and COM
menced to strike right and left among
them with his sword. From where l
stood on the high rampant above the
gate could see him ainly and recog-
nized him at once.
'It matters not what they use for
their battle cry" he was shouting.
You have the orders of your divine
empress, and that is enough. You
should be proud to die for her wish,
you towards. And if you do not obey,
YOU will die afterwards under the in
struments of the tormentors, very
painfully. AS for Deucalion, he is
dead any time these nine years.
"There it seems you lie, my Lord
Tatho!" 1 shouted down to him.
He started and looked up at me.
$50 you are there in real truth, then?
Well, old comrade, l am sorry. But it
is too late to make a composition now.
You are on the side of these NANCY
priests, and the empress has made an
edict that they are to be rooted out,
and | am her most ODE dient servant
you used to be sllillful of fence"
said, and indeed there was little
enough to choose between us. eff it
please you to stop this pitiful killing,
make yourself the champion Of your
side, and | will stand for mine, and we
will fight out this quarrel in some fair
place, and bind our parties to abide by
the result
ct would be grand fight between
US two, old friend, and it goes hard
with me to balk you of it. But 1 cannot
pleasure you. am general here un-
der Phorenice, and she has given me
the strongest orders not to peril my
self. And besides, though you are a
great man, Deucalion, you are not
chief. You are not even one of the
three"
81 am king"
Tatho laughed "Few but yourself
would say so, my lord"
Few, truly, but what they are
they are powerful. I was given the
name for the first time yesterday,
and as a first blow in the campaign
there was some mischief done in the
city. L was there myself, and saw
how you took it,"
"You were in Atlantis!"
81 went for Nais. She is on the
mountain now, and tomorrow will
be my queen. Tatho, as priest to a
priest, let me solemnly bring to
your memory the infinite power you
bite against on this Sacred Mountain.
Your teaching has warned you of the
of the Mysteries. If you persist in
this attack, at the best you can
merely lose; at the worst you can
bring about a wreck over which even
the high gods will shudder as they
order it,
''You cannot scare us back now by
Words" said Tatho, doggedly. ''And
as for magic, it will be met by magic.
Phorenice has found by her own clev-
erness as many powers as were ever
stored up in the Ark of the Mys-
teries."
''Yet she looked on helplessly
enough last night, when her royal
pyramid was trundled into rubbish
heap. Zaemon had prophesied that
this should be so, and for witness,
why, I myself stood closer to her
than we two stand now, and saw her"
81 will own you took her by sur
prise somewhat there. | do not I'M
derstand these matters myself; l was
never more than one of the seven in
the old days; and now, quite rightly,
Phorenice keeps the knowledge of
her magic to herself; but it seems
= 4 L