Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1902-01-18
ture had in its womb, Atlantis might
have been saved even then.
CHAPTER VI.
THE BITERs OF THE CITY WALLS

L
inaction and limpness; but it was all
| deliberate. The old ties of duty
seemed lost, or at least merged in one
another. Beforetime, to serve the
| king was to serve the clan OF the
priests, from which he had been
| chosen, and whose head he constitut-
ed. But Phorenice was self-made, and
appeared to be a. rule unto herself; it
Zaemon was to be trusted, he was the
mouthpiece of the priests, and their
clan had set her at defiance; and how
was mere honest man to choose ON
the instant between the two?
But cold argument told me that gov
ernments were set up for the good OF
the country at large, and l said to my
self that there would be my choice; l
must find out which rule promised
best for Atlantis, and do my poor best
to prop it into full power. And here
at once there opened up another path
in the maze; / had heard some consid-
cradle talk of rebels; of another fac
ton of Atlanteans who, whatever
their faults might be, were at any rate
strong enough to beleaguer the capt.
tai; and before coming to any final de-
cision, it would be as well to take their
claims in balance with the rest. So, on
the night of that very same day on
which L had just replanted my foot on
the old country's shores, [ set out to
CLEAN for myself tidings on the matter.
No one inside the royal pyramid
gainsaid me. The banquet had ended
l. 10
l have set down above on these tablets,
for with Tarca writhing on the floor,
and thrusting out the gruesome scars
of his leprosy, even the most glut-
tonous had little enough appetite for
further gorging.
A score of sturdy fellows were de-
! tailed off for my escort, and, with them
in double file on either hand, l
marched out from the close perfumed
air of the pyramid into the cool moon
| light of the city. 1t was my purpose
to make tour of the walls and to find
out somewhat of the disposition of
these rebels.
And so in time the windings of the
| street brought us to the walls, and,
coursing beside these and giving fit
ting answer to the sentries who beat
their drums as we passed, W. came in
time to that great gate which was
charge to the captain of the garrison.
Here it was plain there was some
special commotion. A noise of laugh
ter went up into the still night air, and
with it now and again the snarl and
roar of a great beast, and now and
again the shrek of a hurt man.
My escort made cutlery with the
horn which hung from the wall invit-
| ing such summons, and warder
came to an arrow-slit, and did inspec-
ton of our persons and business. His
survey was according to the ancient
form of words, which is long, and this
was made still more tedious by the
noise from within, which ever and
again drowned all speech between us
entirely.
But at last the formalities had been
duly complied with, and he shot back
the massive bars and bolts of stone,
and threw ajar one monstrous stone
valve of the door. Into the chamber
within-a chamber made from the
doors-I and my fellows crowded, and
then the warder with his machines
pulled to the valve which had been
opened and came to me again through
the press of my escort, bowling low to
the ground.
81 have no vail to give you" l said,
abruptly. Get on with your duty.
Open me that other door,
with respect, my lord, it would be
better that | should first announce my
lords presence. There is batting GO
ing forward in the circus, and the
tigers are as yet mere savages, and
no respecters of persons"
''The what?"
''The tigers, if my lord will permit
the name. They are batting a batch
of prisoners with the two great
beasts which the empress (whose
name be adored) has sent here to aid
US keep the gate. But if my lord will
there are the ward-rooms leading off
this passage, and the galleries which
run out from them commanding the
circus, and from there my lord can see
the sport undisturbed."
Now, the mere lust for killing ex-
cites only disgust in me, but 1 suspect
ed the orders of the empress in this
manner, and had a curiosity to see her
scheme. So l stepped into the warder's
lodge, and on into the galleries which
commanded the circus with their ar
row-slits. The old builders of the place
had intended these for a second line of
defense; for, supposing the outer
doors all forced, an enemy could De
speedily shot down in the circus, with
out being able to give a blow in return,
and SO would only march into a death
trap. But as gazing-place on spec
tacle they were no less useful.
The circus was bright lit by the
moonshine, and the air which came in
to me from it was acid with the reek
of blood. There was no sport in what
was going forward; as l said, it were
mere killing, and the sight disguised
me. 1 am no prude about this matter.
Give prisoner his weapons, put him in
pit with beasts of reasonable
strength, and let him fight to finish
if you choose, and / can look
on there and applaud the strokes.
The war prisoner, being pris-
oner, has earned death by natur-
al law, and prefers to get his last
stroke in hot blood than to be knocked
down by the headsman's ak. And it is
any brave mans luxury either 10 help
or watch lusty fight. But this bait
ing in the circus between the gates was
no fair battle like that.
To begin with, the beasts were no
fair antagonists for single men. In
fact, 20 men armed might well have
fed from them. When the warder said
tigers, / supposed he meant the great
cats of the woods. But here, in the cir
Gus, saw pair of the most terrific
of all the fur-bearing land beasts, the
great tigers of the caves-huge mon
sters, of such ponderous strength that
II, hnn bav will Of