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CHAPTER XII
PRINCE ALONDRA

As King Ivanta spoke to his visitors the words 'Welcome to Mars!' there came a rustling sound, and a strange figure, shining and glistening in the sunlight, suddenly appeared on the deck beside him.

So rapidly had it arrived that the startled spectators scarcely saw more than the sheen from its resplendent body before it was amongst them, alighting with the grace and ease of a swallow close to the king, whom it addressed in joyous, laughing accents, 'Welcome, father! welcome home!'

Even King Ivanta was evidently taken by surprise, for at first he scarcely seemed to understand this arrival any more than the strangers from Earth did. The next moment, however, he had clasped the radiant vision in his arms in a close embrace. Then he drew back and regarded the youth – for such the figure was – critically. 'Why, Alondra, my son,' said he, 'what is this surprise?'

Alondra, as the visitors were soon to learn, was Ivanta's son, his only child. He was about the same age as Gerald, with an exceedingly handsome, open, merry-looking countenance, lithe and graceful in figure and in every movement. On this occasion he was clad in a most bizarre costume, which included two large wings, just now folded back behind the shoulders, and trailing on the floor of the deck.

It was impossible to guess what these wings could be made of. The surface was composed of thin, feathery flakes in constant motion, which glistened in the sunshine with iridescent brilliance, something between the sheen of silver and the sparkle of crystal. A tunic of the same marvellous material covered the body to the knees, below which were attachments like smaller wings, which now fitted closely round the ankles.

Evidently this wondrous outfit was as new and surprising to the king as it was to the strangers.

The youth seemed delighted at the impression he had created. He walked to and fro, opening and folding his wings, and turning this way and that to show them off to advantage.

'Almost all my own invention, father,' he laughed, as he moved about – 'mine and Amaldo's! We were afraid we should not get it finished and in working order before your return. Indeed, I only took my trial-flight in it yesterday! Is it not a splendid creation'?'

He opened the wings and fluttered them in the sunlight. Ripples of light and dancing colours ran incessantly over the surface, producing effects so exquisitely varied and beautiful as to be absolutely indescribable.

'It is perfect, Alondra! Truly, as you say, a splendid creation!' said Ivanta admiringly.

'These things, however, are a little too long when folded, as you can see,' Alondra continued, looking down at them with a critical air. 'I must have them shortened. You can see that if you are not careful you may catch your feet in them and get a tumble.'

In order the better to explain his meaning, he stepped backwards towards Gerald, who was standing near, watching everything with intense interest.

Scarcely had the young experimenter uttered the words than he involuntarily illustrated them, in the most practical fashion, by tripping on one of the wings, and rolling over at Gerald's feet.

Gerald stepped quickly forward to help him up, and in doing so was astonished at the youth's seeming lightness. So light was he that Gerald, in trying to raise him, lifted him clean off his feet, almost as though he had been made of cork. As a consequence, Alondra came near to losing his balance and rolling over again. Then the two stood staring and smiling at one another.

'Why, how strong you must be!' exclaimed the young prince.

'H – how light you must be!' was Gerald's answer. And he looked so very puzzled and perplexed that the other burst into a merry peal of laughter. Then he turned to the king. 'Father,' he began, but stopped and hesitated.

Ivanta interpreted the inquiring look. 'Your surprising creation has made me forgetful of other matters, my son,' said he. 'I owe an apology to our friends here. These gentlemen, Alondra, are visitors from Lokris, the planet I have been to visit. They are our guests. I need not say more than that to commend them to your attention and care. – My guests, this is my son, Prince Alondra, who, I am sure, is ready to add his welcome to my own!'

'That I am!' cried the young prince, his handsome face alight with interest and surprise. 'A warm welcome to you all! Welcome to Zotis!'

'Ah, they do not know our world by our name!' Ivanta reminded him. 'They call it Mars.'

'Welcome, then, to Mars!' said Alondra.

He held out both hands at once; and, as it happened, he caught hold of one each of Gerald and Jack, and they returned his greeting as heartily as it was given. Then he caught sight of Monck, who was standing a little in the background. At once he made a dart for him.

'Why, there is Monck Affelda!' he cried. 'You have returned, then! Welcome, dear friend! I was afraid that, perhaps, when you got back to your own world you would stay there, and we should never see you more!'

'Alondra, here are others waiting to know you!' the king reminded him.

And the lad at once turned obediently, with a look of quick apology at Monck for not saying more at the moment.

All the rest of the strangers having been duly presented, Ivanta gave his attention to his own subjects, who were now streaming up the ladders which had been let down the sides of the aerostat and crowding the deck to pay their respects to their sovereign.

Alondra, meantime, stepped back to where the two chums were standing with their guardian and the engineer, and commenced a lively chat, asking them a hundred questions concerning the world they came from, the incidents of the voyage, and so forth.

Both Gerald and Jack took to him at once. It was almost impossible, indeed, to do otherwise. His frank, gay, smiling manner, his attractive face, and easy, graceful air captivated them completely. Never, they afterwards declared, had they met so attractive a personality. 'A true son of the stars,' Jack dubbed him. Glad were they then that they had made such good use of their time and had learned the language of their hosts in advance. Even Silas, who presently joined the group, became quite amiable under the young prince's genial influence; and little Freddy fell in love with him then and there.

Naturally, amongst these young people, there was a lot to ask about on both sides. Question followed question, inquiries and explanations were interrupted with exclamations of surprise, wonder, admiration, and delight.

Then Alondra caught sight of others who were known to him, among them Aveena the young noble, and went off to greet them on their return.

'He is a splendid youngster, the prince,' observed Monck admiringly. 'Everybody loves him. Clever, too – quite a young inventor, I can assure you.'

'What is this flying-dress affair?' asked Jack. 'Do people fly here, then? Or is this the first time it has been done?'

'To the last question the reply would be both yes and no,' Monck answered. 'If you had noticed, as we came down, you would have seen many aeronauts flying about singly amongst the various airships and flying-machines.'

'I thought I saw something of the kind,' Jack returned. 'But we circled about so rapidly, and there were so many buzzing around, that I scarcely had a chance to make them out.'

'As you now know, the air here is very dense.'

'To me it seems very light and exhilarating,' Gerald put in. 'I expected, when you used to tell us it was so dense, to find, when we arrived here, that we should scarcely be able to breathe.'

'Ah, that is another matter which I will explain directly. As I have told you before, the air here is so dense that to make a flying-machine was never a matter of any great difficulty. For the same reason, with a properly constructed pair of wings, you can, after a little practice under expert tuition, very soon learn to soar into the air, and fly about after a fashion. It has, however, hither-to, it must be confessed, been a rather clumsy fashion. Now, this is the first time I have seen it really gracefully and easily done. I knew before we went away that Prince Alondra and his tutor – an old scientist named Amaldo, who was also the king's tutor when he was a boy – were at work upon some new device which was understood to be the prince's own idea originally. What it was I never knew exactly, for they kept it a sort of half-secret. Here, however, it seems, is the outcome of the idea; and a very successful outcome too, so far as I can judge.'

'What is the invention?' asked practical Jack. 'Does it consist, I mean, in the dress, in the material of which it is composed – wonderful stuff it certainly seems to be – or in a new shape for the wings, or what?'

'Ah, that is exactly what I do not yet know any more than you. Doubtless, the prince will enlighten us ere long – when he has enjoyed the general mystification a little longer.

'Well, now, to turn to the other point. You say the air here feels to you light and exhilarating rather than dense and heavy. It is not exactly the air which gives you this feeling; it is due rather to the difference in what we call gravity. On Mars, things weigh only half what they would weigh on our Earth. It follows that our muscles feel stronger in proportion. It requires less strength, less exertion, to lift your leg or your arm. Every action or movement, great or small, is easier – even breathing. Therefore, you have a sense of lightness, of ease, of unusual strength.'

A light broke upon Gerald. 'I see! That was why the prince seemed so light to me when I went to help him up just now!' he cried.

'Exactly. We who have come from Earth, and who possess muscles used to the greater weight of everything there, are all "strong men" here. You will find this one of the first and one of the most curious of your experiences here.'

Just then they saw King Ivanta approaching, bringing Alondra with him. They had left the crowd of richly arrayed courtiers and officers to come across to Gerald.

'Alondra,' said the king, indicating Gerald as they drew near, 'I wish to commend this brave young gentleman to your especial care; and I hope you two will become good friends. You must teach him to fly. If he learns to fly as well as he has learned to swim, then I can testify that he should make a clever performer; for he saved your father's life!'

CHAPTER XIII
THE PALACE IN THE CLOUDS

Ivanta said a few more kindly words, and then returned to the brilliant circle he had left, this time beckoning the Diamond King to accompany him.

'My father says I may conduct you to our home,' said Alondra, as the king went away. 'So, if you are agreeable, we will start at once. My yacht is waiting close by.'

'We are ready, I think,' said Armeath. But in his manner there was some hesitation.

Monck interposed. 'You are thinking of your baggage,' he said, with a smile; 'but you need not trouble. It will be looked after, and whatever you want will be brought on afterwards.'

'Good! That being so, we are at your service, Prince. Shall our attendants come with us?'

'I dare say they will feel a bit lost if you leave them alone in a strange world,' laughed Alondra. 'So, by all means bring them with you, if it so pleases you.'

So Tom Clinch and Bob Reid, looking very confused and wonderstruck at their new surroundings, were sent for; and the whole party followed Alondra – who had been joined by Aveena – to the other end of the deck.

Here, to their surprise, they found a most beautiful structure awaiting them, moored, so to speak, to the Ivenia.

Compared with the great aerostat in which they had made their memorable voyage, she was like a tiny, graceful yacht beside one of our modern warships; yet she was large and roomy enough to accommodate a numerous party.

Alondra led his guests across a gangway on to the deck, and then, begging them to excuse him, he dived into a cabin. In a minute or two he returned, having divested himself of his 'flying dress,' and appearing now in a rich costume similar to that usually worn by the king and his courtiers.

He gave the signal, ropes were cast off, unseen engines began to work with a quiet, smooth, scarcely perceptible vibration, setting in motion several curious spiral contrivances which revolved round three masts.

The 'yacht' rose quietly through the air, and when she was clear of the Ivenia, wings spread out on each side. Then she sailed swiftly away in a direction a little to the right of the city they had seen.

'What a curious arrangement!' exclaimed Jack, as he watched the revolving spirals.

'They take the place of fans,' Monck explained. 'They are far more handy and more powerful.'

'And far prettier too!' cried Gerald. 'What lovely coloured devices they make as they twirl round! They are like kaleidoscopes; and the wings, too, seem to be spangled with gold.'

'She is a beautifully designed structure in every way,' observed Monck. 'One of the latest and best, and also one of the fastest of our pleasure yachts.'

Meanwhile, a little apart, Tom Clinch and Bob Reid sat together, staring about, noticing everything, and making their comments in low, awe-struck tones.

'Well, well! that ever I should live t' see the likes o' this!' said Clinch. 'What d'ye think of it all, Bob?'

'I 'm thinkin' what 'd happen if she was t' shift 'er ballast, Tom. I do 'ope it be well stowed.'

'Ay, ay, Bob. Theer be a lot in the way a ship be ballasted. But 'ow do she manage t' keep up? That 's what beats me! Them wings scarcely moves at all.'

'Tom,' said Reid, leaning over to speak almost in a whisper, 'don't ye notice what queer sort o' air this be 'ere? 'Tain't a bit like ourn at 'ome.'

'No, it ain't. I notices that. What about it?'

'It must be some o' the liquid air I've read of, as scientific chaps thinks a lot of in our world. Depend on it, this is where it comes from!'

Tom slapped his thigh.

'Right ye are, mate! That explanations it. That 's 'ow 'tis she floats like this 'ere. They be all a-livin' 'ere in liquid air! An' them wings bain't wings at all! They be fins!'

Just then Monck drew Armeath's attention to a comparatively large, heavy-looking airship which was just rising into the air from near where the Ivenia lay.

'That,' said he, 'is one of King Agrando's war-vessels; or rather she was formerly a war-craft, but now she serves the purpose of a private yacht. She is just starting off to carry him and his people back to their own country.'

'Is that far away, Mr Monck?' Gerald asked.

'Yes. A pretty good distance as distances are reckoned on this globe.'

'The farther away the better, I should say,' muttered Jack. 'Good riddance go with him!'

A little while afterwards they neared a grand-looking mass of rock which rose abruptly from the plains below. It was a precipitous mountain, and upon its lofty summit, literally amongst the clouds, rose the noble towers and domes of the most stately building the strangers had ever seen.

They realised at once that none of our earthly buildings could compare with this magnificent pile. As the yacht rose in the air, and they obtained a better view, their amazement increased, every moment exhibiting more clearly its vast proportions and revealing some fresh surprise. What it might be built of was a puzzle; for it shone through the rosy haze with a golden lustre, and looked a veritable fairy palace of the upper air.

'Wh-what is that wonderful sight? Is it another town – a real town – or an effect of sunlight among the clouds?' gasped Gerald.

'That is King Ivanta's palace,' said Monck quietly. 'It is Alondra's home – the place we are going to stay at.'

'But how do you get to it?'

'The way we are getting to it now; there is no other way. No person could climb up that mountain. There is no road, no path to it. It can only be approached by airship.'

Just then a hoarse shout was heard, and there came a loud clanging of bells and gongs.

Amidst it all, Tom Clinch's voice was clearly heard. 'Avast theer, ye galoots!' he cried. 'Port yer helm, ye blunderin' lubbers! Can't ye see yer runnin' inter us?'

So absorbed had the strangers been in gazing at the palace on the mountain-top that they had not noticed a flying-craft which had been travelling behind them, and had almost overtaken them. Alondra and his attendants, seeing the effect produced upon his guests by the scene before them, had reduced the speed, and allowed the yacht to float upwards in leisurely fashion, omitting to look out for what might be behind them.

There was now a sudden bustle on board as the navigators rushed to the various levers, and a moment later the yacht dropped suddenly with a downward swoop, allowing the strange craft to pass harmlessly overhead.

'Jupiter!' cried Gerald, 'that was a near squeak! What careless people they must be! Is that sort of thing common here?'

Monck scowled and shook his head. 'No,' he said curtly. 'And there will be trouble about it to-morrow. Some one will be called to account for it, you may be sure!'

Alondra made no remark, but coolly resumed the journey as though nothing out of the way had happened.

Gradually they drew nearer to the mountain-top, and all the while fresh beauties burst upon their view. Down the rocky sides tumbled mighty waterfalls, which gleamed like masses of molten gold till they were lost in clouds of golden spray below. Around the wondrous edifice itself were now seen groves and terraces upon a tableland broken by hills and dales extending far into the clouds beyond.

The travellers from the distant Earth, reassured by Alondra's coolness, gazed upon the scene of grandeur and sublimity in wondering silence, and seemed for a while scarcely to breathe. So entranced were they that they scarcely noticed when their yacht 'grounded' upon the summit of the mountain, at a short distance from an imposing gateway which formed the main entrance to the palace.

A minute or two later they passed down a gangway, and then followed their young host towards the gateway, which seemed to loom up larger and higher as they approached it.

Suddenly the massive gates were thrown open, and a stream of attendants sallied forth and ranged themselves in two rows, between which the guests were ushered into the building. Through wide galleries, open courtyards, where fountains played among strange plants and flowers, and up spacious staircases, they passed onwards to a central hall, where they found another assembly of nobles and officials, evidently waiting to receive them.

At one end, upon a dais, was a throne of ivory and gold, and on each side of it a number of richly upholstered seats.

Alondra signed to his chief guests to seat themselves upon the latter, while he himself occupied the throne.

'Good friends,' said he, addressing the assembly, 'I bring you glorious news – the news of the safe return of the king, my father! You have doubtless already seen that his "chariot of the skies" has arrived? To that I am rejoiced to be able to add the welcome tidings that my royal father, and all who accompanied him, have come back safely and in good health.'

At this there was much shouting and clapping of hands upon the part of the hitherto silent crowd. Evidently they had been awaiting news in some suspense, anxious as to whether, though they knew the Ivenia had returned, some untoward accident might have happened to any of those on board.

'I am also the bearer, good friends, of commands to you from the king,' continued Alondra, when the shouting had died down. 'By his wish I take my seat here in his absence, to welcome in his name to his royal home some strangers he has brought with him from a far-distant planet. Good friends, that is all I need say to you! These strangers are the king's friends and guests, and as such he bids you receive and treat them until he comes himself to attend to their pleasure and comfort.'

Then such a clamour was heard as fairly took the visitors by surprise. It seemed even to surpass that which had greeted the announcement of the kind's safe return. Hands, handkerchiefs, banners, were waved, trumpets blared, cymbals sounded. Finally, at a sign from the prince, there was a general rush towards the dais, the friendly crowd almost tumbling over one another, as each seemed determined to be the first to shake hands with these strangers from a distant world.