| 222 | 223 | 224 | 225 | 226 |
| 1 | 61 | 121 | 182 | 242 |
|
www.freeclassicebooks.com
Chapter XXIII - The Flight from Xuja
As Metak bore Bertha Kircher toward the edge of the pool, the girl at first had no
conception of the deed he contemplated but when, as they approached the edge,
he did not lessen his speed she guessed the frightful truth. As he leaped head
foremost with her into the water, she closed her eyes and breathed a silent
prayer, for she was confident that the maniac had no other purpose than to
drown himself and her. And yet, so potent is the first law of nature that even in
the face of certain death, as she surely believed herself, she clung tenaciously to
life, and while she struggled to free herself from the powerful clutches of the
madman, she held her breath against the final moment when the asphyxiating
waters must inevitably flood her lungs.
Through the frightful ordeal she maintained absolute control of her senses so
that, after the first plunge, she was aware that the man was swimming with her
beneath the surface. He took perhaps not more than a dozen strokes directly
toward the end wall of the pool and then he arose; and once again she knew that
her head was above the surface. She opened her eyes to see that they were in a
corridor dimly lighted by gratings set in its roof--a winding corridor, water filled
from wall to wall.
Along this the man was swimming with easy powerful strokes, at the same time
holding her chin above the water. For ten minutes he swam thus without
stopping and the girl heard him speak to her, though she could not understand
what he said, as he evidently immediately realized, for, half floating, he shifted
his hold upon her so that he could touch her nose and mouth with the fingers of
one hand. She grasped what he meant and immediately took a deep breath,
whereat he dove quickly beneath the surface pulling her down with him and
again for a dozen strokes or more he swam thus wholly submerged.
When they again came to the surface, Bertha Kircher saw that they were in a
large lagoon and that the bright stars were shining high above them, while on
either hand domed and minareted buildings were silhouetted sharply against the
starlit sky. Metak swam swiftly to the north side of the lagoon where, by means of
a ladder, the two climbed out upon the embankment. There were others in the
plaza but they paid but little if any attention to the two bedraggled figures. As
Metak walked quickly across the pavement with the girl at his side, Bertha
Kircher could only guess at the man's intentions. She could see no way in which
to escape and so she went docilely with him, hoping against hope that some
fortuitous circumstance might eventually arise that would give her the coveted
chance for freedom and life.
224
Page
Quick Jump
|