The Copper-Clad World Page 7

  CHAPTER VII

  _In the Jungle_

  They had progressed not more than twenty paces into the denseundergrowth when the gleaming wall of the Tritu Anu was entirely hiddenfrom view. The artificial sunlight seeped through the mass ofvegetation overhead, a ghostly green twilight that made death masks oftheir faces. But of the lights themselves, of the great latticedcolumns, of the enormous sponge-like blossoms of the upper surface ofthe jungle sea, nothing could be seen. They were deep in a tangled mazeof translucent flora that was like nothing so much as a forest of giantseaweed transplanted from its natural element. The moss-like carpetbeneath their feet was slushy wet and condensed moisture rainedsteadily from the matted fronds and tendrils above. The air theybreathed was hot and stifling; laden with rank odors and curling miststhat assailed throat and head passages with choking effect.

  Weird whisperings there were from above and all about them. It seemedalmost that the uncanny, weaving green things were alive and voicingindignant protest over the intrusion of the three humans.

  Ankle deep in the rain-soaked moss, their clothing drenched andsteaming, they pressed ever deeper into the tangle. All sense ofdirection was lost.

  "Guess we'd better rest now," said Blaine, seeing that Ulana wasgasping from her exertions, "They'll never trail us here."

  "How about this crystal thing--the searching ray?" Tommy ventured.

  "It can not follow us," the girl explained, "Certain juices of theplants provide an insulator against the ray. In fact, it was an extractof these that was used in protecting the underground laboratory we justleft. We are safe now and I am very tired."

  So that was the reason Tiedus had been so certain they would be safe inthe jungle! Blaine had wondered about that searching ray, and nowUlana's statement had stilled his doubts. Poor kid--she was all in! Hershoulders drooped and she leaned on his arm for support. His consciencetroubled him for having forced the pace in the difficult footing. Theyneed not have come so far in.

  * * * * *

  A glint of light through the close packed stems caught his eye;something phosphorescent it was, shining there in the green twilight. Agiant mushroom! Towering seven feet from the ground, the greatumbrella-like top was aglow with sulphurous light on its under side.And, beneath its ten foot spread, the mossy carpet was dry. An idealshelter. Here Ulana might find the rest she so sorely needed, and incomparative comfort.

  She curled up beside the huge stem and, half buried in warm, dry moss,immediately fell asleep. The Earth men sat gazing solemnly at eachother; speechless. In the dim distance the roar of a monorail car rosefaintly at first, then grew louder and louder, only to fade away oncemore into the whispering silence. A steady patter of jungle raindrummed on the mushroom top.

  "God!" Tommy muttered, after a while. "I'd give my right eye for acigarette."

  "Me too." Blaine was hugging his knees, nodding drowsily. "A nice raresteak with mushroom sauce wouldn't go so bad, either," he drawled.

  "Aw, have a heart. I'm so sick of these vitamin pills of theirs I neverwant to see one again."

  "Yeah, but they're better than nothing. We haven't any of those even."

  "Say!" Tommy jumped to his feet in sudden remembrance. "I saw a bush,back there about fifty feet, with bunches of big red berries on it.Like grapes, they looked. May be good to eat."

  "Sure, they _may_ be. And then again they may be poison. We can'ttake any chances like that. Leave 'em alone."

  * * * * *

  Tommy growled unintelligibly and fell to walking around their shelterwith nervous strides, keeping just within the dry area and glaringsavagely into the steaming jungle. Blaine smiled grimly. Nerves! Tommyalways was like that; always had to be on the go and doing something.His own nerves were jumpy to-day. They were in hot water this time, forsure. Had to keep on though; they were still alive, or at least halfalive; and the solar system was intact as yet. If only Tom Farley wouldquit his infernal tramping!

  "Cut it out!" Blaine snapped peevishly. "You'll have us both bughouse.Can't you sit down and take it easy?"

  Tommy stopped in his tracks. "Sorry, Blaine," he said. But he remainedstanding, staring off into the jungle. Then, suddenly he exclaimed,"Say, I'm going for some of those grapes, or whatever they are. I'llbring a mess of them back and we can wait till Ulana wakes up. She'llknow whether they're poison or not."

  "Oh, go ahead. But don't get yourself lost. Yell out if you can't findus and I'll answer."

  "Okay. Don't worry about me." And in three steps Tommy was swallowed upin the undergrowth.

  Blaine stole a glance at the girl and something caught at his throat.God, she was beautiful! There must be some way of getting her out ofthis mess. Dantor, perhaps, might show the way. He ought to be sendingthat message soon--a mental one, Tiedus said. Poor kid, Tiedus; gone tothe happy hunting grounds now, no question of that. And he intended toadvise Dantor from the spirit world. As simple as that, it was. Theywere game, these Rulans. Fatalists, though, and resigned to theinevitable; hopeless. But a wonderful people in a rotten world.

  Soon he felt his head droop and in a moment he began to doze.

  When he awoke it was to the touch of Ulana's soft fingers on his arm."We are alone?" she asked.

  "Lord!" he exclaimed, rising stiffly and rubbing the sleep from hiseyes. "How long have I napped? I shouldn't have."

  A swift look around the small clearing disclosed the fact that Tommywas missing. He shouldn't have let him go. A sudden panic gripped him.

  "Tommy! Tommy!" he called out.

  * * * * *

  There was not even an echo in reply. Only the whispering of the jungleoverhead and all around them. His friend was gone.

  "Ulana," he said, his voice trembling, "we _are_ alone. Farley is lost;swallowed up in this terrible forest."

  And then, suddenly, she was in his arms. Those wondrous blue eyes,swimming in tears, looked into his own. Soft red lips, upturned, methis lips; clung there.

  "I am sorry, my Carson," she said softly, when he had released her:"sorry that your good friend is lost. But perhaps," more brightly--"hehas but strayed away. When the mental message comes you will bereunited. He will hear it as well as you."

  Blaine shook his head. In his own heart he knew he would never seeTommy again. He had wandered too close to the Tritu Anu and had beenoverpowered by the green-bronze guards. Their ray pistols--he shudderedat the thought.

  "I have _you_ now, my Carson," the girl was saying. "Only you."

  In a daze of pain and happiness intermingled, he knew he was holdingher close, drawing her fiercely to him. And then, raising dull eyes tostare over the precious head and into the jungle that hid his friend,he froze with horror.

  A flat serpent head with wide slavering mouth and beady eyes swayedthere directly behind her. Pendant, it was, on a scaly and slimy lengthof undulating body that coiled high above in the matted growths of thejungle. As he watched, rooted to the spot, the great head drew back andpoised, vibrating, ready to strike.

  * * * * *

  In one quick movement he flung the girl aside and whipped out the raypistol he had taken from Pegrani. He pressed the release and a whirringsound came from the little weapon. But no crackling blue flame sprangforth to blast this creature into nothingness. Jumping aside, he wasthrown to the ground by its lashing body as the great snake struck andmissed.

  But the pistol was useless. Short circuited by moisture, no doubt. Hecrouched there, calling huskily to Ulana. She must run for it; forceher way into the thick undergrowth where the thing could not reach her.She lay there, helpless with terror. Then, in a flash, she was on herfeet dashing to his side. God, the huge head was poised there again!Pulsating! The glittering avid eyes upon them!

  Instinctively Blaine raised the pistol just as the head darteddownward. The release clicked home. And, wonder of wonders, the blueflame crackled spitefull
y. Exploding atoms, dazzling in the greentwilight. Mighty thrashings of the huge coils high up in the tangledfoliage. Crashing and tearing of great stems and rope-like tendrils.But the enormous body was headless; a dead thing in the throes of itsfinal reflexes. Only the one charge had been spoiled; the little pistolhad served them well.

  He drew Ulana into the thickest of the undergrowth for protectionagainst the tremendous lashing thing that crashed into the smallclearing where the giant mushroom grew. Their shelter was destroyed. Hemust find another; he must be forever on guard over this girl whosehand clung so confidently to his own as they wedged their way into thethicket.

  "Carson! Ulana!" A familiar voice rose above the whisperings of thejungle. A voice familiar, yet unreal; supernatural; a calm, commandingone that did not sound but echoed only in the consciousness.

  "Hark!" Ulana gripped his hand more tightly. "Did you hear? It isDantor. The message Tiedus promised."

  In awed silence they waited. A tiny ball of orange fire flamed suddenlyin the depths of the rushes directly before them. A sign!

  "Ah, you are there!" the voice broke in. "I have your mental reactions.You will follow the orange beacon to the Tritu Anu where I await yourcoming. Be of good cheer, my children."

  * * * * *

  What magic was this? The science of the Rulans was beyond thecomprehension of the Earth man. Here was telepathy in its most perfectform. Communications from the spirit plane; the orange flame--it wasall so utterly fantastic that Blaine had to look earnestly at the girlto assure himself it was not a dream. She smiled confidently.

  And the orange flame was moving off into the undergrowth. They mustfollow its beckoning, flickering light.

  It was a nightmare, that journey back through the jungle to the TrituAnu. Dantor must be in a fearful hurry, for the orange flame movedswiftly. If they stopped a moment to rest it danced there impatiently,then receded into the green shadows until they were forced to followfor fear of losing it. Ulana's light robe was torn and sodden withmoisture. The perfectly rounded ivory shoulders, bare now, werescratched and bleeding from contact with thorny protuberances thatcovered some of the lighter reed-like stems.

  But the brave girl was uncomplaining. She clung doggedly to the Earthman's hand when they were able to walk erect: followed swiftly andunquestioningly when they were compelled to crawl or wriggle through analmost impenetrable thicket.

  Once she cried out in alarm and Blaine turned back to see that the wirytendrils of a spiny, globular plant had wound themselves around herslim body and held her fast. As he grasped her hand to draw her away,others of the tendrils curled about his wrist and he too wasimprisoned. They burned the flesh, those writhing things, and tuggedmightily. Ulana screamed with the pain of the many that held her intheir tightening grasp.

  * * * * *

  It was alive, this thing that grew there, a huge ball with a thousandstinging tentacles. A carnivorous plant. Even as the realizationflashed across his mind he saw that the spiny sphere was opening. Splitvertically, the two halves fell apart to disclose the steaming interiorwhose walls were lined with sharp dagger-like projections a foot inlength. And the wiry tendrils were drawing them in!

  Almost insane with horror, Blaine released the disintegrating energy ofthe weapon he still carried in his free hand. Twice he pressed itsrelease and twice the searing blue flame spurted from the glass tubethat was its muzzle. Only a few charges remained now in the marvelousweapon but once more it had served then well. The open-mouthed plantmonster vanished with the clearing of the blue vapor and the ensnaringtendrils relaxed, falling from their bodies like so many loosenedcords. Blaine caught the swooning girl in his arms.

  Half carrying her, he struggled on after the orange flare. The base ofone of the latticed supporting columns loomed vast in the eery twilightgloom, and he leaned a moment against one of its vine-wrapped members.The girl was exhausted and hung limp in his circling right arm. Stillthe orange beacon danced on. If only Dantor would ease up a bit.Couldn't he give them a little time?

  * * * * *

  On and on he staggered, ploughing through the sloppy footing and thedripping clinging greens that were everywhere in his path. Slimy frondswrapped themselves around them, impeding his progress; clinging as ifthey too were alive. The whispering silence closed in on them, vast andmysterious. Menacing; awful....

  And then he stumbled against a metallic wall. The curved side of theTritu Anu! His brain cleared and courage returned with a rush. The tinyorange flame danced merrily, leading him along the wall toward the doorhe knew was there.

  Breathing easier now, his pace quickened as Dantor's guiding lightslithered along the gleaming wall. Sometimes it was almost hidden fromsight by the curvature of the welded plates and he was forced into ajog trot to keep it in view.

  Grimly, tenderly, he clung to the delectable creature whose soft bodydrooped against him.

  The door! The selfsame passage through which they had escaped openedbefore him. Grateful even for this doubtful protection, he crossed thethreshold and trudged wearily along with his precious burden. Blindlytrusting in the miraculous powers of Dantor, he followed the orangebeacon which now seemed to smile cheerfully as it lighted his waythrough the winding rock-walled tunnel.

  Dazed and spent, he collapsed in the arms of the aged Rulan when hereached the end of the passage.