[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
He glanced up as I emerged from the room, the occupants of
which had not seen me. I walked straight toward the
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Click here to buy
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soldier, my mind made up in an instant. I tried to simulate
an expression of cringing servility, and I must have
succeeded, for I entirely threw the man off his guard, so
that he permitted me to approach within reach of his rifle
before stopping me. Then it was too late--for him.
Without a word or a warning, I snatched the piece from his
grasp, and, at the same time struck him a terrific blow
between the eyes with my clenched fist. He staggered back
in surprise, too dumbfounded even to cry out, and then I
clubbed his rifle and felled him with a single mighty blow.
A moment later, I had burst into the room beyond. It was
empty!
I gazed about, mad with disappointment. Two doors opened
from this to other rooms. I ran to the nearer and listened.
Yes, voices were coming from beyond and one was a woman's,
level and cold and filled with scorn. There was no terror
in it. It was Victory's.
I turned the knob and pushed the door inward just in time to
see Menelek seize the girl and drag her toward the far end
of the apartment. At the same instant there was a deafening
roar just outside the palace--a shell had struck much nearer
than any of its predecessors. The noise of it drowned my
rapid rush across the room.
But in her struggles, Victory turned Menelek about so that
he saw me. She was striking him in the face with her
clenched fist, and now he was choking her.
At sight of me, he gave voice to a roar of anger.
"What means this, slave?" he cried. "Out of here! Out of
here! Quick, before I kill you!"
But for answer I rushed upon him, striking him with the butt
of the rifle. He staggered back, dropping Victory to the
floor, and then he cried aloud for the guard, and came at
me. Again and again I struck him; but his thick skull might
have been armor plate, for all the damage I did it.
He tried to close with me, seizing the rifle, but I was
stronger than he, and, wrenching the weapon from his grasp,
tossed it aside and made for his throat with my bare hands.
I had not dared fire the weapon for fear that its report
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Click here to buy
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would bring the larger guard stationed at the farther end of
the corridor.
We struggled about the room, striking one another, knocking
over furniture, and rolling upon the floor. Menelek was a
powerful man, and he was fighting for his life. Continually
he kept calling for the guard, until I succeeded in getting
a grip upon his throat; but it was too late. His cries had
been heard, and suddenly the door burst open, and a score of
armed guardsmen rushed into the apartment.
Victory seized the rifle from the floor and leaped between
me and them. I had the black emperor upon his back, and
both my hands were at his throat, choking the life from him.
The rest happened in the fraction of a second. There was a
rending crash above us, then a deafening explosion within
the chamber. Smoke and powder fumes filled the room. Half
stunned, I rose from the lifeless body of my antagonist just
in time to see Victory stagger to her feet and turn toward
me. Slowly the smoke cleared to reveal the shattered
remnants of the guard. A shell had fallen through the
palace roof and exploded just in the rear of the detachment
of guardsmen who were coming to the rescue of their emperor.
Why neither Victory nor I were struck is a miracle. The
room was a wreck. A great, jagged hole was torn in the
ceiling, and the wall toward the corridor had been blown
entirely out.
As I rose, Victory had risen, too, and started toward me.
But when she saw that I was uninjured she stopped, and stood
there in the center of the demolished apartment looking at
me. Her expression was inscrutable--I could not guess
whether she was glad to see me, or not.
"Victory!" I cried. "Thank God that you are safe!" And I
approached her, a greater gladness in my heart than I had
felt since the moment that I knew the Coldwater must be
swept beyond thirty.
There was no answering gladness in her eyes. Instead, she
stamped her little foot in anger.
"Why did it have to be you who saved me!" she exclaimed. "I
hate you!"
"Hate me?" I asked. "Why should you hate me, Victory? I do
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Click here to buy
Click here to buy
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not hate you. I--I--" What was I about to say? I was very
close to her as a great light broke over me. Why had I
never realized it before? The truth accounted for a great
many hitherto inexplicable moods that had claimed me from
time to time since first I had seen Victory.
"Why should I hate you?" she repeated. "Because Snider told
me--he told me that you had promised me to him, but he did
not get me. I killed him, as I should like to kill you!"
"Snider lied!" I cried. And then I seized her and held her
in my arms, and made her listen to me, though she struggled
and fought like a young lioness. "I love you, Victory. You
must know that I love you--that I have always loved you, and
that I never could have made so base a promise."
She ceased her struggles, just a trifle, but still tried to
push me from her. "You called me a barbarian!" she said.
Ah, so that was it! That still rankled. I crushed her to
me.
"You could not love a barbarian," she went on, but she had
ceased to struggle.
"But I do love a barbarian, Victory!" I cried, "the dearest
barbarian in the world."
She raised her eyes to mine, and then her smooth, brown arms
encircled my neck and drew my lips down to hers.
"I love you--I have loved you always!" she said, and then
she buried her face upon my shoulder and sobbed. "I have
been so unhappy," she said, "but I could not die while I
thought that you might live."
As we stood there, momentarily forgetful of all else than
our new found happiness, the ferocity of the bombardment
increased until scarce thirty seconds elapsed between the
shells that rained about the palace.
To remain long would be to invite certain death. We could
not escape the way that we had entered the apartment, for
not only was the corridor now choked with debris, but beyond
the corridor there were doubtless many members of the
emperor's household who would stop us.
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2
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B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
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w
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Upon the opposite side of the room was another door, and
toward this I led the way. It opened into a third apartment [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl chiara76.opx.pl
He glanced up as I emerged from the room, the occupants of
which had not seen me. I walked straight toward the
a
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n
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s
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F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
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.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
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A
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Y
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r r
soldier, my mind made up in an instant. I tried to simulate
an expression of cringing servility, and I must have
succeeded, for I entirely threw the man off his guard, so
that he permitted me to approach within reach of his rifle
before stopping me. Then it was too late--for him.
Without a word or a warning, I snatched the piece from his
grasp, and, at the same time struck him a terrific blow
between the eyes with my clenched fist. He staggered back
in surprise, too dumbfounded even to cry out, and then I
clubbed his rifle and felled him with a single mighty blow.
A moment later, I had burst into the room beyond. It was
empty!
I gazed about, mad with disappointment. Two doors opened
from this to other rooms. I ran to the nearer and listened.
Yes, voices were coming from beyond and one was a woman's,
level and cold and filled with scorn. There was no terror
in it. It was Victory's.
I turned the knob and pushed the door inward just in time to
see Menelek seize the girl and drag her toward the far end
of the apartment. At the same instant there was a deafening
roar just outside the palace--a shell had struck much nearer
than any of its predecessors. The noise of it drowned my
rapid rush across the room.
But in her struggles, Victory turned Menelek about so that
he saw me. She was striking him in the face with her
clenched fist, and now he was choking her.
At sight of me, he gave voice to a roar of anger.
"What means this, slave?" he cried. "Out of here! Out of
here! Quick, before I kill you!"
But for answer I rushed upon him, striking him with the butt
of the rifle. He staggered back, dropping Victory to the
floor, and then he cried aloud for the guard, and came at
me. Again and again I struck him; but his thick skull might
have been armor plate, for all the damage I did it.
He tried to close with me, seizing the rifle, but I was
stronger than he, and, wrenching the weapon from his grasp,
tossed it aside and made for his throat with my bare hands.
I had not dared fire the weapon for fear that its report
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
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r r
would bring the larger guard stationed at the farther end of
the corridor.
We struggled about the room, striking one another, knocking
over furniture, and rolling upon the floor. Menelek was a
powerful man, and he was fighting for his life. Continually
he kept calling for the guard, until I succeeded in getting
a grip upon his throat; but it was too late. His cries had
been heard, and suddenly the door burst open, and a score of
armed guardsmen rushed into the apartment.
Victory seized the rifle from the floor and leaped between
me and them. I had the black emperor upon his back, and
both my hands were at his throat, choking the life from him.
The rest happened in the fraction of a second. There was a
rending crash above us, then a deafening explosion within
the chamber. Smoke and powder fumes filled the room. Half
stunned, I rose from the lifeless body of my antagonist just
in time to see Victory stagger to her feet and turn toward
me. Slowly the smoke cleared to reveal the shattered
remnants of the guard. A shell had fallen through the
palace roof and exploded just in the rear of the detachment
of guardsmen who were coming to the rescue of their emperor.
Why neither Victory nor I were struck is a miracle. The
room was a wreck. A great, jagged hole was torn in the
ceiling, and the wall toward the corridor had been blown
entirely out.
As I rose, Victory had risen, too, and started toward me.
But when she saw that I was uninjured she stopped, and stood
there in the center of the demolished apartment looking at
me. Her expression was inscrutable--I could not guess
whether she was glad to see me, or not.
"Victory!" I cried. "Thank God that you are safe!" And I
approached her, a greater gladness in my heart than I had
felt since the moment that I knew the Coldwater must be
swept beyond thirty.
There was no answering gladness in her eyes. Instead, she
stamped her little foot in anger.
"Why did it have to be you who saved me!" she exclaimed. "I
hate you!"
"Hate me?" I asked. "Why should you hate me, Victory? I do
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
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r r
not hate you. I--I--" What was I about to say? I was very
close to her as a great light broke over me. Why had I
never realized it before? The truth accounted for a great
many hitherto inexplicable moods that had claimed me from
time to time since first I had seen Victory.
"Why should I hate you?" she repeated. "Because Snider told
me--he told me that you had promised me to him, but he did
not get me. I killed him, as I should like to kill you!"
"Snider lied!" I cried. And then I seized her and held her
in my arms, and made her listen to me, though she struggled
and fought like a young lioness. "I love you, Victory. You
must know that I love you--that I have always loved you, and
that I never could have made so base a promise."
She ceased her struggles, just a trifle, but still tried to
push me from her. "You called me a barbarian!" she said.
Ah, so that was it! That still rankled. I crushed her to
me.
"You could not love a barbarian," she went on, but she had
ceased to struggle.
"But I do love a barbarian, Victory!" I cried, "the dearest
barbarian in the world."
She raised her eyes to mine, and then her smooth, brown arms
encircled my neck and drew my lips down to hers.
"I love you--I have loved you always!" she said, and then
she buried her face upon my shoulder and sobbed. "I have
been so unhappy," she said, "but I could not die while I
thought that you might live."
As we stood there, momentarily forgetful of all else than
our new found happiness, the ferocity of the bombardment
increased until scarce thirty seconds elapsed between the
shells that rained about the palace.
To remain long would be to invite certain death. We could
not escape the way that we had entered the apartment, for
not only was the corridor now choked with debris, but beyond
the corridor there were doubtless many members of the
emperor's household who would stop us.
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
Upon the opposite side of the room was another door, and
toward this I led the way. It opened into a third apartment [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]