At sight of us the members of the guard sprang forward in surprise,
and with levelled rifles halted us. I held out the message to one
of them. He took it and seeing to whom it was addressed turned
and handed it to Torith who was emerging from his office to learn
the cause of the commotion.
The black read the order, and for a moment eyed us with evident
suspicion.
"Where is Dator Yersted?" he asked, and my heart sank within me, as
I cursed myself for a stupid fool in not having sunk the submarine
to make good the lie that I must tell.
"His orders were to return immediately to the temple landing," I
replied.
Torith took a half step toward the entrance to the pool as though
to corroborate my story. For that instant everything hung in the
balance, for had he done so and found the empty submarine still
lying at her wharf the whole weak fabric of my concoction would
have tumbled about our heads; but evidently he decided the message
must be genuine, nor indeed was there any good reason to doubt it
since it would scarce have seemed credible to him that two slaves
would voluntarily have given themselves into custody in any such
manner as this. It was the very boldness of the plan which rendered
it successful.
"Were you connected with the rising of the slaves?" asked Torith.
"We have just had meagre reports of some such event."
"All were involved," I replied.
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