FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152  
153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   >>  
nearly to full speed, and as they swept past a house nearly collided with a punt that was crossing behind it. Mercer's nerves were still shaken. He handed Anina the light-ray cylinder. "Here--take it, Anina. I don't want the cursed thing. Shoot it up into the air. Somebody might try and stop us. That'll scare them. Careful you don't hit anything!" Anina played the light about in the air for a time, but soon there were so many girls flying about she had to shut it off. A few minutes more and they had passed the last of the houses, swept around the bend in the river, and left the frightened city out of sight behind them. They had left the river and, following close along shore, headed for the bayous that led up to the Great City. The storm had now entirely passed, leaving the daylight unusually bright and a fresh coolness in the air. The sea was still rough, although not alarmingly so, and the boat made comparatively slow progress. It was two hours or more--to Mercer it seemed a whole day--before they were nearing the bayous. Anina was sitting by his side in the center of the boat. Lua was steering. "You hungry, Ollie?" the girl asked, smiling. Mercer shook his head. He had forgotten they had intended to eat in the Water City. "I very hungry. Soon we--" She stopped abruptly, staring up into the sky ahead of them. Mercer followed her glance. A little black blob showed against the gray; off to one side two other smaller black dots appeared. "What's that?" cried Mercer, alarmed. They watched a few moments in silence. Then Mercer took the cylinder, and flashed its light into the air. "If it's anybody connected with Tao, that'll show they'd better keep away," he explained grimly. Anina smiled. "Tao people cannot fly, Ollie." A few moments more and they saw what it was. And within ten minutes they had landed at the mouth of one of the bayous, and Miela and I were with them. CHAPTER XXV. PREPARATIONS FOR WAR. The months that followed were the busiest, I think, of my life. I began by a complete reorganization of this government of which I found myself the head. For the doddering old councilors of the late king I substituted men whom I selected from among those of the city's prominent business men who cared to serve. The personnel of the police force I allowed to remain, for I soon saw they were inclined to act very differently under me than under my predecessor. The various other
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152  
153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   >>  



Top keywords:
Mercer
 

bayous

 

hungry

 
moments
 
minutes
 
passed
 

cylinder

 

glance

 

grimly

 

people


smiled
 
explained
 

connected

 

smaller

 

silence

 

appeared

 

alarmed

 

watched

 

showed

 

flashed


substituted
 

selected

 

councilors

 
differently
 

doddering

 
remain
 
personnel
 

police

 

allowed

 

inclined


prominent

 

business

 
CHAPTER
 
PREPARATIONS
 

landed

 
months
 

busiest

 

complete

 

reorganization

 

government


predecessor

 

flying

 
played
 

Careful

 
frightened
 
houses
 

crossing

 

nerves

 
shaken
 

handed