第6章

类别:其他 作者:Herbert George Wells字数:11165更新时间:19/01/07 15:15:33
\"Stoop,\"saidGraham’sguide,andtheyavoidedanendlessbandrunningroaringuptotheshaftofthevane。\"Thisway!\"andtheywereankledeepinagutterfullofdriftedthawingsnow,betweentwolowwallsofmetalthatpresentlyrosewaisthigh。\"Iwillgofirst,\"saidtheguide。Grahamdrewhiscloakabouthimandfollowed。Thensuddenlycameanarrowabyssacrosswhichthegutterleapttothesnowydarknessofthefurtherside。Grahampeepedoverthesideonceandthegulfwasblack。Foramomentheregrettedhisflight。Hedarednotlookagain,andhisbrainspunashewadedthroughthehalfliquidsnow。 Thenoutoftheguttertheyclamberedandhurriedacrossawideflatspacedampwiththawingsnow,andforhalfitsextentdimlytranslucenttolightsthatwenttoandfrounderneath。Hehesitatedatthisunstablelookingsubstance,buthisguideranonunheeding,andsotheycametoandclamberedupslipperystepstotherimofagreatdomeofglass。 Roundthistheywent。Farbelowanumberofpeopleseemedtobedancing,andmusicfilteredthroughthedome……Grahamfanciedheheardashoutingthroughthesnowstorm,andhisguidehurriedhimonwithanewspurtofhaste。Theyclamberedpantingtoaspaceofhugewindmills,onesovastthatonlytheloweredgeofitsvanscamerushingintosightandrushedupagainandwaslostinthenightandthesnow。Theyhurriedforatimethroughthecolossalmetallictraceryofitssupports,andcameatlastaboveaplaceofmovingplatformsliketheplaceintowhichGrahamhadlookedfromthebalcony。Theycrawledacrosstheslopingtransparencythatcoveredthisstreetofplatforms,crawlingonhandsandkneesbecauseoftheslipperinessofthesnowfall。 Forthemostparttheglasswasbedewed,andGrahamsawonlyhazysuggestionsoftheformsbelow,butnearthepitchofthetransparentrooftheglasswasclear,andhefoundhimselflookingsheerlydownuponitall。Forawhile,inspiteoftheurgencyofhisguide,hegavewaytovertigoandlayspread—eagledontheglass,sickandparalysed。Farbelow,merestirringspecksanddots,wentthepeopleoftheunsleepingcityintheirperpetualdaylight,andthemovingplatformsranontheirincessantjourney。Messengersandmenonunknownbusinessesshotalongthedroopingcablesandthefrailbridgeswerecrowdedwithmen。Itwaslikepeeringintoagiganticglasshive,anditlayverticallybelowhimwithonlyatoughglassofunknownthicknesstosavehimfromafall。 Thestreetshowedwarmandlit,andGrahamwaswetnowtotheskinwiththawingsnow,andhisfeetwerenumbedwithcold。Foraspacehecouldnotmove。 \"Comeon!\"criedhisguide,withterrorinhisvoice。 \"Comeon!\" Grahamreachedthepitchoftheroofbyaneffort。 Overtheridge,followinghisguide’sexample,heturnedaboutandslidbackwarddowntheoppositeslopeveryswiftly,amidalittleavalancheofsnowWhilehewasslidinghethoughtofwhatwouldhappenifsomebrokengapshouldcomeinhisway。Attheedgehestumbledtohisfeetankledeepinslushthankingheavenforanopaquefootingagain。Hisguidewasalreadyclamberingupametalscreentoalevelexpanse。 Throughthesparesnowflakesabovethisloomedanotherlineofvastwindmills,andthensuddenlytheamorphoustumultoftherotatingwheelswaspiercedwithadeafeningsound。Itwasamechanicalshrillingofextraordinaryintensitythatseemedtocomesimultaneouslyfromeverypointofthecompass。 \"Theyhavemissedusalready!\"criedGraham’sguideinanaccentofterror,andsuddenly,withablindingflash,thenightbecameday。 Abovethedrivingsnow,fromthesummitsofthewind—wheels,appearedvastmastscarryingglobesoflividlight。Theyrecededinillimitablevistasineverydirection。Asfarashiseyecouldpenetratethesnowfalltheyglared。 \"Getonthis,\"criedGraham’sconductor,andthrusthimforwardtoalonggratingofsnowlessmetalthatranlikeabandbetweentwoslightlyslopingexpansesofsnow。ItfeltwarmtoGraham’sbenurrledfeet,andafainteddyofsteamrosefromit。 \"Comeon!\"shoutedhisguidetenyardsoff,and,withoutwaiting,ranswiftlythroughtheincandescentglaretowardstheironsupportsofthenextrangeofwind—wheels。Graham,recoveringfromhisastonishment,followedasfast,convincedofhisimminentcapture。 Inascoreofsecondstheywerewithinatraceryofglareandblackshadowsshotwithmovingbarsbeneaththemonstrouswheels。Graham’sconductorranonforsometime,andsuddenlydartedsidewaysandvanishedintoablackshadowinthecornerofthefootofahugesupport。InanothermomentGrahamwasbesidehim。 Theycoweredpantingandstaredout。 ThesceneuponwhichGrahamlookedwasverywildandstrange。Thesnowhadnowalmostceased; onlyabelatedflakepassednowandagainacrossthepicture。Butthebroadstretchoflevelbeforethemwasaghastlywhite,brokenonlybygiganticmassesandmovingshapesandlengthystripsofimpenetrabledarkness,vastungainlyTitansofshadow。Allaboutthem,hugemetallicstructures,irongirders,inhumanlyvastasitseemedtohim,interlaced,andtheedgesofwind—wheels,scarcelymovinginthelull,I passedingreatshiningcurvessteeperandsteeperupintoaluminoushaze。Whereverthesnow—spangledlightstruckdown,beamsandgirders,andincessantbandsrunningwithahalting,indomitableresolutionpassedupwardanddownwardintotheblack。Andwithallthatmightyactivity,withanomnipresentsenseofmotiveanddesign,thissnow—claddesolationofmechanismseemedvoidofallhumanpresencesavethemselves,seemedastracklessanddesertedandunfrequentedbymenassomeinaccessibleAlpinesnowfield。 \"Theywillbechasingus,\"criedtheleader。\"Wearescarcelyhalfwaythereyet。Coldasitiswemusthidehereforaspace——atleastuntilitsnowsmorethicklyagain。\" Histeethchatteredinhishead。 \"Wherearethemarkets?\"askedGrahamstaringout。\"Whereareallthepeople?\" Theothermadenoanswer。 \"Look!\"whisperedGraham,crouchedclose,andbecameverystill。 Thesnowhadsuddenlybecomethickagain,andslidingwiththewhirlingeddiesoutoftheblackpitoftheskycamesomething,vagueandlargeandveryswift。Itcamedowninasteepcurveandsweptround,widewingsextendedandatrailofwhitecondensingsteambehindit,rosewithaneasyswiftnessandwentglidinguptheair,swepthorizontallyforwardinawidecurve,andvanishedagaininthesteamingspecksofsnow。And,throughtheribsofitsbody,Grahamsawtwolittlemen,veryminuteandactive,searchingthesnowyareasabouthim,asitseemedtohim,withfieldglasses。Forasecondtheywereclear,thenhazythroughathickwhirlofsnow,thensmallanddistant,andinaminutetheyweregone。 \"Now!\"criedhiscompanion。\"Come!\" HepulledGraham’ssleeve,andincontinentlythetwowererunningheadlongdownthearcadeofironworkbeneaththewind—wheels。Graham,runningblindly,collidedwithhisleader,whohadturnedbackonhimsuddenly。Hefoundhimselfwithinadozenyardsofablackchasm。Itextendedasfarashecouldseerightandleft。Itseemedtocutofftheirprogressineitherdirection。 \"DoasIdo,\"whisperedhisguide。Helaydownandcrawledtotheedge,thrusthisheadoverandtwisteduntiloneleghung。Heseemedtofeelforsomethingwithhisfoot,foundit,andwentslidingovertheedgeintothegulf。Hisheadreappeared。 \"Itisaledge,\"hewhispered。\"Inthedarkallthewayalong。DoasIdid。\" Grahamhesitated,wentdownuponallfours,crawledtotheedge,andpeeredintoavelvetyblackness。 Forasicklymomenthehadcourageneithertogoonnorretreat,thenhesatandhunghislegdown,felthisguide’shandspullingathim,hadahorriblesensationofslidingovertheedgeintotheunfathomable,splashed,andfelthimselfinaslushygutter,impenetrablydark。 \"Thisway,\"whisperedthevoice,andhebegancrawlingalongthegutterthroughthetricklingthaw,pressinghimselfagainstthewall。Theycontinuedalongitforsomeminutes。Heseemedtopassthroughahundredstagesofmisery,topassminuteafterminutethroughahundreddegreesofcold,damp,andexhaustion。 Inalittlewhileheceasedtofeelhishandsandfeet。 Thegutterslopeddownwards。Heobservedthattheywerenowmanyfeetbelowtheedgeofthebuildings。 Rowsofspectralwhiteshapesliketheghostsofblind—drawnwindowsroseabovethem。Theycametotheendofacablefastenedaboveoneofthesewhitewindows,dimlyvisibleanddroppingintoimpenetrableshadows。Suddenlyhishandcameagainsthisguide’s。 \"Still!\"whisperedthelatterverysoftly。 Helookedupwithastartandsawthehugewingsoftheflyingmachineglidingslowlyandnoiselesslyoverheadathwartthebroadbandofsnow—fleckedgrey—bluesky。Inamomentitwashiddenagain。 \"Keepstill;theywerejustturning。\" Forawhilebothweremotionless,thenGraham’scompanionstoodup,andreachingtowardsthefasteningsofthecablefumbledwithsomeindistincttackle。 \"Whatisthat?\"askedGraham。 Theonlyanswerwasafaintcry。Themancrouchedmotionless。Grahampeeredandsawhisfacedimly。 Hewasstaringdownthelongribbonofsky,andGraham,followinghiseyes,sawtheflyingmachinesmallandfaintandremote。Thenhesawthatthewingsspreadoneitherside,thatitheadedtowardsthem,thateverymomentitgrewlarger。Itwasfollowingtheedgeofthechasmtowardsthem。 Theman’smovementsbecameconvulsive。HethrusttwocrossbarsintoGraham’shand。Grahamcouldnotseethem,heascertainedtheirformbyfeeling。 Theywereslungbythincordstothecable。Onthecordwerehandgripsofsomesoftelasticsubstance。 \"Putthecrossbetweenyourlegs,\"whisperedtheguidehysterically,\"andgriptheholdfasts。 Griptightly,grip!\" Grahamdidashewastold。 \"Jump,\"saidthevoice。\"Inheaven’sname,jump!\" ForonemomentoussecondGrahamcouldnotspeak。Hewasgladafterwardsthatdarknesshidhisface。Hesaidnothing。Hebegantotrembleviolently。 Helookedsidewaysattheswiftshadowthatswalloweduptheskyasitrusheduponhim。 \"Jump!Jump——inGod’sname!Ortheywillhaveus,\"criedGraham’sguide,andintheviolenceofhispassionthrusthimforward。 Grahamtotteredconvulsively,gaveasobbingcry,acryinspiteofhimself,andthen,astheflyingmachinesweptoverthem,fellforwardintothepitofthatdarkness,seatedonthecrosswoodandholdingtheropeswiththeclutchofdeath。Somethingcracked,somethingrappedsmartlyagainstawall。 Heheardthepulleyofthecradlehumonitsrope。 Heheardtheaeronautsshout。Hefeltapairofkneesdiggingintohisback……Hewassweepingheadlongthroughtheair,fallingthroughtheair。Allhisstrengthwasinhishands。Hewouldhavescreamedbuthehadnobreath。 Heshotintoablindinglightthatmadehimgripthetighter。Herecognisedthegreatpassagewiththerunningways,thehanginglightsandinterlacinggirders。Theyrushedupwardandbyhim。Hehadamomentaryimpressionofagreatcircularapertureyawningtoswallowhimup。 Hewasinthedarkagain,falling,falling,grippingwithachinghands,andbehold!aclapofsound,aburstoflight,andhewasinabrightlylithallwitharoaringmultitudeofpeoplebeneathhisfeet。Thepeople!Hispeople!Aproscenium,astagerusheduptowardshim,andhiscablesweptdowntoacircularaperturetotherightofthis。Hefelthewastravellingslower,andsuddenlyverymuchslower。Hedistinguishedshoutsof\"Saved!TheMaster。Heissafe!\"Thestagerusheduptowardshimwithrapidlydiminishingswiftness。Then——。 Heheardthemanclingingbehindhimshoutasifsuddenlyterrified,andthisshoutwasechoedbyashoutfrombelow。Hefeltthathewasnolongerglidingalongthecablebutfallingwithit。Therewasatumultofyells,screamsandcries。Hefeltsomethingsoftagainsthisextendedhand,andtheimpactofabrokenfallquiveringthroughhisarm…… Hewantedtobestillandthepeoplewereliftinghim。Hebelievedafterwardshewascarriedtotheplatformandgivensomedrink,buthewasneversure。 Hedidnotnoticewhatbecameofhisguide。Whenhismindwasclearagainhewasonhisfeet;eagerhandswereassistinghimtostand。Hewasinabigalcove,occupyingthepositionthatinhispreviousexperiencehadbeendevotedtothelowerboxes。Ifthiswasindeedatheatre。 Amightytumultwasinhisears,athunderousroar,theshoutingofacountlessmultitude。\"ItistheSleeper!TheSleeperiswithus!\" \"TheSleeperiswithus!TheMaster——theOwner!TheMasteriswithus。Heissafe。\" Grahamhadasurgingvisionofagreathallcrowdedwithpeople。Hesawnoindividuals,hewasconsciousofafrothofpinkfaces,ofwavingarmsandgarments,hefelttheoccultinfluenceofavastcrowdpouringoverhim,buoyinghimup。Therewerebalconies,galleries,greatarchwaysgivingremoterperspectives,andeverywherepeople,avastarenaofpeople,denselypackedandcheering。Acrossthenearerspacelaythecollapsedcablelikeahugesnake。Ithadbeencutbythemenoftheflyingmachineatitsupperend,andhadcrumpleddownintothehall。Menseemedtobehaulingthisoutoftheway。Butthewholeeffectwasvague,theverybuildingsthrobbedandleaptwiththeroarofthevoices。 Hestoodunsteadilyandlookedatthoseabouthim。 Someonesupportedhimbyonearm。\"Letmegointoalittleroom,\"hesaid,weeping;\"alittleroom,\" andcouldsaynomore。Amaninblacksteppedforward,tookhisdisengagedarm。Hewasawareofofficiousmenopeningadoorbeforehim。Someoneguidedhimtoaseat。Hestaggered。Hesatdownheavilyandcoveredhisfacewithhishands;hewastremblingviolently,hisnervouscontrolwasatanend。 Hewasrelievedofhiscloak,hecouldnotrememberhow;hispurplehosehesawwereblackwithwet。 Peoplewererunningabouthim,thingswerehappening,butforsometimehegavenoheedtothem。 Hehadescaped。Amyriadofcriestoldhimthat。 Hewassafe。Thesewerethepeoplewhowereonhisside。Foraspacehesobbedforbreath,andthenhesatstillwithhisfacecovered。Theairwasfulloftheshoutingofinnumerablemen。 CHAPTERIX THEPEOPLEMARCH Hebecameawareofsomeoneurgingaglassofclearfluiduponhisattention,lookedupanddiscoveredthiswasadarkyoungmaninayellowgarment。Hetookthedoseforthwith,andinamomenthewasglowing。 Atallmaninablackrobestoodbyhisshoulder,andpointedtothehalfopendoorintothehall。Thismanwasshoutingclosetohisearandyetwhatwassaidwasindistinctbecauseofthetremendousuproarfromthegreattheatre。Behindthemanwasagirlinasilverygreyrobe,whomGraham,eveninthisconfusion,perceivedtobebeautiful。Herdarkeyes,fullofwonderandcuriosity,—werefixedonhim,herlipstrembledapart。Apartiallyopeneddoorgaveaglimpseofthecrowdedhall,andadmittedavastuneventumult,ahammering,clappingandshoutingthatdiedawayandbeganagain,androsetoathunderouspitch,andsocontinuedintermittentlyallthetimethatGrahamremainedinthelittleroom。Hewatchedthelipsofthemaninblackandgatheredthathewasmakingsomeclumsyexplanation。 Hestaredstupidlyforsomemomentsatthesethingsandthenstoodupabruptly;hegraspedthearmofthisshoutingperson。 \"Tellme!\"hecried。\"WhoamI?WhoamI?\" Theotherscamenearertohearhiswords。\"WhoamI?\"Hiseyessearchedtheirfaces。 \"Theyhavetoldhimnothing!\"criedthegirl。 \"Tellme,tellme!\"criedGraham。 \"YouaretheMasteroftheEarth。Youareownerofhalftheworld。\" Hedidnotbelieveheheardaright。Heresistedthepersuasion。Hepretendednottounderstand,nottohear。Heliftedhisvoiceagain。\"Ihavebeenawakethreedays——aprisonerthreedays。Ijudgethereissomestrugglebetweenanumberofpeopleinthiscity——itisLondon?\" \"Yes,\"saidtheyoungerman。 \"AndthosewhomeetinthegreathallwiththewhiteAtlas?Howdoesitconcernme?Insomewayithastodowithme。Why,Idon’tknow。 Drugs?ItseemstomethatwhileIhaveslepttheworldhasgonemad。Ihavegonemad。\" \"WhoarethoseCouncillorsundertheAtlas?Whyshouldtheytrytodrugme?\" \"Tokeepyouinsensible,\"saidthemaninyellow。 \"Topreventyourinterference。\" \"But_why?__\" \"Because__you__aretheAtlas,Sire,\"saidthemaninyellow。\"Theworldisonyourshoulders。Theyruleitinyourname。\" Thesoundsfromthehallhaddiedintoasilencethreadedbyonemonotonousvoice。Nowsuddenly,tramplingontheselastwords,cameadeafeningtumult,aroaringandthundering,cheercrowdedoncheer,voiceshoarseandshrill,beating,overlapping,andwhileitlastedthepeopleinthelittleroomcouldnotheareachothershout。 Grahamstood,hisintelligenceclinginghelplesslytothethinghehadjustheard。\"TheCouncil,\"herepeatedblankly,andthensnatchedatanamethathadstruckhim。\"ButwhoisOstrog?\"hesaid。 \"Heistheorganiser——theorganiseroftherevolt。 OurLeader——inyourname。\" \"Inmyname?——Andyou?Whyishenothere?\" \"He——hasdeputedus。Iamhisbrother——hishalf—brother,Lincoln。Hewantsyoutoshowyourselftothesepeopleandthencomeontohim。Thatiswhyhehassent。Heisatthewind—vaneofficesdirecting。Thepeoplearemarching。\" \"Inyourname,\"shoutedtheyoungerman。\"Theyhaveruled,crushed,tyrannised。Atlasteven——\" \"Inmyname!Myname!Master?\" Theyoungermansuddenlybecameaudibleinapauseoftheouterthunder,indignantandvociferous,ahighpenetratingvoiceunderhisredaquilinenoseandbushymoustache。\"Nooneexpectedyoutowake。Nooneexpectedyoutowake。Theywerecunning。Damnedtyrants!Buttheyweretakenbysurprise。Theydidnotknowwhethertodrugyou,hypnotiseyou,killyou。\" Againthehalldominatedeverything。 \"Ostrogisatthewind—vaneofficesready——。Evennowthereisarumouroffightingbeginning。\" ThemanwhohadcalledhimselfLincolncameclosetohim。\"Ostroghasitplanned。Trusthim。Wehaveourorganisationsready。Weshallseizetheflyingstages——。Evennowhemaybedoingthat。 Then——\" \"Thispublictheatre,\"bawledthemaninyellow,\"isonlyacontingent。Wehavefivemyriadsofdrilledmen——\" \"Wehavearms,\"criedLincoln。\"Wehaveplans。 Aleader。Theirpolicehavegonefromthestreetsandaremassedinthe——\"(inaudible)。\"Itisnowornever。TheCouncilisrocking——Theycannottrusteventheirdrilledmen——\" \"Hearthepeoplecallingtoyou!\" Graham’smindwaslikeanightofmoonandswiftclouds,nowdarkandhopeless,nowclearandghastly。 HewasMasteroftheEarth,hewasamansoddenwiththawingsnow。Ofallhisfluctuatingimpressionsthedominantonespresentedanantagonism;ontheonehandwastheWhiteCouncil,powerful,disciplined,few,theWhiteCouncilfromwhichhehadjustescaped;andontheother,monstrouscrowds,packedmassesofindistinguishablepeopleclamouringhisname,hailinghimMaster。Theothersidehadimprisonedhim,debatedhisdeath。Theseshoutingthousandsbeyondthelittledoorwayhadrescuedhim。 Butwhythesethingsshouldbesohecouldnotunderstand。 Thedooropened,Lincoln’svoicewassweptawayanddrowned,andarushofpeoplefollowedontheheelsofthetumult。TheseintruderscametowardshimandLincolngesticulating。Thevoiceswithoutexplainedtheirsoundlesslips。\"ShowustheSleeper,showustheSleeper!\"wastheburdenoftheuproarMenwerebawlingfor\"Order!Silence!\" Grahamglancedtowardstheopendoorway,andsawatall,oblongpictureofthehallbeyond,awaving,incessantconfusionofcrowded,shoutingfaces,menandwomentogether,wavingpalebluegarments,extendedhands。Manywerestanding,onemaninragsofdarkbrown,agauntfigure,stoodontheseatandwavedablackcloth。Hemetthewonderandexpectationofthegirl’seyes。Whatdidthesepeopleexpectfromhim。Hewasdimlyawarethatthetumultoutsidehadchangeditscharacter,wasinsomewaybeating,marching。Hisownmind,too,changed。 foraspacehedidnotrecognisetheinfluencethatwastransforminghim。Butamomentthatwasneartopanicpassed。Hetriedtomakeaudibleinquiriesofwhatwasrequiredofhim。 Lincolnwasshoutinginhisear,butGrahamwasdeafenedtothat。Alltheotherssavethewomangesticulatedtowardsthehall。Heperceivedwhathadhappenedtotheuproar。Thewholemassofpeoplewaschantingtogether。Itwasnotsimplyasong,thevoicesweregatheredtogetherandupbornebyatorrentofinstrumentalmusic,musiclikethemusicofanorgan,awoventextureofsounds,fulloftrumpets,fullofflauntingbanners,fullofthemarchandpageantryofopeningwar。Andthefeetofthepeoplewerebeatingtime——tramp,tramp。 Hewasurgedtowardsthedoor。Heobeyedmechanically。Thestrengthofthatchanttookholdofhim,stirredhim,emboldenedhim。Thehallopenedtohim,avastwelterofflutteringcolourswayingtothemusic。 \"Waveyourarmtothem,\"saidLincoln。\"Waveyourarmtothem。\" \"This,\"saidavoiceontheotherside,\"hemusthavethis。\"Armswereabouthisneckdetaininghiminthedoorway,andablacksubtly—foldingmantlehungfromhisshoulders。HethrewhisarmfreeofthisandfollowedLincoln。Heperceivedthegirlingreyclosetohim,herfacelit,hergestureonward。Fortheinstantshebecametohim,flushedandeagerasshewas,anembodimentofthesong。Heemergedinthealcoveagain。Incontinentlythemountingwavesofthesongbrokeuponhisappearing,andflashedupintoafoamofshouting。GuidedbyLincoln’shandhemarchedobliquelyacrossthecentreofthestagefacingthepeople。 Thehallwasavastandintricatespace——galleries,balconies,broadspacesofamphitheatralsteps,andgreatarchways。Faraway,highup,seemedthemouthofahugepassagefullofstrugglinghumanity。 Thewholemultitudewasswayingincongestedmasses。 Individualfiguressprangoutofthetumult,impressedhimmomentarily,andlostdefinitionagain。Closetotheplatformswayedabeautifulfairwoman,carriedbythreemen,herhairacrossherfaceandbrandishingagreenstaff。Nextthisgroupanoldcarewornmaninbluecanvasmaintainedhisplaceinthecrushwithdifficulty,andbehindshoutedahairlessface,agreatcavityoftoothlessmouth。Avoicecalledthatenigmaticalword\"Ostrog。\"Allhisimpressionswerevaguesavethemassiveemotionofthattramplingsong。Themultitudewerebeatingtimewiththeirfeet——markingtime,tramp,tramp,tramp,tramp。 Thegreenweaponswaved,flashedandslanted。Thenhesawthosenearesttohimonalevelspacebeforethestageweremarchinginfrontofhim,passingtowardsagreatarchway,shouting\"TotheCouncil!\" Tramp,tramp,tramp,tramp。Heraisedhisarm,andtheroaringwasredoubled。Herememberedhehadtoshout\"March!\"Hismouthshapedinaudibleheroicwords。Hewavedhisarmagainandpointedtothearchway,shouting\"Onward!\"Theywerenolongermarkingtime,theyweremarching;tramp,tramp,tramp,tramp。Inthathostwerebeardedmen,oldmen,youths,flutteringrobedbare—armedwomen,girls。Menandwomenofthenewage!Richrobes,greyragsflutteredtogetherinthewhirloftheirmovementamidstthedominantblue。Amonstrousblackbannerjerkeditswaytotheright。Heperceivedablue—cladnegro,ashrivelledwomaninyellow,thenagroupoftallfair—haired,white—faced,blue—cladmenpushedtheatricallypasthim。HenotedtwoChinamen。 Atall,sallow,dark—haired,shining—eyedyouth,whitecladfromtoptotoe,clambereduptowardstheplatformshoutingloyally,andsprangdownagainandreceded,lookingbackward。Heads,shoulders,handsclutchingweapons,allwereswingingwiththosemarchingcadences。 Facescameoutoftheconfusiontohimashestoodthere,eyesmethisandpassedandvanished。Mengesticulatedtohim,shoutedinaudiblepersonalthings。 Mostofthefaceswereflushed,butmanywereghastlywhite。Anddiseasewasthere,andmanyahandthatwavedtohimwasgauntandlean。Menandwomenofthenewage!Strangeandincrediblemeeting!Asthebroadstreampassedbeforehimtotheright,tributarygangwaysfromtheremoteuplandsofthehallthrustdownwardinanincessantreplacementofpeople; tramp,tramp,tramp,tramp。Theunisonofthesongwasenrichedandcomplicatedbythemassiveechoesofarchesandpassages。Menandwomenmingledintheranks;tramp,tramp,tramp,tramp。 Thewholeworldseemedmarching。Tramp,tramp,tramp,tramp;hisbrainwastramping。Thegarmentswavedonward,thefacespouredbymoreabundantly。 Tramp,tramp,tramp,tramp;atLincoln’spressureheturnedtowardsthearchway,walkingunconsciouslyinthatrhythm,scarcelynoticinghismovementforthemelodyandstirofit。Themultitude,thegestureandsong,allmovedinthatdirection,theflowofpeoplesmotedownwarduntiltheupturnedfaceswerebelowthelevelofhisfeet。Hewasawareofapathbeforehim,ofasuiteabouthim,ofguardsanddignities,and;Lincolnonhisrighthand。Attendantsintervened,andeverandagainblottedoutthesightofthemultitudetotheleft。Beforehimwentthebacksoftheguardsinblack——threeandthreeandthree。Hewasmarchedalongalittlerailedway,andcrossedabovethearchway,withthetorrentdippingtoflowbeneath,andshoutinguptohim。Hedidnotknowwhitherhewent;hedidnotwanttoknow。Heglancedbackacrossaflamingspaciousnessofhall。Tramp,tramp,tramp,tramp。 CHAPTERX THEBATTLEOFTHEDARKNESS Hewasnolongerinthehall。Hewasmarchingalongagalleryoverhangingoneofthegreatstreetsofthemovingplatformsthattraversedthecity。 Beforehimandbehindhimtrampedhisguards。Thewholeconcaveofthemovingwaysbelowwasacongestedmassofpeoplemarching,trampingtotheleft,shouting,wavinghandsandarms,pouringalongahugevista,shoutingastheycameintoview,shoutingastheypassed,shoutingastheyreceded,untiltheglobesofelectriclightrecedinginperspectivedroppeddownitseemedandhidtheswarmingbareheads。 Tramp,tramp,tramp,tramp。