Romance of Golden Star

George Griffith

Description

For a time regarded as the most popular writer of science-fiction tales in England, George Griffith captivated the British audience with The Romance of Golden Star, a fast-paced story about a centuries-old Incan mummy who is revived by a pair of scientists. The revenant prince stirs up plenty of trouble -- not to mention leaving a trail of stolen treasure, broken hearts, and dead bodies in his wake.

Informations

• Publié par: The Floating Press
• Date de parution: 01 avril 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781776598335
• Langue: English

Extrait

THE ROMANCE OF GOLDEN STAR
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GEORGE GRIFFITH
 
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The Romance of Golden Star First published in 1891 Epub ISBN 978-1-77659-833-5 Also available: PDF ISBN 978-1-77659-834-2 © 2014 The Floating Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in The Floating Press edition of this book, The Floating Press does not assume liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. The Floating Press does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this book. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Many suitcases look alike. Visit www.thefloatingpress.com
Contents
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Prologue The Story of Vilcaroya Chapter I - Back through the Shadows Chapter II - Brothers of the Blood Chapter III - In the Hall of Gold Chapter IV - The Sister Stars Chapter V - How Djama Did His Work Chapter VI - The Waking of Golden Star Chapter VII - In the Throne-Room of Yupanqui Chapter VIII - How the Soul of Golden Star Came Back Chapter IX - The Treachery of Djama Chapter X - On the Rodadero Chapter XI - How We Took the City of the Sun Chapter XII - Queen and Crown Chapter XIII - How Djama Paid His Debt Chapter XIV - The Re-Kindling of the Sacred Fire Endnotes
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'To that Son of the Sacred Race who for Honour and Faith and Love shall take the hand of a pure virgin of his own holy blood and with her pass fearless through the Gate of Death into the shadows which lie beyond shall be given the glory of casting out the Oppressor and raising the Rainbow Banner once more above the Golden Throne of the Incas. On that Throne he shall sit and wield power and mete out justice and mercy to the Children of the Sun when the gloom that is falling upon the Land of the Four Regions shall have passed away in the dawn of a brighter age.'
—THE PROPHECY CONTAINED IN THE ANCIENT LEGEND OF VILCAROYA-INCA AND GOLDEN STAR, HIS SISTER-BRIDE.
Prologue
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I - His Highness the Mummy
'Ah, what a thing it would be for us if his Inca Highness were reallyonly asleep, as he looks to be! Just think what he could tell us—howeasily he could re-create that lost wonderland of his for us, whatriddles he could answer, what lies he could contradict. And then thinkof all the lost treasures that he could show us the way to. Upon myword, if Mephistopheles were to walk into this room just now, I think Ishould be tempted to make a bargain with him. Do you know, Djama, Ibelieve I would give half the remainder of my own life, whatever thatmay be, to learn the secrets that were once locked up in that withered,desiccated brain of his.'
The speaker was one of two men who were standing in a large room,half-study, half-museum, in a big, old-fashioned house in Maida Vale.Wherever the science of archæology was studied, Professor Martin Lamsonwas known as the highest living authority on the subject of theantiquities of South America. He had just returned from a year'srelic-hunting in Peru and Bolivia, and was enjoying the luxury ofunpacking his treasures with the almost boyish delight which, under suchcircumstances, comes only to the true enthusiast. His companion was asomewhat slenderly-built man, of medium height, whose clear, olive skin,straight, black hair, and deep blue-black eyes betrayed a not veryremote Eastern origin.
Dr Laurens Djama was a physiologist, whose rapidly-acquired fame—he wasbarely thirty-two—would have been considered sounder by hisprofessional brethren if it had not been, as they thought, impaired byexcursions into by-ways of science which were believed to lead himperilously near to the borders of occultism. Five years before he hadpulled the professor through a very bad attack of the calentura inPanama, where they met by the merest traveller's chance, and since thenthey had been fast friends.
They were standing over a long packing-case, some seven feet in lengthand two and a-half in breadth, in which lay, at full length, wrapped ingrave-clothes that had once been gaily coloured, but which were nowfaded and grey with the grave-dust, the figure of a man with handscrossed over the breast, dead to all appearances, and yet so gruesomelylifelike that it seemed hard to believe that the broad, muscular chestover which the crossed hands lay was not actually heaving and fallingwith the breath of life.
The face had been uncovered. It was that of a man still in the earlyprime of life. The dull brown hair was long and thick, the featuressomewhat aquiline, and stamped even in death with an almost royaldignity. The skin was of a pale bronze, though darkened by the hues ofdeath. Yet every detail of the face was so perfect and so life-likethat, as the professor had said, it seemed to be rather the face of aman in a deep sleep than that of an Inca prince who must have been deadand buried for over three hundred years. The closed eyes, thoughsomewhat sunken in their sockets, were the eyes of sleep rather than ofdeath, and the lids seemed to lie so lightly over them that it looked asthough one awakening touch would raise them.
'It is beyond all question the most perfect specimen of a mummy that Ihave seen,' said the doctor, stooping down and drawing his thin, nervousfingers very lightly over the dried skin of the right cheek. 'On myhonour, I simply can't believe that His Highness, as you call him, everreally went to the other world by any of the orthodox routes. If youcould imagine an absolute suspension of all the vital functions inducedby the influence of something—some drug or hypnotic process unknown tomodern science, brought into action on a human being in the very primeof his vital strength—then, so far as I can see, the results of thatinfluence would be exactly what you see here.'
'But surely that can't be anything but a dream. How could it be possibleto bring all the vital functions to a dead stop like that, and yet keepthem in such a state that it might be possible—for that's what Isuppose you are driving at—to start them into activity again, just asone might wind up a clock that had been stopped for a few weeks and setit going?'
'My dear fellow, the borderland between life and death is so utterlyunknown to the very best of us that there is no telling what frightfulpossibilities there may be lying hidden under the shadows that hang overit. You know as well as I do that there are perfectly well authenticatedinstances on record of Hindoo Fakirs who have allowed themselves to beplaced in a state of suspended animation and had their tongues turnedback into their throats, their mouths and noses covered with clay, andhave been buried in graves that have been filled up and had sentrieswatching day and night over them for as long a period as six weeks, andthen have been dug up and restored to perfect health and strength againin a few hours. Now, if life can be suspended for six weeks and thenrestored to an organism which, from all physiological standpoints, mustbe regarded as inanimate, why not for six years or six hundred years,for the matter of that? Given once the possibility, which we may assumeas proved, of a restoration to life after total suspension of animation,then it only becomes a question of preservation of tissue for more orless indefinite periods. Granted that tissue can be so preserved, then,given the other possibility already proved, and—well, we will talkabout the other possibility afterwards. Now, tell me, don't you, as anarchæologist, see anything peculiar about this Inca prince of yours?'
The professor had been looking keenly at his friend during the deliveryof this curious physiological lecture. He seemed as though he weretrying to read the thoughts that were chasing each other through hisbrain behind the impenetrable mask of that smooth, broad forehead ofhis. He looked into his eyes, but saw nothing there save a cold, steadylight that he had often seen before when the doctor was discussingsubjects that interested him deeply. As for his face, it was utterlyimpassive—the face of a dispassionate scientist quietly discussing thepossible solution of a problem that had been laid before him. Whetherhis friend was really driving at some unheard-of and unearthly solutionof the problem which he himself had raised, or whether he was merelydiscussing the possible issue of some abstract question in physiology,he was utterly unable to discover, and so he thought it best to confinehimself to the matter in hand, without hazarding any risky guesses thatmight possibly result in his own confusion. So he answered as quietly ashe could:
'Yes, I must confess that there are two perhaps very important points ofdifference between this and any other Peruvian mummy that I have everseen or heard of.'
'Ah, I thought so,' said Djama, half closing his eyes and allowing justthe ghost of a smile to flit across his lips. 'I thought I knew enoughabout archæology and the science of mummies in general to expect you tosay that. Now, just for the gratification of my own vanity, I shouldlike to try and anticipate what you are going to say; and if I'm wrong,well, of course, I shall only be too happy to be contradicted.'
'Very well,' laughed the professor; 'say on!'
'Well, in the first place, I believe I'm right in saying that allPeruvian mummies that have so far been discovered have been found in asitting posture, with the legs drawn close up to the body by means ofbindings and burial-clothes, so that the chin rested between the knees,while the arms were brought round the legs and folded over them. Then,again, these mummies have always been found in an upright position,while you found this one lying down.'
'Quite so, quite so!' said the professor. 'In fact, I may say that noone save myself has ever discovered such a mummy as this among all thethousands that have been taken out of Peruvian burying-places. And now,what is your other point?'
'Simply this,' said Djama, kneeling d