Page:Weird Tales Volume 9 Number 5 (1927-05).djvu/21

 of the strange new world in which he had awakened.

There now existed but one wide strip of land, running parallel to the equator, and lying above the tropical belt so that all but its most northern edge was in a mild climate. This strip was about two thousand miles wide and was broken at regular intervals, so that the band consisted of seven regions. The rest of the world was water, divided into the expanse of the north, called the North Ocean, and that on the south, called the South Ocean. The entire absence of other land made ships useless. Therefore, all transportation was by speed tubes, as Latta had indicated, in which cars traveled about five hundred miles an hour. Some kind of improved radio communication existed between the Master and his officials, but there was no general broadcasting for the regionites.

The general purpose of all laws and orders was to keep the people under close discipline and ignorant of all matters but their own particular class of work. Study of other subjects was forbidden. Each regionite, man or woman, was compelled to wear uniform clothing indicating his or her status, and each one was tattooed on the left shoulder with an identification number and letter.

Life for the regionites was usually not over forty-five years. Graham conjectured that the Master had managed to control their life span in some way so that he would get the most work from them while they were in their prime. Their early demise would also keep them from gaining too much intelligence with added years, and thus wondering at his right to such great authority and power. How this horrible peonage had been attained he understood when he questioned Latta about other regions. The youth hesitated often, and sometimes confessed to a complete ignorance, though he seemed to be above the average regionite, according to his description of his friends and comrades.

Regionites were not permitted to marry outside of their own region, and all unions were subject to approval of the officials. Money did not exist. Everything was proportioned by credits, which were given for a certain amount of work ordered by the sub-counselor or the counselor.

From one of Latta's comments Graham began to suspect that there was a powerful secret spy system throughout the Earthband, by means of which any regionite suspected of even questioning the Master's right to rule was speedily removed to the barren wastes of the northern First Region and starved to death.

It soon came to him why the Master had refrained from introducing airplanes. As long as the people were isolated and not allowed to communicate on any subjects he could control them, but given the freedom of the air they would soon be united, inevitably to rebel against him. Having never even seen a bird, the regionites would not imagine the possibility of flight.

Afternoon was drawing to a close when Latta concluded his description. Graham found he was beginning to suffer from hunger, which was not strange, he reflected grimly, when he had not eaten for over five hundred years.

"There are two things you will have to do," he told the youth. "You must get me into the Plaza and bring me some food. After that get me a uniform of some sort."

Latta inspected him critically.

"You are right. It would hardly be possible for you to walk through the halls or along the elevations under the Palace without causing curiosity. You are not small enough to wear anything of mine, but I can get the uniform of a guard who was transferred from the Palace. It is after