Elemoont/Chapter 17
tells how the Mosquito frightened lunatics–sorcerers and they frightened the Mosquito but unsuccessfully.
"Someone is flying here," said a lop–eared lunatic, whose big ears had caught the rumble in the depth of the Labyrinth, "The sound is like many very angry Martian mosquitoes are flying." "But they can bite us badly," remarked the Insidious Lunatic. "It's impossible that Martian mosquitoes shall have done it. Such cases are not known our science," quieted him the Learned Lunatic," only the mad Martian mosquitoes can do it."
Meanwhile the rumble swelled all the time and all lunatics already heard it. "It looks very much like a lot of mad Martian mosquitoes fly here," were anxious they, "Is it possible that the normal mosquitoes rumble like heavy bombers? No, the normal mosquitoes don't rumble so!"
Our friend, the Martian Mosquito (it was he who was booming) as a telepathist had received all thoughts of lunatics and got angry some more. "At first your own reflection made a statement that you are stupid," thought he, "and then it turned out that you are buzzing like abnormal mosquito! I'll show them presently who is abnormal!" From malice, the Martian Mosquito again shone brighter than the very bright searchlight. It was a grandiose sight but nobody saw the Mosquito at that moment. He tore along the Lunar Labyrinth not distinguishing his way (you only try to distinguish your way in any labyrinth!) and roaring like a dozen jet fighters. In that way, all Martian mosquitoes roar when they are in a hurry.
"Only perfectly abnormal Martian mosquitoes can roar so like those ones," said lunatics to one another, "Yes, yes. Perfectly abnormal and mad!"
"Ah, so!" was indignant the Mosquito who as telepathist also received all thoughts of lunatics. (All Martian mosquitoes are very good telepathists. Otherwise, there were no Martian mosquitoes on the Mars long ago). "Ah, so! Well, I'm stupid, mad, and perfectly abnormal?! Soon I'll show them! They will dance to my tune!" Crying it, he rushed forward breaking partitions (they were not very thick in the Lunar Labyrinth). But all the same, there were many partitions and walls between the Mosquito and lunatics therefore only some desultory Mosquito's thoughts reached their ears: "Impudent…Dance…"
"And thoughts of those abnormal mosquitoes are also abnormal," concluded the lunatics, and the Learned Lunatic said, "It's a remarkable case! We are attacked with a huge flock…a herd…? Swarms of perfectly abnormal and mad Martian mosquitoes are attacking us! They intend to accomplish a brutal act! They are thinking biting us!" He opened the History of Lunatics, took a pen, and began to write on a clean page "Chapter 25000001. The sudden attack of mad mosquitoes."
"Hi! You shouldn't do that!" protested the Hunter–for–Elephants who was temporarily forgotten by lunatics, "We didn't make any arrangement like this!"
"What?" the Insidious Lunatic asked.
"We make arrangement I'll learn by heart twenty–five million chapters of your history. But you are going to add just one more chapter."
"And what do you wish?" exclaimed the Insidious Lunatic, "You see yourself how dramatically are developing the events!"
"I don't want to know anything! We made arrangement about twenty–five million chapters and I'll learn by heart exactly twenty–five million chapters and no one chapter more!"
"Such idler!" reproachfully said the Learned Lunatic.
"Maybe we'll give him to lunar caterpillars for all that?" said to himself the Insidious Lunatic but his words were lost in awful roar: the Martian Mosquito were near. "It seems in a moment we'll be bitten mournfully," said the lop–eared lunatic. "In no case!" answered the Insidious Lunatic. "I know what we have to do!"
"What?" all lunatics asked in all together?
"We have to frighten those abnormal mosquitoes."
"To frighten? But they themselves can startle anyone of us!" said the lop–eared lunatic.
"Anyone excepting the Devourer of Martian Mosquitoes," announced the Insidious Lunatic, "And it means that we all must pretend to be the Devourer of Martian Mosquitoes!"
"But how can we do it?" asked lunatics.
"It's very simply! Just after my command, we all have to think ‘I am the Devourer of Martian Mosquitoes!’ Then those abnormal mosquitoes perceive our thoughts telepathically and think that there is here a gigantic Devourer of Martian Mosquitoes instead of us. They'll frighten and fly away."
"Hurrah!" cried lunatics, "We are saved!"
The Insidious Lunatic waved his hand and all lunatics in the cave simultaneously thought, "I am the Devourer of Martian Mosquitoes!" Only the lop–eared lunatic had thought, "It's possibly I'm also a Devourer of Martian Mosquitoes," and the Hunter had thought, "I should hunt the Devourer of Martian Mosquitoes!" All their thoughts reached our Mosquito's ears in such form: "I am the Devourer of Martian Mosquitoes!!!… (There were as many exclamation marks as it were lunatics in the cave). It's possible…to hunt him!"
"To hunt the Devourer of Martian Mosquitoes!" exclaimed the Mosquito and redoubled his speed.