PRINCESS STEEL (4)
By:
August 18, 2025
W.E.B. Du Bois wrote “The Princess Steel” between 1908 and 1910; it remained unpublished during his lifetime. As usual, the author was exploring philosophical and sociological views — in this case, about the pitfalls of industrial capitalism and the possibilities of revolution. The story was originally titled “The Megascope,” referring to a device allowing one to see through time and space. (John Jennings has named his comics imprint Megascope in honor of Du Bois’ novum.) HiLoBooks is pleased to serialize the story for HILOBROW’s readers.
ALL INSTALLMENTS: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5.
“Or ever they touched earth, with thundering scream, the great dark form of Queen Iron rose all about them and above, and bent over them and enveloped them. ‘Who art thou that bravest me, here in my prison walls?’ she said. ‘I am Sir Guess of Londonton,’ answered the knight bravely, ‘and I have come to free the daughter whom thou hidest,’ and with the word there came a wail upon the night that thrilled all earth and heaven, the wild and curdling cry of mother panting for child. She swept her hands across the black and lurid heavens, and grasped for the bold knight, clutched his fingers and as she clutched, the Iron gripped his soul. Almost he died with the pain of that fierce grasp. His head whirred and his heartstrings hardened. Yet he gathered himself and left-handed raised the Golden Sword, while his companion crawled and whimpered to the dark, — twice he whirled the sword and it sang in the air, twice again it circled about the great dark head of the queen, and then the fifth time hissing it gripped and bit the flesh, gnawed and crunched the bone; it drank the dark oozing stream of her blood, till the swollen right arm burst, and out rolled and fell a dull, leaden, imagelike thing, inert, dead, heavy. Down shot the wounded woman with a great gasping cry that set the ocean twanging and hill a-trembling; up flew the fires of Hell. The two men rushed forward and seizing the gray image, rolled it in the soft cold clay, and straining and sweating, swung it above the fires that were bursting from below. It seethed and hissed and burned — it glowed and screamed and shivered; black fiends rose covered and beat back the flames. Off shot the leaden lid: a gleaming hissing scintillating brilliance flooded the cave; a great mist curtained the Incarnation and then when it fell away, the two knights staggered backward and sunk face forward to the dust.
“Naked she stood, lithe and yet nobly formed. Her flesh was the soft blue brilliance of the moon-light — her hair was the bright glistening of silver — her eyes the pale gold of the sunlight on a dying day — her face in its dark blue wonderful radiance seemed at first strange and uncanny; and yet there was in its brilliance a beauty such as mortal never wore. She stepped forward, poised, unconscious, listening. Above, between the smoke and grime of the Pit, peered the blue sky. She looked toward it, ‘Mother,’ she said softly. A little star paced slowly by. She hesitated — watching it greedily. ‘Sister, sister?’ she asked. Then quickly, swiftly she climbed, groping but ever more and more lightly, gliding, until at last she stood upon the mighty hill and raised her golden eyes toward the great blue dome of the sky beneath the twinkling radiance of the stars. The tears streamed down and she lifted her voice and sang: ‘Life, Life, Life!’ Then all silent she stood, enraptured, worshipful. Out of the east came light; a white gray brilliance began to unfold. She turned upon it wonderingly and watched it with great eyes; the east glowed and reddened and she cowered almost in terror; — long barbed spears of light lashed across the world and killed the stars; the winds waited, the birds sang, twittered, the princess trembled in wild confusion, until above the earth shot the great red glory of the sun. Then she rose and danced and in sudden great good laughter lifted up her voice and cried in ecstasy: ‘Father, Father, the Prince of the Princess of Africa!’
“Ever she laughed and twirled and danced upon the hill until suddenly her eyes fell upon the crouched form of Sir Guess of Londonton and she stood very still. He seeing her for the first time in the broad brilliance and beholding that beautiful face, rose with a wonder in his soul; rose and half timidly, half beseechingly stretched his arms. She looked at him in fright, amaze and sympathy; a softness crept into her eyes. Her bosom heaved. She gathered the silver of her hair around her, shading her lithe limbs and heaving breasts, and then with sudden abandon cried, ‘I love thee.’ He started toward her.
“‘Hold.’
“It was the cry of the Lord of the Golden Way as he groped from out of the Pit, tired, dirty, fearsome.
“‘What will you?’ asked the younger lord.
“‘Our bargain,’ muttered the other.
“‘Where is it?’ cried the youth.
“‘Look, fool! Her hair is silver and her eyes are golden, and,’ he whispered, ‘mayhap there be jewels crusted on her heart.’
“For a moment they gazed at each other. ‘Wouldst murder my bride for silver and gold?’ cried Sir Guess.
“‘The Treasure,’ growled the lord doggedly and his greedy eyes shifted and caught the gleam of the Golden Sword where it lay between them. He bent stealthily toward it.
“‘Back,’ cried the other. ‘We fight with iron and who so wins, his be the Princess, Treasure and All.’
Out sprang the iron broad swords and made morning music on the hills. Three times the Lord of the Golden Way slipped to his knees and twice the younger, slighter man grazed death; finally, lunging forward, the Lord struck Sir Guess heavily upon his shoulder and the knight slipped and fell along the mountain way; ere he could rise the Lord threw away his iron and seized the Golden Sword. Twice he twirled it and twice again and then with an oath drove it through helm and corselet and the younger warrior with gurgling burst of hot red blood, fell at the maiden’s feet while the other sick with his fighting dropped fainting to his side.
RADIUM AGE PROTO-SF: “Radium Age” is Josh Glenn’s name for the nascent sf genre’s c. 1900–1935 era, a period which saw the discovery of radioactivity, i.e., the revelation that matter itself is constantly in movement — a fitting metaphor for the first decades of the 20th century, during which old scientific, religious, political, and social certainties were shattered. More info here.
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