第4章

"Modestyforbidshissaying,"saidDeepwaters,"thatitwouldn"tdoforthecountrytohaveallitseggsinonebasket。"

"Areyounotafraidyouwillfindthesurfacehot,orevenmolten？"askedVice—PresidentDumby。"Withitseighty—sixthousandfivehundredmilediameter,theamountoforiginalinternalheatmusthavebeenterrific。"

"No,saidCortlandt,"itcannotbemolten,orevenintheleastdegreeluminous,for,ifitwere,itssatelliteswouldbevisiblewhentheyenteritsshadow,whereastheyentirelydisappear。"

"IdonotbelieveJupiter"ssurfaceisevenperceptiblywarm,"

saidBearwarden。"WeknowthatAlgol,knowntotheancientsasthe"DemonStar,"andseveralothervariablestars,areaccompaniedbyadarkcompanion,withwhichtheyrevolveaboutacommoncentre,andwhichperiodicallyobscurespartoftheirlight。Now,someofthesenon—luminariesarenearlyaslargeasoursun,and,ofcourse,manyhundredtimesthesizeofJupiter。

Ifthesebodieshavelostenoughheattobeinvisible,Jupiter"ssurfaceatleastmustbenearlycold。"

"Inthephosphorescenceofseawater,"saidCortlandt,"andinotherinstancesinNature,wefindlightwithoutheat,andwemaysoonbeabletoproduceitintheartsbyoxidizingcoalwithouttheinterventionofthesteamengine;butweneverfindanyconsiderableheatwithoutlight。"

"Iamconvinced,"saidBearwarden,"thatweshallfindJupiterhabitableforintelligentbeingswhohavebeendevelopedonamoreadvancedspherethanitself,thoughIdonotbelieveithasprogressedfarenoughinitsevolutiontoproducethem。IexpecttofinditinitsPalaeozoicorMesozoicperiod,whileoverahundredyearsagotheEnglishastronomer,Chambers,thoughtthatonSaturntherewasgoodreasonforsuspectingthepresenceofsnow。"

"Whatsortofspaceshipdoyouproposetohave？"askedthevice—president。

"Asyouhavetopassthroughbutlittleair,"saidDeepwaters,"I

shouldsuggestashort—strokecylinderoflargediameter,withaflatbaseanddomeroof,composedofaluminum,or,stillbetter,ofglucinumorberylliumasitissometimescalled,whichistwiceasgoodaconductorofelectricityasaluminum,fourtimesasstrong,andisthelightestofallknownmetals,havingaspecificgravityofonlytwo,whichlastpropertywillbeofgreatusetoyou,forofcoursethemoreweightyouhavetopropelthemoreapergeticrepulsionyouwillhavetodevelop。"

"Iwillgetsomedrawing—paperIleftoutsideinmytrap,"saidAyrault,"whenwithyourideaswemayarriveatsomethingdefinite,"sayingwhich,helefttheroom。

"Heseemsverycynicalinhisideasoflifeandtheworldingeneral,"saidSecretaryStillman,"foramanofhisage,andonethatisengaged。"

"Yousee,"repliedBearwarden,"hisfianceeisnotyetasenior,beingintheclassoftwothousandandoneatVassar,andsocannotmarryhimforayear。NottillnextJunecanthissweetgirlgraduatecomeforthwithhermortar—boardandsheepskintoenlightentheworldandmakehimhappy。Thatis,Isuspect,onereasonwhyheproposedthistrip。"

CHAPTERVII。

HARDATWORK。

InafewmomentsAyraultreturnedwithpencils,apairofcompasses,andpaper。

"Letussee,inthefirstplace,"saidDeepwaters,"howlongthejourneywilltake。Sinceastonefalls16。09feetthefirstsecond,and64+feetthenext,itiseasytocalculateatwhatrateyourspeedwouldincreasewiththerepulsiontwicethatoftheordinarytraction。ButIthinkthiswouldbetooslow。Itwillbebesttotrebleorquadrupletheapergeticcharge,whichcaneasilybedone,inwhichcaseyourspeedwillexceedthemuzzle—velocityofaprojectilefromalong—rangegun,inafewseconds。Astheearth"srepulsiondecreases,theattractionofmarsandJupiterwillincrease,and,therebeingnoresistance,yourgaitwillbecomemoreandmorerapidtillitisnecessarytoreversethechargetoavoidbeingdashedtopiecesorbeingconsumedlikeafallingstarbythefrictioninpassingthroughJupiter"satmosphere。Youcanbeonthesafesidebycheckingyourspeedinadvance。Youmust,ofcourse,becarefultoavoidcollisionswithmeteorsandasteroidsbutifyoudo,theywillbeofusetoyou,forbyattractingorrepellingthemyoucanchangeyourcoursetosuityourself,andalsotheirsininverseratiototheirmasses。Jupiter"smoonswillbelikeheadandsternlinesinenablingyoutochoosethepartofthesurfaceonwhichyouwishtoland。Withapergyitisasessentialtohavesomeheavybodyonwhichtowork,withinrange,astohavewateraboutaship"spropellers。Whether,whenapergyisdeveloped,gravitationistemporarilyannulled,orreversedlikethelateattractionofamagnetwhenthecurrentischanged,orwhetheritismerelyoverpowered,inwhichcaseyourmotionwillbetheresultantofthetwo,isanunsettledandnotveryimportantpoint;for,thoughweknowbutlittlemoreofthenatureofelectricitythanwasknownahundredyearsago,thisdoesnotpreventourproducingandusingit。"

"Jupiter,wheninopposition,"hecontinued,"isabout380,000,000milesfromus,andittakeslight,whichtravelsattherateof190,000milesasecond,justthirty—fourminutestoreachtheearthfromJupiter。Ifwesupposetheaveragespeedofyourshiptobeone—five—hundredthasgreat,itwilltakeyoujustelevendays,nineteenhoursandtwentyminutestomakethejourney。YouwillhaveafineviewofMarsandtheasteroids,andwhen1,169,000milesfromJupiter,willcrosstheorbitofCallisto,thefifthmoonindistancefromthegiantplanet。Thatwillbeyourbestpointtosteerby。"

"Ithink,"saidAyrault,"asthatwillbethefirstmemberofJupiter"ssystemwepass,andasitwillguideusintoport,itwouldbeagoodnameforourship,andyoumustchristenherifwehaveherlaunched。"

"No,no,"saidDeepwaters,"MissPrestonmustdothat;butwecertainlyshouldhavealaunch,foryoumighthavetolandinthewater,andyoumustbesuretheshipistight。"

"Talkingoftightships,"saidBearwarden,passingadecanterofclarettoStillman,"mayremindusthatitistimetosplicethe"mainbrace。"There"sabottleofwhiskyandsomewaterjustbehindyou,"headdedtoDeepwaters,"whilethreeminutesafterI

ringthisbell,"hesaid,pressingabuttonandjerkingahandlemarked"8,""thechampagnecocktailswillbeonthedesk。"

"Iseeyouknowhisways,"saidStillmantoBearwarden,droopinghiseyesinDeepwaters"sdirection。

"Oh,yes,I"vebeenherebefore,"repliedDeepwaters。"Yousee,wenavymenhavetohustlenow—a—days,andcan"tpassourtimeinahigh—backedchair,talkingplatitudes。"

Atthismomenttherewasaslightrumbling,andeightchampagnecocktails,withthefrothstillon,andstrawsonaseparateplate,shotinandlandedonacornerofthedesk。

"Helpyourselves,gentlemen,"saidBearwarden,placingthemonatable;"Ihopeweshallfindthemcold。"

"Doyouknow,"saidDeepwaterstoAyrault,whilerapidlymakinghiscocktaildisappear,"theCallisto"scostwithitsoutfitwillbeverygreat,especiallyifyouuseglucinum,which,thoughtheidealmetalforthepurpose,comesprettyhigh？IsuggestthatyouapplytoCongressforanappropriation。Thisexperimentcomesunderthe"PromotionofScienceAct,"andanybillforitwouldcertainlypass。"

"No,indeed,"repliedAyrault;"theCallistotripwillbeaprivilegeandgloryIwouldnotmiss,andbuildingherwillbeapartofit。Ishallputineverythingconducivetosuccess,butwillcometotheGovernmentonlyforadvice。"

"Iwillsendalettertoallourambassadorsandconsuls,"saidStillman,"totelegraphthedepartmentanythingtheymayknoworlearnthatwillbeofuseinadjustingthebatteries,controllingthemachine,oranythingelse,andwillturnovertoyouinasuccinctformallinformationthatmayberelevant,forwithoutsuchsortingyouwouldbeoverwhelmed。"

"AndI,"saidDeepwaters,"willorderthecommandersofourvesselstogiveyouafarewellsaluteatstarting,andtopickyouupincaseyoufail。Whenyouhavedemonstratedthesuitabilityofapergy,"hecontinued,"andthehabitabilityofJupiterandSaturn——,which,withtheirfiveandeightmoons,respectively,andringsthrownin,mustbothbevastlysuperiortoourlittlesecond—rateglobe——wewillseewhatcanbedonetowardschangingourorbit,andifwecannotswingalittlenearertoournewworldorworlds。Thenwe"lllower,orratherraise,theboatsintheshapeofnumerousCallistos,andhavealanding—partyreadyateachopposition,whileamanortwocanbeplacedinchargeofeachprojectiletobringitbackinballast。

Thuswemaysoonhaveregularinterplanetarylines。"

"Aseveryplaceseemstohavebeensettledfromsomeother,"saidCortlandt,"Idonotseewhy,withincreasedscientificfacilities,historyshouldnotrepeatitself,andthisbethepointfromwhichtocolonizethesolarsystem;for,forthepresentatleast,itwouldseemthatwecouldnotgetbeyondthat。"

"Asitwillbequiteanundertakingtochangetheorbit,saidDeepwaters,"weshallhavetimemeanwhiletoabsorborrunoutallinferiorraces,sothatweshallnotmakethemistakeofextendingtheTowerofBabel。"

"Heisputtingonhiswar—paint,"saidStillman,"andwillsoonwantaplanettohimself。"

"Iseenonecessityforevenchangingtheorbit,"saidBearwarden,"exceptforthebenefitofthosethatremain。Ifthisattemptsucceeds,itcandoubtlessberepeated。Anincreaseineccentricitywouldmerelyshortenthejourney,ifaphelionalwayscoincidedwithopposition,whichitwouldnot。"

"Letusknowhowyouaregettingon,"saidDeepwaterstoAyrault,"andbesureyouhavetheCallistoproperlychristened。Steplivelythere,landlubbers！"hecalledtoStillman;"IhaveanappointmentatWashingtonatone,anditisnowtwentyminutespasttwelve。Wecanlunchontheway。"

Ayraultimmediatelyadvertisedforbidsfortheconstructionofaglucinumcylindertwenty—fivefeetindiameter,fifteenfeethighatthesides,withadomedroof,bringingupthetotalheighttotwenty—onefeet,andwithasmallgutteraboutittocatchtherainonJupiteroranyotherplanettheymightvisit。Thesides,roof,andfloorweretoconsistoftwosheets,eachonethirdofaninchthickandsixinchesapart,thespacebetweentobefilledwithmineralwool,asaprotectionagainsttheintensecoldofspace。Therewerealsotobeseveralkeelsandsupportsunderneath,onwhichthecarshouldrest。Large,toughenedplate—glasswindowsweretobeletintotheroofandsides,andsmalleronesinthefloor,alltobefurnishedwiththickshadesandcurtains。Ayraultalsodecidedtohaveitdividedintotwostories,withceilingssixandahalftosevenandahalffeethigh,respectively,withasortofcrow"snestorobservatoryatthetop;thefloorstobelattice—work,likethoseintheengine—roomofasteamer,sothatwhenthecarpetswererolleduptheyshouldnotgreatlyobstructtheview。Thewide,flatbaseandthelowcentreofgravitywould,hesaw,beofuseinwithstandingthehighwindsthatheknewoftenprevailedonJupiter。

Assoonaspossibleheawardedthecontract,andthenenteringhissmartelectrictrap,steeredforVassarUniversityalongwhatwastheoldpost—road——thoughitsbuilderswouldnothaverecognizeditwithitsasphaltsurface,straightenedcurves,andeasygrades——toaskhisidoltochristentheCallistowhenitshouldbefinished。

StartingfromtheupperendofCentralPark,hestoppedtobuyherabunchofviolets,andthenrantoPoughkeepsieintwohours。

SylviaPrestonwasalovelygirl,withblueeyes,brownhair,andperfectfigure,clearwhiteskin,andjusttwenty。Shewasdelightedtoseehim,andsaidshewouldlovetochristentheCallistoordoanythingelsethathewished。"ButIamsosorryyouaregoingaway,"shewenton。"Ihatetoloseyouforsolong,andweshallnotevenbeabletowrite。"

"Whycouldn"twebemarriednow,"heasked,"andgotoJupiterforourhoneymoon？"

"I"mafraid,dear,"sheanswered,"youwouldbesorryafewyearshenceifIdidn"ttakemydegree;and,besides,asyouhaveaskedthoseothermen,therewouldn"tberoomforme。"

"Wecouldhavemadeotherarrangements,"hereplied,"hadIbeenabletopersuadeyoutogo。"

"Won"tyoudinewithusatDelmonico"sthisevening,andgototheplay？"sheasked。"Papahastakenabox。"

"OfcourseIwill,"hesaid,brighteningup。"Whatareyougoingtowear？"

"Oh,Isupposesomethinglightandcool,forit"ssohot,"sheanswered。

"I"llgonow,soastobeready,"hesaid,gettingupandgoingtowardsthedoortowhichSylviafollowedhim。

Amaninliverystoodatthestepofthephaeton。Ayraultgotinandturnedonthecurrent,andhismanclimbedupbehind。

OnturningintothemainroadAyraultwasabouttoincreasehisspeed,whenSylvia,whohadtakenashortcutappearedatthewaysidecarryingherhatinonehandandherglovesintheother。

"Icouldn"tletyougoallbyyourself,"shesaid。"Thefactis,Iwantedtobewithyou。"

"Youarethesweetestthingthateverlived,andI"llloveyouallmydays,"hesaid,gettingdownandhelpingSylviatotheseatbesidehim。"Whatanuisancethisfellowbehindis！"hecontinued——referringtothegroom——"for,thoughheisaRussian,andspeaksbutlittleEnglish,itisunpleasanttofeelheisthere。"

"You"llhavetowriteyoursweetnothings,insteadofsayingthem,"Sylviareplied。

"Foryoutoleavearoundforothergirlstosee,"answeredAyraultwithasmile。

"Idon"tknowwhatyourothergirlsdo,"shereturned,"butwithmeyouaresafe。"

Ayraultfairlymadehisphaetonspin,goingupthegradeslikeashotanddownlikeabird。OnreachingNewYork,heleftSylviaatherhouse,thenranhismachinetoaflorist"s,whereheorderedsomeliliesandroses,andthensteeredhiswaytohisclub,wherehedressedfordinner。ShortlybeforethetimeherepairedtoDelmonico"s——whichnamehadbecomehistorical,thoughthefoundersthemselveswerelongdead——andsatguardatatabletillSylvia,wearinghisflowersandlookingmorebeautifulthananyofthem,arrivedwithhermotherandfather,andBearwarden,whomtheyknewverywell。

"Howaretheexamsgettingon,MissPreston？"Bearwardenasked。

"Prettywell,"shereplied,withasmile。"WehadEnglishliteratureyesterday,andnaturalhistorythedaybefore。Nextweekwehavechemistryandphilosophy。"

"Whatareyoutakinginnaturalhistory？"askedBearwarden,withinterest。

"Oh,principallyphysicalgeography,geology,andmeteorology,"

shereplied。"Ithinkthementrancing。"

"Itmustbeaconsolation,"saidAyrault,"whenyourbesthatisspoiledbyrain,toknowthereasonwhy。Youraverage,"hecontinued,addressingSylvia,"wasninetyinthesemi—annuals,andIhaven"tadoubtthatthefinalswillmaintainyourrecordfortheyear。"

"Don"tbetoosure,"shereplied。"Ihavebeenloafingawfully,andhadtoengagea"grind"asacoach。"

Afterdinnertheywenttotheplay,wheretheysawapresentationofSocietyattheCloseoftheTwentiethCentury,whichSylviaandAyraultenjoyedimmensely。

AfewdaysaftertheDelmonicodinner,whileBearwarden,Cortlandt,andAyraultsattogetherdiscussingtheirplans,theservantannouncedAyrault"sfamilyphysician,Dr。TubercleGerminy,whohadbeenrequestedtocall。

"Delightedtoseeyou,doctor,"saidAyrault,shakinghands。

"YouknowCol。Bearwarden,ourPresident,andDr。Cortlandt——anLL。D。,however,andnotamedico。"

"Ihavehadthepleasure,"repliedDr。Germiny,shakinghandswithboth。

"Asyoumaybeaware,doctor,"saidAyrault,whentheywereseated,"weareabouttotakeashorttriptoJupiter,and,iftimeallows,toSaturn。Wehavecometoyou,asonefamiliarwitheveryknowngerm,forafewprecautionarysuggestionsandadviceconcerningourmedicine—chest。"

"Indeed！"repliedDr。Germiny,"athoroughknowledgeofbacteriologyisthegroundworkoftherapeutics。Itispracticallyadmittedthateveryailment,withtheexceptionofmechanicalinjuries,isthedirectresultofaspecificgerm;andeveninaccidentsandsimplefractures,nomatterwhatmaybethenatureofthebruise,amicro—organismsoonannouncesitspresence,sothatifnottheparent,itistheinseparablecompanion,infacttheshadow,ofdisease。Now,thoughnotthefirstcauseinthisinstance,ithasbeenindubitablyproved,thatmuchoftheeffect,thefeverandpain,areproducedandcontinuedbytheactive,omnipresent,sleeplesssperm。Eitherkillthemicrococcusorhealthewound,andyouarefreefromboth。Itbeing,therefore,grantedthattheillsoflifeareintheair,wehavebuttofindthepeculiarnatureofthecaseinhand,itshabits,tastes,andconstitution,inordertodestroyit。Impoverishthesoilonwhichitthrives,beforeitsarrival,ifyoucanforeseethenatureoftheinoculationtowhichyouwillbeexposed,byadilutesolutionofitself,andsupplyitonlywithwhatitparticularlydislikes。Foranalreadyestablishedtuberclerequiringrapidactionoftheblood,suchasmaywellexistamongthebirdsandvertebratesofJupiterandSaturn,Isuggestahypodermicrattlesnakeinjection,whilehydrocyanicacidandtarantulasalivamayalsocomeinwell。Thecombinationsthatsolongdestroyedushavealreadybecomeourpanacea。"

"Iseeyouhavethesepoisonsatyourfingers"ends,"saidAyrault,"andweshallfeeltheutmostconfidenceintheremediesanddirectionsyouprescribe。"

Theyfoundthat,inadditiontotheirmedicine—chest,theywouldhavetomakeroomforthefollowingarticles,andalsomanymore:

sixshot—guns（threedouble—barrel12—bores,threemagazine10—bores,）threerifles,threerevolvers;alargesupplyofammunition（explosiveandsolidballs）,hunting—knives,fishing—tackle,compass,sextant,geometricalinstruments,cannedfoodforfortydays,applianceforrenewingair,clothing,rubberboots,apergeticapparatus,protection—wires,aneroidbarometer,andkodaks。

CHAPTERVIII。

GOOD—BYE。

Atlastthepreparationswerecompleted,anditwasarrangedthattheCallistoshouldbeginitsjourneyateleveno"clockA。M。,December21st——thenorthernhemisphere"sshortestday。

Thoughsixmonths"operationscouldhardlybeexpectedtohaveproducedmuchchangeintheinclinationoftheearth"saxis,theautumnheldonwonderfully,andDecemberwaspronouncedverymild。FullyamillionpeoplewereinandaboutVanCortlandtParkhoursbeforethetimeannouncedforthestart,andthosenearlookedinquiringlyatthetrimlittleair—ship,that,havingdonewellonthetrialtrip,restedonherlongitudinalandtransversekeels,withabatteryofchemicalsalongside,tomakesureofafullpowersupply。

ThePresidentandhisCabinet——including,ofcourse,theshininglightsoftheStateandNavyDepartments——camefromWashington。

These,togetherwithMr。andMrs。Preston,andanumberofpeoplewithpasses,occupiedseatsarrangedatthesidesoftheplatform;whilesightseersandscientistsassembledfromeverypartoftheworld。

"There"sashipforyou！"saidSecretaryStillmantotheSecretaryoftheNavy。"She"llnothavetobedry—dockedforbarnacles,neitherwilltheleastbreezemakethepassengerssick。"

"That"sallyoulandlubbersthinkof,"repliedDeepwaters。"I

rememberoneofthekingsoverinEuropesaidtome,asheintroducedmetothequeen:"YourSecretaryofStateisagreatman,butwhydoeshealwaysparthishairinthemiddle？"

""Sothatitshallnotturnhishead,"Ireplied。

""Butwithsogallantandhandsomeanofficerasyoutoleanupon,"heanswered,"Ishouldthinkhecouldlookdownonalltheworld。"WhereuponIaskedhimwhathe"dtaketodrink。"

"Yourapologyisaccepted,"repliedSecretaryStillman。

CortlandtalsocamefromWashington,where,aschiefoftheGovernment"sExpertExaminersBoard,hehadtemporaryquarters。

Bearwardensailedoverthespectators"headsinoneoftheTerrestrialAxisStraighteningCompany"sflyingmachines,whileAyrault,toavoidthecrowd,hadcometotheCallistoearly,andwasshowingtheinteriorarrangementstoSylvia,whohadaccompaniedhim。Shewassomewhatpiquedbecauseatthelastmomenthehadnotabsolutelyinsistedoncarryingheroff,oroffered,ifnecessary,todisplacehispresidentialandDoctor—of—Lawsfriendsinordertomakeroom。

"Youwillhaveanidealtrip,"shesaid,lookingoversomeastronomicalstar—chartsandphotographicmapsofJupiterandSaturnthatlayonthetable,withapairofcompasses,"andI

hopeyouwon"tloseyourway。"

"Ishallneednocompasstofindmywayback,"repliedAyrault,"ifIeversucceedinleavingthisplanet;neitherwillstar—chartsbenecessary,foryouwillbeamagnetstrongerthananycompass,and,comparedwithmystar,allothersaredim。"

"Youshouldwriteabook,"saidSylvia,"andputsomeofthosethingsinit。"Shewaswearingabunchofforget—me—notsandvioletsthatshehadcutfromasmallflower—gardenofpottedplantsAyraulthadsenther,whichshehadplacedinherfather"sconservatory。

AtthismomentthesmallchimeclocksetintheCallisto"swood—workrangoutquartertoeleven。Asthesoundsdiedaway,Sylviabecameverypale,andbegantoregretinherwomanlywaythatshehadallowedherherotoattemptthisexperiment。

"Oh,"shesaid,clingingtohisarm,"itwasverywrongofmetoletyoubeginthis。IwassodazzledbythesplendourofyourschemewhenIheardit,andsoanxiousthatyoushouldhavethegloryofbeingthefirsttosurpassColumbus,thatIdidnotrealizethefullmeaning。Ithought,also,youseemedratherreadytoleaveme,"sheaddedgently,"andsosaidlittle;youdonotknowhowitalmostbreaksmyheartnowthatIamabouttoloseyou。Itwasquixotictoletyouundertakethisjourney。"

"Anundertakerwouldhavegivenmehiskindofficesforoneevenlonger,hadIremainedhere,"repliedAyrault。"Icannotliveinthishumdrumworldwithoutyou。Themostsustainedexcitementcannotevenpalliatewhatseemstomelikeunrequitedlove。"

"ODick！"sheexclaimed,givinghimareproachfulglance,"youmustn"tsaythat。Youknowyouhaveoftentoldmemyreasonforstayingandtakingmydegreewasgood。Mylotwillbeverymuchharderthanyours,foryouwillforgetmeintheexcitementofdiscoveryandadventure;butI——whatcanIdointhemidstofalltheoldassociations？"

"Nevermind,sweetheart,"hesaid,kissingherhand,"Ihaveseemedonthevergeofdespairallthetime。"

Seeingthattheirseparationmustshortlybegin,Ayraulttriedtoassumeacheerfullook;butasSylviaturnedhereyesawaytheyweresuspiciouslymoist。

Justoneminutebeforethestarting—timeAyraulttookSylviabacktohermother,and,afterpressingherhandandhavingonelastlonglookintoher——or,asheconsideredthem,HIS——deep—seaeyes,hereturnedtotheCallisto,andwasstandingatthefootofthetelescopicaluminumladderwhenhisfriendsarrived。Asallbaggageandimpedimentabadbeensentaboardandproperlystowedthedaybefore,thetravellershadnottodobutclimbtoandenterbythesecond—storywindow。ItdistressedBearwardenthatthenorthpole"sexactdeclinationonthe21stdayofDecember,whentheaxiswasmostinclined,couldnotbefiguredoutbythehouratwhichtheyweretostart,soastoshowwhatchange,ifany,hadalreadybeenbroughtabout,buttheastronomerswereworkingindustriously,andpromisedthat,ifitwerefinishedbymidnight,theywouldtelegraphtheresultintospacebyflash—lightcode。

Raisinghishattohisfianceeandhisprospectiveparents—in—law,Ayraultfollowedthemup。Todrawinandfoldtheladderwasbuttheworkofamoment。Astheclocksintheneighbouringsteeplesbegantostrikeeleven,Ayraulttouchedtheswitchthatwouldcorrespondtothethrottleofanengine,andthemotorsbegantoworkatrapidlyincreasingspeed。SlowlytheCallistoleftherresting—placeasaGalateamightherpedestal,only,insteadofcomingdown,sherosestillhigher。

AlargeAmericanflaghangingfromthewindow,which,astheystarted,flutteredasinasouthernzephyr,soonbegantoflapasinastiffbreezeasthecar"sspeedincreased。Withafinalwave,atwhichabatteryoftwenty—onefield—piecesmadetheairringwithasalute,andthemultituderaisedamightycheer,theydrewitinandclosedthewindow,sealingithermeticallyinordertokeepintheairthat,hadanopeningremained,wouldsoonhavebecomerarefied。

Sylviahadwavedherhandkerchiefwiththeutmostenthusiasm,inspiteofthesadnessatherheart。Butshenowhadotheruseforitintryingtohidehertears。TheCallistowasstillgoingstraightup,withaspeedalreadyasgreatasacannonball"s,andwasalmostoutofsight。Themultitudethenbegantodisperse,andSylviareturnedtoherhome。

LetusnowfollowtheCallisto。TheearthandJupiternotbeingexactlyinopposition,astheywouldbeifthesun,theearth,andJupiterwereinline,withtheearthbetweenthetwo,butratherasshowninthediagram,theCallisto"sjourneywasconsiderablymorethan380,000,000miles,themeanoppositiondistance。Astheywishedtostartbydaylight——i。e。,fromthesideoftheearthturnedtowardsthesun——theycouldnotsteerimmediatelyforJupiter,butwereobligedtogoafewhundredmilesinthedirectionofthesun,thenchangetheircoursetosomethinglikeatangenttotheearth,andgettheirfinalrightdirectioninswingingnearthemoon,sincetheymustbecomparativelynearsomematerialobjecttobringapergyintoplay。

Themaximumpowerbeingturnedon,theprojectileshotfromtheearthwithtremendousandrapidlyincreasingspeed,bytheshortestcourse——i。e。,astraightline——sothatforthepresentitwasnotnecessarytosteer。Untilbeyondthelimitsoftheatmospheretheykeptthegreatestapergeticrepulsionfocusedontheupperpartoftheircylinder,sothatitspointwentfirst,andtheyencounteredleastpossibleresistance。Lookingthroughthefloorwindows,therefore,thetravellershadamostsuperbview。Theairbeingclear,theeasternborderofNorthAmericaandtheAtlanticwereoutlinedasonamap,theblueoftheoceanandbrownishcolouroftheland,withwhitesnow—patchesontheelevations,beingverymarked。TheHudsonandtheSoundappearedasclearlydefinedblueribbons,andbetweenandaroundthetwotheycouldseeNewYork。TheyalsosawtheoceandottedformileswithpointsinwhichtheyrecognizedthemarinespidersandcruisersoftheNorthAtlanticsquadron,andtheshipsonthehomestation,whichtheyknewwerewatchingthemthroughtheirglasses。

"Isee,"saidCortlandt,"thatDeepwatershasbeenasgoodashisword,andhashisshipsonthewatchtorescueusincasewefail。"

"Yes,"repliedBearwarden,"heistherightsort。WhenhegavethatpromiseIknewhismenwouldbethere。"

Theysoonperceivedthattheyhadreachedthevoidofspace,for,thoughthesunblazedwithasplendourtheyhadneverbeforeseen,thefirmamentwasintenselyblack,andthestarsshoneasatmidnight。Heretheybegantochangetheircoursetoacurvebeginningwithaspiral,bychargingtheCallistoapergetically,anddirectingthecurrenttowardsthemoon,toactasanaidtothelunarattraction,whilestillallowingtheearthtorepel,andtheirmotiongraduallybecametheresultantofthetwoforces,thechangefromastraightlinebeingsogradual,however,thatforsomeminutestheyscarcelyperceivedit。Thecoronalstreamersaboutthesun,suchasarevisibleonearthduringatotaleclipse,shonewithahaloagainsttheultra—Cimmerianbackground,burstingforthtoaheightoftwentyorthirtythousandmilesabovethesurfaceinvastcyclonicstorms,producingsorapidamotionthatacolumnofincandescentgasmaymovetenthousandmilesinlessthantenminutes。

Whetherthesegreatstreakswereinpartelectricalphenomenasimilartotheauroraborealis,orentirelyofintenselyheatedmaterialthrownupbyexplosionswithinthesun"smass,theycouldnottellevenfromtheirpointofvantage。

"Ibelieve,"saidCortlandt,pointingtothestreamers,"thattheyaremassesofgasthrownbeyondthesun"satmosphere,whichexpandenormouslywhenthepressuretowhichtheyaresubjectedinthesunisremoved——foronlyinspacefreedfromresistancecouldtheymoveatsuchvelocities,andthattheirbrilliancyisincreasedbygreatelectricaldisturbance。Iftheywereentirelytheplayofelectricalforces,theirchangeofplacewouldbepracticallyinstantaneous,which,howeverrapidtheirmovement,isnotthecase。"

BOOKII。

CHAPTERI。

THELASTOFTHEEARTH。

Findingthattheywererapidlyswingingtowardstheirpropercourse,andthattheearthinitsjourneyaboutthesunwouldmoveoutoftheirway,theydividedtheirpowerbetweenrepellingthebodytheyhadleftandincreasingtheattractionofthemoon,andthensetaboutgettingtheirhouseinorder。

Bearwarden,havingthelargestappetite,waselectedcook,theotherssagelydiviningthatlaboursolargelyforhimselfwouldbenotrial。Theirsmallbutbusiness—like—lookingelectricrangewasthereforesooninfullblast,withBearwardenincommand。Ithadenoughcurrenttoprovideheatforcookingforfourhundredhours,whichwasanamplemargin,andithadthisadvantage,that,nomatterhowmuchitwasused,itcouldnotexhausttheairasanyotherformofheatwould。

Therewerealsoanumberofsixteen—candle—powerincandescentlamps,sothatwhenpassingthroughtheshadowofaplanet,oratnightaftertheirarrivalonJupiter,theircarwouldbebrightlyilluminated。Theyhadalsoagoodsearch—lightforexaminingthedarksideofasatellite,orexploringthespacesinSaturn"srings。Havinglunchedsumptuouslyoncannedchickensoup,beefalajardiniere,andpheasantthathadbeensentthembysomeoftheiradmirersthatmorning,theyputthebonesandtheglasscanthathadcontainedthesoupintothedouble—dooredpartitionorvestibule,placingalargesheetofcardboardtoactasawadbetweenthescrapsandtheoutsidedoor。Bypressingabuttontheyunfastenedtheoutsidedoor,andthearticlestobedisposedofwereshotoffbytheexpansionoftheairbetweenthecardboarddiskandtheinsidedoor;afterwhichtheoutsidedoorwasdrawnbacktoitsplacebyacurrentsentthroughamagnet,butlittlepowerbeingrequiredtorecloseitwithnoresistingatmosphericpressure。Astheelectricityranalongawirepassingthroughahermeticallysealedopeninginthefloor,therewasnowaybywhichmoreairthanthatinthevestibulecouldescape;andasthesomewhatflatspacebetweenthedoorscontainedlessthanonecubicfoot,theair—pressureinsidetheCallistocouldnotbemateriallylessenedbyafewopenings。