第5章

"Byfillingthevestibuleasfullaspossible,"saidBearwarden,"andsodisplacingmostofitsair,weshallbeabletoopentheoutsidedooroftenerwithoutdangerofrarefaction。"

Thethingstheyhaddischargedflewoffwithconsiderablespeedandweresoonoutofsight;butitwasnotnecessaryforthemtomovefast,providedtheymovedatall,for,theresistancebeingnil,theywouldbesuretogobeyondtherangeofvision,providedenoughtimewasallowed,eveniftheCallisto"sspeedwasnotbeingincreasedbyapergy,inwhichcasearticlesoutsideandnotaffectedwouldbequicklyleftbehind。

Theearth,whichatfirsthadfillednearlyhalftheirsky,wasrapidlygrowingsmaller。Beingalmostbetweenthemselvesandthesun,itlookedlikeacrescentmoon;andwhenitwasonlyabouttwentytimesthesizeofthemoontheycalculatedtheymusthavecomenearlytwohundredthousandmiles。Themoonwasnowonwhatasailorwouldcallthestarboardbow——i。e。,totherightandahead。Beingalittlemorethanthreequartersfull,andonlyaboutfiftythousandmilesoff,itpresentedasplendidsight,brilliantaspolishedsilver,andabouttwenty—fivetimesaslargeastheyhadeverbeforeseenitwiththeunaidedeye。

Itwasjusttenhourssincetheyhadstarted,andatthatmoment9A。M。inNewYork;but,thoughitwasnightthere,theCallistowasbathedinafloodofsunlightsuchasnevershinesonearth。

TheonlynighttheywouldhavewasonthesideoftheCallistoturnedawayfromthesun,unlesstheypassedthroughsomeshadow,whichtheyintendedtoavoidonaccountofthedangerofcollidingwithameteorinthedark。ThemoonandtheCallistoweremovingonconverginglines,thecurveonwhichtheyhadenteredhavingswungthemtothesidenearesttheearth;buttheysawthattheirowntremendousandincreasingspeedwouldcarrytheminfrontofthemooninitsnearlycircularorbit。Wishingtochangethedirectionoftheirflightbythemoon"sattraction,theyshutoffthepowerdrivingthemfromtheearth,whereupontheCallistoturneditsheavybasetowardsthemoon。Theywerealreadymovingatsuchspeedthattheirmomentumalonewouldcarrythemhundredsofthousandsofmilesintospace,andwerethenalmostabreastoftheearth"ssatellite,whichwasbutafewthousandmilesaway。Thespectaclewasmagnificent。Astheylookedatitthroughtheirfieldglassesorwiththeunaidedeye,thegreatcracksandcratersshowedwiththeutmostclearness,sweepingpastthemalmostasthelandscapefliespastarailwaytrain。Therewassomethingawe—inspiringinthevastantiquityofthatfurrowedlunarsurface,byfartheoldestthingthatmortaleyecansee,since,whileobservingtheceaselesspoliticalorgeologicalchangesonearth,thefaceofthisdeadsatellite,onaccountoftheabsenceofairandwaterandconsequenterosion,hasremainedunchangedforbygoneages,asitdoubtlesswillformanymore。

TheycloselywatchedtheCallisto"scourse。Atfirstitdidnotseemtodeflectfromastraightline,andtheystoodreadytoturnontheapergeticforceagain,whenthecarveryslowlybegantoshowtheeffectofthemoon"snearpull;butnottilltheyhadsofarpasseditthatthedarksidewastowardsthemweretheyheadingstraightforJupiter。Thentheyagainturnedonfullpowerandgotasend—offshoveonthemoonandearthcombined,whichincreasedtheirspeedsorapidlythattheyfelttheycouldsoonshutoffthecurrentaltogetherandsavetheirsupply。

"Wemustbereadytowatchthesignalsfromthearcticcircle,"

saidBearwarden。"Atmidnight,ifthecalculationsarefinished,theresultwillbeflashedbythesearchlight。"Itwasthentenminutestotwelve,andtheearthwasalreadyoverfourhundredthousandmilesaway。Focusingtheirglassesupontheregionnearthenorthpole,which,beingturnedfromthesun,wastowardsthemandindarkness,theywaited。

"Inthisblazeofsunlight,"saidCortlandt,"Iamafraidwecanseenothing。"

Fortunately,atthismomenttheCallistoenteredthemoon"staperingshadow。

"This,"saidAyrault,"isgoodluck。Wecouldofcoursehavegoneintotheshadow;buttochangeourcoursewouldhavedelayedus,andwemighthavelostpartofthechanceofincreasingourspeed。"

"Therewillbenodangerfrom,meteorsorsub—satelliteshere,"

saidBearwarden,"foranythingrevolvingaboutthemoonatthisdistancewouldbecaughtbytheearth。"

Thesunhadapparentlysetbehindthemoon,andtheywereeclipsed。Thestarsshonewiththeutmostsplendouragainstthedead—blacksky,andtheearthappearedasalargecrescent,stillconsiderablylargerthanthesatellitetowhichtheywereaccustomed。Exactlyatmidnightafaintphosphorescentlight,likethatofaglow—worm,appearedintheregionofGreenlandontheplanettheyhadleft。Itgraduallyincreaseditsstrengthtillitshonelikealongwhitebeamprojectedfromalighthouse,andinthistheybeheldtheworkofthegreatestsearch—lightevermadebyman,receivingforafewmomentsalltheelectricitygeneratedbytheavailabledynamosatNiagaraandtheBayofFundy,thesteamengines,andothersourcesofpowerinthenorthernhemisphere。Thebeamlastedwithgrowingintensityforoneminute;itthenspelledoutwithclean—cutintervals,accordingtotheCableCode:"23@no"6"。Thesouthernhemispherepumpsarenowraisingandstoringwateratfullblast。

WehavealreadybeguntolowertheArcticOcean。"

"Victory！"shoutedBearwarden,inanecstasyofdelight。"Nearlyhalfadegreeinsixmonths,withbutonepoleworking。Ifwecanaddatthisrateeachtimetothespeedofstraighteningalreadyacquired,wecanreverseourenginesinfiveyears,andinfivemoretheearthwillbeatrestandright。"

"Look！"saidAyrault,"theyaresendingsomethingelse。"Theflashescameinrapidsuccession,reachingfarintospace。Withtheirglassesfixeduponthem,theymadeoutthesesentences:

"Ourtelescopes,inwhateverpartoftheearthwasturnedtowardsyou,havefollowedyousinceyoustarted,anddidnotlosesightofyoutillyouenteredthemoon"sshadow。Onyourpresentcourseyouwillbeindarknesstill12。16,whenweshallseeyouagain。"

Onreceivingthislastearthlymessage,thetravellerssprangtotheirsearchlight,and,usingitsfullpower,telegraphedbackthefollowing:"Manythankstoyouforgoodnewsaboutearth,andtoSecretaryDeepwatersforlendingusthenavy。Resultofworkmostglorious。Rememberustoeverybody。Shadow"sedgeapproaching。"

Thiswasreadbythemeninthegreatobservatories,whoevidentlytelephonedtothearcticSignalLightimmediately,foritflashedback:"Gotyourmessageperfectly。Wishyougreatestluck。TheT。A。S。Co。hasdeckedtheCallisto"spedestalwithflowers,andhasorderedatabletsetuponthesitetocommemorateyourcelestialjourney。"

Atthatmomenttheshadowsweptby,andtheywereinthefullblazeofcloudlessday。Thechangewassogreatthatforamomenttheywereobligedtoclosetheireyes。ThepolishedsidesoftheCallistoshonesobrightlythattheyknewtheywereeasilyseen。ThepowertemporarilydivertedinsendingthemthemessagethenreturnedtotheworkofdrainingtheArcticOcean,which,asthenorthpolewasnowreturningtothesun,wasthethingtodo,andthetravellersresumedtheirstudyoftheheavenlybodies。

CHAPTERII。

SPACEANDMARS。

Neverbeforehadthetravellersobservedthestarsandplanetsundersuchfavourableconditions。Noairorcloudsintervened,andastheCallistodidnotrevolveonitsaxistherewasnonecessityforchangingthedirectionoftheglasses。Afteranhourofthisinterestingwork,however,asitwasalreadylateatthelongitudetheyhadleftonearth,andastheyknewtheyhadmanydaysinspacebeforethem,theypreparedtogotobed。Whenready,theyhadonlytopulldowntheshades;for,asapergywasnotappliedtothem,butonlytotheCallisto,theystilllookeduponthefloorasdown,andclosedtheheavycurtainstohavenightordarkness。TheyfoundthatthesideoftheCallistoturnedconstantlytowardsthesunwasbecomingverywarm,thedouble—toughenedglasswindowsmakingitlikeagreenhouse;buttheyconsoledthemselveswiththethoughtthatthesun"spoweronthemwashourlybecomingless,andtheyfeltsurethedoublewallsandthickupholsterywouldprotectthemalmostanywherewithinthesolarsystemfromtheintensecoldofspace。

"Wecouldeasilyhavearranged,"saidAyrault,fornightanddayonalternatesidesoftheCallistobyhavingstripsofmetalarrangedspirallyontheoutsideasontheendofanarrow。

Thesewouldhavestartedusturningasslowlyaswelike,sincewepassedthroughtheatmosphereatacomparativelylowrateofspeed。"

"Iamafraid,"saidCortlandt,"themotion,howeverslow,wouldhavemadeusdizzy。Itwouldbeconfusingtoseetheheavensturningaboutus,anditwouldinterferewithusingtheglasses。"

ThebaseandonesideoftheCallistohadconstantsunshine,whiletheothersideandthedomewereintheblackestnight。

Thisdome,onaccountofitsshape,skywindows,andthecompletenesswithwhichitcouldbeisolated,wasanidealobservatory,andtherewasseldomatimeduringtheirwakinghoursfortherestofthejourneywhenitwasnotoccupiedbyone,two,oralltheobservers。

"Thereissomethingmarvellous,"saidCortlandt,"abouttheconditionofspace。Itsabsolutecoldisappalling,apparentlybecausethereisnothingtoabsorbheat;yetwefindthebaseofthismaterialprojectileuncomfortablywarm,though,shouldweexposeathermometerintheshadeinfront,weknowitwouldshowatemperatureofthreehundredtofourhundreddegreesbelowzero——weretheinstrumentcapableofrecordingit。"

Artificialdarknesshavingbeenobtained,thetravellersweresoonasleep,Bearwarden"sdreamsbeingregaledwiththoughtsofhiscompany"striumph;Ayrault"s,naturally,withvisionsofSylvia;whileCortlandtfrequentlystartedup,thinkinghehadalreadymadesomegreatastronomicaldiscovery。

About9A。M。,accordingtoseventy—fifthmeridiantime,theexplorersawokefeelinggreatlyrefreshed。Thetankinwhichtheliquefiedoxygenwaskeptautomaticallygaveoffitsgassoevenlythattheairremainednormal,whilethelimecontainedincupsabsorbedthecarbondioxideasfastastheyexhaledit。

Theyhaddarkenedthosewindowsthroughwhichthesunwasactuallypouring,for,onaccountoftheemptinessofthesurroundingetherandconsequentabsenceofdiffusionoflight,nothingbuttheinkyblacknessofspaceandthebrightstarslookedinattherest。Onraisingtheshadestheygotanideaoftheirspeed。Asmallcrescent,smallerthanthefamiliarmoon,accompaniedbyonestilltinier,wasallthatcouldbeseenoftheearthanditssatellite。

"Wemust,"saidBearwarden,"bemovingattherateofnearlyamillionmilesanhour,fromthewaywehavetravelled。"

"Wemustbedoingfullyamillion,"repliedCortlandt,"forbythistimeweareprettywellinmotion,havinggotatremendousstartwhensonearthemoon,withitandtheearthinline。"

BysteeringstraightforJupiter,insteadoffortheplaceitwouldoccupytendayslater,theyknewtheywouldswingpast,forthegiantplanet,beinginrapidmotion,wouldadvance;buttheydidnotobjecttothis,sinceitwouldgivethemachancetoexaminetheirnewworldincasetheywishedtodosobeforealighting;while,iftheypreferredtolandatonce,theycouldeasilychangetheircoursebymeansofthemoons,thefourth,fromwhichtheircarwasnamed,beingtheonethattheyknewwouldbeofmostuse。Theirtremendousspeedshowedthemtheyshouldhavetimeforexplorationontheirarrival,andthattheywouldreachtheirdestinationsoonerthantheyhadexpected。Theapergeticforcebeingapplied,aswehaveseen,onlytotheCallisto,justaspowerinstartingisexertedonacarriageorrailwaycarandonlythroughittothepassengers,Ayraultandhiscompanionshadnounusualsensationexceptlossofweight,for,whentheyweresofarfromtheearth,itsattractionwasveryslight,andnootherplanetwasnearenoughtotakeitsplace。Afterbreakfast,wishingtoreachthedome,andrealizingthatitwouldbeunnecessarytoclimb,eachinturngaveaslightspringandwasobligedtoputuphishandstoavoidstrikingtheroof。Inthecoolquietofthedarkdomeitwasdifficulttobelievethatonlytwentyfeetawaythesunwasshiningwithsuchintensityuponthemetalbaseastomakeittoohotontheinsidetotouchwithoutgloves。

ThefirstthingthatattractedtheirattentionwasthesizeandbrillianceofMars。Althoughthisredplanetwasoverfortymillionmilesfromtheearthwhentheystarted,theycalculatedthatitwaslessthanthirtymillionmilesfromthemnow,orfivemillionsnearerthanithadeverbeentothembefore。Thisreductionindistance,andtheclearnessofthevoidthroughwhichtheysawit,madeitasplendidsight,itsdiskshowingclearly。Fromhourtohouritssizeandbrightnessincreased,tilltowardseveningitlookedlikeasmall,fullmoon,thesunshiningsquarelyuponit。Theycalculatedthatonthecoursetheyweremovingtheyshouldpassaboutninehundredthousandmilestotherightorbehindit,sinceitwasmovingtowardstheirleft。TheywereinterestedtoseewhateffectthemassofMarswouldhaveontheCallisto,andsawhereachanceofstillfurtherincreasingtheirspeed。Notwithstandingitstremendousrate,theyexpectedtoseetheCallistoswervefromitsstraightlineandmovetowardsMars,whoseorbitalspeedofninehundredmilesaminutetheythoughtwouldtakeitoutoftheCallisto"sway,sothatnoactualcollisionwouldoccureveniftheirair—shipwerelefttoherowndevices。

Towardseveningtheynoticedthroughtheirglassesthatseveralapparentlyislandpeaksinthesouthernhemisphere,whichwasturnedtowardsthem,becamewhite,fromwhichtheyconcludedthatasnow—stormwasinprogress。Thesouthpolarregionwasalsomarkedlyglaciated,thoughtheicecapwasnotasextensiveaseitherofthoseatthepolesoftheearth。

"AstheMartianwintersmustbefullyassevereasours,"saidCortlandt,"onaccountoftheirlength,theplanet"sdistancefromthesun,andthetwenty—sevenandahalfdegreesinclinationofitsaxis,wecanaccountforthesmallnessofitsice—capsonlybythefactthatitsoceanscoverbutonefourthofitssurfaceinsteadofthreequarters,asontheearth,andthereisconsequentlyasmallerevaporationandrainandsnow—fall。"

Theyweretoomuchinterestedtothinkofsleepingthatnight,andso,afterdiningcomfortablyreturnedtotheirobservatory。

WhenwithinfourmillionmilesofMarstheCallistobegantoswerveperceptibly,itscurve,aswhennearthemoonbeginningwithaspiral。Theyswungonunconcernedly,however,knowingtheycouldchecktheirapproachatanytime。SoonMarsappearedtohaveadiametertentimesasgreatasthatofthemoon,andpromisedshortlytooccupyalmostonesideoftheirsky。

"Wemustbeonthelookoutforthesatellites,"saidCortlandt;

"acollisionwitheitherwouldbeworsethanawreckonadesertisland。"

Theythereforeturnedtheirglassesinthedirectionofthesatellites。

"UntilProf。Hall,atWashington,discoveredthetwosatellitesin1877,"hecontinued,"Marswassupposedtobewithoutmoons。

Theouterone,Deimos,isbutsixmilesindiameter,andrevolvesaboutitsprimaryinthirtyhoursandeighteenminutes,atadistanceoffourteenthousandsixhundredmiles。AsittakesbutlittlelongertocompletearevolutionthanMarsdoestorotateonitsaxis,itremainsintheMartialskyonehundredandthirty—twohoursbetweenrisingandsetting,passingthroughallthephasesfromnewmoontofullandbackagainfourtimes;thatis,itswingsfourtimesaroundMarsbeforegoingbelowthehorizon。Itisoneofthesmallestbodiesdiscoveredwithatelescope。Theinnerone,Phobos,isconsiderablylarger,havingadiameterofabouttwentymiles。Itisbuttwenty—sevenhundredmilesfromMars"ssurface,andcompletesitsrevolutioninsevenhoursandthirty—eightminutes,whichisshorterthananyotherknownperiod,Jupiter"snearestmoonbeingthenext,withelevenhoursandfifty—nineminutes。ItthusrevolvesinlessthanathirdofthetimeMarstakestorotate,andmustconsequentlyriseinthewestandsetintheeast,asitiscontinuallyrunningaheadofthesurfaceoftheplanet,thoughthesunandalltheotherstarsriseandsetonMarsinthesamewayasontheearth。"

WhenaboutfifteenthousandmilesfromMars,theysightedDeimosdirectlyahead,andsawthattheyshouldpassonitsleft——i。e。,behind——foritwasmovingacrossthem。Thesunpoureddirectlyuponit,makingitappearfullandshowingallitsfeatures。

Thereweresmallunevennessesonthesurface,apparentlyseventyorahundredfeethigh,whichwerethenearestapproachtomountains,andtheyraninridgesorchains。Therewerealsounmistakablesignsofvolcanicaction,thecratersbeinglargecomparedwiththesizeoftheplanet,butshallow。Theysawnosignsofwater,andtheblacknessoftheshadowsconvincedthemtherewasnoair。TheysecuredtwoinstantaneousphotographsofthelittlesatelliteastheCallistosweptby,andresumedtheirinspectionofMars。Theynoticedredandbrownishpatchesonthepeaksthathadthatmorningturnedwhite,fromwhichtheyconcludedthattheshowhadbeguntomeltunderthewarmspringsun。Thisstrengthenedthebelieftheyhadalreadyformed,thatonaccountofitstwenty—sevenandahalfdegreesinclinationthechangesintemperatureonMarsmustbegreatandsudden。Sointerestedweretheywiththis,thattheydidnotatfirstseealargeandbrightbodymovingrapidlyonacoursethatconvergedwiththeirs。

"Wemustbereadytorepelboarders,"saidBearwarden,observingitforthefirsttimeandfixinghisglassuponit。"ThatmustbePhobos。"

NottenmilesofftheybeheldMars"sinnermoon,andthoughtheirownspeedcausedthemtoovertakeandrushbyitlikeawhirlwind,thesatellite"srapidmotioninitsorbit,inacoursetemporarilyalmostparallelwiththeirs,servedtogivethemachancethebettertoexamineit。HerethemountainrangeswereconsiderablymoreconspicuousthanonDeimos,andtherewerebouldersandloosestonesupontheirslopes,whichlookedasiftheremightatsometimehavebeenfrostandwateronitssurface;butitwasalldrynow,neitherwasthereanyair。Theevidencesofvolcanicactionwerealsoplainlyvisible,whileanoticeableflatteningatthepolesshowedthatthelittlebodyhadoncerotatedrapidlyonitsaxis,thoughwhetheritdidsostilltheyhadnottimetoascertain。Whenabreastofittheywerelessthantwomilesdistant,andtheysecuredseveralinstantaneousimpressions,whichtheyputasidetodeveloplater。

AstheradiusofPhobos"scirclewasfarshorterthanthatoftheparaboliccurvetheyweremaking,itbegantodrawaway,andwasrapidlyleftbehind。ApplyingthefullapergeticforcetoMarsandthelargermoon,theyshotawaylikeanarrow,havinghadtheirspeedincreasedbytheplanet"sattractionwhileapproachingit,andsubsequentlybyrepulsion。

"Eitherofthose,"saidBearwarden,lookingbackatthelittlesatellites,"wouldbeaniceyachtforamantoexplorespaceon。

Hewouldalso,ofcourse,needasuntowarmhim,ifhewishedtogobeyondthissystem,butthatwouldnothavetobealargeaffair——infact,itmightbesmallerthantheplanet,andcouldrevolveaboutitlikeamoon。"

"Thoughasunofthatsize,"repliedCortlandt,"mightretainitsheatforthetimeyouwishedtouseit,theplanetpartwouldbenothinglikeascomfortableaswhatwehavehere,foritwouldbeverydifficulttogetenoughair—pressuretobreatheonsosmallabody,since,withitsslightgravitation—pull,tosecurefifteenpoundstothesquareinch,oranythinglikeit,theatmospherewouldhavetoextendthousandsofmilesintospace,sothatonacloudydayyouwouldbeindarkness。Itwouldbebetter,therefore,tohavesuchasunasyoudescribeandaccompanyitinayachtorprivatecarlikethis,wellstockedwithoxygenandprovisions。Whenpassingthroughmeteoricswarmsormassesofsolidmatter,collisionwithwhichisthemostseriousriskwerun,thecarcouldfollowbehinditssuninsteadofrevolvingaroundit,andbekeptfromfallingintoitbypartiallyreversingtheattraction。Asthegravitationofsosmallasunwouldbeslight,counteractingitforevenaconsiderabletimewouldtakebutlittlefromthebatteries。"

"Thereareknowntobeseveralunclaimedmasses,"addedAyrault,"withdiametersofafewhundredyards,revolvingabouttheearthinsidetheorbitofthemoon。Ifinsomewaytwoofthesecouldbebroughtintosufficientlyviolentcollision,theywouldbecomeluminousandanswerverywell;theincreaseinbulkasaresultoftheconsolidation,andthesubsequentheat,aboutservingtobringthemtotherequiredsize。Wheneverthissunshowedspotsandindicationsofcooling,itcouldbemadetocollidewiththesolidheadofsomecomet,orsmallasteroid,tillitstemperaturewasagainright;whileif,asaresultoftheseaccretions,itbecameunwieldy,itcouldbecausedtorotatewithsufficientrapidityonitsaxistosplit,andweshouldhavetwosunsinsteadofone。"

"Bravo！"saidBearwarden。"Thereisnolimittowhatcanbedone。Theideaofourpresenttripwouldhaveseemedmorechimericaltopeopleahundredyearsagothanthisnewschemeappearsnow。"

Thustheysatandtalked,orstudiedmapsandstar—charts,orthestarsthemselves,whilethehoursquicklypassedandtheyshotthroughspace。Theyhadnowastraightstretchofoverthreehundredmillionmiles,andhadtocrosstheorbitsofinnumerableasteroidsontheway。Theapparentsizeofthesunhadbythistimeconsiderablydecreased,andtheinterioroftheCallistowasnolongeruncomfortablywarm。Theydividedthedayintotwenty—fourhoursfromforceofhabit,anddrewtheshadestightlyduringwhattheyconsiderednight,whileBearwardendistinguishedhimselfasacook。

CHAPTERIII。

HEAVENLYBODIES。

Thefollowingday,whileintheirobservatory,theysawsomethingnotmanymilesahead。Theywatcheditforhours,andinfactallday,butnotwithstandingtheirtremendousspeedtheycamebutlittlenearer。

"Theysayasternchaseisalongone,"saidBearwarden;butthatbeatsanythingIhaveeverseen。"

Afterawhile,however,theyfoundtheyWEREnearer,thetimetakenhavingbeeninpartduetothedeceptivedistance,whichwasgreaterthantheysupposed。

"Acomet！"exclaimedCortlandtexcitedly。"Weshallreallybeabletoexamineitnear。"

"It"sgoinginourdirection,"saidAyrault,"andatalmostexactlyourspeed。"

Whilethesunshonefulluponittheybroughttheircameraintoplay,andagainsucceededinphotographingaheavenlybodyatcloserange。Thenucleusorheadwasofcourseturnedtowardsthesun;whilethetail,whichtheycouldseefaintly,precededit,asthecometwasrecedingtowardsthecoldanddarkdepthsofspace。Theheadwasonlyafewmilesindiameter,foritwasasmallcomet,andwascomposedofgrainsandmassesofstoneandmeteoriciron。Manyofthegrainswerenolargerthanpeasormustard—seeds;nomasswasmorethanfourfeetindiameter,andallofthemhadveryirregularshapes。Thespacebetweentheparticleswasneverlessthanonehundredtimestheirmasses。

"Wecanmoveaboutwithinit,"saidAyrault,astheCallistoenteredtheaggregationofparticles,andmovedslowlyforwardamongthem。

Thewindowsinthedome,beingmadeoftoughenedglass,setsomewhatslantinglysoastodeflectanythingtouchingthem,andhaving,moreover,thepressureoftheinsideairtosustainthem,werefairlysafe,whilethewindowsinthesidesandbasewerebutlittleexposed。Wheneveralargemassseemeddangerouslyneartheglass,theyappliedanapergeticshocktoitandsentitkitingamongitsfellows。AtthesetimestheCallistorecoiledslightlyalso,theresultingmotionineitherbeingininverseratiotoitsweight。Therewasconstantandincessantmovementamongtheindividualfragments,butitwasnotrotary。Nothingseemedtoberevolvingaboutanythingelse;allweremoving,apparentlyswingingbackandforth,butnocollisionstookplace。

Whentheseparateparticlesgotmorethanacertaindistanceaparttheyreapproachedoneanother,butwhenseeminglywithinaboutonehundreddiametersofeachothertheyswungoffinsomeotherdirection。Themotionwaslikethatofinnumerableharp—strings,whichmayapproachbutneverstrikeoneanother。

AfteratimetheCallistoseemedtobecomeendowedwiththesamepropertythatthefragmentspossessed;foritandtheyrepelledoneanother,onanearapproach,afterwhichnothingcameverynear。

Muchofthematerialwaslikeslagfromafurnace,havingevidentlybeenpartlyfused。Whetherthisheatwastheresultofcollisionorofitsnearapproachtothesunatperihelion,theycouldnottell,thoughthelatterexplanationseemedmostsimpleandprobable。Whenataboutthecentreofthenucleustheywereinsemi—darkness——nottwilight,foranyraythatsucceededinpenetratingwasdazzlinglybrilliant,andtheshadows,theirownincluded,wereinkyblack。Astheyapproachedthefarthersideandthesunlightdecreased,theyfoundthatadiffusedluminositypervadedeverything。Itwassufficientlybrighttoenablethemtoseethedarksideofthemeteoricmasses,and,onemergingfromthenucleusintotaldarkness,theyfoundtheshadowstretchingthousandsofmilesbeforethemintospace。

"Inowunderstand,"saidBearwarden,"whystarsofthesixthandseventhmagnitudecanbeseenthroughthousandsofmilesofacomet"stail。Itissimplybecausethereisnothinginit。ThereasonANYstarsareobscuredisbecausethelightinthetail,howeverfaint,isbrighterthanthey,andthatlightisallthatthecaudalappendageconsistsof,thoughwhatproducesitI

confessIamunabletoexplain。Ialsoseewhythetailalwaysstretchesawayfromthesun,becausenearbyitisoverwhelmedbythemorepowerfullight;infact,Isuspectitisprincipallyinthecomet"sshadowthatthetailisvisible。Itisstrangethatnooneeverthoughtofthatbefore,orthatanyonefearedtheearth"spassingthroughthetailofacomet。Itisobvioustomenowthatiftherewereanymaterialsubstance,anygas,howeverrarefied,inthishairlike[1]accompaniment,itwouldimmediatelyfalltothecomparativelyheavyhead,andsurroundthatasacentre。"

[1]Cometmeansliterallyahair。

"How,then,"askedCortlandt,"doyouaccountforthespacesbetweenthosestones？Howeverslightgravitationmightbebetweensomeofthegrains,ifitexistedatall,orwasunopposedbysomeotherforce,withsufficienttime——andtheyhaveeternity——everycometwouldcometogetherlikeaplanetintoonesolidmass。Perhapssomesimilarforcemaintainsgasesinthedistendedtail,thoughIknowofnosuch,orevenanyanalogousmanifestationonearth。Ifthelawonwhichwehavebeenbroughtup,that"everyatomintheuniverseattractseveryotheratom,"werewithoutexceptionsormodifications,thatcometcouldnotcontinuetoexistinitspresentform。Untilwegetsomeadditionalillustration,however,weshallbeshortofdatawithwhichtoformulateanyiconoclastichypothesis。Thesourceofthelight,Imustadmit,alsopuzzlesmegreatly。Thereiscertainlynoheattowhichwecanattributeit。"

Havinggonebeyondthefragments,theyappliedastrongrepulsionchargetothecomet,creatingtherebyaperfectwhirlpoolamongitsparticles,andquicklyleftit。Halfanhourlatertheyagainshutoffthecurrent,astheCallisto"sspeedwassufficient。

Forsometimetheyhadbeeninthebeltofasteroids,butasyettheyhadseennonenear。Themorningfollowingtheirexperiencewiththecomet,however,theywenttotheirobservatoryafterbreakfastasusual,and,onpointingtheirglassesforward,espiedacomparativelylargebodybeforethem,alittletotheirright。

"ThatmustbePallas,"saidCortlandt,scrutinizingitclosely。

"ItwasdiscoveredbyOlbers,in1802,andwasthesecondasteroidfound,Cereshavingbeenthefirst,in1801。Ithasadiameterofaboutthreehundredmiles,beingoneofthelargestofthesesmallplanets。Themostwonderfulthingaboutitistheinclinationofitsorbit——thirty—fivedegrees——totheplaneoftheecliptic;whichmeansthatateachrevolutioninitsorbit,itswingsthatmuchaboveandbelowtheimaginaryplanecuttingthesunatitsequator,fromwhichtheearthandotherlargerplanetsvarybutlittle。Thisnodoubtisduetothenearapproachanddisturbingattractionofsomelargecomet,orelseitwasflungaboveorbelowtheordinaryplaneinthecatastrophethatwethinkbefellthelargeplanetthatdoubtlessformerlyexistedwherewenowfindthisswarm。Youcanseethatitspathmakesaconsiderableangletotheplaneoftheecliptic,andthatitisnowaboutcrossingtheline。"

Itsoonpresentedthephaseofahalfmoon,butthewavinessofthestraightline,asinthecaseofVenusandMercury,showedthatthesizeofthemountainsmustbetremendouscomparedwiththemassofthebody,someofthembeingobviouslyfifteenmileshigh。Theintenseblacknessoftheshadows,asonthemoon,convincedthemtherewasnotraceofatmosphere。

"Therebeingnoair,"saidCortlandt,"itissafetoassumethereisnowater,whichhelpstoaccountforthegreatinequalitiesonthebody"ssurface,sincethemountainswillseemhigherwhensurroundedbydryocean—bottomthantheywouldifwatercamehalfwayuptheirsides。Undoubtedly,however,themaincauseoftheirheightistheslighteffectofgravitationonanasteroid,andthefactthattheshrinkingoftheinterior,andconsequentfoldingofthecrustinridges,mayhavecontinuedforatimeaftertherewasnolongerwateronthesurfacetocutthemdown。

"Thetemperatureandconditionofabody,"continuedCortlandt,"seemtodependentirelyonitssize。Inthesunwehaveanincandescent,gaseousstar,thoughitsspotsandthecolourofitsraysshowthatitisbecomingaged,or,tobemoreaccurate,advancedinitsevolutionarydevelopment。Thencomesagreatjump,forJupiterhasbutaboutonefourteen—hundredthofthemassofthesun,andweexpecttofindonitafirmcrust,andthattheplanetitselfisataboutthefourthorfifthperiodofdevelopment,describedbyMosesasdays。Saturnisdoubtlesssomewhatmoreadvanced。Theearthweknowhasbeenhabitablemanyhundredsofthousandsormillionsofyears,thoughthreefourthsofitssurfaceisstillcoveredbywater。InMarsweseeafurtherstep,threefourthsofitssurfacebeingland。InMercury,couldwestudyitbetter,orinthelargersatellitesofJupiterorSaturn,wemightfindastepping—stonefromMarstothemoon,perhapswithnowater,butstillhavingair,andbeinghabitableinallotherrespects。Inourownsatelliteweseeaworldthathasdied,thoughitsdeathfromanastronomicalpointofviewiscomparativelyrecent,whilethislittlePallashasbeendeadlonger,beingprobablychilledthroughandthrough。

FromthisIconcludethatallbodiesinthesolarsystemhadonegenesis,andwerepartofthesamenebulousmass。Butthisdoesnotincludetheothersystemsandnebulae;for,comparedwiththem,oursun,aswehaveseen,isitselfadvancedandsmallbesidesuchstarsasSiriushavingdiametersoftwelvemillionmiles。"

AstheyleftPallasbetweenthemselvesandthesun,itbecameacrescentandfinallydisappeared。

Twodayslatertheysightedanotherasteroidexactlyahead。Theyexamineditclosely,andconcludeditmustbeHilda,putdownintheastronomiesasNo。153,andhavingalmostthegreatestmeandistanceofanyofthesesmallbodiesfromthesun。

Whentheyweresonearthatthediskwasplainlyvisibletotheunaidedeye,HildapassedbetweenthemandJupiter,eclipsingit。

Totheirsurprise,thelightwasnotinstantlyshutoff,aswhenthemoonoccultsastar,buttherewasevidentrefraction。

"ByGeorge！"saidBearwarden,"hereisanasteroidthatHASanatmosphere。"