第6章

Therewasnomistakingit。Theysoondiscoveredasmallice—capatonepole,andthenmadeoutoceansandcontinents,withmountains,forests,rivers,andgreenfields。Thesightlastedbutafewmomentsbeforetheysweptby,buttheysecuredseveralphotographs,andcarriedavividimpressionintheirminds。

Hildaappearedtobeabouttwohundredmilesindiameter。

"Howdoyouaccountforthatlivingworld,"BearwardenaskedCortlandt,"onyourtheoryofsizeandlongevity？"

"Therearetwoexplanations,"repliedCortlandt,"ifthetheory,asIstillbelieve,iscorrect。Hildahaseitherbeenbroughttothissystemfromsomeotherlessmatured,inthetrainofacomet,andbeencapturedbytheimmensepowerof"Jupiter,whichmightaccountfortheeccentricityofitsorbit,orsomeaccidenthashappenedtorejuvenateithere。Acollisionwithanotherminorplanetmovinginanorbitthatcrosseditsown,orwiththeheadofalargecomet,wouldhavereconverteditintoastar,perhapsafterithadlongbeencold。Acometmayfirsthavesochangedthecourseofoneoftwosmallbodiesastomakethemcollide。Thisseemstomethemostplausibletheory。OverahundredyearsagotheEnglishastronomer,Chambers,wroteofhavingfoundtracesofatmosphereinsomeoftheseminorplanets,butitwasgenerallythoughthewasmistaken。Onereasonweknowsolittleaboutthisgreatswarmofminorplanetsis,thattillrecentlynoneofthemshowedadisktothetelescope。Inasmuchasonlytheirlightwasvisible,theywereindistinguishablefromstars,exceptbytheirslowmotion。Ahundredyearsagoonlythreehundredandfiftyhadbeendiscovered;ourphotographicstar—chartshavesincethenshownthenumberrecordedtoexceedonethousand。"

CHAPTERIV。

PREPARINGTOALIGHT。

ThatafternoonAyraultbroughtoutsomestatisticaltableshehadcompiledfromagreatnumberofbooks,andalsoadiagramofthecomparativesizesoftheplanets。"Ihavebeennotalittlepuzzledatthediscrepanciesbetweeneventhebestauthors,"hesaid,"scarcelyanytwobeingexactlyalike,whileeverydecadehasseenacceptedtheoriesradicallychanged。"Sayingwhich,hespreadouttheresultofhislabours（shownonthefollowingpages）,whichthethreefriendsthenstudied。

（1）Meandistancefromsuninmillionsofmiles（2）Semimajoraxisoforbit,earth"sdistanceas1

（3）Eccentricityoforbit（4）Planetsinclinationoforbittoelliptic（5）Lightatperihelion（6）Lightatapehelion（7）Heat,earthas1

（1）（2）（3）（4）（5）（6）（7）

Mercury……36。00。3870。20567@0"8"10。584。596。67

Venus……67。20。7230。00683@23"35"1。941。911。91

TheEarth。92。91。0000。0680@0"0"1。030。9971。00

Mars……141。51。5240。09331@51"2"0。520。3601。43

Asteroids204。4to2。2000。4to5@—35@325。2to3。5000。34

Jupiter……483。35。2030。04831@18"41"0。040。0340。037

Saturn……886。09。5390。05612@29"40"0。0120。00990。011

Uranus……1781。919。1830。04630@46"20"0。00270。00250。003

Neptune。2791。630。0550。00901@47"2"0。00110。00110。001

（1）MOVEMENTINORBIT。Velocitycomparedwithearthas1。

（2）MOVEMENTINORBIT。Periodofrevolutioninyearsanddays。

（3）MOVEMENTINORBIT。Orbitalvelocityinmilespersecond。

（4）Meandiameterinmiles（5）Surfacecomparedwithearthas1。

（6）Volumecomparedwithearthas1。

（7）Masscomparedwithearthas1。

Planets（1）（2）（3）（4）（5）（6）（7）

Mercury……0。8823to351。63,0000。140。0560。13

Venus……0。2241/221。91。177,7000。940。920。78

TheEarth……1。0018。51。07,9181。001。001。00

Mars……1。8815。00。814,2300。280。1390。124

Asteroids……3。29……Fromafewto6。56

milesto300

Jupiter……11。868。10。4486,500118。31309。00316。0

Saturn……29。466。00。321,0000。4760。095。0

Uranus……84。024。20。2331,90016。365。014。7

Neptune……164。783。40。1834,80019。390。017。1

（1）Lengthofday。hrs。min。sec。

（2）Lengthofseasons（3）DENSITYComparedwithearthas1

（4）DENSITYComparedwithwateras1

（5）FORCEOFGRAVITYATSURFACEOFPLANETComparedwithearthas1。

（6）FORCEOFGRAVITYATSURFACEOFPLANETBodiesfallinonesecond。

（7）Inclinationofaxis。

Planets（1）（2）（3）（4）（5）（6）（7）

Mercury……1。247。170。8513。7……

Venus……232122……0。925。210。8313。453+

TheEarth……Spring,931。005。671。0016。09231/2

Summer,93

TerrestrialdaysAutumn,90

Winter,89

Mars……243723Spring,1910。962。540。386。2271/2

Summer,181

MartiandaysAutumn,149

Winter,147

Asteroids

Jupiter。95528……0。221。292。5540。9811/2

Saturn……102917……0。130。631。1518。5327

Uranus……0。181。410。9114。6102（？）

Neptune……0。2000。8814。2……

"Yousee,"Ayraultexplained,"onJupiterweshallneedourapergeticoutfitstoenableustomakelongmarches,whileonSaturntheywillnotbenecessary,theincreaseinourweightasaresultofthatplanet"ssizebeingconsiderablylessthantheusualloadcarriedbytheRomansoldier。"

"Idonotimagine,"saidCortlandt,"weshouldlongbetroubledbygravitationwithoutourapergeticoutfitsevenonJupiter,for,thoughourweightwillbemorethandoubled,wecantakeoffonequarterofthewholebyremainingneartheequator,theirrapidrotationhavingapparentlybeengivenprovidentiallytoallthelargeplanets。Naturewilladaptherselftothischange,astoallothers,veryreadily。AlthoughthereclamationofthevastareasoftheNorthAmericanArcticArchipelago,Alaska,Siberia,andAntarcticWilkesLand,fromthedeath—gripoftheiceinwhichtheyhavebeenheldwillrelievethepressureofpopulationforanothercentury,attheendofthattimeitwillsurelybefeltagain;itisthereforeaconsolationtofeelthatthemightyplanetsJupiterandSaturn,whichwearecomingtolookuponasourheritage,willnotcrushthelifeoutofanyhumanbeingsbytheirownweightthatmayalightuponthem。"

Beforegoingtobedthateveningtheydecidedtobeupearlythenextday,tostudyJupiter,whichwasalreadyabrilliantobject。

Thefollowingmorning,onawakening,theywentatoncetotheirobservatory,andfoundthatJupiter"sdiskwasplainlyvisibletothenakedeye,andbeforenightitseemedaslargeasthefullmoon。

TheythenpreparedtochecktheCallisto"sheadlongspeed,whichJupiter"sattractionwasbeginningtoincrease。Whenabouttwomillionmilesfromthegreatplanet,whichwasconsiderablyontheirleft,theyespiedCallistoaheadandslightlyontheirright,asDeepwatershadcalculateditwouldbe。Applyingamildrepulsiontothis——whichwasitselfquiteaworld,withitsdiameterofoverthreethousandmiles,thoughevidentlyascoldanddeadastheearth"soldmoon——theyretardedtheirforwardrush,knowingthattheresultingmotiontowardsJupiterwouldbehelpedbythegiant"spull。Wishingtobeingoodconditionfortheirlanding,theydividedtheremainderofthenightintowatches,twogoingtosleepatatime,themanondutystandingbytocontrolthecourseandtogetphotographicnegatives,onwhich,whentheyweredeveloped,theyfoundtwocrescent—shapedcontinents,aspeckledregion,andanumberofislands。By7A。

M。,accordingtoEasternstandardtime,theywerebutfiftythousandmilesfromJupiter"ssurface,thegiganticglobefillingnearlyonesideofthesky。Inpreparationforasally,theygottheirgunsandaccoutrementsready,andthengaveapartingglanceatthecar。Theirchargeofelectricityfordevelopingtherepulsionseemedscarcelytouched,andtheyhadstillanabundantsupplyofoxygenandprovisions。Thebarometerregisteredtwenty—nineinches,showingthattheyhadnotlostmuchairinthenumerousopeningsofthevestibule。Thepressurewasaboutwhatwouldbefoundatanaltitudeofafewhundredfeet,partoftherarefactionbeingnodoubtduetothefactthattheydidnotclosethewindowsuntilataconsiderableheightaboveVanCortlandtPark。

Theysawtheyshouldalightinalongitudeonwhichthesunhadjustrisen,therockytopsofthegreatmountainsshininglikehelmetsinitsrays。Soontheyfeltasharpcheckingoftheirforwardmotion,andsaw,fromthechangedappearanceofthestarsandthesun,thattheyhadenteredtheatmosphereoftheirnewhome。

NotevendidColumbus,standingattheprowoftheSantaMaria,withtheNewWorldbeforehim,feeltheexultationanddelightexperiencedbytheselatter—dayexplorersofthetwenty—firstcentury。Theirfirstadventuresonlandingthereaderalreadyknows。

CHAPTERV。

EXPLORATIONANDEXCITEMENT。

Whentheyawoke,theflowersweresingingwiththevolumeofacathedralorgan,thechantrisingfromallaroundthem,andthesunwasalreadyabovethehorizon。Findingadeepnaturalspring,inwhichthewaterwasataboutblood—heat,theypreparedforbreakfastbytakingabath,andthenfoundtheyhadbroughtnothingtoeat。

"Itwasstupidofusnottothinkofit,"saidBearwarden,"yetitwillbetoomuchoutofourwaytoreturntotheCallisto。"

"Wehavetworiflesandagun,"saidAyrault,"andhavealsoplentyofwater,andwoodforafire。Allweneedisgame。"

"Theoldexcuse,thatithasbeenalreadyshotout,cannotholdhere,"saidCortlandt。

"Seeingthatwehaveneitherwingsnorpneumaticlegs,andnotknowingtheadvantagegivenusbyourrifles,"addedBearwarden,"itshouldnotbeshyeither。Sofar,"hecontinued,"wehaveseennothingedible,thoughjustnowweshouldnotbetooparticular;butnearaspringlikethisthatkindmustexist。"

"Thequestionis,"saidtheprofessor,"whetherthegamelikewarmwater。Ifwecanfollowthisstreamtillithasbeenonthesurfaceforsometime,ortillitspreadsout,weshalldoubtlessfindahuntsman"sparadise。"

"Abrightidea,"saidBearwarden。"Let"shaveourgunsready,and,asoldDeepwaterswouldsay,keepourweathereyeopen。"

Thestreamflowedoffinasoutheasterlydirection,sothatbyfollowingittheywenttowardsthevolcanoes。

"Itishardtorealize,"saidtheprofessor,"thatthosemountainsmustbeseveralhundredmilesaway,forthereasonthattheyarealmostentirelyabovethehorizon。ThisapparentflatnessandwiderangeofvisionisofcoursetheresultofJupiter"svastsize。Withsufficientlykeensight,oraidedbyagoodglass,thereisnoreasonwhyoneshouldnotseeatleastfivehundredmiles,withbutaslightelevation。"

"Itissurprising,"saidAyrault,"thatinwhatisevidentlyJupiter"sCarboniferousperiodtheatmosphereshouldbesoclear。

Ourideahasbeenthatatthattimeonearththeairwasheavyanddense。"

"Soitwas,anddoubtlessishere,"repliedCortlandt;"butyoumustrememberthatboththosequalitieswouldbegivenitbycarbonic—acidgas,whichisentirelyinvisibleandtransparent。

Nogasthatwouldbelikelytoremainintheairwouldinterferewithsight;watervapouristheonlythingthatcould;andthoughthecrustofthisplanet,evennearthesurface,isstillhot,thesunbeingsodistant,thevapourwouldnotbe,raisedmuch。

Byavoidinglowplacesnearhotsprings,weshalldoubtlesshaveverynearlyasclearanatmosphereasonearth。Whatdoessurprisemeistheeasewithwhichwebreathe。Icanaccountforitonlybysupposingthat,theCarboniferousperiodbeingalreadywelladvanced,mostofthecarbonicacidisalreadylockedupintheforestsorinJupiter"scoal—beds。"

"How,askedBearwarden,"doyouaccountforthe"greatredspot"

thatappearedherein1878,lastedseveralyears,andthengraduallyfaded？ItwastakenasunmistakableevidencethatJupiter"satmospherewasfilledwithimpenetrablebanksofcloud。

Infact,youremembermanyoftheoldbookssaidwehadprobablyneverseenthesurface。"

"Thathaspuzzledmeverymuch,"repliedCortlandt,"butIneverbelievedtheexplanationthengivenwascorrect。TheCarboniferousperiodisessentiallyoneofgreatforestgrowth;

sotherewouldbenothingoutofthewayinsupposingthespot,notwithstandingitslengthoftwenty—seventhousandmilesanditsbreadthofeightthousandmiles,tohavebeenforest。Itoccurredinwhatwouldcorrespondtothetemperateregiononearth。Now,thoughtheaxisofthisplanetispracticallystraight,thewindsofcoursechangetheirdirection,andsothetemperaturedoesvaryfromdaytoday。Whatismoreprobablethanthat,owingperhapstoaprolongednortherorcoldspell,alongstripofforestlyingnearthefrostlinewasbroughtafewdegreesbelowit,sothattheleaveschangedtheircoloursastheydoonearth？Itwould,itseemstome,beenoughtogivethesurfaceadistinctcolour;andthefactthatthespot"sgreatestlengthwaseastandwest,oralongthelinesoflatitude,sothatthewholeofthatregionmighthavebeenexposedtothesameconditionsoftemperature,strengthensthishypothesis。Thestrongestobjectionis,thatthespotissaidtohavemoved;butthemotion——fiveseconds——wassoslightthatitmighteasilyhavebeenanerrorinobservation,orthefirstareaaffectedbythecoldmayhavebeenenlargedononeside。ItseemstomethatthestabilitythespotDIDhavewouldmakethecloudtheoryimpossibleonearth,andmuchmoresohere,withthefarmorerapidrotationandmoreviolentwinds。Itmayalsohavebeenacloudofsmokefromavolcanoineruption,suchaswesawonourarrival,thoughitisdoubtfulwhetherinthatcaseitwouldhaveremainednearlystationarywhilegoingthroughitsgreatestintensityandfading,whichwouldlookasthoughtheturnedleaveshadfallenoffandbeengraduallyreplacedbynewones;and,inadditiontothis,thespotsinceitwasfirstnoticedhasneverentirelydisappeared,whichmightmeanavolcanicregionconstantlyemittingsmoke,orthatthesurface,doubtlessfromsomecoveringwhosecolourcanchange,isnormallyofadifferentshadefromthesurroundingregion。Inanycase,wehaveasyetseennothingthatwouldindicateapermanentlycloudedatmosphere。"

Thoughtheyhadwalkedaconsiderabledistance,thewaterwasnotmuchcooled;andthoughthestream"sdescentwassoslightthatonearthitscurrentwouldhavebeenveryslow,hereitrushedalonglikeamountaintorrent,thereason,ofcourse,beingthatagivenamountofwateronJupiterwoulddepressaspringbalance2。55timesasmuchasontheearth。

"Itisstrange,"saidAyrault,"that,notwithstandingitsgreatspeed,thewaterremainssohot;youwouldthinkitsmotionwouldcoolit。"

"Soitdoes,"answeredtheprofessor。"Itofcoursecoolsconsiderablymoreinagivenperiod——as,forinstance,oneminute——thanifitweremovingmoreslowly,butonaccountofitsspeedithasbeenexposedtotheairbutaveryshorttimesinceleavingthespring。"

Justbeforethemthestreamnowwidenedintoanarrowlake,whichtheycouldseewasstraightforsomedistance。

"Thefactis,"saidBearwarden,"thiswaterseemsinsuchhastetoreachtheoceanthatitturnsneithertorightnortoleft,anddoesnotevenseemtowishtowidenout。"

Asthehugefernsandpalmsgrewtothewater"sedge,theyconcludedthebestwaytotraversethelakewouldbeonaraft。

Accordingly,choosingalargeoverhangingpalm,BearwardenandAyraultfiredeachanexplosiveballintoitstrunk,abouteighteeninchesfromtheground。Oneroundwasenoughtoputitinthewater,eachexplosionremovingseveralcubicfeetofwood。

Byrepeatingthisprocessonothertreestheysoonhadenoughlargetimberforbuoyancy,sothattheyhadbuttosuperimposelightercross—logsandbindthewholetogetherwithpliablebranchesandcreeperstoformasubstantialraft。Thedoctorclimbedon,afterwhichBearwardenandAyraultcastoff,havingpreparedlongpolesfornavigating。Withalittlecaretheykepttheirbarkfromcatchingonprojectingroots,andasthestreamcontinuedtowidentillitwasaboutonehundredyardsacross,theirworkbecameeasy。Carriedalongataspeedoftwoorthreemilesanhour,theynowsawthatthewaterandthebankstheypassedwereliterallyalivewithreptilesandallsortsofamphibiouscreatures,whilewingedlizardssailedfromeveryoverhangingbranchintothewaterastheyapproached。Theynoticedalsomanybirdssimilartostorksandcranes,aboutthesizeofostriches,standingonlogsinthewater,whosebillswereprovidedwithteeth。

"Wemightalmostthinkwewereonearth,"saidAyrault,"fromthelooksofthosestorksstandingononeleg,withtheotherdrawnup,wereitnotfortheirsize。"

"Howdoyousupposetheydefendthemselves,"askedBearwarden,"fromthesnakeswithwhichthewaterisfilled？"

"Isuspecttheycangiveaprettygoodaccountofthemselves,"

repliedCortlandt,"withthoseteeth。Besides,withonlyonelegexposed,thereisbutaverysmallobjectforasnaketostrikeat。Fortheirnumberandsize,Ishouldsaytheirstruggleforexistencewascomparativelymild。Doubtlessnon—poisonous,or,forthatmatter,poisonoussnakes,formagreatpartoftheirdiet。"

Onpassingthebendinthelaketheynoticedthatthebankswereslightlyhigher,whilepalms,pine—trees,andrubberplantssucceededtheferns。Inthedistancetheynowheardatremendouscrashing,whichgrewlouderasthesecondspassed。Itfinallysoundedlikeanearthquake。Involuntarilytheyheldtheirbreathandgraspedtheirweapons。Finally,atsomedistanceinthewoodstheysawadarkmassmovingrapidlyandapproachingtheriverobliquely。Palmsandpine—treeswentdownbeforeitlikestraws,whileitsheadwascontinuallyamongtheupperbranches。

Asthemonsternearedthelake,thewaterattheedgesquivered,showinghowitsweightshookthebanksateachstride,whilestumpsandtree—trunksonwhichitsteppedwerepressedoutofsightintheground。Ageneralexodusoftheotherinhabitantsfromhislineofmarchbegan;themoccasinsslidintothewaterwithalowsplash,whiletheboa—constrictorsandthetree—snakesmovedoffalongthegroundwhentheyfeltittremble,andanumberofnightbirdsretreatedintothedenserwoodswithloudcriesatbeingsorudelydisturbed。Thehugebeastdidnotstoptillhereachedthebank,wherelieswitchedhistail,raisedhisproboscis,andsniffedtheairuneasily,hisheightbeingfullythirtyfeetandhislengthaboutfifty。Onseeingtheraftanditsoccupants,helookedatthemstupidlyandthrewbackhishead。

"Heseemstobeturninguphisnoseatus,"saidBearwarden。

"Allthesame,hewilldowellforbreakfast。"

Asthecreaturemoved,hischeststruckahugeoverhangingpalm,tearingitoffasthoughithadbeenareed。Brushingitasidewithhistrunk,hewasabouttocontinuehismarch,whentworiflereportsrangouttogether,rousingtheechoesandanumberofbirdsthatscreechedloudly。

CHAPTERVI。

MASTODONANDWILL—O"—THEWISPS。

Bearwarden"sbulletstruckthemammothintheshoulder,whileAyrault"saimwasfartherback。Astheballsexploded,ahalf—barrelfuloffleshandhidewasshotfromeach,leavingtwogapingholes。Instantlyherushedamongthetrees,makinghiscourseknownforsometimebyhisroars。Asheturned,Bearwardenfiredagain,butthehallflewoverhim,blowingoffthetopofatree。

"Nowforthechase！"saidAyrault。"Therewouldbenoexcuseforlosinghim。"

Quicklypushingtheirrafttoshoreandsecuringittothebank,thethreejumpedoff。Thankstotheirrubberbootsandgalvanicoutfitswhichautomaticallykeptthemcharged,theywereasspryastheywouldhavebeenonearth。Thegroundallaboutthem,andinastriptwelvefeetwidewherethemammothhadgone,wastornup,andthevegetationtroddendown。Followingthistrail,theystruckbackintothewoods,whereinplacesthegloomcastbythethickfoliagewassodensethattherewasameretwilight,startlingastheywentnumbersofbirdsofgreyandsombreplumage,whosenecksandheads,andthesoundstheyuttered,weresoreptilianthatthethreeterrestrialsbelievedtheymustalsopossesspoisonfangs。

"Themosthighlydevelopedthingswehaveseenhere,"saidBearwarden,"aretheflowersandfireflies,mostofthebirdsandamphibiansbeingsimplyloathsome。"

Astheyproceededtheyfoundtracksofblood,whichwererapidlyattractingswarmsofthereptilebirdsandsnakes,which,however,asarule,fledattheirapproach。

"Iwonderwhatcanhavecausedthatmammothtomovesofast,andtohaveseemedsoillatease？"saidthedoctor。"Hismotivecertainlywasnotthirst,forhedidnotapproachthewaterinadirectline,neitherdidhedrinkonreachingit。Onewouldthinknothingshortofanearthquakeoraland—slidecouldtroublehim。"

"Therecanbenoland—slidehere,"saidAyrault,forthecountryistooflat。"

"Andafteryesterday"seruptions,"addedBearwarden,"itwouldseemasthoughthevolcanoescouldhavescarcelyenoughsteamlefttomaketrouble。"

Theblood—tracks,continuingtobecomefresher,showedthemtheywerenearingthegame,whensuddenlythetrailtookasharpturntotheright,evenreturningtowardsthelake。Alittlefartherittookanothersharpturn,thenfollowedaseriesofdoublings,whilestillfartherthegroundwascompletelydenudedoftrees,itstorn—upandtrampledconditionandtheenormousamountofstillwarmbloodshowinghowterrificabattlehadjusttakenplace。

Whiletheylookedabouttheysawwhatappearedtobethetrunkofatreeaboutfourfeetindiameterandsixfeetlong,withaslightcrook。Oncomingcloser,theyrecognizedinitoneoftheforefeetofthemammoth,cutascleanlyasthoughwithaknifefromthelegjustabovetheankle,andstillwarm。Alittlefarthertheyfoundthehugetrunkcuttoslivers,and,justbeyond,thebodyoftheunfortunatebeastwiththreeofitsfeetgone,andthethickhidecutandslashedlikesomuchpaper。Itstillbreathed,andAyrault,whohadatenderheart,sentanexplosiveballintoitsskull,whichendeditssuffering。

Thethreehuntersthensurveyedthescene。Thelargestandmostpowerfulbeasttheyhadbelievedcouldexistlaybeforethemdead,notfromthebiteofasnakeoranyotherpoison,butfrommechanicalinjuriesofwhichthosetheyhadinflictedformedbutaverysmallpart,andliterallycuttopieces。

"Iamcurioustoseetheanimal,"saidCortlandt,"capableofdoingthis,thoughnothingshortofdynamitebombswouldprotectusfromhim。"

"Ashehasnotstoppedtoeathisvictim,"saidBearwarden,"itisfairtosupposeheisnotcarnivorous,andsomusthavehadsomeothermotivethanhungerinmakingtheattack;unlesswecansupposethatourapproachfrightenedhimaway,which,withsuchpowerashemustpossess,seemsunlikely。Letussee,"hecontinued,"partsoftwolegsremainunaccountedfor。Perhaps,onaccountoftheirshape,hehasbeenablethemoreeasilytocarryorrollthemoff,forweknowthatelephantfootmakesacapitaldish。"

"Fromthewayyoutalk,"saidCortlandt,"onewouldsupposeyouattributedthistomen。TheGoliathwepicturetoourselveswouldbeachildcomparedtothemanthatcouldcutthroughtheselegs,thoughthenecessityofbelievinghimtohavemerelygreatsizedoesnotdisprovehisexistencehere。Ithinkitprobableweshallfindthisistheworkofsomeanimalwithincisorsofsuchpowerasitisdifficultforustoconceiveof。"

"Thereisnoindicationhereofteeth,"saidBearwarden,"eachfootbeingtakenoffwithacleancut。Besides,wearecomingtobelievethatmanexistedonearthduringthegreaterpart,ifnotthewhole,ofourCarboniferousperiod。"

"Wemustreserveourdecisionpendingfurtherevidence,"saidCortlandt。

"Ivotewetaketheheart,"saidAyrault,"andcookit,sinceotherwisethemammothwillbedevouredbeforeoureyes。"

WhileBearwardenandAyraultdelvedforthis,Cortlandt,withsomedifficulty,partedthemammoth"slipsandexaminedtheteeth。"Fromtheconicalprojectionsonthemolars,"saidhe,"thisshouldbeclassedratherasamastodonthanasamammoth。"

Whenthehugeheartwassecured,Bearwardenarrangedslicesonsharpenedsticks,whileAyraultsetaboutstartingafire。HehadtouseCortlandt"sguntoclearthedrywoodofsnakes,which,attracteddoubtlessbythedeadmastodon,cameinsuchnumbersthattheycoveredtheground,whilehugepterodactyls,morevenomous—lookingthanthereptiles,hoveredabouttheopeningabove。

Arrangingadoublelineofelectricwiresinacircleaboutthemastodonandthemselves,theysatdownanddidjusticetothemeal,withappetitesthatmighthavedismayedthewaitingthrong。

Wheneverasnake"sheadcameincontactwithonewire,whilehistailtouchedtheother,hegaveaspasmodicleapandfellbackdead。Ifhehappenedtofallacrossthewires,lieimmediatelybegantosizzle,acloudofsmokearose,andliewasreducedtoashes。

"Anytimethatweareshortofmastodonorothergoodgame,"saidAyrault,"weneednothungerifwearenotabovegrilledsnake。"

Alllaughedatthis,andBearwarden,drawingawhiskey—flaskfromhispocket,passedittohisfriends。

"Whenwerigourfishing—tackle,"hecontinued,"andhavefreshfishfordinner,anentreeofrattlesnake,roastmastodonforthepiecederesistance,andbeginthewholewithturtlesoupandclams,ofwhichtheremustbeplentyontheoceanbeach,weshallwanttostayheretherestofourlives。"

"Isuspectweshallhaveto,"repliedAyrault"forweshallbecomesolikeThanksgivingturkeysthattheCallisto"sdoorwillbetoosmallforus。"

Whiletheysatandtalked,theflowersandplantsaboutthemsoftlybegantheirsong,and,asavisualaccompaniment,thefire—fliestheyhadnotbeforenoticedtwinkledthroughtheforest。

"Mygoodness！"exclaimedCortlandt,"howtimegoeshere！Westartedtogetbreakfast,andnowit"sgrowingdark。"

Hastilycuttingsomethickbuttenderslicesfromthemastodon,andimpalingthemwiththeremainsoftheheartonasharpenedstake,theytookupthewires,andthebatterythathadbeensupplyingthecurrent,andretracedtheirstepsbythewaytheyhadcome。Theirrubber—linedcowhidebootsprotectedthemfromallbutthelargestsnakes,andasthesewereforthemostpartalreadyenjoyingtheirgorge,theytrampledwithimpunityonthosethatremainedintheirpath。Whentheyhadcoveredabouthalfthedistancetotheraft,ahugeboa—constrictor,whichtheyhadmistakenforabranch,felluponCortlandt,pinioninghisarmsandbearinghimtotheground。Droppingtheirloads,BearwardenandAyraultthrewthemselvesuponthemonsterwiththeirhunting—kniveswithsuchvimthatinafewsecondsitbeatahastyretreat,leaving,asitdidso,awakeofphosphorescentlight。

"Areyouhurt？"askedBearwarden,helpinghimup。

"Notintheleast,"repliedCortlandt。"WhatsurprisesmeisthatIamnot。Theweightofthatboa—constrictorwouldbeverygreatonearth,andhereIshouldthinkitwouldbesimplycrushing。"

Gropingtheirwaythroughtherapidlygrowingdarkness,theyreachedtheraftwithoutfurtheradventure,and,onceonthelake,hadplentyoflight。Twomoons,oneatthreequartersandtheotherfull,shonebrightly,whilethewaterwasalivewithgymnotusesandotherluminouscreatures。Sittingandlivinguponthecross—timbers,theylookedupatthesky。TheGreatBearandthenorthstarhadexactlythesamerelationtoeachotheraswhenseenfromtheearth,whiletheotherconstellationsandtheMilkyWaylookedidenticallyaswhentheyhadsooftengazedatthembefore,andsomeideaoftheimmensityofspacewasconveyedtothem。Herewasnochange;thoughtheyhadtravelledthreehundredandeightymillionmiles,therewasnomoreperceptibledifferencethaniftheyhadnotmovedafoot。Perhaps,theythought,tothetelescopes——ifthereareany——amongthestars,thesunwasseentobeaccompaniedbytwosmall,darkcompanions,forJupiterandSaturnmightbevisible,orperhapsitseemedmerelyasaslightlyvariablestar,inyearswhensun—spotswerenumerous,orasthelargerplanetsintheirrevolutionsoccasionallyinterceptedapartofitslight。AstheyfloatedalongtheynoticedanumberofwhattheytooktobeWill—o"—the—wisps。Severalofthesegreatglobulesofpaleflamehoveredaboutthemintheair,nearthesurfaceofthewater,andanontheyrosetilltheyhungabovethetrees,apparentlyhavingnoforwardorhorizontalmotionexceptwhentakenbythegentlebreeze,merelysinkingandrising。

"Howprettytheyare！"saidCortlandt,astheywatchedthem。

"Forbodiesconsistingofmarshgas,theyholdtogetherwonderfully。"

Presentlyonealightedonthewaternearthem。Itwasconsiderablybrighterthananyglow—worm,andsomewhatlargerthananarclamp,beingnearlythreefeetindiameter;itdidnotemitmuchlight,butwoulditselfhavebeenvisiblefromaconsiderabledistance。Cortlandttriedtotouchitwitharaft—pole,butcouldnotreachfarenough。Presentlyalargefishapproachedit,swimmingnearthesurfaceofthewater。WhenitwasclosetotheJack—o"—lantern,orwhateveritwas,therewasasplash,thefishturnedupitswhiteunderside,and,thebreezebeingawayfromtheraft,thefire—ballanditsvictimslowlyfloatedofftogether。Therewerefrequentlyadozenofthesegreatglobulesinsightatonce,risinganddescending,theobserversnoticingonepeculiarity,viz。,thattheirbrightnessincreasedastheyrose,anddecreasedastheysank。

Abouttwoandahalfhoursaftersunset,ormidnightaccordingtoJupitertime,theyfellasleep,butaboutanhourlaterCortlandtwasawakenedbyaweightonhischest。Startingup,heperceivedahugewhite—facedbat,withitsheadbutafewinchesfromhis。

Itsoutstretchedwingswereabouteightfeetacross,anditfasteneditssharpclawsuponhim。Seizingitbythethroat,hestruggledviolently。Hiscompanions,awakenedbythenoise,quicklycametohisrescue,graspinghimjustashewasindangerofbeingdraggedofftheraft,andinanothermomentBearwarden"sknifehadenteredthecreature"sspine。

"Thisevidentlybelongstotheblood—suckingspecies,"saidCortlandt。"Iseemtobethetargetforallthesebeasts,andhenceforthshallkeepmyeyesopenatnight。"

Asdaywouldbreakinbutlittleoveranhour,theydecidedtoremainawake,andtheypushedthedeadbatoverboard,whereitwassoondevouredbyfishes。Achillhadcomeupontheair,andtheincessantnoiseoftheformsoflifeaboutthemhadinameasureceased。

Cortlandtpassedaroundaboxofquinineasapreventiveagainstmalaria,andagaintheylaybackandlookedatthestars。ThemostsplendidsightintheirskynowwasSaturn。Atthecomparativelyshortdistancethisgreatplanetwasfromthem,itcastadistinctshadow,itsvastringsmakingitappeartwiceitsrealsize。Withthefirstglimmerofdawn,thefire—ballsdescendedtothesurfaceofthewateranddisappearedwithinit,theirlightsgoingout。Withasuddennesstowhichtheexplorerswerebecomingaccustomed,thesunburstuponthem,risingasperpendicularlyasattheearth"sequator,andmorethantwiceasfast,havingfirsttingedtheskywiththemostbrillianthues。

Thestreamhadlefttheforestandswamp,andwasnowflowingthroughopencountrybetweenhighbanks。Pushingtheraftashore,theysteppedoffonthesand,and,warminguptheremainsofthemastodon"sheart,ateasubstantialbreakfast。

Whilewashingtheirknivesinthestreampreparatorytoleavingit——fortheywishedtoreturntotheCallistobycompletingthecircletheyhadbegun——theynoticedahugeflatjelly—fishinshallowwater。Itwassotransparentthattheycouldseethesandybottomthroughit。Asitseemedtobeasleep,Bearwardenstirredupthewaterarounditandpokeditwithastick。Thejelly—fishfirstdrewitselftogethertillittouchedthesurfaceofthewater,beingnearlyround,thenitslowlyleftthestreamandrosetillitwaswhollyintheair,and,notwithstandingthesunlight,itemittedafaintglow。