The Crack of Doom

  CHAPTER XI.

  MORITURI TE SALUTANT.

  We had been sitting on deck chairs smoking and talking for a couple ofhours after the late dinner, which was served as soon as the vessel waswell out to sea, when Brande came on deck. He was hailed withenthusiasm. This did not move him, or even interest him. I was carefulnot to join in the acclamations produced by his presence. He noticedthis, and lightly called me recalcitrant. I admitted the justice of theepithet, and begged him to consider it one which would always apply tome with equal force. He laughed at this, and contrasted my gloomy fearswith the excellent arrangements which he had made for my comfort. Iasked him what had become of Grey. I thought it strange that this manshould be amongst the absentees.

  "Oh, Grey! He goes to Labrador."

  "To Labrador! What takes him to Labrador?"

  "The same purpose which takes us to the Arafura Sea," Brande answered,and passed on.

  Presently there was a slight stir amongst the people, and the word waspassed round that Brande was about to undertake some interestingexperiment for the amusement of his guests. I hurried aft along withsome other men with whom I had been talking, and found Miss Brande andMiss Metford standing hand in hand. Natalie's face was very white, andthe only time I ever saw real fear upon it was at that moment. I thoughtthe incident on the quay had unnerved her more than was apparent at thetime, and that she was still upset by it. She beckoned to me, and when Icame to her she seized my hand. She was trembling so much her words werehardly articulate. Miss Metford was concerned for her companion'snervousness; but otherwise indifferent; while Natalie stood holding ourhands in hers like a frightened child awaiting the firing of a cannon.

  "He's going to let off something, a rocket, I suppose," Miss Metfordsaid to me. "Natalie seems to think he means to sink the ship."

  "He does not mean to do so. He might, if an accident occurred."

  "Is he going to fire a mine?" I asked.

  "No, he is going to etherize a drop of water." Natalie said this soseriously, we had no thought of laughter, incongruous as the cause ofher fears might seem.

  At that moment Brande addressed us from the top of the deckhouse, andexplained that, in order to illustrate on a large scale the most recentdiscovery in natural science, he was about to disintegrate a drop ofwater, at present encased in a hollow glass ball about the size of apea, which he held between his thumb and forefinger. An electric lightwas turned upon him so that we could all see the thing quite plainly. Heexplained that there was a division in the ball; one portion of itcontaining the drop of water, and the other the agent by which, when thedividing wall was eaten through by its action, the atoms of the waterwould be resolved into the ultimate ether of which they were composed.As the disintegrating agent was powerless in salt water, we might allfeel assured that no great catastrophe would ensue.

  Before throwing the glass ball overboard, a careful search for thelights of ships was made from east to west, and north to south.

  There was not a light to be seen anywhere. Brande threw the ball overthe side. We were going under easy steam at the time, but the moment heleft the deckhouse "full speed ahead" was rung from the bridge, and the_Esmeralda_ showed us her pace. She literally tore through the waterwhen the engines were got full on.

  Before we had gone a hundred yards a great cry arose. A little fleet ofFrench fishing-boats with no lights up had been lying very close to uson the starboard bow. There they were, boatfuls of men, who wavedcareless adieus to us as we dashed past.

  Brande was moved for a moment. Then he shrugged his shoulders andmuttered, "It can't be helped now." We all felt that these simple wordsmight mean much. To test their full portent I went over to him, Nataliestill holding my hand with trembling fingers.

  "Can't you do anything for them?" I asked.

  "You mean, go back and sink this ship to keep them company?"

  "No; but warn them to fly."

  "It would be useless. In this breeze they could not sail a hundredyards in the time allowed, and three miles is the nearest point ofsafety. I could not say definitely, as this is the first time I haveever tried an experiment so tremendous; but I believe that if we evenslowed to half speed, it would be dangerous, and if we stopped, the_Esmeralda_ would go to the bottom to-night, as certainly as the sunwill rise to-morrow."

  Natalie moaned in anguish on hearing this. I said to her sternly:

  "I thought you approved of all these actions?"

  "This serves no purpose. These men may not even have a painless death,and the reality is more awful than I thought."

  Every face was turned to that point in the darkness toward which thefoaming wake of the _Esmeralda_ stretched back. Not a word more wasspoken until Brande, who was standing, watch in hand, beside the lightfrom the deckhouse, came aft and said:

  "You will see the explosion in ten seconds."

  He could not have spoken more indifferently if the catastrophe he hadplanned was only the firing of a penny squib.

  Then the sea behind us burst into a flame, followed by the sound of anexplosion so frightful that we were almost stunned by it. A huge massof water, torn up in a solid block, was hurled into the air, and thereit broke into a hundred roaring cataracts. These, in the brilliantsearch light from the ship which was now turned upon them full, felllike cataracts of liquid silver into the seething cauldron of water thatraged below. The instant the explosion was over, our engines werereversed, and the _Esmeralda_ went full speed astern. The waves werestill rolling in tumultuous breakers when we got back. We might as wellhave gone on.

  The French fishing fleet had disappeared.

  I could not help saying to Brande before we turned in:

  "You expect us, I suppose, to believe that the explosion was reallycaused by a drop of water?"

  "Etherized," he interrupted. "Certainly I do. You don't believe it--onwhat grounds?"

  "That it is unbelievable."

  "Pshaw! You deny a fact because you do not understand it. Ignorance isnot evidence."

  "I say it is impossible."

  "You do not wish to believe it possible. Wishes are not proofs."

  Without pursuing the argument, I said to him:

  "It is fortunate that the accident took place at sea. There will be noinquests."

  "Oh! I am sorry for the accident. As for the men, they might have had aworse fate. It is better than living in life-long misery as they do.Besides, both they and the fishes that will eat them will soon benumbered amongst the things that have been."