The Secret of the Earth
*X.*
Torrence jumped up in consternation, and looking overboard, exclaimedwith an oath that he thought we were at least five miles to thesouthwest of that town.
"And what difference does it make?" I inquired.
"Look for yourself!" he cried; "they are expecting us. I feared ourcourse would be telegraphed to all sea ports; but they shan't track meout of the country," he added, looking aloft significantly, "that is,not if I can help it."
"I should say we had decidedly the whip handle of them!" I replied.
"So we have. Of course they can't stop us, but I think it will be justas well to give them a false scent for their trouble. It may beinteresting to use a little strategy with these people, Gurt, althoughwe are undoubtedly masters of the situation."
Looking down I saw that the streets were crowded with people gazing upat us; and around the Wilberforce monument, on both sides of the bridge,it looked as if a mob had gathered to intercept our progress. In theopen square, probably not less than a hundred soldiers had beenassembled under arms, and had a very threatening aspect.
"Surely they won't fire on us!" I exclaimed.
"Not a bit of danger, they wouldn't dare; and if they did, they couldn'thurt us. No, the red coats are only for show; but if they got ugly, wecould clean out the crowd by simply dropping a lot of cartridgesoverboard, without taking our guns out of the racks."
He pressed a button, turned a lever, and we slowed down.
"They want to speak to us, and perhaps it will be just as well to givethem a chance."
A man was waving a white flag, evidently intended to attract ourattention. He appeared to be some high functionary of the town, judgingfrom his dress and general deportment. He held a paper in his otherhand, which he indicated was for us. Torrence waved his handkerchief inreply, and pulled the air ship down to a dead halt, about two hundredand fifty feet above the level of the street.
"It may be the injunction!" I suggested.
"Too late for that now," said Torrence; "they can't enjoin me after I'veleft. But I don't want them to know my course, and shall thereforehumbug them a little."
He looked earnestly above at a great white cloud that had crept up fromthe southwest, and which had now nearly covered the sky. He then took apencil, and with a writing pad resting on the rail, wrote:
"If you have any communication to make I will let down a line."
This he threw overboard. It was picked up immediately, and handed tothe official who was standing quite separate from the others. Shouts of"lower your line!" were now heard distinctly, and in another minute wehad dropped a cord overboard, with a screw tied to the end for a weight.It did not take long to draw up the line again, at the end of which wasan official looking document. Torrence tore open the envelope hastily,and began reading. In a minute he thrust it into his pocket and said:
"Rot!"
"What's the matter?" I asked him.
"That blackguard, Hart, wants to get me back to London. Pretends I'vecommitted a crime by moving the air ship without his consent. Promisesforgiveness--the lunatic--if I'll return; and--of all the gall increation--says he will pay down a handsome sum, as he calls it, for ahalf interest in the air ship, if I'll come back and make it over tohim; and then to cap the climax, has the effrontery to threaten me if Idon't do it. The fellow must either be a dolt himself or take me forone. But I'll make it interesting for him, nevertheless!"
"They must take us for a brace of nincompoops," I replied; "but is it inthe form of a summons?"
"Seems to be a kind of _capias_ for my arrest, but how on earth can theyexecute their orders while I'm up here?" said Torrence.
"You surely don't intend to return," I said, looking over his shoulder.
"Of course not; but I'm determined not to be tracked out of the country.The man has done all he could to thwart me by foul means. He has triedto entrap me in a pretended form of law. He endeavored to prevent mysailing by procuring an injunction issued upon false representations,and if he's fool enough to suppose that I'd return to London--why lethim suppose it, and wait, and sweat!"
He now headed the air ship toward London, and rising, sailed away fromthe town.
"Let them think what they please!" he said. Torrence got up on the topdeck and waved his hat, and then every one shouted. I think there wassome doubt, however, as to whether we really intended to return, untilthey saw us gradually head about, and point our prow toward London; thenthere was an unmistakable yell of delight from every throat.
We were soon running against the wind, due south. The cloud bank whichhad been steadily pushing up out of the southwest now nearly covered thesky at an elevation of many thousand feet. The city of Hull was fadingin the distance. It would soon be lost to sight. I looked at the earthbelow, and saw that we were steadily ascending upon an inclined plane.
"When we are wrapt in the bosom of the clouds," said Torrence, "I intendto put about, and run directly over their heads, out of sight, and befar to seaward before the sun sets."
The clouds were still at a great altitude above us; and to prevent ourreal intentions being discovered we made the ascent very gradually,still steering south, but on an ascending plane, so that upon enteringthe cloud bank it would be apparent to all that we were still headed forLondon. The elevation might be easily accounted for on the hypothesisof air currents, so that no suspicion of insincerity would be aroused onthe part of those watching us.
"Now," said Torrence, "as we are going up to a great height, we mightfind it more comfortable to slip on warmer clothing; or at all events toget out some top coats."
This we did, and then seating ourselves on deck, watched the greatfeathery mass into whose bosom we were gradually ascending. All at oncethe earth, the sky, and the greater part of the air ship vanished. Wehad plunged into the cloud, and I could not even see Torry, who wassitting only a few feet away. Luckily we had on tarpaulins, or weshould have been wet to the skin. It was like unaided flight, not evenour support being visible. Torrence's voice came out of the invisible,producing a weird sensation, and I could feel that we were still beingborne rapidly upward.
"Still ascending?" I inquired, feeling as if I were addressing chaos.
"Still ascending!" came the answer.
"How much higher do we go?"
"Clear above this bank. It will be pleasanter."
The words had a strange unnatural sound, as if coming from under thewater. My body was the only objective reality in all creation, and eventhe more distant parts of that showed a tendency to evade me. Stillonward and upward, with nothing to prove our motion save the feelingwhich the vessel imparted. Suddenly a flood of sunlight enveloped us,and we rose like a duck out of the water into another element. Amilk-white sea was spread beneath; a dazzling sky above. Again Torrencewas at his screws and levers. We halted, and trembled for a moment inmidair, preparatory to changing our course; and then, with the rush of asudden gale, went swirling ahead in the opposite direction. A minutelater he looked at the register and said:
"Altitude, eight thousand two hundred. Speed, a mile a minute. Course,northeast by north!"
And now the Hullites could amuse themselves speculating how long itwould take us to reach London, while we swept on to the North Sea.
Our present altitude was unpleasantly cold, and the atmosphereperceptibly rarefied, but it was not the intention to remain at such anelevation longer than necessary, and when well beyond the English coastwe would descend to our former level. It was here that a strange sightattracted our attention.
As the sun worn down, our milky ocean became transfused with color. Atfirst the change was slight, merely a rosy flush caught against thehigher points; but quickly the entire surface was emblazoned; floodedwith a million dyes of liquid fire, of a depth and splendor that wasdazzling. Such purples, greens, and violets--vivid, intense, pale, andshadowy. It was as if we had suddenly discovered the polychromatic seaof an unknown planet, but a se
a whose waters were strangely lacking inspecific gravity and from whose surface a myriad eddies of violet andother colored smokes arose like incense, curling, twisting, and falling,and constantly changing tone, shape, and density over the entire mass.
We were bewildered--dazed. While looking down upon this marvelouspanorama we were suddenly startled by a sight I shall never forget. Fardown to the east another air ship was following at tremendous speed.Black and forbidding it plunged along through the fiery waves, as ifbent on running us down. It was the counterpart of our own vessel. Weseized each other's hands in amazement, overcome with horror. Sobrilliant was the scene below that it was an instant before we realizedthat the awful object was our own phantom, or shadow, cast upon theclouds beneath; but during that instant it was a terrifying sight.
When the sun disappeared we were left in the dull gray of twilight, andas the cold was increasing began at once descending to a lower level.Again the cloud drift was about us, darker and denser than ever; but wequickly passed through it, and I was surprised on emerging, to find theNorth Sea beneath, and the bluffs of Scarborough fading in the distance.
"There is no danger of our being sighted from land now!" said Torrence,checking our descent, and fixing the altitude at about five hundred feetabove the sea, He also reduced our speed to its former rate, twenty-fivemiles an hour, which he said was fast enough. The temperature here waswarm and pleasant, with light breeze from the southwest, which, by theby, we did not catch, as we were moving faster, in the oppositedirection, making our own wind. The sea was deserted, and the landbarely visible. It would still be some time before dark, and we tookplaces on deck to watch out for vessels. We had purposely taken acourse away from the track of the Wilson steamers, which ply betweenDrontheim and Hull; not that it was a matter of any vital importance,but Torrence wanted to keep our movements from the public if possible.This was easily done, both by reason of an extended horizon and theenormous speed we could develop if necessary.
As darkness came on we went below, closing the shutters to all lookouts,so as not to reveal our position, and then lighted a swinging lamp,deriving all necessary ventilation from above, whence no light wasvisible. Having thus shut ourselves in from the observation of theworld, we set about getting supper. Nothing could be more cosy;suspended in midair, and surrounded with every luxury, while partakingof our evening meal. The consciousness of absolute independence of theworld; the sense of power, which our command of the situation imparted,was, to say the least, extremely gratifying. The feudal lord in hiscastle might be harried and captured by an enemy; but our enemies couldbe laughed at with impunity. After supper we amused ourselves with anexperiment at dish washing, which proved very satisfactory. The plateswere simply piled into a net and lowered to the sea by a cord. Afterswishing about for a while, they were drawn up clean. Of course wedropped our level to within forty or fifty feet of the water, andgreatly slackened speed during the performance, but it saved a lot oftrouble. On completing these housekeeping arrangements we climbed up ondeck, for a chat and smoke before retiring.
The night was dark, there being no moon, and the sky overcast, besidewhich the air was misty. We kept our position well above allmast-heads, should there be any, and took extra precaution to prevent acertain nimbus-like reflection against the mist by putting out thelights as soon as supper was over.
Torrence touched his controller, and we rose to our former altitude,remarking that our course only insured us against collision withsteamers; and that sailing ships were liable to be found wherever therewas water enough to float them.
"And there is no danger of dropping to a lower level unawares?" I asked.
"Such a thing is impossible!" he replied. "The air ship has just suchan antipathy for earth as her vibrations impart. It is like thenegative pole of a magnet, and unless my controllers move of their ownaccord, which is an impossibility, the vessel must remain upon just sucha plane as I put her."
"How about our being discovered in the morning? Will you run up into theclouds again?"
"No," he said, "let them discover us. I was only anxious to deludethose Hullites into the belief that we had really gone back to London.If we are seen to-morrow, they won't find it out until the next day, andthey are welcome to all the satisfaction it will give them. One thing iscertain; they will never follow where we are going!"
"No," I replied, "not if we succeed in reaching the Pole!"
"There is no _if_ in this matter," said Torrence, "for straight throughthe Arctic regions we go, and without many stations either. I know theroad. We 've got the machine. We're stocked with provisions andclothing. The great mystery will be solved at last. By the by, old man,hadn't you better keep a record of our trip?"
"Decidedly!" I replied.
From that time, whenever possible, I wrote up the account of thisvoyage, beginning with our landing in London; and the present voluminouspaper is the result.
At 11 o'clock Torrence insisted on my going below to bed, while hecontinued the watch above. It was a strange sensation, this crawlinginto a bunk to sleep on an air ship, but I was exhausted with theexcitement of the day, and soon fell into a sound slumber, rocked by thegentle swaying of the car. Nothing could have been more soothing thanthe situation; though why I should have felt no fear of falling was amystery, possibly induced by the negation of gravity which pervaded allmy surroundings, and perhaps, to a certain extent, even penetrated myown body; though this is only a surmise.
If I dreamed, I do not know it, but was awakened while it was still darkby the sound of music. Sitting up, I listened in amazement. Severalinstruments were distinctly audible, and these were accompanied by halfa dozen voices. Probably every one is familiar with the ravishing charmof music while sleeping, and I awoke enraptured with this unearthlyfascination, believing at first that the sound had only been in mydreams; but to my amazement it continued. I recalled immediately whereI was, and my astonishment was only increased on remembering oursingular isolation. There could be no doubt about it--there weremusical instruments, and there were human voices--but where out ofheaven or earth did they come from. Slowly I crawled down from my bunkand groped my way through the dividing curtains to Torrence's; but hewas not there. I thought it must be nearly morning but evidently he hadnot come to bed. Had he crossed the North Sea and landed without myknowledge? I could not believe it; nor could I think that we hadreturned to England. I pinched myself and bit my finger to make surethat I was awake, and then slowly felt the way into the saloon, andhaving reached the ladder, commenced climbing above, with a horrid dreadof some awful catastrophe having befallen us. I stepped out upon thedeck and looked around. The dull red glow of Torry's cigar caught myeye; for there he was in the gloom, still sitting where I had left him,his chair against the rail, and his arm hanging over. Evidently he waslooking at something below, and leaning outward, did not see me. Herethe music was even clearer than it had been below, and I paused for amoment in dumb amazement to listen. The instruments were well played,and the voices strong and thrilling, with a wild pathos. I glanced outover the taffrail. The misty waters were still spread around us, and theswish of the waves was distinctly heard. Feeling as though suddenlybewitched, I groped my way toward Torrence, who at that moment caughtsight of me. He raised his hand, and said softly:
"Hush! Do not speak a word!"
I moved cautiously along to his elbow.
"What is it?" I whispered; "where are we, and what does this musicmean?"
Taking me by the arm, he said in a low voice:
"We are floating just above the masthead of a Norwegian bark. The menare having a little frolic on board, and are playing and singing!"
He then went on to explain how he had overhauled the bark shortly afterI had gone below, and hearing the music had dropped a little andslackened speed to enjoy it.
I looked over the rail and a weird sight it was. Just below, throughthe turgid atmosphere, was the huge silhouette of the ship, magnified inthe fog. A few
lights were visible along her deck, and near the centerwas a reddish glow through which shadowy figures moved and danced. Nodetail was visible. Nothing but the shifting shadows and the light, andthe great mass of the vessel. It was like a huge kinetoscope, with theaddition of music.
"The fellows are having a good time!" said Torrence; "sometimes in riftsof the fog we can see them more distinctly. Far from home, and with agood-natured skipper, there is nothing to prevent their enjoyingthemselves!"
At one moment the shadows would form a circle, when one would step intothe glowing center and perform some fantastic evolutions to the music.The whole scene was wild and weird in the extreme. A pink nebulosityfrom out which dark mysterious figures were forever coming and going,dancing, falling, and jumping.
We lingered quite awhile, looking and listening without their having asuspicion of our proximity, and then Torrence, with a sudden burst ofenthusiasm over one of the performers, shouted "Hooray," at the top ofhis voice. Instantly the music stopped, and every man, seized withpanic, looked aloft; but we were dark and silent, and gave no token.Slowly we rose again in the air, and in another minute had left theNorwegian bark far behind. It was a queer experience, and I have oftenwondered how those people explained the mystery of the heavenward voice.