CHAPTER X
The Rescue
Seaton and Crane drove the Skylark in the direction indicated by theunwavering object-compass with the greatest acceleration they couldstand, each man taking a twelve-hour watch at the instrument board.
Now, indeed, did the Skylark justify the faith of her builders, and thetwo inventors, with an exultant certainty of their success, flew outbeyond man's wildest imaginings. Had it not been for the haunting fearfor Dorothy's safety, the journey would have been one of pure triumph,and even that anxiety did not prevent a profound joy in the enterprise.
"If that misguided mutt thinks he can pull off a stunt like that and getaway with it, he's got another think coming," asserted Seaton, aftermaking a reading on the other car after several days of the flight. "Hewent off half-cocked this time, for sure, and we've got him foul. We'dbetter put on some negative pretty soon hadn't we, Mart? Only a littleover a hundred light-years now."
Crane nodded agreement and Seaton continued:
"It'll take as long to stop, of course, as it has taken to get out here,and if we ram them--GOOD NIGHT! Let's figure it out as nearly as wecan."
They calculated their own speed, and that of the other vessel, as shownby the various readings taken, and applied just enough negativeacceleration to slow the Skylark down to the speed of the otherspace-car when they should come up with it. They smiled at each other inrecognition of the perfect working of the mechanism when the huge vesselhad spun, with a sickening lurch, through a complete half-circle, theinstant the power was reversed. Each knew that they were actuallytraveling in a direction that to them seemed "down," but with aconstantly diminishing velocity, even though they seemed to be stillgoing "up" with an increasing speed.
Until nearly the end of the calculated time the two took turns asbefore, but as the time of meeting drew near both men were on the alert,taking readings on the object-compass every few minutes. Finally Craneannounced:
"We are almost on them, Dick. They are so close that it is almostimpossible to time the needle--less than ten thousand miles."
Seaton gradually increased the retarding force until the needle showedthat they were very close to the other vessel and maintaining a constantdistance from it. He then shut off the power, and both men hurried tothe bottom window to search for the fleeing ship with their powerfulnight-glasses. They looked at each other in amazement as they feltthemselves falling almost directly downward, with an astoundingacceleration.
"What do you make of it, Dick?" asked Crane calmly, as he brought hisglasses to his eyes and stared out into the black heavens, studded withmultitudes of brilliant and unfamiliar stars.
"I don't make it at all, Mart. By the feel, I should say we were fallingtoward something that would make our earth look like a pin-head. Iremember now that I noticed that the bus was getting a little out ofplumb with the bar all this last watch. I didn't pay much attention toit, as I couldn't see anything out of the way. Nothing but a sun couldbe big enough to raise all this disturbance, and I can't see any closeenough to be afraid of, can you?"
"No, and I cannot see the Steel space-car, either. Look sharp."
"Of course," Seaton continued to argue as he peered out into the night,"it is theoretically possible that a heavenly body can exist largeenough so that it could exert even this much force and still appear nolarger than an ordinary star, but I don't believe it is probable. Giveme three or four minutes of visual angle and I'll believe anything, butnone of these stars are big enough to have any visual angle at all.Furthermore...."
"There is at least half a degree of visual angle!" broke in his friendintensely. "Just to the left of that constellation that looks so muchlike a question mark. It is not bright, but dark, like a very darkmoon--barely perceptible."
Seaton pointed his glass eagerly in the direction indicated.
"Great Cat!" he ejaculated. "I'll say that's some moon! Wouldn't thatrattle your slats? And there's DuQuesne's bus, too, on the right edge.Get it?"
As they stood up, Seaton's mood turned to one of deadly earnestness, anda grave look came over Crane's face as the seriousness of theirsituation dawned upon them. Trained mathematicians both, they knewinstantly that that unknown world was of inconceivable mass, and thattheir chance of escape was none too good, even should they abandon theother craft to its fate. Seaton stared at Crane, his fists clenched anddrops of perspiration standing on his forehead. Suddenly, with agony inhis eyes and in his voice, he spoke.
"Mighty slim chance of getting away if we go through with it, oldman.... Hate like the devil.... Have no right to ask you to throwyourself away, too."
"Enough of that, Dick. You had nothing to do with my coming: you couldnot have kept me away. We will see it through."
Their hands met in a fierce clasp, broken by Seaton, as he jumped to thelevers with an intense:
"Well, let's get busy!"
In a few minutes they had reduced the distance until they could plainlysee the other vessel, a small black circle against the faintly luminousdisk. As it leaped into clear relief in the beam of his powerfulsearchlight, Seaton focused the great attractor upon the fugitive carand threw in the lever which released the full force of that mightymagnet, while Crane attracted the attention of the vessel's occupants bymeans of a momentary burst of solid machine-gun bullets, which he knewwould glance harmlessly off the steel hull.
* * * * *
After an interminable silence, DuQuesne drew himself out of his seat. Hetook a long inhalation, deposited the butt of his cigarette carefully inhis ash tray, and made his way to his room. He returned with three heavyfur suits provided with air helmets, two of which he handed to thegirls, who were huddled in a seat with their arms around each other.These suits were the armor designed by Crane for use in exploring thevacuum and the intense cold of dead worlds. Air-tight, braced with finesteel netting, and supplied with air at normal pressure from small tanksby automatic valves, they made their wearers independent of surroundingconditions of pressure and temperature.
"The next thing to do," DuQuesne stated calmly, "is to get the copperoff the outside of the ship. That is the last resort, as it robs us ofour only safeguard against meteorites, but this is the time forlast-resort measures. I'm going after that copper. Put these suits on,as our air will leave as soon as I open the door, and practically anabsolute vacuum and equally absolute zero will come in."
As he spoke, the ship was enveloped in a blinding glare and they werethrown flat as the vessel slowed down in its terrific fall. The thoughtflashed across DuQuesne's mind that they had already entered theatmosphere of that monster globe and were being slowed down and setafire by its friction, but he dismissed it as quickly as it hadcome--the light in that case would be the green of copper, not thisbluish-white. His next thought was that there had been a collision ofmeteors in the neighborhood, and that their retardation was due to theouter coating. While these thoughts were flickering through his mind,they heard an insistent metallic tapping, which DuQuesne recognizedinstantly.
"A machine-gun!" he blurted in amazement. "How in...."
"It's Dick!" screamed Dorothy, with flashing eyes. "He's found us, justas I knew he would. You couldn't beat Dick and Martin in a thousandyears!"
The tension under which they had been laboring so long suddenlyreleased, the two girls locked their arms around each other in ahalf-hysterical outburst of relief. Margaret's meaningless words andDorothy's incoherent praises of her lover and Crane mingled with theirracking sobs as each fought to recover self-possession.
DuQuesne had instantly mounted to the upper window. Throwing back thecover, he flashed his torch rapidly. The glare of the searchlight wassnuffed out and he saw a flashing light spell out in dots and dashes:
"Can you read Morse?"
"Yes," he signalled back. "Power gone, drifting into...."
"We know it. Will you resist?"
"No."
"Have you fur pressure-suits?"
"Yes."
"Put th
em on. Shut off your outer coating. Will touch so your upper dooragainst our lower. Open, transfer quick."
"O. K."
* * * * *
Hastily returning to the main compartment, he briefly informed the girlsas to what had happened. All three donned the suits and stationedthemselves at the upper opening. Rapidly, but with unerring precision,the two ships were brought into place and held together by theattractor. As the doors were opened, there was a screaming hiss as theair of the vessels escaped through the narrow crack between them. Thepassengers saw the moisture in the air turn into snow, and saw the airitself first liquefy and then freeze into a solid coating upon the metalaround the orifices at the touch of the frightful cold outside--theabsolute zero of interstellar space, about four hundred sixty degreesbelow zero in the every-day scale of temperature. The moisture of theirbreath condensed upon the inside of the double glasses of their helmets,rendering sight useless.
DuQuesne seized her and tossed her lightly through thedoorway in such a manner that she would not touch the metal, which wouldhave frozen instantly anything coming into contact with it.]
Dorothy pushed the other girl ahead of her. DuQuesne seized her andtossed her lightly through the doorway in such a manner that she wouldnot touch the metal, which would have frozen instantly anything cominginto contact with it. Seaton was waiting. Feeling a woman's slender formin his arms, he crushed her to him in a mighty embrace, and wasastonished to feel movements of resistance, and to hear a strange,girlish voice cry out:
"Don't! It's me! Dorothy's next!"
Releasing her abruptly, he passed her on to Martin and turned just intime to catch his sweetheart, who, knowing that he would be there andrecognizing his powerful arms at the first touch, returned his embracewith a fierce intensity which even he had never suspected that she couldexert. They stood motionless, locked in each other's arms, whileDuQuesne dove through the opening and snapped the door shut behind him.
The air-pressure and temperature back to normal, the cumbersome suitswere hastily removed, and Seaton's lips met Dorothy's in a long,clinging caress. DuQuesne's cold, incisive voice broke the silence.
"Every second counts. I would suggest that we go somewhere."
"Just a minute!" snapped Crane. "Dick, what shall we do with thismurderer?"
Seaton had forgotten DuQuesne utterly in the joy of holding hissweetheart in his arms, but at his friend's words, he faced about andhis face grew stern.
"By rights, we ought to chuck him back into his own tub and let him goto the devil," he said savagely, doubling his fists and turning swiftly.
"No, no, Dick," remonstrated Dorothy, seizing his arm. "He treated usvery well, and saved my life once. Anyway, you mustn't kill him."
"No, I suppose not," grudgingly assented her lover, "and I won't,either, unless he gives me at least half an excuse."
"We might iron him to a post?" suggested Crane, doubtfully.
"I think there's a better way," replied Seaton. "He may be able to workhis way. His brain hits on all twelve, and he's strong as a bull. Ourchance of getting back isn't a certainty, as you know." He turned toDuQuesne.
"I've heard that your word is good."
"It has never been broken."
"Will you give your word to act as one of the party, for the good of usall, if we don't iron you?"
"Yes--until we get back to the earth. Provided, of course, that Ireserve the right to escape at any time between now and then if I wishto and can do so without injuring the vessel or any member of the partyin any way."
"Agreed. Let's get busy--we're altogether too close to that dud there tosuit me. Sit tight, everybody, we're on our way!" he cried, as he turnedto the board, applied one notch of power, and shut off the attractor.The Skylark slowed down a trifle in its mad fall, the other vesselcontinued on its way--a helpless hulk, manned by a corpse, falling todestruction upon the bleak wastes of a desert world.
"Hold on!" said DuQuesne sharply. "Your power is the same as mine was,in proportion to your mass, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"Then our goose is cooked. I couldn't pull away from it with everythingI had, couldn't even swing out enough to make an orbit, eitherhyperbolic or elliptical around it. With a reserve bar you will be ableto make an orbit, but you can't get away from it."
"Thanks for the dope. That saves our wasting some effort. Ourpower-plant can be doubled up in emergencies, thanks to Martin'scautious old bean. We'll simply double her up and go away from here."
* * * * *
"There is one thing we didn't consider quite enough," said Crane,thoughtfully. "I started to faint back there before the full power ofeven one motor was in use. With the motor doubled, each of us will beheld down by a force of many tons--we would all be helpless."
"Yes," added Dorothy, with foreboding in her eyes, "we were allunconscious on the way out, except Dr. DuQuesne."
"Well, then, Blackie and I, as the huskiest members of the party, willgive her the juice until only one of us is left with his eyes open. Ifthat isn't enough to pull us clear, we'll have to give her the wholeworks and let her ramble by herself after we all go out. How about it,Blackie?" unconsciously falling into the old Bureau nickname. "Do youthink we can make it stop at unconsciousness with double power on?"
DuQuesne studied the two girls carefully.
"With oxygen in the helmets instead of air, we all may be able to standit. These special cushions keep the body from flattening out, as itnormally would under such a pressure. The unconsciousness is simply asuffocation caused by the lateral muscles being unable to lift theribs--in other words, the air-pumps aren't strong enough for the addedwork put upon them. At least we stand a chance this way. We may livethrough the pressure while we are pulling away, and we certainly shalldie if we don't pull away."
After a brief consultation, the men set to work with furious haste.While Crane placed extra bars in each of the motors and DuQuesne madecareful observations upon the apparent size of the now plainly visibleworld toward which they were being drawn so irresistibly, Seatonconnected the helmets with the air-and oxygen-tanks through a valve uponthe board, by means of which he could change at will the oxygen contentof the air they breathed. He then placed the strange girl, who seemeddazed by the frightful sensation of their never-ending fall, upon one ofthe seats, fitted the cumbersome helmet upon her head, strapped hercarefully into place, and turned to Dorothy. In an instant they were ineach other's arms. He felt her labored breathing and the wild beating ofher heart, pressed so closely to his, and saw the fear of the unknown inthe violet depths of her eyes, but she looked at him unflinchingly.
"Dick, sweetheart, if this is good-bye...."
He interrupted her with a kiss.
"It isn't good-bye yet, Dottie mine. This is merely a trial effort, tosee what we will have to do to get away. Next time will be the time toworry."
"I'm not worried, really ... but in case ... you see ... I ... we ..."
The gray eyes softened and misted over as he pressed his cheek to hers.
"I understand, sweetheart," he whispered. "This is not good-bye, but ifwe don't pull through we'll go together, and that is what we both want."
As Crane and DuQuesne finished their tasks, Seaton fitted hissweetheart's helmet, placed her tenderly upon the seat, buckled theheavy restraining straps about her slender body, and donned his ownhelmet. He took his place at the main instrument board, DuQuesnestationing himself at the other.
"What did you read on it, Blackie?" asked Seaton.
"Two degrees, one minute, twelve seconds diameter," replied DuQuesne."Altogether too close for comfort. How shall we apply the power? One ofus must stay awake, or we'll go on as long as the bars last."
"You put on one notch, then I'll put on one. We can feel the bus jumpwith each notch. We'll keep it up until one of us is so far gone that hecan't raise the bar--the one that raises last will have to let the shiprun for thirty minutes or an hour, then cut down his
power. Then theother fellow will revive and cut his off, for an observation. How'sthat?"
"All right."
* * * * *
They took their places, and Seaton felt the vessel slow down in itshorrible fall as DuQuesne threw his lever into the first notch. Heresponded instantly by advancing his own, and notch after notch thepower applied to the ship by the now doubled motor was rapidlyincreased. The passengers felt their suits envelope them and began tolabor for breath. Seaton slowly turned the mixing valve, a little witheach advance of his lever, until pure oxygen flowed through the pipes.The power levers had moved scarcely half of their range, yet minutes nowintervened between each advance instead of seconds, as at the start.
As each of the two men was determined that he would make the lastadvance, the duel continued longer than either would have thoughtpossible. Seaton made what he thought his final effort and waited--onlyto feel, after a few minutes, the upward surge telling him that DuQuesnewas still able to move his lever. His brain reeled. His arm seemedparalyzed by its own enormous weight, and felt as though it, the rollingtable upon which it rested, and the supporting framework were soimmovably welded together that it was impossible to move it even thequarter-inch necessary to operate the ratchet-lever. He could not movehis body, which was oppressed by a sickening weight. His utmost effortsto breathe forced only a little of the life-giving oxygen into hislungs, which smarted painfully at the touch of the undiluted gas, and hefelt that he could not long retain consciousness under such conditions.Nevertheless, he summoned all his strength and advanced the lever onemore notch. He stared at the clock-face above his head, knowing that ifDuQuesne could advance his lever again he would lose consciousness andbe beaten. Minute after minute went by, however, and the acceleration ofthe ship remained constant. Seaton, knowing that he was in sole controlof the power-plant, fought to retain possession of his faculties, whilethe hands of the clock told off the interminable minutes.
After an eternity of time an hour had passed, and Seaton attempted tocut down his power, only to find with horror that the long strain had soweakened him that he could not reverse the ratchet. He was still able,however, to give the lever the backward jerk which disconnected thewires completely--and the safety straps creaked with the sudden stressas, half the power instantly shut off, the suddenly released springstried to hurl five bodies against the ceiling. After a few minutesDuQuesne revived and slowly cut off his power. To the dismay of both menthey were again falling!
DuQuesne hurried to the lower window to make the observation, remarking:
"You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din."
"Only because you're so badly bunged up. One more notch would've got mygoat," replied Seaton frankly as he made his way to Dorothy's side. Henoticed as he reached her, that Crane had removed his helmet and wasapproaching the other girl. By the time DuQuesne had finished theobservation, the other passengers had completely recovered, apparentlynone the worse for their experience.
* * * * *
"Did we gain anything?" asked Seaton eagerly.
"I make it two, four, thirteen. We've lost about two minutes of arc. Howmuch power did we have on?"
"A little over half--thirty-two points out of sixty possible."
"We were still falling pretty fast. We'll have to put on everythingwe've got. Since neither of us can put it on we'll have to rig up anautomatic feed. It'll take time, but it's the only way."
"The automatic control is already there," put in Crane, forestallingSeaton's explanation. "The only question is whether we will live throughit--and that is not really a question, since certain death is the onlyalternative. We must do it."
"We sure must," answered Seaton soberly.
Dorothy gravely nodded assent.
"What do you fellows think of a little plus pressure on the oxygen?"asked Seaton. "I think it would help a lot."
"I think it's a good idea," said DuQuesne, and Crane added:
"Four or five inches of water will be about all the pressure we canstand. Any more might burn our lungs too badly."
The pressure apparatus was quickly arranged and the motors filled tocapacity with reserve bars--enough to last seventy-two hours--thescientists having decided that they must risk everything on one trialand put in enough, if possible, to pull them clear out of the influenceof this center of attraction, as the time lost in slowing up to changebars might well mean the difference between success and failure. Wherethey might lie at the end of the wild dash for safety, how they were toretrace their way with their depleted supply of copper, what otherdangers of dead star, planet, or sun lay in their path--all these wereterrifying questions that had to be ignored.
* * * * *
DuQuesne was the only member of the party who actually felt anycalmness, the quiet of the others expressing their courage in facingfear. Life seemed very sweet and desirable to them, the distant earth avery Paradise! Through Dorothy's mind flashed the visions she had builtup during long sweet hours, visions of a long life with Seaton. As shebreathed an inaudible prayer, she glanced up and saw Seaton standingbeside her, gazing down upon her with his very soul in his eyes. Neverwould she forget the expression upon his face. Even in that crucialhour, his great love for her overshadowed every other feeling, and nothought of self was in his mind--his care was all for her. There was along farewell caress. Both knew that it might be goodbye, but both weresilent as the violet eyes and the gray looked into each other's depthsand conveyed messages far beyond the power of words. Once more headjusted her helmet and strapped her into place.
As Crane had in the meantime cared for the other girl, the men againtook their places and Seaton started the motor which would automaticallyadvance the speed levers, one notch every five seconds, until the fullpower of both motors was exerted. As the power was increased, he turnedthe valve as before, until the helmets were filled with pure oxygenunder a pressure of five inches of water.
Margaret Spencer, weakened by her imprisonment, was the first to loseconsciousness, and soon afterward Dorothy felt her senses leave her. Ahalf-minute, in the course of which six mighty surges were felt, as moreof the power of the doubled motor was released, and Crane had gone,calmly analyzing his sensations to the last. After a time DuQuesne alsolapsed into unconsciousness, making no particular effort to avoid it, ashe knew that the involuntary muscles would function quite as wellwithout the direction of the will. Seaton, although he knew it wasuseless, fought to keep his senses as long as possible, counting theimpulses he felt as the levers were advanced.
"Thirty-two." He felt exactly as he had before, when he had advanced thelever for the last time.
"Thirty-three." A giant hand shut off his breath completely, though hewas fighting to his utmost for air. An intolerable weight rested uponhis eyeballs, forcing them backward into his head. The universe whirledabout him in dizzy circles--orange and black and green stars flashedbefore his bursting eyes.
"Thirty-four." The stars became more brilliant and of more variegatedcolors, and a giant pen dipped in fire was writing equations andmathematico-chemical symbols upon his quivering brain. He joined thecircling universe, which he had hitherto kept away from him by mainstrength, and whirled about his own body, tracing a logarithmic spiralwith infinite velocity--leaving his body an infinite distance behind.
"Thirty-five." The stars and the fiery pen exploded in a wildcoruscation of searing, blinding light and he plunged from his spiralinto a black abyss.
* * * * *
In spite of the terrific stress put upon the machine, every partfunctioned perfectly, and soon after Seaton had lost consciousness thevessel began to draw away from the sinister globe; slowly at first,faster and faster as more and more of the almost unlimited power of themighty motor was released. Soon the levers were out to the last notchand the machine was exerting its maximum effort. One hour and anobserver upon the Skylark would have seen that the apparent size of the
massive unknown world was rapidly decreasing; twenty hours and it was sofar away as to be invisible, though its effect was still great; fortyhours and the effect was slight; sixty hours and the Skylark was out ofrange of the slightest measurable force of the monster it had left.
Hurtled onward by the inconceivable power of the unleashed copper demonin its center, the Skylark flew through the infinite reaches ofinterstellar space with an unthinkable, almost incalculablevelocity--beside which the velocity of light was as that of a snail tothat of a rifle bullet; a velocity augmented every second by a quantityalmost double that of light itself.