CHAPTER VIII.
A HUNDRED MILES A MINUTE IN AN AERENOID.
Reon was at his place by the levers when I stepped into the aerenoid,and as I closed and fastened the steel door, we slowly rose, anddescribing a large circle, sailed toward the canal. As the sun was nowlow in the heavens, numerous open aerenoids were to be seen, but thesewere soon passed, and within a few minutes we had reached the branchcanal where our speed increased.
My thoughts were now turned to the long journey before me. So deeplyabsorbed had I been in the rapid events since I left the observatory,that I had given little thought to time. My great happiness at meetingand being with Zarlah had caused me to forget completely the importanceof returning to the observatory within two hours, and as the thoughtnow flashed through my mind, I hastily consulted the time. To my greatdismay I found I had but twenty minutes in which to cover quarter ofMars. This I knew was possible, but it left such a narrow margin thatany delay or accident, en route, would prove disastrous to our plans,thus bringing fatal consequences.
We had now reached the large canal in which we had attained such greatspeed, and, rising, we proceeded to pass over it. As we crossed thebanks there came a rushing sound from beneath us, as of a mighty gust ofwind, and, looking through one of the small windows in the side of thecar, I saw in the distance a speck, which, in another moment,disappeared. Our aerenoid now gently rocked with the motion of a boatthat is in the swell of a passing steamer, and I instantly realized thatanother aerenoid, travelling at a terrific speed, had passed in thecanal beneath us.
We had now reached the canal that ran parallel to the one over which wehad just passed. This was in every way similar to the first and was usedby aerenoids going in an opposite direction. Into this canal we turned,sinking lower as our speed increased, until, when we had reached ourmaximum speed, we were travelling not more than thirty feet above thewater. Thus, whenever necessary, we were ready for an instant plunge inorder to reduce our speed, and thus did this simple rule of startinghigh and sinking lower as the speed increased make collisionsimpossible.
As it was late in the afternoon when we started, the daylight soonfaded, and in a few minutes we had reached complete darkness, the doubleline of lights on the canal banks being our only guide. Anxiously did Icount the minutes as we sped along, but knowing the danger ofdistracting Reon's attention, even for a moment, while we weretravelling at such a terrific speed, I kept silent, nor did I allow mymanner to give any evidence of my anxiety.
I now realized that if I reached the observatory in time, I would owe mylife to Zarlah. Twice had she reminded me of my duties at theobservatory, and had insisted upon my immediate departure, when, underthe influence of her great beauty, I would have lingered until too late.My mind was fully determined as to how to proceed with regard torighting the wrong I felt I had done Almos, in confessing to Zarlah mylove for her. I would leave a note for him at the observatory to theeffect that I wished to communicate with him the following evening, whenI would tell him all.
The hopelessness of my love was plain, for it was Almos whom she loved,and she believed also that Almos had confessed his love to her; and,with a lover's conviction that everyone must love the one he loves, Ifelt that Almos undoubtedly loved Zarlah. Indeed, it was probably hisaffection for her through which I had silently won her confession. Almoswould then have no cause to regret my action, and Zarlah would neverknow the strange circumstances that had brought them together. Thus didI picture in my mind a happy conclusion to my selfish and precipitateaction, which, I had feared at first, must bring overwhelming sorrow andhumiliation into three lives, two of which were dearer to me than any onEarth.
I was roused from these meditations by the sudden roar of rushing watersas, in order to reduce speed, we plunged along the surface of thecanal. We were nearing our destination at last, and my mind at oncereverted to the now imminent danger--that of arriving at the observatoryonly to find that the wave contact with Paris had ceased, and I was toolate ever to return to the world from which I had come. In such a case,I determined to write a brief account of my experiences to Almos, and,after arranging the current of super-radium so that it would convey myspirit out of the virator (whither I knew not), I would then enter thevirator and deliver the body to its rightful owner.
Although I determined upon this course as being clearly my duty, in theevent of my being too late to return to Earth, the desperate nature ofsuch a proceeding roused me to action. We had now risen from the canaland were floating slowly in the air at a considerable height. Strivinghard to suppress my agitation, I urged Reon to make more speed, and heat once responded by increasing the power. As it was now after midnightin this part of Mars, we were in no danger of encountering smallaerenoids in our flight, and in a few moments, to my great relief, Idistinguished the observatory lying far beneath us. Describing circlesover the building, we slowly descended and in a few seconds we hadreached the balcony.
Thanking my companion with a hearty handshake (which came perfectlynatural even on Mars), I bade him adieu, and, stepping on to thebalcony, made my way into the observatory with all haste. Everything wasin the condition I had left it, and I was greatly relieved to find thatthe necessary time for the process of departure still remained, beforewave contact with Paris ceased. My heart now went out in true gratitudeand love to her who, in the simple desire to do what was right, hadplaced duty before her love, and had thus been of such inestimableservice to me.
Immediately upon my arrival, I had prepared the virator for my journeyback to Earth by substituting the projecting apparatus of the radioscopefor the receiving apparatus. It was only necessary now to start theclockwork that would shut off the current to earth in half an hour, andwould start the current flowing through the upper chamber of thevirator.
After having written a brief note to Almos, saying that I wished tocommunicate with him the following evening before making another visit,I made a hasty examination of the current of super-radium which nowflowed through the virator to Earth from the projecting apparatus. Theinstant my spirit was released, it would be caught up in this currentand conveyed to my body, where it lay in my rooms in Paris. In half anhour the clockwork would shut off the current flowing to Earth, andwould then turn on the current which flowed through the upper chamber ofthe virator, thus transferring Almos' spirit back to the body, as it layin the lower chamber.
All was in perfect order, but it was not without a feeling of reluctanceand anxiety that I stepped into the virator and, after carefullyfastening the door, prepared the cone of chloroform. I realized thatthere were many dangers attending the return journey that were notpresent in my journey to Mars. If I had erred in my calculation of thetime the super-radium current could be kept on my body in Paris, or ifmy body had moved in that time, it would undoubtedly mean death to me;and the thought of whether Almos, in such a case, would learn of myfate on the morrow flashed through my mind. Realizing the danger of suchapprehensions, not only from the loss of valuable time which theyoccupied, but also from the fact that they tended to unnerve me at themoment when hesitation meant death, I quickly fastened the chloroformcone over my face and inhaled the fumes.
A moment's consciousness--a flickering light--
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