CHAPTER XXIX
Out of the Depths
Epworth, Joan, and Billy soon grew weary of life with the Selinites.They were banqueted, honored in every way possible, and assuredconstantly of the gratitude and friendship of Moawha and her people.But the people were little, the houses were small, life was narrowedto investigations of the interior of the moon, and what they couldlearn from the Selinite scientists.
In addition to this Epworth felt that it was his duty to go back tothe Aerolite, and give aid to the colonists. They had made himco-leader with Toplinsky; and they expected him to give them the bestadvice and help he could. It entered his mind that he could bring themdown into the interior of the moon where they could live with greaterease.
But when he spoke of this to Moawha she demurred. She had heard aboutthe colonists from Joan, and she was not impressed with the idea ofturning a lot of robbers and bad men loose among her people.
“At first, under your control, they might behave themselves,” shesaid, “but if you were to die they might decide to run wild, and annoymy people.”
“That is true,” Epworth admitted reluctantly. “I am not bragging abouttheir religious background.”
“Even if I agreed, there comes the question of getting them here. Howwould you manage that? How will you go back to them?”
“We might take them back to the earth,” Billy suggested.
“That is another problem with Toplinsky dead. Just the same I am goingto see just how easy it will be for us to fly up to the outer crustthrough Crater Agrippa.”
“When you make the attempt I go with you,” said the loyal Joan.
“Count me in it,” Billy added.
“Very well; we are on our way.”
To accomplish the ascending flight Epworth made three largemotor-gliders. Well supplied with provisions for the trip, the threehardy Americans, accompanied by Moawha, made their way to the spotwhere the hole of the crater opened out from the inner world of themoon. It was a great frowning, black hole but the hardy adventurersdid not let the looks of the route affect them. They bade Moawha apleasant farewell, climbed into their gliders, and began to pedalaround in a circle. In this manner they soon left the land of theSelinites, the light of day, and climbed up into the darkness withtheir flashlights in hand and their cavern lanterns fastened to theirheads.
The upward trip was uneventful until Epworth suddenly found himselfflying near a roof of large boulders and rocks which had not beenthere when they came down from the cricket nest. When he was joined byJoan and Billy all three flew around in a circle looking for anopening that would lead them upward.
They could find no way to go out.
“What has happened?” Billy inquired in great alarm when theydiscovered that their way out was blocked. “All these rocks were nothere when we came down.”
“It looks to me as if that terrific explosion that Toplinsky set offhas caused the insides of the crater to fall in and block all passageupward,” Epworth reasoned. “We are probably in a part of the craterwhich was narrow, and when the big boulders fell they crashedtogether.”
“That means that we are not going out,” Joan observed very quietly.She was very anxious to get out and try to get back to the earth. Ofthe three she was the one who had little interest in the inside of themoon. “I—I—had been building up great hopes.”
Epworth made a thorough examination of the rocks and debris thatblocked the way.
“We are not going out this way,” he said, shaking his head sadly. “Itlooks as if we are doomed to become Selinites.”
“Moawha and her people are very charming,” Joan added thoughtfully,“but they are not our kind of people. They like us now but theSelinites may take a notion to change rulers over night. If they didwe might not be so popular.”
“The light in the Land of the Selinites is steady, constant, and neverlets up,” Billy put in. “You have explained that to me with thestatement that the sun shines all the time through an open space inMount Leibnitz. That means that there is an outer opening in thatmountain. Why not try going out that way?”
“Billy, you are a scholar and a statesman,” Epworth declaredenthusiastically. “We will do that very thing.”
They returned to Moawha’s city, and explained to her why they couldnot go on to the outer portion of the moon. When they told her thatthey were going to try to go out through the hole in Mount Leibnitzshe immediately informed them that she would go with them as far asMount Leibnitz.
Moawha had spent her entire life in the Land of the Selinites, and theidea that there was a great ball of fire out in space and shiningthrough the outer rim of the moon was new and strange to her.
“I can’t believe that there is such a fire,” she exclaimed. “If thereis I want to see it.”
Again Epworth, Joan and Billy, accompanied by Moawha, made a journeywith a view of gaining the exterior. It was not a hard trip. All fourhad motor-gliders, and were able to fly easily over the rugged hillsand interior projections of the moon which stuck up like smallmountains.
But as they approached the great Mount Leibnitz the air grew warmerand warmer. Presently it became intensely hot, and even when theyfaced this heat they did not get a view of the sun. It was the steadyflame of sunlight reflected against the rugged interior near the southpole that created the heat.
Nevertheless Epworth insisted on pressing onward. Finally they came toa mountain that ran up into a sharp peak. This mountain reflected manyand varied coruscations, indicating that it was a large heap ofcolored stones. The heat here was almost unbearable but Epworthpersisted in his advance until the three stood on a high peak with ablazing light all around them. Epworth was the first one to climb tothe top of this peak.
“There, Moawha, is the mass of fire that makes the light and heat foryour world.”
He turned, and lifted the little queen in his arms. What she sawcaused her to cover her eyes with her hands and scream.
A great ball of blazing fire, bigger than anything Epworth had everseen, shot down at them from out of the sky. Its heat was scorching,burning, blistering. Just a few moments under that blazing glare, andtheir clothing would be scorched, their flesh would be a mass ofblisters, and they would fall down never to rise, yet this was theironly way out!
“We can’t go out here,” Joan remarked quietly, as she pulled herbrother back so that he was protected from the blazing sun by the topof the mountain. “This is just the beginning. There may be miles andmiles of heated interior before we can get out of the hole to outerspace.”
“Then we will have the same heat until we get to a point where themovements of the moon bring about the fourteen days of night.” Billy’svoice was mournful. “It looks to me that we are inside of the moon forkeeps.”
Epworth led them down the mountain side to a spot where they weregiven the shadows of the hill in a way that brought a little relieffrom the terrible blaze. When he stopped he glanced at Joan’s hat. Itwas a combination of light straw and cloth, held away from her head byfour slender slits of leather in such a way that the air percolatedthrough her hair.
Taking the hat in his hand he studied it for several moments.
“I have an idea,” he said quietly. “Let’s go back to the Land of theSelinites, and work it out.”
Blindly his companions followed him, and for two weeks Epworth workedwith the best scientists of the Land.
The result of this labor was the construction of three hollowbody-helmets of asbestos, held away from the skin of the body so thatair could percolate between the asbestos and their bodies. Air helmetsfor their heads were also made of asbestos. In addition to this, theycovered their gliders with asbestos. Over all Epworth spread a coat ofaluminum.
Thus prepared they flew again to the South Pole. Moawha went withthem.
“I am not going to let my good friends leave me as long as I can seethem,” she assured them. “Maybe you will have to come back again. Ihope so. But if you do not you shall know that Moawha loves you, andwants you w
ith her.”
It was a solemn parting. They left Moawha standing on the shady sideof Mount Leibnitz’ peak waving her hand at them, and crying softly.
All three sprang into the air at the same time. Epworth jockeyed hisglider near to Joan, and pointed upward. Upward meant straight into ablazing sun without any signs of land around them until they passedout of the crater.
“That for the heat!” shouted Billy when he got up into the glare ofthe sun, and discovered that the improvised protection would in a wayanswer the purpose. “I can stand a little heat.”
But he had no idea of the heat he would have to stand. Soon hediscovered that he had spoken joyfully too soon.
It was an endless fiery furnace. Hour after hour they circled upwardand outward. The hole in Mount Leibnitz proved of enormous size; theheat was greater than any they had ever encountered.
Fortunately Epworth had brought his binoculars with him, and usingthese, and his natural orientation, he was able to keep near thewestern line of the crater and know when they had left the inner partof the moon and had gained the outer portion.
Then began another long, wearisome journey, traveling over the surfaceof the moon without a compass. Putting the sun to their backs thethree flew on, and on and on. But to give all the details of thatterrible trip through blinding, blazing heat would necessitate avolume. They found some diminution in the heat after leaving thecrater of Mount Leibnitz. Had it not been so they would never haveaccomplished their journey.
But finally they got to the Sea of Vapours and the lake that Toplinskyhad made. Here they met with a pleasant surprise.
Epworth and Billy were of the opinion that they would experience muchtrouble in learning to operate the Aerolite. The nearer they got tothe Rocket ship the more depressed they became because of this idea.
But when they landed near the Aerolite they were met by MichaelStrauss. He greeted them joyfully.
“You are just in time,” he said, shaking their hands heartily. “I havebeen digging into Toplinsky’s desk. The giant left hidden there someblue prints of the Aerolite, and instructions about controlling it,and directing its course. These instructions are simple to a navigatorand mechanic, and now that Toplinsky is dead I will undertake to guidethe Rocket back to the earth.”
Gladly Epworth placed the matter in Michael’s hands after he had readthe instructions, and under Michael’s skillful navigation the trip wasmade safely.
Naturally Toplinsky’s moon colonization scheme fell through butEpworth gave the colonists time to disappear from the Arctic camp, andthen he and Joan and Billy found their way back to America, and sentgovernment planes to recover the loot Toplinsky had stolen.
But one mystery always remained to trouble the astronomers. What hadmade the dark spot near the corner of the Sea of Vapours, and why didit gradually vanish?
THE END
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