\"Modestyforbidshissaying,\"saidDeepwaters,\"thatitwouldn\'tdoforthecountrytohaveallitseggsinonebasket。\"
\"Areyounotafraidyouwillfindthesurfacehot,orevenmolten？\"askedVice—PresidentDumby。\"Withitseighty—sixthousandfivehundredmilediameter,theamountoforiginalinternalheatmusthavebeenterrific。\"
\"No,saidCortlandt,\"itcannotbemolten,orevenintheleastdegreeluminous,for,ifitwere,itssatelliteswouldbevisiblewhentheyenteritsshadow,whereastheyentirelydisappear。\"
\"IdonotbelieveJupiter\'ssurfaceisevenperceptiblywarm,\"
saidBearwarden。\"WeknowthatAlgol,knowntotheancientsasthe\'DemonStar,\'andseveralothervariablestars,areaccompaniedbyadarkcompanion,withwhichtheyrevolveaboutacommoncentre,andwhichperiodicallyobscurespartoftheirlight。Now,someofthesenon—luminariesarenearlyaslargeasoursun,and,ofcourse,manyhundredtimesthesizeofJupiter。
Ifthesebodieshavelostenoughheattobeinvisible,Jupiter\'ssurfaceatleastmustbenearlycold。\"
\"Inthephosphorescenceofseawater,\"saidCortlandt,\"andinotherinstancesinNature,wefindlightwithoutheat,andwemaysoonbeabletoproduceitintheartsbyoxidizingcoalwithouttheinterventionofthesteamengine;butweneverfindanyconsiderableheatwithoutlight。\"
\"Iamconvinced,\"saidBearwarden,\"thatweshallfindJupiterhabitableforintelligentbeingswhohavebeendevelopedonamoreadvancedspherethanitself,thoughIdonotbelieveithasprogressedfarenoughinitsevolutiontoproducethem。IexpecttofinditinitsPalaeozoicorMesozoicperiod,whileoverahundredyearsagotheEnglishastronomer,Chambers,thoughtthatonSaturntherewasgoodreasonforsuspectingthepresenceofsnow。\"
\"Whatsortofspaceshipdoyouproposetohave？\"askedthevice—president。
\"Asyouhavetopassthroughbutlittleair,\"saidDeepwaters,\"I
shouldsuggestashort—strokecylinderoflargediameter,withaflatbaseanddomeroof,composedofaluminum,or,stillbetter,ofglucinumorberylliumasitissometimescalled,whichistwiceasgoodaconductorofelectricityasaluminum,fourtimesasstrong,andisthelightestofallknownmetals,havingaspecificgravityofonlytwo,whichlastpropertywillbeofgreatusetoyou,forofcoursethemoreweightyouhavetopropelthemoreapergeticrepulsionyouwillhavetodevelop。\"
\"Iwillgetsomedrawing—paperIleftoutsideinmytrap,\"saidAyrault,\"whenwithyourideaswemayarriveatsomethingdefinite,\"sayingwhich,helefttheroom。
\"Heseemsverycynicalinhisideasoflifeandtheworldingeneral,\"saidSecretaryStillman,\"foramanofhisage,andonethatisengaged。\"
\"Yousee,\"repliedBearwarden,\"hisfianceeisnotyetasenior,beingintheclassoftwothousandandoneatVassar,andsocannotmarryhimforayear。NottillnextJunecanthissweetgirlgraduatecomeforthwithhermortar—boardandsheepskintoenlightentheworldandmakehimhappy。Thatis,Isuspect,onereasonwhyheproposedthistrip。\"
CHAPTERVII。
HARDATWORK。
InafewmomentsAyraultreturnedwithpencils,apairofcompasses,andpaper。
\"Letussee,inthefirstplace,\"saidDeepwaters,\"howlongthejourneywilltake。Sinceastonefalls16。09feetthefirstsecond,and64+feetthenext,itiseasytocalculateatwhatrateyourspeedwouldincreasewiththerepulsiontwicethatoftheordinarytraction。ButIthinkthiswouldbetooslow。Itwillbebesttotrebleorquadrupletheapergeticcharge,whichcaneasilybedone,inwhichcaseyourspeedwillexceedthemuzzle—velocityofaprojectilefromalong—rangegun,inafewseconds。Astheearth\'srepulsiondecreases,theattractionofmarsandJupiterwillincrease,and,therebeingnoresistance,yourgaitwillbecomemoreandmorerapidtillitisnecessarytoreversethechargetoavoidbeingdashedtopiecesorbeingconsumedlikeafallingstarbythefrictioninpassingthroughJupiter\'satmosphere。Youcanbeonthesafesidebycheckingyourspeedinadvance。Youmust,ofcourse,becarefultoavoidcollisionswithmeteorsandasteroidsbutifyoudo,theywillbeofusetoyou,forbyattractingorrepellingthemyoucanchangeyourcoursetosuityourself,andalsotheirsininverseratiototheirmasses。Jupiter\'smoonswillbelikeheadandsternlinesinenablingyoutochoosethepartofthesurfaceonwhichyouwishtoland。Withapergyitisasessentialtohavesomeheavybodyonwhichtowork,withinrange,astohavewateraboutaship\'spropellers。Whether,whenapergyisdeveloped,gravitationistemporarilyannulled,orreversedlikethelateattractionofamagnetwhenthecurrentischanged,orwhetheritismerelyoverpowered,inwhichcaseyourmotionwillbetheresultantofthetwo,isanunsettledandnotveryimportantpoint;for,thoughweknowbutlittlemoreofthenatureofelectricitythanwasknownahundredyearsago,thisdoesnotpreventourproducingandusingit。\"
\"Jupiter,wheninopposition,\"hecontinued,\"isabout380,000,000milesfromus,andittakeslight,whichtravelsattherateof190,000milesasecond,justthirty—fourminutestoreachtheearthfromJupiter。Ifwesupposetheaveragespeedofyourshiptobeone—five—hundredthasgreat,itwilltakeyoujustelevendays,nineteenhoursandtwentyminutestomakethejourney。YouwillhaveafineviewofMarsandtheasteroids,andwhen1,169,000milesfromJupiter,willcrosstheorbitofCallisto,thefifthmoonindistancefromthegiantplanet。Thatwillbeyourbestpointtosteerby。\"
\"Ithink,\"saidAyrault,\"asthatwillbethefirstmemberofJupiter\'ssystemwepass,andasitwillguideusintoport,itwouldbeagoodnameforourship,andyoumustchristenherifwehaveherlaunched。\"
\"No,no,\"saidDeepwaters,\"MissPrestonmustdothat;butwecertainlyshouldhavealaunch,foryoumighthavetolandinthewater,andyoumustbesuretheshipistight。\"
\"Talkingoftightships,\"saidBearwarden,passingadecanterofclarettoStillman,\"mayremindusthatitistimetosplicethe\'mainbrace。\'There\'sabottleofwhiskyandsomewaterjustbehindyou,\"headdedtoDeepwaters,\"whilethreeminutesafterI
ringthisbell,\"hesaid,pressingabuttonandjerkingahandlemarked\'8,\'\"thechampagnecocktailswillbeonthedesk。\"
\"Iseeyouknowhisways,\"saidStillmantoBearwarden,droopinghiseyesinDeepwaters\'sdirection。
\"Oh,yes,I\'vebeenherebefore,\"repliedDeepwaters。\"Yousee,wenavymenhavetohustlenow—a—days,andcan\'tpassourtimeinahigh—backedchair,talkingplatitudes。\"
Atthismomenttherewasaslightrumbling,andeightchampagnecocktails,withthefrothstillon,andstrawsonaseparateplate,shotinandlandedonacornerofthedesk。
\"Helpyourselves,gentlemen,\"saidBearwarden,placingthemonatable;\"Ihopeweshallfindthemcold。\"
\"Doyouknow,\"saidDeepwaterstoAyrault,whilerapidlymakinghiscocktaildisappear,\"theCallisto\'scostwithitsoutfitwillbeverygreat,especiallyifyouuseglucinum,which,thoughtheidealmetalforthepurpose,comesprettyhigh？IsuggestthatyouapplytoCongressforanappropriation。Thisexperimentcomesunderthe\'PromotionofScienceAct,\'andanybillforitwouldcertainlypass。\"
\"No,indeed,\"repliedAyrault;\"theCallistotripwillbeaprivilegeandgloryIwouldnotmiss,andbuildingherwillbeapartofit。Ishallputineverythingconducivetosuccess,butwillcometotheGovernmentonlyforadvice。\"
\"Iwillsendalettertoallourambassadorsandconsuls,\"saidStillman,\"totelegraphthedepartmentanythingtheymayknoworlearnthatwillbeofuseinadjustingthebatteries,controllingthemachine,oranythingelse,andwillturnovertoyouinasuccinctformallinformationthatmayberelevant,forwithoutsuchsortingyouwouldbeoverwhelmed。\"
\"AndI,\"saidDeepwaters,\"willorderthecommandersofourvesselstogiveyouafarewellsaluteatstarting,andtopickyouupincaseyoufail。Whenyouhavedemonstratedthesuitabilityofapergy,\"hecontinued,\"andthehabitabilityofJupiterandSaturn——,which,withtheirfiveandeightmoons,respectively,andringsthrownin,mustbothbevastlysuperiortoourlittlesecond—rateglobe——wewillseewhatcanbedonetowardschangingourorbit,andifwecannotswingalittlenearertoournewworldorworlds。Thenwe\'lllower,orratherraise,theboatsintheshapeofnumerousCallistos,andhavealanding—partyreadyateachopposition,whileamanortwocanbeplacedinchargeofeachprojectiletobringitbackinballast。
Thuswemaysoonhaveregularinterplanetarylines。\"
\"Aseveryplaceseemstohavebeensettledfromsomeother,\"saidCortlandt,\"Idonotseewhy,withincreasedscientificfacilities,historyshouldnotrepeatitself,andthisbethepointfromwhichtocolonizethesolarsystem;for,forthepresentatleast,itwouldseemthatwecouldnotgetbeyondthat。\"
\"Asitwillbequiteanundertakingtochangetheorbit,saidDeepwaters,\"weshallhavetimemeanwhiletoabsorborrunoutallinferiorraces,sothatweshallnotmakethemistakeofextendingtheTowerofBabel。\"
\"Heisputtingonhiswar—paint,\"saidStillman,\"andwillsoonwantaplanettohimself。\"
\"Iseenonecessityforevenchangingtheorbit,\"saidBearwarden,\"exceptforthebenefitofthosethatremain。Ifthisattemptsucceeds,itcandoubtlessberepeated。Anincreaseineccentricitywouldmerelyshortenthejourney,ifaphelionalwayscoincidedwithopposition,whichitwouldnot。\"
\"Letusknowhowyouaregettingon,\"saidDeepwaterstoAyrault,\"andbesureyouhavetheCallistoproperlychristened。Steplivelythere,landlubbers！\"hecalledtoStillman;\"IhaveanappointmentatWashingtonatone,anditisnowtwentyminutespasttwelve。Wecanlunchontheway。\"
Ayraultimmediatelyadvertisedforbidsfortheconstructionofaglucinumcylindertwenty—fivefeetindiameter,fifteenfeethighatthesides,withadomedroof,bringingupthetotalheighttotwenty—onefeet,andwithasmallgutteraboutittocatchtherainonJupiteroranyotherplanettheymightvisit。Thesides,roof,andfloorweretoconsistoftwosheets,eachonethirdofaninchthickandsixinchesapart,thespacebetweentobefilledwithmineralwool,asaprotectionagainsttheintensecoldofspace。Therewerealsotobeseveralkeelsandsupportsunderneath,onwhichthecarshouldrest。Large,toughenedplate—glasswindowsweretobeletintotheroofandsides,andsmalleronesinthefloor,alltobefurnishedwiththickshadesandcurtains。Ayraultalsodecidedtohaveitdividedintotwostories,withceilingssixandahalftosevenandahalffeethigh,respectively,withasortofcrow\'snestorobservatoryatthetop;thefloorstobelattice—work,likethoseintheengine—roomofasteamer,sothatwhenthecarpetswererolleduptheyshouldnotgreatlyobstructtheview。Thewide,flatbaseandthelowcentreofgravitywould,hesaw,beofuseinwithstandingthehighwindsthatheknewoftenprevailedonJupiter。
Assoonaspossibleheawardedthecontract,andthenenteringhissmartelectrictrap,steeredforVassarUniversityalongwhatwastheoldpost—road——thoughitsbuilderswouldnothaverecognizeditwithitsasphaltsurface,straightenedcurves,andeasygrades——toaskhisidoltochristentheCallistowhenitshouldbefinished。
StartingfromtheupperendofCentralPark,hestoppedtobuyherabunchofviolets,andthenrantoPoughkeepsieintwohours。
SylviaPrestonwasalovelygirl,withblueeyes,brownhair,andperfectfigure,clearwhiteskin,andjusttwenty。Shewasdelightedtoseehim,andsaidshewouldlovetochristentheCallistoordoanythingelsethathewished。\"ButIamsosorryyouaregoingaway,\"shewenton。\"Ihatetoloseyouforsolong,andweshallnotevenbeabletowrite。\"
\"Whycouldn\'twebemarriednow,\"heasked,\"andgotoJupiterforourhoneymoon？\"
\"I\'mafraid,dear,\"sheanswered,\"youwouldbesorryafewyearshenceifIdidn\'ttakemydegree;and,besides,asyouhaveaskedthoseothermen,therewouldn\'tberoomforme。\"
\"Wecouldhavemadeotherarrangements,\"hereplied,\"hadIbeenabletopersuadeyoutogo。\"
\"Won\'tyoudinewithusatDelmonico\'sthisevening,andgototheplay？\"sheasked。\"Papahastakenabox。\"
\"OfcourseIwill,\"hesaid,brighteningup。\"Whatareyougoingtowear？\"
\"Oh,Isupposesomethinglightandcool,forit\'ssohot,\"sheanswered。
\"I\'llgonow,soastobeready,\"hesaid,gettingupandgoingtowardsthedoortowhichSylviafollowedhim。
Amaninliverystoodatthestepofthephaeton。Ayraultgotinandturnedonthecurrent,andhismanclimbedupbehind。
OnturningintothemainroadAyraultwasabouttoincreasehisspeed,whenSylvia,whohadtakenashortcutappearedatthewaysidecarryingherhatinonehandandherglovesintheother。
\"Icouldn\'tletyougoallbyyourself,\"shesaid。\"Thefactis,Iwantedtobewithyou。\"
\"Youarethesweetestthingthateverlived,andI\'llloveyouallmydays,\"hesaid,gettingdownandhelpingSylviatotheseatbesidehim。\"Whatanuisancethisfellowbehindis！\"hecontinued——referringtothegroom——\"for,thoughheisaRussian,andspeaksbutlittleEnglish,itisunpleasanttofeelheisthere。\"
\"You\'llhavetowriteyoursweetnothings,insteadofsayingthem,\"Sylviareplied。
\"Foryoutoleavearoundforothergirlstosee,\"answeredAyraultwithasmile。
\"Idon\'tknowwhatyourothergirlsdo,\"shereturned,\"butwithmeyouaresafe。\"
Ayraultfairlymadehisphaetonspin,goingupthegradeslikeashotanddownlikeabird。OnreachingNewYork,heleftSylviaatherhouse,thenranhismachinetoaflorist\'s,whereheorderedsomeliliesandroses,andthensteeredhiswaytohisclub,wherehedressedfordinner。ShortlybeforethetimeherepairedtoDelmonico\'s——whichnamehadbecomehistorical,thoughthefoundersthemselveswerelongdead——andsatguardatatabletillSylvia,wearinghisflowersandlookingmorebeautifulthananyofthem,arrivedwithhermotherandfather,andBearwarden,whomtheyknewverywell。
\"Howaretheexamsgettingon,MissPreston？\"Bearwardenasked。
\"Prettywell,\"shereplied,withasmile。\"WehadEnglishliteratureyesterday,andnaturalhistorythedaybefore。Nextweekwehavechemistryandphilosophy。\"
\"Whatareyoutakinginnaturalhistory？\"askedBearwarden,withinterest。
\"Oh,principallyphysicalgeography,geology,andmeteorology,\"
shereplied。\"Ithinkthementrancing。\"
\"Itmustbeaconsolation,\"saidAyrault,\"whenyourbesthatisspoiledbyrain,toknowthereasonwhy。Youraverage,\"hecontinued,addressingSylvia,\"wasninetyinthesemi—annuals,andIhaven\'tadoubtthatthefinalswillmaintainyourrecordfortheyear。\"
\"Don\'tbetoosure,\"shereplied。\"Ihavebeenloafingawfully,andhadtoengagea\'grind\'asacoach。\"
Afterdinnertheywenttotheplay,wheretheysawapresentationofSocietyattheCloseoftheTwentiethCentury,whichSylviaandAyraultenjoyedimmensely。
AfewdaysaftertheDelmonicodinner,whileBearwarden,Cortlandt,andAyraultsattogetherdiscussingtheirplans,theservantannouncedAyrault\'sfamilyphysician,Dr。TubercleGerminy,whohadbeenrequestedtocall。
\"Delightedtoseeyou,doctor,\"saidAyrault,shakinghands。
\"YouknowCol。Bearwarden,ourPresident,andDr。Cortlandt——anLL。D。,however,andnotamedico。\"
\"Ihavehadthepleasure,\"repliedDr。Germiny,shakinghandswithboth。
\"Asyoumaybeaware,doctor,\"saidAyrault,whentheywereseated,\"weareabouttotakeashorttriptoJupiter,and,iftimeallows,toSaturn。Wehavecometoyou,asonefamiliarwitheveryknowngerm,forafewprecautionarysuggestionsandadviceconcerningourmedicine—chest。\"
\"Indeed！\"repliedDr。Germiny,\"athoroughknowledgeofbacteriologyisthegroundworkoftherapeutics。Itispracticallyadmittedthateveryailment,withtheexceptionofmechanicalinjuries,isthedirectresultofaspecificgerm;andeveninaccidentsandsimplefractures,nomatterwhatmaybethenatureofthebruise,amicro—organismsoonannouncesitspresence,sothatifnottheparent,itistheinseparablecompanion,infacttheshadow,ofdisease。Now,thoughnotthefirstcauseinthisinstance,ithasbeenindubitablyproved,thatmuchoftheeffect,thefeverandpain,areproducedandcontinuedbytheactive,omnipresent,sleeplesssperm。Eitherkillthemicrococcusorhealthewound,andyouarefreefromboth。Itbeing,therefore,grantedthattheillsoflifeareintheair,wehavebuttofindthepeculiarnatureofthecaseinhand,itshabits,tastes,andconstitution,inordertodestroyit。Impoverishthesoilonwhichitthrives,beforeitsarrival,ifyoucanforeseethenatureoftheinoculationtowhichyouwillbeexposed,byadilutesolutionofitself,andsupplyitonlywithwhatitparticularlydislikes。Foranalreadyestablishedtuberclerequiringrapidactionoftheblood,suchasmaywellexistamongthebirdsandvertebratesofJupiterandSaturn,Isuggestahypodermicrattlesnakeinjection,whilehydrocyanicacidandtarantulasalivamayalsocomeinwell。Thecombinationsthatsolongdestroyedushavealreadybecomeourpanacea。\"
\"Iseeyouhavethesepoisonsatyourfingers\'ends,\"saidAyrault,\"andweshallfeeltheutmostconfidenceintheremediesanddirectionsyouprescribe。\"
Theyfoundthat,inadditiontotheirmedicine—chest,theywouldhavetomakeroomforthefollowingarticles,andalsomanymore:
sixshot—guns（threedouble—barrel12—bores,threemagazine10—bores,）threerifles,threerevolvers;alargesupplyofammunition（explosiveandsolidballs）,hunting—knives,fishing—tackle,compass,sextant,geometricalinstruments,cannedfoodforfortydays,applianceforrenewingair,clothing,rubberboots,apergeticapparatus,protection—wires,aneroidbarometer,andkodaks。
CHAPTERVIII。
GOOD—BYE。
Atlastthepreparationswerecompleted,anditwasarrangedthattheCallistoshouldbeginitsjourneyateleveno\'clockA。M。,December21st——thenorthernhemisphere\'sshortestday。
Thoughsixmonths\'operationscouldhardlybeexpectedtohaveproducedmuchchangeintheinclinationoftheearth\'saxis,theautumnheldonwonderfully,andDecemberwaspronouncedverymild。FullyamillionpeoplewereinandaboutVanCortlandtParkhoursbeforethetimeannouncedforthestart,andthosenearlookedinquiringlyatthetrimlittleair—ship,that,havingdonewellonthetrialtrip,restedonherlongitudinalandtransversekeels,withabatteryofchemicalsalongside,tomakesureofafullpowersupply。
ThePresidentandhisCabinet——including,ofcourse,theshininglightsoftheStateandNavyDepartments——camefromWashington。
These,togetherwithMr。andMrs。Preston,andanumberofpeoplewithpasses,occupiedseatsarrangedatthesidesoftheplatform;whilesightseersandscientistsassembledfromeverypartoftheworld。
\"There\'sashipforyou！\"saidSecretaryStillmantotheSecretaryoftheNavy。\"She\'llnothavetobedry—dockedforbarnacles,neitherwilltheleastbreezemakethepassengerssick。\"
\"That\'sallyoulandlubbersthinkof,\"repliedDeepwaters。\"I
rememberoneofthekingsoverinEuropesaidtome,asheintroducedmetothequeen:\'YourSecretaryofStateisagreatman,butwhydoeshealwaysparthishairinthemiddle？\'
\"\'Sothatitshallnotturnhishead,\'Ireplied。
\"\'Butwithsogallantandhandsomeanofficerasyoutoleanupon,\'heanswered,\'Ishouldthinkhecouldlookdownonalltheworld。\'WhereuponIaskedhimwhathe\'dtaketodrink。\"
\"Yourapologyisaccepted,\"repliedSecretaryStillman。
CortlandtalsocamefromWashington,where,aschiefoftheGovernment\'sExpertExaminersBoard,hehadtemporaryquarters。
Bearwardensailedoverthespectators\'headsinoneoftheTerrestrialAxisStraighteningCompany\'sflyingmachines,whileAyrault,toavoidthecrowd,hadcometotheCallistoearly,andwasshowingtheinteriorarrangementstoSylvia,whohadaccompaniedhim。Shewassomewhatpiquedbecauseatthelastmomenthehadnotabsolutelyinsistedoncarryingheroff,oroffered,ifnecessary,todisplacehispresidentialandDoctor—of—Lawsfriendsinordertomakeroom。
\"Youwillhaveanidealtrip,\"shesaid,lookingoversomeastronomicalstar—chartsandphotographicmapsofJupiterandSaturnthatlayonthetable,withapairofcompasses,\"andI
hopeyouwon\'tloseyourway。\"
\"Ishallneednocompasstofindmywayback,\"repliedAyrault,\"ifIeversucceedinleavingthisplanet;neitherwillstar—chartsbenecessary,foryouwillbeamagnetstrongerthananycompass,and,comparedwithmystar,allothersaredim。\"
\"Youshouldwriteabook,\"saidSylvia,\"andputsomeofthosethingsinit。\"Shewaswearingabunchofforget—me—notsandvioletsthatshehadcutfromasmallflower—gardenofpottedplantsAyraulthadsenther,whichshehadplacedinherfather\'sconservatory。
AtthismomentthesmallchimeclocksetintheCallisto\'swood—workrangoutquartertoeleven。Asthesoundsdiedaway,Sylviabecameverypale,andbegantoregretinherwomanlywaythatshehadallowedherherotoattemptthisexperiment。
\"Oh,\"shesaid,clingingtohisarm,\"itwasverywrongofmetoletyoubeginthis。IwassodazzledbythesplendourofyourschemewhenIheardit,andsoanxiousthatyoushouldhavethegloryofbeingthefirsttosurpassColumbus,thatIdidnotrealizethefullmeaning。Ithought,also,youseemedratherreadytoleaveme,\"sheaddedgently,\"andsosaidlittle;youdonotknowhowitalmostbreaksmyheartnowthatIamabouttoloseyou。Itwasquixotictoletyouundertakethisjourney。\"
\"Anundertakerwouldhavegivenmehiskindofficesforoneevenlonger,hadIremainedhere,\"repliedAyrault。\"Icannotliveinthishumdrumworldwithoutyou。Themostsustainedexcitementcannotevenpalliatewhatseemstomelikeunrequitedlove。\"
\"ODick！\"sheexclaimed,givinghimareproachfulglance,\"youmustn\'tsaythat。Youknowyouhaveoftentoldmemyreasonforstayingandtakingmydegreewasgood。Mylotwillbeverymuchharderthanyours,foryouwillforgetmeintheexcitementofdiscoveryandadventure;butI——whatcanIdointhemidstofalltheoldassociations？\"
\"Nevermind,sweetheart,\"hesaid,kissingherhand,\"Ihaveseemedonthevergeofdespairallthetime。\"
Seeingthattheirseparationmustshortlybegin,Ayraulttriedtoassumeacheerfullook;butasSylviaturnedhereyesawaytheyweresuspiciouslymoist。
Justoneminutebeforethestarting—timeAyraulttookSylviabacktohermother,and,afterpressingherhandandhavingonelastlonglookintoher——or,asheconsideredthem,HIS——deep—seaeyes,hereturnedtotheCallisto,andwasstandingatthefootofthetelescopicaluminumladderwhenhisfriendsarrived。Asallbaggageandimpedimentabadbeensentaboardandproperlystowedthedaybefore,thetravellershadnottodobutclimbtoandenterbythesecond—storywindow。ItdistressedBearwardenthatthenorthpole\'sexactdeclinationonthe21stdayofDecember,whentheaxiswasmostinclined,couldnotbefiguredoutbythehouratwhichtheyweretostart,soastoshowwhatchange,ifany,hadalreadybeenbroughtabout,buttheastronomerswereworkingindustriously,andpromisedthat,ifitwerefinishedbymidnight,theywouldtelegraphtheresultintospacebyflash—lightcode。
Raisinghishattohisfianceeandhisprospectiveparents—in—law,Ayraultfollowedthemup。Todrawinandfoldtheladderwasbuttheworkofamoment。Astheclocksintheneighbouringsteeplesbegantostrikeeleven,Ayraulttouchedtheswitchthatwouldcorrespondtothethrottleofanengine,andthemotorsbegantoworkatrapidlyincreasingspeed。SlowlytheCallistoleftherresting—placeasaGalateamightherpedestal,only,insteadofcomingdown,sherosestillhigher。
AlargeAmericanflaghangingfromthewindow,which,astheystarted,flutteredasinasouthernzephyr,soonbegantoflapasinastiffbreezeasthecar\'sspeedincreased。Withafinalwave,atwhichabatteryoftwenty—onefield—piecesmadetheairringwithasalute,andthemultituderaisedamightycheer,theydrewitinandclosedthewindow,sealingithermeticallyinordertokeepintheairthat,hadanopeningremained,wouldsoonhavebecomerarefied。
Sylviahadwavedherhandkerchiefwiththeutmostenthusiasm,inspiteofthesadnessatherheart。Butshenowhadotheruseforitintryingtohidehertears。TheCallistowasstillgoingstraightup,withaspeedalreadyasgreatasacannonball\'s,andwasalmostoutofsight。Themultitudethenbegantodisperse,andSylviareturnedtoherhome。
LetusnowfollowtheCallisto。TheearthandJupiternotbeingexactlyinopposition,astheywouldbeifthesun,theearth,andJupiterwereinline,withtheearthbetweenthetwo,butratherasshowninthediagram,theCallisto\'sjourneywasconsiderablymorethan380,000,000miles,themeanoppositiondistance。Astheywishedtostartbydaylight——i。e。,fromthesideoftheearthturnedtowardsthesun——theycouldnotsteerimmediatelyforJupiter,butwereobligedtogoafewhundredmilesinthedirectionofthesun,thenchangetheircoursetosomethinglikeatangenttotheearth,andgettheirfinalrightdirectioninswingingnearthemoon,sincetheymustbecomparativelynearsomematerialobjecttobringapergyintoplay。
Themaximumpowerbeingturnedon,theprojectileshotfromtheearthwithtremendousandrapidlyincreasingspeed,bytheshortestcourse——i。e。,astraightline——sothatforthepresentitwasnotnecessarytosteer。Untilbeyondthelimitsoftheatmospheretheykeptthegreatestapergeticrepulsionfocusedontheupperpartoftheircylinder,sothatitspointwentfirst,andtheyencounteredleastpossibleresistance。Lookingthroughthefloorwindows,therefore,thetravellershadamostsuperbview。Theairbeingclear,theeasternborderofNorthAmericaandtheAtlanticwereoutlinedasonamap,theblueoftheoceanandbrownishcolouroftheland,withwhitesnow—patchesontheelevations,beingverymarked。TheHudsonandtheSoundappearedasclearlydefinedblueribbons,andbetweenandaroundthetwotheycouldseeNewYork。TheyalsosawtheoceandottedformileswithpointsinwhichtheyrecognizedthemarinespidersandcruisersoftheNorthAtlanticsquadron,andtheshipsonthehomestation,whichtheyknewwerewatchingthemthroughtheirglasses。
\"Isee,\"saidCortlandt,\"thatDeepwatershasbeenasgoodashisword,andhashisshipsonthewatchtorescueusincasewefail。\"
\"Yes,\"repliedBearwarden,\"heistherightsort。WhenhegavethatpromiseIknewhismenwouldbethere。\"
Theysoonperceivedthattheyhadreachedthevoidofspace,for,thoughthesunblazedwithasplendourtheyhadneverbeforeseen,thefirmamentwasintenselyblack,andthestarsshoneasatmidnight。Heretheybegantochangetheircoursetoacurvebeginningwithaspiral,bychargingtheCallistoapergetically,anddirectingthecurrenttowardsthemoon,toactasanaidtothelunarattraction,whilestillallowingtheearthtorepel,andtheirmotiongraduallybecametheresultantofthetwoforces,thechangefromastraightlinebeingsogradual,however,thatforsomeminutestheyscarcelyperceivedit。Thecoronalstreamersaboutthesun,suchasarevisibleonearthduringatotaleclipse,shonewithahaloagainsttheultra—Cimmerianbackground,burstingforthtoaheightoftwentyorthirtythousandmilesabovethesurfaceinvastcyclonicstorms,producingsorapidamotionthatacolumnofincandescentgasmaymovetenthousandmilesinlessthantenminutes。
Whetherthesegreatstreakswereinpartelectricalphenomenasimilartotheauroraborealis,orentirelyofintenselyheatedmaterialthrownupbyexplosionswithinthesun\'smass,theycouldnottellevenfromtheirpointofvantage。
\"Ibelieve,\"saidCortlandt,pointingtothestreamers,\"thattheyaremassesofgasthrownbeyondthesun\'satmosphere,whichexpandenormouslywhenthepressuretowhichtheyaresubjectedinthesunisremoved——foronlyinspacefreedfromresistancecouldtheymoveatsuchvelocities,andthattheirbrilliancyisincreasedbygreatelectricaldisturbance。Iftheywereentirelytheplayofelectricalforces,theirchangeofplacewouldbepracticallyinstantaneous,which,howeverrapidtheirmovement,isnotthecase。\"
BOOKII。
CHAPTERI。
THELASTOFTHEEARTH。
Findingthattheywererapidlyswingingtowardstheirpropercourse,andthattheearthinitsjourneyaboutthesunwouldmoveoutoftheirway,theydividedtheirpowerbetweenrepellingthebodytheyhadleftandincreasingtheattractionofthemoon,andthensetaboutgettingtheirhouseinorder。
Bearwarden,havingthelargestappetite,waselectedcook,theotherssagelydiviningthatlaboursolargelyforhimselfwouldbenotrial。Theirsmallbutbusiness—like—lookingelectricrangewasthereforesooninfullblast,withBearwardenincommand。Ithadenoughcurrenttoprovideheatforcookingforfourhundredhours,whichwasanamplemargin,andithadthisadvantage,that,nomatterhowmuchitwasused,itcouldnotexhausttheairasanyotherformofheatwould。
Therewerealsoanumberofsixteen—candle—powerincandescentlamps,sothatwhenpassingthroughtheshadowofaplanet,oratnightaftertheirarrivalonJupiter,theircarwouldbebrightlyilluminated。Theyhadalsoagoodsearch—lightforexaminingthedarksideofasatellite,orexploringthespacesinSaturn\'srings。Havinglunchedsumptuouslyoncannedchickensoup,beefalajardiniere,andpheasantthathadbeensentthembysomeoftheiradmirersthatmorning,theyputthebonesandtheglasscanthathadcontainedthesoupintothedouble—dooredpartitionorvestibule,placingalargesheetofcardboardtoactasawadbetweenthescrapsandtheoutsidedoor。Bypressingabuttontheyunfastenedtheoutsidedoor,andthearticlestobedisposedofwereshotoffbytheexpansionoftheairbetweenthecardboarddiskandtheinsidedoor;afterwhichtheoutsidedoorwasdrawnbacktoitsplacebyacurrentsentthroughamagnet,butlittlepowerbeingrequiredtorecloseitwithnoresistingatmosphericpressure。Astheelectricityranalongawirepassingthroughahermeticallysealedopeninginthefloor,therewasnowaybywhichmoreairthanthatinthevestibulecouldescape;andasthesomewhatflatspacebetweenthedoorscontainedlessthanonecubicfoot,theair—pressureinsidetheCallistocouldnotbemateriallylessenedbyafewopenings。
