A TRIP TO VENUS

A NOVEL BY JOHN MUNRO

Author of the "The Wire and the Wave, ""The Story of Electricity, " etc. , etc. 

Published in 1897 by Jarrold & Sons, London

CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER I. A MESSAGE FROM MARS

CHAPTER II. HOW CAN WE GET TO THE OTHER PLANETS?

CHAPTER III. A NEW FORCE

CHAPTER IV. THE ELECTRIC ORRERY

CHAPTER V. LEAVING THE EARTH

CHAPTER VI. IN SPACE

CHAPTER VII. ARRIVING IN VENUS

CHAPTER VIII. THE CRATER LAND

CHAPTER IX. THE FLOWER OF THE SOUL

CHAPTER X. ALUMION

CHAPTER XI. THE FLYING APE

CHAPTER XII. SUNWARD HO!

CHAPTER XIII. HOME AGAIN

 "The heaven that rolls around cries aloud to you while it displays its eternal harmony, and yet your eyes are fixed upon the earth alone. "

 DANTE. 

 "This truth within thy mind rehearse, That in a boúndless universe Is boundless better, boundless worse. 

 "Think you this mould of hopes and fears Could find no statelier than his peers In yonder hundred million spheres?"

 TENNYSON. 

A TRIP TO VENUS. 

CHAPTER I. 

A MESSAGE FROM MARS. 

While I was glancing at the _Times_ newspaper in a morning train forLondon my eyes fell on the following item:--

 A STRANGE LIGHT ON MARS. --On Monday afternoon, Dr. Krueger, who is in charge of the central bureau at Kiel, telegraphed to his correspondents:--

 "_Projection lumineuse dans région australe du terminateur de Mars observée par Javelle 28 courant, 16 heures. --Perrotin. _"

In plain English, at 4 a. M. , a ray of light had been observed on thedisc of the planet Mars in or near the "terminator"; that is to say, thezone of twilight separating day from night. The news was doublyinteresting to me, because a singular dream of "Sunrise in the Moon" hadquickened my imagination as to the wonders of the universe beyond ourlittle globe, and because of a never-to-be-forgotten experience of minewith an aged astronomer several years ago. 

This extraordinary man, living the life of a recluse in his ownobservatory, which was situated in a lonely part of the country, had, orat any rate, believed that he had, opened up a communication with theinhabitants of Mars, by means of powerful electric lights, flashing inthe manner of a signal-lantern or heliograph. I had set him down as amonomaniac; but who knows? perhaps he was not so crazy after all. 

When evening came I turned to the books, and gathered a great deal aboutthe fiery planet, including the fact that a stout man, a Daniel Lambert, could jump his own height there with the greatest ease. Very likely; butI was seeking information on the strange light, and as I could not findany I resolved to walk over and consult my old friend, Professor Gazen, the well-known astronomer, who had made his mark by a series of splendidresearches with the spectroscope into the constitution of the sun andother celestial bodies. 

It was a fine clear night. The sky was cloudless and of a deep darkblue, which revealed the highest heavens and the silvery lustre of theMilky Way. The great belt of Orion shone conspicuously in the east, andSirius blazed a living gem more to the south. I looked for Mars, andsoon found him farther to the north, a large red star, amongst the whiteof the encircling constellations. 

Professor Gazen was quite alone in his observatory when I arrived, andbusily engaged in writing or computing at his desk. 

"I hope I'm not disturbing you, " said I, as we shook hands; "I know thatyou astronomers must work when the fine night cometh. "

"Don't mention it, " he replied cordially; "I'm observing one of thenebulas just now, but it won't be in sight for a long time yet. "

"What about this mysterious light on Mars. Have you seen anything ofit?"

Gazen laughed. 

"I have not, " said he, "though I did look the other night. "

"You believe that something of the kind has been seen?"

"Oh, certainly. The Nice Observatory, of which Monsieur Perrotin isdirector, has one of the finest telescopes in existence, and MonsieurJavelle is well-known for his careful work. "

"How do you account for it?"

"The light is not outside the disc, " responded Gazen, "else I shouldascribe it to a small comet. It may be due to an aurora in Mars as awriter in _Nature_ has suggested, or to a range of snowy Alps, or evento a bright cloud, reflecting the sunrise. Possibly the Martians haveseen the forest fires in America, and started a rival illumination. "

"What strikes you as the likeliest of these notions?"

"Mountain peaks catching the sunshine. "

"Might it not be the glare of a city, or a powerful search-light--inshort, a signal?"

"Oh dear, no, " exclaimed the astronomer, smiling incredulously. "Theidea of signalling has got into people's heads through the outcry raisedabout it some time ago, when Mars was in 'opposition' and near theearth. I suppose you are thinking of the plan for raising and loweringthe lights of London to attract the notice of the Martians?"

"No; I believe I told you of the singular experience I had some five orsix years ago with an old astronomer, who thought he had established anoptical telegraph to Mars?"

"Oh, yes, I remember now. Ah, that poor old chap was insane. Like theastronomer in _Rasselas_, he had brooded so long in solitude over hisvisionary idea that he had come to imagine it a reality. "

"Might there not be some truth in his notion? Perhaps he was only alittle before his time. "

Gazen shook his head. 

"You see, " he replied, "Mars is a much older planet than ours. In winterthe Arctic snows extend to within forty degrees of the equator, and theclimate must be very cold. If human beings ever existed on it they musthave died out long ago, or sunk to the condition of the Eskimo. "

"May not the climate be softened by conditions of land and sea unknownto us? May not the science and civilisation of the Martians enable themto cope with the low temperature?"

"The atmosphere of Mars is as rare as ours at a height of six miles, anda warm-blooded creature like man would expire in it. "

"Like man, yes, " I answered; "but man was made for this world. We aretoo apt to measure things by our own experience. Why should we limit thepotentiality of life by what we know of this planet?"

"In the next place, " went on Gazen, ignoring my remark, "the oldastronomer's plan of signalling by strong lights was quiteimpracticable. No artificial light is capable of reaching to Mars. Thinkof the immense distance and the two atmospheres to penetrate! The manwas mad, as mad as a March hare! though why a March hare is mad I'm sureI don't know. "

"I read the other day of an electric light in America which can be seen150 miles through the lower atmosphere. Such a light, if properlydirected, might be visible on Mars; and, for aught we know, the Martiansmay have discovered a still stronger beam. "

"And if they have, the odds against their signalling just when we arealive to the possibility of it are simply tremendous. "

"I see nothing incredible in the coincidence. Two heads often conceivethe same idea about the same time, and why not two planets, if the hourbe ripe? Surely there is one and the same inspiring Soul in all theuniverse. Besides, they may have been signalling for centuries, off andon, without our knowing it. "

"Then, again, " said Gazen, with a pawky twinkle in his eye, "ourelectric light may have woke them up. "

"Perhaps they are signalling now, " said I, "while we are wastingprecious time. I wish you would look. "

"Yes, if you like; but I don't think you'll see any 'luminousprojections, ' human or otherwise. "

"I shall see the face of Mars, anyhow, and that will be a rareexperience. It seems to me that a view of the heavenly bodies through afine telescope, as well as a tour round the world, should form a partof a liberal education. How many run to and fro upon the earth, huntingfor sights at great trouble and expense, but how few even think of thatsublimer scenery of the sky which can be seen without stirring far fromhome! A peep at some distant orb has power to raise and purify ourthoughts like a strain of sacred music, or a noble picture, or a passagefrom the grander poets. It always does one good. "

Professor Gazen silently turned the great refracting telescope in thedirection of Mars, and peered attentively through its mighty tube forseveral minutes. 

"Is there any light?" I inquired. 

"None, " he replied, shaking his head. "Look for yourself. "

I took his place at the eye-piece, and was almost startled to find thelittle coppery star, which I had seen half-an-hour before, apparentlyquite near, and transformed into a large globe. It resembled a gibbousmoon, for a considerable part of its disc was illuminated by the sun. 

A dazzling spot marked one of its poles, and the rest of its visiblesurface was mottled with ruddy and greenish tints which faded into whiteat the rim. Fascinated by the spectacle of that living world, seen at aglance, and pursuing its appointed course through the illimitable ether, I forgot my quest, and a religious awe came over me akin to that feltunder the dome of a vast cathedral. 

"Well, what do you make of it?"

The voice recalled me to myself, and I began to scrutinise the dim andshadowy border of the terminator for the feeblest ray of light, but allin vain. 

"I can't see any 'luminous projection'; but what a magnificent object inthe telescope!"

"It is indeed, " rejoined the professor, "and though we have not manyopportunities of seeing it, we know it better than the other planets, and almost as well as the moon. Its features have been carefully mappedlike those of the moon, and christened after celebrated astronomers. "

"Yourself included, I hope. "

"No, sir; I have not that honour. It is true that a man I know, anenthusiastic amateur in astronomy, dubbed a lot of holes and corners inthe moon after his private friends and acquaintances, myself amongstthem: 'Snook's Crater, ' 'Smith's Bottom, ' 'Tiddler's Cove, ' and so on;but I regret to say the authorities declined to sanction hisnomenclature. "

"I presume that bright spot on the Southern limb is one of the polarice-caps, " said I, still keeping my eye on the planet. 

"Yes, " replied the professor, "and they are seen to wax and wane inwinter and summer. The reddish-yellow tracts are doubtless continents ofan ochrey soil; and not, as some think, of a ruddy vegetation. Thegreenish-grey patches are probably seas and lakes. The land and waterare better mixed on Mars than on the earth--a fact which tends toequalise the climate. There is a belt of continents round the equator:'Copernicus, ' 'Galileo, ' 'Dawes, ' and others, having long winding lakesand inlets. These are separated by narrow seas from other islands on thenorth or south, such as: 'Haze Land, 'Storm Land, ' and so forth, whichoccupy what we should call the temperate zones, beneath the poles; but Isuspect they are frigid enough. If you look closely you will see somenarrow streaks crossing the continents like fractures. These are thefamous 'Canals' of Schiaparelli, who discovered (and I wish I had hiseyes) that many of them were 'doubled, ' that is, had another canalalongside. Some of these are nearly 2, 000 miles long, by fifty milesbroad, and 300 miles apart. "

"That beats the Suez Canal. "

"I am afraid they are not artificial. The doubling is chiefly observedat the vernal equinox, our month of May, and is perhaps due to springfloods, or vegetation in valleys of the like trend, as we find inSiberia. The massing of clouds or mists will account for the peculiarwhiteness at the edge of the limb, and an occasional veiling of thelandscape. "

While he spoke, my attention was suddenly arrested by a vivid point oflight which appeared on the dark side of the terminator, and south ofthe equator. 

"Hallo!" I exclaimed, involuntarily. "There's a light!"

"Really!" responded Gazen, in a tone of surprise, not unmingled withdoubt. "Are you sure?"

"Quite. There is a distinct light on one of the continents. "

"Let me see it, will you?" he rejoined, hastily; and I yielded up myplace to him. 

"Why, so there is, " he declared, after a pause. "I suspect it has beenhidden under a cloud till now. "

We turned and looked at each other in silence. 

"It can't be the light Javelle saw, " ejaculated Gazen at length. "Thatwas on Hellas Land. "

"Should the Martians be signalling they would probably use a system oflights. I daresay they possess an electric telegraph to work it. "

The professor put his eye to the glass again, and I awaited the resultof his observation with eager interest. 

"It's as steady as possible, " said he. 

"The steadiness puzzles me, " I replied. "If it would only flash I shouldcall it a signal. "

"Not necessarily to us, " said Gazen, with mock gravity. "You see, itmight be a lighthouse flashing on the Kaiser Sea, or a night message inthe autumn manoeuvres of the Martians, who are, no doubt, very warlike;or even the advertisement of a new soap. "

"Seriously, what do you think of it?" I asked. 

"I confess it's a mystery to me, " he answered, pondering deeply; andthen, as if struck by a sudden thought, he added: "I wonder if it's anygood trying the spectroscope on it?"

So saying, he attached to the telescope a magnificent spectroscope, which he employed in his researches on the nebulæ, and renewed hisobservation. 

"Well, that's the most remarkable thing in all my professionalexperience, " he exclaimed, resigning his place at the instrument to me. 

"What is?" I demanded, looking into the spectroscope, where I coulddistinguish several faint streaks of coloured light on a darkerbackground. 

"You know that we can tell the nature of a substance that is burning bysplitting up the light which comes from it in the prism of aspectroscope. Well, these bright lines of different colours are thespectrum of a luminous gas. "

"Indeed! Have you any idea as to the origin of the blaze?"

"It may be electrical--for instance, an aurora. It may be a volcaniceruption, or a lake of fire such as the crater of Kilauea. Really, Ican't say. Let me see if I can identify the bright lines of thespectrum. "

I yielded the spectroscope to him, and scarcely had he looked into itere he cried out--

"By all that's wonderful, the spectrum has changed. Eureka! It'sthallium now. I should know that splendid green line amongst athousand. "

"Thallium!" I exclaimed, astonished in my turn. 

"Yes, " responded Gazen, hurriedly. "Make a note of the observation, andalso of the time. You will find a book for the purpose lying on thedesk. "

I did as directed, and awaited further orders. The silence was so greatthat I could plainly hear the ticking of my watch laid on the deskbefore me. At the end of several minutes the professor cried--

"It has changed again: make another note. "

"What is it now?"

"Sodium. The yellow bands are unmistakable. "

A deep stillness reigned as before. 

"There she goes again, " exclaimed the professor, much excited. "Now Ican see a couple of blue lines. What can that be? I believe it'sindium. "

Another long pause ensued. 

"Now they are gone, " ejaculated Gazen once more. "A red and a yellowline have taken their place. That should be lithium. Hey, presto!--andall was dark. "

"What's the matter?"

"It's all over. " With these words he removed the spectroscope from thetelescope, and gazed anxiously at the planet "The light is gone, " hecontinued, after a minute. "Perhaps another cloud is passing over it. Well, we must wait. In the meantime let us consider the situation. Itseems to me that we have every reason to be satisfied with our night'swork. What do you think?"

There was a glow of triumph on his countenance as he came and stoodbefore me. 

"I believe it's a signal, " said I, with an air of conviction. 

"But how?"

"Why should it change so regularly? I've timed each spectrum, and foundit to last about five minutes before another took its place. "

The professor remained thoughtful and silent. 

"Is it not by the light which comes from them that we have gained allour knowledge of the constitution of the heavenly bodies?" I continued. "A ray from the remotest star brings in its heart a secret message tohim who can read it. Now, the Martians would naturally resort to thesame medium of communication as the most obvious, simple, andpracticable. By producing a powerful light they might hope to attractour attention, and by imbuing it with characteristic spectra, easilyrecognised and changed at intervals, they would distinguish the lightfrom every other, and show us that it must have had an intelligentorigin. "

"What then?"

"We should know that the Martians had a civilisation at least as high asour own. To my mind, that would be a great discovery--the greatest sincethe world began. "

"But of little use to either party. "

"As for that, a good many of our discoveries, especially in astronomy, are not of much use. Suppose you find out the chemical composition ofthe nebulæ you are studying, will that lower the price of bread? No; butit will interest and enlighten us. If the Martians can tell us what Marsis made of, and we can return the compliment as regards the earth, thatwill be a service. "

"But the correspondence must then cease, as the editors say. "

"I'm not so sure of that. "

"My dear fellow! How on earth are we to understand what the Martianssay, and how on Mars are they to understand what we say? We have nocommon code. "

"True; but the chemical bodies have certain well-defined properties, have they not?"

"Yes. Each has a peculiarity marking it from all the rest. For example, two or more may resemble each other in colour or hardness, but not inweight. "

"Precisely. Now, by comparing their spectra can we not be led todistinguish a particular quality, and grasp the idea of it? In short, can the Martians not impress that idea on us by theirspectro-telegraph?"

"I see what you mean, " said Professor Gazen; "and, now I think of it, all the spectra we have seen belong to the group called 'metals of thealkalies and alkaline earths, ' which, of course, have distinctiveproperties. "

"At first, I should think the Martians would only try to attract ournotice by striking spectra. "

"Lithium is the lightest metal known to us. "

"Well, we might get the idea of 'lightness' from that. "

"Sodium, " continued the professor, "sodium is a very soft metal, with sostrong an affinity for oxygen that it burns in water. Manganese, whichbelongs to the 'iron group, ' is hard enough to scratch glass; and, likeiron, is decidedly magnetic. Copper is red--"

"The signals for colour we might get from the spectra direct. "

"Mercury or quicksilver is fluid at ordinary temperatures, and thatmight lead us to the idea of movement--animation--life itself. "

"Having got certain fundamental ideas, " I went on, "by combining thesewe might arrive at other distinct conceptions. We might build up anideographic or glyphic language of signs--the signs being spectra. Thenumerals might be telegraphed by simple occultations of the light. Thenfrom spectra we might pass by an easy step to equivalent signals oflong and short flashes in various combinations, also made by occultingthe light. With such a code, our correspondence might go on at greatlength, and present no difficulty; but, of course, we must be able toreply. "

"If the Martians are as clever as you are pleased to imagine, we oughtto learn a good deal from them. "

"I hope we may, and I'm sure the world will be all the better for alittle superior enlightenment on some points. "

"Well, we must follow the matter up, at all events, " said the professor, taking another peep through the telescope. "For the present the Martianphilosophers appear to have shut up shop; and, as my nebula has nowrisen, I should like to do a little work on it before daybreak. Lookhere, if it's a fine night, can you join me to-morrow? We shall thencontinue our observations; but, in the meanwhile, you had better saynothing about them. "

On my way home I looked for the ruddy planet as I had done in theearlier part of the night, but with very different feelings in my heart. The ice of distance and isolation separating me from it seemed to havebroken down since then, and instead of a cold and alien star, I saw afriendly and familiar world--a companion to our own in the eternalsolitude of the universe. 

CHAPTER II. 

HOW CAN WE GET TO THE OTHER PLANETS?

The next evening promised well, and I kept my appointment, butunfortunately a slight haze gathered in the sky and prevented us frommaking further observations. While hoping in vain for it to clear away, Professor Gazen and I talked over the possibility of journeying to otherworlds. The gist of our argument was afterwards published in aconversation, entitled "Can we reach the other planets?" which appearedin _The Day after To-morrow_. It ran as follows:

_I_. (_the writer_). "Do you think we shall ever be able to leave theearth and travel through space to Mars or Venus, and the other membersof the Solar System?"

_G_. (_Checking an impulse to smile and shaking his head_), "Oh, no!Never. "

_I_. "Yet science is working miracles, or what would have beenaccounted miracles in ancient times. "

_G_. "No doubt, and hence people are apt to suppose that science can doeverything; but after all Nature has set bounds to her achievements. "

_I_. "Still, we don't know what we can and what we cannot do until wetry. "

_G_. "Not always; but in this case I think we know. The celestial bodiesare evidently isolated in space, and the tenants of one cannot pass toanother. We are confined to our own planet. "

_I_. "A similar objection might have been urged against the plan ofColumbus. "

_G_. "That was different. Columbus only sailed through unknown seas to adistant continent. We are free to explore every nook and cranny of theearth, but how shall we cross the immense void which parts us fromanother world, except on the wings of the imagination?"

_I_. "Great discoveries and inventions are born of dreams. There areminds which can foresee what lies before us, and the march of sciencebrings it within our reach. All or nearly all our great scientificvictories have been foretold, and they have generally been achieved bymore than one person when the time came. The telescope was a dream forages, so was the telephone, steam and electric locomotion, aerialnavigation. Why should we scout the dream of visiting other worlds, which is at least as old as Lucian? Ere long, and perhaps before thecentury is out, we shall be flying through the air to the variouscountries of the globe. In succeeding centuries what is to hinder usfrom travelling through space to different planets?"

_G_. "Quite impossible. Consider the tremendous distance--the lifelessvacuum--that separates us even from the moon. Two hundred and fortythousand miles of empty space. "

_I_. "Some ten times round the world. Well, is that tremendous vacuumabsolutely impassable?"

_G_. "To any but Jules Verne and his hero, the illustrious Barbicane, president of the Gun Club. "[1]

 [Footnote 1: _The Voyage à la Lune_, by Jules Verne. ]

_I_. "Jules Verne has an original mind, and his ideas, thoughextravagant, are not without value. Some of them have been realised, andit may be worth while to examine his notion of firing a shot from theearth to the moon. The projectile, if I remember, was an aluminium shellin the shape of a conical bullet, and contained three men, a dog or two, and several fowls, together with provisions and instruments. It was airtight, warmed and illuminated with coal gas, and the oxygen forbreathing was got from chlorate of potash, while the carbonic acidproduced by the lungs and gas-burners was absorbed with caustic potashto keep the air pure. This bullet-car was fired from a colossalcast-iron gun founded in the sand. It was aimed at a point in the sky, the zenith, in fact, where it would strike the moon four days later, that is, after it had crossed the intervening space. The charge ofgun-cotton was calculated to give the projectile a velocity sufficientto carry it past the 'dead-point, ' where the gravity of the earth uponit was just balanced by that of the moon, and enable it to fall towardsthe moon for the rest of the way. The sudden shock of the discharge onthe car and its occupants was broken by means of spring buffers andwater pressure. "

_G_. "The last arrangement was altogether inadequate. "

_I_. "It was certainly a defect in the scheme. "

_G_. "Besides, the initial velocity of the bullet to carry it beyond the'dead-point, ' was, I think, 12, 000 yards a second, or something likeseven miles a second. "

_I_. "His estimate was too high. An initial velocity of 9, 000 yards, orfive miles a second, would carry a projectile beyond the sensibleattraction of the earth towards the moon, the planets, or anywhere; inshort, to an infinite distance. Indeed, a slightly lower velocity wouldsuffice in the case of the moon, owing to her attraction. "

_G_. "But how are we to give the bullet that velocity? I believe thehighest velocity obtained from a single discharge of cordite, one of ourbest explosives, was rather less than 4, 000 feet, or only aboutthree-quarters of a mile per second. With such a velocity, theprojectile would simply rise to a great height and then fall back to theground. "

_I_. "Both of these drawbacks can be overcome. We are not limited to asingle discharge. Dr. S. Tolver Preston, the well-known writer onmolecular science, has pointed out that a very high velocity can be gotby the use of a compound gun, or, in other words, a gun which firesanother gun as a projectile. [2] Imagine a first gun of enormousdimensions loaded with a smaller gun, which in turn is loaded with thebullet. The discharge of the first gun shoots the second gun into theair, with a certain velocity. If, now, the second gun, at the instant itleaves the muzzle of the first, is fired automatically, say byutilising the first discharge to press a spring which can react on ahammer or needle, the bullet will acquire a velocity due to bothdischarges, and equivalent to the velocity of the second gun at the timeit was fired plus the velocity produced by the explosion of its owncharge. In this way, by employing a series of guns, fired from eachother in succession, we can graduate the starting shock, and give thebullet a final velocity sufficient to raise it against gravity, and theresistance of the atmosphere, which grows less as it advances, and sendit away to the moon or some other distant orb. "

 [Footnote 2: _Engineering_, January 13th, 1893. ]

_G_. "Your spit-fire mode of progression is well enough in theory, butit strikes me as just a little complicated and risky. I, for one, shouldn't care to emulate Elijah and shoot up to Heaven in that style. "

_I_. "If it be all right in theory, it will be all right in practice. However, instead of explosives we might employ compressed air to get therequired velocity. In the air-gun or cannon, as you probably know, aquantity of air, compressed within a chamber of the breech, is allowedsuddenly to expand behind the bullet and eject it from the barrel. Now, one might manage with a simple gun of this sort, provided it had a verylong barrel, and a series of air chambers at intervals from the breechto the muzzle. Each of these chambers, beginning at the breech, could beopened in turn as the bullet passed along the barrel, so that everyescaping jet of gas would give it an additional impulse. "

_G. _ (_with growing interest_). "That sounds neater. You might work thechambers by electricity. "

_I_. "We could even have an electric gun. Conceive a bobbin wound withinsulated wire in lieu of thread, and having the usual hole through theaxis of the frame. If a current of electricity be sent through the wire, the bobbin will become a hollow magnet or 'solenoid, ' and a plug of softiron placed at one end will be sucked into the hole. In this experimentwe have the germ of a solenoid cannon. The bobbin stands for thegun-barrel, the plug for the bullet-car, and the magnetism for theejecting force. We can arrange the wire and current so as to draw theplug or car right through the hole or barrel, and if we have a series ofsolenoids end to end in one straight line, we can switch the currentthrough each in succession, and send the projectile with gatheringvelocity through the interior of them all. In practice the barrel wouldconsist of a long straight tube, wide and strong enough to contain thebullet-car without flexure, and begirt with giant solenoids atintervals. Each of the solenoids would be excited by a powerful current, one after the other, so as to urge the projectile with acceleratingspeed along the tube, and launch it into the vast. "

_G_. "That looks still better than the pneumatic gun. "

_I_. "A magnetic gun would have several advantages. For instance, thecurrents can be sent through the solenoids in turn as quickly as wedesire by means of a commutator in a convenient spot, for instance, atthe butt end of the gun, so as to follow up the bullet with ease, andgive it a planetary flight. By a proper adjustment of the solenoids andcurrents, this could be done so gradually as to prevent a starting shockto the occupants of the car. The velocity attained by the car would, ofcourse, depend on the number and power of the solenoids. If, forexample, each solenoid communicated to the car a velocity of nine yardsper second, a thousand solenoids, each magnetically stronger thananother in going from breech to muzzle, would be required to give afinal velocity of five miles a second. In such a case, the length of thebarrel would be at least 1, 000 yards. Economy and safety would determinethe best proportions for the gun, but we are now considering thefeasibility of the project, not its cost. With regard to position andsupports, the gun might be constructed along the slope of a hill ormound steep enough to give it the angle or elevation due to the aim. Asthe barrel would not have to resist an explosive force, it should not bedifficult to make, and the inside could be lubricated to diminish thefriction of the projectile in passing through it. Moreover, it isconceivable that the car need never touch the sides, for by a properadjustment of the magnetism of the solenoids we might suspend it inmid-air like Mahomet's coffin, and make it glide along the magnetic axisof the tube. "

_G_. "It seems a promising idea for an actual gun, or an electricdespatch and parcel post, or even a railway. The bullet, I suppose, would be of iron. "

_I_. "Probably; but aluminium is magnetic in a lower degree than iron, and its greater lightness might prove in its favour. We might alsomagnetise the car, say by surrounding it with a coil of wire excitedfrom an accumulator on board. The car, of course, would be hermeticallysealed, but it would have doors and windows which could be opened atpleasure. In open space it would be warmed and lighted by the sun, andin the shadow of a planet, if need were, by coal-gas and electricity. In either case, to temper the extremes of heat or cold, the interiorcould be lined with a non-conductor. Liquefied oxygen or air forbreathing, and condensed fare would sustain the inmates; and on thewhole they might enjoy a comfortable passage through the void, takingscientific observations, and talking over their experiences. "

_G_. "It would be a novel observatory, quite free from atmospherictroubles. They might be able to make some astronomical discoveries. "

_I_. "A novel laboratory as well, for in space beyond the attraction ofthe earth there would be no gravity. The travellers would not feel asense of weight, but as the change would be gradual they would getaccustomed to it, and suffer no inconvenience. "

_G_. "They would keep their gravity in losing it. "

_I_. "The car, meeting with practically no resistance in the ether, would tend to move in the same direction with the same velocity, andanything put overboard would neither fall nor rise, but simply floatalongside. When the car came within the sensible attraction of the moon, its velocity would gradually increase as they approached each other. "

_G_. "Always supposing the aim of the gun to have been exact. You mighthit the moon, with its large disc and comparatively short range, provided no wandering meteorite diverted the bullet from its course; butit would be impossible to hit a planet, such as Venus or Mars, a merepoint of light, and thirty or forty million miles away, especially asboth the earth and planet are in rapid motion. A flying rifle-shot froma lightning express at a distant swallow would have more chance ofsuccess. If you missed the mark, the projectile would wheel round theplanet, and either become its satellite or return towards the earth likethat of Jules Verne in his fascinating romance. "

_I_. "Jules Verne, and other writers on this subject, appear to haveassumed that all the initial effort should come from the cannon. Perhapsit did not suit his literary purpose to employ any other driving force. At all events he possessed one in the rockets of Michel Ardan, thegenial Frenchman of the party, which were intended to break the fall ofthe projectile on the moon. "

_G_. "If I recollect, they were actually fired to give the car a fillipwhen it reached the dead-point on its way back to the earth. "

_I_. "Even in a vacuum, where an ordinary propeller could not act, thebullet may become a prime mover, and co-operate with the gun. A rocketcan burn without an atmosphere, and the recoil of the rushing fumes willimpel the car onwards. "

_G_. "Do you think a rocket would have sufficient power to be of anyservice?"

_I_. "Ten or twelve large rockets, capable of exerting a united backpressure of one and a half tons during five or six minutes on a car ofthat weight at the earth's surface, would give it in free space avelocity of two miles a second, which, of course, would not be lost byfriction. "

_G_. "So that it would not be absolutely necessary to give theprojectile an initial velocity of five miles a second. "

_I_. "No; and, besides, we are not solely dependent on the rocket. A jetof gas, at a very high pressure, escaping from an orifice into thevacuum or ether, would give us a very high propelling force. Bycompressing air, oxygen, or coal-gas (useful otherwise) in ironcylinders with closed vents, which could be opened, we should have astore of energy serviceable at any time to drive the car. In this way apressure or thrust of several tons on the square inch might be appliedto the car as long as we had gas to push it forwards. "

_G_. "Certainly, and by applying the pressure, whether from the rocketor the gas, to the front and sides, as well as to the rear of the car, you would be able to regulate the speed, and direct the car wherever youwanted to go. "

_I_. "Moreover, beyond the range of gravitation, we could steer andtravel by pumping out the respired air, or occasionally projecting apebble from the car through a stuffing box in the wall, or else byfiring a shot from a pistol. "

_G_. "You might even have a battery of machine guns on board, anddecimate the hosts of heaven. "

_I_. "Our bullets would fly straight enough, anyhow, and I suppose theywould hit something in course of time. "

_G_. "If they struck the earth they would be solemnly registered asfalling stars. "

_I_. "Certainly they would be burnt up in passing through the atmosphereof a planet and do no harm to its inhabitants. "

_G_. "Well, now, granting that you could propel the car, and thatalthough your gun was badly aimed you could steer towards a planet, howlong would the journey take?"

_I_. "The self-movement of the car would enable us to save time, whichis a matter of the first importance on such a trip. In the plan of JulesVerne, the bullet derives all its motion from the initial effort, andconsequently slows down as it rises against the earth's attraction, until it begins again to quicken under the gravitation of the moon. Hence his voyage to our satellite occupied four days. As we couldmaintain the velocity of the car, however, we should accomplish thedistance in thirteen hours at a speed of five miles a second, and moreor less in proportion. "

_G_. "About as long as the journey from London to Aberdeen by rail. Whatabout Mars or Venus?"

_I_. "At the same speed we should cover the 36, 000, 000 miles to theseplanets in 2, 000 hours, or 84 days, that is, about three months. With aspeed of ten miles a second, which is not impossible, we could reachthem in six weeks. "

_G_. "One could scarcely go round the world in the same time. But, having got to a planet, how are you going to land on it? Are you notafraid you will be dissipated like a meteorite by the intense heat offriction with the planet's atmosphere, or else be smashed to atoms bythe shock?"

_I_. "We might steer by the stars to a point on the planet's orbit, mathematically fixed in advance, and wait there until it comes up. Theatmosphere of the approaching planet would act as a kind of buffer, andthe fall of the car could be further checked by our means of recoil, andalso by a large parachute. We should probably be able to descend quiteslowly to the surface in this way without damage; but in case of peril, we could have small parachutes in readiness as life-buoys, and leap fromthe car when it was nearing the ground. "

_G_. "I presume you are taking into account the velocity of the planetin its orbit? That of the earth is 18 miles a second, or a hundred timesfaster than a rifle bullet; that of Venus, which is nearer the sun, is afew miles more; and that of Mars, which is further from the sun, israther less. "

_I_. "For that reason the more distant planets would be preferable toland on. Uranus, for instance, has an orbital velocity of four miles asecond, and his gravity is about three-fourths that of the earth. Moreover, his axis lies almost exactly on the plane of the ecliptic, sothat we could choose a waiting place on his orbit where the line of hisaxis lay in the direction of his motion, and simply descend on one ofhis poles, at which the stationary atmosphere would not whirl the car, and where we might also profit by an ascending current of air. Theattraction of the sun is so slight at the distance of Uranus, that astone flung out of the car would have no perceptible motion, as itwould only fall towards the sun a mere fraction of an inch per second, or some 355 feet an hour; hence, as Dr. Preston has calculated, oneounce of matter ejected from the car towards the sun every five minutes, with a velocity of 880 feet a second, would suffice to keep a car of oneand a half tons at rest on the orbit of the planet. Indeed, the vitiatedair, escaping from the car through a small hole by its own pressure, would probably serve the purpose. Just before the planet came up, and inthe nick of time we could fire some rockets, and give the car a velocityof two or three miles a second in the direction of the planet's motion, so that he would overtake us, with a speed not over great to ensure asafe descent. Our parachutes would be out, and at the first contact withthe atmosphere, the car would probably be blown away; but it would soonacquire the velocity of the planet, and gradually sink downwards to thesurface. "

_G_. "What puzzles me is how you are to get back to the earth. "

_I_. "Whoever goes must take the risk; but if, as appears likely, bothMars and Venus are inhabited by intelligent beings, we should probablybe able to construct another cannon and return the way we came. "

_G_. (_smiling_). "Well, I confess the project does not look soimpracticable as it did. After all, travelling in a vacuum seems ratherpleasant. One of these days, I suppose, we astronomers will be packed inbullets and fired into the ether to observe eclipses and comets' tails. "

_I_. "In all that has been said we have confined ourselves to ways andmeans already known; but science is young, and we shall probablydiscover new sources of energy. It may even be possible to dispense withthe gun, and travel in a locomotive car. Lord Kelvin has shown that ifLessage's hypothesis of gravitation be correct, a crystal or other bodymay be found which is lighter along one axis than another, and thus wemay be able to draw an unlimited supply of power from gravity by simplychanging the position of the crystal; for example, by raising it whenlighter, and letting it fall when heavier. This form of 'perpetualmotion' might be equally obtainable if Dr. Preston's[3] theory of anether as the cause of gravity be true. Indeed, Professor Poynting is nowengaged in searching for such a crystal, which, if discovered, willupset the second law of thermo-dynamics. I merely mention this to showthat science is on the track of concealed motive powers derived fromthe ether, and we cannot now tell what the engines of the future will belike. For ought we know, the time is coming when there will be a regularmail service between the earth and Mars or Venus, cheap trips toMercury, and exploring expeditions to Jupiter, Saturn, or Uranus. "

 [Footnote 3: _Philosophical Magazine_, February, 1895. ]

CHAPTER III. 

A NEW FORCE. 

 "SIR, "I have read your article on the possibility of travelling to the other members of the Solar system with much interest. It is a problem at which I, myself, have been working for a great many years, and I believe that I have now discovered a means of solving it in a practical manner. If you would care to see my experiments, and will do me the honour of coming here, I shall be glad to show them in confidence any time you may appoint. --Yours truly, "NASMYTH CARMICHAEL. "

The above letter, marked "Private, " was forwarded to me through theeditor of _The Day After To-morrow_. The writer of it was a totalstranger to me, even by report, and at first I did not know what to makeof it. Was the man a charlatan, or a "crank?" There were no signs ofcraziness or humbug in his frank and simple sentences. Had he reallyfound out a way of crossing the celestial spaces? In these days it isbetter not to be too sceptical as to what science will accomplish. Itis, in fact, wise to keep the mind open and suspend the judgment. We arestanding on the threshold of the Arcana, and at any hour thesearch-light of our intellect may penetrate the darkness, and reveal toour wondering gaze the depths of the inner mechanism of Nature. 

I resolved to accept his invitation. 

A few days later I presented myself at the home of my unknowncorrespondent. It was a lonely little cottage, in the midst of a wildflat or waste of common ground on the outskirts of London. I should sayit had once been the dwelling of a woodman engaged in the neighbouringforest. A tall, thick hedge of holly surrounded the large garden, andalmost concealed it from the curiosity of an occasional wanderer on theheath. 

Certainly it did not look the sort of place to find a man of science, and the old misgivings assailed my mind in greater force than ever. Halfregretting that I had come, and feeling in a dubious element, I openedthe wicket, and knocked at the door. 

It was answered by a young woman, in a plain gown of some dark stuff, with a white collar round the neck. In spite of her dress I could seethat she was not an ordinary cottage girl. Pretty, without beingbeautiful, there was a distinction in her voice and manner which bespokethe gentlewoman. With a pleasant smile, she welcomed me as one who hadbeen expected, and ushered me into a small sitting-room, poorlyfurnished, but with a taste and refinement unusual in a workman's home. A large piano stood in one of the corners, and a pile of classical musiclay on a chair beside it. The mantelpiece was decorated with cutflowers, and the walls were hung with portraits and sketches in crayonsand water-colour. 

"My father will be down in a moment, " she said, with a slight Americanaccent. "He is delighted to have the pleasure of meeting you. It is sokind of you to come. "

Before I had time to respond, Mr. Carmichael entered the parlour. He wasa man of striking and venerable presence. His long white locks, hisbulging brow, pregnant with brain, his bushy eyebrows and deep blue-greyeyes, his aquiline nose and flowing beard, gave an Olympian cast to hisnoble head. Withal, I could not help noticing that his countenance waslined with care, his black coat seamed and threadbare, his hands roughand horny, like those of a workman. If he appeared a god, it was a godin exile or disgrace; a Saturn rather than a Jove. 

"Now to the matter, " said he, after a few words of kindly welcome. "Evidently the question of inter-planetary travel is coming to thefront. In your article you suggest that a locomotive car, that is tosay, a car able to propel itself through what we, in our ignorance, callempty space, though, in reality, it is chock-full, and very 'thrang' asthe Scotch say, might yet be contrived, and even worked by energy drawnfrom the ether direct. When I read that, sir, I sat up and rubbed myeyes. "

"Your spectacles, father, " said Miss Carmichael. 

"Well, it's the same thing, " went on the old man. "For like many anotherprophet, sir, you had prophesied better than you knew. "

"How do you mean?" I inquired, with a puzzled air. 

"If you will step with me into the garden I will show you. "

I rose and followed him into a large shed, which was fitted up as aworkshop and laboratory. It contained several large benches, providedwith turning lathes and tools, a quantity of chemicals, and scientificapparatus. 

"I am going to do a thing that I have never done in my life before, "said Mr. Carmichael, in a sad and doubtful tone; "I have kept thissecret so long that it seems like parting with myself to disclose it, to disclose even the existence of it. I have fed upon it as a young manfeeds on love. It has been my nourishment, my manna in the wilderness ofthis world, my solace under a thousand trials, my inspiration from onHigh. I verily believe it has kept my old carcase together. Mind!" headded, with a penetrating glance of his grey eyes, which gleamed undertheir bushy brows like a pool of water in a cavern overhung withbrambles, "promise me that whatever you see and hear will remain asecret on your part. Never breathe a word of it to a living soul. Youare the only person, except my own daughter, whom I have ever taken intomy confidence. "

I gave him my word of honour. 

"Very well, " he continued, lifting a small metal box from one of thetables, and patting it with his hand. "I have been working at thesubject of aerial navigation for well-nigh thirty years, and this is theresult. "

I looked at the metal case, but could see nothing remarkable about it. 

"It seems a little thing, hardly worth a few pence, and yet how much Ihave paid for it!" said the inventor, with a sigh, and a far-awayexpression in his eyes. "Many a time it has reminded me of the mouse'snest that was turned up by the ploughshare. 

 "'Thy wee bit heap o' strae and stibble Has cost thee mony a weary nibble. '

Of course this is only a model. "

"A model of a flying machine?" I inquired, in a tone of surprise. 

"You may call it so, " he answered; "but it is a flying machine that doesnot fly or soar in the strict sense of the words, for it has neitherwings nor aeroplane. It is, in fact, an aerial locomotive, as you willsee. "

While he spoke, Mr. Carmichael opened the case of the instrument, andadjusted the mechanism inside. Immediately afterwards, to myastonishment, the box suddenly left his hands, and flew, or ratherglided, swiftly through the air, and must have dashed itself against thewall of the laboratory had not its master run and caught it. 

"Wonderful!" I exclaimed, forgetting the attitude of caution and reservewhich I had deemed it prudent to adopt. 

The inventor laughed with childish glee, enjoying his triumph, andstroking the case as though it were a kitten. 

"It would be off again if I would let it. Whoa, there!" said he, againadjusting the mechanism. "I can make it rise, or sink, or steer, to oneside or the other, just as I please. If you will kindly hold it for aminute, I will make it go up to the ceiling. Don't be afraid, it won'tbite you. "

I took the uncanny little instrument in my hands, whilst Mr. Carmichaelascended a ladder to a kind of loft in the shed. It only weighed a fewpounds, and yet I could feel it exerting a strong force to escape. 

"Ready!" cried the inventor, "now let go, " and sure enough, the box rosesteadily upwards until it came within his grasp. "I am going to send itdown to you again, " he continued, and I expected to see it drop like astone to the ground; but, strange to say, it circled gracefully throughthe air in a spiral curve, and landed gently at my feet. 

"You see I have entire control over it, " said Mr. Carmichael, rejoiningme; "but all you have seen has taken place in air, and you might, therefore, suppose that I have an air propellor inside, and that air isnecessary to react against it, like water against the screw of asteamboat, in order to produce the motion. I will now show you that airis not required, and that my locomotive works quite as well in avacuum. "

So saying, he put the model under a large bell-jar, from which heexhausted the air with a pump; and even then it moved about with as muchalacrity and freedom as it had done in the atmosphere. 

I confess that I was still haunted by a lingering suspicion of themachine and its inventor; but this experiment went far to destroy it. Even if the motive power was derived from a coiled spring, or compressedair, or electricity, in the box, how was it possible to make it actwithout the resistance offered by the air? Magnetism was equally out ofthe question, since no conceivable arrangement of magnets could havebrought about the movements I had seen. Either I was hypnotised, andimposed upon, or else this man had discovered what had been unknown toscience. His earnest and straightforward manner was not that of amountebank. There had been no attempt to surround his work with mystery, and cloak his demonstration in unmeaning verbiage. It is true I hadnever heard of him in the world of science, but after all an outsideroften makes a great discovery under the nose of the professors. 

"Am I to understand, " said I, "that you have found a way of navigatingboth the atmosphere and the ether?"

"As you see, " he replied, briefly. 

"What the model has done, you are able to do on a larger scale--in apractical manner?"

"Assuredly. It is only a matter of size. "

"And you can maintain the motion?"

"As long as you like. "

"Marvellous! And how is it done?"

"Ah!" exclaimed the inventor, "that is my secret. I am afraid I must notanswer that question at present. "

"Is the plan not patented?"

"No. The fact is, I have not yet investigated the subject as fully as Iwould like. My mind is not quite clear as to the causes of thephenomena. I have discovered a new field of research, and greatdiscoveries are still to be made in it. Were I to patent the machine, Ishould have to divulge what I know. Indeed, but for the sake of mydaughter, I am not sure that I should ever patent it. Even as it stands, it will revolutionise not merely our modes of travel, but ourindustries. It has been to me a labour of love, not of money; and Iwould gladly make it a gift of love to my fellowmen. "

"It is the right spirit, " said I; "and I have no doubt that a gratefulworld would reward you. "

"I wouldn't like to trust it, " replied Mr. Carmichael, with a smile andshrug of the shoulders. "How many inventors has it doomed to pine inpoverty and neglect, or die of a broken heart? How often has it stolen, aye stolen, the priceless fruits of their genius and labour? Speakingfor myself, I don't complain; I haven't had much to do with it. Mywithdrawal from it has been voluntary. I was born in the south ofScotland, and educated for the medical profession; but I emigrated toAmerica, and was engaged in one of Colonel Fremont's exploringexpeditions to the Rocky Mountains. After that I was appointed to thechair of Physical Science in a college of Louisville, Kentucky, where mydaughter was born. One day, when I was experimenting to find outsomething else, I fell by accident upon the track of my discovery, andever since I have devoted my life to the investigation. It appeared tome of the very highest importance. As time went on, I grew more and moreabsorbed in it. Every hour that I had to give to my official and socialduties seemed thrown away. A man cannot serve two masters, and as I alsofound it difficult to carry on my experiments in secrecy, I resigned mypost. I had become a citizen of the United States, but my wife was aWelshwoman, and had relations in England. So we came to London. Whenshe died, I settled in this isolated spot, where I could study in peace, enjoy the fresh air, and easily get the requisite books and apparatus. Here, with my daughter, I live a very secluded life. She is my solecompanion, my housekeeper, my servant, and my assistant in thelaboratory. She knows as much about my machine, and can work it as wellas I do myself. Indeed, I don't know what I should have done withouther. She has denied herself the ordinary amusements of her age. Herdevotion to me has been beautiful. "

The voice of the old man trembled, and I fancied I could read in hishollow eyes the untold martyrdom of genius. 

"At last, " he continued, "I have brought the matter into a practicalshape, and like many other inventors, for the first time I stand in needof advice. Happening to see your article in the Magazine, I resolved toinvite you to come and see what I have done in hopes that you might beable to advise and perhaps help me. "

"I think, " said I, after a moment's reflection, "I think the next thingto be done is to make a large working machine, and try it on a voyage. "

"Quite so, " he replied; "and I am prepared to build one that will go toany part of the earth, or explore the higher regions of the atmosphere, or go down under the sea, or even make a trip to one of the nearerplanets, Mars or Venus as the case may be. But I am poor; my littlefortune is all but exhausted, and here, at the end of the race, withinsight of the goal, I lack the wherewithal to reach it. Now, sir, if youcan see your way to provide the funds, I will give you a share in theprofits of the invention. "

I pondered his words in silence. Visions of travel through the air indistant lands, above the rhododendron forests of the Himalayas, or thegreen Savannahs of the Orinoco, the coral isles of the Pacific; yea, further still, through the starlit crypts of space to other spheres werehovering in my fancy. The singular history of the man, too, had touchedmy feelings. Nevertheless, I hesitated to accept his offer there andthen. It was hardly a proposal to decide upon without due consideration. 

"I will think it over and let you know, " said I at length. "Have you anyobjection to my consulting Professor Gazen, the well-known astronomer?He is a friend of mine. Perhaps he will be able to assist us. "

"None whatever, so long as he keeps the affair to himself. You canbring him to see the experiments if you like. All I reserve is that Ishall not be asked to explain the inner action of the machine. That mustremain a secret; but some day I hope to show you even that. "

"Thanks. "

CHAPTER IV. 

THE ELECTRIC ORRERY. 

"Half-moon Junction! Change here for Venus, Mercury, the Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune!"

So I called in the style of a Clapham railway porter, as I entered theobservatory of Professor Gazen on the following night. 

"What is the matter?" said he with a smile. "Are you imitating theofficials of the Universal Navigation Company in the distant future?"

"Not so distant as you may imagine, " I responded significantly; and thenI told him all that I had seen and heard of the new flying machine. 

The professor listened with serious attention, but manifested neitherastonishment nor scepticism. 

"What do you think about it?" I asked. "What should I do in the case?"

"Well, I hardly know, " he replied doubtfully. "It is rather out of myline, and after my experience with Mars the other night, I am notinclined to dogmatise. At all events, I should like to see and try themachine before giving an opinion. "

"I will arrange for that with the inventor. "

"Possibly I can find out something about him from my Americanfriends--if he is genuine. What's his name again?"

"Carmichael--Nasmyth Carmichael. "

"Nasmyth Carmichael, " repeated Gazen, musingly. "It seems to me I'veheard the name somewhere. Yes, now I recollect. When I was a student atCambridge, I remember reading a textbook on physics by Professor NasmythCarmichael, an American, and a capital book it was--beautifully simple, clear, and profound like Nature herself. Professors, as a rule, andespecially professors of science, are not the best writers in the world. Pity they can't teach the economy of energy without wasting that oftheir readers. Carmichael's book was not a dead system of mathematicsand figures, but rather a living tale, with illustrations drawn fromevery part of the world. I got far more help from it than the prescribedtreatises, and the best of that was a liking for the subject. I believeI should have been plucked without it. "

"The very man, no doubt. "

"He was remarkably sane when he wrote that book, whatever he is now. Asto his character, that is another question. Given a work of science, tofind the character of the author. Problem. "

"I shall proceed cautiously in the affair. Before I commit myself, Imust be satisfied by inspection and trial that there is neither trickerynor self-delusion on his part. We can make some trial trips, and gainexperience before we attempt to leave the world. "

"If you take my advice you will keep to the earth altogether. "

"Surely, if we can ascend into the higher regions of the atmosphere, wecan traverse empty space. You would have me stop within sight of thegoal. The end of travel is to reach the other planets. "

"Why not say the fixed stars when you are about it?"

"That's impossible. "

"On the contrary, with a vessel large enough to contain the necessariesof life, a select party of ladies and gentlemen might start for theMilky Way, and if all went right, their descendants would arrive therein the course of a few million years. "

"Rather a long journey, I'm afraid. "

"What would you have? A million years quotha! nay, not so much. Itdepends on the speed and the direction taken. If they were able tocover, say, the distance from Liverpool to New York in a tenth of asecond, they would get to Alpha in the constellation Centaur, perhapsthe nearest of the fixed stars, in twenty or thirty years--a merebagatelle. But why should we stop there?" went on Gazen. "Why should wenot build large vessels for the navigation of the ether--artificialplanets in fact--and go cruising about in space, from universe touniverse, on a celestial Cook's excursion--"

"We are doing that now, I believe. "

"Yes, but in tow of the Sun. Not at our own sweet will, like gipsies ina caravan. Independent, free of rent and taxes, these hollow planetoidswould serve for schools, hotels, dwelling-houses--"

"And lunatic asylums. "

"They would relieve the surplus population of the globe, " continuedGazen, warming to his theme. "It is an idea of the first politicalimportance--especially to British statesmen. The Empire is only in itsinfancy. With a fleet of ethereal gunboats we might colonise the solarsystem, and annex the stars. What a stroke of business!"

"Another illusion gone, " I observed "Think of Manchester cotton in thePleiades! Of Scotch whiskey in Orion! However, I am afraid your policywould lead to international complications. The French would set up aclaim for 'Ancient Lights. ' The Germans would discover a nebulousHinterland under their protection. The Americans would protest in thename of the Monroe Doctrine. It is necessary to be modest. Let us returnto our muttons. "

"Everybody will be able to pick a world that suits him, " pursued Gazen, still on the trail of his thought. "If he grows tired of one he can lookround for a better. Criminals will be weeded out and sent to Coventry, Imean transplanted into a worse. When a planet is dying of old age, theinhabitants will flit to another. "

"Seriously, if Carmichael's machine turns out all right, will you joinme in a trip?"

"Thanks, no. I believe I shall wait and see how you get on first. "

"And where would you advise me to go, Mars or Venus?"

The professor smiled, but I was quite in earnest. 

"Well, " he replied, "Mars is evidently inhabited; but so is Venus, probably, and of the two I think you will find her the more hospitableand the nearest. When do you propose to start?"

"Perhaps within six months. "

"We must consider their relative distances from the earth. By the way, I don't think you have seen my new electrical orrery. "

"An electrical orrery, " I exclaimed. "Surely that is something new!"

"So far as I am aware; but you never know in these days. There isnothing new under the sun, or even above it. "

So saying, he opened a small door in the side of the observatory, and, ushering me into a very dark apartment, closed it behind us. 

"Follow me, there is no danger, " said he, taking me by the arm, andguiding me for several paces into the darkness. 

At length we halted, and I looked all around me, but was unable toperceive a single object. 

"Where are we?" I enquired; "in the realms of Chaos and Old Night?"

"You are now in the centre of the Universe, " replied Gazen; "or, tospeak more correctly, at a point in space overlooking the solar system. "

"Well, I can't see it, " said I. "Have you got such a thing as a matchabout you?"

"Let there be light!" responded Gazen in a reverent manner, andinstantly a soft, weird radiance was over all. The contrast of thatsudden illumination with the preceding darkness was electrical in moresenses than one, and I could not repress a cry of genuine admiration. 

A kind of twilight still reigned, and after the first moment ofsurprise, I perceived that we were standing on a light metal gangway inthe middle of a great hollow cell of a luminous black or dark bluecolour, relieved by innumerable bright points, and resembling the nightsky in miniature. 

"I need hardly say that is a model of the celestial sphere, " whisperedGazen, indicating the starry vault. 

"It is a wonderful imitation, " I responded, my awestruck eyes wanderingover the mysterious tracts of the Milky Way and the familiarconstellations of the mimic heavens. "May I ask how it is done--how youproduce that impression of infinite distance?"

"By means of translucent shells illuminated from behind. The stars, ofcourse, are electric lamps, and some of them, as you see, have a tingeof red or blue. "

Most of the light, however, came from a brilliant globe of a bluishlustre, which appeared to occupy the centre of the crystal sphere, andwas surrounded by a number of smaller and fainter orbs that shone by itsreflected rays. 

"This, again, is a model of the solar system, " said Gazen. "The centralluminary is, of course, the sun, and the others are the planets withtheir satellites. "

"They seem to float in air. "

"That is because their supports are invisible, or nearly so. Both theirlights and periodic motions are produced by the electric current. "

"Surely they are not moving now?"

"Oh, yes, and with velocities proportionate to those of the real bodies;but you know that whilst the actual movements of the sun and planets areso rapid, the dimensions of the system are so vast that if you couldsurvey the whole from a standpoint in space, as we are supposed to do, it would appear at rest. Let us look at them a little closer. "

I followed Gazen along the gangway which encircled the orrery, andallowed us to survey each of the planets closer at hand. 

"This kind of place would make a good theatre for a class in astronomy, "said I, "or for the meetings of the Interplanetary Congress ofAstronomers, in the year 2000. You can turn on the stars and planetswhen you please. I wish you would give me a lecture on the subject now. My knowledge is a little the worse for wear, and a man ought to knowsomething of the worlds around him--especially if he intends to visitthem. "

"I should only bore you with an old story. "

"Not at all. You cannot be too simple and elementary. Regard me as asmall boy in the stage of

 "'Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are!'"

"Very well, my little man, have you any idea how many stars you can seeon a clear night?"

"Billions. "

"No, Tommy. You are wrong, my dear boy. Go to the foot of your class. With the naked eye we can only distinguish three or four thousand, butwith the telescope we are able to count at least fifty millions. Theyare thickest in the Milky Way, which, as you can see, runs all round theheavens, over your head, and under your feet, like an irregular tract ofhazy light, a girdle of stars in short. Of course we cannot tell howmany more there are beyond the range of vision, or what other galaxiesmay be scattered in the depths of space. The stars are suns, larger orsmaller than our own, and of various colours--white, blue, yellow, green, and red. Some are single, but others are held together in pairsor groups by the force of gravitation. From their immense distance theyappear fixed to us, but in reality they are flying in all directions atenormous velocities. Alpha, of the constellation Cygnus, for example, iscoming towards us at a speed of 500 million leagues per annum, and somemove a great deal faster. Most of them probably have planets circlinground them in different stages of growth, but these are invisible to us. Here and there amongst them we find luminous patches or 'nebulæ, ' whichprove to be either clusters of stars or stupendous clouds of glowinggases. Our sun is a solitary blue star on the verge of the Milky Way, 20billion miles from Alpha Centauri his next-door neighbour. He istravelling in a straight line towards the constellation Hercules at therate of 20, 000 miles an hour, much quicker than a rifle bullet; and, nevertheless, he will take more than a million years to cover thedistance. Eight large or major planets, with their satellites, and aflock of minor planets or planetoids, are revolving round him as theircommon centre and luminary at various distances, but all in the samedirection. The orbits, or paths, about the sun are ovals or ellipses, almost circular, of which the sun occupies one focus, and they are sonearly in one plane, or at one level, that if seen from the sun, theywould appear to wander along a narrow belt of the heavens, called thezodiac, which extends a few degrees on each side of the Elliptic orapparent course of the sun against the stars. The planets are allglobes, more or less flat at the poles, like an orange, and each isturning and swaying on its axis, thus exposing every part to the lightand warmth of the sun. They are divided by the planetoids into an innerand an outer band. The inner four are Mercury, Venus, the Earth, andMars; the outer four are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Moreover, a number of comets and swarms of meteoric stones or meteorites arecirculating round the sun in eccentric paths, which cross those of theplanets. Such is the solar system--a lonely archipelago in the etherealocean--a little family of worlds. "

"Not without its jars, I'm afraid. "

"The sun is chief of the clan, " continued Gazen, "and keeps it togetherby the mysterious tie of gravitation. While flying through space, heturns round his own axis like a rifle bullet in 25 or 26 days. Hisdiameter is 860, 000 miles, and although he is not much denser thansea-water, his mass is over 700 times greater than the combined mass ofall his retinue. Gravity on his surface being 28 times stronger than onthe earth, a piece of timber would be as heavy as gold there, and astone let fall would drop 460 feet the first second instead of 16 feetas here. He is built of the same kind of matter as the earth and otherplanets, but is hotter than the hottest electric arc or reverberatoryfurnace. Apparently his glowing bulk is made up of several concentricshells like an onion. First there is a kernel or liquid nucleus, probably as dense as pitch. Above it is the photosphere, the part weusually see, a jacket of incandescent clouds, or vapours, which in thetelescope is seen to resemble 'willow leaves, ' or 'rice grains in aplate of soup, ' and in the spectroscope to reveal the rays of iron, manganese, or other heavy elements. What we call 'faculæ' (or littletorches), are brighter streaks, not unlike some kinds of coral. The'Sunspots' are immense gaps or holes in the photosphere, some of them150, 000 miles in diameter, which afford us a peep at the glowinginterior. There are different theories as to their nature, hence theyprovide rival astronomers with an excellent opportunity of spotting eachother's reputations. For instance, I look upon them as eruptions, andProfessor Sylvanus Pettifer Possil (my pet aversion) regards them ascyclonic storms; consequently we never lose an opportunity of eruptingand storming at each other. Above the photosphere comes a stratum ofcooler vapours and gases, namely, hydrogen and helium, a very lightelement recently found on the earth, along with argon, in the raremineral cleveite. Tremendous jets of blazing hydrogen are seen to burstthrough the clouds of the photosphere, and play about in this higherregion like the flames of a coal fire. These are the famous 'red flames'or 'prominences, ' which are seen during a total eclipse as a raggedfringe of rosy fire about the black disc of the moon. Some of them rushthrough the chromosphere to a height of 80, 000 miles in 15 minutes. 

"Higher still is the 'corona, ' an aureole of silvery beams visible in atotal eclipse, and resembling the star of a decoration. The streamershave been traced for hundreds of thousands of miles beyond the solardisc. It appears to consist of meteoric stones, illuminated by thesunlight as well as of incandescent vapours of 'coronium, ' a very lightelement unknown on the earth, and probably, too, of electricaldischarges. The 'zodiacal light, ' that silvery glow often seen in thewest after sunset, or in the east before sunrise, may be a prolongationof it. "

"I daresay these meteorites are swarming about the sun like midges abouta lamp, " said I. 

"And just as eager to get burnt up, " replied Gazen, with a smile. "Letus pass now to the planets. The little one next the sun is Mercury, whocan be seen as a rosy-white star soon after sunset or before sunrise. Heis about 36 million miles, more or less, from the sun; travels round hisorbit in 88 days, the length of his year; and spins about his axis in24 hours, making a day and night. His diameter is 3, 000 miles, and hismass is nearly seven times that of an equal volume of water. Theattraction of gravity on his surface is barely half that on the earth, and a man would feel very light there. Mercury seems to have a denseatmosphere, and probably high mountains, if not active volcanoes. Thesunshine is from four to nine times stronger there than on the earth, and as summer and winter follow each other in six weeks, he is doubtlessrather warm. 

"Venus, the 'Shepherd's Star, ' and the brightest object in the heavensafter the moon, can sometimes be seen by day, and casts a distinctshadow at night. She is about 67 million miles from the sun, revolvesround him in 225 days, and rotates on her axis in 23 to 24 hours, or asSchiaparelli believes, in 224 days. Her diameter is 7, 600 miles, and hermass nearly five times that of an equal volume of water. Gravity israther less there than it is here. Like Mercury, she appears to have acloudy atmosphere, and very high mountains. On the whole she resemblesthe earth, but is, perhaps, a younger as well as a warmer planet. 

"The green ball, next to Venus, is, I need hardly say, our own dearlittle world. Terra, or the earth, is 93 million miles from the sun, goes round him in 365 days, and turns on her axis in 24 hours less fourminutes. Her diameter is 7, 918 miles, and her density is 5. 66 times thatof water. She is attended by a single satellite, the moon, whichrevolves round her in 27. 3 days, at a distance of 238, 000 miles. Themoon rotates on her axis in about the same time, and hence we can onlysee one side of her. She is 2, 160 miles in diameter, but her mass isonly one-eightieth that of the earth. A pound weight on the moon wouldscale six pounds on the earth. Having little or no atmosphere or water, she is apparently a dead world. 

"The red planet beyond the earth is Mars, who appears in the sky as aruddy gold or coppery star. He is 141 million miles from the sun, travels his orbit in 687 days, and wheels round his axis in 24 hours 37minutes. His diameter is 4, 200 miles, and his mass about one-ninth thatof the earth. A body weighing two pounds on the earth would only makehalf a pound on Mars. As you know, his atmosphere is clear and thin, hissurface flat, and subject to floods from the melting of the polar snows. Mars is evidently a colder and more aged planet than the earth. 

"He is accompanied by two little moons, Phobos (Fear), which is from tento forty miles in diameter, and revolves round him in 7 hours 39minutes, at a distance of 6, 000 miles, a fact unparalleled in astronomy;and Deimos (Rout), who completes a revolution in 30 hours 18 minutes, ata distance of 14, 500 miles. 

"About 400 planetoids have been discovered up to now, but we are alwayscatching more of them. Medusa, the nearest, is 198 million miles, andThule, the farthest, is 396 million miles from the sun. Vesta, thebrightest and probably the largest, a pale yellow, or, as some say, bluish white orb, visible with the naked eye, is from 200 to 400 milesin diameter. It is impossible to say which is the smallest. Probably themass of the whole is not greater than one quarter that of the earth. 

"Jupiter, surnamed the 'giant planet, ' who almost rivals Venus in hersplendour, is 480 million miles from the sun; travels round his orbit in12 years less 50 days; and is believed to whirl round his axis in 10hours. His diameter is 85, 000 miles, and his bulk is not only 1, 200times that of the earth, but exceeds that of all the other planets puttogether. Nevertheless, his mass is only 200 to 300 times that of theearth, for his density is not much greater than that of water. What wesee is evidently his vaporous atmosphere, which is marked by colouredspots and bands or belts, probably caused by storms and currents, especially in the equatorial regions. Jupiter is thought to be selfluminous, at least in parts, and is, perchance, a cooling star, not yetentirely crusted over. 

"Four or five numbered satellites, about the size of our moon andupwards, are circulating round him in orbits from 2, 000 to 1, 000, 000miles distant in periods ranging from 11 hours to 16 days 18 hours. 

"Saturn, the 'ringed planet, ' who appears as a dull red star of thefirst magnitude, is the most interesting of all the planets. He is 884million miles from the sun; his period of revolution is 29½ years, andhe turns on his axis in 10 hours 14 minutes. His diameter is 75, 000miles, but his mass is only 94 times that of the earth, for he islighter than pinewood. His atmosphere is marked with spots and belts, and on the whole his condition is like that of Jupiter. 

"Two flat rings or hoops, divided by a dark space, encircle his ball inthe plane of his equator. The inner ring is over 18, 000 miles from theball, and nearly 17, 000 miles broad. The gap between is 1, 750 mileswide, and the outer ring is over 10, 000 miles broad. The rings arebanded, bright or dark, and vary in thickness from 40 to 250 miles. Theyconsist of innumerable small satellites and meteoric stones, travellinground the ball in rather more than ten hours, and are brightest intheir densest parts. Of course they form a magnificent object in thenight sky of the planet, and it may be that our own zodiacal light isthe last vestige of a similar ring, and not an extension of the solarcorona. 

"Saturn has eight moons outside his rings, the nearest, Mimas, being115, 000, and the farthest, Japetus, 220, 400 miles from his ball. Withthe exception of Japetus, they revolve round him in the plane of hisrings, and when these are seen edgewise, appear to run along it likebeads on a string. 

"Uranus, the next planet visible, is a pale star of the sixth magnitude, 1, 770 million miles from the sun, and completes his round in 84 years. His axis, differing from those of the foregoing planets, lies almost inthe plane of his orbit, but we cannot speak as to his axial rotation. Heis 31, 000 miles in diameter, and somewhat heavier, bulk for bulk, thanwater. Four satellites revolve round him, the nearest, Ariel, being103, 500, and the farthest, Oberon, 347, 500 miles distant. Unlike theorbits of the foregoing satellites, which are nearly in the same planeas the orbits of their primaries, those of the satellites of Uranus arealmost perpendicular to his own. They are travelled in periods of twoand a half to thirteen and a half days. 

"Neptune, invisible to the naked eye, but seen as a pale blue star inthe telescope, is 2, 780 million miles from the sun, and makes arevolution in 165 years. His diameter is about 35, 000 miles, and hisdensity rather less than that of water. 

"Neptune has one satellite, at a distance of 202, 000 miles, which, likethose of Uranus, revolves about its primary in an orbit at aconsiderable angle to his own in five days twenty-one hours. BothNeptune and Uranus are probably dying suns. 

"Comets of unknown number travel in long elliptical or parabolic orbitsround the sun at great velocities. They seem to consist partly ofglowing vapours, especially hydrogen, and partly of meteoric stones. 'Shooting stars, ' that is to say, stones which fall to the earth, areknown to swarm in their wake, and are believed to be as plentiful inspace as fishes in the sea. "

"The trash or leavings of creation, " said I reflectively. 

"And the raw material, for nothing is lost, " rejoined Gazen. "Now, inspite of all its diversity, there is a remarkable symmetry in the solarsystem. The planets are all moving round the sun in one direction alongcircular paths. As a rule each is nearly as far again from the sun asthe next within it. Thus, if we take Mercury as ¾ inch from the sun, Venus is about 1¼ inches, the Earth 2¼, Mars 2, the planetoids 5¼, Jupiter 9¾, Saturn 14, Uranus 36, and Neptune 60 inches. On the samescale, by the way, Enckes' comet at Aphelion, its farthest distance fromthe sun, would be about 12 feet; Donatis almost a mile; and AlphaCentauri, a near star in the Milky Way, some ten miles. 

"The stately march of the planets in their orbits becomes slower thefarther they are from the sun. The velocity of Mercury in its orbit isthirty, that of Jupiter is eight, and that of Neptune is only threemiles a second. On the other hand, the inner planets, as a rule, takesome twenty-four hours, and the outer only ten hours to spin round theiraxis. The inner planets are small in comparison with the outer. If werepresent the sun by a gourd, 20 inches in diameter, Mercury will seem abilberry (⅟₁₆ inch) Venus, a white currant, the Earth a black currant(¼ inch), Mars a red currant (⅛ inch), the planetoids as fine seed, Jupiter an orange or peach (2 inches), Saturn a nectarine or greengage(1 inch), Uranus a red cherry (¾ inch), and Neptune a white cherry(barely 1 inch in diameter). By putting the sun and planets in a row, and drawing a contour of the whole, we obtain the figure of a dirk, abodkin, or an Indian club, in which the sun stands for the knob(disproportionately big), the inner planets for the handle, and theouter for the blade or body. Again, the average density of the innerplanets exceeds that of the outer by nearly five to one, but the mass ofany planet is greater than the combined masses of all which are smallerthan it. The inner planets derive all their light and heat from the sun, and have few or no satellites; whereas the outer, to all appearance, aresecondary suns, and have their own retinue of worlds. On the similitudeof a clan or house we may regard the inner planets as the immediateretainers of the chief, and the outer as the chieftains of their ownsepts or families. "

"How do you account for the symmetrical arrangement?" I enquired. 

"The origin of the solar system is, you know, a mystery, " replied theastronomer. "According to the nebular hypothesis we may imagine that twoor more dark suns, perhaps encircled with planets, have come intocollision. Burst into atoms by the stupendous shock they would fill thesurrounding region with a vast nebula of incandescent gases in a stateof violent agitation. Its luminous fringes would fly immeasurably beyondthe present orbit of Neptune, and then rush inwards to the centre, onlyto be driven outwards again. Surging out and in, the fluid mass wouldexpand and contract alternately, until in course of ages the fierytides would cease to ebb and flow. If the impact had been somewhatindirect it would rotate slowly on its axis, and under the influence ofgravity and centrifugal force acquire a globular shape which wouldgradually flatten to a lenticular disc. As it cooled and shrank involume it would whirl the faster round its axis, and grow the densertowards its heart. By and by, as the centrifugal force overcame gravity, the nebula would part, and the lighter outskirts would be shed one afteranother in concentric rings to mould the planets. The inner rings, beingrelatively small and heavy, would probably condense much sooner than thelarge, light, outer rings. The planetoids are apparently the rubbish ofa ring which has failed to condense into one body, perhaps through itsuniformity or thinness. The separation of so big a mass as Jupiter mightwell attenuate the border. "

"If the planetoids were born of a single small ring, might not severalplanets be condensed from a large one?"

"I see nothing to hinder it. A large ring might split into smallerrings, or condense in several centres. "

"Because it seems to me that might explain the distinction between theinner and the outer planets. Perhaps the outer were first thrown off inone immense ring, and then the inner in a smaller ring. Beforeseparation the nebula viewed edgewise might resemble your Indian club. "

"A 'dumb-bell nebula, ' like those we find in the heavens, " observedGazen. "Be that as it may, the rings would collect into balls, and someof these, especially the outer, would cast off rings which wouldcondense into moons, always excepting the rings of Saturn, which, likethe planetoids, are evidently a failure. The solar system would thenappear as a group of suns, a cluster of stars, in short, aconstellation. Each would be what we call a 'nebulous star, ' not unlikethe sun at present; that is to say, it would be surrounded by a glowingatmosphere of vapours, and perhaps meteoric matter. Under the action ofgravity, centrifugal force, and tidal retardation, their orbits wouldbecome more circular, they would gradually move further apart, rotatemore slowly on their axes, and assume the shapes they have now. Incooling down, new chemical compounds, and probably elements would beformed, since the so-called elements are perhaps mere combinations of aprimordial substance which have been produced at various temperatures. The heavier elements, such as platinum, gold, and iron, would sinktowards the core; and the lighter, such as carbon, silicon, oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen, would rise towards the surface. A crust wouldform, and portions of it breaking in or bursting out together witheruptions and floods of molten lava, would disturb the poise of theplanet, and give rise to inequalities of surface, to continents, andmountains. When the crust was sufficiently stable, sound, and cool, themists and clouds would condense into rivers, lakes, or seas, and theatmosphere would become clear. In due course life would make itsappearance. "

"Can you account for that mystery?"

"No. Science is bound in honour, no doubt, to explain all it can withoutcalling in a special act of creation; but the origin of life andintelligence seems to go beyond it, so far. Spontaneous generation fromdead matter is ruled out of court at present. We believe that life onlyproceeds from life. As for the hypothesis that meteoric stones, the'moss-grown fragments of another world' may have brought life to theearth, I hardly know what to think of it. "

"Has life ever been found on a meteoric stone?"

"Not that I know. Carbon, at all events in the state of graphite anddiamond, has been got from them. They arc generally a kind of slag, containing nodules or crystals of iron, nickle, and other metals, andlook to me as if they had solidified from a liquid or vapour. Are theyruins of an earlier cosmos--the crumbs of an exploded world--matterejected from the sun--the snow of a nebulous ring--frozen spray from thefiery surge of a nebula? we cannot tell; but, according to the meteoricas distinguished from the nebular hypothesis of the solar system, thesun, planets, and comets, as well as the stars and nebula were allgenerated by the clash of meteorites; and not as I have supposed, ofdead globes. "

"Which hypothesis do you believe?"

"There may be some truth in both, " replied Gazen. "The two processesmight even go on together. What if meteorites are simply frozen nebula?It is certain that the earth is still growing a little from the fall ofmeteoric stones, and that part of the sun's heat comes from meteoricfuel. Most of it, however, arises from the shrinkage of his bulk. Fiveor ten million years ago the sun was double the size he is now. Twentyor thirty million years ago he was rather a nebula than a sun. In fiveor ten million more he will probably be as Jupiter is now--a smokingcinder. "

"And the earth--how long is it since she was crusted over?"

"Anything from ten to several hundred million years. In that time thestratified rocks have been deposited under water, the land and sea havetaken their present configurations; the atmosphere has been purified;plants and animals have spread all over the surface. Man has probablybeen from twenty to a hundred thousand years or more on the earth, buthis civilization is a thing of yesterday. "

"How long will the earth continue fit for life?"

"Perhaps five or ten million years. The entire solar system is graduallylosing its internal heat, and must inevitably die of sheer inanition. The time is coming when the sun will drift through space, a black starin the midst of dead worlds. Perhaps the system will fall together, perhaps it will run against a star. In either case there would probablybe a 'new heaven and a new earth. '"

"Born like a phoenix from the ashes of the old, " said I, feeling thejustice of the well-worn simile. 

"I daresay the process goes on to all eternity. "

"Like enough. "

The sublime idea, with its prospect of the infinite, held us for a timein silence. At length my thoughts reverted to the original questionwhich had been forgotten. 

"Now, whether should I go to Mars or Venus?" I enquired, fixing my eyeson these planets and trying to estimate their relative distances fromthe earth. 

Gazen made a mental computation, and replied with decision, "Venus. "

"All right, " I responded. "Venus let it be. "

CHAPTER V. 

LEAVING THE EARTH. 

"Check!"

I was playing a game of chess with an old acquaintance, Viscount ----, after dinner, one evening, in the luxurious smoking-room of afashionable club in the West End of London. 

Having got his queen into a very tight corner, I sipped a glass of wine, lit a Turkish cigarette, and leaned back in my chair with an agreeablesense of triumph. 

My companion, on the other hand, puffed rapidly at his cigar, and took along drink of hot whiskey and water, then fixed his attention on theboard, and stroked his beard with an air of the deepest gravity. Had youonly seen his face at that moment you would have supposed that all thecare of a mighty empire weighed upon his shoulders. The countenance of agrand vizier, engaged in considering an ultimatum of Lord Salisbury, were frivolous in comparison. There is little doubt that if Lord ----had applied to the serious business of life as much earnest deliberationas he gave to the movement of a pawn, he would have made a verydifferent figure in Society. But having been born without any effort ofhis own to all that most men covet--rank, wealth, and title--he showed arare spirit of contentment, and did his best to make the world happierby enjoying himself. 

As he was a very slow player, I began to think of a matter which laynearer to my heart than the game, I mean the project of travelling toVenus. Tests of the new flying machine, by Professor Gazen and myself, as well as our enquiries into the character of Mr. Carmichael, havingproved quite satisfactory, I had signed an agreement for theconstruction of an ethereal ship or car, equally capable of navigatingthe atmosphere to distant regions of the globe, and of traversing theimmense reaches of empty space between the earth and the other membersof the solar system. 

As Miss Carmichael had determined to accompany her father, and assisthim in his labours, it was built to carry three persons, with room tospare for another, and the trial trips, made secretly on foggy nights, had encouraged us to undertake the longer voyage into space. I am gladto say that Professor Gazen, having taken part in one of these, had gotthe better of his caution, and finally made up his mind to join theexpedition. 

I suspect that he was influenced in his decision by the heroic exampleof Miss Carmichael. At all events I know he tried very hard to dissuadeher from going; but all his arguments could not shake her inflexibleresolution, and truly, there was something sublime in the quiet fidelityof this young woman to her aged father which commanded our admiration. 

At length, all preparations for the voyage were complete, and as we didnot wish to excite any remark, it was arranged that we should start onthe first night that was dark enough to conceal our movements. 

While these thoughts were passing through my head, a footman, in plush, entered the smoking-room, and presented a telegram on a golden salver. Anticipating the contents, I tore it open, and read as follows:

 "_We leave to-night. Come on at once. _--CARMICHAEL. "

After writing a reply to the message, I turned to the Viscount, who hadnever raised his eyes from the board, and said, "You had better give me the game. "

He simply stared at me, and asked, "Why?"

"Well, make it a draw. "

"Oh, dear no. Let's play it out. "

"I can't. I'm sorry to say I must leave you now. I have just received atelegram making an urgent appointment. When beauty calls--"

"Oh!" replied his lordship, with an amiable smile. "In that case we'llfinish it another time. I mean to win this game. "

"It will take you all your time. "

"I'll wager you ten to one--a thousand sovereigns to a hundred that Iwin. "

It is not my habit to lay wagers; but I was anxious to be gone. 

"All right, " I responded with a laugh, as I went away. "Good-night!"

On arriving at Mr. Carmichael's cottage I found the rest of the partywaiting for me. No time was lost in proceeding to the garden, where thecar stood ready to mount into the air. All the lights were out, and inthe darkness it might have been mistaken for a tubular boiler of a dumpyshape. It was built of aluminium steel, able to withstand the impact ofa meteorite, and the interior was lined with caoutchouc, which is anon-conductor of heat, as well as air-proof. The foot or basementcontained the driving mechanism, and a small cabin for Mr. Carmichael. The upper shell, or main body, of an oval contour, projected beyond thebasement, and was surmounted by an observatory and conning tower. It wasdivided into several compartments, that in the middle being the saloon, or common chamber. At one end there was a berth for Miss Carmichael, andat the other one for Professor Gazen and myself, with a snug littlesmoking cell adjoining it. Every additional cubic inch was utilised forthe storage of provisions, cooking utensils, arms, books, and scientificapparatus. 

The vessel was entered by a door in the middle, and a railed gallery ordeck ran round it outside. The interior was lighted by ports, orscuttles, of stout glass; but electricity was also at our service. Airconstantly evaporating from the liquid state would fill the rooms, andcould escape through vent holes in the walls. This artificial atmospherewas supplemented by a reserve fund of pure oxygen gas compressed insteel cylinders, and a quantity of chemicals for purifying the air. Itneed hardly be said that we did not burden the ship with unnecessaryarticles, and that every piece of furniture was of the lightest and mostuseful kind. 

I think we all felt the solemnity of the moment as we stepped into theblack hull which might prove our living coffin. No friends were by tosadden us with their parting; but the old earth had grown dearer to usnow that we were about to leave it, perhaps for ever. Mr. Carmichaeldescended by the trap into the engine room, while we others stood on thelanding beside the open door, mute and expectant. 

Presently, a shudder of the vessel sent a strange thrill to our hearts, and almost before we knew it, we had left the ground. 

"We're off!" ejaculated Gazen, and although a slight vibration was allthe movement we could feel, we saw the earth sinking away from us. Atfirst we rose very slowly, because the machine had to contend againstthe force of gravity; but as the weight of the car diminished the higherwe ascended, our speed gradually augmented, and we knew that in the longrun it would become prodigious. The night was moonless, and a thickmantle of clouds obscured the heavens; but the planet Venus was now anevening star, and after attaining a considerable height, we steeredtowards the west. Our course took us over the metropolis, which laybeneath us like a vast conflagration. 

Far as the eye could see, myriads of lights glimmered like watch firesthrough the murk of the dismal streets, growing thicker and thicker aswe approached the heart of the city, and appearing to blend theirlustres. Through the midst of the glittering expanse we could trace theblack tide of the river, crossed by the sparkling lines of the bridges, and reflecting the red lanterns of the ships and barges. The principalsquares and thoroughfares were picked out, with rows and clusters of gasand electric lamps, as with studs of gold and silver. The clock on theHouses of Parliament glowed like the full moon on a harvest night. Nowand again the weird blaze of a furnace, or the shifting beam of anadvertisement, attracted our attention. With indescribable emotion wehung over the immense panorama, and recognised the familiar streets andbuildings--the Bank and Post Office, St. Paul's Cathedral and NewgatePrison, the Law Courts and Somerset House, the British Museum, theNational Gallery of Arts, Trafalgar Square, and Buckingham Palace. Wewatched the busy multitudes swarming like ants in the glare of thepavements from the dreary slums and stalls of Whitechapel to thenewspaper offices of Fleet Street; the shops and theatres of the Strand;the music halls and restaurants of Piccadilly Circus. A deep andcontinuous roar, a sound like that of the ocean ascended from thetoiling millions below. 

"Isn't it awful!" exclaimed Miss Carmichael, in a tone of reverence. "What a city! I seem to understand how an angel feels when he regardsthe world in space, or a God when He listens to the prayers ofhumanity. "

"For my part, " said Gazen, "I feel as though I were standing on myhead. "

By this time we had lost the sense of danger, and gathered confidence inour mode of travel. 

"I fancy the clouds overhead are the real earth, " explained theastronomer, "and that I'm looking down into the starry heavens, with itsMilky Way. I say, though, isn't it jolly up here--soaring above allthese moiling mannikins below--wasting their precious lives grubbing inthe mire--dead to the glories of the universe--seeking happiness andfinding misery. Ugh!--wish I had a packet of dynamite to drop amongstthem and make them look up. Hallo!"

The earth had suddenly vanished from our sight. 

CHAPTER VI. 

IN SPACE. 

We had entered the clouds. 

For half-an-hour we were muffled in a cold, damp mist, and totaldarkness, and had begun to think of going indoors when, all at once, thecar burst into the pure and starlit region of the upper air. 

A cry of joyous admiration escaped from us all. 

The spectacle before us was indeed sublime. 

The sky of a deep dark blue was hung with innumerable stars, whichseemed to float in the limpid ether, and the rolling vapours throughwhich we had passed were drawn like a sable curtain between us and thelower world. The stillness was so profound that we could hear thebeating of our own hearts. 

"How beautiful!" exclaimed Miss Carmichael, in a solemn whisper, as ifshe were afraid that angels might hear. 

"There is Venus right ahead, " cried the astronomer, but in a softertone than usual, perhaps out of respect for the sovereign laws of theuniverse. "The course is clear now--we are fairly on the open sea--Imean the open ether. I must get out my telescope. "

"The sky does not look sad here, as it always does on the earth--to meat least, " whispered Miss Carmichael, after Gazen had left us alone. "Isuppose that is because there is so much sadness around us and within usthere. "

"The atmosphere, too, is often very impure, " I replied, also in awhisper. 

"Up here I enjoy a sense of absolute peace and well-being, if nothappiness, " she murmured. "I feel raised above all the miseries oflife--they appear to me so paltry and so vain. "

"As when we reach a higher moral elevation, " said I, drifting into aconfidential mood, like passengers on the deck of a ship, under themysterious glamour of the night-sky. "Such moments are too rare in life. Do you remember the lines of Shakespeare:--

 "'Look, how the floor of heaven Is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold: There's not the smallest orb which thou behold'st, But in his motion like an angel sings, Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubims: Such harmony is in immortal souls; But whilst this muddy vesture of decay Doth grossly close it in--we cannot hear it. '"

"True, " responded Miss Carmichael, "and now I begin to feel like adisembodied spirit--a 'young-eyed cherubim. ' I seem to belong already toa better planet. Should you not like to dwell here for ever, far awayfrom the carking cares and troubles of the world?"

The unwonted sadness of her tone reminded me of her devoted life, and Iturned towards her with new interest and sympathy. She was looking atthe Evening Star, whose bright beam softened the irregularities of herprofile, and made her almost beautiful. 

"Yes, " I answered, and the words "with you" formed themselves in myheart. I know not what folly I might have spoken had not theconversation been interrupted by Gazen, who called out in his unromanticstyle, "I say, Miss Carmichael! Won't you come and take a look at Venus?"

She rose at once, and I followed her to the observatory. 

The telescope was very powerful for its size, and showed the dusky nightside of the planet against the brilliant crescent of the day like the"new moon in the arms of the old, " or, as Miss Carmichael said, "like anamethyst in a silver clasp. "

"Really, it is not unlike that, " said Gazen, pleased with her feminineconceit. "If the instrument were stronger you would probably see theclasp go all round the dusky violet body like a bright ring, andprobably, too, an ashen light within it, such as we see on the dark sideof the moon. By-and-by, as we get nearer, we shall study the markings ofthe terminator, and a shallow notch that is just visible on the inneredge of the southern horn. Can you see it?"

"Yes, I think I can. What is it?" replied Miss Carmichael. 

"Probably a vast crater, or else a range of high mountains interceptingthe sunlight, and making a scallop in the border of the terminator. However, that is a secret for us to find out. We know very little of theplanet Venus--not even the length of her day. Some think it is eightmonths long, others twenty-four hours. We shall see. I have begun tokeep a record of our discoveries, and some day--when I return to town--Ihope to read a paper on the subject before the most potent, grave, andlearned Fellows of the Royal Astronomical Society--I rather think Ishall surprise them--I do not say startle--it is impossible to startlethe Fellows of the Royal Astronomical Society--or even to astonishthem--you might as well hope to tickle the Sphinx--but I fancy it willstir them up a little, especially my friend Professor Sylvanus PettiferPossil. However, I must take care not to give them the slightest hint ofwhat they are to expect beforehand, otherwise they will declare theyknew all about it already. "

"Has it struck you that up here the stars appear of different colours atvarious distances, " said Miss Carmichael. 

"Oh, yes, " answered Gazen, "and in the pure atmosphere of the desert, oron the summit of high mountains, we notice a similar effect. The starshave been compared to the trees of a forest, in different stages ofgrowth and decay. Some of them are growing in splendour, and othersagain are dying out. Arcturus, a red star, for example, is fast coolingto a cinder. Capella, over there, is a yellow star, like our own sun, and past his prime. Sirius, that brilliant white or bluish star, whichflashes like a diamond in the south, is one of the fiercest. He is adouble star, his companion being seven and himself thirteen timesmassier than the sun; but they are fifty times brighter, and a milliontimes further off, that is to say, one hundred billion miles away. These double or twin stars are often very beautiful. The twins are ofall colours, and generally match well with each other--for instance, purple and orange--green and orange--red and green--blue and palegreen--white and ruby. One of the prettiest lies in the constellationCygnus. I will show it to you. "

"Oh, how lovely!" exclaimed Miss Carmichael, looking through the glass. "The bigger star is a golden or topaz yellow, and the smaller a lightsapphire blue. "

"Some of the star groups and nebulæ are just as pretty, " observed Gazen, turning his telescope to another part of the heavens; "most of the starsare white, but there is a sprinkling of yellow, blue, and red amongstthem--I mean, of course, to our view, for the absorption of ouratmosphere alters the tint. "

"Does that mean that there is more youth than age, more life than death, in the universe?" enquired Miss Carmichael. 

"Not exactly, " replied the astronomer. "There is apparently no lack ofvigour in the Cosmos--no great sign of decrepitude; but we must rememberthat we see the younger and brighter stars better than the others, andfor aught we know there are many dark suns or extinct stars, as well asplanets and their satellites. I should not like to say that thepopulation of space is going down; but on the whole it may bestationary. I wish I could show you the cluster in Toucan, a rosy starin a ring of white ones. "

"Like a brooch of pearls, " said Miss Carmichael. 

"Yes--not unlike that, " responded Gazen, evidently amused at hercomparison. "But that constellation is in the Southern Hemisphere. However, here is the 'ring' or 'planetary' nebula in the Lyre. "

"What a wonderful thing!" exclaimed Miss Carmichael, with her eye at theinstrument. "It looks to me like a golden hoop, with diamond dustinside. "

I do not know where Miss Carmichael got her knowledge of jewellery, forto all appearance she wore none. 

"Or the cup of a flower, " she added, raising her head. 

"Poets have called the stars 'fleurs de ciel, '" said Gazen, shifting thetelescope, "and if so, the nebula are the orchids; for they imitatecrabs, birds, dumb-bells, spirals, and so forth. Take a look at thisone, and tell us what you think of it. "

"I see a cloud of silver light in the dark sky, " said Miss Carmichael, after observing it. 

"What does it resemble?"

"It's rather like a pansy--or--"

"Anything else?"

"A human face!"

"Not far out, " rejoined Gazen. "It is called the Devil Nebula!"

"And what is it?" enquired Miss Carmichael. 

"It is a cluster of stars--a spawn of worlds, if I may use theexpression, " answered Gazen. 

"And what are they made of? I know very little of astronomy. "

"The same stuff as the earth--the same stuff as ourselves--hydrogen, iron, carbon, and other chemical elements. Just as all the books in theworld are composed of the same letters, so all the celestial bodies arebuilt of the same elements. Everything is everywhere--"

Gazen was evidently in his own element, and began a long lecture on theconstitution of the universe, which appeared to interest Miss Carmichaelvery much. Somehow it jarred upon me, and I retired to the littlesmoking-room, where I lit a cigar, and sat down beside the open scuttlesto enjoy a quiet smoke. 

"Why am I displeased with the lucubrations of the professor?" I said tomyself. "Am I jealous of him because he has monopolised the attention ofMiss Carmichael? No, I think not. I confess to a certain interest inMiss Carmichael. I believe she is a noble girl, intelligent andaffectionate, simple and true; with a touch of poetry in her naturewhich I had never suspected. She will make an excellent companion to thefortunate man who wins her. When I remember the hard life she has led sofar, I confess I cannot help sympathising with her; but surely I am notin love?"

I regret to say that my friend the astronomer, with all his goodqualities, was not quite free from the arrogance which leads some men ofscience to assume a proprietary right in the objects of their discovery. To hear him speak you would think he had created the stars, instead ofexplaining a secret of their constitution. However, I was used to thatlittle failing in his manner. It was not that. No, it was chiefly thematter of his discourse which had been distasteful to me. The sight ofthat glorious firmament had filled me with a sentiment of awe andreverence to which his dry and brutal facts were a kind of desecration. Why should our sentiment so often shrink from knowledge? Are we afraidits purity may be contaminated and defiled? Why should science be soinimical to poetry? Is it because the reality is never equal to ourdreams? There is more in this antipathy than the fear of disillusionand alloyment. Some of it arises from a difference in the attitude ofthe mind. 

To the poet, nature is a living mystery. He does not seek to know whatit is, or how it works. He allows it as a whole to impress itself on hisentire soul, like the reflection in a mirror, and is content with theillusion, the effect. By its power and beauty it awakens ideas andsentiments within him. He does not even consider the part which his ownmind plays, and as his fancy is quite free, he tends to personifyinanimate things, as the ancients did the sun and moon. 

To the man of science, on the other hand, nature is a molecularmechanism. He wishes to understand its construction, and mode of action. He enquires into its particular parts with his intellect, and tries topenetrate the illusion in order to lay bare its cause. Heedless of itspower and beauty, he remains uninfluenced by sentiment, and mistrustingthe part played by his own mind, he tends to destroy the habit ofpersonification. 

Hence that opposition between science and poetry which Coleridge pointedout. The spirit of poetry is driven away by the spirit of science, justas Eros fled before the curiosity of Psyche. 

How can I enjoy the perfume of a rose if I am thinking of its cellulartissue? I grow blind to the beauty of the Venus de Medicis when Imeasure its dimensions, or analyse its marble. What do I care for thedrama if I am bent on going behind the scenes and examining the stagemachinery? The telescope has banished Phoebus and Diana from ourliterature, and the spectroscope has vulgarised the stars. 

Will science make an end of poetry as Renan and many others havethought? Surely not? Poetry is quite as natural and as needful tomankind as science. All men are poetical, as they are scientific, moreor less. 

It might even be argued that poetry is for the general, for the man as aman; while science is for the particular, for the man as a specialist;and that poetry is a higher and more essential boon than science, because it speaks to the heart, not merely to the head, and keeps alivethe celestial as well as the terrestrial portion of our nature. 

Shall we prefer the cause to the effect, and the means to the end, orexalt the matter above the form, and the letter above the spirit? Doesnot the tissue exist for the sweetness of the rose, the marble for thebeauty of the stature, and the mechanism for the illusion of the play?The "opposition" between science and poetry lies not in the object, butin our mode of regarding it. The scientific and the poetical spirit arecomplementary, as the inside to the outside of a garment, and if theyseem to drive each other away it is because the mind cannot easilyentertain and employ both together; but one is passive when the other isactive. 

Keats drank "confusion to Newton" for destroying the poetry of therainbow by showing how the colours were elicited; but after all wasNewton guilty? Why should a true knowledge of the cause destroy thepoetry of an effect? Every effect must be produced somehow. The rainbowis not less beautiful in itself because I know that it is due to therefraction of light. The diamond loses none of its lustre althoughchemistry has proved it to be carbon; the heavens are still gloriouseven if the stars are red-hot balls. 

But stones, carbon, and light are familiar commonplace things, andfraught with prosaic associations. 

True, and yet natural things are noble in themselves, and only vulgar inour usage. It is for us to purify and raise our thoughts. Instead oflosing our interest in the universe because it is all of the same stuff, we should rather wonder at the miracle which has formed so rich avariety out of a common element. 

But the mystery is gone, and the feelings and fancies which arose fromit. 

In exchange for the mystery we have truth, which excites other emotionsand ideas. Moreover, the mystery is only pushed further back. We cannottell what the elements really are; they will never be more than symbolsto us, and all nature at bottom will ever remain a mystery to us: anorganised illusion. Think, too, of the innumerable worlds amongst thestars, and the eternity of the past and future. Whether we look into thedepths of space beyond the reach of telescope and microscope, orbackward and forward along the vistas of time, we shall find ourselvessurrounded with an impenetrable mystery in which the imagination is freeto rove. 

Science, far from destroying, will foster and develop poetry. It is thepart of the scientific to serve the poetical spirit by providing it withfresh matter. The poet will take the truth discovered by the man ofscience, and purify it from vulgar associations, or stamp it with abeautiful and ideal form. 

Consider the vast horizons opened to the vision of the poet by theinvestigations of science and the doctrine of evolution. At present thespirit of science is perhaps more active than the spirit of poetry, butwe are passing through an unsettled to a settled period. Tennyson wasthe voice of the transition; but the singer of evolution is to come, andafter him the poet of truth. 

If we allowed the scientific to drive away the poetical spirit, weshould have to go in quest of it again, as the forlorn Psyche went insearch of Eros. It is necessary to the proper balance and harmony of ourminds, to the purification of our feelings, and the right enjoyment oflife. Poetry expresses the inmost soul of man, and science can nevertake its place. Religion apart, what does the present age of scienceneed more than poetry? What would benefit a hard-headed, matter-of-factman of science like Professor Gazen if not the arts of the sublime andbeautiful--if not a poetical companion--such as Miss Carmichael?

 * * * * *

Thus, after a long rambling meditation, I had come back to my bachelorfriend and the fair American. 

"Yes, " thought I, rather uneasily, I must confess, for I could notdisguise from myself the fact that I was taken with her, "Gazen and sheare not an ill-matched pair by any means. They are alike in manyrespects, and a contrast in others. They have common ground in theirlove and aptitude for science; yet each has something which the otherlacks. She has poetry and sentiment for instance, but he--well, I'mafraid that if he ever had any it has all evaporated by this time. Onthe other hand, she"--but it puzzled me to think of any good qualitythat Miss Carmichael did not possess, and I began to consider that shewould be throwing herself away upon him. "They seem to get on welltogether, however--monstrously well. I wonder what star he is picking topieces now?"

I listened for the sound of their voices, but not a murmur passedthrough the curtain which I had drawn across the entrance to the smokingcabin. Only a peculiar tremor from the mysterious engines broke theutter stillness. Was I growing deaf? I snapped my fingers to reassuremyself, and the sound startled me like the crack of a pistol. Evidentlymy sense of hearing had become abnormally acute. My mind, too, waspreternaturally clear, and the solitude became so irksome that I rosefrom my seat, and looked out of the scuttles to relieve the tension ofmy nerves. 

Apparently we had reached a great height in the atmosphere, for the skywas a dead black, and the stars had ceased to twinkle. By the sameillusion which lifts the horizon of the sea to the level of thespectator on a hillside, the sable cloud beneath was dished out, and thecar seemed to float in the middle of an immense dark sphere, whose upperhalf was strewn with silver. Looking down into the dark gulf below, Icould see a ruddy light streaming through a rift in the clouds. It wasprobably a last glimpse of London, or some neighbouring town; but soonthe rolling vapours closed, and shut it out. 

I now realised to the full that I was _nowhere_, or to speak morecorrectly, a wanderer in empty space--that I had left one world behindme and was travelling to another, like a disembodied spirit crossing thegloomy Styx. A strange serenity took possession of my soul, and all thathad polluted or degraded it in the lower life seemed to fall away fromit like the shadow of an evil dream. 

In the depths of my heart I no longer felt sorry to quit the earth. Itseemed to me now, a place where the loveliest things never come tobirth, or die the soonest--where life itself hangs on a blind mischance, where true friendship is afraid to show its face, where pure love isunrequited or betrayed, and the noblest benefactors of their fellowmenhave been reviled or done to death--a place which we regard as a heavenwhen we enter it, and a hell before we leave it. . . . No, I was notsorry to quit the earth. 

And the beautiful planet, shining there so peacefully in the west, wasit any better? At a like distance the earth would seem still fairer, andperhaps even now some wretch in Venus is asking himself a similarquestion. Is it not probable that just as all the worlds are made of thesame materials, so the mixture of good and evil is much the same in all?I turned to the stars, where in all ages man has sought an answer to hisriddles. The better land! Where is it? if not among the stars. I am nowin the old heaven above the clouds. Does it lie _within_ the visibleuniverse, as it lies within the heart when peace and happiness arethere?

In that pure ether the glory of the firmament was revealed to me as ithad never been on the earth, where it is often veiled with clouds andmist, or marred by houses and surrounding objects--where the quietude ofthe mind is also apt to be disturbed by sordid and perplexing cares. Itsawful sublimity overwhelmed my faculties, and its majesty inspired mewith a kind of dread. In presence of these countless orbs my ownnothingness came home to me, and a voice seemed to whisper in my ear, "Hush! What art thou? Be humble and revere. "

After a while, I perceived a pure celestial radiance of a marvellouswhiteness dawning in the east. By slow degrees it spread over thestarlit sky, lightening its blackness to a deep Prussian blue, andlining the sable clouds on the horizon with silver. At length the rounddisc of the sun, whiter than the full moon, and intolerably bright, roseinto view. 

With the intention of rejoining Professor Gazen in the observatory, andseeing it through his telescope, I flung away my cigar, and steppedtowards the door of the cabin; but ere I had gone two paces, I suddenlyreeled and fell. At first I imagined that an accident had happened tothe car, but soon realised that I myself was at fault. Dizzy and faint, with a bounding pulse, an aching head, and a panting chest, I raisedmyself with great difficulty into a seat, and tried to collect mythoughts. For the last quarter of an hour I had been aware of a growinguneasiness, but the spectacle of sunrise had entranced me, and I forgotit. Suspecting an attack of "mountain sickness" owing to the rarity ofthe atmosphere, I attempted to rise and close the scuttles, but foundthat I had lost all power in my lower limbs. The pain in my headincreased, the palpitation of my heart grew more violent, my ears ranglike a bell, and I literally gasped for breath. Moreover, I felt apeculiar dryness in my throat, and a disagreeable taste of blood in mymouth. What was to be done? I tried again to reach the door, but only tofind that I could not even move my arms, let alone my feet. Nevertheless, I was singularly free from agitation or alarm, and my mindwas just as clear as it is now. I reflected that as the car was everrising into a rarer atmosphere, my only hope of salvation lay in callingfor help, and that as the paralysis was gaining on my whole body, not amoment was to be lost. I shouted with all my strength; but beyond a sortof hiss, not a sound escaped my lips. The profound silence of the carnow struck me in a new light. Had Gazen and Miss Carmichael notcommitted the same blunder, and suffered a like fate? Perhaps evenCarmichael himself had been equally careless, and the flying machine, now masterless, was carrying us Heaven knows whither. Strange to say Ientertained these sinister apprehensions without the least emotion. Ihad lost all feeling of pain or anxiety, and was perfectly tranquil andindifferent to anything that might happen. It is possible that with theparalysis of my powers to help myself, I was also relieved by naturefrom the fears of death. I began to think of the sensation which ourmysterious disappearance would make in the newspapers, and of diversother matters, such as my own boyhood and my friends, when all at oncemy eyes grew dim--and I remembered nothing more. 

CHAPTER VII. 

ARRIVING IN VENUS. 

"Try to speak--there's a good fellow--open your eyes. "

I heard the words as in a dream. I recognised the voice of Gazen, but itseemed to come from the far distance. Opening my eyes I found myselfprostrate on the floor of the smoking room, with the professor and MissCarmichael kneeling beside me. There was a look of great anxiety ontheir faces. 

"I'm all right, " said I feebly. "I'm so glad you are safe. "

It appears that a short time before, Gazen had closed the scuttles ofthe observatory and returned with Miss Carmichael to the saloon, then, after calling to me without receiving any answer, had opened the door ofthe smoking-room and seen me lying in a dead faint. Luckily MissCarmichael had acquired some knowledge of medicine, partly from herfather, and without loss of time they applied themselves to bring meround by the method of artificial respiration employed in cases ofdrowning or lightning stroke. 

It would be tedious to narrate all the particulars of our journeythrough the dark abyss, particularly as nothing very important befellus, and one day passed like another. Now and then a small meteoric stonestruck the car and glanced off its rounded sides. 

"Old Charon, " as Gazen and I had nicknamed Carmichael, after the grimferryman of the Styx, seldom forsook his engines, and Miss Carmichaelspent a good deal of her time along with him. Occasionally she chattedwith Gazen and myself in the saloon, or helped us to make scientificobservations; but although neither of us openly confessed it, I think weboth felt that she did not give us quite enough of her company. Hermanner seemed to betray no preference for one or the other. 

Did she, by her feminine instinct, perceive that we were both solicitousof her company, and was she afraid of exciting jealousy between us? Inany case we were all the more glad to see her when she did join us. Nodoubt men in general, and professors in particular, are fond ofcommunicating knowledge, but a great deal depends on the pupil; andcertainly I was surprised to see how the hard and dry astronomer beamedwith delight as he initiated this young lady into the mysteries of theapparatus, and what a deal of trouble he took to cram her lovely headwith mathematics. 

We noted the temperature of space as we darted onwards, and discoveredthat it contains a trace of gases lost from the atmospheres of theheavenly bodies. We also found there a sprinkling of minute organisms, which had probably strayed from some living world. Gazen suggested thatthese might sow the seeds of organic life in brand-new planets, readyfor them, but perhaps that was only his scientific joke. The jokes ofscience are frequently so well disguised, that many people take them forearnest. 

Gazen made numerous observations of the celestial bodies, moreespecially the sun, which now appeared as a globe of lilac fire in thecentre of a silvery lustre, but I will leave him to publish his resultsin his own fashion. We may claim to have seen the South Pole, but, ofcourse, at a distance too great for scientific purposes. Judging by itsappearance, I should say it was surrounded by a frozen land. The earth, with its ruddy and green continents, delineated as on a map, or veiledin belted clouds, was a magnificent object for the telescope as itwheeled in the blue rays of the sun. 

Hour after hour, with a kind of loving fascination, we watched itgrowing "fine by degrees and beautifully less, " until at last it wanedinto a bright star. 

Venus, on the other hand, waxed more and more brilliant until itrivalled the moon, and Mercury appeared as a rosy star not far from it. 

We soon got accustomed to the funereal aspect of the sky, and the uttersilence of space. Indeed, I was not so much impressed by the reality asI had been by the simulacrum in my dream of sunrise in the moon. When Ilooked at the weird radiance of the sun, however, I realised as I hadnever done before that he was only a star seen comparatively near, andthat the earth was but his insignificant satellite. Moreover, when Igazed down into the yawning gulf, with its strange constellations so far_beneath_ us, I felt to the full the awful loneliness of the universe;and how that all life and soul were confined to mere sunlit specksthinly scattered here and there in the blackness of eternal night. 

Steering a calculated course by the stars, we reached the orbit ofVenus, and travelled along it in advance of the planet with a velocityrather less than her own, so as to allow her to overtake us. Somenotion of the eagerness with which we scanned her approach may begathered by imagining the moon to fall towards the earth. Slowly andsteadily the illuminated crescent of the planet grew in bulk anddefinition, until we could plainly distinguish all the features of herdisc without the aid of glasses. For the most part she was wrapped inclouds, of a dazzling lustre at the equator, and duskier towards thepoles. Here and there a gap in the vapour revealed the summit of amountain range, or the dark surface of a plain or sea. 

I need hardly say that none of us viewed the majestic approach of thisnew world, suspended in the ether, and visibly turning round its axis, without emotion. The boundary of day and night was fairly well marked, and I pictured to myself the wave of living creatures rising from theirsleep to life and activity on one side, and going to sleep again on theother, as it crept slowly over the surface. To compare small things withgreat, the denizens of a planet reminded me of performers under thelimelight of a darkened theatre:

 "All the world's a stage!"

We amused ourselves with conjectures as to our probable fate on Venus, supposing we should arrive there safe and sound. 

"I suppose the authorities will demand our passports, " said I. "Perhapswe shall be tried and condemned to death for invading a friendlyplanet. "

"It wouldn't surprise me in the least, " said Gazen, "if they were to putus into their zoological gardens as a rare species of monkey. "

"What a ridiculous idea!" exclaimed Miss Carmichael. "Now _I_ feel surethey will pay us divine honours. Won't it be nice?"

"You will make a perfect divinity, " rejoined the professor withconsummate gallantry. "For my part I shall feel more at home in amenagerie. "

Thus far we had not observed any signs of intelligent beings on thecloudy globe, and it was still doubtful whether we should not discoverit to be a lifeless world. 

Our track did not lie exactly on the orbit of the planet, butsufficiently beneath it to let her attraction pull the car up towardsher Southern Pole as it passed above us; and by this course of action wetrusted to enjoy a wider field of atmosphere to manoeuvre in, andprobably a safer descent into a cooler climate than we should haveexperienced in attempting to land on the equator. 

By an illusion familiar in the case of railway trains, it seemed to usthat the car was stationary, and the planet rushing towards us. On itcame like a great shield of silver and ebony, eclipsing the stars andgrowing vaster every moment. Under the driving force of the engines andthe gravity of the planet, our car was falling obliquely towards theorbit, like a small boat trying to cross the bows of an ironclad, and acollision seemed inevitable. Being on the sunward side we could see moreand more of the illuminated crescent as it drew near, and were filledwith amazement at the sublime spectacle afforded by the strange contrastbetween the purple splendour of the solar disc in the black abyss ofether and the pure white celestial radiance which was reflected from theatmosphere of the planet. 

The climax of magnificence was reached when the approaching surface cameso close as to appear concave, and our little ark floated above ahemisphere of dazzling brightness under a hemisphere of appallingdarkness faintly relieved by the glimmer of stars and the purple gloryof the sun. 

Ere we could express our admiration, however, we were startled by amagical transformation of the scene. The sky suddenly became blue, thestars vanished from sight, the sun changed to a golden lustre, and thebroad day was all around us. 

"Whatever has happened?" exclaimed Miss Carmichael between alarm andwonder. 

"We have entered the atmosphere of Venus, " responded Gazen withalacrity. "I wonder if it is breathable?"

So saying he opened one of the scuttles, and a whiff of fresh air blewinto the car. Thrusting his nose out, he sniffed cautiously for a whileand then drew several long breaths. 

"It seems all right as regards quality, " he remarked, "but there's toolittle body in it. We must wait until we get nearer the ground before wecan go outside the car. "

The pressure of the atmosphere as taken by an aneroid barometerconfirmed his observation, but as we were ignorant of its averagedensity it could not give us any certain indication of our height. Farbeneath us an ideal world of clouds hid the surface from our view. Weseemed to be floating above a range of snowy Alps, their dusky valleysfilled with glaciers, and their sovereign peaks glittering in the sunlike diamonds. As we descended in a long slant, their dazzling summitsrose to meet us, and the infinite play of light and shade became moreand more beautiful. The gliding car threw a distinct shadow whichtravelled along the white screen, and equally to our surprise anddelight became fringed with coloured circles resembling rainbows. 

"It is a good omen!" cried Miss Carmichael. 

"Humph!" responded the professor, shaking his head but smilinggood-humouredly; "that is a mere superstition I'm afraid. It is simplyan optical effect, a variety of the phenomenon called 'anthelia, ' likeUlloa's Circle and the famous 'Spectre of the Brocken. '"

"Explain it how you will, " rejoined Miss Carmichael, "to me it is anemblem of hope. It cheers my heart. "

"I am very glad to hear it, and I should be very sorry to crush yourhopes, " said Gazen pleasantly. "We can sometimes derive moralencouragement and profit from external phenomena. A rainbow in the midstof a storm is a cheering sight. I daresay there is a reasonable basis, too, for certain superstitions. St. Elmo's Fire may, for instance, fromnatural causes, be a sign of good weather, only there is nothingsupernatural about it. "

"I am not in the secrets of the supernatural, " replied Miss Carmichael, "but I believe that if we do not look for the supernatural, if we shutour eyes to it, we are not likely to see it. "

"Science has proved that so many things formerly thought to besupernatural are quite natural, " observed the astronomer a little morehumbly. 

"Perhaps the natural and the supernatural are one, " said MissCarmichael. "Does a thing cease to be supernatural because we knowsomething about it?"

"Well, it may have another meaning for us. Before the days of science, great mistakes were made in our interpretations of phenomena. Superstition is born of ignorance, and we can see the germ of it in thechild who is frightened by a bogie, or the horse that shies at themoonlight. "

"Its higher parent is a belief in the unseen. "

"In any case it has done an immense amount of harm, " said the professor. 

"And probably quite as much good, " responded Miss Carmichael. "However, don't think me a friend of superstition. But in getting rid of it let ustake care that we do not fall into the opposite error. It seems to methat if science had all its own way it would reduce man and nature to alittle machine working in the corner of a big one; but I think it willcost us too dear if it make us lose our sense of the divine origin andspiritual significance of the universe. "

Further argument was cut short by the car suddenly dashing into theclouds with a noiseless ease that astonished us, for they had appearedas solid as the rock. 

Lost in the vapours, our car seemed at rest; but although we sawnothing, we could hear a vague and distant murmur which charmed our earsafter the long silence of space like a strain of music. Whether this wasdue to the sounds of the surface collected in the clouds, or toelectrical discharges I cannot say, for we were trying to solve themystery by hearkening to it, when it abruptly died away as the car shotinto the clear air beneath the clouds. 

"The sea! the sea!" cried Miss Carmichael, starting up in joyfulexcitement to join her father; and sure enough we were flying above adark blue hemisphere which could only be the ocean. 

Gazen now made another test of the atmosphere, and, finding itsatisfactory, we opened the door of the car and ventured on the gallery. 

After our confinement the fresh air acted like a charm. It felt so cooland sweet in the nostrils that every breath was a pleasure. We inhaledit in long, deep, loving draughts, which imparted vigour to ourexhausted frames, and intoxicated our spirits like laughing gas. I couldhardly restrain a wild impulse to leap from the car into the unruffledbosom of the sea below, and Gazen, habitually staid, actually shoutedwith glee. His voice startled the utter stillness, and was mocked by afaint echo from the surface of the water. By timing the interval betweena call and its echo we found it nearly ten seconds, which correspondedto a height of about a mile. A repetition of the test from time to timeshowed that the car was now travelling at a fairly constant level. Thewide ocean spread all around us; neither sail nor shore, nor livingcreature was visible, and we had begun to ask ourselves whether we hadnot found a watery planet, when Gazen suddenly cried out, "Land!"

"Whereaway?" I enquired with breathless interest. 

He pointed a little to the right of our course, and following thedirection of his finger, I saw a dim outline where sea and sky met. Itmight have been mistaken for the tip of a cloud, but as we advanced itrose above the horizon and took a definite shape not unlike a truncatedcone. 

The glasses showed it to be an island apparently of volcanic formation, and after a brief consultation with Carmichael, we steered towards it. The emotion of Columbus when he arrived at the Bahamas affords, perhaps, the nearest parallel to our feelings, but in our case the land in sightwas the outlier of another planet. Watchful curiosity and silentexpectation, the ineffable sorcery of new scenes, the mystery of theunknown, the romance of adventure, the exultation of triumph, and thedread of disaster, were inextricably blended in our hearts. It was aglorious hour, and come what might, we all felt that we had not lived invain. 

The island rose out of the sea like a volcanic peak, and was evidentlyencircled with a barrier reef, as we could trace a line of snowy surfbreaking on its outer verge, and parting the sapphire blue of the deepwater without from the emerald green shoals within. The coast, sweepingin beautiful bays, dotted with overgrown islets, and fended by rockypromontories, was rimmed with beaches of yellow sand. The steep sides ofthe mountain, broken with precipices, and shaggy with vegetation, ascended from a multitude of spurs and buttresses, resembling billows ofverdure, and towered into the clouds. 

I have used the word verdure, but it is really a misnomer, for althoughthe prevailing tint of the foliage was a dark green, the entire forestwas streaked like a rainbow with innumerable flowers, and the breezewhich blew from it was laden with the most delightful perfume, Evidentlyit was all a howling wilderness, for we could not detect the slightestvestige of human dwellings or cultivation. We did not even observe anysigns of bird or beast. A profound stillness brooded over the solitude, and was scarcely broken by the drowsy murmur of distant waterfalls. 

A forest, like the sea or desert, has a magical power to stimulate thefancy and touch the primitive chords of the heart. Even a Scotchhillside, or a Devonshire moor, can throw their wild spells over thecivilised man of letters, and appeal to savage or poetical instinctsunderlying all his culture. So now, where everything seen or unseen, wasnew and strange, and the imagination was quite free to rove, the charmwas more intense. We stood and gazed upon the moving panorama likepersons in a trance. The trees and plants grew in zones according totheir different levels above the sea, after the manner of those on theearth, but we were too high to distinguish the various kinds. Apparently, however, feathery palms and gigantic grasses prevailed inthe lower, and glossy evergreens, resembling the magnolia andrhododendron, in the middle grounds. All this part of the forest was sothickly encumbered with flowering creepers and parasites as to seem oneimmense bower, dense enough to exclude the sunlight and make a perpetualtwilight underneath. The higher slopes were clad with pine-trees, havinglong thin needles, which hung from their boughs like fringes of greenhair, and bushy shrubs which reminded me of heaths. Above these, enormous ferns with fronds twenty or thirty feet in length, and thicketsdraped in variegated mosses were thriving in the spray of a thousandslender cataracts which poured from the brink of the precipitous cragson the summit of the mountain. 

Seen from a distance, the cliffs appeared of a ruddy tint, but on comingcloser we found this was due to myriads of huge lichens of a deepcrimson and orange, and that the natural colours of the rock, vermilionand blue, lemon, yellow, purple, and olive green, almost vied with thoseof the forest lower down the steep. 

We glided over the crest at a point where it was almost free of cloud, and were astonished to find it carved by the weather into the mostfantastic shapes, rudely imitating the colossal figures of men andanimals, or the towers and turrets of ruined castles. After the noveltyof this goblin architecture had passed, however, its effect was somewhatdreary. The wind, moaning through the lifeless aisles and crannies ofthe dripping rocks, the rolling mist and shuddering pools of water, induced a sense of loneliness and depression. The revulsion in ourfeelings was therefore all the greater when the car suddenly escapedfrom this height of desolation, and a magnificent prospect burst uponour view. 

An immense valley seemed to lie far beneath us, but it was really atable-land of hills, rocks, and mountains, shaggy with vegetation, andflung together in riotous confusion like the billows of a raging sea. The stupendous cliffs behind us dropped sheerly down to the level of theplateau, some ten or twenty thousand feet below, and swept around it asa curving wall on either hand until they vanished in the distance. Itwas evidently the crater of the extinct volcano. 

Our journey across that blooming wilderness will never fade from myrecollection, but when I attempt to give the reader an idea of it, impressions crowd so thick and fast upon me as to choke my utterance; Iam equally in danger of soaring into a wild extravagance of generalityand sinking into a mere catalogue of detail. Yet I find it impossibleto hit a mean that can do any justice to it. The extraordinary way inwhich the ancient lavas of the interior had been riven, upheaved, andpiled upon each other by the volcanic forces, the bewildering varietyand exuberance of the tropical plants and trees which battened on therich and crumbling soil, completely baffles all description. What theimagination is unable to conceive, and the eye itself is overpowered inbeholding, the pen can never hope to depict. Let the grandest mountainscenes of your memory be jumbled together as in a dream and overgrownwith the maddest jungles of the Ganges or the Amazon, and thephantasmagoria would still be nothing to the living reality. 

Most of the highest peaks and ridges, as well as the deepest valleys andravines, were covered with the embowering forest; but here and there ahuge boss of granite or porphyry reared its bare scalp out of theverdure like the head and shoulders of some antediluvian monster. Thegigantic palms and foliage trees, all tufted with air-plants orstrangled with climbers, were literally buried in flowers of every hue, and the crown of the forest rolled under us like a sea of blossoms. Every moment one enchanting prospect after another opened to ourwondering eyes. Now it was a waterfall, gleaming like a vein of silveron the brow of a lofty precipice, and descending into a lakelet borderedwith red, blue, and yellow lilies. Again it was a natural bridge, spanning a deep chasm or tunnel in the rock, through which a riverboiled and roared in a series of cascades and rapids. Ever and anon wepassed over glades and prairies, carpeted with orchids, and dotted withclumps of shrubbery, a mass of golden bloom, or tremendous blocks ofbasalt hung with crimson creepers. Butterflies with azure wings of asurprising spread and lustre, alighted on the flowers, and great birdsof resplendent plumage flashed from grove to grove. A sun, twice thediameter of ours, blazed in the northern sky, but the intensity of hisrays was tempered by a thin veil of cloud. The atmosphere although warmand moist, was not oppressive like that of a forcing-house, and thebreeze was balmy with delicious perfume. 

As each new marvel came in sight, unstaled by familiar and untarnishedby vulgar associations, fresh from the hand of nature, so to speak, wewere filled as we had never been before with an intoxicating sense ofthe divine mystery and miracle of life. For myself I was fairlydumbfounded with amazement, and my companion, the hard-headed scepticalastronomer, kept on crying and muttering to himself, "My God! my God!"as if he had become a drivelling fool. 

We travelled league after league of this paradise run wild (I cannottell how many) without noticing any change in the character of thescenery. At length, however, it grew less savage by degrees, and weentered on a park-like country which gained in loveliness what it lostin grandeur. Low hills, clad from base to summit in masses of gorgeousbloom, and mirrored in sequestered lakes fringed with pied water-lilies;groves of majestic cedars inviting to repose; rambling shrubberies andevergreen trees festooned with flowering vines; brooks as clear ascrystal, murmuring over their pebbly beds, now hiding under droopingboughs, now lost in brakes of tall reeds and foliage plants; grassymeadows gay with crocusses, hyacinths, and tulips, or such-like flowers;isolated rocks and boulders mantled with vivid moss and lichens; hotsprings falling over basins and terraces of tinted alabaster; clusteringpalms and groups of spiry pine-trees; geysers throwing up columns ofspray tinged with rainbows; all these and a thousand other features ofthe landscape which must be nameless passed before our view. 

Again and again we startled some herd of wild quadrupeds or flock ofgaudy birds unknown to science. Legions of large and burnished insects, veritable living jewels, might be seen everywhere, and flauntingbutterflies hovered about the car. So far we had not observed the leastsign of human occupation, and yet, as Gazen remarked, the appearance ofthe country seemed to betray the influence of art. It had not the wildand wasteful luxuriance of the earlier tract, of a region left entirelyin the hands of Nature, but rather of a paradise which had been dressedand kept by the gods. 

Owing to the height at which we were travelling, and the undulatingcharacter of the surface, we could not see very far ahead. At length, however, on emerging from a gap in a range of hills, we came upon a vastplain or prairie stretching away into the distance, and there in theblue haze of the horizon we saw, or fancied we saw, the architecture andgardens of a great city, on the borders of a lake, and above the lake, suspended in mid-air, a spectral palace, glittering in the sunbeams. 

We raised a shout of joy and triumph at this discovery. 

"Stop a minute, though, " said Gazen, and a shade of doubt passed overhis face. "Perhaps it is only a mirage. "

We levelled our glasses at the distant scene, and scanned it withpalpitating hearts. We could discern the general shape, and even thedetails of many houses, and the roofs and minarets of the palace, whichwas evidently built on the top of an island in the midst of the lake. 

"That is not a phantasm, " said I at last; "it is a real city. "

Gazen made no reply, but turned and silently shook me by the hand. Thetears were standing in his eyes. 

A delightful breeze, fragrant with innumerable flowers, mantled the longgrass of the prairie which was threaded by a maze of silver streams, anddiversified with bosky woodlands. Ere long we observed fantasticcottages and picturesque villas nestling in the coppices, and as may beimagined we were all on tip-toe with curiosity to catch a sight of theirinhabitants. We were anxious to see whether they looked like humanbeings, and how they were disposed towards us. 

For a long time we looked in vain, but at length we saw a figure movingacross the prairie which turned out to be that of--a _man_. Yes, a manlike ourselves, but well stricken in years, and to judge by his costumeapparently a savage. His back was towards us, and as we floated past theprofessor shouted in a tone loud enough for him to hear, "Good evening, sir. "

The native started, and lifting his eyes to the car beheld it withastonishment and awe. He raised his hands in the air, then dropped themby his side, and sank upon his knees. 

"That's a good sign, " said Gazen with a grim smile. "I wonder if heunderstands English. Let's try him again, " and he cried out, "What's thename of this place?" but the car was going rapidly, and if there was anyresponse it was lost upon the wind. 

As we approached the city, the cottages became thicker and thicker. Theywere of various sizes, and of a light fanciful design adapted to a warmclimate. Each of them was surrounded by a grove or garden rich inflowers and fruit. There were grassy trails and roads from one toanother, but we did not see any fields or fences, flocks or herds. 

We also saw more and more of the inhabitants--men, women, and children. They were evidently a fine race, tall, handsome, and of whitecomplexion; but the men in general were darker than the women. Fromtheir gay dresses, and the condition of the land, we had set them downfor savages; but on a nearer view, their lack of arms, the beauty oftheir homes, and their own graceful demeanour, obliged us to reconsiderour opinion. When they first saw the car they did not fly in terror, ormuster hastily in armed and yelling bands. Many of them ran and cried, it is true, but only to call their friends, and while some stood withbowed heads and upraised hands as the car floated by, others, like theold man, fell upon their knees as though in prayer. 

It was getting late in the day, and the sun was now sloping to the crestof the mountain wall encircling the crater. Accordingly we held aconsultation with Carmichael as to whether we should land there, orproceed to the city. 

Carmichael thought we should go on. 

"But, " said Gazen, "would it not be safer to try the temper of thepeople first, here in the country?"

"These people are not savages, " replied Carmichael. "They are civilised, or semi-civilised, else how could they have built so fine a city as thatappears. If we should see any signs of hostility amongst them, however, the car is plated with metal and will protect us--we have arms and candefend ourselves--and, besides, we can rise again, and slip away fromthem. "

We decided to advance, but Gazen and I took the precaution to belt onour revolvers. 

The huge limb of the sun, red and glowing, sank to rest in a bed ofpurple clouds on the summit of the rosy precipice, and filled all thegreen plain with a rich amber light. The fantastic towers and trees ofthe distant city by the lake shone in his mellow lustre; the solitaryisland swam in a flood of gold, and the quaint edifice which crowned itblazed with insufferable splendour. As the eerie gloaming died in thewest, and thin grey mists began to veil the outlandish scene, werealised to the full that we were all alone and friendless in an unknownworld, and a deep sentiment of exile took possession of our souls. 

The gloaming fell, and myriads of lights twinkled in the dusk, someflitting about like fireflies, others stationary, while a hum of manyvoices ascended to our ears. The lights showed us that we were glidingover the city, and the voices told us that our arrival was causing agreat commotion. Presently we floated above a large open space orsquare, lit with coloured lanterns, and evidently adorned with trees, fountains, and statuary. Here a great number of people had assembled, and as they appeared quite orderly and peaceable, we determined to land. While the car descended cautiously, Gazen and I kept a sharp watch onthe crowd, with our revolvers in our hands. Instead of anger andresistance, however, the natives only manifested friendly signs ofwelcome. They withdrew to a respectful distance, and, dropping on theirknees, burst into a song or hymn of wonderful sweetness as the cartouched the ground. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

THE CRATER LAND. 

A man of dignified and venerable mien stepped from the crowd, andfollowed by a train of youths and maidens, each bearing a vase or a trayof fruit and flowers, came towards the car. While yet some ten or twelvepaces distant he stopped, and saluted Gazen and myself by lifting hishands gracefully in the air, and bowing his head. After we hadacknowledged his greeting with due respect, he addressed us, speakingfluently, and in a reverent, not to say a humble tone; but his words, being entirely strange to our ears, we could only shake our heads with abaffled smile, and reply in English that we did not understand. On thisa look of doubt and wonder passed over his face, and pointing, first tothe car, then to the sky, he seemed to enquire whether we had notdropped from the clouds. We nodded our assent, and the astronomer, indicating the Earth, which was now shining in the east as a beautifulgreen star, endeavoured to let him know by signs that we had come fromthere. 

The countenance of our host seemed to brighten again, and, saluting uswith a profound obeisance, he said a few words to the attendants, whoadvanced to the car, and sinking upon their knees proffered us theircharming tribute. 

"Good!" exclaimed Gazen, testifying his delight and manifesting hisgratitude by an elaborate pantomime. 

I am afraid his performance must have appeared slightly ludicrous to theVenusians, for one or two of the younger girls had some difficulty inkeeping their gravity. On a hint from the Elder the young people retiredto their places, leaving their offerings upon the ground. 

"They don't intend to starve us at all events, " muttered Gazen to me, inan undertone. "The very fragrance of these fruits entices a man to eatthem; but will they agree with our stomachs? Notwithstanding myscientific curiosity, and my natural appetite, I am quite willing to letyou and Carmichael try them first. "

Having found the value of gestures in our intercourse, the Elder leanedhis head on one hand, and pointed with the other to a large house atthe upper end of the square. His meaning was plain; but as we hadalready made up our minds to stay in the car, at all events until we hadlooked about us, Gazen signified as much by energetic but indescribableactions, and further contrived to intimate that we were all thoroughlytired and worn out with our voyage. 

The Senior politely took the hint, and repeating his courteous salute, withdrew from our presence, accompanied by his followers. 

"I told you so!" cried Miss Carmichael, when Gazen and I re-entered thecar. "They are treating us like superior beings. "

"It shows their good sense, " replied Gazen, and even as he spoke astrain of heavenly music rose from the assembled multitude, andgradually died away as they departed to their homes. 

We could not sufficiently admire the beauty and fragrance of the flowersand fruit, or the exquisite workmanship of the vases they had brought. What struck us most was the lovely iridescence which they all displayedin different lights. The vases in particular seemed to be carved out ofliving opals, yet each was large enough to contain several pints ofliquor. Miss Carmichael decorated the dinner-table with a selection fromthe trays, but although we found the fruits and beverages delicious tothe taste, we prudently partook very sparingly of them. 

After dinner we all went outside to enjoy the cool evening breeze, butwithout actually leaving the car. It was hardly dusk, only a kind oftwilight or gloaming, and it did not seem to grow any darker. Yetinnumerable fire-flies, bright as glow-lamps, and of every hue, wereflashing like diamonds against the whispering foliage of the trees. 

With the exception of an occasional group or a solitary who stoppedawhile to look at the car and then passed on, the square was deserted;but the dwellings around it were lighted up, and being of a very openconstruction, we could see into them, and hear the voices of the inmatesfeasting and making merry. Needless to say that everything we observedwas interesting to us, for it was all strange; but we were so muchexhausted with excitement that we were fain to go to bed. 

Next day the professor and I, obeying a common impulse of travellers, got up early and went forth to survey our new quarters. It was asplendid morning, the whole atmosphere steeped in sunshine, and musicalwith the songs of birds. The big sun was peeping over the distant wallof the crater, but we did not feel his rays uncomfortably hot. A sky ofthe loveliest azure was streaked with thin white clouds, drawn across itlike muslin curtains, and a cooling breeze played gently upon the skin. The dewy air, so spring-like, fresh and sweet, was a positive pleasureto breathe, and we both felt the intoxication, the rapture of life, aswe had never felt it since our boyhood. The grass underfoot was green asemerald, and soft as velvet; fountains were flashing in the sunshine, statues gleaming amongst the flowering trees, and birds of brilliantplumage glancing everywhere. 

The square opened on the lake, and afforded us a magnificent view of theisland. It was conical in shape, and the peak, no doubt, of an oldvolcanic vent. I should say it was at least a thousand feet in height;the sides were a veritable "hanging garden, " wild and luxuriant; and thesummit was crowned by a glittering mass of domes, minarets, and spires. Numbers of people, old and young, were bathing along the beach, andswimming, diving, and splashing each other in the water with innocentglee. Large birds, resembling swans, double the size of ours, and ofpale blue, rose, yellow, and green, as well as white plumage, werefloating in and out, and some of the children were riding on theirbacks. Fantastic boats, with carved and painted prows, might be seencrossing the lake in all directions, some under sail, and others withrowers, keeping stroke to the rhythm of their songs. The shores of thelake, sloping quietly to the waterside, were covered more or lessthickly with the houses and gardens of the city, and far in thedistance, perhaps fifty, perhaps a hundred miles away, the view wasbounded by the dim and ruddy precipice of the crater wall. 

Regaling our eyes on the beautiful prospect, and our lungs on the pureatmosphere, we wandered along the beach, ever and anon pausing to admirethe strange forms and beautiful colouring of the shells and seaweeds, orto pick up a rare pebble, then shie it away again, little thinking thatit might have been a ruby, sapphire, or topaz, worth a king's ransom onthe earth. At length the way was barred by the mouth of a broad river, and after a refreshing plunge in the lake, we returned home tobreakfast. 

During our absence Carmichael had been visited by our venerable host ofthe evening, whose name was Dinus, and a young man called Otāré, whoturned out to be his son. They had brought a fresh supply of dainties, and what was still more important, some pictorial dictionaries anddrawings which would enable us to learn their language. As the structureof it was simple, and the vocabulary not very copious, and as we alsoenjoyed the tuition of the young man, who was devoted to our service, and conducted us in most of our walks abroad, at the end of a fortnightwe could maintain a conversation with tolerable fluency. 

In the meanwhile, and afterwards, we learned a good deal about thecountry, and the manners and customs of its inhabitants. Womla, orWoom-la, which means the "bowl" or hollow-land, is evidently the craterof an extinct volcano of enormous dimensions, such as are believed toexist upon the moon. It belongs to an archipelago of similar islands, which are widely scattered over a vast ocean in this part of Venus, butis, we were told, far distant from the nearest of them. The climate maybe described as a perpetual spring and summer, with a sky nearly alwaysserene, and of a beautiful azure blue, veiled with soft and fleecyclouds. 

Thanks to the lofty walls of the crater, which penetrate the clouds andcondense their moisture, the land is watered with many streams. Theseflow into the central lake, which discharges into the surrounding oceanby a rift or chasm in the mountain side. Moreover, there are frequentshowers, and heavy dews by night, to refresh the surface of the ground. Thunderstorms occur on the tops of the mountain and in the open sea;but very seldom within the enchanted girdle of the crater. The air isremarkably pure, sweet, and exhilarating, owing doubtless to the highpercentage of oxygen it contains, and the absence of foreign matter, such as microbes, dust, and obnoxious fumes. In fact, we all felt adistinct improvement in our health and spirits, a kind of mentalintoxication which was really more than a rejuvenescence. Nor was theheat very trying, even in the middle of the day, because although thesun was twice as large as on the earth, he did not rise far above thehorizon, and cooling breezes blew from the chilled summit of the cliffs. The vegetation seems to go on budding, flowering, and fruitingperpetually, as in the Elysian Fields of Homer, where

 "Joys ever young, unmixed with pain or fear, Fill the wide circle of the eternal year: Stern winter smiles on that auspicious clime The fields are florid with unfading prime; From the bleak Pole no winds inclement blow, Mould the round hail, or flake the fleecy snow; But from the breezy deep the blessèd inhale, The fragrant murmurs of the western gale. "

The mysterious behaviour of the sun was a great puzzle to ourastronomer. I have said that he rose very little above the horizon, orin other words the lip of the crater, as might be expected from our highsouthern latitude; but we soon found that he always rose and sank at thesame place. In the morning he peeped above the cliffs, and in theevening he dipped again behind them, leaving a twilight or gloaming (Ican scarcely call it dusk), which continued throughout the night. Fromhis fixity in azimuth, Gazen concluded that Schiaparelli, the famousItalian observer, was right in supposing that Venus takes as long toturn about her own axis as she does to go round the sun, and that as aconsequence she always presents the same side to her luminary. All thatwe heard from the natives tended to confirm this view. They told us thatfar away to the east and west of Womla there was a desert land, coveredwith snow and ice, on which the sun never shone. We also gathered thatthe sun rises to a greater and lesser height above the cliffsalternately, thus producing a succession of warmer and cooler seasons; afact which agrees with Schiaparelli's observation that the axis of theplanet sways to and from the sun. Gazen was intensely delighted at thisdiscovery, partly for its own sake, but mainly, I think, because itwould afford him an opportunity of crushing the celebrated PettiferPossil, his professional antagonist, who, it seems, is bitterly opposedto the doctrines of Schiaparelli. But why did the sun rise and set everyfifteen hours or thereabout, and so make what I have called a "day" and"night"? Why did he not continue in the same spot, except for the slowchange caused by the nutation or nodding of Venus? Gazen was muchperplexed over this anomaly, and sought an explanation of it in therefraction of the atmosphere above the cliffs producing an apparent butnot a real motion of the orb. 

The territory of Womla may be divided into three zones, namely, acentral plain under cultivation, a belt of undulating hills, kept as apark or pleasaunce, and a magnificent, nay, a sublime wilderness, nextto the crater wall. 

The natural wealth of the country is very great. Some of its productionsresemble and others are different from those of the earth. We saw gold, silver, copper, tin, and iron, as well as metals which were quite new tous. Some of these had a purple, blue, or green colour, and emitted amost agreeable fragrance. There are granites and porphyries, marbles andpetrifactions of the most exquisite grain or tints. Precious stones likethe diamond, ruby, sapphire, topaz, emerald, garnet, opal, turquoise, and others familiar or unfamiliar to us, fairly abound, and can bepicked up on the shores of the lake. I presume that many of them havebeen formed on a large scale in chasms of the rock by the volcanic fumesof the crater. 

What struck us most of all, however, was the prevalence ofphosphorescent minerals which absorbed the sunlight by day, andglimmered feebly in the dusk. Professor Gazen seems to think that thepresence of snow and clouds, together with these phosphorescent bodies, may help to account for the mysterious luminosity on the dark side ofVenus. 

The vegetation is wonderfully rich, varied, and luxuriant. As a rule, the foliage is thick and glossy; but while it is green to blackness insome of the trees, it is parti-coloured or iridescent in others. Many ofthe flowers, too, are iridescent, or change their hues from hour tohour. The beauty and profusion of the flowers is beyond conception, andsome of the loveliest grow on what I should take for palms, ferns, canes, and grasses. A distant forest or woodland rivals the splendidplumage of some tropical bird. We heard of "singing flowers, " includinga water-lily which bursts open with a musical note, and of many plantswhich are sensitive to heat as well as touch, and if Gazen be correct, to electricity and magnetism. We saw one in a house which was said torequire a change of scene from time to time else it would languish anddie. 

The borders of the lakes and ponds teemed with corals, delicateseaweeds, and lovely shells. Innumerable fishes of gay and brillianthues darted and burned in the water like broken rainbows. 

Reptiles are not very common, at least, in the cultivated zone; but wesaw a few snakes, tortoises, and lizards, all brightly and harmoniouslymarked. One of the snakes was phosphorescent, and one of the lizardscould sit up like a dog, or fly in the air like a swallow. The varietyand beauty of the birds, as well as the charm of their song, exceed alldescription. Most of them have iridescent feathers, several arewingless, and one at least has teeth. The insects are a match for thebirds in point of beauty, if not also in size and musical qualities. Many of them are luminescent, and omit steady or flashing lights ofevery tint all through the night. 

There are few large quadrupeds in the country, and so far as we couldlearn none of these are predaceous. We saw an animal resembling a deeron one hand, and a tapir on the other, as well as a kind of toed horseor hipparion, and a number of domestic pets all strange to us. 

The people, according to their tradition, came originally from atemperate land far across the ocean to the south-east, which is now adark and frozen desert. They are a remarkably fine race, probably ofmixed descent, for they found Womla inhabited, and their complexionsvary from a dazzling blonde to an olive-green brunette. They are nearlyall very handsome, both in face and figure, and I should say that manyof them more than realise our ideals of beauty. As a rule, thecountenances of the men are open, frank, and noble; those of the womenare sweet, smiling, and serene. Free of care and trouble, or unaffectedby it, mere existence is a pleasure to them, and not a few appear tolive in a kind of rapture, such as I have seen in the eyes of a youngartist on the earth while regarding a beautiful woman or a gloriouslandscape. Their attitudes and movements are full of dignity and grace. In fact, during my walks abroad, I frequently found myself admiringtheir natural groups, and fancying myself in ancient Greece, as depictedby our modern painters. Their style of beauty is not unlike that of theold Hellenes, but I doubt whether the delicacy and bloom of their skinshas ever been matched on our planet except, perhaps, in a few favouredpersons. 

From some experiments made by Gazen, it would appear that while theirsenses of sight and touch are keener, their senses of hearing and alsoof heat are rather blunter than ours. 

Partly owing to the genial climate, their love of beauty, and their easyexistence, their dress is of a simple and graceful order. Many of theirlight robes and shining veils are woven from silky fibres which grow onthe trees, and tinged with beautiful dyes. Bright, witty, and ingenious, as well as guileless, chaste, and happy, I can only compare them togrown-up children--but the children of a god-like race. Thanks to thepurity of their blood, and the gentleness of their dispositions, together with their favourable circumstances, they live almost exemptfrom disease, or pain, or crime, and finally die in peace at the goodold age of a hundred or a hundred and fifty years. 

Their voices are so pleasing, and their language is so melodious that Ienjoyed hearing their talk before I understood a word of it. Moreover, their delightful manners evince a rare delicacy of sentiment andappreciation of the beautiful in life. We foreigners must have beenobjects of the liveliest curiosity to them, yet they never showed it intheir conduct; they never stared at us, or stopped to enquire about us, but courteously saluted us wherever we went, and left us to makeourselves at home. We never saw an ugly or unbecoming gesture, and wenever heard a rude, unmannerly word all the time we stayed in Womla. 

Some of their public buildings are magnificent; but most of theirprivate houses are pretty one-storied cottages, each more or lessisolated in a big garden, and beyond earshot of the rest. They areelegant, not to say fanciful constructions of stone and timber, generally of an oval shape, or at least with rounded outlines; butsometimes rambling, and varying much in detail. Everyone seems to followhis particular bent and taste in the fashion of his home. Many of themhave balconies or verandahs, and also terraces on the roof, where theinmates can sit and enjoy the surrounding view. They are doorless, andthe outer walls are usually open so that one may see inside; but instormy weather they are closed by panels of wood, and a translucentmineral resembling glass. They are divided into rooms by mats andcurtains, or partitions and screens of wood, which are sometimesdecorated with paintings of inimitable beauty. The ceilings are usuallyof carved wood, and the floors inlaid with marbles, corals, and thericher stones. There are no stuffy carpets on the floors, or hangings onthe walls to collect the dust. The light easy furniture is for the mostpart made of precious or fragrant woods of divers colours--red, black, yellow, blue, white, and green. At night the rooms are softly andagreeably lighted by phosphorescent tablets, or lamps of glow-worms andfire-flies in crystal vases. 

The dishes and utensils not only serve but adorn the home. Most of theimplements and fittings are made of coloured metals or alloys. Many ofthe cups and vessels are beautifully cut from shells and diamonds, rubies, or other precious stones. Statuary, manuscripts, and musicalinstruments, bespeak their taste and genius for the fine arts. 

Their love of Nature is also shown in their gardens and pleasuregrounds, which are stocked with the rarest flowers, fruits, and petanimals; such as bright fishes, luminous frogs and moths, singing birds, and so forth, none of which are captives in the strict sense of theword. 

Members of one family live under the same roof, or at all events withinthe same ground. The father is head of the household, and the highest inauthority. The mother is next, and the children follow in the order oftheir age. They hold that the proper place for the woman is between theman and the child, and that her nature, which partakes of both, fitsher for it. On the rare occasions when authority needs to be exercisedit is promptly obeyed. All the members of the family mix freely togetherin mutual confidence and love, with reverence, but not fear. They arevery clean and dainty in their habits. To every house, either in an opencourt or in the garden, there is a bathing pond of running water, with afountain playing in the middle, where they can bathe at any time withoutgoing to the lake. 

They deem it not only gross to eat flesh or fish, but also barbarous, nay cruel, to enjoy and sustain their own lives through the sufferingand death of other creatures. This feeling, or prejudice as some wouldcall it, extends even to eggs. They live chiefly on fruits, nuts, edibleflowers, grain, herbs, gums, and roots, which are in great profusion. Idid not see any alcoholic, or at least intoxicating beverages amongstthem. Their drink is water, either pure or else from mineral springs, and the delectable juices of certain fruits and plants. They eattogether, chatting merrily the while, and afterwards recline on coucheslistening to some tale, or song, or piece of music, but taking care notto fall asleep, as they believe it is injurious. 

They rejoice when a child is born, and cherish it as the most holygift. For the first eight or ten years of its life it is left as much aspossible to the teaching of Nature, care being taken to guard it fromserious harm. It is allowed to run wild about the gardens and fields, developing its bodily powers in play, and gaining a practical experienceof the most elementary facts. After that it goes to school, at first fora short time, then, as it becomes used to the confinement and study, fora longer and longer period each day. Their end in education is toproduce noble men and women; that is to say, physical, moral, andintellectual beauty by assisting the natural growth. They hold it a sinto falsify or distort the mind, as well as the soul or body of a child. They seem to be as careful to cultivate the genius and temperament asthe heart and conscience. Their object is to train and form the pupilaccording to the intention of Nature without forcing him beyond hisstrength, or into an artificial mould. Studious to preserve the harmonyand unity of mind, soul, and body, they never foster one to thedetriment of the others, but seek to develop the whole person. 

It is not so much words as things, not so much facts, dates, andfigures, as principles, ideas, and sentiments, which they endeavour toteach. The scholar is made familiar with what he is told by observationand experience whenever it is possible, for that is how Nature teaches. Precept, they say, is good, and example is better; but an ideal ofperfection is best of all. 

At first more attention is paid to the cultivation of the body than themind. Not only are the boys and girls trained in open-air gymnasia, orcontend in games, but they also work in the gardens, and during theholidays are sent into the wilderness under the guidance of theirelders, especially their elder brothers, to rough it there in primitivefreedom. 

The first lessons of the pupil are very short and simple, but as hismind ripens they become longer and more difficult. The education of thesoul precedes that of the mind. They wish to make their children goodbefore they make them clever; and good by the feelings of the heartrather than the instruction of the head. Every care is taken to refineand strengthen the sentiments and instincts, the conscience, good senseand taste, as well as the affections, filial piety, friendship, and thelove of Nature. Spiritual and moral ideals are inculcated by means ofinnocent and simple tales or narratives. Children are taught to obey theauthority placed over them, or in their own breast, and to sacrifice allto their duty. The conduct of the teacher must be irreproachable, because he is a model to them; but while they look upon him as theirfriend and guide, he leaves them free to choose their own companions andamuse themselves in their own way. 

In the cultivation of the mind they give the first and foremost place tothe imagination. The reason, they say, is mechanical, and cannot riseabove the known; that is to say, the real; whereas the imagination iscreative and attains to the unknown, the ideal. Its highest work is thecreation of beauty. Because it is unruly, and precarious in its action, however, the imagination requires the most careful guidance, and theassistance of the reason. Students are taught to idealise and invent, aswell as to analyse and reason, but without disturbing the equilibrium ofthe faculties by acquiring a pronounced habit of one or the other. It isbetter, they say, to be reasonable than a reasoner; to be imaginativethan a dreamer; and to have discernment or insight than mere knowledge. 

The most important study of all is the art of living, or in other wordsthe art of leading a simple, noble, and beautiful life. It finishestheir education, and consists in the reduction of their highest preceptsand ideals to practice. The reasons for every lesson are given so faras they are known, and they are always founded in the nature of things. A pupil is taught to act in a particular way, not in the hope of areward or in the fear of punishment, but because it would be contrary tothe laws of matter and spirit to act otherwise; in short, because it isright. They hold that life is its own end as well as its own reward. According as it is good or bad, so it achieves or fails of its purpose, and is happy or miserable. We are happy by our emotions or feelings, andthrough these by our actions. Happiness comes from goodness, but is notperfect without health, beauty, and fitness: hence the pupils are taughtself-regulation, practical hygiene, and a graceful manner. Indeed, theirpassion for beauty is such that they regard nothing as perfect until itis beautiful. 

As beauty of mind, soul, and body, is their aim, a beautiful person isheld in the highest honour. Prizes are offered for beauty, and statuesare erected to the winners. Many are called after some particular trait;for example, "Timāré of the lovely toes, " and a pretty eyelash is atitle to public fame. Beauty they say is twice blessed, since it pleasesthe possessor as well as others. 

The sense of existence, apart from what they do or gain, is their chiefhappiness. Their "ealo, " or the height of felicity, is a passive ratherthan an active state. It is (if I am not mistaken) a kind of serenerapture or tranquil ecstasy of the soul, which is born doubtless from aperfect harmony between the person and his environment. In it, they say, the illusion of the world is complete, and life is another name formusic and love. 

As far as I could learn, this condition, though independent of sexuallove, is enhanced by it. On the one hand it is spoiled by too muchthought, and on the other by too much passion. They cherish it as theycherish all the natural illusions (which are sacred in their eyes), butbeing a state of repose it is transient, and only to be enjoyed fromtime to time. 

Since an unfit employment is a mistake, and a source of unhappiness, everyone is free to choose the work that suits his nature. Parents andteachers only help him to discover himself. One is called to his work bya love for it, and the pleasure he takes in doing it easily and well. Ifhis bent is vague or tardy, he is allowed to change, and feel his way toit by trial. Since the work or vocation is not a means of living, thereis no compulsion in it. Their aim is to do right in carrying out thetrue intentions of Nature. 

For the same reason everyone is free to choose the partner of his life. They are monogamists, and believe that nothing can justify marriage butlove on both sides. The rite is very simple, and consists in the electedpair sipping from the same dish of sacred water. It is called "drinkingof the cup. "

Most of them die gradually of old age, and they do not seem to share ourfear and horror of death, but to regard it with a sad and pleasingmelancholy. The body is reduced to ashes on a pyre of fragrant wood, andthe songs they sing around it only breathe a tender regret for theirloss, mingled with a joyful hope of meeting again. They neither preservethe dust as a memento, nor wear any kind of mourning; but they cherishthe memory of the absent in their hearts. 

They believe that labour like virtue is a necessity, and its own reward;but it is moderate labour of the right sort, which is a blessing and nota curse. They all seem happy at their work, which is often cheered bymusic, songs, or tales. Everyone enjoys his task, and tries to attainthe perfection of skill and grace. Those who excel are honoured, andsometimes commemorated with statues. 

They seem artists in all, and above all. They hold that every beautifulthing has a use, and they never make a useful thing without beauty. Apart from portraits, their pictures and statuary are mostly historical, or else ideal representations. Many of these are typical of life; forexample, a boy at play, a pair of lovers, a mother weaning her child, and the parting of friends. The ideal of art is to them not merely ashow to please the eye for a while, but a model to be realised in theirown lives; and I daresay it has helped to make them such a fine people. They are clever architects and gardeners. Indeed, the whole country maybe described as a vast ornamental garden. In the middle zone, whichborders on the wilderness, their wonderful art of beautifying naturalscenery is at its best. They have a good many simple machines andimplements, but I should not call them a scientific people. Gazen, whoenquired into the matter, was told by Otāré, himself an artist, by theway, that science in their opinion had a tendency to destroy theillusion of Nature and impair the finer sentiments and spontaneity ofthe soul; hence they left the systematic study of it to the few whopossess a decided bias for it. As a rule they are content to admire. 

They have many books of various kinds, either printed or finely writtenand illustrated by hand. I should say their favourite reading washistory and travels, or else poetry and fiction; anything having ahuman interest, more especially of a pathetic order. Everyone is taughtto read aloud, and if he possess the voice and talent, to recite. Poetsare highly esteemed, and not only read their poems to the people, butalso teach elocution. They have dramatic performances on certain days, and seem to prefer tragedies or affecting plays, perhaps because theseawaken feelings which their happy lot in general permits to sleep. Theyare very fond of music, and can all sing or play on some musicalinstrument. Their favourite melodies are mostly in a minor key, and theydislike noisy music; indeed, noise of any sort. Gesture and the danceare fine arts, and they can imitate almost any action without words. Afavourite amusement is to gather in the dusk of the evening, crownedwith flowers, or wearing fanciful dresses, and sing or dance together bythe light of the fire-flies. 

The inhabitants of the whole island live as one happy family. Recognising their kinship by intermarriage, and their isolation in theworld, they never forget that the good or ill of a part is the good orill of the whole, and their object is to secure the happiness of one andall. It is considered right to help another in trouble before thinkingof oneself. 

When Gazen explained the doctrine of "the struggle for existence endingin the survival of the fittest" to Otāré, he replied that it was anexcellent principle for snakes; but he considered it beneath the dignityand wisdom of men to struggle for a life which could be maintained bythe labour of love, and ought to be devoted to rational or spiritualenjoyment. 

Thanks to the helpful spirit which animates them, and the bounty ofNature, nobody is ever in want. As a rule, the garden around each homeprovides for the family, and any surplus goes to the public stores, orrather free tables, where anyone takes what he may require. 

As I have already hinted, personal merit of every kind is honouredamongst them. 

Dinus, the gentleman who received us on the night of our arrival, is thechief man or head of the community, and was appointed to the post forhis wisdom, character, and age. He is assisted in the government by acouncil of a hundred men, and there are district officers in variousparts of the country. 

They have no laws, or at all events their old laws have become a deadletter. Custom and public opinion take their place. Crime is practicallyunknown amongst them, and when a misdemeanour is committed the culpritis in general sufficiently punished by his own shame and remorse. However, they have certain humane penalties, such as fines orrestitution of stolen goods; but they never resort to violence or takelife, and only in extreme cases of depravity and madness do theyinfringe on the liberty of an individual. 

Quarrels and sickness of mind or body are almost unknown amongst them. The care and cure of the person is a portion of the art of life as it istaught in the schools. 

An account of this remarkable people would not be complete without somereference to their religion; but owing to their reticence on sacredsubjects, and the shortness of our visit, I was unable to learn muchabout it. They believe, however, in a Supreme Being, whom they only nameby epithets such as "The Giver" or "The Divine Artist. " They alsobelieve in the immortality of the soul. One of their proverbs, "Life isgood, and good is life, " implies that goodness means life, and badnessdeath. They hold that every thought, word, and deed, is by the nature ofthings its own reward or punishment, here or hereafter. Their ideals ofchildlike innocence, and the reign of love, seem to be essentiallyChristian. Their solicitude and kindness extends to all that lives andsuffers, and they regard the world around them as a divine work whichthey are to reverence and perfect. 

Our visit fell during a great religious festival and holiday, which theykeep once a year, and by the courtesy of Dinus, or his son, we witnessedmany of their sacred concerts, dances, games, and other celebrations. Ofthese, however, I shall only describe the principal ceremony, which iscalled "Plucking the Flower, " and appears to symbolise the passage ofthe soul into a higher life. 

CHAPTER IX. 

THE FLOWER OF THE SOUL. 

Early on the chief day of the festival Otāré came and took us to see themystical rite of cutting the "Flower of the Soul. "

The morning was fine, and the clear waters of the lake were bright withboats filled with joyous parties bound like ourselves for the HolyIsland. 

Landing at a noble quay of red granite, we climbed the steep and shaggysides of the mountain by a sacred and winding avenue, bordered withblooming trees and statuary. Most of the figures were exquisitely carvedin a white wood or stone, having a pearly sheen, and represented theformer priestesses of the Temple, or illustrated the animating spirit ofthe cult. 

On gaining the summit we found ourselves at the brim of a spacioushollow or basin, which in past ages must have been the crater of thevolcanic peak. The grassy slopes of the basin were laid out in flowergardens and terraces of coloured marbles, shaded with sombre trees, andornamented with sculpture. In the bottom lay an oval sheet of water amile long or more, and from the midst of it, towards the near end, abeautiful islet, crowned by a magnificent temple, rose like a mirage tothe view, and seemed to float on its glassy bosom. 

Words of mine cannot give any idea of that sublime architecture, whichresembled no earthly order, though it seemed to partake of both theSaracenic and the Indian. Fragrant timber, precious stones, andburnished metals; in fine, the richest materials known to the builders, had been united with consummate art into one harmonious emblem of theirfaith. The first beams of the rising sun blazed on its golden roof andfretted pinnacles of diamond, and ruby, sapphire, topaz, and emerald;but the lower part was still in shadow. Nevertheless, we coulddistinguish a grand portal in the southern front, which faced the sun, and a broad flight of marble steps descending from it into the water;but the massive doors were shut, and not a soul was to be seen about thetemple. 

As the worshippers arrived they seated themselves on the turf amongstthe flowering shrubs, or on the benches along the terraces, and eitherspoke in subdued tones, or preserved a religious silence. Otāré led usto a kind of throne or stand facing the temple, and raised above theother seats, where his father, as chief of the community, sat in state. Dinus received us with his usual gracious dignity, and gave us chairs onhis right and left hand. 

From this height we enjoyed a splendid panorama of the Craterland, atleast that portion which had already caught the sunshine. It lay beneathus like a picture, the surface rising in a series of zones from thecentral sea, which mirrored the serene azure and plume-like vapours ofthe heavens, through the sweet meadows, and the smiling gardens, to theluxuriant wilderness beyond; and we could plainly see the shadow of thebounding rampart shrink towards the south as the sun mounted higher andhigher. 

It was a lovely dawn. A rosy mist hung like a veil of gauze over thesouthern sky, and from behind a bar of purple cloud, lined with gold, which rested on the summit of the cliffs, a coronet of auroral beams orcrepuscular rays, blue on a pink ground, shot upwards, heralding theadvent of the sun, and reminding me of the ancient simile of the earthas a bride awaiting the arrival of her lord. 

At length the first glowing tip of the solar disc peeped over the rimof the crater, and a deep low murmur, swelling to a shrill cry, ascendedfrom the passive multitude. 

All the people rose to their feet, and every eye was turned on the southfront of the temple, which was now illuminated to the edge of the water. As the sunlight crept over the surface it sparkled on the dense foliageof what seemed a bed of water-lilies flourishing quite close to themarble stairs. 

Presently a rich and stately barge, moved by crimson oars, and enlivenedwith young girls draped in sky-blue, was seen to glide round a corner ofthe temple, and come to rest beside the water-lilies. 

A deep silence, as of breathless expectation, fell upon the vastassembly, and then, without other warning, the great purple doors of thetemple swung open, and revealed a white-robed figure walking at the headof a glittering procession of maidens decked in jewels and luminousscarves, which vied with the colours of the rainbow. It was the youngpriestess and her train of virgins. 

Simultaneously the immense multitude raised their voices in a sacredhymn of melting sweetness, very low at first, but gathering volume asthe priestess descended the marble stairs to the waterside. 

Here, on the lowest of the steps, one of her maidens put into her handa sacred knife or sickle, which, as Otāré informed us had a blade ofgold, and a handle of opal. The woman then retired, and we saw her standerect for a moment in the full blaze of the mellow sunlight, with hergolden hair falling about her in a kind of glory, and stretch out herarms towards the sun in a superb attitude of adoration. Then, with aslow and swan-like movement, she entered the water, and wading among thelilies, cut the sacred blossom, and held it aloft in triumph, while themusic swelled to a mighty pæan of thanksgiving and praise. 

After that she went on board the barge, which had been waiting for her, and was rowed around the border of the lake not far from the shore, sothat the onlookers might see the loveliness of the flower, and evensmell its perfume. The barge was not unlike an ancient galley in shape, but ornately curved like the proa of a South Sea Islander. The rowerswere concealed underneath the deck, but the crimson oars kept time tothe music of their voices, and the spectators joined in the song as thevessel glided onwards. 

As for the priestess, she lay reclining under a golden canopy on thepoop, with her face half turned towards the people, and holding thesacred lily in her hand, whilst two of her maidens fanned her withbrilliant plumes, "And made their bends adorning. "

Ever since she had come out of the temple I had scarcely taken my eyesoff her, and now that I could see the marvellous beauty of hercountenance, I was absolutely fascinated. Never shall I forget thesemoments as long as I live, and yet I cannot give a clear and connectedrelation of them. I see only a picture in my mind of a purple couchunder a golden canopy, a fair form, a beautiful head crowned with goldenhair, a glowing arm holding a white flower on its long green stalk. Suddenly, as if impelled by an instinct, she turns her face full upon meas the barge comes opposite to her father's throne. I see her greatviolet eyes fixed upon mine as though she would read into my very soul. I do not shrink from that pure search. On the contrary, I feel myselfdrawn towards her by an irresistible attraction, and return her gaze. 

She does not look away. She smiles--yes, she smiles upon me, andinclines her head to see me, like a sunflower following the sun, as sheis floating past. 

From that moment I was an altered man. The vision of that peerlessbeauty had worked a miracle in my nature. A strange peace, anunfathomable joy, I should rather say an ecstacy of bliss, reigned in myheart. I felt that I had found something for which my soul had cravedwithout knowing it, and had been seeking unawares--something beyond allprice, which is not merely the best that life, eternity, can offer; butgives to life, eternity, an inestimable value--I felt that I had foundthe counterpart of myself--the celestial mate of my spirit. Henceforththere was only one woman in the world, in the universe, for me. Amysterious instinct whispered that we belonged to each other--that thisincomparable creature was mine by an inviolable right, if not on thisside of time at all events hereafter, and for ever. I felt, too, that myown being had now completed its development, and burst into bloom like aplant under the vivifying rays of the sun. 

Exulting in my new-found happiness, and overcome with gratitude for it, I watched the receding boat in a sort of trance until the matter-of-factvoice of Gazen broke the spell. 

"Prettiest sight I ever saw in my life, " said he to Otāré. "Quite aliving picture. "

"I am glad you like it, " responded Otāré evidently gratified. 

"But what is the good of it?" enquired the professor. 

"The good of it?" rejoined the Venusian; "it is beautiful, and gives uspleasure. "

"Oh, of course; but what is the meaning--the inner meaning of it?"

"Ah! the meaning of it, " said Otāré, a new light breaking on him, "Iwill explain. You saw the flower which the priestess cut and carried inher hand--?"

"A kind of water-lily, is it not?"

"Yes, it is the Sacred Lily. The plant is rooted in the mire at thebottom of the pond, and grows up through the water to the surface. Thestem rises in a serpentine curve, and terminates in a flower-bud, whichopens with a sigh of delight when the sun strikes upon it, and fills theair with its perfume. "

"A sigh, did you say?"

"Yes, a low sweet sound resembling a sigh. The flower is white--'livingwhite'--that is to say, white shot with many colours like the opal. Wecall it the Sun Lily, or 'Flower of the Soul. '"

"Why 'Flower of the Soul?'"

"Because we say it has the infinite and ever-changing beauty of thesoul. It is an emblem of Love, and its manifestations--beauty, genius, holiness. In particular it signifies the birth or awakening of love inthe human soul. As the plant may be said to exist for the flower, itschief glory, so the man attains his perfection through love, whichconfers a boundless and immortal worth upon his life. As the root takesfrom the soil and the flower brings forth the fruit, so hate feeds uponthe ill, and love dies for the good of others. It also represents thehuman race, for man, and especially woman, may be regarded as the flowerof this lower world. Moreover, the entire plant, root, stem, and flower, is symbolical of all creation, and some of our poets have named it the'Lily of Life. ' For as the plant begins in the black earth to end in thesunny ether, so the world, the universe, begins in chaos and darkness, to end in light and order; begins in matter and force, to end in lifeand spirit--begins in hate and selfishness, to end in love andself-sacrifice--begins in ugliness, to end in beauty. Thus the flowerand root stand for the upper and lower limits or poles of nature, andthe stalk which joins them for the upward range or path of creation. Itis a beautiful stem, curving in opposite ways like a serpent, or theside of a wave; in fact, it is the most beautiful curve we know--it runslike this. "

Here Otāré described a flamboyant curve in the air with his finger. 

"If I'm not mistaken it is what our artists call the 'line of beauty, '"observed Gazen. 

"Oh, indeed!" responded Otāré, with pleased surprise. "Well, with us itis a symbol of the continuous unfolding of things; the graceful progressof development. "

"So the path of evolution is the 'line of beauty, '" said the professor. 

"Apparently, " rejoined Otāré, "and as the ends of the curve pointoppositely, we say that a thing has not reached its final stage--thatits development is not complete--until it has turned to its opposite. Thus man is not a finished being until hate and selfishness have turnedto love and self-sacrifice. The flower of the soul is love, and as thesun is an emblem of the divine love, when the sacred lily opens anddisplays all its beauty in the sunshine, it means to us that the flowerof the soul blooms in the smile of 'The Giver. '"

"I see, " said the professor; "and what is done with the flower?"

"It is an offering, " replied Otāré, "and after the Priestess of theLily, or Priestess of the Sun, as we call her, has shown it to thepeople it will be treasured in the temple, and will never fade. "

"Beautiful woman, the priestess! And so young. "

"She is barely seventeen. The Priestess of the Sun Lily must be in theflower of her age, and the early dawn of her womanhood. Every year bythe popular voice she is chosen from all the maidens of the country forher intelligence, beauty, and goodness. For a year before the ceremonyshe lives in the temple with her maidens, and never leaves the sacredisland, or has any visitors from the outer world. During this period sheundergoes a preparation and purification for the fulfilment of her holyoffice--the culling of the flower. It consists mainly in the study ofour sacred writings, the eating of a certain food, and bathing in thewaters of a holy fountain, which issues from the rock in a sacred grottoof the island. When the ceremony of cutting the lily is over, and theholy month has expired, that is to say in ten days from now, she willleave the temple and return to her family. Another girl will take herplace--the priestess appointed for the coming year--in fact, the maidenwho gave her the sickle. "

I had listened to this conversation with breathless interest, butwithout daring to take part in it. 

"Will she ever marry?" enquired Gazen. 

I waited for the answer with a beating heart. 

"Oh, yes, " replied Otāré, "why not? She will marry if she finds a loverwhom she can love. There are many who admire Alumion. "

"What of yourself?" asked the professor, smiling pointedly. "You seem toknow a good deal about her. "

"I am her brother. "

Nothing more was said, for at this moment the barge was seen coming frombehind the temple, after having made a round of the spectators, andpresently drew up at the marble stairs. Again the doors swung open, andthe maidens reappeared to welcome their mistress with a song of joy. Isaw her ascend the steps bearing the lily in her hand, then turn andwave an adieu to the multitude, who responded by a parting hymn as thegreat purple valves closed together and rapt her from my sight. 

CHAPTER X. 

ALUMION. 

Alumion--Alumion--I could think of nothing but Alumion. Her very namewas music in my ears, and her image in my heart was a perpetual banquetof delight I had never known such felicity before. My inclination forMiss Carmichael and every other transient affection or interest I mayhave felt was altogether of a lower strain--with one exception, a boyishadmiration for a school girl who died a mere child. The ethereal flameof this new passion seemed to purify all that was earthly, and exalt allthat was celestial in my nature. This beautiful land, so green andsmiling under a sky of serene azure and snowy wreaths, became as thehighest heaven to me, and I wandered about in a dream of ecstacy likeone of the blessed gods inebriated with nectar. 

I avoided my travelling companions. Their worldly conversation jarred onthe mood I was in, and I preferred my own thoughts to their pursuits. As my sole desire was to hear about Alumion, and if possible to see heragain, I courted the society of Dinus and Otāré. I knew, of course, thatin ten days she would return to her family, but I thought I might beable to visit the temple and perhaps get a glimpse of her. However, Ilearned from her father that during the sacred festival the temple wasclosed to the outer world. It was not indeed forbidden to land on theholy island, but it was considered a sacrilege for anyone not havingbusiness there to enter the precincts of the temple, excepting on theday of the ceremony which had just taken place. While bound to respectthis taboo, I was, nevertheless, drawn by an irresistible attraction tothe island, where I frequently spent hours in sailing about the woodedshores, or loitering in the sacred avenue, hoping against hope that Imight see her passing by or in the distance. Although I was not sofortunate, I enjoyed the satisfaction of being nearer to her, and as theisland seemed a perfect solitude, I could indulge my reverie in peace. 

At last I made a discovery. In describing the ceremony of the Flower, Otāré had spoken of a sacred grotto where the priestess went to bathe, and on questioning him further, I ascertained that it was situated onthe shore of the island in a bay or inlet to the eastward of the quay, and that she took her customary bath at set of sun. 

That afternoon I made a thorough search and found a cavern in the rockclose to the beach of a secluded cove which I had overlooked until then. A footpath, winding down the mountain side through the forest led to itsmouth, which was overhung and almost hid by a rich creeper with largecrimson blossoms. It was evidently the spot mentioned by Otāré, butwishing to make sure, and impelled by curiosity in spite of a morehallowed feeling, I lifted the creeper and was about to peer into thedarkness, when a sudden noise within made me jump back with affright. Itwas the most horrible and excruciating shriek I had ever heard in mylife. If anyone by a refinement of cruelty were to compound a torturefor the ears, I do not think he could produce anything half so piercing, gruesome, and discordant. 

It seemed the cry of an animal--a wild beast--and I began to think I wasmistaken in the place; but the sun was near its setting now, and it wastoo late to seek further afield. I therefore returned to my boat andwithdrew under the overarching boughs of some trees where I could seewithout being seen. 

I had not long to wait. Between the flowering shrubs I noticed that afigure--a woman by her undulating grace--was coming down the path. Athin wrap or veil of changing stuff, with gleams of azure and fiery red, was flung about her person. Presently she stepped upon the beach intothe mellow gloaming, and stood like a statue, with her eyes bent on thesinking orb, which threw a trail of splendour across the lake. 

It was the priestess, and apparently alone. A closer view of her personbrought me no disenchantment. Perfect beauty, like the sublime, producesan impression of the infinite, and I only speak the literal truth when Isay that she appeared infinitely beautiful to me. Her golden hair, rippling over the delicate ear and gathered into a knot behind, herlarge violet eyes and blooming white skin, her Grecian profile andstately yet flowing form, might have become an Aphrodite of Xeuxis orPraxiteles; but her serene and gracious countenance beamed with a pureseraphic light which is wanting to the classical goddess, and must besought in the Madonnas of Raphael. Moreover, she had an indescribablelook of girlish innocence, winsome sweetness, and pitiful tenderness, which belonged to none of these ideals, and marked her as a simple, loving, perishable child of earth. 

I gazed upon her marvellous beauty with a kind of religious veneration, at once attracted by her womanly charm and awed by her god-like dignity, yet with a strange, a divine state of repose and pure rapture in myheart for which there is no name. 

Would that the happiness, the bliss of looking upon her, of being nearher, might have lasted for ever!

I knew, however, that she would soon enter the grotto and be lost to me. Should I speak? In this fraternal community what was there to preventit? Something held me back. Otāré had said that the priestess wasisolated from the outer world during her year of office; but that wasonly a general statement. Mine was a peculiar case. I was a stranger. Idid not belong to their world, and was not supposed to know the ins andouts of their customs. Besides, why should custom stand between such alove as mine and its object? Conventional propriety was for the pitifulearth and its wretched abortive passions. Perhaps I should frighten her?No, I did not believe it. In this golden land even the birds seemedfearless. As well think to frighten an angel in Heaven. 

While I was debating the question within myself she glanced into thefoliage where I was hidden. How my heart throbbed! I fancied that shesaw me, and trembled with emotion; but I was mistaken, for she turnedand walked towards the cavern. 

Suddenly I remembered the alarming sound within the cave, and breakingthrough the covert, called after her. 

"Take care, take care! There is a wild beast in the grotto. I heard itcry. "

She looked round and started when she saw me. The surprise, visible onher face, seemed to melt into recognition. 

"It is kind of you to warn me, " she responded with a frank smile, "but Iam not in danger. There is no wild animal inside. "

Her low sweet voice was quite in keeping with her beauty. Every noterung clear and melodious as a bell. 

"But the awful cry?" I rejoined with a puzzled air. 

"Was that of a particular pet of mine, " she answered laughingly. 

"Pardon me, " said I smiling for company, "I am a stranger here, as youcan see, and did not know any better. "

"You are one of the travellers from another world, are you not?"

"Ah! you have heard of our arrival. "

"Oh yes! An event so important was not kept from me. I saw you sittingbeside my father on the day of the Flower, and I knew you again. I amafraid our country will seem very odd to you. Have you enjoyed yourstay?"

"So much. I cannot tell you how much. "

"I hope you will remain with us a long time. "

"I should like to stop here for ever. "

She blushed and smiled with pleasure at these words, then, raising herarms in a noble salute, inclined her head, and entered the cavern. 

I returned to the car in a delirium of happiness. I had seen her again, I had actually spoken with her. _She knew me!_ Every detail of her lookand accent was indelibly printed on my memory. All next day I wanderedabout in a kind of transport, feasting on the recollection of what hadpassed between us, and revolving over my future course of action. In twodays the holy time would end, and I should have an opportunity ofmeeting her at home; but with the chance of seeing her again at thegrotto, I could not wait. I was allured towards her by the mostdelicious fascination. Such a love as mine looked down upon the pettyproprieties which keep lovers apart, yet are sometimes so needful in ourwicked world. In this noble planet life was free and simple, because itwas beautiful and good. I determined to revisit the cove that evening, and if I should see her again, to declare my secret. 

Had I counted the cost? With such a passion it is not a question ofcost. I was well aware that if she did not reciprocate my affection shewould never marry me. Nor did I wish it otherwise. I would not ask herto sacrifice herself for my sake. If, as my heart fondly hoped, sheaccepted me, I would not allow anything to stand between us for amoment. I would abandon the expedition if necessary, and remain inVenus. If, on the other hand, she refused me as my judgment feared, Iwould return to the earth as a new man, ennobled by a glorious love, reverencing myself that I was capable of it, cherishing her image in myheart as the ideal of womanhood, and grateful for having seen and knownher. Surely a rich reward for all the perils of the journey. 

Sunset found me in the cove, not hidden by the leaves as before, butsitting in the boat astrand. She came. To-night her veil was of a goldenyellow shading into dark green. A beautiful smile of recognition passedover her face when she saw me, and we greeted one another in thegraceful fashion of the country. 

I did not speak of the weather or give an excuse for my presence there, as I might have done to a woman of the world. With Alumion I felt thatall such artificial forms were idle, and that I could reveal my inmostsoul without disguise, in all its naked sincerity. 

"I have brought you some flowers, " said I, offering her a nosegay whichI had picked. "Will you accept them?"

"I thank you, " she replied with a beaming smile as she came and tookthem from my hand. "They are very beautiful, and I shall keep them foryour sake. "

"For my sake!"

Inspired by love I continued in a voice trembling with emotion, "Alumion--can you not guess what brings me here?"

A blush rose to her cheek as she bent over the flowers. 

"It is because I love you, " said I; "because I have loved you ever sinceI saw you on the day you cut the sacred lily; because I loveyou--worship you--with all my heart and soul. "

She was silent. 

"If I am wrong, forgive me, " I went on in a pleading tone. "Blame thespell your beauty has cast over me, but do not banish me from yourpresence, which is life and light to me. "

"Wrong!" she murmured, lifting her wondrous eyes to mine. "Can it bewrong to love, or to speak of love? Why should I send you away from mebecause you love me? Is not love the glory of the heart, as the sun isthe glory of the world? Rejoice, then, in your love as I do in mine. "

"As you do?"

"Yes, as I do. I should have spoken sooner, but my heart was full ofhappiness. For I also love you. I have loved you from the beginning. "

With a cry of unspeakable joy I sprang from the boat, and would haveflung myself at her feet to kiss her hand or the hem of her garment, butshe drew back with a look of apprehension. 

"Touch me not, " she said gravely, "for by the custom of our land I amholy. Until to-morrow at sunset I am consecrated to The Giver. "

"Pardon my ignorance, " I responded rather crestfallen. "Your will shallbe my law. I only wished to manifest my eternal gratitude and devotionto you. "

"Kneel not to me, " she rejoined, "but rather to The Giver, who has sostrangely brought us together. How many ages we might have wanderedfrom world to world without finding each other again!"

"You think we have met before then?" I enquired eagerly, for the samethought had been haunting my own mind. It seemed to me that I had knownAlumion always. 

"Assuredly, " she replied, "for you and I are kindred souls who have beenseparated in another world, by death or evil; and now that we have metagain, let us be faithful and loving to each other. "

"Nothing shall separate us any more. "

The words had scarcely passed my lips when the same terrible cry which Ihad heard once before sounded from the interior of the grotto. 

Alumion called or rather sang out a response to the cry, which I did notunderstand, then said to me in her ordinary voice, "It is Siloo. I must go now and give him food. "

I was curious to know who or what was Siloo, but did not dare to ask. She raised her arms gracefully and smiled a sweet farewell. 

"Are you going to leave me like that?" said I. 

"What would you have?" she answered, turning towards the cave. 

"In my country lovers bind themselves by mutual vows. "

"What need of vows? Have we not confessed our loves?"

"Will you not tell me when I shall see you again? Will you not say whenyou will be mine--when you will marry me?"

A blush mounted to her cheek as she answered with a divine glance, "Meet me at sunset to-morrow, and I will be yours. "

As yet I had not mentioned my adventure with Alumion to any of mycompanions, but that night I said to Gazen, as we smoked our cigarstogether, "Wish me joy, old fellow! I am going to be married. "

He seemed quite dumbfounded, and I rather think he fancied that I musthave come to an understanding with Miss Carmichael. 

"Really!" said he with the air of a man plucking up heart after anunexpected blow. "May I ask who is the lady?"

"The Priestess of the Lily. "

"The Priestess!" he exclaimed utterly astonished, but at the same timevastly relieved. "The Priestess! Come, now, you are joking. "

"Never was more serious in my life. "

Then I told him what had happened, how I had met her, and my engagementto marry her. 

"If you will take my advice, " said he dryly, "you'll do nothing of thekind. "

"Why?"

"Have you considered the matter?" he replied significantly. 

"Considered the matter! A love like mine does not 'consider the matter'as though it were a problem in Euclid. With such a woman as Alumion alover does not stop to 'consider the matter, ' unless he is a fool. "

"A woman--yes; but remember that she is a woman of another planet. Shemight not make a suitable wife for you. "

"I love her. I love her as I can never love a woman of our world. She isa thousand times more beautiful and good than any woman I have everknown. She is an ideal woman--a perfect woman--an angel in human form. "

"That may be; but what will her family say?"

"My dear Gazen, don't you know they manage these things better here. Thank goodness, the 'family' does not interfere with love affairs inthis happy land! We love each other, we have agreed to be married, andthat is quite sufficient. No need to get the 'consent of the parents, 'or make a 'settlement, ' or give out the banns, or buy a governmentlicense as though a wife were contraband goods, or hire a string offour-wheelers, or tip the pew-opener. What has love to do withpew-openers? Why should the finest thing in life become the prey of suchvulgar parasites? Why should our heavenliest moments be profaned andspoiled by needless worries--hateful to the name of love? Our weddingwill be very simple. We shall not even want you as groomsman or MissCarmichael as bridesmaid. I daresay we shall get along without cake andspeeches, and as for the rice and old boots, upon my word, I don't thinkwe shall miss them. "

"And if it is a fair question, when will the--the simple ceremony takeplace?"

"To-morrow evening. "

"To-morrow evening!" exclaimed the professor, taken by surprise. "Ithought a priestess could not marry. "

"To-morrow at sunset she will be a free woman. Her priesthood will cometo an end. "

"And--pardon me--but what are you going to do with her when you've gother? Will you bring her home to the car--there is very little room here, as you know. Do you propose to take her to the earth, where I'm afraidshe will probably die like a tender plant or a bird of paradise in acage? Do you think her father would consent to that?"

"We are not going away just yet. There will be time enough to arrangeabout that. "

"Well, we can't stay here much longer. I must get back to my work--andyou know we intended to pay a flying visit to Mercury, and if possibleto get a closer look at the sun. "

"All right. You can go as soon as you like. I shall remain behind. Carmichael will take you to the earth, and then come back here for me. "

"You talk as if it were merely a question of a drive. "

"I think we have proved that it is not more dangerous to go from oneplanet to another than it is to get about town. "

"If an accident _should_ occur. If Carmichael cannot return--"

"I shall be much happier here than I should be on the earth. Even if Ihad never met Alumion I think I should come back and stay on Venus. "

"It is certainly a better world, as far as we have seen, but rememberyour own words, 'Man was made for the earth. ' Don't you think thiseternal summer--these Elysian Fields--would pall upon you in course oftime? Constant bliss, like everlasting honey, might cloy your earthlypalate, and make you sigh for our poor, old, wicked, miserable world, that in spite of all its faults and crimes, is yet so interesting, sovariable, so dramatic--so dear. "

"Never. With Alumion even Hades would be an Elysium. "

"Think of your friends at home, and what you owe to them; how they willmiss you. "

"I cannot be of much service to them. They will soon forget me. "

"Perhaps you are mistaken there, " said Gazen, assuming a more seriousair. "In any case I for one shall miss you. In fact, to speak plainly, Ishall feel aggrieved--hurt. You and I are old friends, and when youasked me to join you in this expedition I was moved by friendship aswell as interest. Certainly, I never dreamed that you would desert theship. I thought it was understood that we should sink or swim together. If you leave us I shan't answer for the consequences. I appreciate thedilemma in which you are placed, but surely friendship has a prior if aweaker claim than love-passion. Surely you owe some allegiance toCarmichael and myself. "

"What would you have me do?"

"Only to carry out the original plan of the voyage. Promise me that youwill stick to the ship. Afterwards you can return to Venus and do as youplease. Stanley, you know, made his greatest journey into Africa betweenhis engagement and his marriage. "

"Very well, I promise. "

With an agitated mind I repaired to the tryst next evening and waitedfor Alumion. How should I break the news to her, and how would shereceive it?

The cool airs of the water, and the glorious pageant of the sunsetcalmed my troubled spirit. All day the serene and beamy azure of theheavens had been plumed with snowy cloudlets of graceful and capriciousform, which, as the sun sank to the horizon, were tinged with fleetingglows resembling the iris of a dove's neck, or the hues of a dyingdolphin. The great luminary himself was lost in a golden glamour, and asingle bright star shone palely through a rosy mist, which covered allthe southern sky, like a diamond seen through a bridal veil of gauze. 

That lone star was the earth. 

Strange to say, I felt a kind of yearning towards it, a yearning as ofhome-sickness, and it seemed to reproach me for having thought offorsaking it. I wondered what my friends were doing now within thatblaze; perhaps they were looking at Venus and speculating on what I wasabout. How delighted I should be to see them again, and show them myincomparable wife--but could I ever take her there?

Whilst I was musing, the low sweet voice of Alumion thrilled me to themarrow. I turned and saw her. She was dressed to-night in a filmyvesture of opalescent or pearly white, partly diaphanous, and having adeep fringe of gold. There was a pink blush on her cheek and a sparkleof girlish love in her celestial eyes. Never had she seemed moreravishingly beautiful. 

 "Beauty too rare for use, for earth too dear. "

"You were gazing on the star. You did not hear my coming, " she said witha little feminine pout. 

"I was thinking of you, darling. "

She smiled again. 

"Is it not a lovely star?" she said. "We call it the star of Love--thestar of the Blest. "

"It is my home. "

"Your home!" she exclaimed with a look of surprise and wonderment. 

"You have heard that I come from another world. "

"Yes, but I did not know it was a star. And is that beautiful star yourhome?"

"Yes, beloved; and I am sorry to say I must return there soon again. "

"And I will go! You will take me with you to that fair world!"

I thought of all the crime and folly, the deceit, violence, andwretchedness lurking behind that pure and peaceful ray. Alas! how couldI tell her the truth and destroy her illusions. She was innocent as achild, and an instinct warned me to keep the knowledge of evil from her, while a contrary spirit urged me to speak. 

"You might not find it so fair as it looks from here. "

"I am sure it cannot be an evil world since you come from it. To us itis a sacred star. "

"If the inhabitants could see it as I do now, perhaps the sight wouldmake them lead better lives--would shame them into being worthier oftheir dwelling-place. "

"Are they not good?" she asked with a look of wonder and sorrowfulcompassion. "Then how unhappy they must be. "

"Some are good and some are bad. Everything is mixed in our world--thestrong and the weak--the rich and the poor--the happy and themiserable. "

"But do the good not help the bad?"

"Yes, to a certain extent; but life is a struggle there; every man forhimself; and the good very often find it hard to secure a littlehappiness for themselves. "

"How can they be happy when they know that others are suffering and inwant, that others are bad? I long to go and help them. "

"Darling, you are an angel, and I adore you; but, believe me, you alonecould do very little. One has already come and taught us how to love andcherish each other, that the strong should help the weak, the rich giveto the poor, and the happy comfort the wretched. His followers believethat He came from Heaven, and yet after nineteen hundred years I amafraid that some of them do not fully understand the plain meaning ofHis words, or else find it convenient to ignore them. "

"But many of us will go there. We will bring the sinful and thesuffering over here to Womla and make them happy. "

"I am touched by your simple faith in us, dearest It does you honour, but I fear it is mistaken. What would you say if the very people you hadsaved and befriended were to turn round and take your country from you, perhaps even destroy you? Such ingratitude is not unknown in ourworld. "

"If they are so wicked they have the more need of help. "

"In any case, darling, I cannot take you with me, for the vessel we camein is too small; but I will come back as soon as possible and stay withyou in Womla. How happy we shall be!"

"In Womla--no. We should not be quite at rest. "

"Then we shall seek out some desert star where we can live only for eachother. "

"You do not understand me. Neither in Womla nor in a desert star couldwe be happy in a selfish love, knowing that others were in pain. "

"Better I had not spoken of my world at all. "

"No, a thousand times no!" cried Alumion with fervour. "For you haveopened up to me a new source of happiness--of blessedness which I havenever known before. Only let us go together to your world and ministerto the unfortunate. "

"Well, darling, we will think of it; but see! the sun has set and youare free again. I came to marry you, but since I must return so soon tomy own world, perhaps it would be well to postpone the ceremony until Icome back here. "

"Why should we do that?"

Evidently she had no idea of the dangers of the journey, or how long itwould take. 

"If anything should happen to me. If I should die and never return. "

"Ah! do not speak of that. The Giver will preserve you. "

"But life is uncertain. "

"Beloved, I shall never love another but you; therefore, let us uniteourselves, as we are already united in heart and soul, henceforth andforever. Come!"

With these words she turned and glided towards the sacred grotto. I heldaside the flowering creeper which hung over the entrance like a curtain, and followed her within. To my great surprise the interior was neitherdark nor dusky, but filled with a soft and luscious light from myriadsof glow-worms and fire-flies of various colours, which glimmered on thewalls like tiny electric lamps, or sparkled in the facets of the gemsand spars depending from the roof. Judging by their shape and tint Iimagine that some of these incrustations are native crystals of thediamond and ruby, the sapphire, topaz, and emerald. In a deep recess oralcove on one side a spring of clear water gushed from the rock into anatural basin of sinter, enamelled inside and out with the preciousopal. Owing perhaps to the minerals through which it had passed theliquid shed a delicious perfume in the air, and made a bath fit for thegoddess of beauty. 

I had scarcely time to look about me when a strange and wonderful melodyof most entrancing sweetness echoed through the cavern. 

"Siloo, Siloo!" cried Alumion softly, and the music, which I cannotcompare to any earthly strain, ceased in a moment. Presently I was morethan startled to see in the gloomier background of the cavern a greatwhite serpent glide like a ghost along the floor and come straighttowards us. His milk-white body was speckled all over with jewelledscales, and shone with a pale blue phosphorescence; his eyes blazed inhis head like twin carbuncles, and in spite of my instinctive dread ofsnakes, I could not help admiring his repulsive beauty. Presently hereared his long neck, and faced us with his forked tongue playing outand in. I shrank back, for I thought he was about to spring upon me; butAlumion, laughing gaily at my fears, stepped quickly up to him, andstroked him with her hand. The serpent laid his head caressingly uponher shoulder and emitted a low faint note of pleasure. 

Alumion then took a shallow dish or patera, and, filling it from a vasewhich she carried with her set it upon the floor for the snake to feed. 

"You don't seem to be afraid of that gruesome reptile, " said Ipleasantly. 

"Oh, no, " she replied smiling. "Siloo knows me very well. "

"Tell me, was it he who made the music a little while ago?"

"Yes, and also the noise which alarmed you the first night you wanderedhere. The music comes from his head, and the noise is from his tail. That is why we call him Siloo. "

The word, as nearly as I can translate it, means harmony, order, measure, proportion, in the Womla tongue. 

"Does he always live in this cave?"

"Yes, he is a sacred animal with us, and long ago was worshipped andconsulted by our forefathers, and those who preceded them in theisland. "

"Is he very old?"

"None can tell how old. Some say he is immortal. Others think he is onlythe offspring of the snake worshipped by our forefathers. He is guardianof the sacred fountain whose waters we are about to drink. "

When she had spoken, Alumion tripped to the flowing spring, and, takinga cup which was standing on the edge of the basin, filled it from thepellucid stream. 

"Give me your hand, " she murmured, holding out her own, and lifting hercelestial eyes, so full of love and tenderness, to mine. It was a daintyhand, plump, lilywhite, and dimpled, with tapering fingers; and as Ifelt her warm and silk-soft touch for the first time, my soul meltedwithin me, and my whole being thrilled with delight. Her rosy lipsparted with pleasure, and a delicate blush mantled her blooming cheeksand full white throat. 

I gazed in rapture on her divine countenance, so like a speaking flower, the image of a beautiful soul on which neither sorrow, care, nor passionhad ever left a trace. 

She raised the cup, and having sipped of the water, handed it to me insilence. I sought the place where her lips had touched the brim anddrank. Now whether it was phantasy or some foreign ingredient I cannottell, but the water seemed to taste like nectar, and to run through allmy veins like wine. 

The glamour of the lights and the perfume of the waters wrought upon mysenses, and, yielding to the intoxication of my love, I caught Alumionto my arms. 

Suddenly the most appalling noise rent the air, and caused me to springback from my bride in terror. It came from the rattlesnake. His grislybody swayed to and fro, his gaping mouth displayed all its horrid fangs, and his large eyes burned like two red-hot coals. 

"Siloo, Siloo!" cried Alumion hastily in a tone of command. "Down, Siloo!"

The serpent at once obeyed her voice and retired again to his dish. 

"He thought I was going to harm you, " I exclaimed, not without a senseof relief. "Or perhaps he was jealous of me. "

"Remember this is holy ground, " responded Alumion. 

"Forgive me, " I said, feeling her reproof. "My love--your beauty--mustbe my excuse. "

"We must part now, " she continued, with a blinding glance and aravishing smile. "I have some last offices to perform here. We shallmeet to-morrow at my father's house. "

On my way home the blood coursed through my veins like an immortal ichorof the gods, full of sweet and inextinguishable fire. Inebriated withthe cup of bliss which I had only tasted, I began to repent me of mypromise to leave Womla. 

"To-morrow Alumion will be mine, " I reflected, "but for how long? A fewdays at the most. It is too bad!"

An idea struck me. 

"Gazen, " said I that night as soon as I had a convenient opportunity tospeak with him, "I have married Alumion. "

"Married her!" he exclaimed, completely taken aback. 

"Yes, that is to say, I have gone through the formal ceremony ofmarriage. I have drunk of the cup. "

"But you promised me you would do nothing of the kind. "

"I said I would go back to the earth with you, and I will keep my word. But I must say that since I agreed to your wishes in the matter, I thinkyou owe me some concession, and I want you to leave me in Womla whileyou go on to Mercury, and then come back here to pick me up. That willgive me a longer honeymoon. "

"Impossible, my dear fellow--quite impossible, " replied the professor. "Venus will be too far out of our way home. We have no oxygen to waste, and can't go hunting you in your love affairs all round the solarsystem. "

"Very well, then, I shall stay behind. "

"But, my dear fellow--"

"Say no more about it. I have made up my mind. "

CHAPTER XI. 

THE FLYING APE. 

It was broad day when I awoke, and oppressively warm in the littlecabin. My first thoughts were of Alumion, the consecration of our loves, and my resolution to abide in Venus. In getting up I felt so light andbuoyant that for a moment I fancied I must be giddy, but on reflection Iascribed the sensation to the intoxication of passion, and theexhilarating atmosphere of the planet. I looked out of a window towardsthe blessed island of my dreams, and to my blank amazement found that_it was gone!_ I could neither see anything of the lake, the square, northe town, but only a bare and rugged platform of weathered rocks, andthe cloudy sky above it. 

What was the matter? Had Gazen and Carmichael taken it into their headsto make an excursion, such as we had often planned, in order to observesomething more of the country? Yes, that was it, no doubt. 

Under the circumstances I was far from pleased with them for havingcarried me off without asking my leave, knowing as they should havedone, that I would be eager to rejoin Alumion; but experience of travelhad taught me that a man must not expect to have it all his own way, andshould know when to let his companions have theirs, and above all thingsto keep his temper. I, therefore, decided to take their behaviour ingood part, more especially as we could always return to the capital asquickly as we had come from it. 

Apparently there was nobody in the car but myself. Wondering, andperhaps a trifle uneasy at the dead stillness, I dressed rapidly andwent outside. 

The welkin was wholly overcast with dense, murky vapours, which totallyhid the sun, and the air was excessively hot, moist, and sultry asbefore a thunderstorm--an unusual phenomenon in Womla. Black bouldersand crags, speckled with lichens, and carpeted with coarse herbage, shutout the prospect on every side but one, where the edge of the platformon which the car was resting ran along the sky. I saw it all now. Gazenand Carmichael had made a journey to the extreme verge of the country;to the very summit of the precipice which surrounded the Crater Land. 

Picking my steps over the rough rocks like one who treads on air, Ihastened to the brink of the platform. If the car were on the furtherside of the summit I should be able to see the wide ocean, but if, as Ifondly hoped, it were on the hither side, I should enjoy a far-offglimpse of the city and its holy island, which had become a heaven tome. How different was the scene which met my view!

I was looking away over a vast plain towards a distant range of volcanicmountains. A broad river wound through the midst between isolatedvolcanoes, curling with smoke, and thick forests of a sable hue, orexpanded into marshy lakes half lost in brakes of grisly reeds, on themargin of which living monsters were plashing in the mud, or soaringinto the air on dusky pinions. 

My first shock of surprise passed into a fearful admiration for thesavage and gloomy grandeur of the primeval landscape; but as thatfeeling wore away the old irritation against my fellow-travellers cameback. From all I had heard or seen there was no such place as this inWomla, and as it dawned upon me that they had migrated to some otherisland, or perhaps continent in Venus, I forgot my good resolution, andshouted indignantly, "Gazen, Gazen! Hallo there! Hallo!"

There was no response, and the dead silence that swallowed up my voicewas awful. Had anything happened to my companions, and was I left alonein this appalling solitude? Was I in my right senses, or was I not? Ishouted again at the very pitch of my voice, and this time an answeringcry came to my relief. On turning in the direction from which itproceeded, I observed Professor Gazen coming slowly towards me, round amass of turretted rocks. 

"What is the meaning of all this?" I demanded petulantly, as he camenear, gingerly stepping from stone to stone. 

He made no reply, but seemed to be meditating what he would say. 

"A nice trick you've played me! Wherever have we got to?"

"Mercury, " replied Gazen coolly. 

"_Mercury!_" I exclaimed, fairly astounded. "Impossible!"

"Not at all. "

"Oh, come!" said I sarcastically, "that won't do. A joke is a joke; butI'm not in a merry mood this morning. "

"So I see. A laugh would do you good. "

"Well, where are we?"

"In Mercury. "

"What nonsense!" I ejaculated. "Last night I went to bed in Venus, andyou want me to believe that I've woke up on Mercury. Tell that to themarines. "

"Last night you say; but do you know how long you have slept? And haveyou forgotten that we are now so near the sun--that the attraction ofthe sun on the car has assisted the machines to propel us through theintermediate space?"

I had not thought of that. 

"Then it is true. "

"Of course. "

"And why have you come here--what authority--what right--had you tocarry me off in this manner without my consent?" I burst out angrily. "You knew I had made up my mind to stay in Venus. I took you into myconfidence and told you about my love affair. Why have you betrayed thatconfidence, and kidnapped me like a slave or a lunatic?"

"Hear me, old friend, " said Gazen softly. "We have all noticed a decidedchange in you of late--ever since the day of the ceremony on the island. You have been like a different person--absent in your mind--incoherentin your speech--abrupt in your manner. You have forsaken your oldfriends completely, and apparently lost all interest in their doings, all desire for their company. In short, you have behaved like a manbeside himself, distraught. We could not make it out, and we had manyanxious consultations about the matter. I wondered whether you had had asunstroke. Carmichael suggested that the stimulating air of Venus hadaffected your brain. Miss Carmichael alone suspected that you were inlove; but I would not believe her. I had been so much in your societywithout having seen anything to justify her suspicion, and you yourselfhad never breathed a word to lend it colour. Carmichael and I sought toquestion you about your health, and the influence of the sun and airupon you, while Miss Carmichael tried to draw you on the subject of theladies. All in vain. We could not solve the mystery, and as yourcondition was evidently growing worse and worse, we resolved to leavethe planet. Although it was not in the original programme, we hadsometimes talked of extending our journey to Mercury, so as to visit allthe inferior planets, and give me an opportunity of getting as near thesun as possible for my observations, and this project was made thepretext for hastening our departure. 

"We submitted the plan to you, and you know the rest. After you hadgiven us your word of honour that you would break with the lady andreturn home with us for the sake of your friends, after we had made allour preparations to start, you came back at the eleventh hour, anddeclared that you had made up your mind to stay behind. If anything hadbeen wanted to prove to us that you were hopelesslyinfatuated--hypnotised--mad--it would have been that; and as we weremorally bound to fetch you back with us, we took the bull by the horns, and carried you off in spite of yourself. "

"You had no business to do anything of the kind, " I replied hotly. "I amchiefly responsible for this expedition. "

"True; but you forget that Carmichael is the nominal leader, by your ownagreement, and we are all to some extent under his orders. I, too, wasbound in honour to bring you safe home if I could. "

"Bound in honour to take care of _me_! You treat me like a baby. "

"People don't come away on such an adventure as ours without a tacit ifnot a formal understanding to protect each other to the best of theirability, and besides, I had given my word to your friends that I woulddo my best to help you through. When you come to your senses you willacknowledge that we did right. "

Despite my excusable anger and vexation, the calm and friendlyexplanation of the professor was not without its effect on me. It wastrue that I had broken my promise to my fellow-travellers; true thatCarmichael was commander of the expedition. I was myself at fault. Andyet what a disappointment! What would Alumion think of me! After all myvows of eternal fidelity, uttered as they had been in that sacred spot, I had sneaked away like a thief in the night. 

"I shall go back to Venus, " said I, in a determined manner. 

"Tut, tut, " said Gazen, with a good-natured smile; "you had better giveup that idea. You are clearly the victim of hypnotic influence--ofsuggestion. By-and-by it will lose its hold on you, and you will regainyour freedom of action. "

"Never!" I exclaimed, with all the energy of my soul. "My dear Gazen, you are quite mistaken in supposing anything of the kind. I was neversaner in my life. Nay, it is only now that I know what it is to be sane;what life was meant to be. Hypnotic suggestion! Pshaw! I know what I amdoing as well as you do. I am not a fool. I am only seeking my ownhappiness--and hers--I tell you that a single moment in her society isworth a whole lifetime on the earth. What do I say? A lifetime? Aneternity. Heaven itself were nothing to me without her. I would not takeit as a gift. I shall go back. I must go back. I cannot live withouther. "

"Take time to consider at all events, " said Gazen, somewhat impressed bymy vehemence. "In the meantime let us join Miss Carmichael. She isbeyond the rocks there sketching the valley. "

We walked in that direction. 

"You may return to the earth, " said I; "but on the way you must drop meat Venus. "

Gazen had no opportunity of answering, for just at that moment we werestartled by a piercing shriek from behind the crags, and rushing, orrather bounding forward, saw a sight that made our very blood run cold. 

A flying monster, with enormous bat-like wings and hanging legs, wasevidently swooping down on Miss Carmichael, as she stood beside hereasel on the brow of the cliff. 

"Run for your life!" roared Gazen, dashing towards her with franticspeed. 

Alas! she did not hear him, or else she was fascinated by theapproaching horror, and rooted to the spot. He was still several hundredyards from her, but owing to the feebleness of gravity on the planet hewas so preternaturally light and nimble that he might have covered thedistance in a minute or so, had he been more accustomed to control hislimbs, and the ground been smoother. As it was he leaped high into theair, and rebounded from the stones like an india-rubber ball, at therisk of spraining his ankles or breaking his neck, while brandishing hisarms, and firing his pistol, and hooting with all his force of lung tofrighten away the monster. 

Too late. The huge leathery wings of the dragon overshadowed theshrinking form of the girl, and the talons of its drooping feet caughtin her dress. She made one desperate, but futile effort to free herselffrom its terrible clutch, and, screaming loudly for help, was borne awayover the abyss of the valley as easily as a lamb is carried by an eagle. 

"Oh, Heaven!" cried Gazen, stopping with a gesture of despair. 

He was deeply moved, and pale as death; but he did not altogether losehis head. 

What was to be done?

"The car--the car!" he exclaimed. "We must follow her in the car. Keepyour eye on the beast while I go for it. "

Carmichael was fast asleep in his cabin, after his long weary vigilduring the passage from Venus, but the car was quickly put in motion, and I jumped on board just as it cleared the brink of the precipice. 

The dragon, which had the start of us by a mile or more, was apparentlysteering for the mountains on the other side of the valley. Notwithstanding its enormous bulk, and the dead weight hanging from itsclaws, it flew with surprising speed, owing to the weakness of gravityand the vast spread of its wings. 

I shall never forget that singular chase, which is probably unparalleledin the history of the universe. A prey to anxiety and the mostdistressing emotions, we did not properly observe the marvellous, theTitanic, I had almost said the diabolical aspect of the country beneathus, and still we could not altogether blind ourselves to it. Colossaljungles, resembling brakes of moss and canes five hundred or a thousandfeet in height--creeks as black as porter, gliding under their dank androtting aisles--mountainous quadrupeds or lizards crashing and tearingthrough their branches--one of them at least six hundred feet in length, with a ridgy back and long spiky tail, dragging on the ground, a balefulgreen eye, and a crooked mouth full of horrid fangs, which made it lookthe very incarnation of cruelty and brute strength--black lakes andgrisly reeds as high as bamboo--prodigious black serpents troubling thewater, and rearing their long spiry necks above the surface--giganticalligators and crocodiles resting motionless in the shallows, with theirsnouts high in the air--hideous toads or such-like forbidding reptiles, many with tusks like the walrus, and some with glorious eyes, crouchingon the banks or waddling in the reeds, and so enormous as to givevariety to the landscape--volcanic craters, with red-hot lava simmeringin their depths, and emitting fumes of sulphur, which might have chokedus had we not closed the scuttles--while over all great dragons andother bat-like animals were flitting through the dusky atmosphere likedemons in a nightmare. 

Little by little we gained upon our quarry, but being afraid to run himtoo close for fear that he might drop his victim, we kept at a safedistance behind him, yet within rifle range, and near enough to make aprompt attack when he should settle on the ground. 

At length we reached the other side of the valley, and found to ourintense satisfaction that the monster was making for a rocky ledge onthe shoulder of an extinct volcano, where we could see the yawning mouthof what appeared an immense cavern. 

"That is probably his den, " said Gazen, who was now as collected as Ihave ever seen him. Nevertheless all his faculties were on the stretch. His keen grey eye was everywhere, and his active mind was calculatingevery chance. I felt then as I had often felt before that in action aswell as in thought the professor was a man of no common mark. 

The event showed that his surmise was correct, for soon after he hadspoken the dragon uttered a startling cry--a kind of squawk like that ofa drake, but much louder, hoarser, shriller--and alighted on the ground. 

"There is not a moment to lose, " said Gazen. "We must attack him beforehe enters the cave. "

Certainly the darkness inside the cavern would give the beast a greatadvantage, and although we might succeed in killing him, we couldscarcely hope to find Miss Carmichael alive. Was she alive now? I had mydoubts, but I kept them to myself. Since she had been carried away shehad not given the smallest sign of life, not even when the dragonsettled. Perhaps, however, she had merely lost her senses throughfright, and was still in a dead faint. 

We might have fought the creature from the air, but we had decided toassail him on the solid ground, because we should thus be able toscatter and take him in the flank, if not in the rear. 

While Carmichael landed his car the astronomer and I kept a sharp watchon the beast, all ready to fire at the first movement which seemed tothreaten the safety of the young girl, who was lying motionless at thebottom of a slope or talus which led up to the mouth of the cavern. Freed from his burden the dragon now stood erect, and a more awfulmonster it would be difficult to conceive. He must have been at leastforty feet in stature, yet he gave us an impression of squat and sturdystrength. 

I have called him a dragon, but he was not at all like the dragons ofour imagination. With his great bullet head and prick ears, his beetlingbrows and deep sunken eyes, his ferocious mouth and protruding tusks, his short thick neck and massive shoulders, his large, gawky, andmisshapen trunk, coated with dingy brown fur, shading into dirty yellowon the stomach, his stout, bandy legs armed with curving talons, and hishuge leathern wings hanging in loose folds about him, he looked morelike an imp of Satan than a dragon. 

Hitherto he had not appeared to notice his pursuers; but now that he wasfreer to observe, the grating of the car upon the rocks caught hisattention. He turned quickly, and stared at the apparition of thevessel, which must have been a strange object to him; but he did notseem to take alarm. It was the gaze of a jaguar or a tiger who seessomething curious in the jungle--vigilant and deadly if you like, butneither scared nor fierce. 

We lost no time in sallying forth, all three of us, armed with magazinerifle, cutlass, and revolver. Mr. Carmichael in the middle, I on thelower, and Gazen on the upper side, or that nearest to Miss Carmichael. The rocks around were slippery with ordure, and the sickening stench ofrotting skeletons made our very gorge rise. Suddenly a loud squeaking inthe direction of the cave arrested us, and before we had recovered fromour surprise, nearly a dozen young dragons, each about the size of aman, tumbled hastily down the slope, and rushed upon the lifeless formof Miss Carmichael. 

"Great Scott, there's the whole family, " muttered Gazen between histeeth, at the same time bringing his rifle to the shoulder, and firingin quick succession. 

The foremost of the crew, which had already flung itself upon the prey, was seen to spring head over heels into the air, and fall back dead;another lay writhing in agony upon the ground, and uttering strangelyhuman shrieks; whilst the others, terrified by the noise, turned andfled back helter-skelter to the cave. 

The old one, roused to anger by the injury done to his offspring, snarled ferociously at his enemies and, drawing himself to his fullheight, made a furious dash for Gazen. 

Our rifles cracked again and again; the monster started as he felt theshots, and halted, glaring from one to another of us like a manirresolute. Purple streams were gushing from his head and sides; heattempted to fly, and ran towards the brink of the ledge; but ere hecould gain sufficient impetus to launch himself into the air, hestaggered and fell heavily to the ground, with his broken wings beneathhim. 

Gazen, quicker than her father, flew towards Miss Carmichael, and bentover her. 

"Is she alive?" enquired Carmichael, in breathless and tremblingaccents. 

"Yes, thank God, " responded Gazen fervently; as he raised her hand tohis lips and kissed it. 

There were tears of joy in his eyes, and I knew then what I had longsuspected, that he loved her. 

Suddenly a loud croak in the distance caused us to look up, and webeheld another dragon on the wing, coining rapidly towards us from apass among the mountains. There was not a moment to be lost, and Gazen, taking Miss Carmichael in his arms, we all hurried on board the car, eager to escape from this revolting spot. 

CHAPTER XII

SUNWARD HO!

"By the way, " said Gazen to me, "I've got a new theory for the risingand sinking of the sun behind the cliffs at Womla--a theory that willsimply explode Professor Possil, and shake the Royal AstronomicalSociety to its foundations. "

The astronomer and I were together in the observatory, where he wasadjusting his telescope to look at the sun. After our misadventure withthe flying ape, we had returned to our former station on the summit ofthe mountain, to pick up the drawing materials of Miss Carmichael; butas Gazen was anxious to get as near the sun as possible, and beingdisgusted with the infernal scenery as well as the foetid, malarialatmosphere of Mercury, we left as soon as we had replenished our cisternfrom the pools in the rock. 

"Another theory?" I responded. "Thought you had settled that question. "

"Alas, my friend, theories, like political treatises, are made to bebroken. "

"Well, what do you think of it now?"

"You remember how we came to the conclusion that Schiaparelli was right, and that the planet Venus, by rotating about her own axis in the sametime as she takes to revolve around the sun, always keeps the same faceturned to the sun, one hemisphere being in perpetual light and summer, whilst the other is in perpetual darkness and winter?"

"Yes. "

"You remember, too, how we explained the growing altitude of the sun inthe heavens which culminated on the great day of the Festival, bysupposing that the axis of the planet swayed to and from the sun so asto tilt each pole towards the sun, and the other from it, alternately, thus producing what by courtesy we may call the seasons in Womla?"

"Yes. "

"Well, judging from the observations I have made, we were probably rightso far; but if you recollect, I accounted for the mysterious daily riseand set of the sun, if I may use the words, by changes in the density ofthe atmosphere bending the solar rays, and making the disk appear torise and sink periodically, though in reality it does nothing of thekind. A similar effect is well-known on the earth. It produces the'after glow' on the peaks of the Alps when the sun is far below thehorizon; it sometimes makes the sun bob up and down again after sunset, and it has been known to make the sun show in the Arctic regions threeweeks before the proper time. I had some difficulty in understanding howthe effect could take place so regularly. "

"I think you ascribed it to the interaction of the solar heat and theevaporation from the surface. "

"Quite so. I assumed that when the sun is low the vapours above the edgeof the crater and elsewhere cool and condense, thus bending the rays andseeming to lift the sun higher; but after a time the rays heat andrarefy the vapours, thus lowering the sun again. It seemed a plausiblehypothesis and satisfied me for a time, but still not altogether, andnow I believe I have made a discovery. "

"And it is?"

"That Venus is a wobbler. "

"A wobbler?"

"That she wobbles--that she doesn't keep steady--swings from side toside. You have seen a top, how stiff and erect it is when it is spinningfast, and how it wobbles when it is spinning slow, just before itfalls. Well, I think something of the kind is going on with Venus. Theearth may be compared to a top that is whirling fast, and Venus to onethat has slowed down. She is less able than the earth to resist thedisturbing attraction of the sun on the inequalities of her figure, andtherefore she wobbles. In addition to the slow swinging of her axiswhich produces her 'seasons, ' she has a quicker nodding, which givesrise to day and night in some favoured spots like Womla. "

"After all, " said I, "tis a feminine trait. _Souvent femme varie. _"

"Oh, she is constant to her lord the sun, " rejoined Gazen. "She neverturns her back upon him, but if I have not discovered a mare's nest, which is very likely, she becks and bows to him a good deal, and thusmaintains her 'infinite variety. '"

The cloudy surface of Mercury now lay far beneath us, and the glowingdisc of the sun, which appeared four or five times larger than it doeson the earth, had taken a bluish tinge--a proof that we had reached avery great altitude. 

"What a magnificent 'sun-spot!'" exclaimed the professor in a tone ofadmiration. "Just take a peep at it. "

I placed my eye to the telescope, and saw the glowing surface of thedisc resolved into a marvellous web of shining patches on a dimmerbackground, and in the midst a large blotch which reminded me of aquarry hole as delineated on the plan of a surveyor. 

"Have you been able to throw any fresh light on these mysterious'spots?'" I enquired. 

"I am more than ever persuaded they are breaks in the photosphere causedby eruptions of heated matter, chiefly gaseous from theinterior--eruptions such as might give rise to craters like that ofWomla, or those of the moon, were the sun cooler. No doubt that eminentauthority, Professor Sylvanus Pettifer Possil, regards them as aerialhurricanes; but the more I see, the more I am constrained to regardSylvanus Pettifer Possil as a silly vain asteroid. "

While Gazen was yet speaking we both became sensible of an unwontedstillness in the car. 

The machinery had ceased to vibrate. 

Our feelings at this discovery were akin to those of passengers in anocean steamer when the screw stops--a welcome relief to the monotony ofthe voyage, a vague apprehension of danger, and curiosity to learn whathad happened. 

"Is there anything wrong, Carmichael?" asked Gazen through the speakingtube. 

There was no response. 

"I say, Carmichael, is anything the matter?" he reiterated in a loudertone. 

Still no answer. 

We were now thoroughly alarmed, and though it was against the rules, wedescended into the machinery room. The cause of Carmichael's silence wasonly too apparent. We saw him lying on the floor beside his strangemachine, with his head leaning against the wall. There was a placidexpression on his face, and he appeared to slumber; but we soon foundthat he was either in a faint or dead. Without loss of time we tried thefirst simple restoratives at hand, but they proved of no avail. 

Gazen went and called Miss Carmichael. 

She had been resting in her cabin after her trying experience with thedragon, and although most anxious about her father, and far from wellherself, she behaved with calm self-possession. 

"I think the heat has overcome him, " she said, after a quickexamination; and truly the cabin was insufferably hot, thanks to themachinery and the fervid rays of the sun. 

We could not open the scuttles and admit fresh air, for there was littleor none to admit. 

"I shall try oxygen, " she said on reflecting a moment. 

Accordingly, while Gazen, in obedience to her directions began to workCarmichael's arms up and down, after the method of artificialrespiration which had brought me round at the outset of our journey, sheand I administered oxygen gas from one of our steel bottles to his lungsby means of a makeshift funnel applied to his mouth. In some fifteen ortwenty minutes he began to show signs of returning animation, and soonafterwards, to our great relief, he opened his eyes. 

At first he looked about him in a bewildered way, and then he seemed torecollect his whereabouts. After an ineffectual attempt to speak, andmove his limbs, he fixed his eyes with a meaning expression on theengines. 

We had forgotten their stoppage. Miss Carmichael sprang to investigatethe cause. 

"They are jammed, " she said after a short inspection. "The essentialpart is jammed with the heat. Whatever is to be done?"

We stared at each other blankly as the terrible import of her words camehome to us. Unless we could start the machines again, we must inevitablyfall back on Mercury. Perhaps we were falling now!

We endeavoured to think of a ready and practicable means of cooling theengines, but without success. The water and oil on board was lukewarm;none of us knew how to make a freezing mixture even if we had thematerials; our stock of liquid air had long been spent. 

Miss Carmichael tried to make her father understand the difficulty inhopes that he would suggest a remedy, but all her efforts were in vain. Carmichael lay with his eyes closed in a kind of lethargy or paralysis. 

"Perhaps, when we are falling through the planet's atmosphere, " said I, "if we open the scuttles and let the cold air blow through the room, itwill cool the engines. "

"I'm afraid there will not be time, " replied Gazen, shaking his head;"we shall fall much faster than we rose. The friction of the air againstthe car will generate heat. We shall drop down like a meteoric stone andbe smashed to atoms. "

"We have parachutes, " said Miss Carmichael, "do you think we shall beable to save our lives?"

"I doubt it, " answered Gazen sadly. "They would be torn and whirledaway. "

"So far as I can see there is only one hope for us, " said I. "If weshould happen to fall into a deep sea or lake, the car would rise to thesurface again. "

"Yes, that is true, " responded Gazen; "the car is hollow and light. Itwould float. The water would also cool the machines and we mightescape. "

The bare possibility cheered us with a ray of hope. 

"If we only had time, my father might recover, and I believe he wouldsave us yet, " said Miss Carmichael. 

"I wonder how much time we have, " muttered Gazen. 

"We can't tell, " said I. "It depends on the height we had reached andthe speed we were going at when the engines stopped. We shall rise likea ball thrown into the air and then fall back to the ground. "

"I wonder if we are still rising, " ejaculated Gazen. "Let us take a lookat the planet. "

"Don't be long, " pleaded Miss Carmichael, as we turned to go. "Meanwhile, I shall try and bring my father round. "

On getting to the observatory, we consulted the atmospheric pressuregauge and found it out of use, a sign that we had attained an altitudebeyond the atmosphere of Mercury, and were now in empty space. 

We turned to the planet, whose enormous disc, muffled in cloud, wasshining lividly in the weird sky. At one part of the limb a range oflofty mountain peaks rose above the clouds and chequered them withshadow. 

Fixing our eyes upon this landmark we watched it with bated breath. Wasit coming nearer, or was it receding from us? That was the momentousquestion. 

My feelings might be compared to those of a prisoner at the bar watchingthe face of the juryman who is about to deliver the verdict. 

After a time--I know not how long--but it seemed an age--the professorexclaimed, "I believe we are still rising. "

It was my own impression, for the peak I was regarding had grown as Ithought smaller, but I did not feel sure, and preferred to trust themore experienced eyes of the astronomer. 

"I shall try the telescope, " he went on; "we are a long way from theplanet. "

"How far do you think?"

"Many thousand miles at least. "

"So much the better. We shall get more time. "

"Humph! prolonging the agony, that's all. I begin to wish it was allover. "

Gazen directed his instrument on the planet, and we resumed ourobservations. 

"We are no longer rising, " said Gazen after a time. "I suppose we arenear the turning-point. "

As a prisoner scans the countenance of the judge who is about topronounce the sentence of life or death, I scanned the cloudy surfaceunderneath us, to see if I could discover any signs of an ocean thatwould break our fall, but the vapours were too thick and compact. 

Every instant I expected to hear the fatal intelligence that our descenthad begun. 

"Strange!" muttered Gazen by-and-by, as if speaking to himself. 

"What is strange?"

"We are neither rising nor falling now. We don't seem to move. "

"Impossible!"

"Nevertheless, it's a fact, " he exclaimed at the end of some minutes. "The focus of the telescope is constant. We are evidently standingstill. "

His words sounded like a reprieve to a condemned man on the morning ofhis execution, and in the revulsion of my feeling I shouted, "Hurrah!"

"What can it mean?" cried Gazen. 

"Simply this, " said I joyfully. "We have reached the 'dead-point, ' wherethe attraction of Mercury on the car is balanced by the attraction ofthe sun. It can't be anything else. "

"Wait a minute, " said Gazen, making a rapid calculation. "Yes, yes, probably you are right. I did not think we had come so far; but I hadforgotten that gravitation on Mercury is only half as strong as it is onthe Earth or Venus. Let us go and tell Miss Carmichael. "

We hurried downstairs to the engine room and found her kneeling besideher father, who was no better. 

She did not seem much enlivened by the good news. 

"What will that do for us?" she enquired doubtfully. 

"We can remain here as long as we like, suspended between the Sun andMercury, " replied Gazen. 

"Is it better to linger and die in a living tomb than be dashed topieces and have done with it?"

"But we shall gain time for your father to recover. "

"I am afraid my father will never recover in this place. The heat iskilling him. Unless we can get further away from the sun he will die, I'm sure he will. "

Her eyes filled with tears. 

"Don't distress yourself, dear Miss Carmichael, please don't, " saidGazen tenderly. "Now that we have time to think, perhaps we shall hitupon some plan. "

An idea flashed into my head. 

"Look here, " said I to Gazen, "you remember our conversation in yourobservatory one day on the propelling power of rockets--how a rocketmight be used to drive a car through space?"

"Yes; but we have no rockets. "

"No, but we have rifles, and rifle bullets fired from the car, thoughnot so powerful, will have a similar effect. "

"Well?"

"The car is now at rest in space. A slight impulse will direct it oneway or another. Why should we not send it off in such a way that infalling towards Mercury it will not strike the planet, but circle roundit; or if it should fall towards the surface, will do so at a greatslant, and allow the atmosphere to cool the engines. "

"Let me see, " said Gazen, drawing a diagram in his note-book, andstudying it attentively. "Yes, there is something in that. It's aforlorn hope at best, but perhaps it's our only hope. If we could onlyget into the shadow of the planet we might be saved. "

As delay might prove fatal to Carmichael, and since it was uncertainwhether he could right the engines in their present situation, wedecided to act on the suggestion without loss of time. Gazen and Icalculated the positions of the rifles and the number of shots to befired in order to give the required impetus to the car. The engine-room, being well provided with scuttles, was chosen as the scene of ouroperations. A brace of magazine rifles were fixed through two of thescuttles in such a way that the recoil of the shots would urge the carin an oblique direction backwards, so as to clear or almost clear theplanet, allowance being made for the forward motion of the latter in itsorbit. Needless to say, the barrel of each rifle was packed round so asto keep the air in the car from escaping into space. 

At a given signal the rifles were discharged simultaneously by Gazen andmyself. There was little noise, but the car trembled with the shock, andthe prostrate man opened his eyes. 

Had it produced the desired effect? We could not tell without an appealto the telescope. 

"I'll be back in a moment, " cried Gazen, springing upstairs to theobservatory. 

"Do you feel any better, father?" enquired Miss Carmichael, laying hercool hand on the invalid's fevered brow. 

He winked, and tried to nod in the affirmative. "Were you asleep, father? Did the shock rouse you?"

He winked again. 

"Do you know what we are doing?" Before he could answer the foot ofGazen sounded on the stair. He had left us with an eager, almost aconfident eye. He came back looking grave in the extreme. 

"We are not falling towards Mercury, " he said gloomily. "_We are rushingto the sun!_"

I cannot depict our emotion at this awful announcement which changed ourhopes into despair. Probably it affected each of us in a differentmanner. I cannot recollect my own feelings well enough to analyse them, and suppose I must have been astounded for a time. A vision of the car, plunging through an atmosphere of flame, into the fiery entrails of thesun, flashed across my excited brain, and then I seemed to lose thepower of thought. 

"Out of the frying-pan into the fire, " said I at last, in frivolousreaction. 

"His will be done!" murmured Miss Carmichael, instinctively drawingcloser to her father, who seemed to realise our jeopardy. 

"We must look the matter in the face, " said Gazen, with a sigh. 

"What a death!" I exclaimed, "to sit and watch the vast glowing furnacethat is to swallow us up come nearer and nearer, second after second, minute after minute, hour after hour. "

"The nearer we approach the sun the faster we shall go, " said Gazen. "For one thing, we shall be dead long before we reach him. The heat willstifle us. It will be all over in a few hours. "

What a death! To see, to feel ourselves roasting as in an oven. It wastoo horrible. 

"Are you certain there is no mistake?" I asked at length. 

"Quite, " replied Gazen. "Come and see for yourself. "

We had all but gained the door when Miss Carmichael followed us. 

"Professor, " she said, with a tremor in her voice, and a look ofsupplication in her eyes, "you will come back soon--you will not leaveus long. "

"No, my darling--I beg your pardon, " answered Gazen, obeying the impulseof his heart. "God knows I would give my life to save you if I could. "

In another instant he had locked her in his arms. 

I left them together, and ascended to the observatory, where Gazen soonafterwards rejoined me. 

"I'm the happiest man alive, " said he, with a beaming countenance. "Congratulate me. I'm betrothed to Miss Carmichael. "

I took his proffered hand, scarcely knowing whether to laugh or cry. 

"It seems to me that I have found my life in losing it, " he continuedwith a grim smile. "Saturn! what a courtship is ours--what anengagement--what a bridal bed! But there, old fellow, I'm afraid I'mhappier than you--alone in spirit, and separated from her you love. Perhaps I was wrong to carry you away from Venus--it has not turned outwell--but I acted for the best. Forgive me!"

I wrung his hand in silence. 

"Now let us take a look through the telescope, " he went on, wiping hiseyes, and adjusting the instrument. "You will see how soon it gets outof focus. We are flying from Mercury, my friend, faster and faster. "

It was true. 

"But I don't understand how that should be, " said I. "The firing oughtto have had a contrary effect. "

"The rifles are not to blame, " answered Gazen. "If we had used themearlier we might have saved ourselves. But all the time that we werediscussing ways and means, and making our preparations to shoot, wewere gradually drifting towards the sun without knowing it. Weoverlooked the fact that the orbit of Mercury is very far from circular, and that he is now moving further away from the sun every instant. As aconsequence his attractive power over the car is growing weaker everymoment. The car had reached the 'dead-point' where the attractivepowers of the sun and planet over it just balanced each other; but asthat of the planet grew feebler the balance turned, and the car wasdrawn with ever accelerating velocity towards the sun. "

"Like enough. "

"I can satisfy you of it by pointing the telescope at a sun-spot, " saidGazen, bringing the instrument to bear upon the sun. "You will then seehow fast we are running to perdition. I say--what would our friends inLondon think if they could see us now? Wouldn't old Possil snigger!Well, I shall get the better of him at last. I shall solve the greatmystery of the 'sun-spots' and the 'willow leaves. ' Only he will neverknow it. That's a bitter drop in the cup!"

So saying, he applied his eye to the telescope, his ruling passionstrong in death. For myself, as often as I had admired the gloriousluminary, I could not think of it now without a shudder, and fell aprey to my own melancholy ruminations. 

So this was the end! After all our care and forethought, after all ourstruggles, after all our success, to perish miserably like moths in acandle, to plunge headlong into that immense conflagration as a vesseldives into the ocean, and is never heard of more! Not a vestige of us, not even a charred bone to tell the tale. Alumion--our friends athome--when they admired the sun would they ever fancy that it was ourgrave--ever dream that our ashes were whirling in its flames. The cry ofOthello, in his despair, which I had learned at school, came back to mymind--"Blow me about in winds! Roast me in sulphur! Wash me insteep-down gulfs of liquid fire!"

Regrets, remorse, and bitter reflections overwhelmed me. Why had we notstayed in Venus? Why had we come to Mercury? Why had we endeavoured todo so much? What folly had drawn me into this mad venture at all? No, Icould not say that. I could not call it folly which had brought me toAlumion. I had no regret, but on the contrary an unspeakable joy andgratitude on that score. But why had we attempted to approach so nearthe sun, daring the heat, which had jammed our engines, and disabledour best intellect; risking the powerful attraction that was hurrying usto our doom?

Suddenly a peculiar thrill shook the car. With a bounding heart Istarted to my feet and dashed into the engine-room. It was true then. Yes, it was true. _The engines were at work, and we were saved!_

CHAPTER XIII. 

HOME AGAIN. 

We owed our salvation to Mr. Carmichael. The firing of our magazinerifles, followed by the news of our perilous situation, had roused himfrom his lethargy. Although still unable to speak, he had contrived bymeans of his eyes to make his daughter understand that he wished anotherdose of oxygen. When she was about to administer it, he called herattention to the fact that in expanding as it issued from the cylinder, the gas became very cold. She caught his meaning instantly, and onapplying the gas to the sensitive parts of the machinery had succeededin cooling and releasing them. 

It seems that Carmichael, in order to save time, had been working theengines at an unusually high speed, which, together with the heat of thesun, had caused them to jam. Their enforced rest had of itself allowedthem to cool somewhat, and by reducing the speed until we reached acooler region, they did not stick again. 

Carmichael recovered from his illness, and the journey to the earth wasaccomplished without accident. We landed safely on some undiscoveredislands in the Arctic Circle, and after a flying visit to the North Polein the vicinity, we bore away for England, keeping as high over the seaas possible to escape notice. Going southward we passed through allsorts of weather, thick snow, hurricanes of wind and rain, dry or wetfogs, and so forth; but it made no difference to us. CrossingSpitzbergen, the car was frosted over with ice needles, which, however, were soon thawed by a warmer current of air. Between Iceland and thecoast of Norway we glided through a magnificent aurora borealis thatcovered the whole sky with a luminous curtain, and made us fancy we hadfloated unawares into the fabulous Niffleheim of the old Scandinaviangods. Near the Faroe Islands we dashed into a violent thunderstorm, andwere almost deafened by the terrific explosions, or blinded by theflashes of lightning. Otherwise we could enjoy both of these electricaldisplays without fear, as the metallic shell of the car was a goodprotective screen. Certainly our flying machine would be an excellentmeans of making observations in meteorology, from the sampling ofcirrus cloud to the chasing of a tornado. 

The first sign of man we saw was a ship rolling in a storm off theHebrides; but apparently she was not in distress, else we should havegone to her succour. How easy with such a car to rescue lives andproperty from sinking ships, and even patrol the seas in search of them!

The sun was setting in purple and gold as we approached the Englishcoast, and although at our elevation we were still in sunshine, thetwilight had begun to gather over the distant land. The first sound weheard was the moaning of the tide along the shore, and the mournfulsighing of the wind among the trees. Hills, fields, and woods laybeneath us like a garden in miniature. The lamps and fires of lonelyvillages and farmhouses twinkled like glow-worms in the dusk. A railwaytrain, with its white puff of smoke and lighted carriages, seemed to becrawling like a fiery caterpillar along the ground; but in a few momentswe had left it far behind. As it grew darker and darker we descendednearer to the surface. A herd of sheep stood huddled on the grass, andstared at us; a flock of geese ran cackling into a farmyard; thewatch-dog barked and tugged furiously at his chain; a little boyscreamed with fright. 

"That sounds homely, " said the professor to Miss Carmichael and myself, who were standing with him on the gallery outside the car. "It's thesweetest music I've heard for many a day. Certainly Venus was a charmingplace, but I for one am jolly glad to get home again. "

Yes, I must confess that I too felt a deep and tranquil pleasure inreturning to the familiar scenes and the beloved soil of my infancy. 

"You don't seem to care much for Venus, " said Miss Carmichael to Gazen. "Probably if you had been born there you would have liked it better. "

"That may be. If you would like a place, it is well to be born in it. "

"Perhaps if you are a good boy you will go to Venus when you die. "

"I'm afraid it won't suit my mental constitution. They don't care forscience there, and I don't care for anything else. Mars would fit mebetter, I imagine. "

"Venus is my favourite, " said Miss Carmichael. 

"Well, then, it's good enough for me, " responded Gazen. 

Their talk set me thinking of Alumion, and my strange fancy that I hadknown her in another world. Suddenly it occurred to me that in many ofher ways and looks she bore a singular resemblance to my first love, whohad died in childhood. That was nearly seventeen years ago. Seventeen--it was just the age of Alumion. Could it be possible that sheand Alumion were one and the same soul?

"I should like to go back to Venus, " said Miss Carmichael. "We can gothere now at any time. "

"Of course we can, " replied Gazen; "and to Mars as well. Your father'sinvention opens up a bewildering prospect of complications in theuniverse. So long as each planet was isolated, and left to manage itsown affairs, the politics of the solar system were comparatively simple;but what will they be when one globe interferes with another? Think of aGerman fleet of ether-ships on the prowl for a cosmical empire, bombarding Womla, and turning it into a Prussian fortress, or anemporium for cheap goods. "

"Father was talking of that very matter the other night, " said MissCarmichael, "and he declared that rather than see any harm come to Womlahe would keep his invention a secret--at all events for a thousand yearslonger. "

We had glided rapidly across the Black Country, with its furnaces andforges blazing in the darkness, and now the dull red glow of themetropolis was visible on the horizon. Half-an-hour later we descendedin the garden of Carmichael's cottage, and found everything as snug aswhen we had left it. 

Leaving my fellow-travellers there, I took the train for London, and wasdriven to my club, where I intended to sleep. It was a raw wet evening, and in spite of a certain joy at being home again, I could not helpfeeling that my heart was no longer here, but in another planet. Afterthe sublime deserts of space, and the delightful paradise of Womla, thebusy streets, the blinding glare of the lamps, the splashing vehicles, the blatant newspaper men, the swarms of people crossing each other'spaths, and occasionally kicking each other's heels, everyone intent onhis own affairs of business or pleasure, were disenchanting, to say theleast. I seemed to have awakened from a beautiful dream, and fallen intoa dismal nightmare. 

In the smoking-room of the club the first person I saw was my friend theViscount, who was sitting just where I had left him on the night westarted for Venus, with his glass of toddy before him, and a cigarbetween his lips. 

"Hallo!" he exclaimed on seeing me. "Haven't seen you for sometime--must be nearly two months. Been abroad? You look brown. "

"Yes. "

"Well, suppose we finish our game of chess. "

"With pleasure. "

"You remember the wager--a thousand to a hundred sovereigns that I win. "

He was the better player, and although I had a slight advantage in thegame as it stood, I was by no means certain of winning, especially as Iwas tired and sleepy; but ever since my sojourn in Venus, my intellecthad been unusually clear and active. I played as I had never playedbefore, and in three moves had won the wager. 

"That will pay my travelling expenses, " said I, pocketing his cheque. 

 * * * * *

I ought perhaps to mention that Professor Gazen carried out hisintention of reading a paper to the Royal Astronomical Society on hisalleged discovery of a diurnal nutation or "wobbling" of the planetVenus; but I regret to say that owing to preconceived opinions andpersonal prejudices, his ingenious theory met with a reception far belowits merits. By the terms of our agreement he was forbidden to divulgethe secret of our expedition until my own account appeared, but sometelescopic observations he had made since coming home had provided himwith independent proofs. 

"Do you think Professor Possil will be present?" said I to him, as wedined together before we went to the meeting. 

"Sure to be, " replied Gazen. "He never misses an opportunity ofattacking me. 'Tis the nature of the animal. But I flatter myself Ishall get the laugh on him this time. "

The hall was full. The hearty welcome of the Fellows showed their highappreciation of Professor Gazen, and made me feel quite proud of hisacquaintance. They listened to his discourse on the movements of Venus, and his new hypothesis, with all the solemnity of a Roman senatedeliberating on the destiny of a nation. When he had finished in a salvoof applause, the president, a man of grave and dignified demeanour, asbecame his office, complimented the author on his communication, whichfrom the startling novelty of the subject would, he believed, give riseto an interesting discussion, and after calling on Professor Possil, heresumed his chair. That illustrious man, whose insignificant appearancebelied his fame, responded to the invitation with a show of reluctance, from a conspicuous place in the front row of the audience, andimmediately assailed the new hypothesis in his most uncompromisingfashion. 

"Never in his experience of the Society, " he said, "and never perhaps inthe history of astronomy, had an alleged discovery of such magnitude andconsequence been promulgated on the strength of such flimsy evidence;"and after traversing in detail all the arguments of his opponent, hedeclared it his firm conviction that the effects which Professor Gazenhad thought fit to advance as a "discovery, " were neither more nor lessthan an optical illusion, not to say a mental hallucination. 

Judging from the applause which greeted his remarks, the majority of hishearers were evidently of the same opinion. 

A grim smile settled on my companion's face, and I could see that hemaintained his temper with increasing difficulty, as one speaker afteranother delivered his mind in much the same sarcastic style ofcriticism. 

At length his turn came to make a reply. 

"Mr. President and gentlemen, " said he with an air of smilingconfidence, "at this late hour I do not propose to occupy the meetingwith a refutation of all the various comments of the distinguishedFellows who have spoken; but as my learned friend, Professor Possil, hasthought fit to charge me with bringing my discovery before the Societyon insufficient grounds, I think it right to say that I possess muchmore conclusive evidence, which for the present, circumstances haveprevented me from laying before you. "

"Mr. President, " exclaimed the celebrated Possil, starting to his feet, "I should like to ask whether it is altogether in good faith for aFellow of this Society to bring forward what he calls a discovery, andkeep back the most important part of the proof. Might I enquire of theauthor of the paper what is the nature of this suppressed evidence?"

"Simply that I have been there, " answered Gazen, forgetting his promiseto me in the excitement of the combat. 

"Where?" demanded the astonished Possil. 

"Venus. "

There was a loud burst of sceptical laughter. 

"I think, sir, " said Professor Possil to the Chair, with exasperatingcoolness, "I think, sir, that after the astounding revelation of thelearned professor, we shall be perfectly justified in concluding onsufficient evidence that the professor's head, and not the planet Venus, has been 'wobbling' of late. "

"What I say is true, " cried Gazen, nettled at this rude insinuation. 

Cries of "Order, order, " "withdraw, " "apologise, " resounded on everyside. 

"I cannot apologise for the truth, " retorted Gazen hotly. 

"Mr. President, " continued the pugnacious and imperturbable Fossil, "Iventure to submit that the preposterous assertions we have just heardare better adapted to a meeting of the Fellows of Colney Hatch than ofthis Society, and I beg to move that our unfortunate friend be calledupon to leave the meeting in charge of some responsible person, who willconduct him safely to his home, and deliver him into the custody of hisfriends. "

"Come on! They're a pack of fools!" cried Gazen to me hoarsely, as, followed by the jeers of his companions, he arose and left the room. 

 * * * * *

I have only to add that Professor Gazen and Miss Carmichael are aboutto be married. For myself, as soon as the ceremony is over I shallreturn to Venus and Alumion. 

THE END.