by Mark Wicks
CHAPTER I
WE START ON A VERY LONG VOYAGE
"Well, I suppose it is about time to get ready for starting?"
The speaker was a smart, well-set-up man about forty-three years of age,whose keen and alert expression, clear eyes and well-cut features were atrue index to the intellectuality and integrity of his character; whilsthis closely compressed lips and the deep vertical line down the centreof his forehead betokened a dogged perseverance in carrying into effectanything he might undertake.
John Yiewsley Claxton, for that was his name, was my very intimatefriend of at least twenty-five years' standing; and during the greaterportion of that time he had been my constant companion. We had passedthrough many trials and troubles together, but a better friend andcompanion no man could have desired.
We were just finishing a last quiet smoke and chat in my snuggery atNorbury, near Croydon, preparatory to starting off on a very longjourney for which all arrangements had been completed, and we had risenearly that morning in order to have everything in readiness.
John took his pipe from his lips as he spoke, then, rising, stretchedout his arms and braced himself up like one ready and eager for anyemergency; the next minute he was smoking in his usual calm andthoughtful manner. I rose when he did, then giving a few finalinstructions to Mrs. Challen, my housekeeper, we bade her "good-bye" andstepped out on to the lawn, thence crossing over to a gate at the farend of the garden, we passed into an extensive field and walked toward alarge shed that stood near its centre.
It was a most beautiful evening near the beginning of August 1909, clearand calm. The sun had only just passed below the horizon, the skyimmediately above it being a rippled glory of gold, merging higher upinto gold flecked with crimson, then into a placid sea of paleapple-green. Above this were fleecy clouds of delicate rose-pink, whichreflected their splendours upon the higher parts of the surroundinghills, the latter standing out clear and sharp, and glowing with roseatehues, whilst their bases were seen dimly as through a thin veiling ofpurple mist.
Surely nothing could be better for the commencement of our long-plannedtrip. The moon would not rise until about a quarter-past nine, anddarkness would have descended by the time we were ready to start. Thiswas exactly what we required, because we did not wish either ourpreparations or our departure to be observed.
Just as we arrived within hail of the shed the door opened, and arugged-featured man with sandy hair stepped out. This was KennethM'Allister, our engineer and general factotum in all mechanicalmatters--a typical specimen of a Scotch engineer. He had followed hisprofession in its different phases on tramp-steamers, on ocean liners,naval gunboats, and even on battle-ships, besides having served forseveral years in the workshops of a great firm of electrical engineers.
Whether repairing a broken propeller-shaft two or three scores of tonsin weight, the most intricate machinery, or the most delicate electricmechanism, he was equally at home and sure in his work; in fact nothingseemed to come amiss to him. His machinery was always the object of hismost anxious care, and, providing that all worked satisfactorily,nothing else troubled him much.
"Well, M'Allister," I called to him, "is everything ready for our tripto-night?"
"Heh, mon," he replied, "everything is all ready; will you look in andtake a turn round the ship?"
"Certainly we will," I answered; so we all went into the shed, where wegazed with equal pride and satisfaction upon the splendid shining objectwhich was housed therein. Here, in perfect readiness for its destinedservice, was our air-ship--if it could be so called--upon which we threehad expended years of thought, experiment, and work.
Outwardly it was shaped somewhat like a fish, being constructed of aspecial metal--our joint invention--which we had named "martalium." Themetal was composed of aluminium and two other rarer metals which, whencombined together, produced a substance almost as light as aluminium,yet many times harder and tougher than case-hardened steel; whilst itssurface shone like burnished silver and could never in any circumstancesbecome tarnished or affected by rust.
The ship was ninety-five feet in length, and its diameter twenty feet inthe broadest part, tapering off to a point at either end.
With the exception of the steering and balancing fans, there was nomachinery whatever visible on the exterior of the vessel. Severalwindows along each side, together with a few at the top and bottom ofthe vessel, gave light to the interior, and would allow for observationsbeing made in any direction. These windows were all constructed of aspecial toughened glass obtained from Vienna, very thick and warrantedto withstand the hardest blows. Along each side of the vessel there wasan observation platform or gallery on to which the exterior doorsopened, and each gallery was provided with a protecting railing.
The interior of the ship was divided into five separate compartments,the rear one being the general living and sleeping room, havingobservation windows so arranged as to command an outlook in alldirections. The next compartment was mainly a store-room, but, like allthe others, could be used for observation purposes; next to that was asmall compartment intended for a special purpose which will hereafter beapparent; then another containing water storage, apparatus forcompressing or rarefying air, as well as machinery for producing thelatter chemically.
Lastly, right in the forepart of the vessel was M'Allister's specialsanctum, containing the driving, lighting, warming, and steeringmachinery, but electric buttons and switches were also provided forcontrolling these in every compartment, so that whichever one wehappened to be in we were prepared for all emergencies. Periscopescapable of being turned in all directions also communicated with everycompartment, thus we could always see what might be around us.
All the machinery was either electric or magnetic, some of it being verysimple; other portions were extremely intricate, but nearly all was theoutcome of our joint inventions. Such parts as could not profitably bemade by ourselves had been carefully distributed between several firmsof founders and engineers, in order that none could have any means ofdiscovering the use to which they were intended to be put. The whole ofthe shell of the vessel was double, with a packed space between the twoskins; and each door opened into a small lobby, having another door onthe farther side, to ensure that every part might be kept perfectlyair-tight when required.
By the time we had completed a thorough inspection of the vessel and itsmachinery, and overhauled the stores to make sure that everythingrequisite was on board, it had become nearly dark, so, moving a switch,M'Allister swung open the great doors at the end of the shed. The vesselwas standing upon a low trolley having many wheels running on rails,with a small electric motor beneath it, and, upon M'Allister moving thetrolley switch, the whole affair glided smoothly out into the openfield. I may as well confess that we owed this trolley and the mode ofits working to ideas gained during an inspection of the construction andworking of the conduit trams belonging to the London County Council.
When the vessel was out in the open we congratulated ourselves upon itssplendid proportions and business-like appearance.
I asked M'Allister whether "he was satisfied with the result of ourlabours?"
"Mon," he replied, "she's grand, and it's fine to have the handling ofsuch machinery; everything works as slick as grease!" It was a pleasureto hear him talk about his machines, for he was always so enthusiasticwhere they were concerned.
"Now," I suggested, "before we start we'll give our good ship her name."
"Bravo!" said John Claxton, "and we'll drink to her success, a goodvoyage and a safe return"; and he was so struck by the brilliancy of hisidea that he actually took his pipe from his lips, and, holding it inhis hand, regarded it with thoughtful contemplation for quite threeminutes.
I accordingly went to the store-room and brought out two bottles ofchampagne. Directly M'Allister saw them he entered a vigorous andemphatic protest, saying, "Heh, Professor! you're surely not going tocelebrate this most auspicious event with such poor fizzy stuff aschampagne? Let's have a wee drop of
good old Scotch whisky, and do thething properly!"
John Claxton here interposed: "Let M'Allister have his whisky if heprefers it, and we'll have the 'fizz'!" So I went laughing to the storeagain and returned with a bottle of special Scotch, whereatM'Allister's eye gleamed as he smiled approval.
Then, taking up a bottle of the champagne, I broke it over the prow ofthe vessel, and we solemnly christened her the _Areonal_ in honour ofthe planet for which we were bound.
Raising high our glasses we gave the toast of "_The Areonal_; may sheand her passengers have a good voyage and a safe return home!"M'Allister peered over the rim of his glass, and, with upturned eyes,remarked that "his old wife in Glasgow would be looking for his safereturn in a few months' time"; then his glass slowly tipped up, and theold Scotch whisky disappeared.
Claxton and I at once stepped on board the vessel, and having just setthe machinery slowly moving so as to raise the vessel a few feet, I puton the neutral power so that the ship remained poised in the air.M'Allister ran the trolley back into the shed, closed the doors, andswitched off the electric current; then climbed the extending ladder,and came on board, John steadying the vessel by an anchor rope in themeantime.
M'Allister took over the command of the machinery, and, setting it inmotion, the _Areonal_ at once rose slowly and gracefully straight upinto the air.
John and I were standing outside on the platform, from whence, lookingtoward the house, we could plainly see Mrs. Challen at the open door ofour sitting-room waving farewell to us--her figure silhouetted againstthe bright light of the room. We waved back to her in response, but I amvery doubtful if she could see our signal, as she was looking into thedarkness.
We now rose rapidly as M'Allister switched on more power, and far awayto the northward we could see over the whole extent of the vastmetropolis, with its countless miles of lighted streets. On turningtowards the east the Crystal Palace, which was lighted up, was a veryconspicuous object against the skyline over the Sydenham hills.
John, when he saw it, remarked that "it would have been an appropriatetribute to our enterprise if the Palace Company had provided one oftheir grand firework displays as a send-off for us"; "but," he added,"these companies will never do what is expected of them!" On thewestward side the lights all along the hill where Sutton lies wereclearly visible; farther off was Epsom, and, with the aid of a glass, wecould even faintly see the lights of Guildford in the far distance.
Nearly south of us Croydon seemed from our altitude to lie almostbeneath our vessel. We directed our course towards the south-east,passing over the railway-station at Thornton Heath, with Croydon to theright of us, just as the clock of the Croydon Town Hall was strikingnine. The long lines of lighted streets made a fine panorama, and wecould trace the lights of the moving tram-cars out to Anerley, SouthNorwood, Purley, Wallington, and Mitcham.
Although we were fully 5000 feet, or nearly a mile, above the earth itwas surprising how clearly we could hear the sounds from below--therumble of the electric tram-cars, the clang of their gongs, thetoot-toot of the motor-horns, and, louder still, the whistles of thelocomotives on the London and Brighton Railway were borne to us withalmost startling distinctness through the still night air.
Our electric lights were now switched on at their full power, theirbright beams shining out through the windows all around the vessel.Whilst we were on the ground we only used just sufficient light to seeby, as we did not wish to draw attention to our proceedings; but now wewere well up and on our way it mattered not who saw us.
With increased speed we passed over South Norwood and the village ofShirley, rising higher and higher as we proceeded on our way. The moon,which was just past the full, had not risen above the horizon of thoseupon the earth below us; but we had now attained such an altitude thatit became visible to us, low down on the horizon and far ahead on ourleft hand. Owing to our height above the earth it soon became impossiblefor us to see the places over which we passed, and as we were movingover an open part of Kent there were very few lights which we could haveseen in any case. As there was nothing of particular interest to attractour attention which we had not already seen on our trial trips, weentered our general room and sat down to supper.
The machinery had been set to maintain a speed of 150 miles an houruntil we passed beyond the limits of the earth's atmosphere; for though,no doubt, we might safely have travelled faster, we did not intendtaking any risk of overheating our vessel by the friction of theatmosphere.
Notwithstanding the speed at which we were travelling we were quiteunconscious of any movement in our vessel. The impression we receivedwas not that we were rushing away from the earth, but that the earth wasrapidly falling away from our position in space.
It may, perhaps, be desirable that I should now give a littleinformation respecting myself and my friends, together with someexplanation of our reasons for embarking upon such a very long voyage.
