CHAPTER XXIV.
Ho! for the South Pole!
Silver Cloud, meantime, had been returned to the place of her birth, thegreat iron works upon the Potomac river. Another shapely three hundredfeet mast had been manufactured and erected. One morning about themiddle of September, the globe arose above the glittering mast andslowly settled upon it. The fastenings were soon adjusted, the flag ofaluminum nailed to the peak, and Silver Cloud was herself again, readyfor another trip to the ends of the earth.
Will had made a number of additions and alterations, among which was anincrease in the size and strength of the coiled springs that were usedfor hoisting purposes and running the dynamo. A powerful searchlight hadbeen added, and the electrical appliances greatly increased. Among otherthings, he had a two horse power steam engine set up. This was to beused for winding the springs. Good old John Barton was never happier inhis life than at this period. His interest in the globe was intense, andhe daily spent hours with Will at the iron works. He made severalvaluable suggestions, and his hard common sense and experience were ofno little value to the architect.
"If I were not getting so far along in years, and mother was perfectlywell and willing, I should like nothing better than to go with you thistrip," said he to Dr. Jones. "But we will stay and keep house for youuntil your return."
"And that will be but a very few weeks, I am quite sure," answered theDoctor. "It is not likely that we shall be made prisoners three monthsthis trip. And that reminds me that I received a letter from CountIcanovich this morning, Maggie, and it inclosed one from Feodora toyou."
The letters were hastily read. They were well, and Feodora had neverbeen better in her life. The Count had been studying and practicing thenew system of medicine, and, to his unbounded delight, had made somecenter shots. His enthusiasm was steadily increasing, and he imploredthe Doctor to return to Russia and co-operate with him in introducingthis God-given system into that vast empire. He assured him that theyhad everything to hope for. The Princess was getting on quitecomfortably, and the fame of what Dr. Jones had done for her had becomenational. Numerous physicians of note had called upon and written thePrince and himself to ascertain the facts concerning the marvelous curesthat had been reported to them. The Prince and Princess sent theirsincere regards, etc. Feodora wrote in a lively strain to Mrs. Jones andMattie, and urged them to return to their castle for a good visit assoon as possible. These letters were answered promptly, the Doctorgiving advice concerning a case or two that the Count had foundpuzzling. He promised them a visit as soon after their return from theSouth Pole as possible.
Two or three mornings later Washington was again packed with visitors towitness the departure of Silver Cloud for the southern extremity of theearth. Greater enthusiasm than before was expressed by everyone, for nowthere were no skeptics, and everybody cheered with might and main.
As on the previous occasion, the hour of noon was selected for sailing.This gave people from the surrounding country an opportunity to come inand witness the magnificent scene. It was declared a holiday by generalconsent, and it is no exaggeration to say that nearly the whole earthwas represented in the unnumbered hosts that filled the streets, coveredthe housetops and surrounding hills, and every spot and place thatafforded any possibility of seeing the ascent of the globe.
The friends and acquaintances that the company collectively andindividually had formed were out in full force. Numerous and hearty werethe handshakings; "Good-bye," and "Bon Voyage," were heard on everyhand.
The globe was anchored at but fifty feet from the earth. The cage hadbeen enlarged so that the voyagers now ascended four at a time. Thisthey did a few minutes before noon. The organ was taken out upon thebalcony, and "God be with you till we meet again," was sung by ourfriends. The three Bartons stood just below and opposite the choir,tears of friendship and gratitude streaming down their faces. We willstate here (quite privately be it understood) that Will and Jennie hadcome to an understanding that seemed to be very satisfactory to them,and their leavetaking was more affectionate than is usual with mereacquaintances, or even intimate friends. It is the old story. Cupid hasdone his work again. Well, God bless them, and may a parson step in andcomplete the love god's work very soon after Silver Cloud shall havereturned. And Fred visited Grace at the mayor's house in New York. Theremay be trouble of the same sort brewing there.
But the bells and whistles have announced the hour for Bailing. Theanchors were tripped, and Silver Cloud arose with the majesty of theQueen of Night, nearly perpendicularly above the city to the height ofthree thousand feet; there, to the extreme satisfaction of Dr. Jones, abrisk breeze from the northeast was encountered, and away sailed thebeautiful globe until the straining eyes of the multitude saw it as abright star-like point in the heavens, and then it disappeared--boundfor the SOUTH POLE.
THE END.
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