by John Munro
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 h
ad 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.
