A Voice from the Inner World by A

by Monte Herridge

  wherever they discovered the inert bodies of

  was I? What was this strange land reached

  the ship’s company, dragged them on deck

  through a crater?

  and piled them in heaps. Shaking with abject

  “All these thoughts rushed through my

  terror, I crouched back of the bridge, and

  brain as I peered cautiously down at the giant

  racked my brains for thought of some safe

  women who swarmed about the ship. But I

  spot in which to bide. Bat before I could make

  had not long to wait for an answer to my first

  up my mind, one of the terrifying, monstrous

  mental question. With a sudden spring, one of

  females sprang upon the bridge and rushed

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  towards me. With a maniacal scream, I turned

  captain’s chair, I thought over the events

  and fled. Then, before me, blocking my way,

  which had transpired during the past few

  there appeared another of the creatures. And

  hours and tried to find a reasonable solution to

  then a most marvelous and surprising thing

  the incredible happenings.

  happened. Instead of falling upon me as I

  “That I was within the earth seemed

  expected her to do, the giantess turned, and

  certain, though utterly fantastic, but who the

  with a scream that equalled my own, leaped

  giant women were, why they had captured the

  over the rail and fled to the uttermost Chiriqui or by what unknown, tremendous extremity of the deck.

  power their marvelous airship was operated,

  “I forgot my terror in my amazement.

  were all utterly beyond my comprehension.

  Why should this giant, cannibal woman fear

  But I must hurry on and relate the more

  me? Why should she run from me when, a few

  important matters, for my time is limited and

  moments before, she had been fighting over a

  the important thing is to let the world know

  meal of an unconscious sailor? And it was

  how the human race may be saved from the

  evident that the others were equally afraid of

  terrible fate which has befallen me and all

  me, for at her cry, and my appearance, all had

  those upon the Chiriqui, and upon the

  rushed as far from me as possible, and stood

  destroyer McCracken, for that vessel, too, has

  regarding me with an odd mixture of wonder

  fallen a victim to these horrible cannibalistic

  and terror on their huge faces. And then it

  giantesses here within the center of the earth.

  occurred to me that their fear was, perhaps,

  due to my gas-mask, to the apparatus that

  “HUNGER and thirst drove me at last from

  transformed me from a human being to a

  my refuge in the captain’s cabin, and armed

  weird-looking monster. At any rate, I was

  with the loaded rifle and revolver, I cautiously

  evidently safe from molestation for the time

  peered out and stepped upon the deck. Only

  being, and thanking my lucky stars that I had

  one woman was in sight, and instantly, at sight

  on the mask, I descended from the bridge, the

  of me, she fled away. Not a body of the

  giantesses retreating as I advanced. I entered

  hundreds of men and women aboard the ship

  the captain’s cabin and locked the door.

  was visible, and feeling relieved that I was for

  “Here I breathed more freely, for even

  a time safe, I stepped to the ship’s rail and

  if the women overcame their fear of me and

  peered over. Scores of the women were

  attempted to capture me, the steel doors and

  carrying the inert forms of the unconscious

  walls of the cabin would be impregnable men and women towards the nearby city.

  defenses. Moreover, upon the wall above the

  Stealthily I hurried below in search of food

  bunk, was a rifle, in a drawer of the dresser

  and drink. Fears assailed me that the women

  was a loaded revolver, and a short search

  had, in all probability, preceded me and

  revealed a plentiful supply of cartridges. Yes,

  carried off everything edible. But I need not

  if I were attacked, I could give a good account

  have worried about food. I was yet to learn the

  of myself, and I determined, if worst came to

  horrible truth and the gruesome habits of these

  the worst, that I would blow out my brains

  red giantesses. The saloon, the corridors, the

  rather than fall a victim to the female cannibal

  staterooms, everything, had been searched,

  horde.

  and every person upon the vessel removed. In

  “Dully, through the thick walls of the

  the pantry I found an abundance of food, and

  cabin, I could hear the sounds of the women

  quickly satisfied my hunger and thirst. I

  on the deck, but I had no desire to witness

  pondered on my next move. The skipper’s

  what was going on, and seated upon the cabin seemed my safest refuge. I placed a

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  supply of provisions within it, and locked even with these, they avoid the lower areas myself in the little room again. For several

  where the fumes are the worst, and only visit

  days nothing of great importance occurred. I

  them when necessity arises, which accounts

  say days, but there are no days in this terrible

  for my being left in peace, with none of the

  place. There is no sun, no moon, no stars and

  horrible women near the ship, for days at a

  no darkness. The whole place is illuminated

  time. I discovered the presence of the sulphur

  by a brilliant, greenish light that issues from a

  gas on the first day when, attempting to eat, I

  distant mountain range, and which seems to be

  removed my gas-mask. Suffocating as I found

  of the same character as that which emanated

  the fumes, I was compelled to endure them,

  from the spherical air machine. Fortunately I

  and gradually I became slightly accustomed to

  had presence of mind enough to keep my

  them, so that now I have little trouble in

  watch going, as well as the captain’s breathing during the short time it takes me to chronometer, for otherwise I would have had

  eat my meals. At all other times I must wear

  no knowledge of the passage of time. Once or

  the apparatus, and I thank God that this is so,

  twice the scarlet women visited the ship, but

  for I know now that it is the gasmask which so

  seemed nervous and wary, and made no effort

  far has preserved my life.

  to approach or molest me, merely gazed about

  “On the tenth day after my arrival I

  as if searching for something—perhaps for

  noticed a number of the giantesses gathering

  me—and then retiring. Several times, too, I

  about the huge, spherical airship which still

  ventured on deck, and peered over the ship’s

  rested on its cradle near the Chiriqui, but

  side, but saw none of t
he giantesses, although

  which, I have forgotten to state, ceased to emit

  with the glasses I could see crowds of the

  its green or red lights after it had landed.

  beings about the city in the distance.

  Lying there it resembled nothing so much as a

  “Also, I noticed among them, several

  gigantic can-buoy or a floating mine, if one

  individuals who were much smaller than the

  can imagine a buoy two hundred yards in

  rest, and who appeared to be men, although I

  diameter.

  could not be sure. I also discovered, and

  “On the day I mentioned, all interests

  almost lost my life in the discovery, that the

  seemed to be centered on the thing, and

  atmosphere of this place is unfit for human

  cautiously peering from the shelter of the

  beings to breathe, and is thick with sulphurous

  deck-house, I watched the proceedings.

  fumes. Close to the ground these fumes are so

  Presently several of the women entered the

  dense that a person would succumb in a few

  sphere through an opening in its middle band;

  moments, but at the height of the Chiriqui’s

  the aperture closed behind them, and

  decks, nearly seventy feet above the rocky bed

  immediately there was a low, humming sound

  on which she rests, the air is breathable, as of machinery. As the sounds issued from although it causes one to choke and cough

  the sphere, the cables to which were attached

  after a few minutes. And I am sure that the

  the smaller spheres (which glowed red when

  houses of these giant beings have been built

  carrying the Chiriqui through the air) were

  on the summits of the basalt columns in order

  drawn in until the two smaller spheres were

  to avoid the suffocating fumes of the lower

  resting in recesses at the axes of the large

  levels. Later, too, I learned that the sphere, and where they appeared merely as membrane-like frills upon these creatures are

  hemi-spherical projections. Then, slowly at

  a sort of gills, or as I might say, natural gas-

  first, but with ever increasing speed, the

  masks, which by some means enable the slender rods about the large sphere began to beings to breathe the sulphur-laden air. But

  move back and forth, or rather in an

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  oscillating manner, until they were vibrating

  Chiriqui. Even if gas-masks were worn, it

  with such rapidity that they appeared merely

  would be most difficult to destroy the machine

  rays of light. Slowly, majestically, the as it descended, for it travels with incredible immense globe rose from its cradle, and speed in its descent and, moreover, the terrible gathering headway, leaped upward to an creatures who man the thing would see that immense height. Then, tilting at an angle, it

  enemies lurked near and would find some

  passed over the city and headed for an means of destroying them, or by the immense pinnacle of rock, which, fully seven

  mysterious magnet force they control, would

  miles from where I stood, reminded me of a

  draw even the heaviest cannon to the machine

  gigantic chimney or funnel.

  as an ordinary magnet draws needles or iron

  “Although it was barely visible to the

  filings. So if the thing is to be destroyed, it

  naked eye, I could see it distinctly through the

  must be done as the machine emerges from

  glasses, and I watched it with the most intense

  the crater. Would to God that I could tell

  and concentrated interest. For a few moments

  where the crater is, but beyond feeling sure it

  it remained, poised a hundred feet or so above

  is at the summit of an Andean peak, I have no

  the pinnacle. Then, from the towering, means of locating it.

  tapering rock, a terrific jet of steam roared

  “But I was telling of what occurred on

  forth, and striking the great spherical machine

  that tenth day when the spherical airship was

  above it, hurled it upward and beyond my

  projected from my sight by the blast of steam.

  vision. Give close heed to these words, As the machine vanished, the women who had whoever may, by God’s grace, be listening to

  watched its departure, returned to their city,

  what I say, for upon them may hinge the fate

  and I swept the landscape with my glasses,

  of the human race. Only by this means, by

  wondering at the bleak, terrible scenery and

  being shot upward by this titanic jet of steam,

  bizarre colors.

  can the airship leave this subterranean land

  and emerge through the crater by which it

  “AS I focused the binoculars upon a level

  entered bearing the Chiriqui. Within this place plateau, perhaps a mile from where the

  it can sail at will; once above the crater Chiriqui rested, I gasped in surprise. Clearly opening it can travel anywhere, although it

  defined, lay the remnants of what had once

  cannot land; but by some unknown force or

  been a steamship! Had I given the matter

  magnetic attraction or freak of gravitation the

  thought, I might have known that the Chiriqui

  machine cannot ascend through the crater, was not the first vessel to have fallen a victim although, when over it, it will drop like a

  to these awful beings; but the sight of another

  plummet through the opening. And herein—

  ship’s skeleton came to me as a terrific shock.

  for the sake of humanity, listen to this and

  As nearly as I could judge, the vessel had been

  remember my words—lies a means of dismantled, for only the great steel frame destroying the machine, for by surrounding

  remained, with the mighty boilers and other

  the crater with powerful guns the sphere can

  portions of the ship scattered about, and

  be shelled as it emerges and utterly destroyed.

  gruesomely like some mammoth creature

  To attempt to do so as it returns to the crater

  lying disemboweled upon the earth.

  would be suicidal, for once in the outer air, it

  “I was consumed with a mad desire to

  emanates vast quantities of most poisonous

  visit that pathetic wreck, but I knew not to

  gas, and all living things within a radius of

  what dangers I would be exposed, once I left

  several miles would be struck down the security of my ship. Not a being was in unconscious, as were my companions on the

  sight, however, and carefully I studied the

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  13

  land, visually measuring the relative distances

  manganese, she vanished without word or

  between myself and the wreck, and between

  trace when off the Barbados during the World

  the city and the route I must traverse. Having

  War. No doubt, I thought, many a mystery of

  already observed that the giantesses moved

  the sea had been caused by the damnable work

  slowly and cumbrously on foot, I at last of these beings with their infernal machine.

  decided that even if they attempted to But why, for what reason, did they capture intercept me I could regain the Chiriqui before ships? Why did th
ey carry off the unconscious

  I was overtaken, so I threw caution to the

  persons upon the vessels? And why did they

  winds and prepared to undertake my tear the vessels apart? It was all a mystery hazardous journey. Slinging the loaded rifle

  which, in all its horrible, gruesome, ghoulish

  on my back, with the revolver at my belt, and

  details I was soon to solve.

  still further arming myself with a keen-edged

  “There was nothing more to be learned

  fire-axe, I hunted up the pilot’s ladder, from the remains of the Cyclops, and in safety lowered it over the lowest side of the ship—

  I returned to the Chiriqui to find, to my

  which was also the side farthest from the

  surprise and terror, that a gang of the

  city—and clambering down the Chiriqui’s

  monstrous females had boarded the ship in my

  lofty sides, leaped down upon the ground. To

  absence and were stripping her of everything.

  my amazement, I landed in a dense jungle of

  But as they caught sight of me, all threw down

  dry, tough vegetation which rose to my whatever they had and fled precipitately, shoulders. From the deck, looking directly leaving me once more in undisputed downwards, I had thought this dull-green possession of the ship. I was relieved at this, growth a short, wiry grass, and, of course, in

  for it was obvious that I had no need to fear

  its relative proportion to the gigantic women,

  the creatures. By now, too, I had formulated a

  it was no higher than ordinary grass to a

  theory to account for this strange dread of a

  normal human being. It was a wonderful being who was a puny, miserable thing example of the theory of relativity, but my

  compared to them. Unquestionably my gas-

  mind was not interested in scientific matters at

  mask rendered me a most grotesque and

  the time, and I merely gave thanks that the

  unknown creature in their eyes. My remaining

  miniature jungle—which I saw was composed

  alive and active while all others upon the ship

  of giant lichens—would afford me cover had succumbed to the noxious gas had through which I might sneak in safety, and

  probably caused them to think that I was a