"About twenty-five miles an hour," said Torrence; "she is capable of
much greater speed; but there's no hurry, and I don't want to strain her
on her maiden trip."
"And how high are we?"
"About five hundred feet."
I was reflecting that it was no very great height, or extraordinary
speed, when I heard the sharp swinging sound of a bullet, and looked
down. I saw a man passing through a field with a gun in his hand and
looking up. Evidently he had fired at us, not knowing what we were;
possibly with the intention of finding out.
"He's going to shoot again!" I called to Torrence; but at that minute my
brother pressed a button and we were swung aloft with great velocity, as
if seized by some gigantic hand.
"I shan't give him a chance," he answered, as we plunged into a cloud,
and then darted forward with increased speed. Again we were enveloped
in a dense wet blanket, but as there was no fear of a collision, did not
slacken our rate, but swept on like a hurricane unable to see a thing in
any direction beyond the vessel.
"Now," said Torrence, looking at a small instrument on the governing
board, "we are whirling along at the rate of fifty miles an hour. Risky
business on land in a cloud like this, but here--thank Heaven--there is
nothing on the track! When we lower ourselves out of the fog, and come
in view of the earth again, our sporting friend will be lost to sight."
In about ten minutes we dropped to our former level, and reduced our
speed. Of course there was no reason why we should not remain above,
except that it was more interesting to have the earth for a companion.
"Suppose he had hit us?" I observed.
"There's not one chance in a hundred that he would hurt us if he had. I
prepared for such enterprising fools by protecting her critical parts
with asbestos and rubber; but it isn't pleasant to be fired at, and when
one can move out of range so easily it seems the right thing to do."
Later in the day I went above and found it the pleasantest part of the
boat, and was surprised to find how all fear had left me. I asked
Torrence if he intended to land anywhere in England; to which he gave a
negative answer, saying that it might not be safe, from the danger of
having papers served upon him.
"There is no necessity to halt," he added; "our course is probably
watched, and the news of our landing will be telegraphed to London, and
they might make it difficult for us to get away again. We are safe out
of their reach now, and it would be better to lot well enough alone.
When I land it will be upon some uninhabited coast where they can't find
us."
"How long can you keep afloat?" I inquired.
Torrence laughed.
"Forever, if I want to. There's no limit to our capacity in that line.
When the chemicals are exhausted, or have formed new combinations, I
have only to supply the proper proportions of air and water, and the
original conditions are restored. So if for any reason it should prove
inconvenient to land, all we have to do is to drop a line with a bucket
over any river or sea, and pull up a pail of water, run the compressor
into the generator with the chemicals--and presto--all the power is
restored. It is perpetual motion, with the very minimum of attention.
Rather it is gravitation neutralized; and so simple, it is a marvel men
never thought of it before."
I had made no inquiry about the North Pole, supposing it was only a
jest; not doubting, however, that he really meant to make an extended
trip northward; but now, on alluding to the subject, Torrence declared
that it was his serious intention to penetrate into the mysteries of the
Polar regions, farther than any navigator had ever gone.
"We may find it worth our while," he said, "and there is no reason why
we should not."
I told him that while I felt some doubt about the ice barriers, I was
ready to follow him anywhere; to which he answered with a good deal of
force that so long as the vessel depended only on the atmosphere for her
support, he could see no reason why we could not ride over icebergs,
frozen mountains and continents, to the ends of the earth. All we had
to do was to keep above all obstructions, and to prevent ourselves from
freezing, against which possibility we were amply provided. He showed
me how our saloon could be made perfectly snug, and heated to any
temperature desired; and that the motive apparatus was entirely
protected, and could likewise be kept warm.
"Should our upper deck become loaded with snow," he added, "we shall be
obliged to put on our extra feathers and go above to clean it off; not
such a very difficult matter when you consider that we are well provided
with the appliances."
Indeed, it seemed to me that nothing had been overlooked, and as
Torrence had all his life had a hankering for Arctic exploration, I was
not greatly astonished at his decision. I reflected that the pole could
never be reached except by balloon, and that the difficulty of ordinary
ballooning was the impossibility of advancing against air currents, and
that since our ship had overcome that point, it did really appear as if
we might be in a fair way to accomplish something more than other
explorers. I became greatly interested, and began to look for marvelous
results.
At noon I went into the galley and prepared dinner, while Torrence kept
watch above on the upper deck, where there was also a duplicate
controlling board. We had eaten nothing since the previous night; the
excitement of getting off having kept the thought of food from entering
our heads, but now we were hungry. It was undoubtedly the first time
since the creation that a meal had been cooked and eaten at that
elevation over Northhampton, but it was none the worse for that, and two
hungrier men could not have honored the occasion. From our seats in the
saloon we had a good outlook upon every side. Forward we looked
directly ahead through the cuddy ports--aft--through our stern lights in
the galley, and upon either side were great sliding windows. The watch
was, of course, only to guard against any unexpected elevation in the
land, such as a hill, otherwise--or even had we been a little higher--we
might have drawn the blinds and run on with impunity. After dinner we
threw the scraps overboard, and went on deck for a smoke, and watched
the country steadily slipping away beneath us. We were fanned by a
gentle breeze, which might have been stiffer, but such wind as there
was, was blowing dead aft.
"This," said Torrence, looking about him with pride, "is what I call the
climax of living. Above your enemies; above your friends; and out of
reach of all the petty annoyances of earth!"
I was as jubilant as he, and found it quite as difficult to conceal my
emotions, which were altogether natural; for has not flight been always
regarded as a prerogative of angels? and has not man aspired to it as
the most perfect form of migration? The exhilaration was beyond
description; and as we swept on through that long summer day, there was
a sense of power and freedom which no other form of locomotion could
impart.
"I could never be content to live down there again!" I said, flipping
the ashes from my cigar overboard.
"Nor I," said Torrence; "not after this experience. The sky is good
enough for me!"
Toward evening we could hear the tinkling of bells and lowing of herds,
and catch an occasional shout of surprise from a frightened farmer, as
we dipped a little nearer earthward, and then skurried aloft and away,
before he had time to recover his equanimity. At a small village in the
southern part of Lincolnshire we pounced suddenly upon a traveling
circus, and stampeded the entire crowd, not one of which will ever
forget us. It was the grandest game imaginable; to come swooping down to
within fifty or seventy-five feet of the ground, over an unsuspecting
congregation of countrymen, and then dart onward and upward amid their
shouts of consternation. However, we did not indulge in this sort of
thing often, not wishing to incur the risk of being fired at. It
showed, nevertheless, the absolute control we had over the machine, and
was interesting from a scientific, as well as a humorous point of view.
Toward sundown I smelled salt air, and knew we were approaching the sea.
Then we ran into a bank of mist, and the earth was lost to view. I
asked Torrence where we were heading for, and he said:
"I am going to run around the city of Hull; leaving it a few miles upon
our right, so as not to attract attention, and then cross over to
Norway."
"You surely don't intend to try the North Sea to-night!" I exclaimed in
surprise.
"Why not? There is no danger," he answered.
I did not argue the matter, feeling safe in his hands. The fog bank
continued for some minutes, and when we suddenly ran out of it, imagine
my astonishment to find ourselves hovering directly over a large city,
with the sea beyond.
*X.*
Torrence jumped up in consternation, and looking overboard, exclaimed
with an oath that he thought we were at least five miles to the
southwest of that town.
"And what difference does it make?" I inquired.
"Look for yourself!" he cried; "they are expecting us. I feared our
course would be telegraphed to all sea ports; but they shan't track me
out of the country," he added, looking aloft significantly, "that is,
not if I can help it."
"I should say we had decidedly the whip handle of them!" I replied.
"So we have. Of course they can't stop us, but I think it will be just
as well to give them a false scent for their trouble. It may be
interesting to use a little strategy with these people, Gurt, although
we are undoubtedly masters of the situation."
Looking down I saw that the streets were crowded with people gazing up
at us; and around the Wilberforce monument, on both sides of the bridge,
it looked as if a mob had gathered to intercept our progress. In the
open square, probably not less than a hundred soldiers had been
assembled under arms, and had a very threatening aspect.
"Surely they won't fire on us!" I exclaimed.
"Not a bit of danger, they wouldn't dare; and if they did, they couldn't
hurt us. No, the red coats are only for show; but if they got ugly, we
could clean out the crowd by simply dropping a lot of cartridges
overboard, without taking our guns out of the racks."
He pressed a button, turned a lever, and we slowed down.
"They want to speak to us, and perhaps it will be just as well to give
them a chance."
A man was waving a white flag, evidently intended to attract our
attention. He appeared to be some high functionary of the town, judging
from his dress and general deportment. He held a paper in his other
hand, which he indicated was for us. Torrence waved his handkerchief in
reply, and pulled the air ship down to a dead halt, about two hundred
and fifty feet above the level of the street.
"It may be the injunction!" I suggested.
"Too late for that now," said Torrence; "they can't enjoin me after I've
left. But I don't want them to know my course, and shall therefore
humbug them a little."
He looked earnestly above at a great white cloud that had crept up from
the southwest, and which had now nearly covered the sky. He then took a
pencil, and with a writing pad resting on the rail, wrote:
"If you have any communication to make I will let down a line."
This he threw overboard. It was picked up immediately, and handed to
the official who was standing quite separate from the others. Shouts of
"lower your line!" were now heard distinctly, and in another minute we
had dropped a cord overboard, with a screw tied to the end for a weight.
It did not take long to draw up the line again, at the end of which was
an official looking document. Torrence tore open the envelope hastily,
and began reading. In a minute he thrust it into his pocket and said:
"Rot!"
"What's the matter?" I asked him.
"That blackguard, Hart, wants to get me back to London. Pretends I've
committed a crime by moving the air ship without his consent. Promises
forgiveness--the lunatic--if I'll return; and--of all the gall in
creation--says he will pay down a handsome sum, as he calls it, for a
half interest in the air ship, if I'll come back and make it over to
him; and then to cap the climax, has the effrontery to threaten me if I
don't do it. The fellow must either be a dolt himself or take me for
one. But I'll make it interesting for him, nevertheless!"
"They must take us for a brace of nincompoops," I replied; "but is it in
the form of a summons?"
"Seems to be a kind of _capias_ for my arrest, but how on earth can they
execute their orders while I'm up here?" said Torrence.
"You surely don't intend to return," I said, looking over his shoulder.
"Of course not; but I'm determined not to be tracked out of the country.
The man has done all he could to thwart me by foul means. He has tried
to entrap me in a pretended form of law. He endeavored to prevent my
sailing by procuring an injunction issued upon false representations,
and if he's fool enough to suppose that I'd return to London--why let
him suppose it, and wait, and sweat!"
He now headed the air ship toward London, and rising, sailed away from
the town.
"Let them think what they please!" he said. Torrence got up on the top
deck and waved his hat, and then every one shouted. I think there was
some doubt, however, as to whether we really intended to return, until
they saw us gradually head about, and point our prow toward London; then
there was an unmistakable yell of delight from every throat.
We were soon running against the wind, due south. The cloud bank which
had been steadily pushing up out of the southwest now nearly covered the
sky at an elevation of many thousand feet. The city of Hull was fading
in the distance. It would soon be lost to sight. I looked at the earth
below, and saw that we were steadily ascending upon an inclined plane.
"When we are wrapt in the bosom of the clouds," said Torrence, "I intend
to put about, and run directly over their heads, out of sight, and be
far to seaward before the sun sets."
The clouds were still at a great altitude above us; and to prevent our
real intentions being discovered we made the ascent very gradually,
still steering south, but on an ascending plane, so that upon entering
the cloud bank it would be apparent to all that we were still headed for
London. The elevation might be easily accounted for on the hypothesis
of air currents, so that no suspicion of insincerity would be aroused on
the part of those watching us.
"Now," said Torrence, "as we are going up to a great height, we might
find it more comfortable to slip on warmer clothing; or at all events to
get out some top coats."
This we did, and then seating ourselves on deck, watched the great
feathery mass into whose bosom we were gradually ascending. All at once
the earth, the sky, and the greater part of the air ship vanished. We
had plunged into the cloud, and I could not even see Torry, who was
sitting only a few feet away. Luckily we had on tarpaulins, or we
should have been wet to the skin. It was like unaided flight, not even
our support being visible. Torrence's voice came out of the invisible,
producing a weird sensation, and I could feel that we were still being
borne rapidly upward.
"Still ascending?" I inquired, feeling as if I were addressing chaos.
"Still ascending!" came the answer.
"How much higher do we go?"
"Clear above this bank. It will be pleasanter."
The words had a strange unnatural sound, as if coming from under the
water. My body was the only objective reality in all creation, and even
the more distant parts of that showed a tendency to evade me. Still
onward and upward, with nothing to prove our motion save the feeling
which the vessel imparted. Suddenly a flood of sunlight enveloped us,
and we rose like a duck out of the water into another element. A
milk-white sea was spread beneath; a dazzling sky above. Again Torrence
was at his screws and levers. We halted, and trembled for a moment in
midair, preparatory to changing our course; and then, with the rush of a
sudden gale, went swirling ahead in the opposite direction. A minute
later he looked at the register and said:
"Altitude, eight thousand two hundred. Speed, a mile a minute. Course,
northeast by north!"
And now the Hullites could amuse themselves speculating how long it
would take us to reach London, while we swept on to the North Sea.
Our present altitude was unpleasantly cold, and the atmosphere
perceptibly rarefied, but it was not the intention to remain at such an
elevation longer than necessary, and when well beyond the English coast
we would descend to our former level. It was here that a strange sight
attracted our attention.
As the sun worn down, our milky ocean became transfused with color. At
first the change was slight, merely a rosy flush caught against the
higher points; but quickly the entire surface was emblazoned; flooded
with a million dyes of liquid fire, of a depth and splendor that was
dazzling. Such purples, greens, and violets--vivid, intense, pale, and
shadowy. It was as if we had suddenly discovered the polychromatic sea
of an unknown planet, but a sea whose waters were strangely lacking in
specific gravity and from whose surface a myriad eddies of violet and
other colored smokes arose like incense, curling, twisting, and falling,
and constantly changing tone, shape, and density over the entire mass.
We were bewildered--dazed. While looking down upon this marvelous
panorama we were suddenly startled by a sight I shall never forget. Far
down to the east another air ship was following at tremendous speed.
Black and forbidding it plunged along through the fiery waves, as if
bent on running us down. It was the counterpart of our own vessel. We
seized each other's hands in amazement, overcome with horror. So
brilliant was the scene below that it was an instant before we realized
that the awful object was our own phantom, or shadow, cast upon the
clouds beneath; but during that instant it was a terrifying sight.
When the sun disappeared we were left in the dull gray of twilight, and
as the cold was increasing began at once descending to a lower level.
Again the cloud drift was about us, darker and denser than ever; but we
quickly passed through it, and I was surprised on emerging, to find the
North Sea beneath, and the bluffs of Scarborough fading in the distance.
"There is no danger of our being sighted from land now!" said Torrence,
checking our descent, and fixing the altitude at about five hundred feet
above the sea, He also reduced our speed to its former rate, twenty-five
miles an hour, which he said was fast enough. The temperature here was
warm and pleasant, with light breeze from the southwest, which, by the
by, we did not catch, as we were moving faster, in the opposite
direction, making our own wind. The sea was deserted, and the land
barely visible. It would still be some time before dark, and we took
places on deck to watch out for vessels. We had purposely taken a
course away from the track of the Wilson steamers, which ply between
Drontheim and Hull; not that it was a matter of any vital importance,
but Torrence wanted to keep our movements from the public if possible.
This was easily done, both by reason of an extended horizon and the
enormous speed we could develop if necessary.
As darkness came on we went below, closing the shutters to all lookouts,
so as not to reveal our position, and then lighted a swinging lamp,
deriving all necessary ventilation from above, whence no light was
visible. Having thus shut ourselves in from the observation of the
world, we set about getting supper. Nothing could be more cosy;
suspended in midair, and surrounded with every luxury, while partaking
of our evening meal. The consciousness of absolute independence of the
world; the sense of power, which our command of the situation imparted,
was, to say the least, extremely gratifying. The feudal lord in his
castle might be harried and captured by an enemy; but our enemies could
be laughed at with impunity. After supper we amused ourselves with an
experiment at dish washing, which proved very satisfactory. The plates
were simply piled into a net and lowered to the sea by a cord. After
swishing about for a while, they were drawn up clean. Of course we
dropped our level to within forty or fifty feet of the water, and
greatly slackened speed during the performance, but it saved a lot of
trouble. On completing these housekeeping arrangements we climbed up on
deck, for a chat and smoke before retiring.
The night was dark, there being no moon, and the sky overcast, beside
which the air was misty. We kept our position well above all
mast-heads, should there be any, and took extra precaution to prevent a
certain nimbus-like reflection against the mist by putting out the
lights as soon as supper was over.
Torrence touched his controller, and we rose to our former altitude,
remarking that our course only insured us against collision with
steamers; and that sailing ships were liable to be found wherever there
was water enough to float them.
"And there is no danger of dropping to a lower level unawares?" I asked.
"Such a thing is impossible!" he replied. "The air ship has just such
an antipathy for earth as her vibrations impart. It is like the
negative pole of a magnet, and unless my controllers move of their own
accord, which is an impossibility, the vessel must remain upon just such
a plane as I put her."
"How about our being discovered in the morning? Will you run up into the
clouds again?"
"No," he said, "let them discover us. I was only anxious to delude
those Hullites into the belief that we had really gone back to London.
If we are seen to-morrow, they won't find it out until the next day, and
they are welcome to all the satisfaction it will give them. One thing is
certain; they will never follow where we are going!"
"No," I replied, "not if we succeed in reaching the Pole!"
"There is no _if_ in this matter," said Torrence, "for straight through
the Arctic regions we go, and without many stations either. I know the
road. We 've got the machine. We're stocked with provisions and
clothing. The great mystery will be solved at last. By the by, old man,
hadn't you better keep a record of our trip?"
"Decidedly!" I replied.
From that time, whenever possible, I wrote up the account of this
voyage, beginning with our landing in London; and the present voluminous
paper is the result.
At 11 o'clock Torrence insisted on my going below to bed, while he
continued the watch above. It was a strange sensation, this crawling
into a bunk to sleep on an air ship, but I was exhausted with the
excitement of the day, and soon fell into a sound slumber, rocked by the
gentle swaying of the car. Nothing could have been more soothing than
the situation; though why I should have felt no fear of falling was a
mystery, possibly induced by the negation of gravity which pervaded all
my surroundings, and perhaps, to a certain extent, even penetrated my
own body; though this is only a surmise.
If I dreamed, I do not know it, but was awakened while it was still dark
by the sound of music. Sitting up, I listened in amazement. Several
instruments were distinctly audible, and these were accompanied by half
a dozen voices. Probably every one is familiar with the ravishing charm
of music while sleeping, and I awoke enraptured with this unearthly
fascination, believing at first that the sound had only been in my
dreams; but to my amazement it continued. I recalled immediately where
I was, and my astonishment was only increased on remembering our
singular isolation. There could be no doubt about it--there were
musical instruments, and there were human voices--but where out of
heaven or earth did they come from. Slowly I crawled down from my bunk
and groped my way through the dividing curtains to Torrence's; but he
was not there. I thought it must be nearly morning but evidently he had
not come to bed. Had he crossed the North Sea and landed without my
knowledge? I could not believe it; nor could I think that we had
returned to England. I pinched myself and bit my finger to make sure
that I was awake, and then slowly felt the way into the saloon, and
having reached the ladder, commenced climbing above, with a horrid dread
of some awful catastrophe having befallen us. I stepped out upon the
deck and looked around. The dull red glow of Torry's cigar caught my
eye; for there he was in the gloom, still sitting where I had left him,
his chair against the rail, and his arm hanging over. Evidently he was
looking at something below, and leaning outward, did not see me. Here
the music was even clearer than it had been below, and I paused for a
moment in dumb amazement to listen. The instruments were well played,
and the voices strong and thrilling, with a wild pathos. I glanced out
over the taffrail. The misty waters were still spread around us, and the
swish of the waves was distinctly heard. Feeling as though suddenly
bewitched, I groped my way toward Torrence, who at that moment caught
sight of me. He raised his hand, and said softly:
"Hush! Do not speak a word!"