The shore was literally covered with pink mollusks, a large percentage
of which contained true pearls of extraordinary size and beauty.
Torrence was pounding them open with a couple of stones.
"Within a hundred yards of this spot," he said, "lies a fortune greater
than the combined wealth of the Rothschilds. In the pearl fisheries of
the old world not one shell in a thousand contains a pearl of any value.
But here, in these strangely colored mollusks, ninety per cent. enclose
gems of extraordinary merit."
He held one up for my inspection.
"Here," he said, "is one which I have opened at random. It is of the
first water; of perfect skin and orient; the most delicate texture, and
without speck or flaw, and is worth at the lowest estimate one hundred
pounds. Without going a dozen steps we can find ten times that value.
Some of these pearls are pink, and from what I have seen and heard of
them, I do not think they will ever fade----"
"From what you have heard?" I interrupted; "what do you mean?"
"My dear fellow, the shores of this continent are strewn with these
shells for hundreds of miles at a stretch, as its mountains are filled
with gold and diamonds. Do you not know that Merrick had the value of
millions in them. It was from him that I heard of them, and from him
that I bought millions of pounds worth."
"Bought!" I exclaimed in astonishment.
"Yes, bought!"
"And with what pray?"
"With a promise," said Torrence "Money was of no use to him, but fame he
valued. As you know, he and Niles escaped from Von Broekhuysen Island.
Niles was lost, while Merrick alone reached the world we are now in.
How he got there, or what his adventures are, it is not necessary to
relate; but he did it, and I now know that he found land much nearer the
island than we have--but that is unimportant. How he reached his home
again is even still more wonderful, and a volume might be written about
the man's terrible sufferings and adventures; but his life was
embittered by the incredulity, the cold skepticism, and indifference
with which he was greeted on every hand, by those who were too bigoted
and ignorant to heed his story, or even investigate the proofs of the
new world, which he brought with him. The geographical societies of a
dozen cities either listened to him as they would to the ravings of a
madman, or turned a deaf ear with scorn. And this treatment he received
wherever he went, and at the hands of organizations termed scientific,
whose plain duty was to listen to the words and test the affidavits of
the applicant. But the nature of Merrick's claims was so astounding
that no one, high or low, would heed him, and yet he only discovered
that which I have always believed in. I, alone, of all the world, gave
the fellow proper audience. I saw at once his claim to credence. I
promised what he demanded in exchange for his wealth--notoriety. He saw
that with the air ship I should be able to prove all that he had ever
said, and that I could make his name great among coming generations. He
saw that I could upset the position of the wiseacres who had refused to
hear him, and make them the butt of their fellows. All this I promised
to do, if able, and in exchange for that promise he gave me the few
millions in pearls, diamonds, and other precious stones he had brought
with him as proofs of his discovery. Gurthrie, have you not yet guessed
the nature of that discovery?"
"I should hope so," I answered.
"And what is it?"
"That the North Pole has a continent around it which is blessed with a
temperate climate."
"And is that all?"
"That the sky has a luminous disk as big as a cart wheel, that takes the
place of the sun!"
"Nothing more?"
"That the electrical condition of the atmosphere is highly beneficial to
the nerves."
"Go on!" said Torrence impatiently.
"That pearls and precious stones are as common as dirt!"
"Tell me what else he discovered," exclaimed Torrence, "and be quick
about it!"
"Not being Mr. Merrick, I'm sure I don't know," I answered.
"Don't know!" roared Torrence, "do you mean to tell me that you don't
know where you are?"
"Somewhere about the role I suppose. I might say ninety degrees north."
My brother looked at me with a singular expression of pity, and then
stooping down resumed his work of opening shells with an indifference
that exasperated me.
"Where in Heaven's name are we then?" I shouted.
"No matter just now," he answered. "I thought perhaps you would have
guessed. I don't want to shock you. Perhaps the truth will dawn on you
later; if not I will tell you. Meanwhile, let us gather a few bushels
of these pearls. They are of no value here, but they will be if we ever
go home again."
And so we set to work under the shadow of those awful cliffs, and in a
couple of hours had secured unestimated value in the most perfect
specimens conceivable. We packed these away in the air ship in a small
sack, and then Torrence proposed that we name the stupendous headland
before us "Mount Horror."
I agreed that it would be an excellent name, well adapted to our
feelings on approaching it, and descriptive of the gloom and phenomenal
aspect of the mountain itself. The one on the opposite side of the
channel he suggested we call "Mount Gurthrie," to which I also assented,
and entered the names in our chart of discoveries.
It was upon this desolate shore that we cooked our first ration of bear
meat, brought all the way from Spitzbergen.
Climbing into the hill beyond the beach among the sand and rocks, we
found a quantity of dried seaweed, which we carried down to the shore
for a fire. It burned with a crackling noise and pungent smell, so
pleasant that we decided to carry some of it away with us, filling some
bags, and throwing them on board before leaving. We had quite a picnic
over our bear steak and coffee, although it was impossible to divest
ourselves of a certain gloom, resulting from the lowering heights above.
The air was still, and only the tiniest ripple of a surf came rolling in
upon our rosy beach, and the stillness, the cessation of motion, and our
extraordinary situation, made me for the first time long for home.
A bird of an unknown species came flying toward us from over the water.
Its plumage was brilliant with trailing feathers of red, green, and
yellow; while upon its head was a topknot of the same colors. Torrence
thought he should like to have it and so fetched his gun. The bird
circled above, full of curiosity. Perhaps we were the first human
beings it had ever seen. Descending spirally it came at last within
easy range, but we had not the heart to kill it. Then, apparently
satisfied with its investigation, commenced an upward course, circling
away again, just as it had come; only this time aiming its spirals
toward the top of the cliff, until lost to view. Torrence then
discharged the gun in the air to hear the reverberation from the rocks.
The sound was impressive, coming back to us like thunder from the
heights. It was probably the first time a gun had ever been discharged
in this desolate quarter of the globe, and I was glad it was not in the
destruction of life.
When the smoke had cleared away and the echoes ceased, we were attracted
by a whirring sound above, and looking up saw thousands of pigeons which
our shot had frightened from their nests. We watched them while they
skurried about in dismay, until, finding that no harm had been done,
they settled back among the rocks again.
* * * * *
We had made a hearty meal and were beginning to think of going when
Torrence suggested that we ascend the face of Mount Horror in the air
ship instead of taking our way up the channel, or following the
precipitous and rugged shore line for another exit. I reminded him that
it would probably be cold at such an elevation, but agreed that it would
afford a magnificent view of the country. Besides, we wanted to inspect
the crater, feeling sure the mountain was an extinct volcano, and so
determined to ascend to the highest elevation first, and then continue
our journey northward over the country beyond, or through the channel
which offered a clear passage in the direction of our course. This
chasm through which the river ran was sublime and terrible. A rent in
that stupendous rock formation which seemed to dwarf and threaten the
very foundations of the earth on which it rested. We could but regard
it with feelings of awe. An overpowering desire to escape its depressing
influence possessed us.
Safely aboard the air ship we began ascending the wall as if passengers
in a huge elevator, which in fact we were. Again the birds flew out,
terrified at our approach, some falling dead from sheer fright, a few of
which we secured on deck. Hugging this terrible escarpment we were
enabled to examine its formation with accuracy. Large blocks of
syenitic granite hung loose, ready to drop at any minute and we saw how
for ages the cliff had been slowly disintegrating, and receding from the
sea by action of storm and catyclism. Lightning had also played its
part, and its handwriting was visible on every side. Ledges large
enough to hold a house were loaded with nests and eggs of every color
and size. We consulted about the feasibility of capturing some of
these, by halting and climbing out after them, but concluded to let them
go, as the danger was too great. It involved not only the risk in
scrambling from the vessel to the ledge, but the additional chance of
being smashed by a falling rock from above. Of course in our ascent we
were careful to keep far enough away to obviate that possibility.
When we had risen clear above Mount Horror we looked down into the
fearful chasm that separated us from Mount Gurthrie. It was a sight
never to be forgotten. To the south lay the unspotted ocean; but to the
north the land sloped away rapidly, and beyond the highest elevations
which, in themselves, were mountains of no mean height, but so far below
as to seem trivial; beyond these, I say as far as the eye could reach,
extended a beautiful country, with rivers, valleys, lakes and hills,
with forest, plain, and mountain. The panorama was entrancing, and the
effect on us profound.
Hovering over the crater, which we found just as we expected, we looked
down into a black abyss, so vast and awful, that we had no inclination
to investigate it, although it was large enough for us to have descended
bodily with the air ship. There was no smoke, nor were any sulphurous
fumes emitted. Evidently the volcano had been extinct for ages; and we
passed rapidly on upon our north bound course, glad enough to have dry
land under us once again, and to descend to a lower and warmer level.
We were soon down among the foothills, and traversing a well timbered
country, rising from time to time to clear the elevations encountered.
The panorama that now stretched away before us was one of ravishing
beauty, and we took our places on deck with lighted cigars to enjoy it.
I suggested that we name the new land "Torrenzia," but Torrence only
declared that while people might call it what they pleased, the credit
of the new world must go to the man who had first seen it.
"You seem to think there is only one scrap of a continent here," he
said, "and Torrenzia may do well enough for one; but remember it is a
new world we have entered; and if I am not greatly mistaken we shall
find it studded with civilizations equal to any we know. Certainly you
are dense, Gurthrie, and stupid to a degree, not to have guessed by this
time where we are!"
I did not answer; in fact I was provoked that he should be so secretive
with the information he possessed. I confessed to my bewilderment at
what we saw but was still in the dark as to the truth.
We now ran rapidly forward over a picturesque country, and through an
atmosphere not only temperate but exhilarating. About a hundred miles
inland the timber and water courses were less prolific, and fifty miles
farther we merged upon a great, treeless plain, covered with short
tussocky grass, sand, and rocks. At intervals were to be seen the bones
of animals bleaching where they had fallen, the entire skeletons being
generally intact. More than once we descended to the ground to examine
them, but could not decide whether they were buffalo or some other
creature. What surprised us most was the fact that there appeared to be
no living ones. But we did not waste our time upon this arid plain,
fearing to run short of water, and being particularly anxious to
discover if our new world was inhabited. As we sat on deck smoking our
cigars, rushing into the gentle breeze ahead, we felt like monarchs, or
rather god-like creatures, who owned and ruled a world from above.
We had little time for sleep, our excitement being intense, and the
short intervals we spared for an occasional nap, were taken alternately,
the one remaining on deck promising the other to wake him as soon as
anything of special interest occurred. I had just come above after one
of these short siestas and joining my brother observed him looking with
unusual interest through the glass at something below.
"What is it now?" I called, leaning over the rail.
At a glance I saw that the nature of the country had changed. No more
skeletons; no more sand and rocks, or arid desert, but a great sheet of
water lay to our right, while below and beyond were trees and fields,
which looked as if they were cultivated; and here and there, at
intervals of a mile or two, were undoubtedly the walls of human
habitations. I do not say they were houses, for houses have roofs,
whereas these edifices were roofless.
"I am sure I have discovered houses," said Torrence; "and I am trying to
see if there are any people!"