"And how far have we come?" I asked.
"From where?"
He looked carefully at his register and made a calculation. He then
said:
"We are now one thousand three hundred and eighty miles from Von
Broekhuysen's Island, and about one thousand one hundred and thirty
miles north of the North Pole--if you can imagine such a thing--I mean
that we have advanced upon a straight line for this distance; and as you
see, we have met neither ice, snow, nor cold weather yet!"
I looked above. The great disk of light was still bright in the
heavens; I thought a little nearer the zenith than before. Unless there
had been some gross miscalculation in our speed we had got to face a
physical problem of the most stupendous nature. A problem so appalling
that I began to dread the explanation as much as I had recently sought
it.
"Yes," I answered in a weak voice, "there is certainly neither ice nor
snow here!"
"Nor cold!" added Torrence.
"Nor cold!" I admitted.
"Nor undue heat!" he continued.
"Certainly not. The temperature has been perfect."
"And the air has a vitality unknown to us in the old world," he pursued.
"I grant every word you say. This may be a dream, but it is a
paradise!"
"It is not a dream!" cried Torrence; "it is another world; a world
within our own. Yonder disk of light in the sky is the opening at the
pole through which we have sailed. The earth is a hollow globe, with an
opening at each pole, through which the sunlight always enters. For six
months it comes through the northern opening, and for six months through
the southern. But the change is gradual. With the advent of the
southern day, the disk is in the south, fading imperceptibly as the
northern light supplants it, and _vice versa_. The great aurora
borealis which illumines the Arctic regions of our world is simply the
sunlight pouring through from the southern hemisphere, or the light
which enters the earth at the South Pole, discharging itself at the
north. For ages our world was believed to be flat; but time and study
proved the fallacy. In the days of Hipparchus and Ptolemy, and for
centuries after it was believed that the sun revolved around the earth;
what a stupendous change in man's knowledge when the opposite was found
to be the case. From the days of Columbus to our own--with a few
notable exceptions--the world was supposed to be filled with amass of
molten material; but within recent years facts observed in the boiling
of water have compelled men to abandon that theory and substitute that
of a world solid to the core. One by one the theories which have stood
on the bed rock of science and been held as irrefutable by the wisdom of
the age, have crumbled to pieces, and been supplanted by others; and now
the faith in a solid earth is to be shattered, for you and I know that
it is hollow--light and inhabited. But let us see what small beginnings
led to the change in men's views in the past, and observe how similar
they are to those operating now----"
"What!" I interrupted, "do you mean to say that we have sailed through
an opening at the pole, and are now in the interior of the earth?"
"That is exactly it," answered Torrence.
"I can't comprehend such a thing. What is the diameter of this opening;
and where is the North Pole?"
"The North Pole has no existence except as an imaginary point in space,
at least five hundred miles from the surface of the earth. The openings
at the so-called poles are more than a thousand miles in diameter,
admitting the light of the sun and holding it with a denser and more
highly electrified atmosphere than our own, making perpetual daylight,
for, as I have told you, when the sun crosses the line, its light is
derived through the opening at the opposite pole. The frozen belt
surrounding each of these openings mark the regions of the verge, and
the distance across this ring is about fifteen hundred miles.
"But the polar regions are declared to be slightly flattened."
"That is because men have penetrated far enough into the verge to mark
the change in the earth's convexity, but not far enough to perceive that
they had actually begun to enter the sphere itself. But I am coming to
that presently. I wish to show you why certain men, in advance of their
time, have believed that the earth was a hollow globe, luminous and
desirable for man's abode, as we now know it to be; and how, as in some
of the greatest discoveries of the past these views have been based on
the study of facts as we find them, and not upon theories, which distort
facts to maintain themselves. About the year 1470, a Portuguese sailor
by the name of Vicente found a piece of curiously carved wood more than
a thousand miles to the west of Algarve, a province of southern
Portugal. This relic was discovered after a westerly gale of long
duration. It set the fellow thinking. It also set Christopher Columbus
thinking. Another mariner, by the name of Correa had observed certain
flotsam and jetsam under similar circumstances, and was impressed by the
fact. Then there was the belief in the mysterious islands of St.
Brandam; and nearly 8 thousand miles west of the Canaries was supposed
to be the lost island of the Seven Cities, upon which theme you remember
Irving's charming story, 'The Adalantado of the Seven Cities.' These
and a few other facts led Columbus to stake his life and fortune in
sailing into the unknown West for the new world. I now want to show you
some of the reasons for believing in a hollow, habitable globe, and to
ask if they are not equally as strong as those which guided Columbus."
I was astounded, dazed, and stood trembling by the taffrail, while
Torrence proceeded.
*XVI.*
* * * * *
"Do not be appalled by our discovery," he continued; "it is as simple
and natural as that which proved the earth a sphere, when the wisdom of
the ages had declared it flat. The old arguments against its rotundity
were quite as potent as any ever brought to refute the theory of a
hollow globe, first advanced by Captain Symmes. How could the earth be
round? Would not all the water run off on the underside? The thing was
absurd. 'How could the world be hollow and habitable? Would not the
inside be dark? and would not the water drop from the upper to the lower
half?' Why does not the moon drop? The land and water above us are so
distant, and so screened by the atmosphere as to be invisible even if we
were thousands of miles above our present position. The center of
gravity lies somewhere within the crust, which is probably nowhere more
than a hundred miles thick.
"The inner world is better in every way than the outer. The climate is
more uniform and temperate. The electrical conditions of the atmosphere
more conducive to longevity and health, and the struggle for existence
far less than with us. Here are some of the arguments in favor of a
hollow globe, which the so-called wise men have ignored. The uniform
migration of herrings to the south. Whence come they, if not from the
interior of the earth, for they are never known to return? The
assumption is that in search of their food supplies they constantly
advance against an opposing current, which takes them through the earth,
from pole to pole.
"Arctic explorers have observed in the long night of the polar regions
that the north star rises to the zenith at a certain latitude, and then
declines over the stern of their vessels as they advance further
northward, which is directly in contradiction to what it should do, had
they not already reached the verge and begun to pass inward toward the
interior. This in itself should be a convincing fact. The Aurora
Borealis has never been explained satisfactorily, but you and I know its
meaning. Strange plants and birds unknown to our world have from time
to time been found upon our most northern shores. As I have already
told you, the reindeer of Spitzbergen are marked by the hand of man, but
what man no one knows, as the island is uninhabited, and as they could
not have come from the south, they must have crossed the ice from some
undiscovered country to the north.
"Almost all of the civilized nations have from time to time expended
large sums of money in determining the figure of the earth. Arcs of the
meridian have been measured again and again; and observations of the
pendulum, as well as weight experiments, have been made to determine the
force of terrestrial gravity in different localities. The result of
these experiments has been to prove that the bulk of the earth, as
determined by gravity, differs greatly from the result reached by
measurement. This discrepancy has never been satisfactorily accounted
for, nor can it ever be, with the present view of the earth's interior,
but with Symmes' theory of a hollow globe, as we know it, could be
easily explained. But I am coming to still more extraordinary data.
"In the early part of this century two human corpses were found incased
in on iceberg, which had presumably floated down from the eastern coast
of Greenland. The bodies were perfectly preserved, and clothed in
garments entirely different, both in design and material, from those
worn by the Esquimaux, or any known race of people. Beyond this, neither
the form, shape of skull, or color of skin resembled that of any
nationality with which we are familiar. Their discovery created quite a
sensation at the time, but as no clew was ever established to their
identity, the circumstance was gradually forgotten. Might not these men
have been daring explorers, dwellers of the inner earth, and wandering
beyond the possibility of return, been lost in the ice and so preserved,
perhaps, for centuries?
"About twenty years ago, one Niack Dole, a Norwegian whaler, discovered
in a block of field ice, after a northerly gale of many days' duration,
an extraordinary animal, differing from any which he or any of his
companions had ever seen before. The little creature was carried home
at the end of the voyage, and although thousands of men of experience,
and travelers from many parts of the world, saw and examined it, it was
impossible to class it with any known species.
"In the year 1855 four wild men were found by some sailors on the ice to
the north of Cape Tchelyieskin, in the Tamyr Peninsula, Siberia. They
could give no account of themselves, as no one could understand their
language. They were cared for, and visited by many people and afterward
sent to St. Petersburg where strangers from all parts of the world saw
them; but not a single individual was ever able to communicate with them
except through the language of signs. They all died within two years of
their discovery, and the only established fact concerning them seemed to
be that they came from somewhere across the frozen sea to the north,
where they had always lived. In appearance these men were unlike any we
know. They understood each other perfectly, had a racial resemblance,
were fairly intelligent, and would doubtless have mastered the language
spoken around them had they lived long enough.
"You may say that this is all very well to show that there is an unknown
continent somewhere about the pole, but that it has no bearing on the
hollow globe. But the arguments in favor of that I have already shown
you from an astronomical, geographical, meteorological and scientific
point of view, and yet there is one more I wish to present, which in my
opinion is profound and unanswerable.
"In the transit of Venus observations are taken at various points upon
the earth's surface. The path which Venus describes across the disk of
the sun varies with the position of the observer, so also does the angle
of her axis vary with that position. The projection of Venus against
the sun occurs when she is at her inferior conjunction, and approaching
either node. The node is one of the points where the orbit of a planet
intercepts the ecliptic, or the orbit of its primary. In this condition
the body of Venus will appear as a dark spot crossing the disk of the
sun. Now, in the last transit of Venus, two gentlemen of great
ability--Herr Von Pultzner, and an American by the name of Breslyne
observed it from a point quite remote from all others. I will give you
the exact locality of their observation later, and the reason of their
choosing it. I am not going to bother you with scientific terms, but
will merely say that when the dark body of Venus was interposed between
the earth and the sun, an extraordinary phenomenon presented itself to
these men--a phenomenon entirely different from that seen by any other
observer. In the center of the planet was a brilliant point of light,
around which the opaque substance of the star was visible. Von Pultzner
and Breslyne examined this light carefully, and identified it with
sunlight. To be concise, they perceived that they were looking directly
through Venus at the sun. There was no disputing the fact--the light
was analyzed and proved identical with sunlight, the same as that beyond
the dark circumference of the planet. These men--both of whom I know to
be intelligent and truthful--looked at each other in amazement.
"'We have made a most astounding discovery,' said one.
"'It is nothing less than that Venus has a hole through her center, from
pole to pole,' answered the other.
"'Yes, and a thousand times more,' continued the first, 'for if Venus is
a hollow sphere, all the planets are hollow.'
"This I know to be a fact, and yet, because unsupported by better
evidence--I mean the evidence of professional astronomers--the testimony
of these men was turned aside."
"And why should all the planets be hollow because Venus is hollow?" I
inquired.
"Because it is inconceivable that they were not brought into existence
and formed by the same law. An hypothesis which accounts for the
formation of Mars or Venus upon one theory, and that of the earth upon
another, would never be countenanced by science. The solar system was
the result of law, of unalterable and immutable law, working for
manifestation. It could not produce a solid globe in the one instance
and a hollow sphere in the other. No--all the planets are hollow--the
earth is a mere bubble floating in space. And now I want to ask if the
evidence I had accumulated was not equal to that which fired Columbus?"
"Why did you not tell me all this before we started?" I inquired.
"Because, being an average man, you would have discarded it, as other
very wise and average men have done before. You would have taken me for
a fool, and left me in the lurch. But we are here at last, and my dream
is true. We now know that the earth is hollow, bright, and habitable."
I was dumfounded at the awful significance of our discovery. If I had
suddenly found myself a visitor upon the planet Mars, through some newly
devised means of transportation, my bewilderment could have been no
greater. Not only was the evidence overwhelming that the earth was
hollow and open at the poles, but the fact had been established by the
testimony of our own senses.
We were in that world, and there could be no further speculation
regarding its existence.
* * * * *
"Beyond all that I have told you," continued Torrence, "Arctic explorers
have observed the crescent-shaped cloud which we saw above the northern
horizon, and which is simply the opposite side of the verge across the
polar opening. Few navigators venturing beyond the eighty-second
parallel have failed to observe this phenomenon."
* * * * *
"Now I have told you some of the most potent causes which influenced
Symmes and others in the adoption of this belief; but there are other
reasons, quite as forceful, not necessary to enumerate at present, as we
should be on the lookout for wonders ahead."
Passing beyond the shores of the lake we entered a rolling country,
watered by a broad river with numerous minor tributaries. The course of
this stream proved the same as our own for quite a distance.
* * * * *
The small roofless houses were again observed, and we thought they were
possibly the huts of herders, as occasional glimpses of animals were to
be had in the distance.
* * * * *
Tracing the course of this river for more than a hundred miles we
encountered a sight that thrilled us to the core of our beings.
* * * * *
Sailing on the quiet water below was a ship of unknown build. In the
most romantic imagining of fairy tale this vessel could never have been
surpassed. Slightly resembling the Pinta and Santa Maria, she suggested
them, but the likeness was not sustained on closer examination. She was
of greater beam and depth, and of loftier bow and stern. Her prow rose
to unusual height, receding gracefully, and again projecting outward in
a superb figurehead in the form of a swan, whose beak was gilded, and
whose head and neck were set with jewels in laminated gold.
* * * * *
The masts were short, two in number, and placed upon each side of the
deck, instead of down the center as with us. Stretched horizontally
across from mast to mast was a sail of many colors. It possessed a
sheen transcending that of the finest silk and was striped
perpendicularly. The masts were gilded and set with jewels. Wherever we
looked the ornamentation was extreme and extended to every detail.
Colored sparks flashed from remote and unexpected corners, where
gem-like stones were set, and the vessel glowed and burned and blazed
with creeping fires as of scintillating phosphorescence of green,
yellow, red and gold.
But this was not all. There were living creatures upon the deck clothed
in the soft undulations of watered silk. No Eastern potentate, or
denizen of Aladdin's palace, was ever half so gorgeously attired, as the
passengers aboard this extraordinary craft. The flash of powdered mica
on cloaks of transparent fineness produced the impression of liquid
glass. The headgear was high, and terminated in a point like a
cornucopia, and ornamented with odd designs, fore and aft, in precious
stones. Some in green, like emeralds, others blue, like sapphires;
while what appeared to be rubies, diamonds, and gold flashed among them
in dazzling profusion. On no theatrical stage had I ever seen such a
sight, and we hovered low to take in the singular scene.
Naturally, we caused great excitement among those on board, who pointed
up at us, shouting in a tongue unlike any we had ever heard. One old
man who had a long, gray beard plaited in three strands, each strand
held together by half a dozen jeweled rings, seemed particularly anxious
to communicate with us, and made signals for us to descend. But
Torrence thought it safest to remain above, and so we simply looked down
upon them from an elevation of about sixty feet, adjusting our speed to
that of their vessel. We realized more than ever that we had entered
another world, for a more strangely fantastic scene was impossible to
imagine. The wildest consternation reigned on board while we remained
in sight, and Torrence waved a white cloth, and made signals to show
that we were friendly. We embraced one another, and extended our arms
toward them as an indication of brotherly love, and we had to convince
them with some difficulty that the air ship was not alive. It was
evident that they did not understand flying machines in the new world.
We hovered above this strange vessel for more than an hour, exchanging
signals, and endeavoring to communicate; but, finding it quite as
impossible to impart information, as to acquire it, we waved them a
farewell, took a snapshot with the kodak, and lifting ourselves high
above, swept onward upon our journey.
The mysterious craft was soon out of sight, and we hurried forward,
following the sinuosities of the river, about a hundred and fifty feet
above its surface. As we sat looking out upon its beautiful shores, and
the exquisite country beyond, meditating upon the marvels that had
befallen us, I almost doubted my bodily existence. The revelation had
been too profound and stupendous to be credited in so short a time.
"Is this thing real, or is it a vision of death?" I inquired, turning on
my brother suddenly.
"I am not surprised at your asking," he replied; "I have been afraid to
tell you the truth of our discovery before, although I have known it and
believed in it for years. Merrick's story only confirmed me in my own
views."
"And have you never felt a doubt as to the result of the enterprise?"
"Scarcely; the arguments were too strong in favor of the hollow globe
for me to have any serious misgiving. But long before I spoke to you I
was absolutely convinced. By the distance we had traveled. By the
genial climate. By the strange light. By the crescent cloud. By the
absence of recurring cold, and by the accumulated knowledge already
mentioned. My dear boy, I fully appreciate what a shock this must be to
you--even greater than it is to me, and for the reason that I have
studied the question and believed in it half my life. For fifteen years
I have been convinced that if I could ever find a way across the
Palaeocrystic Sea I should be able to sail without difficulty into the
interior of the earth. There is really nothing more stupendous in this
acquisition to our knowledge than was that of the spherical globe to the
ancients. When a race of people has been bred for thousands of years to
believe that the world they inhabit is flat, it must seem wildly absurd
to be suddenly confronted with a theory which advances the possibility
of their being able to walk upon the under side of it. Think of such a
statement being made to sensible men!"
"And how do you account for the fact that these people have never found
their way into the outer world?" I asked.
"For the same reason that we have never found our way into theirs,"
replied Torrence. "The difficulties of crossing the ice belt are very
nearly insurmountable; and yet that they are not quite so we have seen
in the case of Jan von Broekhuysen and his two companions. Neither is it
by any means certain that dwellers of this inner region have never
reached us. Remember the wild men discovered off Cape Tchelyieskin.
Where did they come from? Beyond this there are isolated cases of
communities that point to unknown regions in the far north, as well as
the far south, as their hailing place. These have traditions of having
once inhabited a land of more genial climate, and affording better
conditions for the human race than ours, and moreover, a land where day
was eternal! True, it may not be once in thousands of years that the
ice barrier has been threaded, but what is more to the point, it is
probable that those who have crossed it did not know it. The change is
so gradual, the mind so fixed in its normal conception of the earth's
character, that only a few eccentric, or peculiarly educated persons,
among the very few who may have accomplished the feat, ever suspected
it. There was a time in the world's history when one might have
circumnavigated the earth without a suspicion that he had done so."
We now took our meals invariably on deck, not wishing to miss any of the
strange and beautiful scenery constantly passing. On one occasion,
while preparing some food in the galley, I was struck by what appeared
to be a secret panel in the wall. Asking Torrence about it, he said:
"Push it up one inch, and then down two. Then if you press it gently
inward it will slide open of itself."
I did so, and found that the aperture contained ten small canvas bags,
in each of which, as Torrence told me, were a thousand English
sovereigns.
"And what on earth have you brought this amount of coin here for?" I
inquired in amazement.
Torrence simply said:
"Because I thought we might need it before we got home again. Gold
talks, you know, and we may be able to communicate with these people
through its medium. Gold is current throughout our world, and I wanted
to see if it were good here. If it is valuable we may not expect to
find any very abnormal deposits; if not, look out for a bonanza,
provided the air ship holds together, so that we can carry it out with
us. I have my theory about it."
"And what is that?" I asked.
"Why simply that our little stock of sovereigns won't buy bread enough
for a square meal!" he answered.
*XVII.*
This circumstance reminded me of Torrence's financiering and the
discovery of pearls upon the beach. It seemed trivial to concern
ourselves about gold when precious stones were to be had with so slight
an effort, and I asked why he should care to carry any of the yellow
metal away with him.
"Merely to convince the outer world of its existence, and to confirm a
theory I have always held," he replied. "To my mind there can be no
reasonable doubt that we shall find deposits here exceeding anything our
people have ever dreamed of!"
"And why?"
"Because gold is heavy," he answered.
"Nonsense. Do you mean to say that the center of gravity is not quite
as far below our feet here, as on the outer crust?"
"Probably not. When our globe was in process of forming, two great
forces moulded it--the centrifugal and centripetal. These produce
various vibratory conditions in different masses, resulting in gravity
or affinity upon one hand, and repulsion upon the other. Bodies having
the greatest specific gravity grouped themselves about the inner
surface, forming an arch, being thrown off in a gaseous state from the
center. But from the very reason of their gravity were unable to
descend any great distance into the crust; and therefore the heaviest
substances should be found upon the inner or under side of the earth's
canopy."
"I fail to see it," I answered. "Why should not a heavy weight sink
deeper than a light one?"
"It doubtless would on our side of the world," he replied, "but here the
conditions are different, and for this reason. The great mass of earth
above our heads is drawing us upward, as the mass below is drawing us
downward. Not, to be sure, to the same degree, or we should not be able
to walk on the ground. I believe that all things here are lighter than
with us. You and I probably weigh several pounds less than we would in
the United States or England. Gold, too, is doubtless lighter, for it
is lifted up, as well as pulled down; whereas upon the outer surface of
the earth it is drawn only one way. I may be mistaken, but I expect to
find it in large quantities."
"Why, then, did you bring so much with you?" I inquired.
"Simply because I didn't know what might happen. If we find it, well and
good; if not, the interest on fifty thousand dollars won't be any too
much for a couple of men to live on, in the event of our being stranded
here and unable to return."
All this time we were passing over a country where water, timber, and
pasturage abounded, and where the grass was variegated with large
patches of brilliant flowers of unknown varieties. But if the flora
differed from that of our own land the fauna was no less remarkable. We
saw herds of diminutive deer, feeding in the open country. Birds
abounded, and some with a strange plumage, in which the pink of roses
predominated. The topknots on certain of these looked as if a rose had
blossomed there; add to this a body and tail of red and green trailing
feathers, it appeared as if a flower spray was floating through the air.
We caused the greatest consternation among these creatures wherever we
went, and the four-legged beasts would at first run on catching sight of
us, and then, overcome with curiosity, huddle together and look up, with
cries of amazement and terror.
But we were approaching a remarkable sight. In the distance was a fleet
of boats, similar to the one we had passed, and beyond them, looming in
the denser background we saw a magnificent city of white and gold. We
brought our glasses to bear upon this strange vision of the new earth.
As we approached, the fleet presented a vision of splendor impossible to
describe. Whereas before a single vessel had so impressed us, we were
now confronted with a vista of hundreds, which stretched away down the
wide avenue of this unknown river as far as the eye could reach.
Flashing sails in a thousand strange designs of form and color. Decks
loaded with men, women, and children, in such fantastic and magnificent
apparel that we were startled and bewildered at the sight. On nearing
this extraordinary scene, we hovered above, and caused the wildest
excitement. Trumpets were blown at us. Bells were lifted on poles and
jangled. Chimes were sounded that came floating down the water from ship
to ship as if each vessel had its own special note, and then were
answered back again, receding in the distance, until they faded on the
air. In all the sounds there was a singular harmony, a softness of tone
strangely gratifying. We moved slowly down the line--above the
mastheads, above the music--for I cannot call it noise--to exclamations
of joy and wonder. Here was a revelation awful to contemplate. Had we
been living just above these people, in such close proximity for the
unnumbered ages of man's creation, and never even guessed of their
existence? But why was it any more remarkable than that they had not
discovered, or even thought of us? A double world indeed; a shell, a
bubble, a hollow ball; and yet neither had given a thought to the
other's existence.
We hovered above this scene for hours, trying to communicate with the
people, and examining their surroundings; and then, having learned but
little, hastened on to the distant city.
* * * * *
Another singular feature of our new world was the fact that there were
no shadows. I do not mean that there were no shady places, but a
shadow, in our sense, with clear cut edges did not exist. And indeed it
was impossible that it should, the sun itself being nowhere visible from
the inner side of the globe, the light entering from the poles, and
being disseminated throughout the interior, as after sunset with us.
The facilities for this distribution are vastly superior to anything we
know, both from the electrified air, and a certain humidity, which
seizes the rays of the great luminary, and equalizes and softens them
most agreeably.
As we neared the great white city it grew upon us in splendor. Minarets
and towers, arcades and domes, hanging gardens, tiers of arches rising
one above another, majestic colonnades leading to palaces of regal
magnificence, delighted and bewildered us. Although white was the
predominating color, every conceivable hue and tint was used in
ornamentation. Green domes with golden devices. Lapis lazuli columns.
Malachite archways communicating with gardens where flowers of a
thousand tints mingled in the spray of colored waters, whose trembling
waves of iridescent mist would alternately hide and reveal them; where
birds sang, and throngs of gayly attired people loitered. These were
mere glimpses through the arches; but the parks, the great public spaces
of the city where thousands of citizens met for pleasure and recreation,
these were a vision of glory which word painting cannot approximate; for
dreams of paradise were they, beyond the power of man to conceive. Here
the very atmosphere was alive with song birds, whose plumage sparkled
like jewels. We were entranced. The sights, the perfumes, and the
sounds made the brain reel in its effort to absorb them. When the sense
of vision would weary with the shifting pageant beneath, the nerves
would be soothed with strange perfumes, whose origin was unseen, but
whose effect was marvelous, creating an inexplicable sense of rest and
quiet. When this power of enjoyment had reached an apparent climax, it
would be relieved by such music as only the voices of the dream-world
can equal. Was the place heaven? I do not know; but can only affirm
that it was too utterly marvelous, too glorious for language.
As we moved slowly above the glittering streets, listening to the
musical voices of those below, and watching the excited gestures of the
populace, electrified at the sight of us, we marked the varied monuments
of beauty, and saw that all were heavily decorated with gold and
flashing with precious stones. Not only was this the case, but there
existed a grace of outline and proportion nowhere to be found in our
world of to-day. Beyond this was a majesty in height and size,
eclipsing the creative genius of the most famous architects of history.
The ancient Egyptian colonnades must slightly have resembled some of
those we saw, judging from the drawings we have of them, but even these
were crude, heavy, and cheerless by contrast. The city was indeed a
vision of glory and magnificence, whose streets, if not paved with gold,
were ornamented with it, and gems beside. I can never give the reader
even the faintest conception of what we saw, nor can I recall to my own
mind the fullness of the vision. Over all was thrown that rosy haze we
had sometimes seen before, and which added distance and dreaminess to
the picture.
We hovered over a park near the center of the city, and brought the air
ship to a stand, while holding a consultation as to whether we should
descend, and risk our lives among the inhabitants, who seemed so anxious
to have us among them. Golden trumpets emitted notes of singular
sweetness, and seemed to invite us to come down. Words, signals, and
banners all spoke of the same hospitable thought, and we deliberated
long and earnestly.
"I am willing to risk it!" said Torrence.
I acceded to the proposition, and slowly we began to lower ourselves
into the midst of these unknown denizens of the inner world.
On perceiving our intention pandemonium reigned below. Trumpets sounded
a harsher note than before. Bells jangled, and shrieks of applause rent
the air. Crowds flocked into the space beneath, making it unsafe for a
landing, as we were particularly desirous that no one should be hurt.
We motioned the people away, but they surged to and fro, directly under
the air ship, regardless of their lives, and with apparently no more
intelligence than animals. This, of course, was the rabble, which the
better portion of the populace tried to control, but without effect.
Indeed it is not to be wondered that so marvelous a sight should have
made them lose their heads.
Coming to a halt again about fifty feet above the ground we leaned over
the rail, shouting to the crowd to disperse, not daring to touch the
earth for fear of injuring some unseen person beneath, and with the
further apprehension, lest in their frenzy of excitement they should
climb upon our decks and overpower us. We were manifestly looked upon
as visitors from another world. Some pointed above, others to the north
and south as if to inquire whether we had come over the regions of
eternal ice. We could neither make ourselves heard nor understood in
the jargon of voices, and hesitated whether to descend further or not.
While poised above their heads, Torrence threw a handful of gold
sovereigns into the crowd. They were picked up with avidity, and passed
from hand to hand as souvenirs.
"Just as I thought," said Torrence; "the coins are not valued on account
of the metal, but merely as mementoes."
It was evident that St. George and the dragon, and the head of the
ruling monarch of England were regarded with peculiar interest.
"Yes," I replied, "it is clear that gold is of no such value with them
as with us."
They continued to solicit our descent by unmistakable signs, and we
concluded to drop a little lower. Immediately a shower of gold coins,
much larger than ours, was hurled up at us, and fell rattling over the
deck, whence many fell to the ground again, although we secured quite a
number. The pieces were stamped with strange devices, few being similar
in design. There were dragons, sea serpents, leviathans, and other
beasts of mythological fame. The people seemed to say:
"Have you any animals like these in your world?" at which we held up our
own pieces and nodded. It was difficult to exchange the simplest idea
with them.
Gathering up a few of these coins we offered to throw them back, and did
indeed return a few, dropping them into the crowd; but when it was
discovered that they were only their own no interest was shown in them,
many falling to the ground unnoticed.
Presently a plaited rope, like the finest silk, was thrown across our
stern, catching on one of the knobs of the rail. A man who looked like
an athlete was quickly climbing up it, and half a dozen others followed
his lead. The rope broke and they all fell to the ground in a heap.
Seeing the danger which might ensue if we went any lower, we decided to
leave this strange city behind without landing, and then amid the shouts
and lamentations of the populace took our upward and onward course once
more.
I was not without regret that we waved farewell to this first great
imprint of the most wonderful civilization ever inspected by a man of
our earth, and one perhaps never to be seen by him again. The city was
a witness to a higher order of society than we had expected to find; at
least I must speak for myself, for Torrence had committed himself to
nothing. Not alone were the indications of wealth beyond compare with
anything known in our own world, but withal, it was clear that the
artistic and not the barbaric instinct had been appealed to. As we
passed on through the environs, monuments of great size and beauty were
constantly met. Gardens full of sculpture, strange flowers, and
unfamiliar trees were seen. Temples, whose lofty summits were surmounted
with amazing figures of nondescript beasts, eccentric dragons, and
wonderful creatures with spreading wings, and all wrought in dazzling
combinations of gold and varicolored marbles hove in sight. As yet we
had seen no horses or domestic animals, unless the deer could be counted
as such, and I remarked upon their absence to Torrence.
"The horse is a later development," he said, "and I am also inclined to
think the dog is.
"And what do you mean by that?" I asked; "you speak as if these people
had a prior existence to our own!"
"They had," he answered, with an air of conviction that amused me,
considering his short acquaintance with them.
"One might almost imagine," I continued, "that you were familiar with
their history."
"Not in the least; only I believe men first existed inside, and
afterward outside of our planet."
He was sweeping the adjacent country with his glass, while my eyes were
still fixed in a regretful gaze at the last magnificent portal of the
city, now rapidly fading from our sight. I can conceive of nothing
grander of its kind than this arch. Full of bas-reliefs, deep-cut
intaglios, and surmounted with a gigantic god-like figure in gold, with
a flowing robe ablaze with precious stones, it was a sight to hold one
spellbound. The head was bent slightly back, the arms stretched
heavenward, as if calling down a blessing upon our heads, or perhaps the
wrath of the Powers above for having left so abruptly. When it had faded
into the hazy atmosphere I turned to Torrence with a touch of
superstition and asked what he meant. He did not answer immediately,
but called my attention to the fertility of the soil. The great beauty
of the country, the marvelous climate, and health-giving qualities of
the air.
Indeed, these things had been impressed upon me from the beginning, and
as we advanced into the interior their perfections seemed to increase.
The hillsides were covered with verdure, and throughout the great parks
fruit abounded in such variety and beauty that we were tempted to
descend and gather it more largely than we could have used. Twice we
dipped earthward and threw on board several bushels of pink, green, and
yellow things, which, in addition to their extraordinary taste, had the
quality of being cold as ice. There was no appearance that any of these
were cultivated, nor was there any indication that the ground had ever
been disturbed with a plow. All was spontaneous, beautiful, and
perfect. The fields--great open plains--grew at intervals a grain which
was always ripening and falling, judging by its look. It formed itself
into a head which could be gathered and eaten at once without further
labor or preparation. This we tested, after observing that both men and
animals partook of it. Everything was produced so abundantly and
brought to such a high state of perfection by nature, that no room was
left for man's improvement of it.
* * * * *
Distant outlines were softened by the mellowness of the air, and the
clear-cut effects of the outer world were wanting. In no place did our
range of vision exceed twenty miles.
* * * * *
Billowy hills were grouped beneath us, where the vine and fruit tree
flourished, and where streams of crystal water flowed.
Herds of wild goats of a pinkish hue were passed, but they ran away so
rapidly between the hillocks that it was difficult to get a good view of
them.
* * * * *
Human habitations were far between. There were no roads; neither were
there fences. All was pastoral, primitive, and restful. From the fact
that the houses were but partially under roof, we concluded that rain
did not fall, moisture being supplied directly through the atmosphere in
the form of impalpable humidity, without condensation from above. In
this way the disintegration by the washing of the soil, so common in our
rain storms was entirely obviated. The conditions of life seemed
wonderfully happy, and it looked as if man had only to breathe the
life-giving air and eat the incomparable fruit and grain provided so
abundantly to continue an existence of the utmost blessedness.
Turning to my brother I asked why he believed that the interior of our
planet was peopled before the exterior. He looked at me queerly for a
minute and then asked if I had ever heard an old fable about the Garden
of Eden, from whence men, for certain reasons had been expelled. I told
him that I was familiar with the story, but could not allow him to
capture the whole inside of the earth for an Eden.
"And yet," he answered, "there is much to support such a theory. Mind I
am not stipulating for garbled accounts of creation handed down from an
ignorant age; but there are often some grains of truth in a mass of
absurdities. Let us say that in here was the Garden of Eden. Now those
who were compelled to leave it, or who did leave it, from whatever
cause, naturally looked back to it as the hailing place of their race,
and taught that fact to their children. The conditions of life upon the
outer world are difficult, compared with those we find here. The story
of their lost home would grow in beauty as it descended from generation
to generation; and I verily believe that at one period in the earth's
history there was a family driven forth which preserved its records, and
that this fact has given rise to the Persian and Scriptural accounts of
Adam and his family and the garden they left behind them."
"And how do you suppose they crossed the ice?" I inquired.
"I don't know," he answered; "how did Jan von Broekhuysen cross it? And
do you know we have also discovered the gate of the garden, where the
angel stood with a flaming sword?"