Their eggs are the size of little peas, and white in color. The species
I mentioned as being no larger than bees build the dearest little
nests, no bigger than a walnut; and they put into them the cunningest
little eggs, and hatch out their very small young ones, just as grandly
as if they were great condors.
And they do not like confinement any better than the condors do. Shut
up in cages they generally pine, and die. They are made for sunshine
and flowers, free, out-door life and happiness.
A SNOW-STORM IN THE TROPICS.
“Father,” said George Moore, one stormy winter’s night, “won’t you
please tell me of some one of your adventures?”
[Illustration: SEAL FISHERMAN.]
“You seem never to tire of my adventures,” said his father, smiling.
“Did I ever tell you how nearly I was lost once, in a snow-storm, in
the tropics?”
“A snow-storm in the tropics! How could that be?”
“It happened when I was quite a young man, that, for several months, in
the course of business, I had to stay at a lonely place on the coast of
Peru. I was in a town, but it was a dull one, and only showed signs of
life when some trading vessel would lie there for a day or two. My only
amusement was seal fishing; but I soon tired of that, for I was not
very successful. It was a sport that required more practice than I was
able to give it. The boats are nothing but two bags of skin, connected
by a narrow deck, and I did not consider them altogether safe, for me,
at least.
“At last I thought I would vary the monotony of my life by a little
trip up the Andes mountains. I could not go alone, of course, but a
small sum was sufficient to hire a guide, and two men besides, and
four mules. There were no hostile Indians to fear, and the guide was
all that I needed, but I knew he would be better contented with some
companions, and I felt, myself, that it would be a lonely sort of
journey for two.
“It was my intention to make an early start, but it was quite late in
the morning before I could get the lazy natives on the road. The first
part of our march was across a sandy, stony desert, with the rays of a
hot sun beating on our heads. My broad-brimmed Panama did not prevent
my face from blistering, and the white cotton cape I wore did not seem
to be much of a protection.
“We halted twice to take some refreshments, and short rests; and,
before sunset, we arrived at a miserable sort of inn, where we remained
for three hours, and rested ourselves and the mules; and both men and
beasts ate hearty suppers. Then we continued our journey, for it was
more pleasant to travel at night than in the day. It was evident that
we were reaching higher ground, though the ascent was so easy as
scarcely to be perceptible. But the air gradually became fresher and
cooler, and, at last, a woolen cloak was comfortable.
“When day came we found ourselves in a region almost as barren as the
desert we had left the day before. We were on a rocky plain, high up on
the hills, or, more properly, small mountains. No plants grew on this
plain except a few species of cactus, which flourish in the poorest
soils: there were no signs of life, but flocks of turtle-doves.”
[Illustration: CACTUS PLANTS.]
“That must have been a pretty sight, though, father! I should like to
see a great many turtle-doves together.”
“You would not, if you were a Peruvian farmer, for these poetical birds
are the very mischief in the grain-fields. They only troubled us by
their melancholy wail. Their sad notes made this dreary solitude still
more awful.
“But I had a consolation. Before me rose grandly up the high peaks of
the Andes. Their white tops seemed to touch the sky.
“After a time, to my surprise, we began to descend. In a few hours more
we were in a lovely valley, filled with villages, and farms, and trees,
and flowers. I staid there two days enjoying the valley, and inspecting
its curiosities, which I will tell you about some time.”
“Was it warm in the valley?”
“Yes, but not oppressively hot. It was high up on the hills; and then
it was the month of August, and the winter season.”
“Winter season in August?”
“Of course. I was south of the equator, where the seasons, you know,
are just the reverse of ours. We commenced the ascent of the mountains
in high spirits. The wind was cool and bracing; and the vegetation all
around us was of great interest to me. But it began to change rapidly;
and, before night, we were among huge stones, and jagged rocks, where
only evergreens were seen.”
“How could you find the way?”
“There was a rough kind of road over the mountains. In many places I
should never have been able to find it at all, but the guide knew all
the landmarks.
“The first night we spent in an Indian cabin; and the next morning
continued our journey, but we were not so gay as on the preceding day.
It was bitter cold, and we needed all the wraps we had with us. I do
not know how our two companions managed to wander away from the road,
as they afterwards insisted that they did. I think the cold was too
much for their courage, and they grew tired of their bargain, and made
up their minds to fall back of us, and watch a chance to turn around
and go home. The guide and I soon missed them, and we rode about in
various directions, calling them, and searching for them. But it was
easy enough for them to conceal themselves behind a rock, or in a
ravine, and we could not find them. We gave them up at last, hoping
they would find their way back again.
“But we soon discovered that, in looking for them, we had lost _our_
way. For hours we wandered about, and my guide could not find a
trace of the road. This was serious, for we had but a small stock of
provisions, as there were Indian huts scattered all along the regular
route, on which we had relied for supplies. We could not travel over
this rough country at night; and a night’s exposure to the cold was not
to be thought of without a shudder. And besides, we might never find
our way out of this frightful solitude."
“Was there nothing anywhere about to show that any kind of people lived
there?”
“No. It seemed to me we were the first human beings who had ever set
foot there. In the midst of our perplexities my guide pointed silently
to the sky. There were several small, thick, white clouds floating
there. They did not look very terrible, but the guide said we would
soon have a storm, and we must try to find shelter. Soon more white
clouds floated into sight, and they increased until they hid the sun
from us. We were now on smoother ground, and pressed forward as fast
as we could, but there was no place of shelter to be seen, not even an
overhanging rock.
“Soon the wind came with a rush; and then the thunder and lightning.
Our mules broke into a gallop. We enveloped ourselves in the folds of
our great woolen wrappers, called _tapacaras_, lifting our heads once
in a while to see where we were going. Next we were treated to a shower
of hail-stones. Fortunately they were not very large, but we were
rather severely thumped with them. The poor mules fared the worst.
“And then came the snow. The arctic regions could not furnish a better
example of a snow-storm than this tropical place! It fell so thick and
fast we could not see twenty steps in advance. My heart failed me then.
I thought we were lost, and would be buried in snow drifts.
“But just then a dark object loomed up before us. ‘An Indian lodge!’ I
cried in joy.
“The guide said nothing, but rode on before me, and called to me to
dismount. I was glad enough to do this, and he pointed to the open
doorway of the building. It was so low I had to crawl through it, but I
was thankful to get in, in any fashion.”
“I wonder, father, that you were not afraid of finding something
dreadful in there!”
“I did not stop to think about the matter. And then I knew there was
something dreadful _outside_. So, in I went, and found the place
entirely empty. The guide followed me as soon as he had covered the
mules, and made them as comfortable as he could.”
“It was a deserted house, I suppose.”
“No, it was a tomb.”
“A tomb! Out in that lonely place!”
“Yes, but then the place had not always been lonely. I found out
afterwards that that region was once inhabited by a tribe of Indians.
They all perished before their country was discovered by Europeans,
but some of their dwellings, and many of their tombs remained. These
tombs were large stone buildings, with one room, lighted by a single
window. This room was capable of holding ten or twelve dead bodies,
placed in a sitting posture. These bodies were first embalmed—made into
what we call mummies. When the tomb was full the door was sealed up.
The Europeans opened these sepulchres that had been sealed up for
centuries; and carried the mummies away to put into museums.
[Illustration: A REFUGE FROM THE STORM.]
“The tomb in which we had taken refuge had been despoiled of its
mummies long before. The room inside was about ten feet square. It was
built of very large stones, and had sloping walls. It was a cheerless
place enough, but seemed sumptuous to us, after what we had passed
through.
“In half an hour the storm ceased, and we proceeded on our journey,
hoping to recover the road. But we could not, and night was
approaching, with no prospect of a shelter. So we retraced our steps
to the sepulchre once more, lighted a fire within, consumed the last
of our provisions, gave the mules what was left of their provender and
slept soundly all night.”
“Were you not afraid of wild beasts?”
“There were none in that region, or at least the guide knew of none.
There were too many settlements among the mountains. And the guide
still insisted upon it that we had not wandered far from the regular
route. I had my doubts on the subject, but they did not prevent me from
sleeping soundly, for I was very tired.
“The next morning was bright, and we set off in better spirits, and
with renewed hope, though rather hungry. Our hunger became so great
after a time that it quite conquered our spirits, and we stumbled about
the rocks, sick and dispirited. We spared our mules all we could, for
the poor beasts were nearly worn out and half starved. If they failed
us we would indeed be in a bad plight.
“Finally, utterly exhausted, we all laid down, beasts and men together,
to keep warm, and to rest. I was just dropping into a doze when I heard
the sound of music. The guide heard it also, and we both started up,
and felt new life in our veins. So suddenly did hope spring up in our
hearts, that all fatigue dropped from us as if by magic. The mules too
pricked up their ears at the sound. We sprang upon their backs and
were soon traveling towards the point from whence the music came. It
was not long before we came upon the musician.
[Illustration: THE MAIL CARRIER.]
“A bare-legged Indian, in a gay striped cloak and broad Panama hat was
running along at a rapid pace, and playing upon a mouth-organ. He led
a bony horse which trotted gently after him. Across its back was a
leathern bag.
“This man was a mail carrier, and was on his way from the sea-coast to
some mountain town. So it turned out that the guide was right, and we
had not been at any great distance from the settlements. Nevertheless,
had it not been for the music of this poor little mouth-organ we might
have wandered off in a contrary direction from the highway, and have
lost ourselves in the forest, and perished there. Indeed we might never
have awakened from the sleep into which we were falling when we heard
the strain of music.”
“Did you go with the mail carrier, father?”
“No. He was not going to the place for which we were bound. But he told
us that just behind the spur of the mountain we would find an Indian
village. And there we rested for a day and refreshed ourselves, and
filled our provision bags, and procured a guide to the road we wished
to take. The rest of my journey was made in safety.”
“But, father, I don’t think that was a tropical snow-storm, when it
happened in so cold a place. I always think of tropic as meaning hot.”
“It was a tropical snow-storm George, certainly, for we were in the
tropics, only a few degrees south of the equator. The weather was cold
because we were so high up in the air.”
HOW THREE MEN WENT TO THE MOON.
That is, how it is said that they went to the moon. That no man ever
did go is very certain, and that no one ever will go, is very probable,
but true as these statements are, they did not prevent a Frenchman from
writing a story about a trip to the moon, undertaken by two Americans,
and one Frenchman.
I cannot tell you all this story, but I can give you a few of the
incidents that occurred during the journey, and although these are
purely imaginary, they are very interesting and amusing. If any one
ever had made this journey he would probably have gone as these three
people went in the story. Everything is described as minutely and
carefully as if it had really happened.
The journey was made in an immense, hollow cannon ball, or rather a
cylindrical shot, which was fired out of a great cannon, nine hundred
feet long!
This cannon, which was pointed directly at the spot where the moon
would be by the time the ball had time to reach it, was planted in the
earth in Florida, where thousands of people congregated to see it fired
off.
When the great load of gun-cotton was touched off by means of an
electrical battery, there was a tremendous explosion, and away went
the great hollow projectile, with the three travelers inside, directly
towards the moon.
This projectile was very comfortably and conveniently arranged. The
walls were padded and there were springs in the floor, so that the
inmates might not receive too great a shock when they started. It was
furnished with plenty of provisions, with contrivances for lighting and
ventilating it, and a machine for manufacturing atmospheric air, which
is something that travelers do not expect to find at the moon.
There were thick plate-glass windows in the sides, and everything that
could be thought of to make the trip comfortable and safe was found in
this curious aerial car.
[Illustration: THE DOGS THAT STARTED FOR THE MOON.]
Not only were there three men in the projectile, but it contained
two dogs and some chickens. The picture shows the dogs, which were
handsome creatures, and it will also give you an idea of the inside
arrangements, with the telescope, and the guns hanging on the wall.
The distance from the earth to the moon was to be accomplished in about
four days, and after the first shock of the starting, which was quite
heavy, notwithstanding the springs and the cushions, our travelers
began to make themselves at home.
They talked, they ate and drank and smoked. They took observations out
of their windows, and watched the earth recede until it looked like a
great moon, and saw the moon approach until it seemed like a little
earth.
One of them, the Frenchman, was in such high spirits that if his
companions would have allowed him he would have got outside of their
little house and stood in triumph on the very top, as it went whizzing
through the air.
The artist has given us a picture of how he would have looked if he had
stood out there where he wanted to perch himself.
His idea was that as there was as much _momentum_ in him as there was
in the projectile, there was no danger of his falling off and being
left behind.
But if any of you ever _do_ go to the moon in a hollow cannon-ball, I
would strongly recommend you not to get outside.
After a while they passed beyond the limit of the earth’s attraction,
and began to enter that of the moon. But when they were about on the
line between these two attractions, a very singular thing took place.
Everything in the projectile, the men, the dog, (one of the dogs died
the first day and was thrown out) the telescope, the chickens and every
article that was not fastened down, seemed to lose all its gravity or
weight.
As there is no reason why anything without weight should stay in any
particular place, unless it is fastened there by some mechanical means,
these people and things began to float about in the air.
[Illustration: THE FRENCHMAN OUTSIDE.]
The men rose up and were wafted here and there by a touch. Hats
floated away and chickens and telescopes hung suspended between the
floor and the roof, as thistledown, on a still summer’s day floats in
the air.
Even the dog, who thought that he was sitting on the floor, was sitting
in the air, several feet from the floor.
[Illustration: EVERY THING WAS FLOATING IN THE AIR.]
This was a most remarkable state of things, and it is no wonder that
the travelers could not very soon get used to it.
To feel oneself soaring like a balloon must certainly be a curious
sensation.
But these men expected all sorts of strange experiences, and so this
did not frighten them, and the nearer they came to the moon, the more
effect her gravity had upon them, and as the projectile gradually
turned its heaviest end towards the moon its inmates gradually
recovered their weight, and sat and stood like common people.
After journeying still further they had another very strange experience.
As they gradually neared the moon they found that they were also
revolving around it. This was very unfortunate. If this motion
continued, the result of their journey would be that their projectile
would become a lunar satellite—a moon’s moon. They would go around and
around forever, and never reach the moon or be able to get back to the
earth.
After a while they got around to the shadow side of the moon, so that
she was between them and the earth.
Then they were in total darkness excepting when they lighted their
gas-burner, and they could not keep the gas burning all the time, as
their supply was getting rather low.
But the darkness was not their chief trouble. It began to be very cold.
And then it got colder and still colder, until they thought they should
freeze into solid lumps. Their breath congealed so that it fell in the
form of snow about them, and the poor dog, shivering under a cloak, lay
upon the floor as cold as if he had been dropped into a deep hole in an
ice-berg.
They thought it must be still colder outside, and so they lowered a
thermometer through a small trap-door in the floor, and when they drew
it in the mercury stood at 218 degrees below zero!
That was a very fine thermometer, and it is a Frenchman who tells this
story.
[Illustration: THE TRAVELERS ARE COLD.]
At last they passed around the moon, and again found themselves upon
its sunny side. Then they were happy. Light and heat, after the
dreadful darkness and cold through which they had passed were enough
to make men happy, especially men so far away from home and all the
comforts and conveniences of civilized society.
As they passed around the moon they had a fine opportunity of observing
the lunar landscapes. They were not so far away but that with their
glasses they could see the mountains and plains, and all sorts of
curious caves, and wonderful formations like forts and castles, but
which they knew to be nothing but great masses of the moon’s surface,
thrown up in these strange shapes by volcanic action. It is probable
that what is described in this story is very like what the real surface
of the moon must be.
After they had revolved some time they found that they were getting
farther and farther away from the moon, and this made them suppose that
they were moving in an elliptical orbit. They were much discouraged by
this idea, for they thought, and very justly too, that there was now no
chance of the moon’s drawing them towards itself, so that they would
fall upon its surface.
This they had hoped to do, and they did not expect to suffer from the
fall, for the attraction of the moon is so much less than that of the
earth that they thought they would descend rather gently on the moon’s
surface. But now there seemed to be no chance of their getting there at
all.
At last, however, they found that they were passing entirely out of the
line of the moon’s attraction, and after that they perceived plainly
that they were falling.
But not upon the moon. They were falling towards the earth!
This was dreadful. A fall of 240,000 miles! But they could not help it,
and down they went.
Out in the Pacific ocean there was a United States steamship, taking
soundings. The captain was astonished to find at the place where they
were sailing, about two hundred miles from the coast of California,
that the water was so deep that the longest sounding lines would
scarcely reach the bottom.
As he and his officers were discussing this matter, a distant hissing
sound was heard, like the escape of steam from a steam-pipe. But it
sounded as if it were high up in the air. It came nearer and nearer and
grew louder and louder, and as all eyes were turned upwards towards the
point from which the hissing seemed to come, they saw what they thought
was a great meteor, rapidly approaching them from the sky.
[Illustration: THE NARROW ESCAPE OF THE STEAMER.]
It seemed to be coming directly towards the ship. In a moment more they
saw plainly that it was coming straight down on the ship!
Before they had time to do anything, or even to give warning to those
who were below, it dashed into the sea just before the vessel, carrying
away the bowsprit in its furious descent.
Fortunately that was all the damage it did. Had the vessel been a few
yards farther in advance it would have been instantly sunk.
It was a most narrow escape, and everybody felt wonderfully relieved
when this great object, which looked like a ball of fire as it came so
rapidly through the air, sank hissing into the sea.
But the officers guessed what it was, when it had disappeared. They had
heard of the wonderful trip to the moon that had been undertaken by the
three adventurers, and they very sensibly supposed that this must be
the projectile that had fallen back upon the earth.
When they had made up their minds about the matter, and this did
not take them long, they began to think what they should do. The
unfortunate men in the projectile might be yet alive, and measures
should instantly be taken to rescue them, if they were living, and in
any case, to raise the projectile and discover their fate.
But the vessel had no machinery by which this ponderous mass could be
drawn up from the bottom of the sea, especially as the sea was at this
spot about four miles deep.
So they determined to return as rapidly as possible to San Francisco
and obtain the necessary machinery for the work. Fortunately they had
been sounding and had a line out. So they fastened a buoy to this line
to mark the place, and steamed away at the best speed of their vessel,
for San Francisco.
When they reached this port the news was telegraphed to the proper
authorities, and, indeed, all over the country, and of course it
created a great excitement.
The officers of the Society which had been the means of sending off
these three men on their hazardous journey, went immediately to work,
and in a few days the steamer, supplied with diving machinery and
grappling irons, set out to return to the scene of the disaster.
There everybody worked rapidly and manfully. Diving bells were lowered
and everything that could be done was done, but although they labored
day and night, for several days no trace of the great projectile could
be found on the bottom of the ocean, after searching carefully for a
mile or two on every side of the buoy that had been left when they
returned to San Francisco.
At last they became convinced that further search was useless, and
much to the disappointment of everybody, and the intense grief of the
friends of the unfortunate men who had come out on the vessel when it
started on its errand of rescue, the Captain ordered the steamer to
return to San Francisco.
When they had been sailing homeward for an hour or so, a sailor
discovered, about a mile from the vessel, what seemed to be a large
buoy, floating on the surface of the sea.
In an instant every glass in the vessel was directed towards this
object. It was like a buoy, but it had a flag floating from the top of
it!
The steamer immediately headed for it, and when they came near enough
everybody saw what it was.
It was the great projectile quietly floating on the waves!
The air which it contained had made it so buoyant that although it
probably sank to the bottom of the ocean in its rapid descent, it had
risen again, and was now riding on the surface of the ocean like a
corked bottle.
But were the men alive? This must be settled instantly.
In a very few minutes two boats were launched and were soon speeding
towards the floating projectile as fast as strong arms could pull them.