WE LEAVE EARTH IN THE "SIRIUS."
"At last, Graham, all is in readiness for our departure. I think it
was wise, however, that before finally leaving Earth we tested the
capabilities of our carriage." (This trial trip nearly cost the Doctor
his secret. A party of farm-labourers stoutly swore that they had seen
a big house floating over Whernside, as they came home in the dusk; but
they were only laughed at by their neighbours, and accused of being in
liquor.) "We now feel a greater amount of satisfaction and confidence
in our undertaking, and the several little details we had overlooked
will be decided improvements."
"Then you are prepared to start on Saturday, Doctor?"
"Well, if Temple can manage it, yes. It rests with him now, and we must
not be too hard or exacting on our generous friend and patron."
"Ah! Sandy, a telegram from Temple, I suppose," says the Doctor,
tearing open the orange-coloured envelope, and hastily reading the
brief message.
"Yes, Graham, all is well. Temple wires me that he will be here on
Saturday to lunch. That means he is ready. We shall start at midnight."
The remaining days of our stay on Earth were spent by Graham in
overhauling the various machinery and apparatus he had taken such pains
in making and fitting, and by the Doctor in anxious consultation of
several leading works on astronomy and mathematics, and in careful
revision of every little detail of his gigantic scheme.
At last the eventful morning came, the first day of May, 1875. Glorious
indeed was the weather on that memorable day, when, for the first time
in the history of mankind, five living creatures were about to leave
this planet on a journey to a far-distant orb.
Now behold this dauntless little party, as they stand in the Doctor's
garden, watching their last earthly sunset. The white-haired Doctor is
the central figure of the group.
As the sun sinks solemnly behind the Pennine peaks, lingering a few
moments on the gloomy crowns of Whernside, the Doctor points to the
clear southern sky, and says: "Well, friends, our stay on Earth is now
very short. In little over four hours' time we must be gone. Yonder is
our destination; the star that sheds such brilliant lustre--brightest,
to us, of all heavenly orbs to-night--is our bourne. You see it,
Temple? From this night, for two years and a-half, it is to be our only
guiding light, ever increasing in size and mysterious splendour."
As the evening gloom crept up the valleys, the scene became more and
more solemn and impressive, and a strange sense of awe seemed to come
over even the bravest heart amongst us. We felt too grave to converse,
and the Doctor's remarks were received in silence. At last the
oppressive silence was broken by the Doctor exclaiming: "We had better
now go in and dine, after which we must see about getting away. Have
you finished, Sandy?"
"Yes, Doctor; everything is neat and tidy."
"Well, after dinner, we shall be round to inspect your arrangements for
our comfort."
Dinner passed over in comparative silence.
Each one of the diners now fully realised the solemnity of his
position, and none seemed to have any desire to make their thoughts
known to their companions.
As soon as the meal was over, the ceremony of christening the carriage
was performed by Sandy cracking a bottle of wine against the side, and
as the ruddy liquid streamed to the ground, the Doctor pronounced the
few words that gave to the machine its name of _Sirius_.
"Now, my friends, the all-eventful moment has come," he continued,
leading the way to a rope-ladder which was hanging down the dark side
of the _Sirius_, from the doorway high overhead. "Let us bid adieu to
the Earth that bore and fostered us; it may be that our feet touch its
surface for the last time."
The night was gloriously fine; not a cloud to hide the spangled
sky. Sandy and his dog were already inside the _Sirius_; and the
light-hearted Scot could be heard singing snatches of North-country
ballads as he hurried to and fro. Sandy was, evidently, little troubled
at the thoughts of Earth. This confidence was inspired by the calm
courage of his master.
Graham mounted next, and was soon busy with the machinery, oiling and
wiping with greatest care the shining rods and wheels and cranks,
which he loved almost as deeply as a father loves his children.
John Temple then ascended, a little paler perhaps than usual, but calm
and self-possessed as was his wont.
Doctor Hermann, after carefully walking round the huge machine to see
that all was clear, gave one last look towards the old house, and then
to the hills he knew and loved so well, before mounting the swaying
ladder, which was pulled up after him by Sandy.
All now were waiting for the final signal, which was to fall from the
Doctor's lips. He stood calmly and heroically with the little lever
grasped in his right hand, his watch held in his left. One minute to
midnight! Slowly the minute finger crept round the tiny dial, and the
last few seconds of our stay on earth were slipping away.
"Once more, my friends, I ask you if you still adhere to your intention
of accompanying me. There is yet time to draw back."
"We are ready and willing, and most anxious to proceed," was the answer
from all.
"Then our voyage begins at last," said the Doctor, pressing back the
shining lever. "May health and good fortune attend us on our journey,
and success crown its termination."
As the Doctor spoke, the huge machine mounted upwards from its staging,
lightly and buoyantly as a bird, into the midnight sky. All were
exceedingly surprised at the extreme steadiness of the carriage, for it
floated upwards and onwards without any disagreeable motion whatever.
In fact, it was difficult to believe that the carriage was moving at
all.
As soon as we got fairly under way the Doctor suggested that we should
go out on the balcony and take a last look at many old familiar
landmarks, and bid a long farewell to Yorkshire. We were travelling
very slowly, about sixty miles per hour, and nearly four miles above
the Earth. We soon crossed the fair vale of York, slumbering peacefully
in the gloom, the lights of towns and railways being distinctly visible
far below us. We passed over grimy Sheffield, with its gleaming
furnaces belching fire and smoke into the night--its glowing coke-ovens
looking like small volcanoes.
"I intend to travel comparatively slowly from the immediate
neighbourhood of Earth," remarked the Doctor, "so that we may enjoy
the wonderful sight of that planet's physical features as viewed
from space. Ere morning dawns we shall be sufficiently distant to
get a bird's-eye view of the greater part of Europe; by afternoon,
if all goes well, our vision will be extended to the entire Eastern
hemisphere."
The _Sirius_ was now heading rapidly away from Earth; under Graham's
superintendence, the motors were hourly increasing their speed. Like a
sheet of molten silver, the German Ocean shimmered in the moonlight.
It was bitterly cold, and the entire party of travellers were soon glad
to return to the warm interior of the _Sirius_, where Sandy had made
everything ready for our comfort. It was now agreed that each should
take his turn at keeping watch and guard generally for two hours,
whilst the others slept.
Graham undertook the first two hours of this duty; and the Doctor,
too excited to sleep, remained up with him discussing the novelty of
their position. As for Sandy, he appeared able to sleep under any
circumstances; and Temple was too methodical in his habits to remain up
after the first sensations of departure had worn away.
"It seems like a dream to me, Graham, that we are really off at last,"
began the Doctor. "I have looked forward to this time for many long and
weary years."
"Ah, Doctor, I cannot describe how I feel to-night. I am more than
gratified to see one who has done so much for me, reaping the harvest
he has sown so patiently."
The heavens were now clouded, and rain began to fall heavily, which
necessitated closing the port-holes and door, and setting the
air-condensers to work. It was the Doctor's intention to travel as
long as possible with these open, so that we could obtain enough air
from the atmosphere as long as it continued sufficiently dense for our
requirements, and thus save the condensing apparatus as much wear and
tear as possible.
We soon passed through the rain clouds, and then the view from above
them was entrancingly grand. Far as the eye could reach, below and
round us, stretched one vast silvery expanse of cloud, lit up with
brilliant moonbeams, and so solid in appearance that we felt a strange
yearning desire to descend and wander about the fleecy wastes.
Dawn was now fast spreading over the heavens. All through that night of
excitement the Doctor and Graham watched together, but Sandy and Temple
were up with the first streak of light. The Earth was still enshrouded
in shadow.
But our speed had now to be increased, and by the time the Eastern
hemisphere was bathed in sunshine we were travelling a thousand miles
per hour, shooting upwards to the zenith, but drifting meantime nearly
south, towards the equator. Hour after hour increased the glorious
aspect of the Earth below, which had the appearance of a shallow basin,
the horizon all round us seeming almost level with the _Sirius_. The
Earth's concave, instead of convex appearance, was a puzzle to all but
the Doctor, who lucidly explained the phenomenon to us.
By mid-day our instruments declared our height above the Earth to be
close upon eight thousand miles! Stupendous as this altitude may seem,
none of our party experienced the slightest degree of discomfort, so
long as the condensers were kept at work; but a few moments' pause in
their movement produced alarming symptoms, especially in Graham, whose
bulky frame (he stood six feet eight, and was well made in proportion,
a giant among men) seemed to require a larger amount of air than any
of the rest of us. As we rapidly shot upwards, at a speed fifteen
times greater than the fastest express train, the Earth was constantly
changing in appearance.
All small objects were entirely lost to view; only the continents,
largest islands, oceans, and seas being visible. The land and sea
changed colour rapidly, until the former merged from dark brown to
nearly black, and the water from deepest blue to yellow of such
dazzling brightness as to be most trying to the eyes. We could
distinctly see the noble range of snow-capped Himalayas, glittering
beautifully in a dark setting, but the Cape of Good Hope was lost in a
dense bank of cloud. As nearly as we could determine, we were now above
the Persian Gulf; the entire coast-line of the Eastern hemisphere could
be followed at a glance. Due north and south the polar regions glowed
in dazzling whiteness, like two brilliant crescents on the horizon. The
season of the year was too early to make satisfactory observations of
the northern polar regions; for even had land extended to that pole,
we should have been unable to detect it, as it would, of course, have
been still lying deep in snow. The south polar region was much more
favourable to our examination, and, beyond the border of eternal ice
and snow, a dark mass could be detected in the district of the pole
itself, which is probably land, but at the immense distance from which
we viewed it, it was impossible quite satisfactorily to determine.
Although we were such a vast distance from the Earth, she seemed to be
quite close, though on a much-reduced scale, and no words can describe
the awful grandeur of her appearance. Towards evening we had the novel
experience of seeing an appalling thunderstorm many thousands of miles
below us, over the wide expanse of the Indian Ocean.
We had now for hours been depending upon the air from our condensers.
In fact we did not find breathable atmosphere for more than five
hundred miles above the surface of the Earth. As the Doctor had
predicted, the ether in these remote regions was quite dense enough to
be transformed into air suited to the requirements of man. The Doctor's
delight at all these wonderful scenes was unbounded. His enthusiasm
was almost painful in its intensity. "Glorious! Glorious!" was his
oft-repeated exclamation, as he made rapid notes of the ever-changing
phenomena around us. He was too excited to eat; too full of his many
experiments to rest; too eager to gather this unparalleled scientific
harvest, to sleep! Gradually the sun seemed to sink into the waste of
waters behind the western rim of Earth, throwing a lurid glare across
the sea, which now looked like liquid gold, and then turned to deepest
purple as the last rays shot upwards into immeasurable space.
Faster and faster we sped; the motors at last working to their utmost
limits, the dial registering our speed at precisely fifteen hundred
miles per hour. None of us yet experienced the slightest inconvenience,
either from the immense altitude we had reached, or the terrible
velocity with which we were travelling upwards. By midnight, the Doctor
calculated our distance from the Earth to be 25,874 miles. Addressing
Temple and Graham, he said:
"I think, my friends, that we ought to congratulate ourselves on the
exceedingly promising state of our enterprise. In the first place, our
carriage is progressing as favourably as we could wish; everything is
in the smoothest working order; our air is of the purest; we have food
in abundance; water in plenty; light and warmth, as much as we desire.
Twenty-four hours ago we were on the Yorkshire fells; we are now well
on our way to that New World we are all so eagerly looking forward to
reach. When we left Earth, the planet Mars was glimmering low over the
southern horizon; it is now in our zenith. We are fast approaching that
region where all earthly influence will be past, and where the power
of her gravitation will cease. We inaugurate our voyage with every
prospect of success."
"I candidly confess, Doctor, that all my unpleasant feelings of danger
have passed away. I have every confidence in the good _Sirius_ and her
talented inventor," remarked Temple.
"The same here, Mr. Temple," said Graham; "I feel perfectly convinced
that--accidents barred, of course--we shall reach our destination in
triumph."
As might naturally be expected in the clear rarefied atmosphere
through which we were travelling, the various heavenly bodies shone
much more brilliantly than ever they appear from Earth; and the vast,
unfathomable vault of space was intensified in colour--very different
from the blue of an earthly night-sky, and entirely free from cloud.
The moon was perceptibly larger than she appears when viewed from
Earth; but the other orbs only differed in the intensity and brilliancy
of their light.
"Mr. Graham! Doctor! Doctor! the engine is going wrong!" Sandy was
heard shouting.
"Be calm, Sandy," said the Doctor, as he and his two friends hurriedly
descended into the engine-room. It was manifest that something had gone
wrong with the machinery, and the anxiety of all was plainly visible as
the Doctor and Graham hastened to make an examination.
"Thank heaven, the motors are safe," said Graham.
"It is only the pin out of the rod of one of the condensing pistons,"
calmly remarked the Doctor; and Graham soon put all to rights again.
Some time elapsed before the excitable Sandy could be pacified. He
fully expected we were going to be dashed to pieces on the distant
Earth. The Doctor took this opportunity of pointing out to us how
necessary it was to keep a constant watch on our apparatus; for the
least mishap might speedily lead to a calamity so appalling as to send
a thrill of horror to the stoutest heart amongst us at the mere thought
of it.