OUR VOYAGE BEYOND THE CLOUDS.
Long before morning dawned over Earth, on the second day of our voyage
through space, we had reached such an enormous altitude, that even
the outlines of the continents could not be traced with any degree
of clearness. The large masses of land were sharply defined from the
oceans, but all trace of peninsulas, isthmuses, and islands was lost.
The Polar crescents of gleaming snow stood clearly out in bold relief,
but the waters of the Earth were becoming very grey in appearance.
By 9 a.m. on the 3rd of May, we were close upon forty thousand miles
above the Earth. Our life in the _Sirius_ was very methodical, and
a brief description of one day's routine will be sufficient for the
purposes of this narrative.
Every two hours of night the watch was relieved, the person left in
charge being responsible for the safe working of the various apparatus.
At 7 a.m. Sandy prepared breakfast; at 1 p.m. we had dinner; at 5 p.m.,
tea; at 9 p.m., supper. The intervals between meals were passed by
the Doctor almost exclusively in scientific observations, writing his
journals, and carefully inspecting the machinery and instruments. To
Graham was allotted the task of keeping all in order, and compiling a
record of the distance travelled each day. Temple assisted the Doctor
in many of his labours. He was likewise busy upon a work on finance--a
great scheme for liquidating the national debts of Europe, which had
been a favourite hobby of his for years. He also helped to write much
of the present journal. Sandy's time was fully taken up in various
domestic arrangements, and in looking after his dog. We usually went
to bed at 11 p.m., but if anything exceptional occurred we stayed up
later, and sometimes we were too excited to go to rest at all. The
Doctor insisted on each one of the party taking a certain amount of
exercise daily, and also swallowing a small dose of a drug of his own
discovery.
For the first week our voyage was somewhat uneventful. Each day we
continued to dash with stupendous speed towards the zenith. The earth,
now, was greatly and rapidly changing in appearance. Our nights were
remarkably short, and the period of sunlight became longer and longer
in duration. We were soon to pass beyond the influence of the Earth's
shadow, and to enter a region of perpetual day.
On the tenth day of our departure from Earth, when we were quite
360,000 miles above its surface, the moon completed her sideral
revolution, and we saw the outer surface of the satellite for the first
time in the history of mankind.
Unfortunately, we were too far away to make a very minute examination,
but the scene vividly depicted through the Doctor's largest telescope
was one never likely to be forgotten. We were gazing upon a new world;
the eyes of mortal man had never rested on that portion of the moon's
surface now before us; and, oh, how different did it appear from that
pale orb we are all of us so accustomed to see lighting the darkness
of Earth! Perhaps it is well that her gleaming yellow surface remains
unchanged, in aspect, to all mortal eyes. Her surface, to the dwellers
upon Earth, has become a symbol of peace, eloquent of deathly calm.
Our nights now became shorter and shorter--with great rapidity, until,
at the end of the third week of our departure from Earth, when we had
accomplished a distance of 800,000 miles, we reached those remote
regions of space where the mighty shadow, cast by our planet, tapers
down to a point, and the sun in all his glory reigns eternally supreme.
Our sensations were almost beyond description when the _Sirius_ was at
last fairly launched into the vast, boundless void of silent space. So
long as we felt the influence of Earth, and journeyed on our way under
the shelter of her mighty shadow, the bonds that held us to our mother
world were still unbroken.
Then, things at least seemed earthly. Now, every Earth-tie was severed;
surrounded by a solemn, limitless sea of space, unconceivable,
unfathomable, filled with brilliant and eternal light, such as no man
had beheld before, every one of us was filled with awe; and even the
ever-cool and dauntless Doctor himself was well-nigh overwhelmed with
the majestic splendour of the scene around us. We felt as if we had
now ceased to be human; that we no longer belonged to Earth, but were
outcasts, with no home or bond of human fellowship away from our
floating carriage; doomed to live for ever, and to spend eternity in
crossing this radiant ether sea! The silence was profound. The calmest
stillness of Earth is as the tempest-roar in comparison with the
awe-inspiring quietness of Here! The very beating of our pulses rang
clearly out on space; the ticking of our watches became even painful in
its loud intensity. Our hearts and our courage began to fail us. Only
the Doctor, with his nerves of steel, refrained from uttering words
of regret for thus rashly leaving Earth for the sake of prying into
the very laboratory of the Universe! Supernatural influences seemed to
surround us. We started as men; we seemed to be fast evolving into new
beings, governed by no human impulses--controlled by no human forces.
Still the _Sirius_ sped on. Upwards the good air-ship flashed with
terrible velocity, bearing us whither--ah, whither? When we became more
familiar with the vastness around us, the feelings of dread passed
gradually away.
The view from the windows was impressively grand. The sun shone with
a brilliancy unknown on Earth, even in the tropics, but the heat was
by no means oppressive. Far as the eye could reach, all was brilliant
yellow light, endless, profound!
We now derived the greatest benefit from the spectacles, prepared on
the same principle as the helioscope, which Doctor Hermann had provided
for our use, the brilliancy of the light being most painful and trying
to the eyes. Time, now, was one endless day of brightest sunshine,
so that our only means of judging the hours of day, and what we
still called night for the sake of convenience, was by the aid of our
chronometers.
Soon after we reached these remote regions of eternal light, we began
to experience considerable difficulty in breathing. At times this
became so bad, that all of us lapsed into a state of semi-stupor. This
caused us the gravest anxiety and alarm, and as we sped onwards the
trouble increased. Clearly something was going wrong. The terrible
thought that air was absolutely about to fail us, in spite of all the
Doctor's careful experiments and calculations, filled us with thoughts
too horrible to express. The condensers worked admirably, but driven
at their utmost capacity, they still failed to furnish sufficient
breathable atmosphere. Singularly enough, poor Rover felt this
diminishing supply of air far more than his human companions, and for
hours scarcely moved or breathed. The Doctor was puzzled, Graham was
perplexed, Temple and Sandy very much depressed--the latter especially
so. After many careful experiments and a thorough examination of
the _Sirius_, we at last found the cause in a loosened window. The
remedying of this necessitated one of us going out on to the balcony
and climbing the corniced sides.
Graham volunteered the hazardous duty.
The Doctor, with his usual forethought, and showing how well he had
planned-out his gigantic scheme to the very smallest detail, and how
carefully he had provided for all the contingencies human intelligence
could foresee, had brought with him a modified diver's helmet, with the
air-tubes attached, and a small cock-tap was fastened in the side of
the _Sirius_, through which air-pipes could be passed. This apparatus
we adjusted on Graham's head, and round his body hung a coil of fine
manilla rope. Our speed was now considerably reduced. While the Doctor
assisted him to mount the ladder which led to the door, and opened and
closed it as he went through on to the balcony, Temple and Sandy worked
the pumps which supplied him with air. This door had to be closed very
quickly, to prevent our own air escaping. We eventually heard him at
work on the defective window, and the great improvement in the air
of our chambers was sufficient evidence that he had succeeded in his
task. Still, he did not return; for quite ten minutes we were in the
greatest suspense as to his movements. The air-pipes had been drawn
out nearly to their fullest extent, which was a singular circumstance,
and one that seemed to bode no good, as half their length was amply
sufficient for Graham's needs. Our concern rapidly grew into absolute
alarm for the safety of our companion, until at last we had the signal
that he was waiting to be admitted. It was a welcome relief to us all,
and Sandy could not refrain from uttering cheer after cheer of welcome,
forgetting his work of pumping until sternly called to his duty by
the Doctor. As soon as the door was opened, poor Graham fell into the
Doctor's arms, and for several hours he lay unconscious, in spite of
all our remedies and careful treatment. Something had happened, and for
an explanation of the mystery we had to wait until our friend regained
consciousness, and was able to relate his thrilling story. This he must
tell in his own words.
"Notwithstanding the still high rate of speed at which we were
travelling, I experienced no inconvenience upon getting to the
balcony," began Graham, drinking off a small glass of strong brandy
which Temple insisted on his taking, "nor did I have any trouble in
climbing up the ring ladder to the defective window. The damage was
trifling in itself, and easily repaired; but I noticed, as I went
up, what looked to be a long crack in the side of the _Sirius_, and
determined to lower myself down and examine it. I fastened the rope to
one of the rings, and lowered a part of it sufficiently long to reach
the supposed crack: the end of the rope hung loosely down into space
from the ring above. I cautiously began to descend, hand under hand,
down the smooth, gleaming side of the _Sirius_. The distance seemed
longer than I had calculated, and I could not see very well out of the
glasses, for my breath dimmed them. I went cautiously lower and lower,
when to my utter horror the bight of the rope gave way, and I slipped
down many yards, to find myself hanging by the hands alone in space,
below the _Sirius_.
[Illustration: "ALONE IN SPACE."]
"For one brief, awful moment every drop of blood in my body seemed
frozen, when I realised the fact that I was swinging by the hands above
the unfathomable gulf of space! Thanks to a nerve which has never yet
failed me, my presence of mind did not forsake me. I tried to forget
what was below, and to concentrate all my thoughts on what was above.
Above was safety; below, the most horrible death a human being could
suffer. I shudder now to think of it. I knew it was no use to call for
assistance, you had it not in your power to relieve me. Not one of
you could have lived out there without a proper supply of air. My only
chance rested on trying to get back again--a wild and almost hopeless
fight for life. The ring which held the rope had broken loose, and
was hanging at the end. That saved me. It prevented the rope slipping
from my grasp as I fell; and by pulling myself up a little way, I got
my feet in the ring, and relieved the terrible strain upon my arms.
Big beads of perspiration streamed down my forehead, and the stifling
atmosphere in the helmet added to my woes, as I realised all the
horrors of my awful position. Then, all the time, I was tormented with
the possibility of the air-pipes breaking, and then--ah, then, to meet
eternity, and fall downwards--WHERE?"
"Graham, your experiences must have been unutterably terrible,"
remarked Temple.
"The mental torture of such a terrible situation must have seemed
beyond human endurance. Try a little more brandy, and finish your story
later on, when you feel stronger," said the Doctor.
"No, thanks, Doctor; I begin to feel myself again, and would like to
relate all while the facts are still fresh in my memory."
"With a desperation," continued Graham, "only born of a wild desire for
life, I commenced my struggle upwards. Swinging from side to side, and
twisting round and round above that gleaming yellow gulf, whose depths
no mortal could sound, I slowly climbed, hand over hand, for a little
way, and then stopped to rest. I soon, alas! realised the fact that
going down was much easier than coming up, and every moment I felt my
arms losing strength. Oh! how horribly smooth and remorseless did the
shining sides of the _Sirius_ seem! Not a projection of any kind to
assist me. Several times I was almost giving up in despair, and ending
my frightful misery by dropping quietly into the yawning void below,
but the natural love for life implanted in every animate creature held
me back, whilst hope whispered encouragement in my ears. I could hear
your voices; the sound of my pulse as it throbbed on in its agony was
startlingly distinct. I heard Sandy call out the hour--I had only been
five minutes in my dreadful position, after all, yet it seemed ages and
ages. Suddenly an idea struck me, and that was if I could manage to
hold on by one hand, with the other I might pass the end of the rope
under my foot and form a loop.
"This I succeeded in doing, and was thus able to rest my arms a little,
at intervals, as I slowly struggled upwards. How heavy the helmet
seemed to be getting! I felt slowly drifting into unconsciousness, and
death. In what seemed to me an eternity, I at last reached the other
end of the rope, which I had left hanging loose. By a great effort I
got this end through the ring and secured it, thus making a loop in
which I was able to stand for a few moments and rest. I cannot tell
you how deliciously sweet those few seconds were; they seemed like a
respite from the very jaws of death. I actually examined the supposed
crack which had been the cause of all my misfortune, and found that
it was not a flaw, but a mere scratch in the outer coating of the
_Sirius_. After this all was comparatively easy. I soon got on to the
balcony, untied the rope, and gave the signal at the door. Then all
was blank; my senses left me. I suppose the mental strain had been
too much, and that the overstrung nerves had collapsed at last. I
remembered nothing more until I found myself under your care, and was
surprised to learn that for three hours I had lain unconscious."
"We all congratulate you on your wonderful escape, Graham," said
Temple. "A bottle of our best port shall be uncorked. It will put new
life into you, man."
"And, Graham," remarked the Doctor, "you will perceive that your
perilous undertaking has brought about good results. The air we are
now breathing is all right again. We have lost but little time, for
the moment we knew you were safe the motors were started again at full
pressure."
"The leakage," rejoined Graham, addressing the Doctor, "was absurdly
trivial, yet it makes one shudder to think what would be the case did
our air escape in any larger quantity."
"It only shows how scrupulously careful we must be, and neglect no
precautions for our safety," said Temple.
"The perils of our position must keep each one of us alert. Unforeseen
terrors may surround us; at any moment we may encounter unknown perils;
we may be rushing into the midst of forces that will require all our
fortitude to contend against them. We are in the midst of danger, and
have to grapple with any difficulty that may present itself, without
having the benefit of any human experience to guide us. But we shall
pull through; we shall pull through, my friends; and think of our
glorious reward!" remarked Doctor Hermann, working himself up into an
enthusiastic state of excitement as he spoke.
"What are the results of your observations and calculations to-day,
Doctor?" said Graham. "I reckon we are now one million two hundred and
fifty thousand miles from home!"
"You were asking me, Graham, about the results I arrived at to-day,"
continued the Doctor. "Briefly, they may be summarised thus. I find
that we are now entirely beyond the attractive forces of the planet,
Earth. We are now, as it were, in a neutral position; not yet close
enough to Mars to come within the influence of his attraction."
Four hours after the Doctor had thus spoken, that is to say at twenty
minutes past two in the afternoon, the transit of Earth commenced.
He had timed the occurrence to a second. Slowly the sphere of Earth
crept into view, and crossed gradually towards the centre of the sun,
and finally passed beyond the disc into space again. No words of
human tongue can adequately express the sensations we experienced as
we watched the planet Earth, now nothing but a small, dark ball in
appearance, travel across the fiery background of the sun. To know
that that mere speck was a universe peopled with millions of living
creatures--to know that that tiny black disc, so far out yonder, was
in reality a vast and mighty world, floating in space, yet so small in
comparison to other orbs around us, impressed upon our minds the grand
sublimity of Nature's works.
For many weeks after the events recorded in this chapter, the _Sirius_
sped on without a single notable occurrence to relieve the monotony of
the journey. Our first Christmas Day was observed with all customary
honours, Sandy providing us with a royal feast; and the evening was
given up to conviviality and amusement. The Doctor and Temple played
chess; Sandy, with his short pipe and unlimited whiskey, now and then
sang us a North-country ballad; Rover lay quietly at his master's
feet; Graham smoked huge Cabanas, told stories, fired off jokes,
and sang many a Yorkshire ditty. All of us felt the magic spell of
Christmas-tide, and the observance of the festal day filled our hearts
with renewed hope, and served to increase and strengthen the bond of
brotherly unity in our little party.
We were now 8,820,000 miles from Earth, or, reducing this vast number
to more comprehensive language, we had accomplished slightly more
than a quarter of our journey. We still continued to find ether
sufficiently dense to be converted into a breathable atmosphere, and
into water--everything promised well for the ultimate success of our
daring enterprise. Alas! for all human hopes and human anticipations;
we little dreamed of what the future was about to bring!