_Showing how Dame Nature’s motherly attempts to
thwart the proper impulses of a youth were of no
avail in the instances under narration. Also giving
various tidbits of history which will certainly
interest the adventurous and energetic, illustrating
how the truly ingenious is never at a loss for an
expedient to carry him over the greatest obstacles._
ONCE more on solid footing, by the aid of my compass I laid out my
course toward the paper.
I had not traveled to exceed two hours upon my journey, when I came upon
a great river. As I had never learned to swim I was much put out for an
instant, until I saw an enormous crocodile sleeping on the bank. With
another of my arrows I despatched a rabbit, which I deftly skinned and
spitted on the end of a long pole.
[Illustration]
Securely seating myself upon the back of the sleeping Saurian, I gently
twirled the carcass of the rabbit before his nostrils. He awoke with a
start and threw open his terrific jaws to grasp the tempting morsel. But
I was prepared for him and kept the bait in such position that in
attempting to secure it he started into the water and safely carried me
across to the other side, at which point I turned him around, threw the
rabbit into the water, at the same time dismounting and hurrying on.
I had still several miles to go, but was worn with fatigue and would
gladly have lain down for a rest, had not the remembrance of the
precious document goaded me to press forward.
Again laying out my course—for I had varied it slightly in search of a
good landing for my ship—I proceeded.
The pain of the poison deposited in my foot by the insect rapidly became
so great that I was compelled to sit down and rest.
I had traveled a great while, and was now overlooking the country from
another precipice. It is impossible for me to describe my delight as by
the aid of my magnificent field glass I was enabled to discover the
paper with the arrow still resting upon it. It was yet at a great
distance in a direct line and I should be compelled to travel around the
mountain, or across its top, before I could reach it.
Looking about me in dismay, I discovered a huge log, many feet in
diameter, upon which there was a thin, tough bark. In a short time I had
a section of this bark removed and carried out into the sun. It being
green I laid it with the curved side up, and when the warmth of the sun
had made it flat and smooth, I pushed it to the edge of the precipice,
and, by the aid of a long pole, launched it upon the air, myself sitting
quietly in the center of it. I had provided a long, narrow strip of the
same bark, which I now used as a rudder. By the aid of this simple
contrivance, I sailed to the immediate spot of my treasure.
As I was directly above it, I adopted the tactics of the bird, turning
my rudder over and depressing it, thus stopping my airship gently and
quietly at the desired speed and at the desired spot.
I said I landed quietly. This is not strictly true, and I have no
intention to be inaccurate even in the slightest particular.
Perhaps I depressed my rudder too quickly, or perhaps I had misjudged
the inclination of my aeroplane. However it was, I must have produced a
gust of wind; for I saw the thing I so much sought making off at great
speed.
I quickly tied two arrows together, not being able to resort to my
former experiment as the paper was rising and at not sufficient
distance. The force of the air had straightened it out and it was
sailing away as I had sailed down. I still had no desire to injure the
paper, and therefore took careful aim, with such exactness that the
arrows met the paper in such fashion that it entered between them and
was safely brought to earth.
Going to where it had fallen, what was my astonishment to discover that
it had descended within the hollow stub of a tree. The hole into which
it had gone was too small for me to enter and too deep for me to reach
it with any pole that I could obtain.
I gazed about me for some means of getting it, for I had neither axe nor
saw. I sat down on a stump to meditate, when I heard a noise beneath me.
Upon investigation I found the stump was hollow, and by running my hand
into it I brought forth a nice, fat squirrel. It then occurred to me
that I was dreadfully hungry and was on the point of preparing it as a
meal when I thought I might first obtain my document with it.
Securely fastening the squirrel to a long string I always carried with
me, I climbed another tree into which I had noticed bees entering. I
took a stick and ran it into the hole and by deftly turning it around
and around I secured a quantity of delicious honey. With this I gave my
squirrel a coat and carried him to the top of the stump, releasing him
at the mouth of the hole, which he immediately entered with great
alacrity. I had concluded that the hole became larger the farther down
it went, and when he was down a sufficient distance I jerked the rope
with such dexterity that I dislodged his hold, dropped him to the bottom
of the hole and bounced him around there. When I withdrew him, which I
did most painstakingly, yet with little trouble, as he was somewhat
dazed and offered no resistance, I found the precious paper sticking to
him. I removed it and placed it within my inside pocket with much
satisfaction.
I then enjoyed my meal of broiled squirrel, honey, and some baked
potatoes. The latter were small, as the large ones were probably too
heavy to stick to the squirrel’s coat. How or by whom they had been
deposited in that spot I did not stop to investigate.
After enjoying my repast, I proceeded to read the message, which was as
follows:
My dear Son:
You have now arrived at an age of discretion. You have doubtless
learned that “truth is stranger than fiction” and have probably
had many queer experiences of your own. My father left a secret
with me that I have never dared divulge, because of the strict
ideas of your sweet mother. It is, therefore, left to you to
exploit it.
In the Desert of Sahara, at Oasis Tel Ali, there grows a bunch
of gigantic palms in the top of which is a great egg.
Secure this egg and you will find your reward upon it.
Your affectionate
FATHER.
[Illustration]
After pondering the matter a short time, I called into requisition my
experience with the bark of the tree.
I repaired to the mountainous seacoast and constructed a more roomy and
accurate wind toboggan, and, waiting until a strong wind prevailed in
the right direction, I set sail.
As I was inexperienced in the handling of such a vehicle, and as the
wind was blowing a gale in my teeth, I soon found myself so high above
the earth it was with difficulty I could discern enough of the lay of
the land and water by which to guide myself. In fact, I had gone with
such rapidity that I was sailing above the Desert of Sahara before I had
calculated to have sighted it.
It may possibly be that I was several days in making the trip and that
the excitement of it caused the time to speed so rapidly as to mislead
me; for, being so high above the earth, I was in perpetual sunlight, as
I am sure the sun did not set while making the passage.
It occurs to me now that the fact probably was that as I started from
the Pacific Coast and traveled westward my speed simply equaled that of
the earth in its eastward movement.
When I concluded to descend I was compelled to take a circular course in
order not to come down too rapidly.
I had scanned the desert for the palm trees, mentioned by my father, by
the aid of my telescope, which I had brought with me, the field glass
being thought by me too small for the purpose.
I soon discerned three monstrous trees which seemed to have but one top
to them all. Finding no other object of the same or a similar nature on
the surface of this ocean of sand, I rightly conjectured that I had
descried the proper point and so maneuvered my vessel as to reach it
easily, when I observed a horde of warriors of the desert gesticulating
wildly below me. I saw all this with my telescope, as I was still too
far above the surface of the earth to have made the discovery with the
naked eye.
I was not in the least daunted by this discovery, and continued my
descent.
The swiftness of the animals carrying those nomads was marvelous, for,
though I traveled with greater speed than that of the wind, they seemed
to be always beneath my car and were increasing in numbers.
Ever and anon I could see a puff of smoke and hear a little explosion,
but it did not disturb me.
Down, down, I came, and when I was within a few hundred feet of the
ground I heard a great battering as of hail. The sky was serene and
clear. Then I discovered the cause. It was the patter of the bullets of
those Arabs on the bottom of my ship. I had wisely provided against any
damage by such things by sheathing the bottom side of my carriage with a
coating of steel.
When they had shot away all their ammunition and saw that I still
descended, paying no more attention to them than I did to the wind, they
fell upon their faces in worship, and would not raise their heads from
the ground even when I walked in their midst, which I was shortly doing.
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V
_The finding of the Giant Brain; its message to
me; my pursuit of the treasure it located for me;
the breaking of the North Pole—all these are given
in historic sequence as prefatory to the real
adventures, which are given at length in their
proper order later on._
AS I made directly toward the three trees the worshipers mechanically
made way for me; but when I started up one of the trees there was a loud
exclamation. The number of voices being so great the roll of the sound
was like terrific thunder, and caused such a vibration of the trees that
I should have lost my hold and fallen had it not been I had provided
myself with suitable tree-climbers.
I looked down upon the crowd whose heads were up, and they bowed them
with such rapidity and unanimity that when they struck the ground they
produced a much more violent concussion and vibration than had their
voices.
As it was now getting dusk I brought into requisition the belt which I
had prepared. It was of glass and filled with gas, and by sending
through it a current of electricity from my storage battery which I
carried in my hip pocket there was produced instantly a bright light
around my waist, which enabled me to see what I was doing.
One or two venturesome ones had probably observed the illumination and
had communicated the fact to the entire assembly; for the awe with which
they gazed upon me was so intense as to pin me tightly to the tree.
By a very simple device, which consisted in having three compartments of
different colors—red, white, and blue—by changing the current from one
to the other rapidly the effect produced upon my worshipers was such as
to paralyze them, and they fell over like rags, thus releasing me from
the pressure of their gaze.
I was then able to proceed to the top, and was soon within a great nest,
such as my father had described. In the bottom thereof was a very black
object, which, upon closer examination, had somewhat the appearance of a
flattened egg—flattened longitudinally. Upon still closer examination,
the resemblance to a human head of gigantic size became so striking as
to lead me to believe the body of a man was beneath, the top of his head
merely projecting, and what I had supposed was a nest was in reality a
sort of head gear.
However, by placing my hand beside it, I found I could lift it quite
readily, and there was no man under it or attached to it. Then I saw the
similarity in appearance to a human brain with greater clearness. By
shaking it I discovered no indication of any contents. It was also very
hard to the touch, so much so I failed to make an indentation in it with
anything I had at hand.
It was so large I could barely encompass it with both arms as I prepared
to remove it to the ground. How I was to get down with it I could not
for a moment imagine. As I stood upon the edge of the nest trying to
decide the manner of my descent it slipped from my hands and fell with
great force upon a rock.
When my audience beheld me with that thing in my arms they stood up with
such precision of movement it seemed they were all fastened together and
worked by one electrical button, and when it dropped those nearest ran
backward with such force they were piled ten or fifteen deep before they
could get very far.
I at once descended and grasped my prize which I examined minutely and
discovered there were open seams in it just as there are in the skull of
a man, and with very little difficulty I soon had the skull removed—for
such it now proved to be, and I had laying in my lap what was in reality
a mammoth brain.
Some peculiarity about it tempted me to examine it critically, which I
did with the eye-piece of my telescope.
Judge of my surprise if you can when I beheld upon each prominence of
this brain a picture of good size (thanks to my microscope) and I was
deeply absorbed in studying them.
As I moved the glass about I seemed conscious of hearing something which
I soon found to be but the undulations of light on the part of the brain
I was then scrutinizing. I finally concluded that what I really heard
were messages from that brain to somebody; but, if so, were in a tongue
unknown to me, though I confess to being somewhat of a linguist. It
certainly was a very dead tongue as it was a very dead brain.
On looking up I beheld before me one who was, as I afterward learned,
the shiek of this tribe which surrounded me. I motioned to him to sit
beside me, and, holding the glass where I had had it, indicated to him
my desire that he should look through it.
He gazed so long and was so excited I began to fear he would absorb the
whole thing, and, impelled by that fear, I exclaimed: “When!”
This startled him somewhat, for he jumped back in surprise.
After gazing at me for some moments in silence, he asked:
“Do you speak English?”
I told him I did and asked him to tell me what he saw or heard when he
looked through the glass.
Thereupon he spoke as follows, which I reported in shorthand, verbatim
et literatim, at one time having learned the art from Sir Isaac Pitman
when he was a lad:
“O, thou of the sky, whose flight is swifter than that of the old eagle;
whose movements are more graceful than those of the young fawn at
day-break; whose actions are as noiseless as the kiss of the dew upon
the tulip; whose voice is as sweet as the murmur of the rivulet; whose
countenance is as glorious as the full-robed orb of night as she rises
from her eastern couch; whose mind is as brilliant as the scintillations
of the Milky Way;
“O, listen to the words of thy servant, who kneels before thee, who
feels the honor a monarch bestows on his subject; whose right hand and
whose left hand; whose right foot and whose left foot; whose right ear
and whose left ear; whose right eye and whose left eye; whose right
nostril and whose left nostril, shall be at thy service; whose mouth
shall speak thy messages; whose mind shall think thy thoughts—thy
servant of the Desert, We Ali.
“O, listen to the words he speaks unto thee; for they are not the words
of his feeble tongue; they are not the pictures of his impotent
thoughts.
“O, listen to his words.
“O, listen to the words that come to thee from the ages; that come to
thee alone; that tell thee a secret no other man may know.
“O, listen to the words.
“O, listen to the words that came into the ear of thy servant, We Ali,
through his eye as he gazed into this magic glass thy hand has produced.
“These are the words.
“O, listen.
“O, listen and learn: In the mountains of Siberia is a place; deep in
the ground lies a treasure; a treasure rich beyond imagination; powerful
beyond words; there lies a treasure and it is thine.
“O, listen: When thou approachest the place thou shalt know it by its
fearful power; for it shall draw metals unto it with great vehemence.”
We Ali stopped. I meditated. He was repeating to me a message the owner
of this brain had received, and he thought it a message to me.
By the aid of the Arabs I got my ship of state on the nest. Soon there
came a great simoon from the north and I sailed away.
As I proceeded I found great difficulty in breathing, on account of the
coldness of the air and the speed at which I was traveling. But I had
prepared for this, having with me a coil of pipe, beneath which I
lighted a spirit lamp; thereupon by breathing through this pipe I got
along very well, as the air was warmed sufficiently by the lamp to make
my respiration comfortable.
The needle of my compass was drawn downward; but, before I could stop my
vehicle, I had reached the North Pole, against which I struck with such
force as to shatter it, and bring myself precipitately to the ground, by
which fall I should have been killed had it not been for thousands of
polar bears that were huddled around the pole asleep and upon whom I
fell. My aeroplane, however, was not damaged, because of its coat of
steel.
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