VI

_The truthful statement of the mechanism of the

North Pole; the monster gimlet; the flight to

Saturn; the race with detachable brains; the

Egg-hearts; people who live without eating; and the

finding of the dazzling treasure are here given in

categorical fullness._

THE point of my compass was now toward the south.

I discovered the sleeping bears were in reality dead ones. I learned it

in this way.

I saw two live bears at a distance coming toward me, dragging between

them another one which they brought to the Pole and placed against it.

This aroused my curiosity and, by a close inspection, I found the

mystery of the ease with which the earth rotated was solved. The bears

were very fat, and, as they were put up tight against the Pole the

rotation of the earth gradually worked the oil out of them, and thus

served to grease the Pole and keep it from sticking.

As there was no eminence at hand from which to start my ship, for I had

broken off the Pole, I was in a dilemma for a short time only.

Remembering what the good shiek, We Ali, told me, I ran a wire around my

machine, to which I attached my storage battery, thus converting it into

a magnet.

Had it not been for the remainder of the Pole I should have shot by on

the other side of the earth, as, inadvertently, I had started the

current around in the wrong direction; I had made my magnet positive

when it should have been negative. I corrected the error and flew with

great speed in the direction of the magnetic mountain, against which I

should have struck with precipitation, had not the rate at which I went

been enough to raise my aeroplane on the air, and I rose to the top of

the mountain, which I should have barely passed over had I not released

the current at the proper time and landed quietly on the top.

So great was the magnetic power of this mountain my compass was

destroyed, the needle having been pulled down so hard as to bend it out

of shape. In fact, the compass box itself was drawn so violently as to

tear its way through my pocket and strike the ground with a great noise.

[Illustration]

Thus I was satisfied I was on the exact spot indicated by the petrified

brain. As I knew it was probably several hundred feet to the treasure, I

set about arranging a device for extracting it.

Out of steel I formed a gigantic bit or auger with a very slow spiral.

By attaching my wires to it properly I made it positive, and it started

into the ground at a great rate. At last I heard it grinding on a solid

surface. When I made sure it would go no deeper, I reversed the current

and it came back to the surface; but it came with such rapidity I did

not have time to stop the current, and it went on out and up, carrying

me with it, to Saturn, upon which it struck and started in with great

rapidity, it having been turned around in the transit. If one of the

wires had not broken I presume I should have been carried clear through,

out on the other side, and away off into space. As it was, it stopped as

I was entering the surface. This little incident led me to the

conclusion that Saturn has also a magnetic mountain and I struck upon

it, or, rather, in its rings, as it was upon one of them I struck, as I

afterward learned.

I was completely filled with surprise when I saw rolling along great

numbers of skulls similar to the one I had found in the Desert of

Sahara. Soon there was a circle around me of these queer objects,

completely hemming me in, and I began, very quickly, the readjustment of

my auger, with the object in view of getting out of there on short

notice, as I did not know to what extent these things might go.

I was on the point of turning on the current, when the largest of the

number rolled up to my feet and seemed to be trying to communicate with

me. I decided to await developments, for a time at least.

I adjusted my eye-piece and set it upon the surface of this thing, and

was no better off than before. Suddenly it rolled away at a swift pace,

and I soon saw it returning on the top of a giant of terrible

dimensions, and I would have turned on the current right then and there,

but somehow I couldn’t. I was not frightened in the least, but there was

something about his face that held me there. I do not really believe I

wanted to remain.

Think of a face that was nothing but a monster eye—no mouth; no nose; no

ears—just one great eye of a beautiful blue color.

I felt better in a moment, for this eye had such power I had no

difficulty in understanding its messages and it seemed to understand my

thoughts perfectly, and we were soon volubly communicating.

I learned that these were the people who inhabited the outer ring of

Saturn; that they only used their bodies when they wished to go great

distances. They never ate anything; never drank anything; communicated

with each other by vibrations only. Their thoughts started vibrations in

the ether which affected all their brains alike and instantly. I became

so accustomed to their way of talk I seldom spoke, communicating by

thought alone. Indeed, speech was wholly useless, and had I remained

there long enough I doubt not I should have forgotten how to talk.

They took me to one of the other rings, inhabited by a still more

peculiar people, for they had no heads at all. In place of that

adornment, they had only one strong arm, at the end of which was a very

small hand. Otherwise they were like ordinary mortals, if they had been

dressed up. As it was, they were nothing but muscles, veins, and bones.

They had a heart shaped something like a transparent goose egg. They

communicated with each other by the motions of the blood within this

egg, which they detected by grasping the other fellow’s egg and feeling

the blood bubble. They had no lungs, getting their vitality by

absorption from the atmosphere. It was perfectly ludicrous to observe a

number of these queer people laughing, and they seemed to be very merry.

The ebullitions of the blood at such times was terrific, and they would

twist that one arm in the oddest manner. I forgot to say they worked

their machine, if I may use the term, on the hour-glass principle. The

blood went from one side to the other through a hole in a middle

partition, and when it all got into the lower compartment the hand would

take hold of it and turn the other side up.

But I was not really astonished until I got onto the body of Saturn.

There I found a people very much like ourselves; in fact, in appearance

they were just like ourselves; but they neither ate nor drank, and I was

much at a loss to understand how they existed, as they seemed to possess

all of the parts of a human body. Neither were they immortals; for they

were very flashy in their habits and life generally.

I saw a number of these people standing in a line. Another one had a

pump attached to a pipe that led into a pond filled with bright red

liquid. As each one came up, he would insert the nozzle of his pump

under his left arm and fill him up. I then learned that twice a day they

had their hearts filled with new blood, which was found in numberless

springs all over the surface of Saturn. By this frequent replenishing of

the system with new blood all disease was avoided.

It occasionally happens there, so I was told, that a mischievous one

would go to another part of the country and bring a little of the blood

that was pumped into the servants or black people and pour it into the

spring where the other people replenished. In that case the people who

used this tainted spring would be spotted for a while, and so would the

one who did it. As soon as the spots began to appear, by changing to

another pure spring the blemishes would gradually disappear.

There were springs for all of the different animals, which seemed

peculiar to me at first; but I learned that the different animals were

the same people trying experiments upon themselves by using different

kinds of blood.

One of the marvelous things about Saturn was the fact there was no night

there, the luminosity of the rings being such as to keep it a perpetual

day; hence the people never slept there.

Another fact that attracted my attention was there was no heat in the

center of Saturn, and that it was all on the surface; therefore, there

was no winter; just perpetual spring. The inhabitants told me Saturn was

not old enough for the heat to have got down to the center; that it was

a young planet; when the oldest inhabitant was a child it was not even

necessary to inject blood into their hearts.

So I was satisfied that in all probability they would ultimately reach

our state of perfection.

It was quite amusing to observe their consternation when I asked for

something to eat and drink. They knew nothing about it, and thought I

wanted something to wear, or a wagon, or any old thing but a lunch.

Finding a number of trees bearing very nice apples and a spring of clear

water, I began to eat and drink, at which they crowded around me so

thickly, and the outer ones pressed with such eagerness, the inner ones

were finally pushed upon me, and I was nearly suffocated and crushed.

At last, I got back to my auger, reversed the current and was glad to

find myself again speeding toward earth.

As before, the instrument was turned around in transit and it struck in

the self-same place; but this time I had presence of mind to stop it at

the surface.

I beheld the grand spiral it had made and walked down. All the way down,

and it was no mean distance I can tell you, I had no difficulty in

seeing where to place my feet, for it was perfectly light. This confused

me, as I had expected the deeper I went the darker it would be. The

contrary proved true; so true, that when I reached the bottom the light

was so dazzling I was compelled to shade my eyes every few moments. When

they did get used to the brilliancy, I discovered the cause of it.

The auger had drilled out a large room in a solid bed of diamonds; but

the strangest thing about it was, it had, by its swift revolutions cut

all the diamonds in proper shape for setting. This accounted for the

extreme brightness of the light; it was but the reflections from the

countless gems.

When I had become immured to my glittering surroundings, I investigated,

and found a very handsome box in a small hole in one of the sides of the

apartment.

In this box I found the following documents:

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