Fifteen Hundred Miles An Hour 2
I could neither eat nor sleep until I had finished my task. Locking
myself in my room, I began my investigation with a singular
presentiment that I was on the eve of some important discovery. Nor
were my feelings unjustified by events. With the aid of a hammer and
chisel, after some considerable trouble and labour, I broke open this
singular-looking mass of battered rusty iron, and its strange contents
rolled out on to the table! Of what were they composed? Nothing but a
long and carefully-folded pile of papers--so tightly packed that they
might have been under hydraulic pressure; but their appearance filled
me with the intensest surprise and most utter amazement! Here and
there the edges were burnt and charred, but otherwise they were in a
singularly good state of preservation, and the writing upon them was
almost as legible as when it was penned. The paper had evidently been
made on earth, for it bore the watermark of a well-known London firm.
The most singular part of all this strange occurrence, however, remains
now to be told. Most of these manuscripts were written in a good, bold,
upright hand, and they were addressed and dated from
"The City of Edos, Planet of Mars, or Gathma. December the 9th, 1878."
Was I awake or dreaming? Many times did I read those three lines,
walking about the room meantime to convince myself that all was
reality! This strange letter from an unknown world must have been ten
years in the air! These manuscripts were evidently of a scientific
as well as of a popular character; and as a scientific man myself,
I felt already that a bond of sympathy existed between my unknown
correspondent far away out yonder beyond the sky, and myself! A voice
from another world; a message from the vast unseen--how I longed
to read these papers, to examine them, to revel in their secrets,
and to enjoy them! What a hidden world of wonder, of adventure, of
exploration, lay before me if the documents were genuine!
I sat up the entire night, eagerly reading through these strange papers.
Africa had now, for the present, lost its charm. I set off back again
to Europe with all despatch, bent on investigating the whole matter.
Fortunately, my efforts were crowned with a most gratifying triumph.
Doctor Hermann, F.R.S., F.R.A.S., F.R.G.S., the author of a
considerable portion of these manuscripts, I discovered had been an
eccentric and little-known individual, living a very secluded life
on a small estate near the Yorkshire fells, a wild lonely spot, far
from cities. That he was a member of the Royal, the Astronomical, and
the Geographical Societies, I easily satisfied myself. He had been
absolutely devoted to science--for this all the other enjoyments and
obligations of life were discarded; he lived but for one object, the
study and investigation of Nature's choicest secrets. This was the
all-absorbing faith of his life. From information supplied in these
manuscripts, I learned the exact place of his strange abode, and
was able to visit it, and to make many enquiries in the immediate
neighbourhood concerning him. He was described to me as a tall, spare
man, with a benevolent-looking face, past the prime of life, with
grey beard and moustache, clear grey eyes, and close-cropped hair. In
nature, gentle and tender as a woman, but brave as a lion, and with a
reputation for firmness and great strength of will. I was also told
that he had a very big telescope erected in his barn, and some of
the old folks living in the fells always insisted that the Doctor and
the Devil were on quite too intimate terms. He had no friends in the
neighbourhood. One old serving-woman used to look after the house,
but she had been dead some years, and had not been on speaking terms
with any of the good people living near. His man-of-all-work, Sandy
Campbell, generally accompanied his master in all his wanderings. Sandy
was almost as much of a character as his master--a close, reticent
Scot, who could never be got to talk, even when under the influence of
whisky, a liquor he appeared to have been particularly fond of. The
Doctor had few visitors. John Temple, a Bradford cotton lord, had been
often seen in his company; and a young engineer from Leeds, called
Harry Graham, had been also known in the neighbourhood as a frequent
guest of the Doctor's. Singularly enough, these names were the ones
given in the manuscripts, and therefore help to confirm their truth.
I also learnt that, some fourteen years ago, Doctor Hermann and his man
suddenly disappeared from the neighbourhood, and it was said they had
gone abroad on a scientific expedition, the house having been denuded
of its furniture and left standing empty. From that day to this, no
one had occupied the premises. Pursuing my investigations further,
I found that at precisely the same time John Temple, the Bradford
millionaire, left this country, presumably on a voyage round the world;
and enquiries at the great firm of manufacturing engineers in Leeds
also revealed the fact that this Harry Graham, their cleverest manager,
left their employment to go abroad at the same date. Not one of these
persons has been heard of since.
The mystery of all these persons disappearing at the same time, and
never being heard of again by mortal man, is now cleared away! I hold
the secret, which was flashed to me on the wings of the storm, from
boundless space, upon the sands of the Sahara. The following weird and
startling story will satisfactorily explain the cause and purpose of
these individuals' departure, minutely describe their wonderful and
thrilling experiences, and publish to the world the reason why the
lonely house on the Yorkshire fells remains tenantless, and is rapidly
falling into ruins; and the rich estates of John Temple, cotton lord
and millionaire, are still amongst the unclaimed treasures in the
jealous keeping of the High Court of Chancery!
The following is in the Doctor's bold and characteristic handwriting.
_Extract from Dr. Hermann's instructions to the finder of the MSS._
"Should these manuscripts chance to fall into the hands of any
civilised man, it is my earnest wish, though of German extraction
myself, that they should be published--if published at all--in the
English tongue. Truth shall prevail, and our return to earth shall
scatter, like thistle-down before the autumn winds, the scepticism
which I mistake not will encircle them, as soon as man may read them.
It is my cherished hope to return to my mother world, and to tell in
person of that glorious life and those sublime wonders of a New World.
Adieu!"
This brief extract must suffice as introduction. The next chapter
will begin at once with the story proper, omitting the uninteresting
preliminary portion of the manuscripts.
_Fifteen Hundred Miles an Hour_
CHAPTER I.
WE PREPARE FOR OUR JOURNEY.
"I tell you, Temple, that the thing can be done! From experiments
which I have carefully made, and from information which I have
laboriously collected during the best part of a lifetime devoted to
scientific research, I am in a position confidently to state that my
project is removed for ever from the realm of possibility, and is
now within measurable distance of becoming an accomplished fact. My
plans may seem complicated to you, but to me they are simple in the
extreme. You, my dear fellow, are better able to deal with intricate
financial questions, discounts, stocks, and bank rates, rather than the
delicate experiments of science. Believe me, I have here in this book
every item of my scheme carefully worked out, every design outlined
to its simplest detail--all I want is the necessary capital for its
accomplishment. My young friend, Harry Graham, here--let me introduce
him to you, Temple--whose interest in astronomy I have long been
fostering, is willing and ready to superintend the mechanical portion
of my undertaking. Our models have turned out satisfactory in every
way--all we want now is money. That, friend Temple, you half-promised
years ago. May I count upon your assistance still?"
"My dear Doctor, you may. If fifty thousand pounds, aye, or even a
hundred thousand, will help you, I am willing to speculate to that
amount; and, what is more, the novelty of your undertaking has so
captivated me that I am anxious to form one of your party. Who knows,
if your efforts are crowned with success, what grand financial harvests
may be reaped!"
"Then, Graham, there is nothing now to prevent us beginning to work in
real earnest. There is much for us to do; and I am sure we shall deem
it an honour to have the financier of our undertaking in our company.
Try another cigar, friends, and let Sandy bring us one more bottle
of port, and then I will endeavour to give you a brief outline of my
plans."
"As you know," continued the Doctor, "I have long been an ardent
supporter of the theory of the plurality of worlds. I am a firm
believer in the principle of Universal Law; and the theory that these
other worlds are the abode of living organisms is to me an almost
demonstrable fact. When I first began the study of this interesting
question I soon came to the conclusion that the only planet with which
I dared hope to obtain any success must be one whose conditions were as
nearly like those of our own world as possible. So far as I know, only
one orb in the entire planetary system can with any degree of fairness
be compared with Earth. That planet is Mars. In short, the beautiful
planet Mars is precisely similar in nearly every physical aspect to the
Earth--it is, in fact, only a smaller edition of our own world.
"But I am afraid I weary you, Temple, with all this scientific detail.
I will not trouble you with more, but come to the practical side of my
plans."
"Doctor, your remarks interest me exceedingly. Pray, say all you think
desirable."
"Well, then, Temple, the first difficulty I had to contend with was
that of bridging the mighty distance between our Earth and this planet.
My second task was the enormous journey itself, and the means of
obtaining air and sustenance during the progress. Both of these, after
many experiments and many failures, have been overcome.
"First, as to my means of conveyance. I have here a design for an air
carriage, propelled by electricity, capable of being steered in any
direction, and of attaining the stupendous speed of fifteen hundred
miles per hour. It can be made large enough to afford all necessary
accommodation for at least six persons, and its attendant apparatus
is capable of administering to their every requirement. Here is a
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