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diff --git a/old/67548-0.txt b/old/67548-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 7182ae0..0000000 --- a/old/67548-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3294 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of History of a World of Immortals -without a God, by Antares Skorpios - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: History of a World of Immortals without a God - Translated from an unpublished manuscript in the library of a - continental university - -Translator: Antares Skorpios - -Release Date: March 3, 2022 [eBook #67548] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed Proofreading - Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from - images generously made available by The Internet Archive) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HISTORY OF A WORLD OF -IMMORTALS WITHOUT A GOD *** - - - - - - HISTORY - OF - A WORLD OF IMMORTALS - WITHOUT A GOD: - TRANSLATED FROM -_AN UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT IN THE LIBRARY OF A CONTINENTAL UNIVERSITY_. - - - BY - - ANTARES SKORPIOS. - - - _DUBLIN_: - - WILLIAM M^CGEE, 18, NASSAU STREET. - - LONDON: SIMPKIN, MARSHALL & CO. - - 1891. - - - - - _Printed at_ THE UNIVERSITY PRESS, _Dublin_. - - - - -[Illustration] - - CONTENTS. - - - CHAPTER I. - - PAGE - _Concerning the Birth and Education of Dr. Gervaas Van Varken, and - his Loathing and Abhorrence of the whole Human Race—How he met - an Ancient Parsee merchant in Bombay, and got an introduction to - the Great Magician of Thibet—How he went to Thibet; what he - learned there, and how he departed from it_, 1 - - - CHAPTER II. - - HERE BEGINS THE HISTORY OF HESPEROS. - - _Of the shining city of Lucetta—How Dr. Van Varken met an apparent - Yahoo—Of the great astonishment of the citizens at sight of the - Doctor, and how they gave him in charge to a committee of - three—How the committee learned the Dutch tongue, and showed the - Doctor sundry strange and wonderful maps_, 19 - - - CHAPTER III. - - _Concerning Physical Hesperography—Of the great Cloud-Screen, and - its effect on Terrestrial Astronomy—Of the Chronic Equatorial - Tornado, and of its extraordinary importance in the history of - Hesperos—Of the Giant Mountains; and of the Flora and Fauna_, 35 - - - CHAPTER IV. - - _Of the Origin of Rational Life in Hesperos—Of the Cyclical - Organic Life—Of the Law of Evanescence by Mortal Lesion—The - story of the Hesperian Cain—Of the Law of Evanescence by adverse - Metronomic Balance—How a Court of Justice sentenced a culprit to - Eternal Punishment; and how the culprit escaped_, 45 - - - CHAPTER V. - - _Of the causes of the high civilization of Hesperos—Of the - relations of the sexes—Of private personal property—Of property - in Land; and of the methods of Eviction—Of the Jacks and Masters - of all Trades_, 66 - - - CHAPTER VI. - - _Of the Universal Language—Of the Universal Empire and first - measures of the World-Parliament—Of the great progress of the - Hesperians in all Physical Science; and of their fruitless - craving after the Unknown God_, 74 - - - CHAPTER VII. - - _Of the first attempt to pass the Equatorial Tornado; and its - tragical issue—Of the attempt to pass the Cloud-Screen_, 85 - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - _Of the great courage of three Engineers—How they passed the - Screen and saw the Host of Heaven—How they further discovered a - Disk of Unknown Fire—Of the reception of the news throughout the - world—Of the construction of a mountain Observatory; and of the - rapid growth of Astronomical knowledge_, 98 - - - CHAPTER IX. - - _Of the development of World-Weariness in Hesperos; and of the - second attempt to cross the Equatorial Tornado—How the Forlorn - Hope succeeded, and discovered a City of the Dead—How the - terrible mystery of Evanescence was explained; and how the crew - set out on their return_, 113 - - - CHAPTER X. - - _The oldest inhabitant of the South relates its history—How the - awful intelligence was received in the North_, 128 - - - CHAPTER XI. - - HERE BEGINS THE MODERN HISTORY OF HESPEROS. - - _How the two Hemispheres were amalgamated—concerning the - Sympathetic Telegraph; and how the great astonishment of the - Hesperians at the first sight of the Doctor was fully - explained_, 135 - - - CHAPTER XII. - - _Of the great social changes which resulted from the discovery of - the Indestructibility of Life_, 150 - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - _How the Doctor delivered a course of lectures on the History of - the Earth and its Inhabitants—Of the effects of his ghastly - description—Of the attempt of two Hesperians to reach the Earth; - and of its unsatisfactory result_, 159 - - - CHAPTER XIV. - - _Of the further wanderings of Dr. Van Varken—Of his visits to - Australis and the great Observatory—Of a strange physical Theory - concerning the Tornado—Supposed cause of the Doctor’s return to - the Earth_, 171 - - - - - ‘That we are to live hereafter, is just as reconcilable with the - scheme of atheism, and as well to be accounted for by it, as that we - are now alive is; and therefore nothing can be more absurd than to - argue from that scheme, that there can be no future state.’—BISHOP - BUTLER. - - - - - CHAPTER I. - - Concerning the Birth and Education of Dr. Gervaas Van Varken, and his - Loathing and Abhorrence of the whole Human Race—How he met an - Ancient Parsee merchant in Bombay, and got an introduction to the - Great Magician of Thibet—How he went to Thibet; what he learned - there, and how he departed from it. - - -[Mr. Gervaas Van Varken was a tradesman who flourished on the Boomptjes -of Rotterdam in the early years of the last century. His business was -that of a ship-chandler—for so we may approximately translate the -inscription, ‘Koopman en Touwwerk en andere Scheepsbehoeften,’ which -appeared at the side of his door. - -Van Varken drove a tolerably brisk trade, and, being of extremely -miserly habits, succeeded in accumulating a respectable amount of -capital. He was a man of very morose and sulky disposition, and, when he -had reached the period of middle age, married a Vrouw who was not only -gifted with a moral character closely resembling his own, but had, -moreover, embraced Calvinistic views of the most austere type. - -This disagreeable couple were blessed with a small family consisting of -one son, called Gervaas, after the name of his father, and this Gervaas, -junior, was the author of the diary before us. - -The personal experiences of this unlucky youth were such that his -imbibing the very gloomiest views of things in general, and, in -particular, of human nature, was a simple matter of necessity. In his -earliest childhood he arrived at the conclusion that there was -absolutely nothing he could do which did not issue in a sound thrashing, -administered either by his father or his mother—supplemented, in the -latter case, by energetic assurances that his present suffering was a -mere joke in comparison with the elaborate and abiding torments in store -for him, as a vessel of wrath, in the next world. In addition to these -personal severities the child spent the greater part of his time locked -up in an empty room, imperfectly clothed, more than half-starved, and -with nothing whatever to do but reflect on the inscrutable problem of -human life. - -When he was ten years old he was sent to a school kept by a savage old -friend of the ship-chandler, who carried out the parental system of -discipline with even greater vigour; and thus it resulted that when in -course of time Gervaas, junior, was moved to the University of Leyden to -study for the medical profession—a profession for which he was destined -by his father, without the slightest consideration for the young man’s -personal wishes—he had contracted such a habit of intense misanthropy -that it remained with him as his leading characteristic for life. - -Gervaas, though by nature of a somewhat crusty disposition, was by no -means a cruel man—at least he had none of that delight in inflicting -pain, as such, which characterizes some of our species. In fact he was -very fond of most sorts of animals, and confined his malevolence -strictly to the human race, of which his experience had been so -unfavourable. When his medical education was completed he was sent, as -surgeon, for several voyages in an English vessel commanded by another -malignant friend of his father; and assuredly the rough and coarse life -on board had no tendency to counteract his pessimistic estimate of -mankind. The British mariners, with their habitual contempt of -foreigners, considered Doctor Van, as they called him, an eligible -subject for all sorts of violent practical jokes; which, to do him -justice, he retaliated, whenever he got the chance, by the infliction of -lingering torments in various surgical operations. - -The doctor, who had a considerable gift for languages, soon picked up -English, and a copy of the, just then published, ‘Voyages of Captain -Gulliver’ falling into his hands, he read them with intense interest; -being specially delighted with the account of the crazy philosophers in -the third voyage, and, above all, with the horrible description of the -Yahoos in the fourth. From this time, indeed, he seems to have -invariably used this term in speaking of his fellow-men. - -When he had reached the age of about thirty years his mother died; and -as his father did not long survive her, the young man inherited an -amount of property which afforded him a tolerable income, and rendered -him independent of his profession. He resolved to abandon it and visit -the East; for, having made several voyages to Bombay, he had come to the -conclusion that the Yahoos of that part of the world were less -intolerable than the European specimens of the breed. - -So he took his passage in an English East Indiaman, and, after an -uneventful voyage, landed at Bombay in the early part of the year 1729. -As soon as the anchor was cast in the roads he lost not a moment in -quitting the ship, having with difficulty escaped the indignity of being -obliged to shake hands with the Yahoo captain. On landing he took up his -quarters at the house of a trader to whom he had a letter of -introduction; and, shortly afterwards, by the merest accident, he -encountered in the street an old Parsee merchant, who, though of course -a Yahoo, seems not to have been absolutely intolerable in the eyes of -the over-sensitive misanthrope, whose notes, at this point, become -continuous for the first time.] - -‘As I was walking in the shade of a row of trees which lined the street, -I was accosted by a very ancient merchant of the Parsee persuasion, who -asked me if I had not come from England in the ship which arrived that -morning. I replied that I had been a passenger in her, and we fell into -conversation. The old gentleman was not nearly so offensive to the -senses as are the European Yahoos, and he was perfectly well acquainted -with the English tongue. I found that, in the exercise of his calling, -he had travelled a great deal in divers parts of Asia; and, from his way -of talk, I gathered that the Yahoos of those countries were fully as -abominable in his eyes as the European specimens of the breed were in -mine own. This common sentiment of loathing for our neighbours proved to -ourselves an occasion of union, and before long there was between us as -warm a friendship as two Yahoos are capable of entertaining for each -other. - -‘One day, as he was relating some of his adventures, he told me that, in -the days of his youth, when travelling on mercantile business in the -Himalayah Mountains, he chanced to meet a Thibetian gentleman named Koot -Homi. Having on one occasion done a signal service to this Mr. Homi, it -came to pass that the Thibetian, who was of a grateful turn of mind, had -always showed himself a faithful friend to the Parsee. The old merchant -further informed me that Homi was a man endowed with many and strange -gifts; that the famous wonders worked by the Indian magicians or -jugglers were the merest play of babies, when compared with the feats -accomplished by Homi; and that if you only whispered his name into the -ear of one of these magicians when engaged at his work, the magician -would give a frightful howl, and run as if Beelzebub himself was in -pursuit of him. - -‘Among other wonders wrought by this Homi was one which struck me as the -most notable of all. This was the power of moving himself, and various -articles in contact with his person, in some inscrutable way from one -district of the earth’s surface to another, no matter how remote, and -apparently in an instant of time. I asked my friend whether he had ever -visited Mr. Homi in Thibet. He told me that he had been there, but only -once; that a long and terrible journey had to be undertaken; frightful -mountain-passes had to be surmounted; that the country in which the -magician’s abode was fixed was inhabited by a strange society or -brotherhood, the members of which were endowed with many of the powers -possessed by Homi himself, who was their chief; and that access, unless -by a special permission, which was very rarely granted, was an absolute -impossibility. - -‘And hereupon the old man added an expression of his never-ceasing -regret that he had not availed himself of his opportunity when in Thibet -of endeavouring to persuade Mr. Homi to exercise his wonderful power -upon him, either by transporting him wholly from the Yahoo regions, or, -possibly, by transmuting him into a less hateful form. “I have never -ceased to mourn over my stupidity in this respect,” he said, “and, were -I only able for it, I should gladly repeat my visit to Thibet. But I am -far too old to venture on the fatigues of such a journey. As for you, -however, the case is quite different; you are an active and energetic -man; and should you think it worth your while to try what might be done -in your behalf in the way I have suggested, I will gladly give you a -letter which will enable you to pass without hindrance from the -Brotherhood to the head-quarters of Mr. Homi.” I thanked him very much -for his offer, and asked him to let me think the matter over till next -day, when I should give him my answer. - -‘The more I reflected on my friend’s kind offer the better was I pleased -with the prospect of the journey. Inasmuch as life had become well-nigh -intolerable, I cared but little for fatigue and danger. My time also was -wholly at my own disposal. So next morning I told the Parsee that I -gladly accepted his proposal; and he, without any delay, not only wrote -the promised letter of introduction, but also drew up for my use an -itinerary of the most convenient road from Bombay to Eastern Thibet, -containing notices of the towns, distances, and various peculiarities of -the countries through which it was necessary to pass.’ - -[At this point the memoranda assume a very fragmentary form. This I have -observed to be always the case when the doctor was actually engaged in -travelling. When stationed for a time in some fixed locality he wrote -out his observations pretty fully; but whenever he was moving about, -mere hints are available for the guidance of the editor. His journey was -evidently very long and arduous, and it certainly occupied several -months. In its course many obstacles were plainly put in his way by the -natives of the different territories which he had to traverse; and the -annoyance thence arising greatly ruffled his temper, and seems to have -increased to an almost incredible extent his abhorrence of the human -race. - -At last his indomitable energy and perseverance were successful. He -reached the mysterious Thibetian region; and, having exhibited the old -Parsee’s letter, he was permitted by the Brotherhood to pass to the -residence of their chief. Koot Homi received the doctor in a very -friendly manner, and even declined to inspect his letter of -introduction, assuring him that the chief of the occult Brotherhood had -no need to do so. Van Varken seems to have resided with the chief for -about five months, and was evidently admitted to great intimacy with the -whole of the Brotherhood. - -One reason for this was clearly the very great interest taken by Homi in -the ‘Voyages of Gulliver,’ a copy of which was presented to him by the -doctor. In particular, the accounts of the philosophers in Lagado, and -of the rational animals in the outward shape of horses, encountered on -his fourth expedition, were listened to by the sage with eager -attention. The chief does not seem to have even in the slightest degree -doubted the veracity of Gulliver; but he certainly expressed the most -intense contempt for the Lagado professors, laying much stress on the -profundity of their stupidity in not having amended the deplorable -condition of the Struldbrugs in Luggnagg, of whose existence the -professors were, doubtless, aware. ‘Even when immortal life was given -them to work upon, they were incompetent to ward off the effects of -senile decay! Why, the merest tiro in our schools would be ashamed to -allow the poor old Struldbrug to get into such a state,’ said he, with -scornful indignation. - -But, though he showed much sympathy with Dr. Van Varken’s longing to be -transmuted out of the species he so much abhorred, Mr. Homi did not hold -out any hopes of success in so laudable an endeavour. ‘No,’ said he, -‘many years of arduous preparation, to say nothing of rare natural -gifts, are indispensable qualifications for such transformation; few -even of the adepts are capable of it. But the power of instantaneous -passage from one terrestrial point to another is far more easily arrived -at.’ - -And it appears that, after a few months’ probation, the secret of this -process was actually communicated to the doctor; but under such rigid -obligations to silence that no traces of its nature are to be found -committed to writing. All that can be ascertained about it is this—that -an instantaneous disintegration, and equally rapid reintegration of the -ultimate molecules of the bodies to be moved is effected; that the -transit is accomplished through the medium of the undulations of the -ethereal vehicle which pervades all space; and that the rate of -transmission is identical with that of the transmission of light, -namely, about 186,000 miles in a second. Once more the notes become -continuous.] - -I was greatly pleased at gaining this new and wonderful faculty of -moving myself; but, after making a few successful essays, it seemed to -me that, after all, I should not be much the better for its possession. -Yahoos being everywhere spread over the face of the earth, wherever I -moved I should still assuredly And them; and perhaps this was the reason -why, as I was walking by myself one evening and chanced to see the -planet Venus, or Hesperos, shining in the sky, the thought came into my -mind that, inasmuch as the ether fills all the space between the -planets, it might be just possible that the power of movement by -disintegration of molecules, which, as yet, had only been essayed -between places on the earth’s surface, might extend as far as the -planets themselves. - -The moon, being far the nearest of the heavenly bodies, would naturally -seem to afford the most promising opportunity for trying the experiment; -but, having learned in Thibet that she is quite destitute of air, I -resolved to try some other region; for I thought it would be quite -useless to arrive there, and straightway perish for want of breath. If I -could only get as far as Hesperos my chances of life would be much -better, inasmuch as I was assured, by the same philosophers, that there -is good reason for believing that planet to be very abundantly supplied -with air. Moreover, it fortunately happened that she was just then -approaching the position called by astronomers her inferior conjunction, -so her distance from the earth was not much over twenty-five millions of -miles. - -The main risk I should run in attempting to make this passage would -evidently be the possibility, perhaps I should say the probability, of -extinction of the vital force during the period of disintegration, which -I estimated at a little more than two minutes. It was known to the -Thibetian Brotherhood that the disintegrated particles moved with -exactly the same speed as light; and as light requires about eight -minutes to traverse the distance between the sun and the earth, two -would nearly suffice to move it as far as Hesperos in her lower -conjunction. Whether after such an interval of suspension the vital -force would maintain sufficient energy to accomplish the reintegration -on which continuance of bodily life depends, an actual experiment alone -could show. But I cared but little for the risk. Life had long become -hateful to me; a chance was now given to escape the society of the -Yahoos, and all their abominations. I resolved to try my luck—at the -worst I should only perish. - -I made no communication of my intention to the chief, lest perchance he -should raise some objection to my intended enterprise; and, on the very -next night, at ten o’clock, I went out, taking with me, in various -pockets of the eastern dress which, for convenience in Asiatic travel, I -had adopted in Bombay, sundry small articles for the toilet, also my -silver watch, and an ingenious instrument for measuring quantities of -heat, which had been sent me as a gift just before I left home, by my -good friend, Mr. Gabriel Fahrenheit, of Amsterdam, who had lately -invented it. I sat down on a rock by the side of the mountain; Hesperos -was distinctly visible, though only a thin crescent of her illuminated -face was turned towards the earth. Carefully noting the time, which was -exactly thirty-seven minutes past ten, and having also marked the -temperature, which was fifty-seven degrees of my thermometer, as the -instrument is called, I accomplished the disintegration, indicating -Hesperos as the goal. - - - - - CHAPTER II. - HERE BEGINS THE HISTORY OF HESPEROS. - - Of the shining city of Lucetta—How Dr. Van Varken met an apparent - Yahoo—Of the great astonishment of the citizens at sight of the - Doctor, and how they gave him in charge to a committee of - three—How the committee learned the Dutch tongue, and showed the - Doctor sundry strange and wonderful maps. - - -On recovering consciousness I found myself lying on what felt like soft -grass on the steep side of a mountain. The sky was intensely dark, no -stars were visible, and, of course, there was no moon. Before me, at a -considerably lower elevation, and, as well as I could judge, at a -distance of four or five miles, I saw what had the appearance of a very -brilliantly illuminated city; the illumination was such as no artificial -light known on earth could approach in splendour. So strong was it, that -even at the distance of the place where I was sitting its effect was -quite visible in lighting the hill. In front of the city was a large -sheet of water, and on it were many moving bodies, probably ships, all -of them lighted with the same strange radiance which pervaded the city. -I looked at my watch, and, as might have been expected, I found that it -still marked thirty-seven minutes past ten. I had stupidly forgotten -that, during disintegration, the machinery could not have worked, so I -was unable to verify my computation of the time required for the -transit. The mercury in the thermometer quickly moved up to eighty-six -degrees. - -I judged it best to stay where I was till daylight, especially as I saw -some traces of dawn appearing in a quarter of the sky which I hence -concluded to be the east. I awaited the coming day with great eagerness, -and, I admit, with some anxiety, for it would be hard to say what -reception I might meet with. This much was plain—the planet was not -destitute of some forms of life, and I had escaped the detestable -Yahoos. - -But, as the reader will soon learn, my conclusion was over-hasty. As the -light gradually increased I began to make out at first the main -features, and soon the minuter details of the landscape. The sloping -ground on which I had landed formed the base of a high mountain. Dense -forests concealed the summit; the lower part, on which I was sitting, -was covered with soft short grass, and trees, most of them bearing some -sort of fruit, were here and there scattered about. A few yards below me -the steepness of the slope eased off into a gentle descent, and the -mountain finally terminated on the shore of a deep bay of clear and -still water. At the end of this bay lay the city which shone so brightly -in the night; it was about five miles from my landing-place, and, as I -afterwards learned, was called Lucetta. The opposite shore of the bay, -which was nearly ten miles wide, was occupied by a lofty range of peaked -mountains. The temperature was high, but by no means intolerable, and -the air was perfectly still. - -I saw no traces of any habitation outside the city, and no signs of -animal life, excepting birds, were anywhere visible, but of the birds -there were many and lovely kinds. I was greatly struck by the appearance -of the sky; this was completely covered with a canopy of white cloud, -seemingly at an enormous elevation. I was very desirous to get a sight -of the sun, and, if possible, to measure its apparent magnitude, which I -knew must greatly exceed its appearance from the earth; but the -thickness of the cloud was such that no trace of the disk was visible. I -had hoped, by this means, to satisfy myself that I had really reached -Hesperos, namely, by comparing the observed magnitude with that which I -had computed, and noted on a leaf of my pocket-book before I left -Thibet. So I waited another hour, but seeing no signs of movement among -the clouds, and despairing of getting an observation, I got up and -walked down the hill in the direction of the city. - -Presently the great steepness of the slope abated, and I soon arrived at -a wide and smooth track which ran along the shore of the bay. The -country was quite open; there were no walls, hedges, or any kind of -fences—not even any of those notice-boards so familiar to the wanderer -in civilized terrestrial regions, which address him by the name of -Trespasser, and convey menaces. I turned into the road, in the direction -of the city, and, after proceeding along it for about half a mile, I -descried, at some distance, an approaching object, which, to my -unspeakable horror, had all the look of a Yahoo. - -As we came nearer the suspicion became a certainty. The creature was -walking very slowly, and seemed to be quite absorbed in contemplation of -a small article which he held in his hand. He was a man of middle age, -with an exceedingly intelligent cast of countenance, and his dress did -not materially differ from the Eastern costume which had accompanied me -from Thibet. - -So I could not at all account for the extreme intensity of his -astonishment when, at last raising his eyes, he got the first sight of -me as I walked towards him. He seemed completely paralyzed, gasped for -breath, and for several moments was quite incapable of speech. Such -utter stupefaction might have been manifested by the inhabitants of -Lilliput and Brobdingnag when they first beheld Captain Gulliver, but in -the present case there was no apparent cause for amazement. At length he -recovered himself sufficiently to address a few words to me, none of -which I could understand. I replied, but with the like want of success. -I pointed to the sky, to intimate that I had come from another world, -and then to the city, as a hint that I wished to go there. Both of these -signs he evidently understood, and he turned back, and accompanied me in -silence. I must do my companion, and indeed all the Venusians (or -Hesperians) I have encountered, the justice of admitting that, though in -Yahoo form, they possess none of the offensive peculiarities of the -breed. - -We had not gone very far before we overtook a young girl of exceedingly -prepossessing aspect, walking towards the city. She too, on seeing me, -appeared to be struck with the same overwhelming and stupefying -astonishment which had produced so great an effect on my first -acquaintance. I could not understand it at all. There was nothing in the -personal appearance of either the man or the girl which struck _me_ as -extremely unusual. Why, then, should I be so extraordinarily wonderful -in their eyes? - -When we came up with the girl the man stopped, and they talked in a very -excited manner for some minutes. While they were so occupied it occurred -to me that something very remarkable might have happened in the -reintegration of my body on arrival at the surface of the planet. I -might, for all I knew, be suffering from some grotesque distortion of -features, or other bodily misfortune. But no, that was not the cause of -their wonder, for, as the road ran close along the shore, I took the -opportunity of surveying myself in the clear water, and the reflection -showed, beyond all possibility of doubt, that there was nothing whatever -astray with my personal appearance. - -Presently, hearing a slight noise behind me, I looked back, and saw a -vehicle on its way to the city approaching us. It was running swiftly, -although there were no horses attached, nor any visible motive power; -the wheels ran on two steel rods which I had before noticed lying -parallel to each other on the road. As soon as the vehicle reached the -spot where we were standing it stopped at once, and the man and the girl -making signs to me to get into it, I did so. In the vehicle were about a -dozen people, of various adult ages, the youngest seemingly about twenty -years old, the eldest about sixty. They were of both sexes, and, with -one consent, they all, old and young, male and female alike, received me -with the same intense, and, as it seemed to me, needless amazement as -the first man and girl had shown. - -The vehicle resumed its course and ran on swiftly and with exceeding -smoothness into the city. It was easy to see that I was the exclusive -theme of the eager and excited discourse of the passengers. Their manner -was very friendly, but their astonishment showed no signs of abating. A -few minutes sufficed to bring us to the end of our journey. The car ran -through a long and wide street, bordered on each side with rows of -splendid trees. Through their foliage the houses were visible. Each -house was separated from its neighbour by an interval of several yards; -was but one story in height; and, so far as I was able to judge from a -hasty glance in rapid passage, was very elaborately and tastefully -ornamented. It was plain that land was abundant, and ground rents, if -any, were trifling. - -We soon reached our destination—a large open space in the middle of the -town. This great square was surrounded by stately public buildings, some -of them being of considerable elevation. One of these was especially -striking on account of its gorgeous magnificence. It had all the look of -a vast cathedral, and the roll of deep-toned music, much resembling the -tones of a powerful and curiously sweet organ, issuing from the open -portals, served to heighten the illusion. Though still early morning, -many people were about in the square, and, as soon as we alighted from -the car, I saw the faces of all the bystanders assume the same look of -bewildered astonishment which all who had yet seen me so needlessly put -on. - -From all sides the people came running together; but there was no -crowding or pressure; the multitude were most orderly, and seemed quite -friendly in their demeanour; but it was plain that, for some mysterious -reason, my arrival indicated a crisis in the history of the city. At -last a young man, who appeared to be in a position of authority, mounted -a low flight of steps which led up to the building before which the -vehicle had stopped, and addressed a short speech to the assembled -people. The crowd at once dispersed, and three persons came forward and -took me in charge. - -Two of these were men, one of them elderly, the other of middle age; the -third of these custodians, as I had to consider them, was a very -beautiful girl, seemingly about twenty years old. The countenances of -all three were characterized by marks of extreme intelligence; and each -of them had a peculiar look which is common to all the Hesperians I have -seen, and which I can no otherwise describe than as a look indicative of -immense and profound knowledge. These three persons, as I afterwards -learned, were appointed by the man in authority as a sort of commission -to take charge of me, and endeavour to ascertain what I was, whence I -came, and whither I was going. The real cause of the intensity of the -wonder which I excited everywhere will be explained farther on. - -The elder man made signs to me to walk up the steps, and enter the large -building beside us, which I did, the others following. The steps led up -to a spacious hall, from which long corridors branched out in various -directions. One of the men inquired by gesture-language if I wished for -food. As I was by this time exceedingly hungry, I replied, in the same -way, that I was quite ready for my breakfast. Whereupon they brought me -to a room which opened into one of the corridors, where, on turning a -handle in the wall, a sliding panel opened, and a table on rollers -passed through. Various kinds of meats and drinks were on the table, and -of these they invited me to partake. I made a hearty meal. I noticed, in -particular, respecting some of the dishes, that they greatly resembled -in taste various kinds of flesh-meat, very delicately cooked, but they -were totally different in appearance from anything of the sort ever -served up on earth. - -I observed also that my three keepers did everything in their power to -induce me to give the names, in my language, of every object in sight. -The girl had a sort of small memorandum book, in which, with a fine -pencil, she constantly wrote, in what seemed a system of shorthand, the -words and sentences I uttered; and she and the two men repeated them -articulately several times. They gave me the idea that they were much -more anxious to learn my language than to teach me theirs. In fact, I -afterwards learned that this was part of the instructions they had -received respecting me. - -As soon as I had finished my breakfast they took me into a large room, -which opened into another corridor, and was hung round with all sorts of -charts. Among these I saw, to my intense astonishment, a large circular -map, about sixteen feet in diameter, on which, depicted with singular -accuracy, were the well-known outlines of the continents and larger -islands of the eastern hemisphere of the earth. The immense white masses -at the poles, the blue colour of the southern and Indian oceans, the -yellow tinge of the Great Sahara and Asiatic deserts were especially -prominent objects. The process by which this wonderful map was made was -afterwards fully explained to me. It was what they called a sun-picture -taken by the help of an enormous telescope in one of the national -mountain observatories, of which I learned much more afterwards. - -They showed me several other equally excellent charts of the earth, -exhibiting different portions of her surface. All of these were taken -when she was in opposition, and therefore were all on the same scale. -The committee showed great delight when I intimated my acquaintance with -the details of the charts; inasmuch as this was a sufficiently clear -proof of the place from which I came. I pronounced, as distinctly as I -could, the names of the continents, seas, and principal islands, -indicating, at the same time, by pointing them out, the localities -named. All of these words they repeated as before; and the girl took -them down in her rapid shorthand. - -The extraordinary quickness with which these three Hesperians acquired -the language of Holland would not be easily credited by an inhabitant of -the earth. Still it is a fact that, by the simple process of constantly -conversing with me, and recording every word I spoke to them, in little -more than a week all the three could speak our language with great -fluency; while I, who had a great facility for learning foreign tongues, -had acquired only a few words and elementary sentences of the Hesperian -speech. This training in our language was by no means confined to the -three members of the committee. Each morning the results of the day’s -conversation were faithfully reported in the Hesperian journals from the -girl’s memoranda; and the whole population of the city engaged with -heart and soul in the study of Hollandish—plainly with the intention of -putting themselves as quickly as possible in the way of getting an -explanation of my astounding appearance among them. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - - Concerning Physical Hesperography—Of the great Cloud-Screen, and its - effect on Terrestrial Astronomy—Of the Chronic Equatorial Tornado, - and of its extraordinary importance in the history of Hesperos—Of - the Giant Mountains; and of the Flora and Fauna. - - -To understand aright the nature of my intercourse with the Hesperians, I -must needs give a short description of the structure and principal -natural features of the surface of their planet; and likewise some -account of the origin of the rational inhabitants thereof, and of the -main points wherein their conditions of life differ from our own. All -this knowledge was obtained by me, after the establishment, as I have -explained, of a means of communication, in the course of many dialogues, -not only with the three whom I had instructed in the Hollandish tongue, -but also with many others, who had, with nearly equal quickness and -ease, picked it up. But I think the reader will find it more convenient -if I present him, in a connected discourse, this strange history which -came to my knowledge only by degrees and in a rather roundabout way. - -Our own astronomers have, long ago, computed the distance of Hesperos -from the sun, her magnitude, density, time of rotation on her axis, and -a few other particulars. Some of these computations are approximately -right, but they have considerably over-estimated her distance from the -sun, which is really not much over sixty-six millions of miles. And with -respect to the physical geography, or more properly, Hesperography of -the planet, they are, all of them, in absolute ignorance, and that for -the best of possible reasons—no human being but myself has ever seen her -surface. Improvements in the telescope will never enable the terrestrial -astronomers to penetrate the permanent stratum of cloud which, at an -average elevation of twenty miles, surrounds the entire planet like a -screen. The visible disk of Hesperos is simply the outer surface of this -cloud-screen, which reflects the solar rays very copiously. The -Hesperian atmosphere is of immense density, for the average height at -which mercury stands in a tube constructed after the method of Signor -Torricelli is somewhat over fifty-nine inches. It is fortunate that, -except in the equatorial region, storms are unknown, for the impact of a -hurricane of air of such density would be fatal to most forms of life. - -This ponderous atmosphere supports the stratum of cloud just mentioned, -which is sufficiently dense to act as a screen against the solar rays, -and it thus renders the climate of the greater part of the planet by no -means unpleasant. Though the supply of solar heat is nearly double of -that received by the earth, I never, during my two years’ residence in -Hesperos, experienced as much inconvenience from that source as I have -frequently met with in our own tropical countries. - -The planet is divided into two regions, which in ancient times were -supposed to be, and, in one respect, really were, mutually inaccessible. -The division is made by an immense equatorial ocean which surrounds the -entire globe. The extent of this ocean, measured from north to south, is -nowhere less than four thousand miles. Each of the poles is the centre -of a vast continent which extends on all sides till it meets the great -central ocean. The margins of these continents are exceedingly irregular -in shape, being broken by arms of the sea, which often run up the -country for many hundreds of miles. Many islands, some of which are of -considerable size, are scattered through the ocean, but none of these -lie at a very great distance from the mainland. The entire surface is -nearly equally divided between land and water, this distribution forming -a marked contrast with the present state of the earth. - -By far the most striking of the physical phenomena on the planet is the -frightful chronic hurricane which rages round the equator. To this I -must ask the reader’s special attention, inasmuch as some of the most -astounding events in the Hesperian history are only to be understood -with reference to this extraordinary and hitherto unexplained tornado. I -have already mentioned the exceeding density of the air, and also the -fortunate exemption of the greater part of the planet from storms. But -it seems that this latent energy of the atmosphere finds its vent in a -zone about five hundred miles in breadth, of which the equator forms the -central line. According to all accounts a permanent tornado, of such -violence that one who is accustomed only to the storms which occur in -the rarer atmosphere of the earth, is incapable of even imagining it, -tears and rages round this zone for ever. Still less could anyone -conceive the aspect of the ocean subjected to this unceasing and -tremendous hurricane. Anyone who could realize in imagination the -cataract of Niagara, broken loose from its American moorings, and -wandering on the sea, might perhaps have some notion of one of the -equatorial waves. - -This is the reason why I described the northern and southern Hesperian -hemispheres as mutually inaccessible. No ship constructed by mortal -hands could approach this pandemonium and live. We shall see, farther -on, that, after the lapse of many ages, counting from the first -appearance of rational life, the transit was effected in a wholly -unexpected manner. This transit led to a most awful discovery, and with -this discovery we shall see that the Modern History of Hesperos begins. - -Moreover, the differences as to heat and cold in the various climatal -regions of Hesperos are not nearly so great as those which are -experienced on the earth. This fact is partly to be explained by the -considerable increase in the density of the permanent cloud stratum, -which takes place as we approach the equatorial zone. This provides a -more effective barrier against the solar rays in the districts where -such a screen is most needed. For the purpose of residence the two polar -regions are unquestionably far the most agreeable. Each of them abounds -in beautiful lakes and magnificent mountain scenery. The Hesperian -mountains are on a much larger scale than any which occur on the earth. -In particular, starting from a point near the northern pole, there runs -in a south-easterly direction a mighty chain which has several peaks not -less than twenty English miles in height. - -Some of these peaks even pierce through the cloud-screen, and these have -been made available for the construction of extensive astronomical -observatories. There are similar, though not quite as lofty ranges in -the southern hemisphere, and their summits have been utilised in the -same way. It should be observed that, were it not for these mountains, -the Hesperians would have been wholly cut off from all knowledge of the -remainder of the universe, for none of the heavenly bodies are visible -through the permanent screen. I need not say that very great precautions -are taken at all the observatories to protect the astronomers and the -instruments from the great heat of the sun. - -I have already mentioned that, with the terrible exception noticed -above, storms are unknown in Hesperos. The country is everywhere well -watered. There are no sandy deserts. Extensive evaporation takes place -over the central ocean; rain clouds at a much lower altitude than the -screen are constantly formed, and, being wafted by very gentle breezes -over the land, discharge their contents in fertilizing rain. There are -no thunderstorms or electrical phenomena of any kind; no hesperoquakes, -no volcanoes, nor indeed any of those vast natural instruments of death -with which our earth is so copiously supplied. - -The planet abounds, as might have been expected, in multiplied forms of -vegetable life. There are many trees which closely resemble those of the -earth; many also of very different types from any known here. The great -preponderance in number of the fruit-bearing trees over the barren -species is exceedingly noteworthy. As for the flowers, I have seen none -on earth, tropical or non-tropical, which in any way approach the -gorgeous splendour of the Hesperian colouring. - -Animal life, on the other hand, is scanty, and confined to a small -number of seemingly insignificant species. The bird tribe forms the only -exception. Of these the forms are numerous and lovely, and, as they are -never molested by the inhabitants, they are singularly tame. There are -no large or carnivorous mammals; and it is worth notice that in the -small-sized and graminivorous types of this class—the only quadrupeds in -Hesperos—the reproductive power is, in comparison with the earth tribes, -exceedingly small. Insects and reptiles are wholly unknown; the numerous -birds live entirely on the abundant fruits. I greatly appreciated the -comfort of being able to sit and rest on the grass without being -immediately covered with a disgusting swarm of stinging ants, and, when -in the house, I soon learned to submit with resignation to the absence -of the loathsome cockroach and the both loathsome and dangerous -centipede and scorpion. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - - Of the Origin of Rational Life in Hesperos—Of the Cyclical Organic - Life—Of the Law of Evanescence by Mortal Lesion—The story of the - Hesperian Cain—Of the Law of Evanescence by adverse Metronomic - Balance—How a Court of Justice sentenced a culprit to Eternal - Punishment; and how the culprit escaped. - - - [WARNUNG BY ANTARES SKORPIOS.—_Should this book, by any mischance, - have fallen into the hands of any habitual consumer of the style - of literature known as ‘Shilling Shockers,’ or ‘Penny Dreadfuls,’ - the Shocked or Terrified is earnestly exhorted to waste none of - his valuable time on the pages which follow. He may rely on it - that, although up to this point he may have been able to - comprehend the narrative, the remainder of the work is utterly - beyond his tether. I now proceed with my translation._] - - -I shall now proceed to give an account of the nature and origin of -rational life in Hesperos; but, before doing so, I must venture to -address a word of advice and exhortation to the reader. Should he, -unhappily, be one of those narrow-minded persons who exalt the normal -phenomena of this little globe of earth into the unique standard and -pattern of what must needs prevail throughout the entire universe, he -had better close the book at once. But should he be of larger mind, and -allow the possibility of more than he has dreamed of in his philosophy -existing in heaven, he may perhaps find in the following sketch of the -ancient history of Hesperos, communicated to me by those who were -themselves the eye-witnesses of what they related, abundant matter both -for profitable reflection and delectable entertainment. - -I may here add that, for the convenience of these large-minded readers, -I have in all cases reduced the measures of time and distance from the -Hesperian terms in which they were given to me, to those which are best -known in Europe. Thus, when I speak of years, I mean our own period of -365 days, and not the Hesperian of 224; and similarly I have expressed -their measure of distance in English miles and feet; these being, -perhaps, the best international standards. - -The whole surface of Hesperos contains a little over one hundred and -eighty-two millions of square miles. Hence, as land and water occur in -nearly equal proportions, we have as the total amount of land about -ninety-one millions. This again, being nearly equally divided between -the north and south hemispheres, gives forty-five and a-half millions -for each. If we deduct from this the odd five and a-half millions, as an -allowance for the immensely high mountain chains, and other districts -not suited for supporting life, we shall have left forty millions of -square miles in each hemisphere available for that purpose. - -Such being the physical condition of the planet, it happened that, in -the year B.C. 18,270, just twenty thousand years ago, there suddenly -appeared, uniformly dispersed over the forty million square miles of the -northern hemisphere, exactly one hundred millions of rational creatures -in the likeness of the human race. This is an ultimate fact which has -hitherto baffled all inquiry. The manifestation took place suddenly and -simultaneously; but whether it was the result of a new creation, or of a -translation from other regions of space, is wrapped in impenetrable -mystery. For twenty thousand years the Unknown Power which called them -into being has preserved a rigid and unbroken silence. All that is known -is that at the above epoch one hundred millions of highly intelligent -creatures, equally divided between the two sexes, male and female, -simultaneously awoke into conscious life. - -Though thus strictly contemporaneous in origin, they were nevertheless, -so far as appearance indicated, of very different ages. They all seemed -to be adults, but their aspects varied between that of an adult of -twenty and one of sixty years of age. - -It is not my intention to describe the long and complicated process by -which these detached creations, all alike ignorant of what had taken -place, were, in the long course of ages, gradually amalgamated into -communities and states. This would form the subject of a separate work -on the ancient history of Hesperos, for which I possess copious -materials. [I fear lost.] I must here confine myself to setting out more -in detail the extraordinary differences, as to their circumstances and -conditions of life, which exist between the rational inhabitants of -Hesperos and those of the earth. - -The first fact which will strike the reader as a very extraordinary -difference indeed is this—that, although there is the same distinction -of sexes as is found on earth, and although there is just the same -mutual attraction between them, there is no such thing as reproduction -of the species. To counterbalance this strange fact, however, there are -no such things, at least as the result of natural causes, as disease, -decay, and death. When I said that the apparent ages of the new created -or imported Hesperians varied between twenty and sixty years, I did not -mean to intimate, and the reader is not to infer, that anything in the -slightest degree resembling the horrible condition of the Struldbrugs of -Luggnagg has place in Hesperos. Far from it; the dependence of the -bodily organism on the age of the individual in that planet has no -analogy with the progressive decay of the wretched Struldbrug; it -follows a more complicated law. - -Every Hesperian, in fact, considered solely with reference to this -bodily organism, leads a periodical life. The length of this period is -not absolutely fixed, but it may be taken on an average at one hundred -years, which may be conveniently divided into three sections, which may -be respectively named as stationary, senescent, and juvenescent. For -example, if we take a person who has just reached the apparent age of -twenty years, his organic life will proceed somewhat as follow:—For the -next twenty years he or she shows no outward and visible sign of change; -but, at the end of this first or stationary period, traces of departing -youth begin to manifest themselves. This process goes on for forty -years, much in the same way as is the case with the human race on earth; -and, at the end of this period, which we call senescent, the person has, -in external form, all the look of a man or woman sixty years old. - -At or about this time a crisis in life takes place. This crisis is -marked by the patient falling into a sort of stupor or trance, in which -he usually continues for about seven days. On awakening from this trance -he resumes his ordinary life, apparently under the same conditions as -before. But the conditions are not the same. It soon becomes plain that -the trance has wrought some mysterious change in his powers of bodily -life. At the date of his awakening the last section of the periodical -life, called the juvenescent, begins. Change both in external form and -bodily activity proceeds, but it proceeds in a reversed direction, so -that at the end of ten years the man of sixty, instead of being promoted -to the rank of a septuagenarian, has all the appearance of a man of -fifty; ten years more bring him to forty, and so on, till the limit of -twenty is reached again, and the stationary stage sets in once more. - -Thus the cycle of one hundred years is completed—twenty years -stationary, forty senescent, forty juvenescent. It should be remembered -that these numbers only give averages; they vary in different cases -within limits of a few years, nor are they, even for one and the same -person, quite rigidly fixed. So the reader must not suppose that those -who happen to be of the same apparent age at any one given date, will -evermore preserve the same chronological relation to each other. - -It appears at once from the consideration of this cyclical law, that -about one-half of the population of the planet are (apparently) over, -and the other half under, the age of thirty-five years. Still it must -never be forgotten that this cycle of events affects the corporeal -existence exclusively. Mental power is in no way under its control. -Although it is true that, during the senescent period, both the desire -and the capacity for active bodily exertion alike decline, there is no -abatement whatever in the intellectual energy, or the slightest failure -in the faculty of memory. - -This, then, is the second essential difference between the Hesperian and -the Terrestrial conditions of life. The first being the fact of -Non-reproduction, the second may be called the Law of Cyclical Organism. -A third still remains for our investigation. - -This third essential difference was known, during the period of the -ancient history of Hesperos, as the Law of Evanescence. But, before -proceeding to explain it, I must premise that, since the commencement of -the modern history, it has been ascertained that the real significance -of this law was entirely misconceived in the earlier period. Though the -facts, so far as they had been then observed, were sufficiently -accounted for by it, the observations had been very far from complete. - -The reader has, of course, already noticed, as an obvious consequence of -the fact of non-reproduction, that all the now existing rational -inhabitants of Hesperos are contemporaneous with the sudden -manifestation of rational life on her surface. Whatever appearances -might seem to indicate, not one of them is under twenty thousand years -of age. Even the lovely girl who made notes of my conversation was not a -day under it, though, at that time, I should have found it very hard to -believe the fact. I have already mentioned that there is no such thing -as death from disease or other natural and necessary cause. Still other -causes may exist, and to these a portion of the original population may -have fallen victims, so that the present Hesperians may be only the -survivors of the original creation. These, too, some day or other may in -like manner disappear, and rational life may thus be ultimately -obliterated from the face of the planet. Such indeed was for ages the -prevailing belief. How the belief was found to be based on an erroneous -view of the actual facts will appear when we come to the history of the -wonderful discovery which marks the commencement of the modern history. - -But, as for the belief itself in the likelihood of extinction of life in -the planet, its origin may be easily explained. Soon after the sudden -creation, or manifestation, of the Hesperians, the people in contiguous -districts began to fraternise with each other. By degrees small -communities were formed; rude languages were invented; private property -began to be acquired; the advantages of co-operation and division of -labour were dimly discerned. But, side by side with these marks of -progress, many discouraging symptoms appeared. These, perhaps the -inseparable companions of advancing civilization, were simply envy, -hatred, jealousy, and all kinds of malice, too often resulting in -energetic quarrelling, blows, and wounds. - -In one of these early contests one of the combatants, who had armed -himself with an exceptionally heavy bludgeon, chanced to strike his -antagonist an awful blow on the temple. The result was equally awful. -Instead of falling to the ground, stunned by the force of the blow, as -had been the usual result under similar circumstances in many previous -encounters, the man who had received it simply vanished—instantaneously -vanished. Not a trace of him was left, and the Hesperian Cain stood -staring at the vacancy which his departed brother had filled, gasping -with amazement and consternation at the work he had achieved. - -As years went on many similar cases occurred. Occasionally this -evanescence took place as the result of an accident; the co-operation of -a neighbour, though a common, was not an indispensable antecedent. For -instance, if a man fell over a precipice several hundred feet high—and -many such are to be found among the mountains—evanescence on reaching -the foot of it was invariable. - -At length, by the process of comparing a vast number of instances in -which this strange phenomenon had been observed, what was called the Law -of Evanescence was established, namely, that a certain class of bodily -injuries exist, which result in the instantaneous dissolution and -disappearance of the recipient. And here I found my medical education of -great service in enabling me to understand the nature of this law; for, -from the accounts I got of the various causes of evanescence, it became -quite clear to me that in _almost_ every case of the occurrence of the -phenomenon, what would be called in human beings a mortal lesion is the -invariable antecedent; that, in fact, the decomposition of the body, -which on the earth takes place slowly, is instantaneously effected in -Hesperos. - -Having referred to my medical education, I may call the reader’s -attention, just in passing, to a difficulty which that education brought -very forcibly before my mind. How could there be any science of anatomy -in Hesperos? No corpses could be procured for dissection. An amputated -arm or leg might be anatomised, but an examination of the structure of -any of the vital organs is simply impossible. Just as, in mediæval -times, medical students on the earth were obliged to have recourse to -the dissection of the lower mammalia, in order to learn their business, -so is it now with the Hesperians; and, in both cases, the results -arrived at may be useful as the grounds for more or less ingenious -hypotheses, but are quite insufficient as a foundation for any science -worthy of the name. - -But the above account of evanescence as, in all cases, the result of -mortal lesion, is not in absolute conformity with the facts of -experience. Such lesions are unquestionably, in the vast majority of -instances, the real causes of the phenomena. Still, occasionally, though -comparatively rarely, cases occur which seem to be irreducible to any -such rule, and these, for many ages, were regarded as inexplicable -anomalies. However, the law which governs such mysterious cases of -evanescence was at last found out, as I shall now proceed to explain. - -This important discovery was really the result of the invention of a -most ingenious instrument, by means of which the degrees of pain and -suffering on the one hand, and of joy and satisfaction on the other, -endured or enjoyed by any given individual, during any assigned period, -may be accurately measured, their aggregate amount computed, and the -balance on either side struck. The machine is constructed somewhat on -the principle of Mr. Fahrenheit’s thermometer, but the details of the -construction, and of the mode of fixing the unit on which the -calculations rest, were not communicated to me; indeed, the Hesperian -who gave me a general account of it very frankly assured me—and I find -no difficulty in believing him—that to understand its mode of action -lies far beyond the range of my merely human faculties. However this may -be, it is not easy to see how, without some such invention, the Second -Law of Evanescence could have been discovered; but, by the application -of this wonderful instrument to a great number of cases, the Law in -question was at last established on a sufficiently wide inductive basis. - -This Second Law of Evanescence may be stated in a popular form as -follows:—Evanescence takes place whenever the total quantity of -suffering undergone by anyone, exceeds, by a certain fixed amount, the -total quantity of happiness he has enjoyed. This fixed amount when -estimated by the Hesperian joy-and-sorrow-metronome, above described, is -exactly ten million units of its scale. When this negative balance is -reached, the second law acts spontaneously, and the sufferer is thus -released from all further misery. - -Under the existing conditions of life in Hesperos, it would be hard to -over-estimate the importance of this law. For example, only for it there -is nothing to prevent a court of justice from sentencing a prisoner to -eternal punishment. And, as a matter of fact, one of the very earliest -noticed cases of anomalous evanescence was the result of just such a -sentence. - -The case occurred, about three thousand years after the creation. At -that time, states, governments, and courts of justice had been fully -established. In one of the larger islands not far from the northern -continent, a somewhat turbulent citizen had, in a quarrel commenced by -himself, ‘evanesced’ one of his neighbours, a man who happened to be -exceedingly popular in the community where he dwelt. Public indignation -was thereby excited to a terrible pitch. Cases of violent evanescence, -or, as we should call them, murder, were frequent in the earlier -periods; but, at the time of this outrage, they were beginning to be -regarded with much disfavour. Owing to the absence of reproduction, it -was quite plain that, unless this practice was discountenanced, the -depopulation of the planet was inevitable; and, inasmuch as the question -‘Is Life worth living?’ had not yet been answered in the negative, it -was resolved that the whole force of society should be brought to bear -against all violent evanishers. - -This state of public opinion, combined with the great amiability of the -victim, induced the judges to pass on the criminal a sentence which they -must have believed to amount to eternal punishment, namely, penal -servitude for life. Life was, at that time, held to be interminable, -except by violence; and, inasmuch as the convict in prison was secure -from everything of the kind, the sentence could bear no other -interpretation. However, at the end of about three years and a-half, the -prisoner, without any apparent lawful reason, suddenly evanesced. This -event greatly puzzled the community where it occurred; but after the -discovery of the Second Law, there was no further mystery about it. The -man’s absolute wretchedness at the forlorn prospect before him of -everlasting life in jail, was quite sufficient, without his undergoing -any other form of physical suffering, to work his deliverance. The -negative balance of ten million units was reached in the three years and -a half, whereupon he departed into invisibility under the natural -operation of the law. - -It is obvious that the time which is required to make up the fixed -number of metronomic units will depend very much on the degree of the -intensity of the suffering undergone. Instances have occurred where a -few days of exceedingly acute bodily torture have sufficed to raise the -index to the required point. On the other hand, a man who is only -suffering from chronic _ennui_ may endure for half a century; the -balance against him rising by very slow degrees. It should also be -remembered that when a man who has enjoyed a very happy life falls into -adversity, he will certainly have much sorrow to endure, before he can -hope for deliverance by this beneficent law; for the balance on the -positive side (for joy), which will be high, must be reduced quite down -to zero before the negative summation begins. - -From the above-stated facts the reader will have perceived that the -conditions of rational life among the Hesperians differ from those -experienced on the earth in several essential points. The most important -of these are the three following:—The absence of any reproduction of the -species; the exemption of the individual from death, so far as this is -the result of natural and necessary causes; and the cyclical waxing and -waning of the powers of the bodily organism. Evanescence, though its -real nature was unknown, had plainly, for the ancient Hesperians, the -same significance as death has for us; the only difference being that, -with them, the dissolution of the body was an instantaneous act, instead -of being effected, except when accelerated by fire, through the medium -of a slow and loathsome process of decay. - - - - - CHAPTER V. - - Of the causes of the high civilization of Hesperos—Of the relations of - the sexes—Of private personal property—Of property in Land; and of - the methods of Eviction—Of the Jacks and Masters of all Trades. - - -When we bear in mind these essential differences of Hesperian life, the -rapid development of civilization which took place in the northern -hemisphere after the sudden introduction of the rational creation will -not appear surprising. So far as I have been able to form an estimate, -from the information that has been very freely afforded me, the newly -created Hesperians were, both intellectually and morally, much on a par -with the average of human beings. But the conditions under which they -were placed rendered their advance in civilization incomparably more -rapid than anything which a similar species, circumstanced as we are on -the earth, could hope to attain. - -Their total exemption from the chronic paralysis of the human race which -is involved in the incessant passage of the latter through the stages of -infancy and childhood, would, by itself, be enough to give the -Hesperians such a start in the race as to render competition useless. -With us the intelligent man of matured wisdom departs, carrying with him -to the grave the greater part of his accumulated stores of knowledge, -and all his skill; leaving his successor, the child, to recover them as -well as he can. The Hesperian is crossed by no such check; his course is -one uninterrupted advance. Thus it came to pass that, after the lapse of -a few thousand years, the condition of the northern hemisphere was, as -regards every form of advanced civilization, a very long way ahead of -anything even dreamed of, much less realized on earth. - -It is quite necessary that I should here say a few words on the -relations between the sexes in this strange planet. On this difficult -subject I have taken abundance of notes from the information I received; -information which, I am bound to say, was given me without the slightest -reserve. [I suppress all details in these notes, as public opinion, very -rightly, does not permit the discussion of such matters.] It is obvious -of itself that the permanence of individual life renders the -establishment of such a life-contract as marriage an impossibility. -Accordingly, the Hesperian relation which most nearly corresponds with -the matrimonial institution on earth usually lasts for one of the -cyclical periods already described as one of the distinctive -peculiarities of Hesperian life. This is, I say, the customary -procedure; but the relation is terminable at any time, and at the will -of either party concerned. It should, of course, be remembered that, as -there are no children, the disastrous consequences which would be the -inevitable result of such a state of things on earth do not take place. - -As for the institution of private property, the same permanence of -individual life gives it quite a different form from that which it -assumes under the conditions of death and succession. Personal property, -indeed, in our strict sense of the term, can hardly be said to exist at -all. There being no real family life—for the mere dwelling together of a -childless man and woman can scarcely be called by such a name—a -different social unit has been adopted. Three or four persons of each -sex usually reside together, thus forming a household numbering six or -eight, and ‘property’ has commonly reference to the household so -constituted. The reader will see further on that this account of -property is only correct for the _ancient_ history of the planet. - -With respect to property in land, very great troubles took place in the -primitive times; and many ages elapsed before a satisfactory settlement -was arrived at. Hesperos is, in comparison with the earth, very sparsely -populated. One hundred millions of inhabitants to forty millions of -square miles of land, give but an average of two and a-half to each -square mile. Now, if we assume that the area of England is about 50,900 -square miles—an estimate which does not much differ from the fact—and -that the population (A.D. 1730) is somewhere about seven millions, we -have above one hundred and thirty-seven to each square mile. In an -island of like dimensions in Hesperos—and one such really exists not far -from the mainland—there are only 127,250 inhabitants. - -Hence it would seem that the land supply is greatly in excess of the -needs of the population. But there are such extraordinary differences in -the eligibility of particular sites as places for residence, that great -competition invariably arose for those spots which are specially -favoured by nature. These disputes were much aggravated by the -conviction that the successful candidate had acquired a real, _bona -fide_, and by no means fictitious perpetuity in the coveted abode. Thus -these bitter feuds only too frequently resulted in the eviction of the -occupier by one or other of the well-known processes by which -evanescence was brought about; either that of mortal lesion, which was -commonly effected by somebody lying in wait for the envied tenant in -some lonely place; or by the slow method of the metronomic balance, -carried out by imposing on the victim a sort of social ostracism, -refusing to hold any intercourse with him, or indeed supply him with the -necessaries of life. - -Matters at length proceeded to such extremities, that the governing -bodies, in alarm at the depopulating process, passed a very stringent -land law, limiting the tenure of any holding to the period of the Life -Cycle, which, as we have already seen, averages one hundred years. At -the end of that period the estate was disposed of by lot, but there was -no rule to prevent the incoming tenant from coming to terms with the -outgoer. It must be distinctly understood, however, that, as the extent -in area of each holding was strictly limited by law, there was abundance -of land for everyone, and the dispossessed occupiers were merely -transferred to another part of the country. - -Permanence of individual life again is the cause of a marked difference -in Hesperos from anything we experience on Earth, with respect to the -tenures of the various occupations, trades, or professions, by the -persons who exercise them. With us life is so short, and art so long, -that when a man has once acquired the skill which is needful for his -calling, he has but small opportunity, after having exercised it for a -time, of ever learning another. But eternal tailoring or shoe-making, or -even eternal writing of poetry, or painting, or playing on the fiddle, -could not be thought of. Any attempt to carry out such a permanence of -occupation would quickly terminate in the evanescence of the patient by -the operation of the metronomic law. - -So here again the life cycle is usually adhered to; and on its -completion the subject almost invariably adopts a new calling. Hence a -strange state of affairs now in Hesperos—every man, and woman also, is -not only Jack, but master, or mistress, of all trades. A friend told me -that, during the last seven centuries of the ancient period, he had -successively occupied the positions of miner, lamp-maker, -cathedral-organist, confectioner, marine engineer, barrister-at-law, and -maker of sun-pictures. - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - - Of the Universal Language—Of the Universal Empire and first measures - of the World-Parliament—Of the great progress of the Hesperians in - all Physical Science; and of their fruitless craving after the - Unknown God. - - -It has been already mentioned that the land surface of Hesperos consists -of an immense polar continent, bordered with a very considerable number -of islands, which vary greatly both in magnitude and configuration. The -island populations naturally lived for a long period in complete -separation from each other, and the hesperographical peculiarities of -the continent, such as extensive chains of impassable mountains, -produced a similar effect on the mainland. Hence, just as on earth, -different nationalities came into existence; and also, as on earth, each -of these different nationalities had its own special language. But, as -time went on, ships were invented, and communication between the islands -and the continent became frequent. Commerce soon assumed extensive -proportions; for in Hesperos, as in the earth, different regions abound -in different products. Engineering operations also had been organized on -a large scale, and these required much transportation of minerals and -other materials of construction. - -In the sixth millenary period, counting from the rational creation, a -most important improvement was originated by the Hesperians; an -improvement which brought still more notable changes in its wake. This -was the adoption of one universal language for the globe, in room of the -many which had sprung up in the different states. By this time they had -fully realized their positions as permanent denizens of the planet, and -the advantages of a universal medium of communication were too obvious -to need discussion. For this reason all the independent governments -united in an international convention, and appointed a large committee -of the most eminent philologists to consider the whole question. -Pursuant to the report of this committee, a universal language was -adopted; and the whole Hesperian world set to work, resolutely, at its -study. In a very short time the polyglot system came to an end, and the -language still spoken over the whole planet was an established fact. - -The adoption of this universal language prepared the way for the union -of all the separate states into one vast empire. Thanks to the reckless -use of the two methods of evanescence, the original population of one -hundred millions had, in the lapse of ages, dwindled down to little more -than eighty millions, and eighty millions were not considered to be too -large a number for a single administration. It is true they were -scattered over an exceedingly wide area; but, even at the time I speak -of, an admirable system of communication had been organized. The -sciences of mechanics and chemistry had made astonishing progress, and -natural forces had been discovered and utilised for the purpose of -locomotion. Of these, however, a fuller account will be given further -on. - -Here it will suffice to mention that, in the year 5784, the whole -northern hemisphere was finally united under one central administration, -chosen by the suffrage of the whole Hesperian population, male and -female alike. For it should be noticed that, as a consequence of the -female sex being exempt from the cares of maternity, they take a much -larger share in the pursuits of the other sex than would be at all -desirable, or even possible, with us. - -Two highly important measures were at once agreed to by the -world-parliament—first, the limitation of tenure of land to the cyclical -period of life, which had been already adopted by most nationalities, -was made a universal law; and, secondly, very stringent penalties were -annexed to the crime of procuring the evanescence of any one. Whether it -was effected directly or indirectly no difference was made in the -penalty, which was evanescence of the perpetrator by the -ten-million-unit process applied by a cat-o’-nine tails. - -Some years later another resolution was passed to the effect that it is -inexpedient that any city should be allowed to exceed the limit of one -hundred thousand inhabitants. This was issued rather as a recommendation -than as a binding statute; but its expediency was so plain that it was -almost universally adopted. The legislature were induced to pass it, in -consequence of the congestion of the population at Lasondre, which had -been unanimously selected as the metropolis and seat of government. The -natural advantages of its situation, at the head of a vast indentation -of the continent by a bay of the central ocean, its magnificent scenery -and delightful climate, rendered it so desirable a residence, that, at -the time when this resolution was passed, the population had already -reached the incredible number of two millions; it was still on the -increase, and the resulting inconveniences were so manifold and severe, -that it was further resolved to emigrate the superabundant citizens -gradually, by the help of the cyclical law. - -It must not be supposed that, during all the ages which had elapsed -before the establishment of the world-parliament, speculation had not -been rife among the Hesperians as to the nature and significance of the -sudden and mysterious wakening into life which they had all -simultaneously experienced. Quite the reverse was the fact. From the -very earliest period, even from the time when small groups of them had -invented the first rude forms of speech, the questions how they had been -formed, how summoned into life, whence had they come, and whither were -they going, had been started, discussed, solved, the solutions rejected, -abandoned for a time as hopeless, again resumed, and as zealously as -ever re-discussed, with the same results as before. All were agreed that -Something had made them, and had made them for some purpose. But that -the Something either could not or would not speak to them, or hold any -sort of communication with them was a patent fact, and this caused -unutterable sorrow to the Hesperian mind. - -In the earlier ages all persons were so much engrossed with the cares -unavoidable for the supply of the necessaries of life; and, besides, -were so deeply interested in investigating the physical laws of the -world in which they were placed, that this increasing source of grief -and anxiety did not produce as much effect upon them as it did in later -times. But even then there was hardly a small town to be found which had -not, among its public buildings, some sort of a temple, with the -inscription ‘To the Unknown God,’ whom they ignorantly worshipped and -longed after, but in vain. - -And, not only were they in this state of darkness respecting their Maker -in consequence of the absence of any form of a direct revelation, but, -being absolutely cut off from all knowledge of the remainder of the -universe, by the physical structure of their atmosphere, they were also -debarred from reaching Him through the medium of His works. The -cloud-screen which shelters them from the fierce solar rays is -impenetrable to vision, and thus, so far as any knowledge of the sun, -and planets, and stars is concerned, they might as well have been a race -of blind men. How it was that the canopy over their heads passed -regularly in the course of about twenty-three hours and a-half through -the two phases of brightness and darkness, was to them an inexplicable -phenomenon. All sorts of conjectures, hypotheses, theories, were -hazarded, but none were accepted. The phenomenon was not even universal. -At one place, near the centre of the continent, and for a considerable -distance around it, the alternation of light and darkness followed quite -a different law. For, instead of the change taking place at intervals of -a few hours, light shone steadily for more than a hundred and twenty -days, and was followed by nearly as long a period of darkness. It was an -inscrutable puzzle. Some said that on one or two occasions a round and -shining body had been dimly seen for a few moments through the mist, and -that this might possibly have something to do with the illumination. But -the fact was discredited, and the alleged appearance ascribed either to -an optical illusion or deliberate mendacity. The observers, accordingly, -being invariably treated with either contempt or personal violence, the -theory disappeared. - -Meanwhile great progress continued to be made in all departments of -physical science. The various branches of mathematics were extensively -and successfully studied, and the Hesperians became most expert -geometers. The art of ship-building was soon carried to a high pitch of -excellence, and various methods of propelling the vessels through the -water were devised by the mechanical engineers. Some such artificial -propulsion was almost indispensable, as the prevailing calms rendered -the use of sails unavailable. One of the earliest motive powers -extensively employed was the expansive force of the vapour of water, -raised at a high temperature; and for many hundred years these curious -ships were in actual use. I have seen several of them which are still -kept in a vast marine museum at Lasondre. The vapour-engines propelled -the ships either by means of great wheels furnished with boards which -turned in the water, or by the action of one or more screws at the -stern, which worked much as the tail of a fish does in shoving the -animal along. But the use of the vapour of water as a motor was found to -involve a terrible waste of power, and it has been long since abandoned. - -The progress of chemical science led to the discovery of an -inexhaustible supply of force, which combines all the advantages of -small cost, extreme portability, resistless strength, immunity from -risk, and universal applicability. All this was obtained by the steady -work and indomitable perseverance of three chemists who, contrary to -usage, devoted themselves to this one branch of science for several -consecutive cyclical periods of their career. Not being skilled in -chemical learning, I was unable to comprehend the nature of their -discovery; but I was told that it consisted in the application of -certain laws of combination among various gases, each of which is easy -to manufacture and store up. - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - - Of the first attempt to pass the Equatorial Tornado; and its tragical - issue—Of the attempt to pass the Cloud-Screen. - - -These improvements in ship-building and ship-propelling were naturally -followed by a great development of the science of navigation, to which -the mathematical powers of the Hesperians formed an invaluable -auxiliary. And thus all that was possible for them to ascertain -concerning the physical universe was soon learned. The circumnavigation -of the globe was easily effected, for the shape of the continent was -such that it could be made without going out of sight of land. Other and -more adventurous ships were sent on voyages of discovery in a southerly -direction, and these made the discovery of the frightful tempest, -mentioned before, which rages everlastingly in the equatorial zone. Not -one of these ships succeeded in getting within two hundred miles of the -equator itself. The crews reported unanimously that, even at that -distance, the seas were simply terrific, and appeared to increase -rapidly in violence towards the south. Some of them escaped from the -vortex with extreme difficulty. - -Whereupon two ships were specially constructed for the purpose of -carrying out this exploration. They were of extraordinary strength, -fitted with immensely powerful gas-engines, and provided with a -seemingly inexhaustible supply of the necessary chemical agents. A crew -of one hundred volunteers embarked in each, and they started together on -their perilous expedition. After eighty-five days one of these ships -returned, but only twenty-five of her crew were with her; the rest had -vanished either by mortal lesion or metronomic misery. The survivors -reported the existence of an absolute pandemonium. The crew had -succeeded in forcing the ship about fifty miles further into the zone of -tempests than any of the former explorers. But further progress was -hopeless. The man who before described to me one of the waves as a -wandering cataract was among those who escaped, and his escape was a -very narrow one indeed. He told me himself that when he got back into -port his negative metronomic balance wanted but a few units of the point -which would have terminated his career. And though they succeeded in -forcing their way out of the tornado, this was only accomplished by -putting on such power as threatened to tear the sides out of the ship. -One of the Niagara-like waves fell on the sister-ship, and she was never -seen again. - -After this tragedy an act was passed forbidding all attempts to enter -the South Sea. Though many volunteers were ready to risk their lives, -the legislature refused to sanction such peril. - -So now the Hesperian knowledge of the Universe, at the period I speak -of, may be shortly summed up as follows:—They knew that their place of -abode was a spherical cap. Some had at first maintained that it was a -circular plain; but this theory was soon exploded. The uniformly -circular horizon visible at sea, and on every large plain, and the -results obtained from a general survey of the continent by -triangulation, combined to discredit the planar and establish the -spherical theory. They knew, also, from pendulum and other experiments, -that, at a spot coincident with the centre of the presumed sphere on -which they lived, an unknown centre of force existed to which all bodies -on the surface tended. And beyond this knowledge there was a great -blank. What lay outside the cloud-screen or beyond the equatorial ocean -had not entered into the Hesperian mind to conceive. - -The attempt to pass the ocean, and the hopes of thereby being enabled to -gain some further knowledge of the works of the Unknown Maker, having -been completely baffled, the attention of the Hesperians was at once -concentrated on their only remaining resource—the possibility of -penetrating quite through the cloud-screen. Could this be passed, it was -possible that something might be found beyond it which would throw some -light on the dark problem of their origin. But difficulties, seemingly -insuperable, lay directly in the way of any such attempt. I have already -mentioned that a chain of gigantic mountains extends in a south-easterly -direction for several thousands of miles from the vicinity of the North -Pole, and that several of the peaks of this chain attain an altitude of -not less than twenty miles. But, to the ancient Hesperians, the real -height of these peaks was quite unknown. No man had ever seen their -summits, for they were lost in the cloud-screen. - -It might certainly be supposed that here was an obvious way of entering, -and possibly penetrating through the screen. But a very short -description of the physical features of the mountains will suffice to -dispel any such notions. - -All the engineers who had made a minute survey of the great mountain -chain seem to have agreed that the particular peak which afforded the -most favourable opportunity for ascent is one which is situated at about -three thousand miles from the pole. It should be remembered that the -level of the cloud-screen crosses these peaks at an altitude of about -twenty miles, or, in round numbers, one hundred and five thousand feet. - -At the place referred to, the several stages of the ascent would be as -follows:—First, about twenty thousand feet of easy slopes lead to a wide -table-land, a resort much frequented by Hesperian households on account -of its delightfully cool and bracing climate. Then follow ten thousand -feet of steep ascent to the glacier region. This region, which is -commonly regarded as the most formidable obstacle to success, extends, -at an average inclination of forty-five degrees, to a vertical height of -twenty thousand feet more. The strata of rainclouds, which are as -different in formation from the cloud-screen as water is from smoke, -never attain a greater elevation than ten miles; so here we have the -limit above which neither rain nor snow can be deposited, and where, -consequently, the glacier region ends. - -This brings us to an altitude of fifty thousand feet above the level of -the ocean, and next comes the region of precipices which stretch up to -the cloud-screen. This final ascent is divided into three gigantic -steps; the first, and smallest of them, about ten thousand feet high, -leads to a wide plateau; next comes the most awful of the three, not -less than thirty thousand feet, terminating in a much narrower terrace, -from which starts the last of the steps. This is not exactly a -precipice, but a slope of seventy-five degrees; about fifteen thousand -feet of this are visible; it then enters the cloud and is lost to view. - -The above description has, I trust, made it manifest that an attempt to -reach the screen by the mountain route would prove a very arduous -undertaking. Vast labour and cost would be essential, and here the -advantages of the great world-parliament became exceedingly conspicuous. -The enterprise was cheerfully voted to be a world-work. There was no -fear that it would come to an untimely end through lack of any material -supplies. A committee of the ablest engineers was appointed to examine -and report on the most favourable spot for commencing operations. They -were not long in coming to an unanimous decision, and the works began. - -It was resolved to drive a tunnel the whole way from the table-land -under the glacier as far as its upper edge. This formidable work was -found to be quite indispensable, in consequence of the incessant -avalanches and ice-falls which, issuing from the glacier, fell down the -steep slope to the table-land. Indeed, they were obliged to start the -tunnel at a distance of fully five miles from the foot of the slope, as -a security against the blocking of the entrance. Running nearly -horizontally for these five miles, it then bent upwards at an angle of -forty-five degrees, and, after a total rise of thirty thousand feet, -issued at the top of the glacier, close to the foot of the first step in -the series of precipices. The excavation of this tunnel, which was -nearly thirteen miles long, was an exceedingly formidable task. But it -was undertaken with such zeal and energy, and carried on with such -perseverance, that the seemingly insuperable obstacles were at last -overcome. Gangs of experienced miners, superintended by skilful -engineers, relieved each other, night and day, at the work. Every -material required was supplied in profusion. The new dynamical agent -which had supplanted the vapour of water as a motor force, had been -rendered available for instantaneous percussive action, after the manner -of gunpowder, but with incomparably greater energy; and this was -extensively utilised for the removal of the rocks. Still, as it was not -possible to work at the tunnel except on one face, several years elapsed -before the miners emerged into daylight at the top of the glacier. - -Here, before beginning the assault on the region of precipices, an -immense depôt was established. The tunnel was laid down with double -lines of the same sort of parallel steel rods as those which I had -noticed on the road at Lucetta. On these ran a series of small trucks, -driven by an endless chain which was moved by the gas engine -beforementioned; and by means of these all the stores required were -easily brought up. - -At the height of fifty thousand feet, which had now been reached, little -or no difficulty in breathing was encountered. This was probably owing -to the extreme density of the Hesperian atmosphere, which, as was -noticed before, is so great that the mercury in the tube of Torricelli, -at the sea level, stands at an average height of more than fifty-nine -inches. Moreover, the slow rate at which it was observed to fall, during -the ascent of the last few thousand feet, gave the engineers good hope -that, even at the summit, a sufficiency of air to support life would be -found. - -The ascent of all the three stages of the precipice region was effected -by the process of cutting open galleries, inclined at an angle of thirty -degrees, in the face of the vertical cliff. The region of ice and snow -having been passed, tunnelling was no longer necessary. Four zigzags, -each a mile long, sufficed to reach the first terrace, where another -depôt was constructed; and a few years’ more labour, and about a dozen -similar zigzags, accomplished the ascent of the tremendous middle -precipice, thus bringing them within fifteen thousand feet of the -cloud-screen. - -As the great work neared its completion, the anxiety and excitement, not -only of those actually engaged in it, but of the entire population of -the planet, rose to a scarcely conceivable intensity. It was now plain -that the cloud level would be reached; but no light had as yet been -thrown on the question whether the mountain top did or did not pass -through the cloudy stratum. If it did not, all their labour of years had -been merely thrown away, and they were left as before in absolute -ignorance of the external universe. And the fact that the ascent which -still remained to be scaled, was not absolutely vertical, but, sloping a -little, even at its foot on the last terrace, appeared to diminish its -inclination as it approached the cloud, gave reason to suspect that the -actual summit of the mountain was not very far off. It may be added that -the cloud itself, as they came nearer, presented an unpromising -appearance of great density. - -So, the final depôt having been constructed, the work on the last series -of galleries was begun and carried on with greatly increased vigour, -till an altitude only a few yards lower than the under surface of the -cloud was gained. At this place the angle of inclination of the cliff -had eased off to sixty-three degrees, and it was thought advisable, in -view of the unknown possibilities of the mountain inside this thick -screen, to establish, by blasting away the rock, a level surface of -sufficient extent to enable them to build yet another storehouse, before -venturing to proceed with the sloping gallery. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - Of the great courage of three engineers—How they passed the Screen and - saw the Host of Heaven—How they further discovered a Disk of - Unknown Fire—Of the reception of the news throughout the world—Of - the construction of a mountain Observatory; and of the rapid - growth of Astronomical knowledge. - - -The levelling of the rock was necessarily a work which required a good -deal of time; and, while it was proceeding, three of the engineers -formed the daring project of scrambling up the cliff, into the cloud, -and endeavouring to penetrate through it by themselves. All the three -were in the stationary period of life, and, consequently, in the -possession of full bodily strength and activity. The cliff was in most -places rough enough to give good hold for both hands and feet. Still, to -venture on a climb through a dense mist, on the face of a nearly -precipitous and wholly unknown mountain, where a single slip would be -certainly followed by immediate destruction, was regarded by their -comrades as too hazardous to be thought of. - -But the three were not to be dissuaded—I ought, perhaps, to mention that -it is to one of these daring men I am indebted for the account of the -whole expedition. Their preparations were soon complete, for their -equipment was very simple; each of them took about one pound weight of -some sort of food in a highly concentrated form, and a flask containing -a pint of water. Water, it may be observed, was valuable at this -elevation, for every drop had to be carried up from the glacier region. -Each man also carried a coil of about five hundred yards of fine, but -very strong twine. This was intended to be used as a clue to guide them -back to the camp. Fixing an end of one of these coils to the wall of -their store, they started on their perilous journey at two o’clock in -the afternoon. Without very much difficulty they scrambled up to the -edge of the cloud, and there disappeared from the sight of their -friends, most of whom believed that they had gone mad. - -As a proof of the great care and skill with which the works had been -carried on, I may here remark that, up to this time, but one fatal -accident had occurred. This was during the construction of the galleries -on the face of the thirty-thousand-feet precipice. The top had been -nearly reached, when a man, who was heaving a fragment of rock over the -edge, lost his balance, and fell with the fragment. His horrified -comrades watched his terrible fall, unbroken for about twenty thousand -feet; there he touched a projecting spur of the rock, and evanesced -instantly, mortal lesion having been made. - -As soon as the three adventurers had entered the cloud they had the -satisfaction of finding that, at all events, one possible obstacle, an -obstacle which might have proved fatal to the success of the whole -undertaking, had no existence. It had been feared that the atmosphere of -the cloud-screen might turn out to be unfit for the support of animal -life. But they found no difficulty in breathing. The extreme tenuity of -the air, of course, rendered active exertion very laborious and -exhausting, and thus, though the rock was not unfavourable for climbing, -their upward progress was exceedingly slow. They often encountered -difficulties which were quite insuperable, and which compelled them, -retracing their steps, and recoiling their clue, to seek another line of -ascent. - -As they slowly attained a higher altitude, it became quite plain that -the angle of inclination was steadily becoming less. Before long it -reached fifty degrees, and this change of slope, though it eased their -climb, caused great apprehension to the climbers, for it seemed to -indicate an approach to the top, and certainly no signs of any abatement -in the density of the mist had yet become visible. To reach the summit -while still wrapped in the cloud would be the deathblow to all their -hopes. - -This angle of fifty degrees continued unaltered for a considerable -distance. At about six o’clock, after four hours’ hard work, they came -to the end of their second coil of string. Night was evidently coming -on; they sat down on a small ledge of rock, and after taking some -refreshment, they fastened their last coil to the string already paid -out, resolved to proceed till it also came to an end. - -A few hundred feet further on the slope suddenly grew much steeper, and -this, requiring additional exertion in the very thin air, soon produced -such exhaustion in two of the party, that they were obliged to stop -again and rest. - -By this time it had become quite dark, and the third engineer, who was -still in as vigorous a condition as when he started from the camp, -imagined that he perceived overhead through the mist what seemed to be -small twinkling lights. Immediately he resumed the ascent, and still -holding the clue, climbed a few yards higher up the mountain. And then -he stopped and held on to the steep rock with both his hands, while he -looked at the great Host of Heaven shining in the black depths of space. -The cloud terminated above as abruptly as it began below. He had reached -the edge, and the vision came upon him suddenly. - -When he recovered his speech he called softly to his companions to -follow up the clue, for the cloud was passed. They struggled up with -difficulty, and then all three stood together in silent wonder at the -spectacle before them. They had not the slightest conception of its -meaning; what the lights were; whether connected or not with their own -abode; what were their distances; were they living beings—for a falling -star, which suddenly flashed across the sky, suggested this question. -Seen through that exceeding thin air, the splendour of the stars and -planets was greater than what we, who have only seen them through a much -denser medium, are able to conceive. Conspicuous above them all in -beauty and brightness was the earth itself, which, being then in -opposition, was at its least distance from the observers. When in that -position, the earth presents to the Hesperians a much more brilliant -object than their planet does to us. For, though not receiving as great -a supply of light from the sun as Hesperos does, this deficiency is far -more than balanced by the fact that, when in opposition, the whole of -the illuminated face of the earth is visible at Hesperos, while only an -exceedingly thin crescent of Hesperos is visible at the earth. - -Notwithstanding the intense coldness of the air, they stood for a long -time contemplating the wondrous illumination. At last they became -conscious of a change in the scene. The small lights began to grow dim, -while the light diffused around them increased. The upper surface of the -sea of cloud which lay stretched out on all sides, a few feet below -them, gradually manifested itself as a smooth greyish-coloured plain. -Behind them, towards the east, the mountain still sloped steeply up; -but, at no great height above their heads, the top was distinctly -visible. They resolved to continue the ascent, having first fastened the -end of their clue, which was now unnecessary, to a conspicuous -projection of rock about a hundred feet above the upper cloud surface. - -The remainder of the climb, which was hardly a thousand feet more, was -easily accomplished by the three engineers, now rested and reinvigorated -by success. And, on reaching the summit, which proved to be a small and -nearly level platform of rock, they were rewarded with another spectacle -totally different in kind, but fully as astonishing as that which met -their eyes when they emerged from the cloud. - -By this time every trace of the heavenly lights had vanished, and they -beheld on all sides of them a perfectly uniform and level plain. At one -point, towards the east of this plain, an object was visible which at -once absorbed the entire attention of the three. A very small segment of -a fiery circle bordered on the horizon, shedding a track of bright light -over the cloudy sea, which lay about a thousand feet below them. As they -gazed and gazed on the fiery segment, it soon became plain that the -segment belonged to a burning circular disk which was rising out of the -cloud. The segment quickly grew into a semicircle; a few minutes more, -and the whole disk became visible, left the cloud, and mounted slowly in -the sky. At the same time the vast plain took a snow-white colour of -dazzling radiance, and the heat emitted from the disk became so intense -that the three mountaineers retreated quickly into the shadow of the -peak by descending a few steps on the western side. One thing had become -quite clear to them, namely, the cause of the daily illumination of the -cloud-screen. It was evidently the great disk of unknown fire, which was -still mounting in the air and travelling towards the west. - -Obviously no delay was to be made in descending to the camp and -communicating to their comrades the tidings of the complete success of -the expedition. They were obliged to use great caution on the downward -journey. All mountaineers are aware that the descent of a very steep -slope, where a single slip would be fatal, is a much more ticklish -process than its ascent, insomuch that some have ventured to affirm that -few great ascents would be made if the descent came first. By two -o’clock in the afternoon they had accomplished the descent of the open -part of the mountain; they easily found the string fastened to the -projecting rock, and, re-entering the cloud, and guided by the clue, -they very slowly, but without accident, found their way back to the -camp, which they reached about six o’clock in the evening. - -The reader will easily understand the joy which the safe return of the -three engineers occasioned in the camp, and the intense interest with -which their story of the marvels visible beyond the cloud was listened -to. Their report was hastily committed to writing, sent down by the -tramways, and circulated through the world with all speed. Operations -were instantly resumed at the gallery, which had still to be driven -through the cloud stratum. It was resolved to continue it right up to -the top of the mountain, for the report of the engineers rendered it -quite plain that an extensive observatory must be established there, and -that a corps of the ablest mathematicians and best trained physical -observers must take up their permanent abode in it, in order to -investigate the nature and meaning of the myriad smaller lights and the -great fiery disk. - -Meanwhile, daring the progress of the works, many of the artificers who -were in the prime of life, repeated the ascent which had been so -successfully accomplished by the three pioneers; with the guidance of -the clue, this was now a comparatively easy undertaking. Before the -lapse of three years the first Hesperian observatory had been actually -built, and a body of twenty-five of the ablest scientific men entered -upon the study of practical and theoretical astronomy in that elevated -abode. As a protection against the violence of the unscreened solar -rays, a cavern was excavated in which the observers could pass the -daytime at their calculations, and, issuing forth at nightfall, they -laboriously watched the stars. - -The speed with which these men found out the clue to the explanation of -the complicated phenomena before them, would be quite incredible to -anyone who did not bear in mind the remarkable conditions under which -they worked. This was no case of a gang of stolid country bumpkins -contemplating for the first time the starry heavens. Every one of the -observers was an expert geometer, was perfectly familiar with all kinds -of algebraical calculation, and had been trained for centuries in every -type of physical observation and experiment. Before the discovery of the -heavenly world telescopes had been invented; but, being adapted for use -on the surface of the planet only, they were all of small size. The vast -field for observation now disclosed, created a demand for a much more -powerful class of instruments, and the stimulus thus given to opticians -soon showed its effect in most important improvements in the manufacture -of glass. Before many years were over, high class astronomical -instruments were attainable, including those by which angles can be -measured to an extraordinary degree of minuteness. - -Thus the great rapidity with which this able band of observers succeeded -in reducing the chaos of the fields of heaven to an orderly cosmos may -be explained. I need not attempt to recount the successive steps in -their marvellous progress. A very few days after they began their -systematic labour, one of them suggested the real rotation of the planet -on her axis as the cause of the apparent diurnal movement of the -celestial sphere. This conjecture was speedily verified by pendulum -experiments at the pole. Then followed the discoveries of the -distinction between stars and planets and satellites; the distances and -magnitudes of the planets; the position of their own world among them, -and the dependence of the whole solar system on the sun. In short, by -the close of the ninth millenary period, the Hesperian astronomy was a -long way in advance of anything even now known on earth. - -In the ancient history of Hesperos this discovery of the external world -forms by far the most important epoch, and, for several centuries, the -study of astronomy seems to have absorbed a great part of the energies -of the inhabitants. Two other places were found on the mountain chains -of the north, where, by going through the same kind of works as those -detailed above—some of them involving even greater difficulties in their -execution—peaks which rose above the cloud were reached, and -observatories built upon them. It thus became possible to compare -observations taken at different parts of the surface, and astronomical -discoveries proceeded with still greater rapidity. - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - - Of the development of World-Weariness in Hesperos; and of the second - attempt to cross the Equatorial Tornado—How the Forlorn Hope - succeeded, and discovered a City of the Dead—How the terrible - mystery of Evanescence was explained; and how the crew set out on - their return. - - -But, notwithstanding the signal success which had attended their -labours, there can be no doubt that during the next thousand years a -general feeling of gloom and despondence gradually settled down over the -Hesperian race. That the brilliant discoveries of the astronomers had -failed to throw the faintest glimmer of light on the question of -questions—Who was their Maker?—was a fact which could not be disguised. -An answer to this was as far off as ever—further off, indeed. They had -learned the enormous extent of the universe, and, as a consequence, that -the Hesperians, so far from exhausting its contents, were no more than -insignificant specks in its unfathomed deeps. In the vast profusion of -worlds they felt themselves lost. If their Maker had charge of that vast -universe, he might well have forgotten them altogether. Why, then, -should they not depart from life? The door of exit was always open. A -fall down the nearest precipice was always easy, and the instantaneous -dissolution of the body was an unfailing remedy for every ill. - -This feeling of discontent with life, or general world-weariness, -reached a climax in the concluding years of this period; and its -existence in the mind of a small band of practical engineers was -certainly the main cause which led to the terrible discovery that placed -an indelible line of distinction between the ancient and modern -Hesperian histories. - -Although the northern hemisphere only was accessible for exploration, it -was by this time perfectly well known that the planet is a sphere. Hence -they considered it not at all improbable that, to the calms of the -north, a similar condition in the south might correspond; and that the -chronic hurricane which had hitherto barred the passage to the southern -ocean might prove to be confined to a zone not exceeding a few hundred -miles in width. Should this be the case, it might perhaps be passed, and -a southern continent discovered. This would greatly develop astronomical -science; nothing less than a hemisphere of unseen stars might be brought -into vision. Moreover, a transit of Mercury across the face of the sun -would take place in a few years; and, in order to utilise this, a place -of observation in the southern hemisphere was essential. - -It occurred to one of these engineers that, though no ship floating on -the surface of the ocean could possibly live in the equatorial tornado, -it might be practicable to devise a submarine vessel which, by sinking -to a very great depth below the surface, could traverse the four or five -hundred miles of raging cataracts, and then, emerging from the depths, -might find a smoother sea. - -It was plain, however, that whoever ventured on such service must be -content to incur imminent risk of utter destruction. No one could -venture to guess how far downwards the seemingly preternatural -disturbance might reach; or what horrors fatal to every form of life -might be met in those frightful abysses. So, except for that feeling of -weariness of life which was fast growing through the world, it is not at -all likely that a body of volunteers, sufficiently numerous, could have -been found for a service of such exceeding peril. In one respect, -indeed, but only in one, this new enterprise had not as terrible an -aspect as that which had been undertaken by the earlier and unsuccessful -voyagers to the south. These earlier voyagers had actually ventured on -the Infinite, for they had no clue to the shape or extent of their -world; but, thanks to the astronomers, it was now well known that the -planet is, at all events, bounded in every direction. - -The engineer communicated his plan to some of his comrades, and, after -trying a great many experiments in submarine navigation on a small -scale, they succeeded in constructing a model boat, which promised well -for success. Their next step was to collect a sufficient number of -volunteers; they considered that fifty would suffice. Owing to the -desponding feeling then prevalent, the fifty, a forlorn hope, were soon -found. They then applied to the world-parliament for the funds necessary -for building and fitting out the ship, which would be a very costly -undertaking, in consequence of the enormous strength which would be -requisite to resist the water pressure at the great depths to which they -would be constrained to descend. But, in the interest of scientific -discovery, the funds were readily supplied; the works were commenced -without any delay; and, in about two years, the ship was complete. It -was lavishly supplied with stores of food, and force, and every -requisite that could be conceived; and the fifty embarked and started -for the south; none of them expecting, or indeed much wishing, ever to -return. - -All of them were excellent engineers, and practised astronomers; indeed -the hope of extending the field of the latter science had certainly some -influence in stirring them up to their expedition. They continued on the -surface of the water till they approached the stormy region. Into this -they penetrated, still keeping on the surface, till the violence of the -waves became so great that it was no longer possible to steer the ship. -They then stopped the propelling engines, and opening the valves which -admitted water into the tanks, sank slowly into the deep. At the depth -of five hundred feet they found the sea quite still, and they started -the propellers again. But, a few miles farther on they had to go five -hundred feet lower. As they approached the line of the equator itself -they were obliged by degrees to go lower and lower, till at last an -immersion of two thousand feet was reached; and, at this depth they -forced their way for about two hundred miles. - -The ship behaved admirably. Notwithstanding a pressure exceeding a -thousand pounds on the square inch, not a trace of a leak could be -discovered. At last they thought they might venture to rise a little; -so, by altering the inclination of the propellers they gradually -ascended about a thousand feet without any unpleasant result. At this -height, signs of water disturbance rendered it inexpedient to continue -their upward progress till they had made another fifty miles of their -voyage. They then ascended five hundred feet more; at that depth the -water was rough, but practicable. Fifty miles further, they ventured to -force the water out of the tanks, and rise to the surface. This they did -very slowly and cautiously, and on emerging they found that the zone of -tornadoes was passed. The sea was still exceedingly rough; but looking -back towards the north, it was easy to see, from the much greater -violence of the waves in that quarter, that they had left the equatorial -hurricanes behind them. - -They were now in the southern hemisphere, and, as well as they could -compute, about two hundred and fifty miles south of the equator. The -total width of the belt of storms, at the place where they had crossed -it, they estimated at five hundred miles. As they proceeded towards the -south, the sea became smoother and smoother, till they reached a region -of nearly perfect calm. They resolved to hold on their course, due -south, till they either reached land or the South Pole itself. - -On the ninth day after their emergence they sighted land. The country -was evidently mountainous; overhead, the cloudy screen continued -unbroken, and seemingly at the same elevation as in the north. Soon the -ship was near enough to the shore for the crew to be able to discern -unmistakable signs of life; and, on rounding a headland, a city of -moderate size came into view. The style of the buildings was in no way -different from that which was familiar to them at home. As they cast -anchor a few hundred yards from the shore, they could see that the pier -was densely crowded with people, who had been evidently attracted by the -strangely-shaped vessel. - -Presently one of the crew, taking up a spy-glass, leaned on the handrail -and took a steady look at the people on the pier. He had not gazed for -more than a few seconds when he suddenly turned as white as a sheet, -staggered back a couple of steps, and, gasping for breath, handed the -glass to the man beside him. The captain asked him what was the -matter—‘It is a City of the Dead,’ he stammered, in a voice all but -inarticulate with terror. - -A like expression of horror came over the second man’s face, as he also -looked through the telescope. And no wonder at it. The people who were -standing on the pier had lived with them in the north, and were believed -to have vanished from life for ever. A feeling like that which arises on -earth in the presence of a ghostly visitor came over the crew. They were -plainly face to face with some terrible mystery, which was now to be -cleared up. - -Meanwhile a boat with several rowers pushed off from the pier and came -swiftly towards the ship. As she approached, several of the engineers -recognized in the steerer the man who had perished on the awful -precipice which leads up to the great observatory of the north. When the -boat came within hail, this man shouted, ‘We have been expecting you for -some time, and we congratulate you on your submarine passage.’ So it was -plain that these mysterious people knew all about the expedition. They -saw the consternation of the engineers, but evidently did not -reciprocate their confusion. On the other hand, all seemed highly -delighted at the arrival of their old friends. More boats came out to -the ship, and the crew were speedily landed. The citizens received them -with great kindness; took them hospitably into their houses, and, when -the astonished guests had rested, and recovered a little from their -state of utter stupefaction, the supposed ghosts communicated to them -the history of their adventures in the southern hemisphere. - -The substance of what they learned was as follows:—The phenomenon of -evanescence, hitherto supposed to be the final destruction of the -subject in which it takes place, is only the first step in a much more -complicated process. The evanescence itself consists in a sudden -disintegration of the molecules which compose the body. But these -disintegrated, and therefore invisible, molecules are really endowed -with an affinity or attraction which tends to the south pole of the -planet. Just as on earth, the magnetic needle turns into the magnetic -meridian, so on Hesperos those organized molecules which enter into the -structure of a rational animal, when freed by disintegration, -instantaneously seek the South Pole, the transmission taking place with -the exact velocity of light. On reaching the pole, reintegration is -equally instantaneous; so that in Hesperos we may say that the death, -decomposition, and resurrection of the body form three consecutive steps -in one connected series of events, the whole of which is accomplished in -a single instant. - -Evanescence, then, in the northern hemisphere, and indeed in the -southern also, is nothing more nor less than instantaneous transference -to the South Pole. The reintegrated body is, with one most important -exception, an exact reproduction of the disintegrated original. The -exception is this: any bodily organ which has suffered a lesion of any -kind is restored in its primitive healthy condition. Had this not been -the case, many a man would have been doomed to the shocking fate of -languishing in a maimed and mutilated state for evermore. The two laws -of evanescence which have been observed in the north are equally valid -in the south; but it should be remembered that the transference is -always to the _South_ Pole, no matter in which hemisphere evanescence -occurs. - -Hence it is obvious that, before the arrival of the submarine boat, the -conditions of population in the north and in the south respectively were -directly contrasted. In the former there was a constantly diminishing -number which could not be increased; in the latter a constantly -increasing number which could not be diminished. But it was quite plain -that, assuming the return voyage of the submarine ship to be -practicable, equilibrium would soon be restored. - -Such were the main facts communicated that evening to the astonished -engineers. They all retired to rest in their new quarters half petrified -with amazement and horror. The gate of exit from life was shut and -barred—or rather, none such had ever existed. What was supposed to have -been one had no such real significance; and if there was one anywhere it -had still to be found. - -To their question, How had the southerners become aware of their -projected submarine voyage? their hosts replied that one of the -northerners who had been evanesced by an accident while the ship was -building had, on arrival at the pole, communicated the plan. Indeed, in -this way, by the frequent arrivals from the north, the southerners were -kept well posted up as to everything which took place at the other side -of the equator, and had learned all the grand results of the new -astronomy. - -The engineers resolved to lose no time in making the return voyage; and -they offered to take with them, as passengers, any, to the number of -fifty, who chose to revisit their former habitations; more than fifty -they could not easily accommodate. The offer was gladly accepted. Among -those who returned they brought the oldest inhabitant of the south, the -victim of the Hesperian Cain, whose untimely extinction, just 9997 years -before, had led to the discovery of the first law of evanescence. He was -now, to all appearance, in the twenty-fifth year of his age. Also three -of the crew of that ill-fated ship which perished in the abortive -attempt to cross the surface of the equatorial sea accompanied them. - - - - - CHAPTER X. - - The oldest inhabitant of the South relates its history—How the awful - intelligence was received in the North. - - -As the return voyage occupied several days, the engineers had a good -opportunity for obtaining from the passengers much interesting -information concerning the past history and present condition of the -southern hemisphere. In both physical structure and configuration the -northern and southern portions of the planet are very similar; a great -polar continent, with many islands off the coast, being the leading -feature common to both. The south pole itself is situated in the middle -of a very wide and fertile valley, surrounded on all sides by gently -sloping hills. The climate is delightful, especially in the spring and -the autumn; and this attraction, combined with the fact that the pole, -hitherto, had been the sole port of ingress to the hemisphere, caused -its selection as the site of the southern metropolis. - -The oldest inhabitant proved invaluable as a historian. His account of -the origin and gradual growth of the city was as follows:—‘When I found -myself extended on the ground at the pole, I had no conception of what -had happened, or even that I had been moved from one place to another. I -remembered distinctly the fight in which I had been engaged, my own -exasperation, and the furious gestures of my antagonist. But he had -vanished altogether, and the place where I now found myself was quite -different from the scene of the combat. I got up and looked around me. -The country was similar to my former place of abode; the same abundance -of fruit-trees; the same pure streams of water; but the hills and -mountains were quite differently shaped and grouped together. I could -see no signs of rational life; the silence was broken only by the sweet -singing of the birds, of which, as before, there were many kinds. - -‘While I was still lost in astonishment at what had occurred, there -suddenly appeared on the exact spot of ground where I had, a few minutes -before, awakened into new life, another man extended on the grass. An -instant before not a trace of him was visible. For a moment I imagined -he must be my recent antagonist, and I instinctively prepared to renew -the battle. But he turned out to be a man I had never seen before; his -speech was unintelligible to me, as was mine to him. We separated; he -walked off to seek his fortune elsewhere, while I remained in the -neighbourhood of the strangely-haunted spot which is now known as the -South Pole. - -‘Before long more arrivals took place in the same mysterious manner. I -must necessarily omit details: it will suffice to say that before many -years had expired a population amounting to several thousands surrounded -the pole. As most of these men, and women also, arrived in consequence -of mortal lesions received in fights, it turned out that they were, as a -general rule, of rowdy and quarrelsome dispositions, and thus for many -centuries the lovely country was little better than a pandemonium. - -‘But by degrees things began to improve. Among the importations there -was always a respectable minority of orderly persons, whose evanescence -had been brought about either by accident, or when honestly fighting in -self-defence. Order has always a tendency to prevail over disorderly -violence. The orderly party combined and formed a compact body on the -side of regular government. A sort of vigilance committee was -established to keep guard over the pole itself. The special function of -this committee was to take charge of all fresh arrivals, to explain to -them the actual state of affairs in the south, and to enlist them on the -right side. - -‘Thus, at last, the anarchical period came to an end. After the -establishment of the universal empire in the north, and the consequent -cessation of international war, immigration to the South Pole diminished -enormously. Such things as batches of several hundreds arriving in the -course of a few minutes from a field of battle were no more heard of. -The rowdies themselves showed signs of reformation; they were never -intrinsically bad, and they are now as well conducted as any in the -south. - -‘The comparatively few who still continued to drop in from the north -proved of inestimable service. As you are aware, they taught us the -universal language, and they have always kept us well informed in the -history and discoveries of the larger world. Owing to the great -congestion of population at the metropolis which naturally resulted from -the conditions of immigration, it was found necessary, about two -thousand years ago, to adopt very stringent measures for its abatement, -and great numbers of the inhabitants were removed to other parts of the -country. Since that time the northern limit of one hundred thousand has -been rigidly observed.’ - -Such was the main part of the information given to the crew of engineers -as they pursued their northern course through the smooth waters of the -southern sea. When the equatorial zone was reached they descended once -more beneath the waves, and by the same process and with no more -difficulty than before effected its passage. On the twenty-second day, -after a total absence of fifty-three days, they arrived in safety at the -port of Lasondre. - -By this time their return was expected in the northern metropolis, and -the anxiety of the people had risen to very great intensity. As the ship -was entering the harbour the whole population swarmed on the quays. The -city was decked with every sign of rejoicing, and the sweet-toned peal -of the great bells which hung in the towers of the vast world-cathedral, -erected in honour of the Unknown, filled the air with their music. But -when the engineers landed with their company who had returned from the -dead, and when the knowledge of what had been found spread into the -city, all was hushed in silence. Joy at the safety of the crew, and at -the unexpected sight of their departed friends, was none the less; but -awe was the predominant feeling. The certainty of everlasting life, and -of the shutting for ever of the only door of exit, were not to be -lightly received. The tremendous intelligence was immediately -communicated to the world, and the Modern History of Hesperos began. - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - HERE BEGINS THE MODERN HISTORY OF HESPEROS. - - How the two hemispheres were amalgamated—Concerning the Sympathetic - Telegraph; and how the great astonishment of the Hesperians at the - first sight of the Doctor was fully explained. - - -On the morning after the return of the ship the parliament met, and -immediately passed a vote for the construction of a large fleet of -submarine vessels, to be built on the pattern of the original whose -voyage had proved so successful. It was evident that intercourse on a -very large scale would take place between the two hemispheres. The -southerly journey, as was now well known, might be effected in quite a -different way; for an energetic blow on the head provided the intending -traveller with a swift and gratuitous passage to the South Pole. But -there were many objections to this mode of transit; and, at all events, -the return journey was strictly confined to the submarine route. - -So the new fleet was at once put on the stocks, and all the Hesperian -dockyards were provided with work in abundance for several years. -Meanwhile the original ship was kept on hard duty. On each voyage, and -in both directions, she was crowded with passengers, some eager to see -the new discovered world, others longing to revisit the scenes of their -former life. Presently, as one of the results of the discovery, there -arose an important question in international law. Whether those persons, -now residing in the southern hemisphere, and subjects of its government, -but whose evanescence had taken place subsequently to the establishment -of the universal empire of the north, were still bound by their northern -allegiance, or, had the fact of evanescence discharged them of that -allegiance, thus leaving them lawful citizens of the south. - -The question involved some nice points; but fortunately there never was -any occasion to bring it to an issue. For, the advantages arising from -the amalgamation of all the northern governments into one universal -empire were so manifest, and were so thoroughly appreciated even in the -south, that the union of the two hemispheres in one universal planet -empire very speedily took place. In fact it took place immediately after -the important preliminary question was settled, In which hemisphere -should the seat of the central government be fixed? Many circumstances -seemed to suggest that it should be in the south, and at the pole. - -The explanation of the real significance of evanescence which ultimately -revolutionized Hesperian life, was not the only piece of astounding -intelligence imported into Lasondre by the submarine ship, on her first -return voyage. Even in the midst of the general stupefaction occasioned -by the return of the dead, the announcement of another extraordinary -discovery excited the attention of the citizens. This was no less than a -method whereby instantaneous communication might take place between two -persons no matter how widely separated they might be on the surface of -the planet. - -The discovery was made in this way. About one thousand years earlier, a -man who was an earnest student of chemical science, was engaged in -trying some experiments at Lucetta. These experiments were of a highly -dangerous character; and one day, notwithstanding all precautions, a -terrific explosion took place. So violent was it, and so minute were the -fragments to which the experimentalist’s body was thereby reduced, that -there was scarcely need for the first law of evanescence to operate in -removing the remains from the land of the living. However, of course, it -_did_ operate, and the chemist was duly reintegrated at the South Pole. -He was, as usual, received by the vigilance committee, who explained to -him, as they were in duty bound to do, the circumstances of his new -life. - -The chemist, nothing daunted, proposed continuing his experiments; and -the southern authorities, hearing the nature of them, and suspecting -that a considerable series of sudden disintegrations and reintegrations -of his body were likely to result, kindly assigned him a laboratory -quite close to the pole—a fact which materially facilitated the -memorable discovery which soon rewarded his labours. - -At a distance of a few miles to the east there is a hill which is mainly -composed of a singular-looking mineral which has not, as yet, been found -anywhere else in the planet. This mineral occurs at a very small depth -below the surface, in separate masses, none of them exceeding ten pounds -in weight, is of a bright green colour, and possesses the remarkable -property of very easily splitting into exceedingly fine rods, no thicker -than an ordinary needle. - -Desiring to make an analysis of this mineral, which the southerners -called molygdon, the chemist procured a great quantity of these rods, -cut them into lengths of a few inches, and tied them up tightly in -bundles which he left for some days on a shelf in his laboratory till he -was ready to examine them. When he was at leisure, he took one of these -bundles, untied it, and threw the little rods into a flat vessel full of -water, in which they floated, their specific gravity being small. To his -great surprise the rods speedily assumed positions parallel to each -other. He twisted one of them a little out of its direction, whereupon -all the others turned through the same angle, so that the parallelism -remained. - -At last, after a long and careful series of experiments he succeeded in -establishing the following momentous law:—Two needles of molygdon which -have been kept in close contact for not less than thirty-six hours at -any spot not exceeding three hundred yards’ distance from the South -Pole, possess the property of always remaining parallel to each other, -whenever they are freely suspended in parallel planes, no matter how -they are situated with respect to each other on the surface of the -planet. - -This discovery afforded an easy mode of immediate communication between -any two places in the southern hemisphere. All that was needful was to -suspend two needles, rendered sympathetic by the above process, on -pivots in the centres of two circular cards. A code of signals was -easily devised, sufficient for ordinary purposes; and, by placing the -letters of the alphabet round the edges of the cards, verbal -conversation could be carried on. - -Soon after the discovery of this important law of nature, the southern -parliament resolved to utilise it on a vast scale by founding an -institution which would enable any two persons, even without being in -possession of two directly sympathizing needles, to communicate with -each other. It was estimated that the population of the south was not -much under twenty-five millions. Accordingly, twenty-five million pairs -of these sympathetic needles were manufactured, and each needle was -mounted in a suitable circular box. This was done at the national -expense; the intention being that one box should be given to each -inhabitant of the south, the corresponding box being deposited in a -building to be erected in the metropolis for the special purpose of the -safe custody of the duplicates. As each box was a small cylinder, not -exceeding three inches in diameter and one inch in height, no very large -space was required for their accommodation. These duplicates were all -arranged in order and numbered; the corresponding number being stamped -on each sympathetic box. - -The process of conversation thus became very simple. For example, No. -23,482,657 wishes to say a few words to No. 10,334, who is somewhere, -but where he knows not, in the southern hemisphere. He sends his message -to the central depôt. The stirring of the needle there rings a small -bell, and displays a white mark on the front of the box. The clerk on -duty takes it down, reads the message; then taking box No. 10,334, he -repeats it to the required correspondent. Of course, any two particular -friends who may have occasion for frequent conversation can have, in -addition, two special needles with which they can communicate directly. - -All the passengers in the submarine ship were provided with these boxes, -and, on their arrival at Lasondre, the question, whether the sympathetic -influence extended to the northern hemisphere, was at once decided in -the affirmative. Communication with the South Pole was just as easy from -the north as from the south side of the equator. - -The South Pole being thus the most convenient centre for communication -with the entire surface of the planet, had evidently strong claims for -selection as the site of the universal metropolis. And before two years, -dating from the return of the ship, were over, the whole planet was -united in one vast empire, and the seat of government fixed at -Australis, as we may style the city of the South Pole. - -The united government at once extended to the whole world the signalling -system which had been so successfully carried out in the south; this, of -course, involved an enormous addition to the depôt in Australis. And -now, for the first time, the exact number of the primeval creation of -the rational inhabitants was definitely ascertained. It was found that, -at the era of the ship, there were in the northern hemisphere 70,589,347 -persons, and in the southern 29,410,653; thus the total population, -which had never been increased, nor, as they had just learned, -diminished, was, as before stated, exactly one hundred millions, and -these were equally divided between the male and female sexes. - -Several years elapsed after the return of the ship before the stupendous -change which had been wrought in the condition of the Hesperians, by the -knowledge they had acquired of the indestructibility of life, began to -produce the effects which afterwards became conspicuous. They were -essentially a travel-loving race, and the great stimulus given to this -propensity by the discovery of a new hemisphere seems for a time to have -absorbed a good deal of their energies. The epoch, moreover, was -immediately marked by the complete cessation of voluntary evanescence—in -other words, of suicide, which, under the influence of the widely-spread -world-weariness, had become only too common during the last age. When it -was clearly understood that evanescence only meant change of place, the -ignoble custom came to an end. - -It is well worth notice that, at the era of the union, the southern -empire, though numerically far inferior to the northern, had reached a -very much higher stage of both moral and political development. This -superiority is easily explained. For thousands of years the southerners -had been acquainted with the true conditions of life; that is to say, -they had known that each individual is an indelible unit, in no way to -be obliterated; and, therefore, that it is expedient for society to make -the best of him. This same knowledge also reacted on the individual, -however badly disposed he might have been by nature. He knew perfectly -well that he could no more get rid of the society than the society could -get rid of him; that, in fact, society was by far the stronger of the -two, and, for this reason, it was plainly his interest to conduct -himself at least in an inoffensive manner. It was invariably found that -such a course of behaviour, steadily maintained for a lengthened period, -reacted so strongly on even a malignant character, that, in a century or -two, the subject became a worthy member of society. - -In the northern empire, on the other hand, as it was believed, and -indeed with truth, that an undesirable and troublesome neighbour could -at any time be suppressed, either by the gallows or some equivalent -method, criminal legislation seems to have rather aimed at the -extirpation than the reformation of the offender. But after the era of -the ship, and subsequent union of the whole planet, all this was very -speedily changed. - -Through the entire period of ten thousand years which, at the time of my -arrival, had elapsed since the beginning of the modern history, no -revolutionizing discovery had taken place. But, slowly and silently, a -change took place in the characters of the Hesperians, which ultimately -led to the complete remodelling of the greater part of their social -institutions. Evanescence, except as the result of accident, wholly -disappeared, for the age of violence was passed, capital punishment was -an impossibility, and suicide a fruitless ebullition of temper. The -enforced toleration of everyone by everyone else, worked, in the course -of ages, as its inevitable result, a greatly increased kindliness of -disposition and demeanour; and this was still further helped when -progress of time, combined with the absolute fixity of the population, -brought about the strange state of things, that each individual was -personally acquainted with every other member of the Hesperian -multitude. The number of his acquaintances was 99,999,999. - -And now we have the explanation of the great intensity of the -astonishment which my sudden appearance in Lucetta excited in that town. -Though not differing very much either in person or dress from many of -themselves, yet the mere fact of my being a stranger to them was -sufficient evidence that I was either a new creation on the planet, or -had come from another world. In either case my arrival gave them hope -that some light was about to be thrown on the great question which had -vexed them all so long—Who was the Maker of the Universe? - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - - Of the great social changes which resulted from the discovery of the - Indestructibility of Life. - - -When this period of the acquaintance of everyone with everyone else had -been reached, very little time intervened before a completely -socialistic system was established all over the world. In fact it soon -became obvious to all that private property had now become a clumsy -incumbrance. The substitution of socialism was greatly facilitated by -the extreme ease with which all the necessaries, and most of the -luxuries, of life were procurable. This was partly due to the favourable -climatic and other conditions of the planet, and partly to the -extraordinary progress which had been made in the physical sciences in -general, and in chemistry in particular. The universal abundance of -vegetable life has been already noticed, and also the absence of all -noxious and destructive types of the animal kingdom. Food, in the shape -of esculent fruits, grew everywhere and in superfluous abundance; and, -for all who tired of these, a perfect equivalent for the flesh of -animals was readily available. - -Hesperian chemists had, long before this, completely solved the problem, -which still baffles their terrestrial brethren, of the artificial -formation of organic compounds from their ultimate elements. For -instance, the seeming roast-beef with which I was regaled on my first -morning in Lucetta, had just before been manufactured from some carbon, -azote, and water, with a very small admixture of fluorine and potassium, -without interfering with and inconveniencing any animal whatever. All -the purveyors of provisions were good chemists. It is true that, some -thousands of years earlier, the Hesperians were in the habit of using -animal food, but the practice has been for ages abandoned, and is now -regarded with abhorrence. Milk and butter and eggs are also manufactured -with equal ease, and of singular excellence, out of similar materials. - -So much for the supply of food. As for their clothing, it is exceedingly -simple, and is made exclusively from vegetable products. It is worn, -indeed, merely as a protection from heat or cold; for the notion of -there being anything indecorous in appearing in a state of nudity has no -existence in the Hesperian mind. Thus, the two great leading wants being -easily supplied, the population being all personally known to each -other, and a due consideration for the wishes of their neighbours being -universally recognized as a ground of moral obligation—engrained as this -had been into the disposition of each through ages of exercise—the -establishment of a perfect socialistic system was easily accomplished. - -The state of society which, at the time of my visit, prevailed over the -whole planet, was one which could not have existed under less favourable -conditions of life. It was not based on the chimerical theory that -everybody is supposed to sacrifice himself for everybody else; and thus -unite in each person the incongruous characters of a greedy baby and a -self-denying saint—selfishly and unscrupulously taking from others the -fruits of their labour, while unselfishly yielding up whatever he has -earned by his own hard work. Far from it: the Hesperian system was -founded on the fair and rational doctrine of give and take, honestly -carried out. No one was afflicted with an inscrutable desire of -thrusting a ‘happiness’ on his neighbour which he, for himself, -repudiated with scorn. The gifts of nature were so very liberal that a -small amount of daily labour on the part of each person sufficed to -discharge his debt to the society; and this amount was, by everyone, -regarded as a rigorous debt of honour, never to be shirked or evaded in -any way. - -In the appointment of this prescribed quantity, it was a recognized -maxim in practice that, whenever it was possible, the inclination of the -labourer should be consulted. Special commissioners entrusted with this -task were from time to time appointed in each town and district. The -work proceeded with great smoothness. Everyone was anxious to do his -share honestly. There were none of those idle scamps whose only object -is to loaf around in idleness at the expense of their neighbours, and -whose existence elsewhere renders every form of socialism an -impossibility, except under a system of espionage so rigorous as to -render life an intolerable burden. Everyone, by this time, being quite -competent for the work of every skilled trade or calling, exchanges of -allotted tasks were easily effected. The more irksome the labour, the -shorter was the time required from the labourer. Sometimes it would -happen that a man or woman would prefer, instead of working for a short -time each day, to execute a long task by continuous labour, so as to -have leisure afterwards for some special pursuit; this also was a matter -easily arranged. - -This organization of labour was not nearly so complicated a business as -such a task would be if attempted on the earth, even if we were to -assume that the average terrestrial character was as well-conditioned as -that of the Hesperians. For it is plain that, under the Hesperian -conditions of life, the number of separate callings and professions is -comparatively small. A world where there are no children has no need for -the vast machinery of education; the great army of schoolmasters, -tutors, and professors is non-existent. The absence of death leaves no -place for the undertaker and his ghastly satellites. There are no -clergy, for there is no known God. - -Medical science is, as has been already noticed, in a very strange -condition, or rather is non-existent. Dissection of the vital parts of -the body being impossible, the physician is indebted to the analogy of -the lower animals for his hypotheses as to the structure of the rational -being. Fortunately, diseases are unknown. - -As for surgery, a singular revolution in its practice was an immediate -result of the discovery of the real nature of evanescence. In the -earlier ages, before the weariness of life had set in to any great -extent, the occurrence of any grave bodily lesion, which, though not -fatal, was sufficient to involve a serious mutilation, or the entire -loss of organs of perception, was a calamity so great that the -inhabitants of the earth, confined as they are to one short bodily life, -would find it hard, even in imagination, to realize its severity. In -spite of all precautions such accidents sometimes took place, and the -unhappy sufferers, reluctant to surrender their whole existence, would -often consent to undergo operations which had the effect of leaving them -to abide for ever as helpless, mutilated trunks. So the Hesperian -surgeons were skilful amputators of limbs, and they could, and often -did, perform other serious operations for the purpose of preserving the -patient from evanescence. Still their success was but small, for the -wretched condition of the sufferer usually led to the extinction of his -life under the metronomic law of Adverse Balance—evanescence, in fact, -was only postponed. - -But, as the world-weariness gained ground, few were found who were -willing to purchase life at so heavy a price. And finally, when the true -nature of evanescence was understood, all operations except those of the -most trifling character ceased at once. Whenever a serious accident -takes place, an anæsthetic sufficiently powerful to destroy life is -administered, and the patient awakes immediately, with his organism -restored, at the South Pole. - -The complete establishment of the communistic system also contributed to -the simplicity of the social arrangements in the planet; inasmuch as all -the multifarious professions which are incidental to the tenure of -private property collapsed at once. There was no further need for -lawyers, attorneys, bankers, stockbrokers—still less for -stock-jobbers—and the great multitude formerly required to serve as -policemen, coast-guards, and excisemen, were now at liberty for more -directly useful occupations. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - How the Doctor delivered a course of lectures on the History of the - Earth and its Inhabitants—Of the effects of his ghastly - description—Of the attempt of two Hesperians to reach the Earth; - and of its unsatisfactory result. - - -[At this point the doctor’s notes become very scanty: still the -following facts may be readily gleaned from his memoranda. Hesperos was -the abode of one hundred millions of rational and highly-cultured -beings, incapable alike of increase or diminution in number, constrained -to exist on the surface of the planet, and firmly believing in the -existence of an intelligent Creator who, although in all his works which -were accessible to them, he manifested unmistakable marks of -benevolence, refused to speak to or hold any communication with his -intelligent creation. And yet, for such communication they craved with -all their soul and with all their strength. The vast temples erected in -their cities to the Unknown God, and the solemn services held therein, -as well as their intense devotion to all branches of natural science, -alike indicated their longing to penetrate the mystery of the material -world, and reach the spirit which they believed to lie behind. - -The hopes which had been excited so many years earlier by the discovery -of the immensity of the Universe when the cloud-screen was passed, had -ended in bitter disappointment. Vastness of power on the part of the -Maker had indeed been strongly illustrated; but, most certainly, no -light had been thrown on any of his other attributes. So it is easy to -understand the intensity of interest with which the news of an arrival -from another world was received. That their visitor came from the earth -was at once ascertained, as we have already seen, by his familiarity -with the earth charts in the museum at Lucetta. - -When this wonderful arrival was telegraphed at the metropolis, the -world-parliament instantly met. It was resolved that a committee should -be appointed at Lucetta, whose business should be, first, to learn the -stranger’s language, and then to communicate to him a general -description of Venus, and the leading facts in the history of her -inhabitants, so as to enable him to bring before them the main points of -agreement and difference in the conditions of life on the two planets. -That these instructions were well carried out by the committee is -manifest from the notes which have now been brought to light and -translated into the English tongue. - -As soon as this preliminary process was completed, the doctor was -requested in his turn to give the Hesperians an account of the affairs -of the earth; of its physical condition; of its irrational animals, -supposing such to exist; of its rational animals, one of which they had -seen; and lastly, to answer the great question of questions—Whether the -terrestrial rational beings had any direct knowledge of the Maker of the -whole. - -On all of these points he delivered lectures in the cathedral of -Lucetta, to a crowded audience of more than five thousand people. From -the short notes in his pocket-book it is easy to gather his manner of -treating the above subjects. Of course the reader will bear in mind the -great intensity of his misanthropy. - -He began by describing the physical condition of the earth’s surface, -and contrasting it, much to its disadvantage, with that of Hesperos. In -illustration of his malignant remarks, he seems to have made much use of -the great terrestrial charts which had been constructed at the -observatories. The awful polar climate of the earth came out very -unfavourably when compared with that of the corresponding regions of -Hesperos; as did also the burning heat of the torrid zone, unprotected -from the solar rays by a permanent screen of cloud. He dilated, with -much relish, on the phenomena of earthquakes, volcanoes, thunder and -lightning, deluges, droughts, great sandy deserts, and other terrestrial -peculiarities of a disagreeable character, which were quite unknown to -the Hesperians. - -As he approached the animal kingdom his spirits seem to have risen. The -abundance on earth of loathsome and noxious types of animal life; their -portentous fecundity; the formation of entire species which can live -only by destroying and devouring the weaker and more defenceless, were -happily contrasted with the innocent fauna of Hesperos, confined to a -small number of harmless, frugivorous animals, in which the power of -reproduction no more than sufficed to keep up the breed. - -But when he came to explain the nature and circumstances of terrestrial -rational life, Van Varken’s hatred of the Yahoos burst out in a -description which seems to have filled the Hesperian congregation with -horror and dismay. The entrance of the human being into life through the -same reproductive process as that of the lower animals; the redundancy -of procreative power, in respect of the means of subsistence, which is -one of the curses of the race; their helpless infancy; their wretched -education; their liability to horrible and torturing diseases; their -early extinction by death; the low civilization in which the masses -vegetate, leading the lives of cattle; their mutual hatred; their -incessant wars—all of these topics, and many more of a similar nature, -were expatiated upon by the doctor with a cheerful vehemence which much -astounded his audience, and enhanced the contrast between all these -abominations and social life in Hesperos. - -As for the final question—that of the Maker of all—he began by -hypocritically expressing his deep regret that his profession as a -Doctor of Medicine rendered him but a badly qualified person as an -expounder of theology; he also professed an earnest wish that a learned -terrestrial Doctor of Divinity could be found to relieve him of such an -uncongenial task. The reader will readily appreciate the sincerity of -his aspirations after the help of a Yahoo divine. - -He then proceeded to inform his audience that the inhabitants of the -earth, not being included, as the Hesperians, in one vast empire, but -being dispersed in a great number of independent nationalities, which -varied very much in their degrees of civilization, had formed for -themselves equally varying theological systems. That those who were in -the lowest grades, either did not recognize the Maker at all, or, if -they did recognize him, regarded him as a fiend who was only to be -propitiated by offering him bloody sacrifices. That there was another -system of religious belief, the followers of which were in a much higher -state of civilization than those last spoken of, who held that all true -believers (meaning themselves) would be ultimately admitted to a -paradise of sensual delights, the most effectual passport being the -extirpation, by the sword, of unbelievers (meaning all the rest). That -another system, the followers of which were, perhaps, the most numerous -of any, taught that the Maker would ultimately grant the boon of -cessation of existence to his creatures, but only after they have -undergone a long series of transmigrations into other forms of life. - -At last he came to the form of religion which he described as that -which, though not including the greatest number, is certainly professed -by all of the most highly civilized types of humanity. Into the doctor’s -exposition of the Christian faith we need not enter. Suffice it to say -that when he came to the explicit statement—delivered with evident marks -of delight—that the Maker designed the greater part of the human race to -live everlastingly in excruciating torture by fire, the whole of the -assembly rose simultaneously to their feet and left the cathedral. They -would hear no more. - -Every word of these extraordinary lectures was automatically taken down, -and sent through the world as fast as delivered. The whole history of -the earth contained therein fell like a thunderbolt on the Hesperians, -who were quite unprepared for any such revelation of the Unknown. After -this, the notes show that the doctor had many interviews and discussions -with people from all parts, but no memoranda of them are to be found. -Clearly, the result of his communications was an intensifying of the -gloom which prevailed in Hesperos. The hopes of the people, which had -been strongly excited by his arrival, were as suddenly changed to -despondency. And no wonder; for, certainly, tidings of such a Maker as -the Being depicted by their visitor, were not calculated to raise any -enthusiastic delight. - -Doubts seem to have sprung up among some of the Hesperians as to the -perfect accuracy of his statements, which, as one or two of the leading -journals pretty plainly hinted, might possibly be coloured by prejudice. -So incredible, indeed, did some parts of his lectures appear, that two -enterprising persons, then in the juvenescent period of life, -volunteered to attempt the passage to the earth, if Van Varken would -entrust them with the secret of transference. They wished to examine the -terrestrial phenomena, both religious and temporal, for themselves. - -Dr. Van Varken, who was much mortified at these suspicions as to his -veracity, received them with some coolness. He made two objections to -their proposal. First, he was under a pledge of secrecy to Mr. Homi, -and, secondly, the attempt would be attended with extreme peril to -themselves. For it was quite impossible to tell beforehand what region -of the earth they might land in; and, if they chanced on an uncivilized -nation, death by mortal lesion, and that beyond the salutary influence -of the Hesperian pole, would be their nearly certain fate. - -But his indignation at their unworthy suspicions, and his burning desire -that an irrefragable proof of the truth of his statements might be -afforded to the sceptics, by an actual inspection of the earth by two -pairs of Hesperian eyes, at last overcame his scruples. He argued that, -inasmuch as he himself had actually discovered the mode of passing the -interplanetary space, he was, in that respect, bound by no promise to -Mr. Homi; and that, having warned the adventurers of the risk they ran, -his duty to them was discharged. So he gave way at last, and imparted -the secret of interplanetary transference by the process of -disintegration. - -All in vain; the disintegration was effected at once without the -slightest difficulty; but when that stage was reached the Hesperian -polarity proved too strong for the terrestrial influence; overcame it -instantly, and the two missionaries to the earth, to their very great -chagrin, found themselves reintegrated, in perfect safety, at the South -Pole of Venus, according to the ordinary Law. It was quite plain that -the Hesperians were absolutely bound to their planet, and that escape, -even if it were desirable, was hopeless. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - - Of the further wanderings of Dr. Van Varken—Of his visits to Australis - and the great Observatory—Of a strange physical Theory concerning - the Tornado—Supposed cause of the Doctor’s return to the Earth. - - -After the delivery of his remarkable lectures, the doctor’s notes become -even scantier than before, and are of quite a fragmentary character. We -can gather from them that his time thenceforth was mainly occupied in -travelling in various directions through the country; and this is, very -likely, the cause of the deficiencies in his memoranda. - -He seems to have been greatly struck with the vast engineering works -which met him everywhere; and especially with the magnificent roads on -which carriages, like those at Lucetta, ran on rails; these carriages -were free to all; everyone in his turn took his share in managing the -service, like any other calling. His first visit was to the great -imperial metropolis, Australis, to which he of course proceeded by the -submarine route. - -When he arrived there it was the winter season for the southern -hemisphere. During the discussion on the selection of the universal -metropolis, at the time of the union of the hemispheres, an objection -had been raised to Australis, namely, that there was darkness for about -one-third of the year. But, in consequence of the other advantages of -the site, the objection was overruled, and that the more readily, as an -artificial chemical light of extraordinary brilliancy had just been -discovered. So great was its power that, for moderate distances, it -nearly equalled the light of day. These were the lights which Van -Varken, on his first arrival, saw shining in Lucetta, and on the ships -in the bay. And thus, when he reached Australis, he found not only the -city, but the whole surrounding valley blazing with this wonderful -illumination. Some persons, indeed, could never reconcile themselves to -this artificial light, so another city was, in course of time, built at -the North Pole; and, by migrating at the proper seasons, from one to the -other, perpetual daylight might be enjoyed. - -The curt and jejune memoranda which remain tell us but little of the -metropolitan city. The points which seem to have specially impressed him -were—The great magazines or depôts of all sorts of articles which, in -our cities, are usually sold in the shops, and which, under the -Hesperian system, are abundantly supplied by the communistic labour; -from these stores everyone supplied himself as he wanted. The splendid -museums of science and art, and the picturesque style of the houses, all -of which were, as in Lucetta, detached from each other, and but of one -story in height, filled the doctor’s soul with admiration. Above them -all was conspicuous the great temple or cathedral of the Unknown God. -The gorgeous services performed there made a wonderful impression on the -traveller; he was specially affected by one solemn and mournful chant, -sung in unison by the whole of the immense congregation, and accompanied -in strangely rich and complicated harmony on the largest organ he had -ever seen. - -But, beyond these few details, nought is recorded. After his return to -the north, he paid a visit to the great Observatory whose foundation he -has so fully described. The original structure had been removed, and the -buildings which now occupy the site are of vast dimensions, and are -furnished with every astronomical instrument which the great skill of -the Hesperians is competent to execute. Specially noteworthy are the -mechanical contrivances for moving and adjusting the ponderous -telescopes. Though these weigh many tons, the mere pressure of the -finger on a couple of metal knobs suffices to direct any of them to -whatever point of the sky is to be examined; and, with the telescope, -the platform for the observer simultaneously takes the requisite -position. - -He found some of the astronomers engaged in abstruse mathematical -calculations, in connexion with a theory which had just been suggested -as an explanation of the chronic equatorial tornado. It was this, that -Hesperos has a satellite of small dimensions, not, indeed, exceeding a -mile in diameter, but of very great density; and that this satellite -revolves in the plane of the equator with tremendous velocity, so close -to the surface that it comes into actual contact with the water several -times in each revolution. Hence the terrible waves and storms. Whether -this ingenious theory was verified or not we have no record. -Unfortunately, at the time of the doctor’s visit, the earth, being in -conjunction, was not favourably placed for observation. He seems to have -suffered a great deal on this excursion from the extreme rarity of the -air. - -And, at this point, the notes may be said to end. Nothing more than a -few incoherent jottings on the last remaining page are legible. From -these I gather that he went back to Lasondre, and there, having probably -informed the inhabitants of his surgical profession, he delivered a -lecture on the anatomy of the human body. When we remember the -invincible obstacle to any scientific study of the anatomy of the -Hesperians which was presented by their conditions of life, we can -easily understand that such a lecture, from an expert, must have excited -unusual interest, and, combining this fact with the abundance of strong -and profane expressions which disfigure the concluding memoranda, I -think it not at all unlikely that some signs of a desire to avail -themselves of the doctor’s own person for the purpose of dissection may -have been exhibited by his audience, and may have suggested to his mind -the expediency of a hasty return to the earth. But I wish it to be -distinctly understood that this is only a conjecture, and not, as the -remainder of his history, based on the explicit statements of the -note-book. - -At all events the discovery of the manuscript in the University library -is abundantly sufficient proof that the Thibetian influence was powerful -enough to overcome the Hesperian attraction, and that he succeeded in -getting back to the earth. So much, I say, is certain, _et hypotheses -non fingo_. - - -And here ends our knowledge of the Godless Immortals. It is not likely -that their hundred and sixty years’ additional existence have lightened -the World-Weariness and Sorrow which was plainly settling down upon them -like a heavy pall.] - - - _Printed by_ PONSONBY AND WELDRICK, _Dublin_. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES - - - 1. Silently corrected obvious typographical errors and variations in - spelling. - 2. Retained archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings as printed. - 3. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_. - 4. Denoted superscripts by a caret before a single superscript - character or a series of superscripted characters enclosed in - curly braces, e.g. M^r. or M^{ister}. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HISTORY OF A WORLD OF IMMORTALS -WITHOUT A GOD *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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