EVENING LEDGERPHILADELPHIA, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 191G.
J ' - - . .
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fc PRRFAOB
ffir TltE first place, pleasa bear In mind
l uj r do not expect you to ocucve
I'n. tlors. "or eoum you wonder had
V" ntntsscd a recent experience of
',., ahent In the armor of blissful and
"Jr..mtoM Ignorance, I pally narrntrd
i obi of It to a fellow of the Royal Oco
,1mI Society on the occasion of my last
rffi to London
Sji lew delected u no less a heinous
JSLj than the purloining of the crown
del from the Tower or putting poison
!! coHee f aoma Mno or other.
." mtdtte gentleman In 1010111 con-
TSti congealed before I was half through
Ut Is oil that saved Aim from cxptodlng
i.ti my dreams of an honorary fellow
lis cold medals, and a ntcho In the Hall
e! Fame faded Into iho thin, cold air of
lit orctle atmosphere.
t. s,i believe the story, and so would
Mo-oitrf so would the learned fellow of
!T Koval Geological Society had you
td h heard It from the lips of tho man
l, told It to me.
fc rf 1011 seen, as 1 aia, the lire or truth
fk thote gray eyes; had you felt tho ring
I . .i.rini (ii that autct voice: had you
rwtfced tho pathos of It all yon, too,
-mid lelieve.
v. .nmiM not have needed tho llnal
fialar proof that I had Iho tocirrl rmm-
Urhvncnusiina urtuimo i o u
t lack with him.
e I came upon Aim quite suddenly, and
it Ml. unexpccicuiy, upon mo rim 0
a. rireat Sahara. He was standing be-
ins a goatskin tent amid a clump of date
Mat wllhln a tiny oasis. Close by was
Wirai douar of some eight or ten tents.
h f had come rfoton from the north to
tut Hon. My party consisted of a dozen
tJUiren 0 t10 acscri; 1 woj mo oniy
'VMC man.
it we approached tho little clump of
trriurt I saxo tho man como from his
fral. and with hand-shaded eyes peer in-
tntly at us.
i.'it tight of me ho advanced rapidly to
nttt vs.
, "X tchlto man I" ho cried. "May tho
Itoi Lord bo praised I I have been
aeichlna you for hours, hoping against
Upi that this time there would bo a
vui man. Tell mo tAo date. What
Umr It itt"
K- Ini when I had told Aim Ao staggered
'il though ho had been struclc full in the
fac, to that he was compelled to grasp
Iiy wimp leawicr jur aiippurt.
t 'U cannot be I" Ao cried, after a mo
unt. "It cannot be I Tell ma that you
'are mistaken, or that you are but foklng "
K am Icl!lii0 you the truth, my friend,"
f J replied. "Why should I deceive a
fliranper, or attempt to, in so simple a
notler at the datel"
1 For tome time ho stood in silence, with
Utoed head,
' "Itn years I" ho murmured at last.
.'Ten years, and I thought that at the
noil U could ba scarca mora than one."
I' That night Hal told me his story tAo
ifory Mat give you' here as nearly in
tit own won3 as I'can recall them.
CHAPTER I
.Toward Eternal Fires
WAS bom In Connecticut about 30
years, ago. My nnmo Is David Innes.
lam a graduate of Andovcr nnd Yalo.
My father was a wealthy mine owner.
When! was 10 ho died. All his property
u tojbo mine when I had nttalned my
majority provided that I had devoted
the two years Intervening In close appli
cation to tho irreat business I was to In
herit
I did my best to fulfil the last wishes
if my parent not because of tho Inherit
ance, but because I loved and honored
or father. For a six months I tolled In
tie mines and In tho counting rooms, for
I wished to know every mlnuto detail of
tie business.
C Then Perry Interested mo In his Inven
tion. Is He was an old fellow who had devoted
tte better part of a long life to tho per
fection of a mechanical subterranean
troapector. As a relaxation he studied
paleontology.
H looked over life plans, listened to his
ttguments. Insuected his worklnir models.
an! then, convinced,! I advanced tho funds
Mceaaary to construct a full-sized, prac
tical prospector.
; I Bhall not t-f Infn thn ltnllq nt ttB
reonstructlon -It lies out thero In tho
desert now nhnut fwn ttiIIph from hfirp.
Komorrow you may care to rldo out and
K lb
f Roughly, 11 is o, steel cylinder 100 'feet
jbs, ana pointed bo that It may turn aim
twut through solid rock If need be. At
One end Is a mlphtv rAVnlvInir drill nnar-
ated by an engine which Perry said gen
erated more power to tho cublo Inch .than
Uy other emrlno did to tha cublo font. I
ftnember that he used to claim that thatd
BiTention alone would make us fabulously
Jjjlhy we were going to make tho
iWfiOlA tlllni- mtKlIn nf.A. .fiA Dllnmnflll
laua of our first secret trial but Perry
er returned from that trial trip, and
only after ten years.
I recall as It vam hut vpHtarrinv the
Mnt of that momentous occasion upon
JnJch we wero to teat the practicability
that wondrous Invention.
It Was neni mMnlfvht ihnt tv. rAnnlrpri
P the loftv tower In which Porrv had
jotutructed hla "Iron mole," us ho was
JWt to call the thing.
ILTne great tinsa rpstnd unnn the hn.ro
rt of the tloor. We passed through
ff ooora into the outer Jacket, secured
iem, and then passing on Into tho cabin,
f Mch contalntu" the icontrolllng median
u within the Inner tube, switched on the
gwtrlo lights.
Perry looked $0 his generator; to the
Peat
ianK8 mat held the life-giving
LS&fitHleatH tuUVi ixhUt. Vi. tn mnnil
xf -- . ,. t ataxia uu nua -
ure iresh air to replace that which
igj '"uiumeq m breathing; to nis instru
ments for recording temperatures, speed,
f ijtast was surrounded by 0
ROMANCE THRIVES WHEREVER THERE IS LIFE. THIS FUNDAMENTAL FACT BRIDGES A
GAP OF PERHAPS MILLIONS OF YEARS IN CIVILIZATION AND BRINGS TOGETHER A MAN
OF THE OUTER WORLD AND A WOMAN OF THE STRANGE LAND AT THE EARTH'S CORE
distance, and for examining the materials
through which wo were to puns.
Ho tested tho steering device, nnJ over
ookod the mighty cogs which transmitted
Its marvelous velocity to tho plant drill
at tho noso of his ntrango crnft.
Our seats, Into which wo strapped our
selves, woro so arranged upon transversa
bars that wo would bo upright whether
Iho craft wcro plowing her way down
ward Into tho bowels of tho cnith, or run
ning horizontally along Bonio grcnt seam
of coal, or rising vertically townrd tho
surfneo ngnln.
At length nil was ready. Perry bowed
his head In prayer. For n moment wo
wero silent, and then tho old mnn's hand
grasped tho starting lever, Thcro was n
frightful roaring bencnth us tho giant
frnmo trembled and vibrated thcro was
a rush of sound as tho looso earth passed
up through the hollow space between tho
Inner and outer Jackets to bo deposited
In our walte.
Wo wcro oft!
Tho nolso wns denfenlntr. Tho sensation
was frightful. For n, full minute neither
of us could do aught but cling with tho
proverbial desperation of tho drowning
mnn to tho handrails of our swinging
scats. Then Perry glanced at tho ther
mometer. "Gadl" he cried. "It cannot bo posslblo
quick! What docs tho distance meter
rend?"
That and tho specdomotcr were both on
my sido of tho cabin, and as I turned to
talo n rending from the former I could
hear Perry muttering.
"Ten degrees rise. It cannot bo pos
sible." Then I saw him tug frantically upon
tho steering wheel.
As I finally found tho tiny needle In tho
dim light I translated Perry's evident ex
citement, and my heart sank within mo.
Hut when I spoke I hid tho fear which
haunted me,
"It will bo 700 feet. Perry," I said, "by
tho tlmo you can turn her Into tho hori
zontal." "You'd better lend mo a hnnd then, my
boy," ho replied, "for I ennnot budge her
out of the vcrtlcnl nlono. Heaven gve
that our combined strength may bo equal
to tho task, for clso wc nro lost."
I wormed my way to tho old man's sldo
with never a doubt but that the great
wheel would yield on the Instant to the
power of my young and vigorous muscles.
Nor wns my belief more vanity, for al
ways had my physlquo been tho envy and
despair of my fellows.
And for that very reason It had wnxod
oven greater than nnturo had Intended,
stneo my natural prldo In my great
strength hnd led mo to euro for nnd de
velop my body nnd my muscles by overy
means within my power. What with box
ing, football and baseball I had been In
training slnco childhood.
And so It was with tho utmost confi
dence thn'M laid hold of tho hugo Iron
rim: but though I threw every ounce of
my strength Into It my best effort was ns
unavailing as Porry'a had been tho thing
would not budge. The grim. Insensate,
horrlblo thing that wns holding ua upon
tho straight road to death! t
At length I gavo up the useless struggle,
and without n word returned to my Boat.
Thero was no need for words at least
nono that I could Imagine, unless Perry
desired to pray. And I was quite suro
that he would, for ho never loft nn oppor
tunity neglected where he might sandwich
In a prayer.
Ho prayed when ho roso In tho morning,
ho prayed before ho ate, ho prayed when
he had finished eating, nnd before ho went
to bed nt night he prayed again. In be
tween ho often found excuses to pray,
even when tho provocation seemed rather
fnr-fetched to my worldly eyes now that
ho was nbout to dlo I felt positive that I
should witness a perfect orgy of prayer
If one may nlludo with such a simile to
so solemn an net.
But to my nstonlshment I discovered
that with death staring him In tho face
Abner Perry was transformed Into a new
being. From his lips mere uowa-noi
prayer1 but a clear and limpid stream of
undiluted profanity, and It was all direct
ed at that quietly stubborn piece -of un
yielding mechanism.
"I should think, Perry," I chlded, "that
a man of your professed religiousness
would rather bo at his prayers than curs
ing In the presenco of Imminent death."
"Death!" ho cried, "Death Is It that
appals you? That is nothing by compari
son Wtm Hie loss lliu wunu niuav "uihi,
Why, David, within this Iron cylinder we
havo demonstrated possibilities that sci
ence haa scarce dreamed. We have har
nessed a new principle, and with It ani
mated a piece of steel with the power of
10,000 men,
"That two lives will be snuffed out Is
nothing to the world calamity that en-,
tombs In tho bowels of the earth the dis
coveries that I have made and proved In
the successful construction of the thine
that Is now carrying us further and fur
ther toward the eternal central fires.
I am frank to admit that for myself I
was much more concerned with our own
Immediate future than with any problem
atical los which the world might be
about to suffer. The world woa at least
lenorant of its bereavement, while to me
It was a real and terrible actuality.
"What can we do?" I asked, hiding my
perturbation beneath the mask of a low
and level voice.
"We may atop here, and die of asphyx
iation when our atmosphere tanks are
empty," replied Perry, "or we may con-
"- ilL .. nllli linno .tint WA
tlnue on wun 'B" ' -may
later sufficiently deflect the prospect
or from the vertical to carry us along tha
. r.t i ereat circle which must event
ually return us- to the surface.
"If we succeed in bo uuiiik ucmto w
reach the higher Internal temperature we
may yet survive. There would seem to
me to ba about one chance In several mlj
lon that we shall succeed-otherwise we,
shall die more quickly, but no more sure
fy than as though we sat supremely wait
ing for the torture of a slow arid horrible
death."
I glanced at th thermometer, It reg
istered 110 degrees. While we were talk
ing the mighty iron mole had bored Its
way over a mile Into the rockof the
a"l,et us continue on, then," I replied.
"It should soon be over at this rate. You
never intimated that the speed of this
thing would be bo high, Perry. Didn't
y No." ho answered. "I could not figure
the Ped exactly, toe t had no instru
ment formeaaurlng the mighty power of
mv ueneratocJl reasoned, however, that
we should ioakabout Mtt yards an Hour,
.... ;::ic--:r... ......... .nii.
"And we ,ri nfi uu.
hour" I concluded nr him, as I sat with
ny eyea upon the distance meter. "How
iblck la the earth' trust, Perry?" I
nuked. . ,
"'Vhere are almost ns many conjecture
i. to that as there are geotogUts," was
bis answer. "One estimates It 3a miles,
eecaiue the Internal heat. Increasing nt
tie rate, of afcojtt one degree (o taeh (O
to W f t dft9. w&uld be u.OW4t to. two.
BY EDGAf?
1 ,4SHI
Tearing open
the most refractory substances at
that
distance beneath the surface.
"Another Hilda thnt the phenomena of
precession nnd nutation require that tho
earth, if not entirely solid, must at least
have a shell not less than 00 to a thou
sand miles In thickness. So there you
are. You may take your choice."
"And If It should prove solid?" I asked.
"It will be nil the samo to us in the
end.'Davld." replied Perry. "At the best
our oil fuel will suffice to carry us but
Jhree or four days, while our atmosphere
cannot last to exceed three, Neither,
then, la sufficient to bear us In safety
through 8000 miles of rock to the antip
odes." "If the crust Is of sufficient thickness
we shall come to a final atop between
600 and 700 miles beneath the earth's sur
face; but during the. last 150 miles of our
Journoy we shall be corpses. Am I cor
rect?" I asked.
"Quite correct, David. Are you fright
ened?" 'fj
"I dp not know. It has all come so
suddenly that I scarce believe that either
of us realize the real terrors of our p.)
altlon. I feel that I should be reduced
to panic; but yet I am not. I Imagine
that the shock has been so great as to
?tun our sensibilities."
Again I turned to the thermometer. The
mercury was rising with less rapidity. It
was now but 110 degrees, although we
had penetrated to a depth of nearly four
miles. I told Perry and lie smiled.
"We have shattered one theory at
least," was his only comment, and then
he returned to his self-assumed occupa
tion of fluently cursing the steering wheel.
I once heard a pirate sweur. but his
best efforts would have seemed like those
I of a tyro alongside of Perry's masterful
ami sciemiuq ijiiprctuiiuiia.
Once more I tried my hand at the wheel,
but I might as well have essayed to
awing the earth Itself. At raysuggestion
Perry stopped the generator, nnd as we
came to rest I again threw all pay strength
Into a supreme effort to move the thing
even a hair's breadth, but the results
were as barren as when we had been
traveling at top speed.
I shook my heati sadly, and motioned
rto the starting leyer. Perry pulled It to
ward htm, and once again we were plung
ing downward toward eternity at the rate
of seven miles an hour. I sat with my
eyes glued to the thermometer and the
distance meter. The mercury was rising
very slowly now, though even at, 113 de
grees It was almost unbearable within
the narrow confines of our metal prison.
About noon, or 11 hours after our start
upon this unfortunate Journey, we had
bored to a depth of S miles, at which
point the mercury registered 153 degrees.
Perry woa becoming more hopeful,
though upon what meagre food he sus
tained hla optimum I could not conjec
ture. From cursing he had turned to
Bins- I leu ttiAt the strain had at last
ted UI4 taint.
RICE BURROUGHS, author ofTARZAM17
his shirt, I placed my enr to his breast
For several hours wei had not spoken
except as he asked me for tho readings
of tho Instruments from time to time,
and I announced them.
My thoughts were filled with vain re
grets. I recalled numerous acts of my
past life which I should have been glad
to havo had a few more yenra to live
down. Thero was the affair In the Latin
Commons at Andover when Calhoun and
I had put gunpowder In tho stove and
nearly killed one of the masters. And
then
But what was tho use? I was about
to die and atone for all these things and
several more. Already the heat was suf
ficient to give me a foretaste of the here
after. A few more degrees and I should
lose consciousness.
"What are the readings now, David?"
Perry's voice broke In upon my sombre
reflections.
"Ninety miles and 163 degrees," I re
plied. "Gad, but we've knocked that 30-mlle-crust
theory Into a cocked hat!" he cried
gleefully.
"Precious lot of good it will do us," I
growled back.,
"Dut, my boy," he continued, "doesn't
that temperature reading mean anything
to you? Why, It hasn't gone up In six
miles. Think of It. oonl"
"Yes, , I'm thinking of It," I answered;
"but what difference will It make when
our air supply Is exhausted whether the
temperature la 163 degrees or a hundred
and fifty-three thousand? We'll be Just
as dead, and no one will know the differ
ence, anyhow."
But I must admit that for some unac
countable reason the stationary tempera
ture did renew my waning nope, wnat 1
hoped for I could not have explained, nor
did I try. The very fact, as Perry took
pains to explain, of the ila?tng of sev
eral very exact and learned scientific hy
potheses made It apparent that we could
not know what lay before U3 within the
bowels of the earth, and so we might
continue to hope for the best, at least
until we were dead when hope would, no
longer be essential to our happiness."
It was very good and logical reasoning,
and so I embraced It.
At 100 miles the temperature had dropped
to 152M degrees I When I announced It
Perry reached over and hugged me.
From then on until noon of the second
day it continued to drop until it became
as uncguuurmuiy cold as it nau ceiore
been unbearably hot. At a depth of 2V
miles our nostrils were assailed by al
mose overpowering ammonia, fumes, and
the temperature had dropped to 10 below
zero)
We suffered nearly two hours of this
Intense and bitter cold, until at about
2U miles from the surface of the earth,
we entered a stratum of solid Ice, when
the mercury quickly roso to 32 decrees.
Curing the next thlt hours wo pasted ,
through 10 miles ct ise, eventually merg '
His heart was beating quite
Ing Into another series of ammonla-Im-prognated
strata, where tho mercury
again fell to 10 below.
Slowly It rose onco more until we were
convinced that at last wo wero nearlng
the molten Interior of tho earth.
At 400 miles tho temperature had
reached 152 degrees. Feverishly I watched
the thermometer. Slowly It rose. Perry
had ceased singing and was at last pray
ing. Our hopes had received such a death
blow that the gradually Increasing heat
seemed to our distorted Imaginations
much greater than It really was. For an
other hour I saw that pitiless column of
mercury rlsound rlso until at 410 miles
It stood at 153 degrees. Now It was that
wo began to hang upon those readings In
almost breathless anxiety.
One hundred and fifty-three degrees had
been tho maximum temperature above the
Ico stn..um. Would it stop at this point
again or would it continue its merciless
climb? We knew that there was no hope,
and yet with the persistence of life Itself
wo continued to hope against practical
certainty.
Already the air tanks were at low ebb;
thero was barely enough of the precious
gases to sustain us for another 12 hours.
But would we be alive to know or caret
It seemed Incredible.
At 420 miles I took another reading.
"Perry!" I shouted. "Perry, man! She's
going down! She's going down! Sho'a
152 again."
"Oad!" he cried. "What can It mean?
Can the earth be cold at the centre?"
"I do not know, Perry," I answered.
"But thank Heaven, If I am to die, it
shall not be by tire that Is all that I
have feared. I can face the thought of
any death but that."
Down, down went the mercury until It
stood as low as It had seven miles from
the surface of the earth, and then of a
sudden tho realization broke upon us that
death was very near.
Perry was tho first to discover It, I saw
him fussing with the valves that regulate
the air supply. About the same time I
began to experience dltllculty in breath
ing. My head felt dizzy, my limbs heavy.
I saw Perry crumple In his seat. He
gave himself a shake and sat erect again.
Then he turned toward me
"Goodrby, David," he said. "I guess
this la the end," and then he smiled and
closed hla eyes.
"Good-by. Perry, and good luck to you,"
I answered, smiling back at him. But I
fought off that awful lethargy. I was
very young; I did not want to die.
For an hour I battled against the cruelly
enveloping death that surrounded me
upon all side. At first I found that by
climbing high Into the framework above
me I could nnd more of tbe precious life
giving elements, and for a while these
sustained me.
It rnuschave been an hour after Perry
succubiIhI that I at least came to the
i
regularly.
realization that I could no longer carry on
this uncquul struggle against tho inevi
table. With my Inst flickering ray of con
sciousness I turned mechanically townrd
the distant meter. It stood at exactly
BOO miles from tho earth's surface and
suddenly tho hugo thing that bore us
came to a stop.
The rattle of hurtling rock through tho
hollow Jacket ceased. The wild racing of
tho giant drill betokened that It was run
ning looso In nlr and then another truth
Hashed upon me. Tho point of the pros
pector was abovo us.
Slowly it dawned on me that since pass
ing through the Ice strata It had been
above. Wo had turned In the Ice and sped
upward toward the earth's crust.
Thank God! We were safe!
I put my nose to the Intake pipe through
which samples wero to have been taken
during the passage of the prospector
through the earth, and my fondest hopes
wero realized. A flood of fresh air was
pouring Into tue Iron cabin.
The reaction left me In a state of col
lapse and I lost consciousness,
CHAPTER II
In a Strange World
I WAS unconscious little more than an
Instant, for ns I lunged forward from
the cross-beam to which I had been cling
ing-and fell with a crash to the floor of
tho cabin, the shock brought me to my
seir. My first concern was with Perry, I was
horrified at the thought that upon the
very threshold of salvation he might be
dead.
Tearing open hla shirt, I placed my ear
to his breast. I could have cried with re-
lief: his heart was beating quite regularly,
At the water tank I wetted my hand- f
kerchief, slapping It smartly across his
forehead and faco several times. In a mo
ment I was rewarded by the raising of
his eyelids.
For a time he lay wide-eyed and nulte
uncomprehending. Then his scattered
wits slowly foregathered, and he sat up
sniffing the air with an expression of won
derment upon his face.
"Why, David." he cried at last, "It's air,
as sure as I live. Why why, what dq&a
It mean? Where In tbe world are wrr
What haa happened?"
"It means that we're back at the Bur
face all right. Perry," I cried; "but where,
I don't know. I haven't opened her up
yet. Been too busy reviving you, Urd,
man. but you had a close squeak."
"You say we're back at the surface,
David? How can that be. How long
have I been unconscious?"
"Not long. We turned in the Ice stratum.
Don't you recall tbe sudden whirling of j
our MtaT After that toe drill was abovu
wr iMmm
11.1 Instead of below. Wo didn't notice II
nt tho time, but I recall It now."
"Vou menu to say that wo turned back
In tho Ico stratum, David? That Is not
possible. The prospector cannot turn
unless Its noso Is deflected. If tho nose
wero doflcctcd from the outside by some
external force or resistance the steering
wheel within would have moved In re
sponse. Tho Bteerlng wheel was not
budged, David, slnco wo started. You
know thnt.
I did know lti but hero we wero with
our drill racing In pure nlr, and copious
volumes of It pouring Into tho cabin.
"We couldn't have turned In tho Ico
stratum, Perry, I know as well ns you," I
replied; "but tho fact remains that wo did,
for here wo arc this mlnuto nt tho sur
fneo of tho earth ngnln, and I ntn going
out to see Just where."
I glanced at tho chronometer.
"Hnlf nftcr twelve. Wo havo been out
"2 hours, bo It must be midnight. Never
theless I'm going to havo n look nt the
blessed sky that I hnd given up atl hope
of over seeing ngnln," and so saying 1
lifted tho bars from Iho Inner door and
swung It open. There was quite n quan
tity of loose material In tho Jacket, nnd
this I hnd to remove with a shovel to got
at the opposlto door In tho outer shell.
In a short tlmo I hnd removed enough
nf tho earth mid lock to the tloor of the
cabin to expose tlio door beyond. Perry
wns directly behind mo ns I throw It opon.
Tho upper half was above tho surfaco of
tho ground.
With nn expression of surprise I turned
and looked at Perry. It was broad day
light without!
"Something scorns to lmve.gono wrong
cither with our calculations or tho chro
nometer," I said.
Perry shook his head; thero was a
strnrigo expression In his eyes,
"Lot's havo n look beyond that door,
David," he cried.
Together wo stepped out to stand In
silent contemplation of a landscape at
once weird nnd beautiful.
Bcforo us a low and level shoro
stretched down to a silent sea. So far as
tho oyo could reach the surface of the
wntcr was dotted with countless tiny isles
some of lowering, barren granlto rock,
others rcsplcndcut In gorgeous trappings
of tropical vegetation, myiind starred
with tho magnificent splendor of .vivid
blooms.
Behind ua roso n dark and forbidding
wood of glnnt arborcscont ferns, Intermin
gled with the commoner types of n prime
val tropical forest. Hugo creepers de
ponded In great loops from treo to tree,
denso underbrush overgrew a tangl'd
mass of fallen trunks nnd branches.
Upon tho outer verso wo could see the
samo splendid coloring of countless blos
soms that glorified the Islnnds, but within
the dense shadows all seemed dark and
gloomy ns tho grave.
At.d ipon all tho noondny sun poured'lts
torrid rays out of n cloudless sky.
"Where on "earth can we bo?" I asked,
turning to Perry.
For some moments the old man did not
reply. Ho stood with bowed head burled
In deep thousnt. But at last he spoko.
"David," ho said, "I am not bo suro
that wo are on earth."
"What do you mean. Perry?" I cried.
"Do you think that wo are dead, and that
this Is henvcn7"
Ho smiled, nnd turning pointed to the
noso of tho prospector protruding from
the ground nt our backs.
"But for that. David, I might bcllove
that wo wero Indeed como to tho country
beyond tho Styx. Tho prospector renders
that theory untenable. It certainly could
never have gono to heaven. However, I
nm willing to concede that wo may actu
ally bo In nnother world from thnt which
wo hnvo always known. If we are not on
earth, thero Is every reason to believe
that we may bo In It."
"We may havo quartered through the
earth's crust nnd como out upon some
troplcnl island of tho West Indies," I sug
gested.
Again Perry shook hla hea,d.
"Let us wait and sco. David." he re-.
piled, "and In tho meantime suppose we
do a bit of exploring up and down tho
coast. Wo may find a native who can
enlighten us."
As wo walked along the beach Perry
gazed long and earnestly across the
water. Evidently ho was wrestling with
a mighty problem.
"David," ho said abruptly, "dp you per
ceive anything unusual about the
horizon?"
As I looked I began to appreciate the
reason for tho strangeness of the land
scape that had haunted mo from the first
with an Illusive suggestion of the bizarre
and unnatural there was no horizon!
So far as the eye could reach out to
aea the sea continued nnd upon its bosom
floated tiny islands, those in the distance
reduced to mere specks but ever beyond
thtm was the sea, until the Impression
became quite real that one was looking ua
at the most distant point that the eye
coulo fathom the distance was lost (n the
distance.
That was all. There was no cler
cut horizontal line marking the top"bf
tho globo below the line of vision.
"A great light Is commencing to break
on me," continued Perry, taking out his
watch. "I bellove that I have partially
solved tho riddle. It is now 2 o'clock.
When we emerged from the prospector
the Hun was directly above us, Where Is
It now?"
I glanced up to find the great orb Btlll
motionless In the centre of the heavens.
And such a sun' I had scarce noticed It
before. Fully thrice the size of the sun
I had known throughout my life, and ap
parently so near that the sight of It car
ried the conviction that one might almost
reach up and touch it.
"My Ood, Perry, where are we?" I
exclaimed. "This thing Is commencing
to get on my nerves."
(CONTINUED IN MONDAY'S
EVENING LEDGER)
Once more I had my baud at tlio
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