Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 February 1911 — A Columbus of Space [ARTICLE]

A Columbus of Space

By Garrett P. Serviss.

Copyright by Frank A. Munsey Co. * o—— CHAPTER XIII. At The Here)- Of A Fearful Enemy. Edmund had no great difficulty in making Ala comprehend that we wished to visit {he place where they got their metals. Accordingly, not long afterward, we started in an airship—escorted by four or five consorts —for an exploration of the mines. Ala, as usual, had her two favorite maids with her. We went a long distance from the capital, up near the mountains. They value gold on Venus as much as we do on earth, and, naturally, they were eager first to show us their gold mines. The sight was amazing. , Talk of California and Australia, of Peru and South Africa! All of them put together never saw so much gold as we beheld in one of ttfose mines! 1 perceived that Henry’s mouth fairly watered at the sight. Edmund was intent only on his search, and it was delightful to see the tender Interest In Ala’s eyes as she followed him. But he could find no trace of what he wanteth^= “Plague take It!” he exclaimed. “If I had only carried on my experiments a little longer before setting out I might have been able-to get the power I want from any of the metals. But now nothing but uranium will do.” We went from mine to mine, with the same result. Finally we reached the silver mines, and Edmund’s hopes brightened. At last he uttered a great shout of joy. “Here’s pitchblende,” he said. “AH I want now is an electric furnace.”

I felt a load fall from my shoulders, because we had already learned that chemistry was no unknown science here. There must be laboratories at the capital, if not in the neighborhood of the mines themselves. This latter conjecture proved to be correct, and the fact saved u»v a great deal of trouble; otherwise we should have been forced to transport tons of the pitchblende to the capital in order to extract uranium from it. But there was another result which we did not anticipate—lt gave our enemies an opportunity to plot our destruction. Close by the mines there was a laboratory provided “with an excellent electric furnace. Wlien Edmund saw it he expressed his surprise that chemists so able and enterprising had not yet discovered the property of radio-aotivity possessed by uranium and its compounds. But they knew nothing about it, and we did, and that gave us a great advantage. 4 Edmund set to work at once, Ala’s authority placing everything that he desired in his hands. He shut everybody out of the laboratory except Juba, whom he found useful in various ways. As for us, he said, laughing that we knew just enough to be stupid and useless.

I "think we must have been more thdn a week there when a terrible thing occurred. We were accustomed to take our recreation by long walks amid the delightful scenery in the neighborhood of the mines. Although tve were among the foothills, the elevation was not very great, and the temperature was most agreeable. Nature was at her best. The slopes and valley bottoms were clothed with vegetation of tropical luxuriance and beauty. Never have I seen such trees! I did not recognize a single variety known to me at home, and yet they were in no sense grotesque. Many of them were more graceful in form and foliage than any species of palm; others were as massive as oaks, and some as tall and stately as sequoias. Festoons of flowering vines hunk everywhere—and the flowers! •. 'One could never have believed it possible for such hues, such shapes and such perfumes to exist together outside of a hothouse. To walk through these scenes was like a stroll through Paradise. % In one of our walks Edmund being with us, and Ala and her maids also, we ascended an eminence overlooking the charming valley of a little stream, two or three miles from the mines. There we sat down, at the foot of a lofty tr4e, to enjoy the view. The air was deliciously soothing, and in a little while Edmund, tired by his long exertions —for he had been at work without rest for forty-eight hours—fell asleep, with his bead on a flowery bank, and Ala sitting beside him. Suddenly a shadow, deeper than that of the foliage, fell around us, and a large aeroplane swiftly" descended in front of the bank. •

In an instant twenty men had leaped from, it and seized Edmund, Jack, Henry and myself. Edmund was dazed with sleep, and the rest of us were paralyzed with surprise, so that? before any effectual resistance could be offered, we found ourselves on the aeroplane and rapidly ascending through the air. ' Ala had sprung; to her feet andi was gesticulating wildly, her maids were overcome with terror, and Juba, who had not been touched by the abductors, remained seated on the groiind, apparently dumbfounded and without ah idea in his shaggy head. j None of them could have done anything. We rose so rapidly, flying to* Ward the mountains, that In Jen minutes even the tree under which we had sat was lost to sight. I glanced about among our captors, expecting to see Ingra. He was not visible, "but a few minutes later, he appeared, with a derisive smile on his face. Evidently he had kept out of sight in order not to confront Ala. Oh! the detestation with which I beheld him! If it had been in my power I would have ground him to powder! My look, I know, expressed my fury, but he stared at me with that maddening grin of successful cunning which turns an intelligent and handsome face, when it screens a wicked heart, into the crudest devil’s image. He gloated over Edmund also, but Edmund never even looked at him. It was" the second time that we had been taken like foolish mice in a trap, and I raged at the thought. Edmund was perfectly cool. As for Jack, his face showed that he felt as I did, but he said nothing, and Henry, who at best seldom spoke, was as silent and as pale as a ghost. We were allowed to stand, though our arms were bound behind us, and even to walk about the deck. The thought flashed upon me that Ingra would be delighted if we should jump overboard, for that would save him the trouble of putting an end to us. Several times he strode by, and tried to catch Edmund’s eye, but Edmund ignored him as completely as if he had not existed. As the great aeroplane swept on at terrific speed my thoughts turned back to Ala’. What would she do? - What could she do? She could not follow—st least, not until after a fatal delay—for she would have to return afoot to the mines, three miles away, before she could find aid. By that time we would be far out of sight among the mountains, leaving no track in the air. I fairly groaned at the thought of the absolute hopelessness of our situation. But, in -thinking that Ala could do nothing for us I underrated her abilities and the inspiring power of love. Fortunately, after we had-dropped out of sight of the tree, th 6 aeroplane slowed up and came almost to rest. We circled about for a while, and Ingra consulted with his co-conspirators.

Their gestures indicated tnal they were debating as to their course. They pointed this way and that, and finally drove the aeroplane to a great height to reconnoiter ahead. The delay was providential. While we were circling, and while our captors were - choosing their course, my eye happened to catch—away oft in the sky behind us—a black speck, barely visible. In an instant I was all excitement. I pointed out the object to Edmund. I “For Heaven’s sake,” he whispered, glancing cautiously round, “don’t let these brutes know what we see. Don’t seem to notice it. She is following us.”

I said nothing to Jack and Henry,> who had not seen the object, but I could not Withdraw my eyes from it, although I tried to seem occupied m looking another way. Finally Ingra apparently made up his mind, and off we went again. But by .this time the speck had dnlarged to a distinct black dot in the sky. Manifestly it was overtaking us, and in a little while it had become so plain that the others caught sight of it Ingra showed both surprise and anger at the sight His action was prompt. He issued orders which in half a minute sent us spinning at incredible speed. At the same time he dropped lower, in order that the aeroplane might be lost against the background of the mountains. But the black dot followed, and 1 thanked Heaven as 1 saw that it did not grow smaller. It even seemed to enlarge. Presently Edmund, who had now begun to watch it with his pocket binocular, handed the glass to me, saying, simply: ‘ •Look!” I looked, and then handed the glass to Jack and Henry, that they might share the pleasure which that sight gave. We could make out clearly the outlines of an aeroplane. We believed that we recognised it as the one in which Ala had brought us to the mines. \ How its driving screws did spin! Heaven grant that no accident should befall its machinery! It was a chance for life and love on one side and for revenge on the other, and the speed was pushed up to the utmost limit Suddenly a shocking thought crossed

my mind. I tried to banish it, for I feared that Ingra might read it and act upon it. Suppose that he should hurt ns overboard! , It was within his power to do so. It would pave been a quick and simple solution of the matter, and that the idea apparently did not occur to him I coald only ascribe to a protecting hand that guarded us even in this extremity. On we rushed through the humming air, and still we did not drop the pursuer. Minute by minute "the chasing aeroplane became more distinct against the bright background of the great cloud dome. Suddenly Edmund touched me and called my attention to something ahead. "There," he said; “there’s their hope and our despair. (To be continued.) r a