Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 March 1911 — A Columbus of Space [ARTICLE]

A Columbus of Space

By Garrett P. Serviss.

Copyright by Frank A. Munsey Co. CHAPTER XIV. A Strange Ylctory. The aeroplane tipped as it descended, and, with confused cries, most of its crew tumbled off, some falling into the water, others disappearing in the tangled vegetation. The light went out, but Edmund’s lamp continued to burn. We could see Ala, as the machine sank crashed through the branches, tfinging desperately to an upright on the inclined” deck. The awful arm was clasped about the steel-work within a foot of her! With a terrible cry, Edmund dashed into the matted growths, madly 1 fighting his way through. Jack and I followed, but Henry saijk upon the wet ground, helpless through sheer terror, “That’s the fate they intended for us!” Edmund shouted. “But, by Heaven, it shall not come to her!” If we had had far to go, we should never have been able to get through that awful mass. Even in the excitement of the moment I shrank from the hateful touch of those twisted branches, clammy as the skin of serpents. v

But Edmund regarded nothing except his purpose. He battled maniacally with the obstacles in his path, leaving an opening for us at his heels. Through it all we hung on to our rifles, feeling that they alone could

save us. I suppose it was not more than two minutes before we emerged into a comparatively open space—and then the sight that met us! In the midst of the opening, but half visible in the gloom, on hugh squat legs, stood such a monster as you have perhaps read of in books on paleontology, but the equal of this one no geologist ever imagined. I don’t know how large its body was—but its gigantic three-cornered head looked as big as a beer-vat, and from the front of its head issued something resembling the trunk of an elephant, but as large as a dozen. The eye on the side of the head which was turned toward us glowed like an ember in the light of Edmund’s lamp. The creature was crushing the aeroplane, bending its sides like pasteboard with that mighty trunk. For my part, 1 was paralyzed by the awful spectacle, but Edmund’s sharp command brought me to my senses. “Hold the lamp!” Mechanically I took it in my hand. Then I saw Edmund aiming his rifle. Bang! Bang! Bang! Ten times the shots rang out, zipping one on the heels of another, and I knew that the chamber was exhausted. "Give me your rifle!”—to Jack. But it was unneeded. At the very first shot I saw the monster’s red eye go dull, and I believe that every bullet entered his brain. He was so hugh and unwieldy that he couldn’t fall like an ordinary animal. He released the wrecked aeroplane, threw his vast trunk, heaving in agony, and, thrashing the branches over his head, sank upon his immense knees, and slowly rolled down in the sedgy mud. Without a moment’s hesitation, Edmund rushed forward, and a minute later I saw him carrying Ala. She had fainted, but was uninjured. A little stimulant brought her round, and, lying in his arms, she looked at him, dazed at first, and then ;with such an expression as I should like just once to encounter in a woman's eyes. While we were thus engaged, Juba appeared, his white furry body thick with mud, and his hugh eyes actually comical in their mingled look of amazement and terror. Presently, half a dozen of the men who had been thrown from the aeroplane fought their way to us. "Quick now, boys,” said Edmund. "We’ve got to fix up a shelter.” Still carrying Ala, he led the way to the aeroplane. Its light steel frame was badly bent in places, but it had settled right side up, and a short inspection showed that it was not a hopeless wreck. “If the machinery is not iieriously injured,” said Edmund, "we shall be ail right. But we can’t get out of this straightaway, and I must have a safe and dry place for Ala, while I examine the thing and collect the survivors.” “Just look at that beast!” exclaimed Jack, pointing to the huge carcass of the slain monster. i "Better see if there are other live ones round,” returned Edmund, sjiarply. “Use your eyes and ears as you never did in your life, while I look at the machinery.” Gently placing Ala in a secure place on the now level deck, Edmund began to explore the mechanism of the aero-

plane. In a few minutes he turned on,' its powerful electric light, which lit up the strange spenery around us like a full moon. “You may draw the creatures upon us,” I said. “Yes,” said Edmund, ‘'but it’s just as likely to scare them off. In any event, I've got to have plenty of light Where’s Henry?” “Back there, paralyzed with fear,” I replied. “Go and find him, one of you.” Jack and I looked at one another.' Jack made a wry face, and probably I did the same. It manifestly had to be done, however, and, taking the pocketlamp, we gingerly crept back through the terrible thicket, and found Henry still seated on the ground. He remained speechless as we led him to the aeroplane and seated him uponiv So perfest a picture of abject fright 1 had never seen. Yet I pitied him from the bottom of my heart, for Henry had his good qualities. -v In the meantime, Edmund pursued his investigations, aidfed finally by the engineer of the craft and two or three of his assistants, who, guided hy the light, had struggled out of the swamp. In perhaps an hour’s time the aero-

pTafig"'Wgg"prunouuced-"rtrflt condition for flight. No more monster beasts had made their appearance, although three or four times we had heard them moving -about at no great distance, and, with beating hearts, had gripped the two rifles that rtmained loaded. Jack’s good nature was restored and he couldn’t refrain from expressing again hi# opinion that the way those rifles had come bapk to us beat all the fish yarns he had ever heard. “Now you’d never have dared to invent a story like that,” he said to me. I confessed that I wouldn’t, and added that I wouldn’t have dared to invent anything that had occurred on this expedition. “You’d better be thankful for what has happened,” Edmund interrupted, “and not be railing at Providence when it interferes in your behalf.” When everything was ready, we listened for a while to learn if any survivors yet remained unsound. Finally, hearing nothing, Edmund called out: “All aboard! 11 — I never learned how many, if any, had been lost. ——- At any rate, we were a company of fifteen, including Juba, when, at last, we circled up into the air and left that awful place.

Ala, as the nervous shock passed off, resumed her queenly air, but with it there was mingled an expression of fond admiration for Edmund that warmed my heart. If ever a couple were born for one another, I thought they were. Yet they had been born a long way apart! The crew of the aeroplane seemed to know the way well enough, once we were aloft, and after but a momentary hesitation our course was set, and we began to speed at a great elevation. Finally, we caught sight of the arc of daylight far away, until we emerged from under the cap of dark vapors and the region of twilight into the now familiar land of the great sesshelltinted cloud-dome.

Edmund remained for a long time communing with Ala, but at last he approached us. Henry, meantime, had recovered a little equanimity. “I suppose,” Edmund began, “that you would like to know how they found us.”

“Upon my word,” I said, “I never thought about that in the confusion that we have gone through., But, yes, indeed, we should like to know how under heaven they ever managed it.” Thereupon, Edmund sat down and told us the story as he had learned it from Ala and the others. It seemed that Juba had finally been our savior, though, of course, it was Ala who had inspired the whole thing. When they saw us snatched away from under the tree, they instantly comprehended Ingra’s plot, and calling upon the others to follow, Ala ran like a deer for the mines. Juba alone was able to keep up with her, the two handmaidens being left far behind in the race. Fortunately, most of the way was down hill.

“I guess they made those three miles in less than fifteen minutes,” said Edmund, smiling with a fond glance at Ala.

Arrived at the mines, Ala instantly ordered her aeroplane under way, with the best crew she could find at a moment’s notice. She knew what to do first

She had long since lost sight of us, but she had noted the direction of o 'r flight and her first measure was to risj rapidly to a great elevation bo as to command a wide prospect, at the same time in order not to lose valuable ground, making toward the mountains. Ingra's delay in choosing bis course, and his oversight in going to a great height, aided our pursurers, and they soon caught a glimpse of us, a mere speck in the air, miles and miles away.

Ala immediately ordered top speed. She drove the machinist such a rate that, as Edmund made out the story, her engineer protested. But she would listen to nothing. 1 Faster and faster their driving-fanß spun, until they seemed about to whirl themselves off their shafts. They soon

had the satisfaction to see that they were gaining, for Ala’s aeroplane was one of the swiftest. -■

Slowly they drew up on us, until the twilight borders were reached, and then their hopes Quickly faded. As we entered under the dark clouds, we were swallowed from Bight. Ala’s heart gave way, and finally, ix., an agony of despair, she sank upon tho deck. She knew too well the horrible fate that Ingra had prepared for his rival. > • Then it was that Juba unexpectedly came to the rescue. Possessing already the basis of the wordless language that was employed by them, he had no great difficulty in learning to communicate with Ala’s people, and seeing her in despair, and compre- 1 hendlng the purpose of the chase, he new respectfully approached her and made her understand that he could see in the dark. He had lived all his life in a land of shadow and of night, and his eyes, while half blinded in the light, were exactly suited for the conditions that now confronted them. He proved the truth of his assertion, or tried to, by pointing out the escaping craft, averring that it jwas perfectly visible to him. Ala was filied. with- joy.~at -this happy turn pf events. Immediately she recovered her self-command, and gave orders to all her crew that Juba’s directions should be implicitly followed. With the shades removed from his great eyes, Juba took his place on the # prow of the aeroplane and guided its course. Without the slightest delay, without abating their fearful speed, they plunged into the gloom, straight on our track. When Ingra made his sudden change of course Juba saw the maneuver and turned it against its inventor, for now Ingra himself could not see his pursuer, and could not know that he was still followed. The nose of a bloodhound is not more certain in the chase than were Juba’s eyes in that terrible flight through the darkness. They continued to gain upon us so rapidly that they were close at hand when Ingra rose from the swamp after pitching us out Following Juna’s indications, the pilot was about to dash at the escaping aeroplane, when Ala, divining what had been done, checked him, and ordered ’him to seek the spot where she was sure that we had been left, by Ingra’s orders, to be devoured by the monsters of the norass. But even Juba’s eyes could not locate us, hidden as we were on the dark, swampy ground and amid the twisted vegetation. Having commanded the pilot to descend near the ground, Ala was beginning a careful search, which even yet might Ijave failed, when the sudden flashing out of Edmund’s lamp told them where we were.

I need not tell you how breathlessly we listened to this narration. When it was finished we all looked at Juba with a kindly interest, such as we had never before felt toward him. But Jack’s interest in, and gratitude toward "him, ran into enthusiasm. He sprang to his feet, danced upon the deck, to the amazement of our friends, and, approaching Juba, slapped him on the back, with a joyous laugh, exclaiming: “Good old boy! Come down to New York and I’ll take care of you!” (To be continued.)