Doctor Jones' Picnic Part 10

And do you not think that G.o.d will hold the nations of Europe to a strict account for this villainy that marks the closing decade of the nineteenth century as the blackest page in human history? G.o.d will surely avenge Armenia, and woe to Europe when He treads the wine-press of His wrath!"

As Will offered no reply, the discussion closed.

CHAPTER XII.

Greenland's Icy Mountains and the Russian Bear.

Upon the morning of the third day from Constance House the wind shifted almost due west. Silver Cloud was in lat.i.tude 65 deg., longitude 70 deg.

13 min., and they were driving rapidly toward Greenland.

"We are still two or three points north of east in our course, and will let her drive as she goes for the present," said Dr. Jones. "And you wouldn't mind seeing Greenland's icy mountains, about which you have sung so many years, would you, girls?"

"O let us see Greenland, by all means, Doctor!" cried Mattie.

"What noted travelers we will be when we get back to Washington," and he placed an arm about each of their waists and galloped them up and down the little sitting room several times.

"I do believe that you grow to be more of a boy every year of your life," panted Mrs. Jones, as she smoothed her rumpled hair.

"You are quite right, Maggie; and what is worse, I do not expect to ever improve a bit on that line. Give me the heart of a boy while I live. And now, Professor, I am ready to give you revenge for that last game or two of chess that went to my credit."

While these two were oblivious to the world in a very closely contested game, Mrs. Jones sat knitting while Mattie read aloud to her from a late magazine. Denison and Fred were pacing the balcony for their "const.i.tutional." Will was working on his oil painting of Jennie Barton, and so beautifully had he succeeded in bringing out the lovely features, and trusting, fearless spirit that beamed from a pair of dark blue eyes, that all the company, even to Sing, expressed their unqualified admiration.

"Me sabe," said the acute Mongolian. "Ah! Will heap likee Miss Jennie."

The artist blushed, and they all laughed uproariously at his confusion, and Sing went chuckling to the kitchen.

The following morning Silver Cloud had nearly crossed Davis Strait, and the bold headlands of the western coast of Greenland were in plain view.

They crossed the western boundary line of that land of perpetual winter, just a few miles north of the Arctic Circle.

"Hurrah!" shouted Dr. Jones. "In the Arctics at last!"

The wind held still a little north of due east, and Silver Cloud rode at an elevation of between 3,500 and 4,000 feet. The surface of Greenland was cold, dreary, and uninviting to a degree. Vast tracts of ice and snow stretched in every direction, far as the eye could see. Away in the interior a range of mountains broke the monotony of the landscape.

Toward morning a violent snowstorm gathered below them and hid the face of Greenland from view until next morning. Silver Cloud, meantime, was sent up to nearly 5,000 feet alt.i.tude, so that they might not collide with any mountain peak during the night.

"Upon my word," said Professor Gray, as he stood on the balcony the following morning, and looked out over the white and ghastly picture of desolation, "I thought Labrador the most inappropriately named country upon the earth, but think of calling this picture of all that is inhospitable and forbidding--Greenland!"

By noon they were crossing swiftly the ridge that runs the length of Greenland, so far as is known. Silver Cloud swept within three hundred feet of one lofty peak, covered with eternal ice and snow. Then on and on, swift as an eagle, over the high plateaux and steppes of Eastern Greenland. Early the following morning they arose to find the Arctic Ocean beneath, and Greenland disappearing in the misty horizon behind them. The wind bore a point or so more easterly, and Dr. Jones was tempted to seek a more favorable current. He descended to the 2,000 foot level, but experienced no perceptible change.

"Well, we'll stick to my original plan. Anything north of due east or west is good enough for us," said he.

But he grew restless as they hour after hour steadily continued upon nearly the same lat.i.tudinal line, and descended to 1,000 feet elevation. There was some change for the better at that alt.i.tude for many hours. One thing that specially pleased them was the wonderful sensitiveness of the globe to the slightest variation of the temperature within its interior. The Doctor's plan of using hot air alone as the floating power had been modified to the extent of dividing one-half of the globe's interior into several compartments by thin sheets of aluminum, and these were filled with hydrogen gas. The gas fell but little short of the power necessary to float the ship, so that a slight elevation of the temperature in the air chamber above that of the external atmosphere was sufficient to float the vessel. When it was desirable to descend, a trap being opened in the upper and lower parts of the air chamber caused the hot air to rush out and the cold air in, and the descent could be made rapidly or slowly, at the will of the commander. By virtue of the zinc lining of the air chamber the temperature would remain at a given point for many hours without the consumption of a particle of fuel.

The Doctor and Will together had devised a most ingenious method of heating the hot-air chamber instantly. By the use of a small air pump hundreds of atmospheres could be compressed into a very strong aluminum chest or cylinder. Beneath this cylinder were a number of burners that heated the compressed air several hundred degrees. As we said before, when they desired to descend, an upper and lower trap were opened, the hot air rushed out above and the cold air in below, causing the globe to descend with great rapidity. This descent could be arrested at any level by closing the trap, and a certain amount of the air let off from the hot-air chest, and any temperature desired could be attained at once.

All this could be done at an expense of oil that was ridiculously and incredibly small. While they could by no means steer or guide this ship, yet, if the Doctor's theory of air currents should prove to be scientifically correct, then they were by no means entirely at the mercy of any and every adverse gale. And, at the worst, when a favorable current could not be found, they could descend to the earth and anchor until a fair wind prevailed. One thing further should be explained. When it became desirable to ascend suddenly or rapidly, the hot-air chest was thrown completely open, and the vast chamber was instantly filled with air at any temperature required. When this operation was from any cause necessary, the upper trap was closed and all the lower apertures opened. The hot air from the chest immediately mounted to the upper end of the air chamber, and forced the excess of cold atmosphere out through these lower traps. The effect upon the globe was marvelous. It would bound skyward like a rocket. By a series of experiments Will had ascertained just the amount of pressure per square inch and the temperature that was necessary to send the ship to a given alt.i.tude. The rate of ascent was under perfect control by letting off the hot air slowly or rapidly.

"What a mighty engine for good or evil in the world this ship would be, if it could be guided or steered," remarked Professor Gray.

"I doubt if that can ever be done," replied Will. "The surface presented to the current of atmosphere is too great to allow any sort of device to operate satisfactorily."

"The Government is making experiments with what is called the aeroplane, and the indications are that it is the coming method of aerial navigation. But the degree of comfort that we are enjoying can never be an attendant of that plan. I shall never cease to wonder at the speed with which we are traveling over these Arctic regions in perfect comfort. I never felt better in my life, and I have grown to feel as safe as I ever did in my home in Washington," said Professor Gray.

They occasionally saw whales spouting, and it was exceedingly interesting to watch the great icebergs that floated here and there over the face of the deep. Some of them towered like crystal mountains, hundreds of feet into the air.

"Just think how incomprehensibly great these ma.s.ses of ice are,"

observed Professor Gray. "It is estimated that but one-eighth of the berg protrudes above the surface. Now look at that monster! Not less than eighteen or twenty miles long, and from five to six hundred feet high, making it in the neighborhood of a mile in thickness. Ah! see that big fellow turning over! Did you ever see anything so grand! I don't wonder that navigating these seas is next to impossible."

They were all standing upon the balcony when they beheld this startling scene.

For two whole days the beautiful ship continued steadily upon nearly the same course. The Professor pointed out their position upon the map at lat.i.tude 70 deg. 35 min., and longitude 50 deg. 20 min., East Greenwich.

At this point they encountered a terrible gale from the north. The Doctor raised higher and higher, until they reached an alt.i.tude of ten thousand feet. Still they flew at amazing speed toward the south. He ascended to fifteen thousand, then twenty thousand feet elevation, but on they went into the heart of Russia. Will went up into the globe and hurriedly returned.

"You must lower, Doctor! The strain upon the rods is tremendous! The outside atmospheric resistance is so slight at this elevation that we shall certainly explode if you ascend any higher."

"Then we will descend and anchor at the first favorable spot, and there await a south wind. There seems to be a great demand for air at the equator just now. Well, let them have it," said he grimly, "but we are sure to get a regurgitation in our direction before many days. So down we go to study Russian habits and customs."

The upper and lower traps were opened in the air chamber, and they rapidly descended to within five or six hundred feet of the earth. They could plainly see that the foliage was being thrashed with great violence by the gale.

"How shall we manage to safely anchor in this awful wind, Doctor?" asked Will anxiously.

"Do you see that high range of hills just ahead?"

"Yes."

"Well, they run east and west. We will drop immediately upon the other side of them. There it must be comparatively calm. But sharp is the word! We are there now!"

Downward dropped the great ship behind the sheltering crest of the hills, and she, in a moment or two, was skimming quite easily along, just above the treetops. In what appeared to be a great park, the anchor was dropped into the top of a tree. It held securely, and Will and Denison descended in the cage and made a very strong aluminum cable fast about the trunk of the tree. After all was made secure, Dr. Jones and Professor Gray also descended. The little company then began looking around for signs of life.

"I see a large stone building down this avenue," cried Will.

"The Professor and I will prospect the place, while you two had better remain here until our return," said the Doctor.

Accordingly they set off at a lively pace toward the building. As they approached it they looked in vain for signs of human life. They found it to be a ma.s.sive ancient castle, standing in the midst of an extensive grove or park. They were somewhat awed by the deathlike silence that pervaded the place. They, however, stepped up to a ma.s.sive oaken door, and Dr. Jones seized the ponderous iron knocker and struck several vigorous blows. They waited two or three minutes, but could hear no sounds within.

"We have struck an enchanted castle, and I must see if I cannot awake the Sleeping Beauty within," said Dr. Jones, and he was about to apply the knocker again, when a deep ba.s.s voice from a window above addressed them in a language with which they were unfamiliar.

"We cannot speak your language. Do you speak English?" asked Dr. Jones.

"Are you men, angels, or devils, and what do you want," returned the voice in fairly good English.

The Doctor hastened to give the desired information, and told who they were, etc., concisely as possible.

"What is that fearful and wonderful silver ball or globe in which you dropped from the skies among us?"

After further explanations the bars were removed, and the ma.s.sive door swung slowly open. There stood before them a large, black-bearded man, holding by the collars two large Russian hounds. The brutes growled and showed their horrid fangs in a way that made the visitors cringe and draw back.