The New Cable.
“The new cable was run up alongside of the old and the upper end fastened to Deimos while the eye in the lower end was placed over the shaft. The cable was then deprived of weight and the 700 miles of slack floated about in space like a big cobweb. It was now supposed that if the old cable was cut Deimos would rapidly move out to his old position. But he did nothing of the kind. He seemed to be satisfied with his new route, and for several months he persistently kept on without getting any further away, his slack cable sagging out behind. They now undertook to compel him, and they succeeded in this way. They gave the cable full weight repulsion. This caused it to straighten out upward, and the slack went on up 350 miles above Deimos curving back to him. The whole thing looked like a fish pole and line with Deimos dangling at the end of it. It had the desired effect, however, for its strain upward exerted considerable power on Deimos disturbing the equilibrium that had been established between the centripetal and centrifugal forces that controlled his motion. It took about two years, however, to get him back to his old route. He was tipped over twice in the process, on account of the cable having been fastened on the underside; first while the loop of the cable was above it, and second when it got out to the end of the cable it was canted back again.”
“It was a funny experience, the little moon had,” I observed. “I suppose it got down to its former gait so as to allow of the old retrograde speed of cable at the Mars end?”
“Yes of course, the speed of Deimos decreased with its distance from Mars. It has occurred to them since, that they ought to have had a still longer cable, so as to have got him still further off with a still slower movement. They would have got more power by it.
“The last time I was on Mars a remarkable circumstance took place that I shall never forget. I was one of a party that accompanied the King on a visit to the pole to inspect the plant and view the landscape. From this lofty elevation the view is charming, and there is also a strange fascination in watching the solemn revolution of the great cable moving with the deliberation and precise regularity of the hour hand of some enormous time piece. There is a little cabin built over the shaft at the pole which revolves with the cable. The man whose business it is to oil the shaft constantly stays in that cabin, and even sleeps there. While we were admiring the view we suddenly heard a scream from the man in the cabin. The eye of the cable is oval and is not filled by the shaft at its inside end. Upon rushing into the cabin we found the unfortunate man had been asleep and allowed one of his feet to drop into this space and it had been slowly drawn in between the cable and the shaft until it was so fastened that he could not pull it out with the most frantic exertions, and every minute took it further crushing as it went. At last the man called for an ax, and it was handed to him, when without a moment’s hesitation, with two or three strokes he severed his leg just above the knee. I was terribly shocked, but the poor man made light of it, and declared he would have another leg in its place as good as that one in five months. Less than two weeks afterwards I saw him and his leg had already started to grow out and in five months he was walking on it the same as the others.”
“That was remarkable,” said I, “but it is said the star fishes on earth—what! are you going?”
The professor during his talk had been arranging his car, a process I had been endeavoring to keep the run of without losing his conversation. He had erected a cab or house over the lower part or body of it, had fastened it down with a sort of clamps, that appeared to make the joints air tight, leaving open a small door on one side. The material of this cab was a thick leathery substance, evidently very tough and stiff and very transparent. He had also an instrument that I directly perceived was an air pump, for he used it in pumping air into a number of flasks—those that he had emptied, I suppose, on his trip down from the moon. As he filled them he placed them inside of the cab and having walked around and carefully inspected everything to his satisfaction, he paused and turned his great benignant eyes upon me in a hesitating manner that seemed to say that he had something more to tell me which nevertheless he hesitated to communicate. After a few moments he overcame his scruples if he had any, and reaching into one of his middle pockets he brought forth a thin piece of stuff resembling parchment covered on both sides by an adhesive substance like that used on postage stamps. In shape it was like the moon at its first quarter. He pressed this piece against his forehead and left it sticking there for only a moment then handed it to me with a gesture that appeared to indicate that I should press it against mine. I did this, but it did not stick and there came into my head a very strange and muddled sensation not unlike a headache. I pulled it off. The Professor was looking at me and evidently perceived my trouble, for he directed me by a gesture to turn it over. The effect of this was as wonderful as it was agreeable. The Professor seemed to me to be talking through a telephone and while I could not say that I understood him any better than by his usual method, it was, to me, a new method, and disclosed new faculties and possibilities showing in a new light the genius and versatility of this wonderful race.
The information that he chose this novel way of communicating to me, related to the rumor in circulation in Mars as stated sometime back, that a company of speculators made up of Lunarians and extensive promotors living on the Earth were actually planning to impose a new orbit on Mars and had so far progressed with the scheme, that the stock was all subscribed. It was understood the Lunarians were to do the actual work; in fact it was conceded that they were the only people in the solar system that possessed a plant at all commensurate with the magnitude of the undertaking or were sufficiently skilled or experienced to handle it. The Lunarians were too shrewd or wary to undertake such a contract without assuring themselves of their ability to perform it. It was to inform themselves on this point, that the Professor had agreed to make the long trip to Mars directly after his return to the Moon. This was a larger undertaking than they had yet attempted. They understood perfectly the mathematical principles, involved, but the very immensity of the apparatus required to be used and handled made an appalling task, and yet they declared if they could do it at all, they could do it easily. They relied of course on their great secret—the repulsion of gravitation.
The great scheme was therefore not the hoax they were willing to have the general public believe it to be, but a well considered project, by some of the most astute financiers and physicists in the solar system. The following are some of the principal names and firms enlisted in the enterprise. U. L. & V; J. Y. & Co., K. G. Q.; A. W. Z. & Sons; H. O. & Co.; R. H. R. Sons and Co.; M. D. C. C. C.; J. X. & J.; I. & P.; D. J. & N.; L. H. I. & F.; N. B.; S. I. & Co.; C. M. & Co.; R. T. & X.; C. E. The timidity of capital is notorious; likewise its gullibility and therefore its instinct for secrecy and slyness. But the above array of names is an ample guaranty against trifling.
There had occurred to me from the first, the interesting question, what the business could be that would impose such a long and fatiguing journey on the Professor as a visit to Mars; I remembered the evasive reply he gave me when asked in regard to the great scheme for the abduction of that planet. I presume it was the tension on my mind, relating to this subject, that gave him an inkling telepathically of my wish to learn more of this great scheme and led him to pause and comply as related above. As to their ability to work out so vast an enterprise; it may be doubted. When Mars is in a direct line between Jupiter and the Sun, if they could give it a vigorous repulsory push from Jupiter while the sun’s attraction remains in activity, both his orbit and time would approximate those of the Earth. It might take several such repulsory pushes to secure the degree of conformity required for the adjustment of the three orbits—Moon, Mars and Earth. There is no denying the imminent risk to be incurred even by such experts as our Lunarians, in handling three bulky globes in such close proximity, for it is not Mars alone that will be involved in any change that may be brought about; but all three. It will prove a much greater contract than handling Deimos and Phobos.
These thoughts passed rapidly through my brain, while the Professor after another hasty inspection of his car, suddenly stepped inside and closed the door, fastening it with clamps like the rest. While he was doing this I eagerly inquired if he would not meet me again sometime and resume the story of my race in the far future beyond the one hundredth millennium.
He nodded his head affirmatively with a most benignant smile of his great kindly eyes, and said something I could only partially understand—“I will meet you here August — 9 — — —,” something preceded and something followed the nine, but I cannot tell what. The nine probably refers to the year—but nine occurs in every remaining year of this century, and in every one of the next. He waved his hand to me, then reached forward from his seat in the back of the car touched a button—or something—and began at once to rise, rather rapidly from the first, and increasing in speed so fast that the car as I gazed after it, dwindled with wonderful rapidity and soon went out. Before he shut himself in his car I had instinctively taken off my hat, and I stood there holding it in my hand, but without sufficient presence of mind to frame an appropriate farewell. The fact is, his personality was overpowering and in his presence—I speak only for myself—one felt small and insignificant.
“Well! can you make it out?” The words startled me and looking up I saw Allan Ocheltree standing before me with a bucket of water in his hand. I could not realize for a few moments where I was. Looking down I saw in my hands the stake with the red blotches on that I had tried to read before I met the Professor. But that was long ago. I had but little idea how long, but it must have been tedious for Allan during the long period I was interviewing the Professor. I wondered how he had occupied himself, and why he had not disturbed the interview—though I was exceedingly grateful that he had not. Perhaps he had seen the Professor himself. I asked him.
“What are you giving me?” said he, “I have seen no professor.”
“But he has only this moment left me, perhaps he is still in sight,” said I, and I at once turned an eager gaze toward the sky overhead and directly descried a small black speck. “There! what’s that—I believe that’s the Professor.”
“That,” said Allan coolly, “is a crane, you can see it moving toward the east. It is going home to Crane Island. What’s the matter, are you dreaming?”
I briefly explained.
“Well,” said Allan, “you must have fallen into a doze and got to dreaming. Don’t give yourself any worry about the way I have put in the time, I have been very agreeably occupied getting this bucket of water.”
“Do you mean to say,” said I, “that all this interview has taken only”—
“I mean to say that you have been sitting down there on that bank holding that piece of stick with the blurred keel marks on it, just long enough for me to walk to that rock yonder dip up a bucket of water and walk back. Here, time me with your watch and I will show you how long it took.”
Whereupon he threw away the water in his bucket, walked to the rock, refilled it and walked back—in one minute and forty seconds! Thus may one get an idea of the quickness of thought. I had heard of it before, but never realized it so completely.
As we went on with our preparations for our dinner I gave Allan some further account of what I seemed to have heard and seen, and he became quite interested in it.
“I think,” said he, “you ought to write it down, and do it at once before you forget it. You had better go right back to your cottage at the other end of the lake. I’ll go with you, perhaps I can help you. I can write while you dictate.”
I thought myself, I ought to write it down, and was pleased that he made the suggestion. It was soon arranged. After dinner we piled our things in the Sally Ann and were soon under way. Instead of rowing back to the outlet of Halsteds Bay, we steered for a narrow depression in the long point of land that separates the Bay from the upper lake. At this place which is only a few yards wide, we made a portage by dragging the boat over by main strength, and in a minute were in the lake, and just in time to hail a little steamer on its way down. They threw us a line which we made fast to the Sally Ann, and were thus towed back to Excelsior. Here Allan left me to go and settle his board bill and get his things, with the understanding that he would come over to my cottage next morning, while the steamer pursued her way toward the St. Louis hotel. Opposite Cottagewood I threw off the line and in a few minutes was back in my cottage. This terminated the cruise of the Sally Ann.
That night I dreamed over the entire interview with the Professor, I believe verbatim.
Next morning a messenger came with a note from Allan saying that he had found awaiting him a telegram from a favorite niece demanding his presence at her wedding due to come off at St. Louis at a time that required his immediate departure. This he considered imperative and he had accordingly started the night before. He would try and come back after the wedding was over, he said.
I began to write up the “interview” that day, and that night I dreamed it all over again. It seemed to be now well fixed in my mind and I wrote rapidly. A week later I got another note from Allan. Business had claimed him again and he regretted that he would have to forego any further outing till next season. I have never heard from him since.
I wrote vigorously on the interview, and finished it in two weeks. I was very tired and glad to get back to the city and to work so as to rest up from the fatigues of my outing.