History of a World of Immortals without a God / Translated from an unpublished manuscript in the library of a continental university

by Unknown

CHAPTER III.

Concerning Physical Hesperography—Of the great Cloud-Screen, and its effect on Terrestrial Astronomy—Of the Chronic Equatorial Tornado, and of its extraordinary importance in the history of Hesperos—Of the Giant Mountains; and of the Flora and Fauna.

To understand aright the nature of my intercourse with the Hesperians, I must needs give a short description of the structure and principal natural features of the surface of their planet; and likewise some account of the origin of the rational inhabitants thereof, and of the main points wherein their conditions of life differ from our own. All this knowledge was obtained by me, after the establishment, as I have explained, of a means of communication, in the course of many dialogues, not only with the three whom I had instructed in the Hollandish tongue, but also with many others, who had, with nearly equal quickness and ease, picked it up. But I think the reader will find it more convenient if I present him, in a connected discourse, this strange history which came to my knowledge only by degrees and in a rather roundabout way.

Our own astronomers have, long ago, computed the distance of Hesperos from the sun, her magnitude, density, time of rotation on her axis, and a few other particulars. Some of these computations are approximately right, but they have considerably over-estimated her distance from the sun, which is really not much over sixty-six millions of miles. And with respect to the physical geography, or more properly, Hesperography of the planet, they are, all of them, in absolute ignorance, and that for the best of possible reasons—no human being but myself has ever seen her surface. Improvements in the telescope will never enable the terrestrial astronomers to penetrate the permanent stratum of cloud which, at an average elevation of twenty miles, surrounds the entire planet like a screen. The visible disk of Hesperos is simply the outer surface of this cloud-screen, which reflects the solar rays very copiously. The Hesperian atmosphere is of immense density, for the average height at which mercury stands in a tube constructed after the method of Signor Torricelli is somewhat over fifty-nine inches. It is fortunate that, except in the equatorial region, storms are unknown, for the impact of a hurricane of air of such density would be fatal to most forms of life.

This ponderous atmosphere supports the stratum of cloud just mentioned, which is sufficiently dense to act as a screen against the solar rays, and it thus renders the climate of the greater part of the planet by no means unpleasant. Though the supply of solar heat is nearly double of that received by the earth, I never, during my two years’ residence in Hesperos, experienced as much inconvenience from that source as I have frequently met with in our own tropical countries.

The planet is divided into two regions, which in ancient times were supposed to be, and, in one respect, really were, mutually inaccessible. The division is made by an immense equatorial ocean which surrounds the entire globe. The extent of this ocean, measured from north to south, is nowhere less than four thousand miles. Each of the poles is the centre of a vast continent which extends on all sides till it meets the great central ocean. The margins of these continents are exceedingly irregular in shape, being broken by arms of the sea, which often run up the country for many hundreds of miles. Many islands, some of which are of considerable size, are scattered through the ocean, but none of these lie at a very great distance from the mainland. The entire surface is nearly equally divided between land and water, this distribution forming a marked contrast with the present state of the earth.

By far the most striking of the physical phenomena on the planet is the frightful chronic hurricane which rages round the equator. To this I must ask the reader’s special attention, inasmuch as some of the most astounding events in the Hesperian history are only to be understood with reference to this extraordinary and hitherto unexplained tornado. I have already mentioned the exceeding density of the air, and also the fortunate exemption of the greater part of the planet from storms. But it seems that this latent energy of the atmosphere finds its vent in a zone about five hundred miles in breadth, of which the equator forms the central line. According to all accounts a permanent tornado, of such violence that one who is accustomed only to the storms which occur in the rarer atmosphere of the earth, is incapable of even imagining it, tears and rages round this zone for ever. Still less could anyone conceive the aspect of the ocean subjected to this unceasing and tremendous hurricane. Anyone who could realize in imagination the cataract of Niagara, broken loose from its American moorings, and wandering on the sea, might perhaps have some notion of one of the equatorial waves.

This is the reason why I described the northern and southern Hesperian hemispheres as mutually inaccessible. No ship constructed by mortal hands could approach this pandemonium and live. We shall see, farther on, that, after the lapse of many ages, counting from the first appearance of rational life, the transit was effected in a wholly unexpected manner. This transit led to a most awful discovery, and with this discovery we shall see that the Modern History of Hesperos begins.

Moreover, the differences as to heat and cold in the various climatal regions of Hesperos are not nearly so great as those which are experienced on the earth. This fact is partly to be explained by the considerable increase in the density of the permanent cloud stratum, which takes place as we approach the equatorial zone. This provides a more effective barrier against the solar rays in the districts where such a screen is most needed. For the purpose of residence the two polar regions are unquestionably far the most agreeable. Each of them abounds in beautiful lakes and magnificent mountain scenery. The Hesperian mountains are on a much larger scale than any which occur on the earth. In particular, starting from a point near the northern pole, there runs in a south-easterly direction a mighty chain which has several peaks not less than twenty English miles in height.

Some of these peaks even pierce through the cloud-screen, and these have been made available for the construction of extensive astronomical observatories. There are similar, though not quite as lofty ranges in the southern hemisphere, and their summits have been utilised in the same way. It should be observed that, were it not for these mountains, the Hesperians would have been wholly cut off from all knowledge of the remainder of the universe, for none of the heavenly bodies are visible through the permanent screen. I need not say that very great precautions are taken at all the observatories to protect the astronomers and the instruments from the great heat of the sun.

I have already mentioned that, with the terrible exception noticed above, storms are unknown in Hesperos. The country is everywhere well watered. There are no sandy deserts. Extensive evaporation takes place over the central ocean; rain clouds at a much lower altitude than the screen are constantly formed, and, being wafted by very gentle breezes over the land, discharge their contents in fertilizing rain. There are no thunderstorms or electrical phenomena of any kind; no hesperoquakes, no volcanoes, nor indeed any of those vast natural instruments of death with which our earth is so copiously supplied.

The planet abounds, as might have been expected, in multiplied forms of vegetable life. There are many trees which closely resemble those of the earth; many also of very different types from any known here. The great preponderance in number of the fruit-bearing trees over the barren species is exceedingly noteworthy. As for the flowers, I have seen none on earth, tropical or non-tropical, which in any way approach the gorgeous splendour of the Hesperian colouring.

Animal life, on the other hand, is scanty, and confined to a small number of seemingly insignificant species. The bird tribe forms the only exception. Of these the forms are numerous and lovely, and, as they are never molested by the inhabitants, they are singularly tame. There are no large or carnivorous mammals; and it is worth notice that in the small-sized and graminivorous types of this class—the only quadrupeds in Hesperos—the reproductive power is, in comparison with the earth tribes, exceedingly small. Insects and reptiles are wholly unknown; the numerous birds live entirely on the abundant fruits. I greatly appreciated the comfort of being able to sit and rest on the grass without being immediately covered with a disgusting swarm of stinging ants, and, when in the house, I soon learned to submit with resignation to the absence of the loathsome cockroach and the both loathsome and dangerous centipede and scorpion.