Chapter IX: Testing the Web

“Let’s keep them
In desperate hope of understanding us.”
(+Cartwright.+)

No bomb could have been more startling than the simple statement from the _Regina_. Surely there must be some mistake, or the men were mad, for who in their senses would think of going into the _sun!_ Various instruments were compared but all gave the same word “sun.” Had the adventurers been any other men they would probably have been derided, but it was evidently a case of _non compos mentis_, and though to a certain extent they could act as they pleased in all that concerned themselves personally, in the interests of science they should not be allowed to destroy the _Regina_ in attempting such an insane act as that contemplated. No one could understand it. Mental aberration occasionally plays tricks with the best, but surely such scientists could not for a moment have overlooked the fact that the terrific heat of the sun would shrivel up the ship and all she contained long before they could approach his surface; and how could anything live—even the _Regina_—in the sun’s atmosphere, which the merest child knew would convert the ship, powerful as she was, into the most tenuous vapour.

So every one argued, from the highest to the lowest, and the government was petitioned to prevent such an inevitable catastrophe, but the government replied that they had no control whatever over the vessel, and though the owners should be requested to abandon the scheme, pressure could not be brought to bear on them, and again were the conditions of the original deed printed and made public, and all could see that even if the owners arranged to go elsewhere, they could still go to the sun and no one could hinder them. As a matter of fact, the government was afraid of doing anything to stop them; history had recorded what the _Regina_ had accomplished in the past, and the grant of perpetual protection was too serious lightly to be set aside.

The people then clamoured for Dennis and his companions to be imprisoned for destroying the pirate airship and causing the death of its owner, but again those in authority refused to move, merely pointing out that the grant gave unlimited power to protect the vessel in the best way possible, and so long as they used that power within due limits, the law would and must uphold them. The man who was killed had only himself to blame, and the owners, in reporting the occurrence, which was proved to be a pure accident, had done all the law required. Foiled at every turn, the populace became furious until the first flush of excitement had passed, when they began to consider the matter more calmly, and what had been anger gave place to an intense curiosity, for they felt that some mysterious secret was withheld from them and that the contemplated voyage must be possible.

This excitement grew as the days passed till folk spoke of very little else, each greeting the other with the question whether any news had been received, for all wanted to be the first to know and carry the information with respect to the means by which the heat was to be overcome, but these particulars were not to be divulged till the day of starting, though in view of the great curiosity the owners sent a ‘wave’: “In four days we sail to the sun covered with a heat-resisting net. _Regina_ in net will be on view before starting.”

This set all doubts at rest, but if anything it caused more excitement than ever, and Derwent became the gathering-ground for all ships that could make the journey. So great faith had the people in the _Regina_ and her owners, that thousands of ‘wave’ messages were forwarded from scientists and others all over the world asking for the privilege of making one of the party. In vain did Dennis and his friends ‘wave’ a refusal, saying they four only were going—applications still came in, and the government suggested that in the interests of science it would be well to take the presidents or other officials of the chief societies, so that each in his own special line could investigate the branch he represented, and by this means gain more real knowledge on every subject than would be possible with four only. This wise suggestion was gladly adopted and invitations given to twenty representatives of all branches of science, who were to be under rigid restrictions not to trespass. The decision was received with great delight by the fortunate few, who made their arrangements and hurried to Derwent with all speed. This influx of visitors made it necessary to have a few attendants. While the four were alone, they rather enjoyed being so, taking it in turns to attend to meals, there being very little cooking necessary under the present system of tablet and pilule form of food; and reliable mechanical servants, dusters, etc., worked by motive power, rendered human help of any kind superfluous. Up to the present no repairs had been needed in the machinery or the vessel beyond easy adjustment _en route_, and automatic cleaners kept the engines and all parts of the ship in a condition bordering on newness. But easy as it was for the three owners and Godfrey to regulate their work and actions to fall in with these accurately timed automatic servants, as they are called, which, when once started, perform their allotted duties with a regularity no human being could emulate, they could not expect twenty visitors to be entirely without some human attendants, for the work undertaken by each would be exacting, both as regards time and energy, so two good men were obtained and the original men’s quarters not already disposed of were altered for them, and re-arrangements made in the ship so that all requirements could be supplied automatically and instantly, far better and more quickly than would have been possible by human agency, and a movement of the zero switch closed everything, and returned everything. Moreover, as in the original design of the ship, so now was every cabin electrically connected with those of the owners, and contained a secret sehen-microphone, telephone, and ‘wave’ apparatus, and, if necessary, each cabin could be electrically closed should any occupant have to be kept prisoner from any cause, in which case, though in solitary confinement, he would still be able to enjoy the delights of the table, the pleasures of books, a constant view outside, and other comforts; also conversation, but with the owners only, who alone, by means of the sehen-microphones, could make themselves acquainted with his every movement by sound and sight, although such a contingency was extremely unlikely to arise. The owners’ quarters and those portions of the saloon and observatory containing the controlling-switches were so protected as to render approach by any one except themselves impossible.

Probably the greatest stock required would be water, which, up to a few centuries ago, had not been thought capable of more than slight compression, but about that time some explorers entered an underground city named the “City of Earth” and were shown by the governor, Antistes,[A] how to compress water into the form of a cord, when, like twine, it could be coiled into balls and stored for an indefinite length of time if in air-tight cases. When a small piece of this is cut off and subjected to the movement of friction, it rapidly becomes liquid, a piece a few inches long providing several gallons of distilled water. Thousands of these large balls were stocked so that each person could have an abundant supply during the whole of the voyage. This was not expected to be of longer duration than a year, or two at the outside, but sufficient provisions were taken for a seven years’ absence, so that if any unforeseen delay should occur there would be ample food for all.

[Footnote A: “The Immortal Light.”]

These arrangements were soon finished, and in making the alterations in the ship to accommodate so large a party and to provide the extra working space required, the present owners followed the lead of the original builders by employing each man on a portion only of one job, leaving another to complete, they themselves fixing the necessary secret connections and fittings after the men had prepared the way for they knew not what.

The wisdom of this course soon became apparent, for before many days had passed the workmen were waylaid and fêted, many of the highest in the land thinking it not beneath their dignity to step from their high estate to fraternise with the humblest workman, if by so doing a little information could be obtained which would place them in possession of some of the secrets of the _Regina’s_ power. Astonished almost beyond measure at the sudden interest taken in their welfare, the humble, honest workmen felt that the theory of equality had, at last, resolved itself into definite practice, and that they were now being lifted up into the higher station of their patrons and were fast becoming compeers. Consequently, they, never suspecting duplicity—for what can a mouse know of the patient wiles of a cat till too late—exerted their utmost endeavours to please, and told all they knew with the frankness and innocence characteristic of them, suddenly to find their innocence become their undoing, for the patrons soon perceived that willing as the workmen might be to supply information, they could neither give nor suggest any reason for their work, and all led to confusion. The blind led the blind, and both fell; the rich to withdraw; the honest, well-meaning poor—who are, and will be, always with us—to return to their own level, ignored and discourteously treated by those of the higher grade who had just been so kind and friendly. This need not have occasioned surprise, for an arrogant and insolent manner is the prerogative of the well-to-do, and is useless to a poor man who has no one poorer than himself to practise upon. It is only when the pocket is well lined, and the conscience is seared almost to extinction by countless corrosive stains, that one can afford to be oblivious to everything except personal interests. A good maxim to follow is to

“Be good and you’ll be happy.
Another thing is sure,
More certain than the happiness—
Be good and you’ll be poor.”

This is probably why the poor, who have so little comfort here, “inherit” the Kingdom of Heaven, but to the rich it is hard to find entrance, which can only be gained by the loving, voluntary sacrifice of everything, to give to the poor. This is a hard lesson, and more often than not causes a denial and a clinging to the riches as they are gripped all the closer—the poor remain poor and the rich hang the head, for the moment sorrowing that the peace of the poor is refused them, for they have great possessions.

All this but confirms the fact that though age succeeds age, human nature remains unchanged, and the world wags on much in the old way. “A man that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet” is equally true to-day as it was in wise old Solomon’s time, and as it will be always. In certain ways improvements take place, manners and customs change along with changing circumstances, but deep down “the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked,” and self is ever uppermost. Education advances and with it general knowledge increases, but this only gives a more or less thin veneer; the hearts and lives of men remain the same, they still work for self and ill-gotten gains, though as they rise in station and become more ‘educated,’ they become all the more dangerous, as they can obtain their spoils more quietly and insidiously.

King Solomon seems to have had a varied experience which gave him an intimate knowledge of most things, and he was never more correct than when he said, “He that giveth to the rich shall surely come to want.” And not from his own fault, but that the rich, having obtained all the poor man has to give, cannot bear to think he may possibly say, with apparent truth, that he has helped them, and given them such and such things, so they persecute him who befriended them and bring him to such a pass, that if ever he should be so indiscreet as to hint at any obligation on their part, he would but draw to himself the ridicule and unbelief of his hearers, and from the rich man, the good-humoured, patronising smile of light amusement, as though the statement were too ridiculously funny to be other than a joke; for is it within the bounds of possibility to think that the mouse was believed when it returned to its nest, and told to its loving, trusting friends the story of how it alone had set free the mighty lion.

Although everything is now in the hands of the state, and there is little need to be rich when there can be no open oppression, which is one of the chief advantages accruing from riches, there are still the old faults and vanities exposed by Solomon underlying every phase and walk of life. The poorer serve the wealthy in the hope of being helped to riches, losing sight of the fact that they would then be in little better position, for in the semi-commonwealth of the present day the rich man is, morally, no more wealthy than the poor, as he must spend all his riches according to his position. All the same, beautiful as is the present state of things in theory, in actual practice the same envy, hatred, malice and all uncharitableness existing thousands of years ago, still flourish in ghastly virility.

The workmen employed on the _Regina_ were, one after another, left by the curious to go their own way totally disregarded, and they could not understand it, for it never entered their guileless brains that they had been opened like oysters and, like the empty shells, flung aside.

It was plain that nothing could be learned about the vessel but what the owners permitted, and patience was a trying virtue to cultivate, but at last the delay which the alterations had occasioned came to an end, and the actual date of flight was fixed for the following Tuesday. The first flight of the _Regina_ was altogether eclipsed by this, the most important voyage of all. On the Monday, the city of Derwent was again packed with people, and both on land and in the air business began to be restricted, and before the day was out ceased altogether. The following day crowds of people and ships assembled to see the mysterious net; and punctually at half-past ten in the morning the vessel rose out of her shed into the brilliant sunshine to be greeted with roar after roar of enthusiastic applause. She floated clear of the roof, then sank to within about twelve feet of the ground and there remained stationary. Over all her surface was a wonderful covering of network, fitting her shape exactly like a glove, woven without a seam to fit the contour of the vessel; at every point where the threads crossed, it was knotted, and the sun, glinting on these fine projections, reflected sparks of brilliant light, making the shimmering net appear as if studded with myriads of diamonds. The people went into ecstasies of delight and wonder, and every one wanted to know all about it. In response to the clamouring call, the three owners and Godfrey emerged to give a demonstration of the wonderful properties of the net, and on a platform specially erected, in full view of the assembled throng, they performed many experiments with the heat-resisting material, amongst which were fruitless attempts to ignite gunpowder, cordite, and other explosives with heat and flame and blazing liquids, none of which would pass the net in which the explosives were wrapped; even a powerful oxyhydrogen blowpipe failed to ignite dry phosphorus under the same conditions, and having successfully gone through dozens of tests with all forms of materials and substances, there followed a perfect furore of applause; for all in that vast assemblage were sufficiently experienced in chemistry and physics to comprehend the full import of the discovery, and what possibilities were open to the owners now the question of heat—as the world knows it—had been overcome. Whether the material would withstand the inconceivable heat of the sun could only be ascertained by going there, and none were more fully aware than those embarking that, severe and successful as the tests had been, they might all meet their doom in the crucial test.

All at once Dennis called his three friends aside.

“You look excited, old chap,” said Ross. “What’s in the wind?”

“An idea has just struck me!” was the reply, his eyes shining.

“Ideas must be scarce to cause such a to-do!” remarked Godfrey. “You look as excited as a schoolboy.”

“I am!” replied Dennis. “I believe we have made a still further discovery and placed the _Regina_’s powers beyond all limit!”

Instantly all were alert as Dennis continued,—“Hitherto a great drawback to our power came from the fact that we have always been obliged to go steady through atmosphere, or the friction would over-heat and destroy the ship; but if this network will withstand friction as well as heat, we can go through atmospheres as quickly as through vacuum and not be burned or warmed. Don’t you see——”

“Capital!” interrupted the others, enthusiastically.

“Let us try it,” suggested Godfrey, “shall we go round the Earth fast, to see how she acts?”

“We must tell the folk what we are doing,” said Ross, “so that they can time us,” so they returned to the vessel and ‘waved’ their intention to all, explaining their reasons for putting the ship to this further test by a rapid flight within the Earth’s atmosphere, saying that in fifteen minutes’ time she would go round the Earth at a height of twenty miles, pause for ten minutes, then encircle it again at a lower distance at a considerably increased speed. Whilst they were entering and sealing the vessel, the people were getting ready their instruments to time and photograph the flight. Punctually to time, the _Regina_ rose and then shot ahead, soon afterwards to be resting over the shed, when the net was examined and found to be perfectly cold and uninjured.

Ten minutes later, she vanished towards the east and returned from the west, almost before many of the watchers had realised she had gone, the second circuit having been so quickly accomplished. Again were the net and casing found to be of the same temperature as before the flight, and the four travellers were again overwhelmed with congratulations. Thousands of excellent photographs had been obtained from various points on the light and dark sides of the Earth, those taken on the shadow side showing little more than the ship’s brilliant lights, for she had gone with all her lights full on; on each of those taken on the illumined side, every detail of her wonderful covering was distinctly seen to be undisturbed by the terrible rapidity of her flight.

“That was fine!” exclaimed Godfrey; “one just blinks and we are back! it’s a splendid success.”

“We shall be able to go hundreds of times faster, if need be,” said Dennis. “That was merely to try it.”

“But shall we always go through atmosphere at so terrific a speed?” asked Godfrey, in surprise.

“No, not necessarily, though it is reassuring to know that no matter what speed we have, we are not in danger, and there would be no reason why we should alter for atmosphere unless we wished to land, or take observations.”

“Let us get off then!” exclaimed Godfrey. “I am anxious to go and so are we all. We are already an hour behind time. Shall I call the passengers?”

The others agreeing, Godfrey very unceremoniously called up the twenty impatient visitors who, along with the two attendants, mounted the ladder and were soon safely aboard. The net was joined, doors were closed, and amidst applause which rolled aloft like thunder, the ship ascended, all the occupants going to the windows to watch the people becoming smaller and smaller, suddenly to vanish as the ship increased speed; and now they saw the rivers and seas like strips of hammered silver; then all was lost in billowy clouds; then all was dark; below them lay the Earth, a great ball, or disc of light, which became smaller and smaller and was even now but the size of a marble, as the _Regina_ shot onwards with terrific speed straight for the gigantic sun.