Chapter X: The Conspiracy

“Foul whisp’rings are abroad; unnatural deeds
Do breed unnatural troubles; infected minds
To their deaf pillows will discharge their secrets.”
(+Shakespeare.+)

Almost the first thing to excite comment amongst the visitors was the appearance of the stars. On Earth stars are seen above and around, as if the spectator were placed in the centre of a great ball, on the inner side of which ball stars are seen, but owing to the Earth intervening and cutting off all sight below the horizon, only the upper half of the dome is visible. But here in space the stars were above, around, and below; in every direction they shone brilliantly, the _Regina_, notwithstanding her rapid movement, being always and at all times the altering centre of a vast and ever-changing space, with ever-changing objects, which appeared weird and awful when viewed in the absence of an atmosphere through which everything in nature must necessarily be seen from Earth, and which softens and beautifies by its moisture and substance and clouds and refraction and dozens of other blessings, or the inhabitants would be driven almost mad to see the wonders of creation and the terrible sun, shorn of the Earth’s beneficent veil of atmosphere.

Many of the passengers were appalled, and several intensely regretted their misplaced enthusiasm. They had, all their lives, examined their celestial globes from _without_, as they necessarily were obliged to do, merely bearing in mind, in a casual sort of way, that the Earth was really _within_, and instead of the dome of the heavens being above, the Earth was itself the centre of limitless space. They nearly lost their self-control and were driven to the verge of hysterics to realise that the frail thing on which they stood was actually adrift in immeasurable space, and only the All-seeing Eye could guide them back to their own world.

As seen from Earth, stars are mere points of light, the rays from which in passing to us become subject to various laws, and are also not only refracted, but are affected by the density, humidity and temperature of our atmosphere, coming to us as twinkling lights. Also under the highest telescopic power stars show no appreciable size, and are comparatively fixed in their places, forming such small points in the heavens that their positions can be determined so correctly that the measurements and movements of other stars and planets can be recorded with almost certain accuracy, for keeping the same position themselves with regard to Earth, they define clearly and unmistakably the movements of our world.

A star being _one_ point of light, twinkles only, whilst planets, moons, and the sun have so many points and rays of light, all twinkling, that the combination of all the scintillating rays causes a steady light which is quite distinct from the light of a star, the magnitudes of which are classed according to their relative brightness, the first half-dozen or so classes being visible to the naked eye, and the next eighteen or more to the lens of a good telescope.

For many centuries it had been thought that the difference in the brilliancy of the stars came from the fact that though they were nearly all equally brilliant, their distances were so remote as more or less to reduce their light, and that ether in space was entirely transparent. The _Regina_, however, had been the cause of considerable modification of these views by enabling many of the difficulties to be removed by actual observation on the spot, when it was found that certain parts of the ether of space were more or less opaque and partially, and often entirely, obliterated certain of the stars by intervening and absorbing some, or all, of their light; also that many, if not all, of these semi-opaque webs of ether were in motion, and sometimes this movement caused the more dense web to pass away from between certain stars and Earth, and thus in the more transparent space certain stars would appear brighter, and the new stars and moons of planets would become visible; at the same time the opaque web of ether having changed position, stars hitherto visible were blotted out of sight from Earth. This accounted for many discoveries of new stars and the loss of many previously observed, also for the periodic loss and reappearance of others, for in certain cases the fog-like stratum of ether was found to move in definite and periodic pulsations which exposed one or more stars beyond, as the veil lifted, or fell, or moved aside. Such stars may then have remained visible for years and would again vanish as the stratum moved back, and in course of time, probably anything from a few hours to thousands of years, it would again expose the hidden star, which would appear and disappear in definite cycles of time. Such stars are called “variables,” of which there are considerably over a thousand, and others are being added as time goes on; some have definite periods of visibility and invisibility, and some change erratically, being seldom equal, all depending on the size, movement and density of the particular semi-transparent web of intervening ether, which, although appearing to be bound by no known law, yet has a certain law of movement of its own, because it may be timed and its passage anticipated with accuracy.

One of the chief of these periodical stars is Mira Ceti, the “wonderful star,” which was visible from Earth when the travellers left, but in a few days they passed through a great bank of dense, semi-opaque ether, thousands of miles in thickness and extent. This was almost imperceptible when they were in it, but as they had approached it had appeared like a faint cloud, the mass of which was sufficient to hide the star from Earth when intervening. The magnitude of Mira—in common with that of all other such stars—varies according to the density and opacity of the intervening stratum, undergoing many ‘wonderful’ changes. Its period is less than an Earth-year by about thirty-four days, thus going through about twelve changes in eleven Earth-years, or thereabouts. Its brightness, which is fiery red, causes it to be classed in the second magnitude, in which it remains about fifteen days, when it diminishes in brightness till, in about three months’ time, the full bulk of the bank of ether hides it altogether from the naked eye, and only through powerful telescopes can it be seen for a little under five months, when a more transparent portion of the web of ether gradually pulsates before it. In the course of a little under three months the belt has lifted, or become so thin as to be wholly transparent, and the “wonderful star” comes into view again without anything intervening. She has thus regained her original brilliancy as a star of the second magnitude, and Mira has now gone through her average changes, but even these are subject to much variation. The movements of the ether follow a law at present unknown, to discover which the _Regina_ would have been obliged to stay close at hand, probably for years, which was scarcely advisable, so the scientists left the definition of the law of ether-movement to some future occasion, contenting themselves with the elucidation of the cause of the variability of stars, and particularly of this “wonderful star,” which has been the source of so much controversy and speculation since its discovery in Cetus in 1596 by David Fabricius. It was also found that the ether pulsated and moved in such a manner as to cause the star to appear of varying brightness, and to alter its period to a longer or shorter time—probably a matter of twenty to thirty days either way. They, however, noticed that at the eleventh maximum of brilliancy, which was then approaching, the star was completely exposed to view from Earth, thus causing it to appear at that particular time far brighter than when at its greatest brilliancy. It was seen far away, shining steadily, but without the scintillating, fiery glow seen from Earth, which, along with other characteristics peculiar to their unique point of sight, caused much friendly discussion amongst the voyagers as the ship sped onward direct for her goal—the star which warms, illumines and governs all the planets and the thousands of planetoids forming the solar system, binding them all together by such close and common ties, as of relationship, that no shock or change of any magnitude can take place in any one of them without affecting all the others, however remote.

By this time the _Regina_ had travelled a little over twenty-seven of the ninety-three millions of miles which separate the earth from the sun, and consequently had arrived within the orbit of Venus. The details of the visit the original owners had paid to this “Star of Love” centuries before, were, of course, matters of history, well known to every person on board; notwithstanding which, several of the visitors wished to go out of their course to follow in the wake of the planet, and land, and pressed Dennis to go there, but he refused, saying they must travel direct to the sun and back, and in this decision the rest of the party concurred, seeing that Venus was at the opposite side of the sun to Earth and they would have to go past the sun and then come back. Then for the first time dissension arose, and amongst the few who wished to go to Venus were some of those who first regretted having embarked. These openly expressed their dissatisfaction, and endeavoured to inflame the fears of their more courageous and peace-abiding companions by referring constantly to the now awful-looking sun which, shorn of the protecting veil of Earth atmosphere, glared with terrible power into the vessel, and contrasted his malignancy with the benign, yet distant Venus, rolling onward in stately movement. So effective were these constant comparisons that before many days had passed other faint-hearts saw in the sun and its slowly increasing and awful bulk a doom by the worst of deaths, and they commenced to argue with all the owners in turn, that even if the vessel could withstand the enormous heat and friction, she could not possibly sustain the equally enormous pressure, but would be cracked like a nut as she drew nearer, for a tiny jet of vapour on the sun would strike with a force of thousands, perhaps millions of tons, and shatter the ship like burnt paper.

“The vessel can withstand lightning and any other force,” said Dennis, with conviction.

“Lightning, may be!” retorted Edgar Holt, who seemed to be regarded by his friends as their spokesman, “but not solar energy. In lightning you have direct electrical energy, and I will admit for argument your sources of power to be greater than lightning, but solar energy is infinitely stronger, and we shall be crushed.”

“Energy, solar or otherwise, is all the same to us; the energy radiated from each square foot of the sun’s surface has been computed at something like twelve thousand horse-power, but that is, of course, only a guess, as must be all estimates. Now the secret of the _Regina’s_ power lies in the fact that not only can we absorb any form of opposing energy—be it gravity, heat, electricity, magnetism, or what not—but oppose to it the same force increased a thousand-fold and more, so that we can assure you there is no danger; we may safely enter the sun’s atmosphere, and no matter what force opposes us, it will be harmless.”

“It will not!” retorted Holt, in rude contradiction, “we shall be annihilated!”

“Oakland is right, Holt,” broke in Ross, with some warmth; “and if not, and we are burnt up, you knew the risks—why did you come if you were not prepared to face them?”

“We were blinded with the glamour of the adventure, but that has worn off and we cannot go!”

“You cannot go?” exclaimed Godfrey, who had heard all. “My most estimable friends, you’ve got to go, you must go! unless you prefer being put outside, and even then you’d go, for you’d follow us.”

“We do not intend going,” repeated Holt, quietly, but with evident determination.

“You see that collection of spots over there, good people?” queried Godfrey, sarcastically. “One of them is our world—I’ll be hanged if I know which, and yet I’m here. I know no more about this ship than you do, and it seems like tempting Providence even to hope that we can ever find our own little speck of a planet again amongst the thousands of others, which seem to me to be all alike, and yet I am perfectly content—as are we all except you—to trust to Providence, the _Regina_, and to the power the three owners have over her. Going to the sun we are, and as we have been friendly so far, let us proceed and all work together amicably for the general good. Believe me, we are sure to return to Earth safe and sound. If we don’t—well—we don’t!”

This long and sensible speech of Godfrey’s, despite the cold comfort of the climax, created an excellent impression, and caused several who seemed wavering to side with the owners and remain true to the original plan, but it was plain to see that the dissentients to the number of eight were unconvinced, and it was equally evident that some plan, known only to themselves, had been formed.

Fearing an attempt at mutiny, Dennis wisely professed to compromise and suggested that the objectors should talk the matter over amongst themselves in the far saloon, and the rest should do the same where they now were, all meeting the following morning (_i.e._, Earth-morning, for they kept Earth-time) so that they could settle the matter amicably, if possible.

The eight went away as suggested, and after a short discussion, the meeting terminated and work proceeded as before. In the meantime, immediately the eight had left, Gilbert slipped into the sanctum and set the sehen-microphones in recording motion, which, minute by minute, recorded the mutineers’ every act and speech, how they had formulated a plan to seize the ship, for as there were several eminent electricians amongst them, they did not for a moment doubt their ability to work her. They considered all the cautionary notices placed in various parts of the vessel, forbidding further passage, to be but ‘bluff,’ merely placed there to give an air of mystery to intensify the influence of the owners, and it was absurd to think that if they transgressed they would be held rigid, if not seriously injured. And all the time, silently and secretly, the recorders reproduced their every word with persistent and remorseless accuracy, working automatically by electricity and independent of attention. Occasionally one or other of the owners saw that the supply of films was ample, and so, hour after hour, from the first suspicion of danger, each of the eight cabins and the far saloon were kept in circuit, and waking or sleeping every action of the eight suspects was recorded in indisputable evidence. On turning in for the night, the owners took out some of the films, and placing them on a reproducer in their private room heard the whole scheme. Upon this, ascertaining that all the occupants were in their berths, the doors of their cabins were electrically sealed, and the friends retired to rest, keeping a four hours’ watch in turn, for they had agreed that during the whole of the voyage, considering they were not alone, at least one of them should always be in guarded territory. The following morning, all met together as arranged, and Dennis—who as chief and senior owner was deputed spokesman—requested the eight mutineers to stand at one side of the saloon, and the rest at the opposite side; he, with his two partners, being behind the barrier.

“My friends,” he began, addressing the friendly passengers, “before going further into the matter we are discussing, I am sure you will be interested to hear what these eight objectors have to say, in order to come to a proper decision—No, Holt! it is not necessary for either you or any of your party to speak yet,” he remarked, as Edgar Holt stepped forward, “we have something here that will explain everything;” saying which he motioned to his companions, and Ross and Gilbert, who had brought out the recorder from the sanctum, set it working and the machine spoke out loudly as the films travelled through it. For a moment the offenders seemed struck dumb with amazement and when Holt understood what was happening, he made a dart forward, instantly to become rigid, for within a few feet of where the party stood the floor had been electrified and he could not pass. As soon as the others saw this and that all was going to be disclosed, they became furious, and one, losing his self-control, pulled out a revolver which shot electric pellets, but before he could use it, Gilbert, who had left Ross to the machine, whilst he went to the switch-board to prepare for such an emergency, instantly put the whole of that portion of the steel floor in circuit with the roof, and the men, being between the two metallic surfaces, were brought into electric field and became immovable. Still the machine talked on, reproducing their very voices, tones, and expressions, disclosing the whole scheme, clearly and exactly as when the words were uttered, all that had been said and done, both when in the saloon and in conversations together in the privacy of their own cabins; even their breathings and talks during sleep were equally distinct, as Ross put through such of the films taken by the various instruments as would give a general idea of their proceedings and plots. When these were finished Dennis resumed, “This is no time for sentiment. You have heard their schemes as from their own lips, and we should be justified in destroying them; with you all as witnesses, the law would uphold our action in so doing, for they have not only mutinied but attempted murder. We must not, however, take life except in dire necessity, and yet these people cannot stay here. As they say they do not intend going to the sun, they shall not do so. Last night we went through most of the films you have just heard, and we decided that these men should leave us, for their presence here would be a constant source of danger and suspicion, and at the very least, they would disturb that harmony which our association together renders necessary to ensure a happy and successful voyage. At the same time, we cannot land them on Venus, they are not good enough; so we have arranged to seek, out of the numerous planetoids around us, one with an atmosphere similar to that of our own world and leave them there till we return, they running the risk of our not finding them; and you will be witness to the wisdom of this course, for as they positively refuse to go to the sun, we have no alternative but to yield. We shall, therefore, provide them sufficient water and general provisions for twelve months, and if we do not pick them up before then, they must look after themselves, or die;” then turning to the mutineers, he continued,—“You have heard your fate! you will now go to your cabins and remain there as prisoners until such time as we find that for which we shall search. We do not fear your arms, as by this time they will be too hot for use, if not actually dangerous to yourselves;” and nodding to Gilbert, he stepped back, and Gilbert switched off the current, when Bosworth Keeth, who had his revolver poised, dropped it with a cry of agony, for some of his skin was still sizzling on it, though the pain had not been felt till the electric current was broken. His companions, also, with cries of pain, hurriedly snatched revolvers from their pockets and threw them down with burning fingers, as they were scorching through their clothing to the skin.

In complete silence, cowed but malevolent, they then marched to their respective cabins, instantly to find the metal doors strongly magnetised to the frames and themselves prisoners, each in a chilled-metal, drill-proof cabin, which, however, was warm and luxurious.

Had any of the other passengers questioned the powers of the _Regina_, or the determined characters of the three men in charge, the tragedy just enacted must have set all doubts at rest. They one and all approved the punishment following the conviction from the men’s own lips, and the attempt at murder, which the others were evidently prepared to follow up, seeing that all were armed, and they commended the way in which the mutiny had been quelled at its inception, while the few who had wavered now felt devoutly thankful they had decided rightly.

The following day nothing occurred, and for two more days there was no sign of anything likely to prove a suitable object on which to deposit the mutineers, but on the fourth day they saw what happened to be a wandering star, or planet, which was ahead, near Venus, and would be between her and the sun, as seen from Earth at that time. This star had a faint phosphorescent glow, showing through the spectrum flutings of a peculiar purple; evidently a star which was cooling though not to extinction and would therefore be easily distinguishable, and far out of their course as this was, they decided to go to it. An examination of a portion of its atmosphere proved it to be capable of supporting Earth-life, whilst the gravitometer showed it to have a surface-gravity only slightly exceeding that of Earth.

“We are not likely to find a world more suitable than this,” said Gilbert. “Shall we dump them here?”

The others assenting, the two attendants got together the necessary provisions and brought the men, each from his cabin. In the meantime, the ship sank slowly through the clouds and hovered over water. Slowly she roved, but everywhere was water broken only by rocky islands, barren and fruitless, on which no food of any kind could be obtained, so they sailed towards the other side, and as they approached the further hemisphere, they saw the islands were by no means so numerous, though larger, and were covered with vegetation, and well stocked with animals.

At last they came to a great continent dotted with numerous cities, and selecting one they descended to within fifty feet of the ground, which caused numbers of people to collect. These seeming friendly, the eight prisoners were brought forward, their weight regulated to the weight of the air at that level and, some of them sullen and revengeful, others frightened into pleading for mercy, they were all floated outside and their weights gradually increased. So they slowly sank down to the ground, each with his supply of provisions; then seeing the men reach _terra firma_ and be received by the astonished natives with demonstrations of warm welcome and friendliness, the net of the vessel was joined again, the doors sealed, and the _Regina_ rose like an eagle. Getting a rebound from the gravity of the planet, the good ship continued her course to the sun, her passengers, sure of themselves and of each other, feeling more tranquil and comfortable now that the only disturbing element and source of danger had been removed from their midst, and they tried to dismiss the occurrence from their minds by assiduous devotion to the object of their voyage, which now lay before them like an awful furnace of molten fire. But enthusiastic as they were and confident as they might be of safety, they could not look ahead without feelings of awe and a nervous tremor. The _Regina_ had travelled slowly in order that all should have time and opportunity for astronomical and other observations, and although, with a gravity similar to that of Earth and so powerful an objective as the sun, she could have travelled the distance in a very short space of time, the journey had occupied three weeks, and every one on board had been intensely busy, some checking the Earth-measured distances of stars by actual measurement in celestial survey, others from their unique position in space noting the physical and chemical changes and dispositions of the stars; taking moving photographs in colour; testing and analysing the structure and movements of the ether-web; the currents; passages of light; atoms, germs, meteoric stones and other substances floating on, and passing through, the ether, and scores of other phenomena hitherto impossible to deal with first hand: all this was so engrossing that the hours and days appeared to slip away ere they had well begun. Every one on board worked with feverish application to add to his knowledge, each allowing himself merely the amount of sleep actually necessary to maintain health in order that he could—in his own line—gather as much information as possible for the ultimate benefit of the people on Earth. Very quickly, as it seemed, the time drew near when the sun was but a few million miles ahead, and its gravity had just altered the position of their vessel. Instead of the sun being _before_ them, they approaching bows first, their ship had, as it were, stood on end and the sun was _below_ them, they being still on an even keel, but instead of going _forward_, they now had simply to sink to his surface, like descending on our own world from the clouds. As soon as they perceived this change, they paused, making the ship in equilibrium, and, over five million miles above him, rested for final discussion and completion of arrangements.

Already they were encountering clouds of metallic dust, still red-hot, being rapidly drawn to the sun again by their own gravity; and although the intrepid travellers were intent on sinking to the actual furnace raging below them, which now blotted out the whole of the lower heavens, the sight of the awful mass of seething ‘something’ made all quake, and the pause was generally welcome. At the same instant there rang through the ship the soft, silvery sound of the electric tubular bells, calling all to the saloon for a meeting, whilst each passenger received a telepathic message stating the object. A few moments later all were assembled and Dennis, as usual, being elected spokesman, began, with considerable emotion,—

“Fellow-travellers, on the last occasion when we assembled here there were, unfortunately, mutinous companions in our midst, but now we all meet together in heart and mind one, and it may be for the last time, for in that fearful heat below us—that heat which no human mind has power to grasp or means of defining—we may be destroyed, notwithstanding all our precautions; and at this sacred and solemn moment we cannot do better than kneel and ask Him who keeps yon furnace in its place, and dots limitless space with wondrous worlds, to keep us safely also, and watch over us.”

All knelt, and he continued,—

“O Almighty and Eternal God! at Whose command worlds burst forth from chaos and darkness to perfection, without Whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy, we Thy unworthy servants humbly implore Thee to look down upon us who are assembled in Thy Most Holy Name; and may we so consider our present undertaking that we proceed not lightly in it, or recede from it dishonourably, but pursue it steadfastly, ever remembering that the object and intent of our journey is to learn obedience to Thy sacred laws. Also grant to us Thy Truth, that Thou being our Ruler and Guide we may so pass through things temporal as finally not to lose the things eternal, and as Thou never failest those who trust Thee, be now our Guide. For we know that our eternal welfare is considered in every atom and law of the ineffable mysteries of Creation, and that from all eternity, now and through endless time, Thou art the Being from Whom all perfection springs.

“And bringing us safely through this solar fire, grant that we may use the knowledge gained to Thy Glory. May it inspire us with the most exalted idea of Thee, and lead us to the exercise of pure and solemn piety and a greater reverence for the Universe and Thee, the Eternal Maker and Ruler of it and of its life; the primordial source of all its principles and the very spring and fountain of all its virtues. Amen.”

On rising, Dennis remained silent for a few moments and then, after a few preliminary words on the danger which possibly threatened them, he proceeded,—

“The diameter of the sun is supposed to be about 866,500 miles, as you know; we will, of course, measure this and ascertain its accuracy. We have been sailing in the curiously shaped corona for over five million miles, in fact we entered the corona at a height of about twelve of its diameters, or, roughly speaking, when we were ten million four hundred thousand miles from its surface. And as you will see through the darkened sun-screens, we are in the midst of the vast clouds and flames lying over the solar atmosphere, and even here, sound-insulated as we are, the noises of the explosions and collidings of the vast jets of vapour which are hurtling around us on all sides are unpleasantly evident. Thanks to our net, the shell of the vessel is not advanced the fraction of a degree in temperature, and you will notice the de-atomising force around the ship prevents any of the jets of fire and vapour from touching us. From the fact that for some distance back the flames and fiery vapour have played about us, and at this height we are encountering vaporous metals at enormous pressure, we gain an idea of what the force must be on the surface of the sun itself. And my partners and I thought it a time for us all to consult together as to the manner in which the observations shall be conducted.” Here he paused, and Crawford Rollsborough, the chief astronomer on board, asked,—

“So far, we are all right; but before we test the still greater dangers below us, are you _certain_ the vessel is likely to be proof against the terrific power of the vapours and forces there? for we had better be sure before we leap.”

“We have every reason to believe so,” replied Dennis; “her resisting or repulsive force is now about two thousand times less than she is capable of projecting, and it is more than sufficient to withstand the present forces and awful turbulence immediately outside.”

“But as we get lower and the forces increase?”

“So will our power to resist increase in equal ratio, and judging from the needle here,” looking at the dial, “we shall then have in reserve at least two thousand times more force than that being projected, so that so far as power to resist is concerned, we have no fear: a danger might arise if our de-atomising force, backed up by the net, would not withstand the heat, but this we cannot tell without actual test, although we feel sure there is nothing to fear.”

“Would not the net alone answer?” inquired Price Rowland, a physicist.

“Certainly it would, but without the protecting force, it would itself be for weeks and months in actual contact with baths of liquid fire, explosive vapours and gases, many of which may be corrosive to its substance; and there are elements to encounter of which we Earth-folk do not understand the nature, and consequently could not test before we left; so by projecting the de-atomising force to, say, a distance of one or two feet beyond the vessel, the net is protected from every danger, and will, we hope, see us through safely.”

“But the pressure?” said Raymond Sorrel, the geologist. “Will not that be difficult to overcome below?”

“No, it should not be. All forces should be de-atomised, and whether they take the form of pressure, expansion, or heat in solid, liquid, or gaseous form, or any other force, all should be pulled up at our current, which is self-adjusting and is always more than enough to dispel anything brought or projected near it.”

“Then you think we can safely approach the surface?” questioned Merrick Rutherford, a metallurgist.

“Without doubt. You see the large needle over your head; it is still as if welded where it stands; the fearful thunders and explosions round us and the rushing of flaming vapours under enormous pressure, are turned aside by us and go round, causing not so much as a tremor. The needle shows us absolutely motionless, moving only with the sun, so that I feel sure we can reach his surface unharmed.”

“Will the windows sustain the pressure?” asked Sorrel, again.

“Yes, both heat and pressure,” replied Dennis, reassuringly. “No one nowadays knows how the glass was made, but it is unbreakable, uncutable, and neither heat nor anything we know affects it except fluorine, and it is covered with the net, as you see, like the casing.”

“But when we sink through this corona, and through these flames and the atmosphere, and reach the photosphere, what shall we do then? go through that?” asked Rollsborough.

“Yes, if possible, and see what lies below!”

“But suppose below the photosphere there is nothing but molten fire—liquid chaos; what then?”

“Go through that to the other side and see what it is.”

“Could we do that!” exclaimed several, jumping up in excitement.

“Certainly, if you wish it!”

“But if we sank to the centre, should we not be fixed there?” asked Kirkby Reeve, a zoologist.

“Certainly not; we should become heavier as we descended till we reached the interior, from which we should repel ourselves and come out at the other side on a straight line. Anyway, we will risk it if you are willing. So far, no one, even with the most powerful glasses, has ever penetrated the photosphere, so we cannot say what is below, but it would be interesting to discover.”

“But is not the project of going _through_ the sun an impossibility?” objected Rowland. “The ship, when resting on the ground in the shed, did not de-atomise the ground below her, and how could she sink through the sun’s mass—solid or liquid—unless that mass were in part de-atomised? if not, she would crush herself.”

“That is so,” replied Dennis; “when in the shed and when resting on land, there was no real line of current under the ship, but the force surrounding her was so placed that nothing, however small, could come upwards under any part of the vessel without entering into electric field, and causing the current to fly from each side to itself, and the intruding object would be destroyed long before contact. This is the ship’s safety, as it precludes all risk of danger through tunnelling. When going through the sun—if we decide to do so—we should, in that case, connect the current below us and be completely enveloped in it as we are now, and as we always are when there is danger, such as hovering over formidable foes, and any matter through which we wished to sink would become de-atomised, and we should sink through it as through water. We should use this power to give a temporary and local alteration only, so that the instant our force had passed, and _as_ it passed, the power would be lost, and the objects, solid or liquid, would resume their former condition—it would be equivalent to passing through solids without altering their substances and compactness, and on this point there is nothing we are likely to encounter but what the forces of the ship will take without being taxed.”

“Gentlemen!” cried Rollsborough, standing up and turning slightly to face his companions, “to my thinking there is no obstacle to the accomplishment of our purpose; it seems as if we could go through the sun as easily as not, and I, personally, would dearly like to see of what it really is composed, and as the owners have placed the decision with us, are you willing to risk your lives in this manner as the owners risk the ship, for the cause of science? Are you——”

He got no further, for he was interrupted by shouts of “Aye” and applause which drowned all words, leaving no doubt of the unanimity of opinion.

The conversation then became general, drifting to the _modus operandi_ of conducting the observations and examinations, and for several hours the voyagers discussed the subject in detail, deciding to examine the corona in which they rested; to sink into the atmosphere, testing, photographing, and analysing as they proceeded, and measuring its depth in various places. Then to settle down to the photosphere and travel round the sun in or over this, take all measurements, find its composition, its physical and chemical properties, its spots, granules, and, in short, settle beyond dispute every detail at present doubtful or unknown, and verify all now accepted as fact.

After this the _Regina_ was to sink through the photosphere, be it gaseous, molten elements, or what not, and risk annihilation by penetrating to its heart to find its inner structure, coming out, in all probability, on the other side. Not a soul on board flinched at the possible danger of a horrible death, not one doubted the powers of the _Regina_ or the skill of the men controlling her, to whose hands they had gladly entrusted their lives. Heroes, and possibly martyrs, in the cause of science, facing death itself and that in its most awful form on the mere chance of adding a little more scientific knowledge to that already possessed which, great as it might seem, was less than a mere drop in the vast ocean of the unknown. Grey-headed men, many of them, they anticipated the perilous venture with the same keen enthusiasm with which a youth anticipates his play, and the details being settled, they were impatient to proceed.

Accordingly, the _Regina_ was made slowly to sink, perhaps her last descent, and as she gently settled down like a falling leaf in a motionless air, the occupants became completely absorbed in their work, which had been so arranged that each one took such items and branches as would collectively cover every phase and detail on which information was necessary or desirable, and so they slowly but surely approached nearer and ever nearer the glorious but annihilating Mystery, defying the Death that was lurking there with sharpened scythe.