A Figure In The Shadow
: The Great White QueenAN hour after sundown I was seated with Omar and Kona on a mat in the
courtyard of a house not far from the gates of the palace, where
hospitality had been secretly offered us. We were discussing the
situation. Our black followers, on leaving the presence of the irate
queen, had gone out in small groups to wander through the wonderful city,
having arranged to meet again at midnight.
The man in whose house
friend of Omar's, although one of the royal councillors. As we sat
together this old man with long flowing white beard, keen aquiline
features and black eyes that age had not dimmed, explained facts that
amazed us. He told us that Kouaga, a favourite of the Naya, had been
approached secretly by her as to the advisability of Omar's
assassination. The old councillor had actually overheard this dastardly
plot formed by the queen against her son, for she feared that owing to
the harshness of her rule popular opinion might be diverted in his
favour, and that she might be overthrown, and he set upon the Emerald
Throne in her stead. The Naya had regretted sending Omar away for safety,
so giving Kouaga a large sum of money, she ordered him to proceed to
England and assassinate the heir. He left, and apparently on his way
conceived the idea that he might, with considerable advantage, play a
double game. Samory, whose secret agent in Mo he was, intended, he knew,
to lead a great expedition against the unapproachable country, its
principal object being to secure the vast treasures known to be concealed
within the City in the Clouds. As Omar alone knew its secret hiding-place
it occurred to Kouaga to convey him to the stronghold of the Mohammedan
chief before assassinating him, and obtain from him the whereabouts of
the great collection of gold and gems. The Naya had ordered that her son
should be killed secretly in England, but this cowardly crime was averted
by Kouaga's cupidity, and we had therefore been enticed to the Arab
sheikh's headquarters. The object of both men being thwarted by Omar's
refusal to divulge the secret, we had been sold into slavery and
consigned as human sacrifices before King Prempeh.
"We'll be even yet with that scoundrel and traitor, Kouaga," Omar said,
turning to me when Goliba had finished.
"If the command be given every man in Mo would go forth against Samory's
accursed hordes," Goliba declared with emphasis, removing the mouthpiece
of his long pipe from his lips. "But how dost thou intend now to act?" he
asked Omar. "Remember thou art banished until the Naya's death. Let us
hope that Zomara will not spare her long to tyrannize over our land and
to plot against thy life," he added in a half whisper.
Omar started in surprise. This man, one of the principal advisers of his
royal mother, was actually expressing a wish that she might die! It
occurred to me, too, that if her advisers were antagonistic towards her,
might not the poor, oppressed and afflicted people also be of the same
mind?
"Speak, O Goliba," Omar said. "Is the balance of popular feeling actually
against the Naya?"
"Entirely. Within the past few years the loyal spirit hath, on account of
the revolting cruelties practised by thy royal mother, turned utterly
against her. Before thy departure to the land beyond the black water the
loyal feeling was uppermost because of the efforts of Moloto to obtain
the crown. Now, however, that the power of his party is broken and the
Naya, feeling her position invulnerable, hath commenced a reign of
terror, disgust and despair are felt on every hand."
"What must I do?" Omar asked.
"Remain here," the sage replied. "Thou art banished from the royal
presence, it is true, but heed not her words, and remain with thy
followers in Mo. Guard vigilantly against the attempts of secret
assassins that are certain to be made when the Naya is aware of thy
defiance, but remember thou art heir to the Emerald Throne, and although
some of the regiments may remain loyal unto their queen, the majority of
our fighting-men are thine to command."
Omar knit his brows, and thought deeply for several moments. It was
apparent that this suggestion to oppose the Naya by force of arms had
never before entered his mind.
"Is this really true?" he asked in a doubting tone.
"O Master, let thy servant Goliba perish rather than his word be
questioned. As councillor of thy queen-mother, have I not greater
facilities for testing the popular feeling than any other man in Mo? I
swear by Zomara's wrath that what I have uttered is truth. If thou
remainest here--in hiding for a time it may be--thou shalt either be
restored to the royal favour and thy friends recognized, or thou shalt
assuredly occupy the royal stool. The people, living as they do in
constant dread of the Naya's cruelties, would hail with satisfaction any
change of rule that would ensure safety to their persons and property.
Thou art their saviour."
"Take the advice of our friend Goliba," I urged. "Let us remain and defy
her."
"Yea," cried Kona, displaying his even white teeth. "The Dagombas are
here and likely to remain. They will fight and die to a man in thy cause.
I, their head-man, speak for them."
"Is it agreed?" asked Omar, glancing at us.
"It is," we all three answered with one voice, Kona and Goliba fingering
their amulets as they spoke.
"Then if it is thy will I shall remain and defy the Naya," Omar answered,
grasping the string of jujus around his neck and muttering some words I
could not catch. "I, Omar, Prince of Mo, am thy leader in this struggle
of my people against oppression and misrule. If they will declare in my
favour I will free them. I have spoken."
"Thou hast until noon to-morrow to quit this city," Goliba said. "Hasten
not thy decision, but what I will show thee secretly ere long will
perhaps convince thee of the terrors of the Naya's reign. I have often
counselled the queen to aspire to the virtues of truth, wisdom, justice
and moderation, the great ornaments of the Emerald Throne, but my
endeavours have been frustrated and the fruit of my labour blasted."
As the white-bearded sage uttered these words, I noticed that from behind
one of the great marble pillars of the colonnade that surrounded the
courtyard of Goliba's fine house a white robe flitted for an instant,
disappearing in the fast-falling gloom. At the moment, sitting as we were
smoking and chatting in the open air, the presence of an intruder did
not strike me as strange, and only half an hour later did I begin to fear
that our decision had been listened to by an eavesdropper, possibly a spy
in the service of the terrible queen! When, after due reflection, I
imparted my misgivings privately to Goliba, he, however, allayed my
fears, smiling, as he said:
"Heed it not. It was but my slave Fiou. I saw her also as she passed
along."
"Then thou dost not fear spies?" I said.
"Not in this mine own house," he answered proudly. "The dwelling-house of
a royal councillor is exempt from any espionage in the Naya's cause."
This satisfied me, and the incident escaped my recollection entirely
until long after, when I had bitter cause to remember it, as will be seen
from later chapters of this record.
Soon after Omar had promised to act as our leader in his country's cause,
Goliba arose, and crossing the courtyard, now lit only by the bright
stars twinkling in the dark blue vault above, disappeared through a door
with a fine horse-shoe arch in Moorish style. Left together, we sat
cross-legged on the mat, a silent, thoughtful trio. Omar had decided to
act on the sage's advice, and none of us knew what the result might be.
That fierce fighting and terrible bloodshed must occur ere the struggle
ended, we felt assured, but with our mere handful of Dagombas we were
certainly no match for the trained hosts of the Naya.
Presently we began to discuss the matter among ourselves. Kona,
enthusiastic, yet hardly sanguine, wondered whether the people were
armed, and if not, where we could procure guns and ammunition. Omar, on
the other hand, assured us that nearly every civilian possessed a gun,
being bound by law to acquire one so that he might act his part in an
immediate defence in case of invasion. He had no apprehensions regarding
the materials for war; he only feared that Goliba might be mistaken in
the estimate of his popularity.
"If they will only stand by me they shall have freedom," he said
decisively. "If they do not, death will come to all of us."
"We are ready," Kona answered, his black face glistening in the ray of
light shed by a single lamp lit by a slave on the opposite side of the
court. "We will serve thy cause while we have breath."
A few minutes later footsteps sounded on the paving, and from the
darkness of the colonnade Goliba, accompanied by six other younger men,
all tall, erect and stately, emerged from the shadow and approached us.
Addressing Omar, the sage said:
"All these men are known to thee, O Master. I need not repeat their
names, but they have known thee since their birth, and are of a verity a
power in our land. They have come hither to see thee."
My friend rising gave them greeting, snapped fingers with them, and
answered:
"I forget no face. I remember each, and I know ye are men of might and
justice. Each was ruler of a province----"
"All are still governors," interrupted the sage. "They have come hither
to swear allegiance to thee."
"It is even so, O Master," exclaimed one of the men, hitching his rich
cloak of gold-coloured silk more closely around his shoulders. "We have
met and resolved to ask thee to defy the sentence of banishment that the
Naya hath imposed upon thee."
"Already have I decided so to do," Omar answered. "Have I the support of
thy people, O Niaro?"
"To a man," the Governor answered. "For the military we cannot, however,
answer. They are ruled by unscrupulous place-seekers, who may defend the
Naya, expecting to reap rich rewards; but such will assuredly discover
that their confidence was misplaced. If the Naya seriously threateneth
thee and thy friends, then assuredly she shall be overthrown and thou
shalt ascend the stool in her stead."
"I thank thee for these expressions of good-will," my friend said after
the remaining five had all spoken and assured us of staunch support. "I
remain in Mo with my black companions, and when the time cometh I am
ready to take a stand in the cause against tyranny and oppression."
"May the fetish be good," Niaro said, and as if with one voice they all
cried, "We will offer daily sacrifices for the success of our arms."
Together we then went to a small apartment, well-furnished in Arab style
with mats, low lounges, and tiny coffee-tables, and during the three
hours that followed the more minute details of this great conspiracy
against the tyrannical Naya were discussed and arranged, Goliba acting as
adviser upon various points.
As I sat listening to the conversation I fully realised the seriousness
of the great undertaking upon which we had embarked, and I confess my
confidence in our success was by no means deep-rooted, for it was
apparent that in the revolt, if revolt became necessary, the military
would act on the side of the Naya and suppress it with a firm, merciless
hand. What apparently was most feared by our fellow-conspirators was that
in commanding the suppression of the rebellion the Naya would give
orders for a general massacre of the people.
To guard against this, Niaro urged the secret assassination of the Naya
immediately preceding the revolt, but Omar, rising with that regal air he
now and then assumed, said:
"Give heed, O my friends, unto my words. I, Omar, Prince of Mo, will
never sanction the murder of my mother. A Sanom hath never been a
murderer. If this step be decided, I shall withdraw from the leadership
and depart."
"But canst thou not see, O Prince, that a massacre would strike panic
into the hearts of the people, and they would lay down their arms," Niaro
urged.
"We must prevent all bloodshed that is unnecessary," my friend replied.
"I am fully aware that in such a struggle as the coming one it must be
life for life, but I will never be a party to my mother's murder. If the
people of Mo desire the Naya's overthrow on account of her barbarous
treatment of her subjects and the bribery and corruption of her
officials, then I, to preserve the traditions of my ancestors, will lead
them, and act my part in their liberation, but only on the understanding
that not a hair of her head is injured."
The men grouped around nodded acquiescence, but smiled.
"When thou hast witnessed how the Naya ruleth her subjects, perhaps thou
wilt not so readily defend her," one of the Governors observed. "Our
ruler is not so just nor so merciful as when thou wert last in Mo. Go,
let Goliba take thee in secret among the people, and only when we next
meet decide the point."
"I will never allow the Naya to fall beneath the blade or poison-cup of
the assassin," Omar said decisively. "A Sanom departeth not from the word
he hath uttered."
After some further discussion this horrible detail of the conspiracy was
dropped, and other matters arranged with a coolness that utterly
astounded me.
We were plotting to obtain a kingdom!
More
-
The Under-world
That night we slept well and without fear, being quite certain that after their previous experience the Orofenans would make no further attempts upon us. Indeed our only anxiety was for Tommy, whom we could not find when the time came to give him ... Tommy
I lay still a while, on my back as I had fallen, and beneath the shield-like defence which Yva had given to me. Notwithstanding the fire-resisting, metalised stuff of which it was made, I noted that it was twisted and almost burnt through. Doubtle... Torture Cortin's Point Of View
Cortin was conducting the first part of her preliminary examination when Odeon interrupted. "Someone in the observation room, Excellency." She turned that way. "Colonel Bradford?" "Yes," Bradford replied over the intercom, "with Ranger M... Torture Odeon's Point Of View
Maybe an hour after Cortin began her preliminary examination, Odeon glanced toward the observation room, raised a hand in acknowledgement when he saw the light on above the window, and spoke softly to Cortin. "Someone in the observation room, Ex... Two Hundred And Fifty Thousand Years!
"You seem to have made the best of your time, old fellow," said Bickley in rather a sour voice. "I never knew people begin to call each other by their Christian names so soon," added Bastin, looking at me with a suspicious eye. "I know no oth... Visions Of The Past
She led us to the back of the statue and pointed to each of us where we should remain. Then she took her place at right angles to us, as a showman might do, and for a while stood immovable. Watching her face, once more I saw it, and indeed all her... Waiting
Thursday, 26 March 2572 (Morning, New Rome) Shayan smiled as he read the New Roman Times while eating breakfast. Sara had done excellently; these stories gave him all the details he needed to take action. The Strike Forces, the Sealing, Cort... Yva Explains
When I reached the rock I was pleased to find Marama and about twenty of his people engaged in erecting the house that we had ordered them to build for our accommodation. Indeed, it was nearly finished, since house-building in Orofena is a simple ... -and Epilogue
"Hold it!" The voice bellowed thunderingly from the loud-speakers of the six Earth ships that had boxed in the derelict. "Hold it! Don't bomb that ship! I'll personally have the head of any man who damages that ship!" In five of the ships, the co... 40000000 Years After
Entering within the boundaries of the solar system, a long, dark, pointed craft sped across the realms of space towards the tiny point of light which marked the dull red ball of the dying sun which would some day lie cold and dark forever. Like a ... 999 Priscilla
As the cutter touched the bank the entire party from the long-house, whites and natives, were gathered on the shore to meet it. At first the officers held off as though fearing a hostile demonstration, but when they saw the whites among the thron... A Barren Land
We had started under a sky overcast but calm. There was no fear of heat, none of disastrous rain. It was just the weather for tourists. The pleasure of riding on horseback over an unknown country made me easy to be pleased at our first start. I th... A Bird's Eye View Of The Lunar Mountains
I am rather inclined to believe myself that not one word of Ardan's rhapsody had been ever heard by Barbican or M'Nicholl. Long before he had spoken his last words, they had once more become mute as statues, and now were both eagerly watching, pen... A Bold Proposition
On his return Servadac communicated to the count the result of his expedition, and, though perfectly silent on the subject of his personal project, did not conceal the fact that the Spaniards, without the smallest right, had sold Ceuta to the Engl... A Break For Liberty
Xodar listened in incredulous astonishment to my narration of the events which had transpired within the arena at the rites of Issus. He could scarce conceive, even though he had already professed his doubt as to the deity of Issus, that one coul... A Carrier-pigeon
When, three hours after sunset, on the 23d of March, the Gallian moon rose upon the western horizon, it was observed that she had entered upon her last quarter. She had taken only four days to pass from syzygy to quadrature, and it was consequentl... A Catastrophe
SCARCELY six weeks passed before I had lost every feeling but dislike and abhorrence for this infamous experiment of Moreau's. My one idea was to get away from these horrible caricatures of my Maker's image, back to the sweet and wholesome interco... A Challenge
"Nothing, sir, can induce me to surrender my claim." "I am sorry, count, but in such a matter your views cannot modify mine." "But allow me to point out that my seniority unquestionably gives me a prior right." "Mere seniority, I assert, in... A Chance Strain From Grieg
I recalled waking up in another place, on a long slope of green hill that overlooked a valley. It was dawn again. The sun was just rising over the crest of the hill behind me, and it threw long shadows across the grass from the tall, slender trees... A Change Of Masters
WE MUST HAVE TRAVELED SEVERAL MILES THROUGH the dark and dismal wood when we came suddenly upon a dense village built high among the branches of the trees. As we approached it my escort broke into wild shouting which was immediately answered from... A Change Of Plan
It was long after their bed-time and the two sisters were utterly exhausted; but as the mysterious structure within which they lay glided northward between heaven and earth with the speed of a meteor, Rebecca and Phoebe long courted sleep in vain.... A Change Of Scene
The Ithuriel had orders to call at Folkestone and Dover in order to report the actual state of affairs there to the Commander-in-Chief by telegraph if Erskine could get ashore or by flash-signal if he could not, and incidentally to do as much dama... A Chapter For The Cornell Girls
No incident worth recording occurred during the night, if night indeed it could be called. In reality there was now no night or even day in the Projectile, or rather, strictly speaking, it was always night on the upper end of the bullet, and alway... A Choice Of Miracles
You're down in the jungle with death staring you in the face. There is nothing left but prayer. So you ask for your life. But wait! Are you sure that's really what you want above all else? Andy Larson was a hard-headed Swede. He had to be, to be... A Convulsion Of Nature
Whence came it that at that very moment the horizon underwent so strange and sudden a modification, that the eye of the most practiced mariner could not distinguish between sea and sky? Whence came it that the billows raged and rose to a height ... A Costly Recapture
As the speaker ceased he turned to leave the apartment by the door where I was standing, but I needed to wait no longer; I had heard enough to fill my soul with dread, and stealing quietly away I returned to the courtyard by the way I had come. M... A Crime And A Mistake
When the destruction of the forts and the sinking of the battleships at Portsmouth had been accomplished, John Castellan made about the greatest mistake in his life, a mistake which had very serious consequences for those to whom he had sold himse... A Desperate Deed
E-Med crossed the tower chamber toward Tara of Helium and the slave girl, Lan-O. He seized the former roughly by a shoulder. "Stand!" he commanded. Tara struck his hand from her and rising, backed away. "Lay not your hand upon the person of a pri... A Dream Of Armageddon
The man with the white face entered the carriage at Rugby. He moved slowly in spite of the urgency of his porter, and even while he was still on the platform I noted how ill he seemed. He dropped into the corner over against me with a sigh, made a... A Duel To The Death
My first impulse was to tell her of my love, and then I thought of the helplessness of her position wherein I alone could lighten the burdens of her captivity, and protect her in my poor way against the thousands of hereditary enemies she must fac... A Fair Captive From The Sky
The third day after the incubator ceremony we set forth toward home, but scarcely had the head of the procession debouched into the open ground before the city than orders were given for an immediate and hasty return. As though trained for years ... A Fair Goddess
For an instant the black pirate and I remained motionless, glaring into each other's eyes. Then a grim smile curled the handsome lips above me, as an ebony hand came slowly in sight from above the edge of the deck and the cold, hollow eye of a re... A Farewell Banquet And A Painful Parting
The time was nigh at hand when we must think about our arrangements for returning to the earth, and, as it drew nearer and nearer, I became much troubled. I felt that it would be endangering Merna's dear life to take him to England, for our t... A Fete Day
The temperature continued to decrease; the mercurial thermometer, which freezes at 42 degrees below zero, was no longer of service, and the spirit thermometer of the Dobryna had been brought into use. This now registered 53 degrees below freezing-... A Few Days On Land
I was much impressed on touching land. Ned Land tried the soil with his feet, as if to take possession of it. However, it was only two months before that we had become, according to Captain Nemo, "passengers on board the Nautilus," but, in reality... A Fight That Won Friends
The thing, which more nearly resembled our earthly men than it did the Martians I had seen, held me pinioned to the ground with one huge foot, while it jabbered and gesticulated at some answering creature behind me. This other, which was evidentl... A Figure In The Shadow
AN hour after sundown I was seated with Omar and Kona on a mat in the courtyard of a house not far from the gates of the palace, where hospitality had been secretly offered us. We were discussing the situation. Our black followers, on leaving the ... A Final Threat
ON that day, in the colliery of New Aberfoyle, work was going on in the usual regular way. In the distance could be heard the crash of great charges of dynamite, by which the carboniferous rocks were blasted. Here masses of coal were loosened by p... A Fine Fix
Generally speaking, human beings are fine buck-passers--but there's one circumstance under which they refuse to pass on responsibility. If the other fellow says "Your method won't solve the problem!"--then they get mad! Th... A Forest Battle
Tars Tarkas and I found no time for an exchange of experiences as we stood there before the great boulder surrounded by the corpses of our grotesque assailants, for from all directions down the broad valley was streaming a perfect torrent of terri... A Friend In Need
Whilst the Russians were digging their cooking trenches somewhat aside from the main camp, and making all necessary arrangements for bivouacking, Heideck had an opportunity of admiring the magnificence with which these Indian Princes organised the... A Frozen Ocean
The moon! She had disappeared for weeks; was she now returning? Had she been faithless to the earth? and had she now approached to be a satellite of the new-born world? "Impossible!" said Lieutenant Procope; "the earth is millions and millions ... A Further Mystery
"Well," said Hilderman, as we caught them up, "what about lunch? After his journey I daresay Mr. Burnham has an appetite, not to mention his excursion into the realm of detective fiction." "We lunched at Mallaig," I explained, "with Mr. Garnesk ... A Glimpse Of The Doom
After dinner Lennard excused himself, saying that he wanted to make a few more calculations; and then he got outside and lit his pipe, and walked up the winding path towards the observatory. "What am I to do?" he said between his teeth. "It's a ... A Glimpse Of The Peril
The morning was spent in a general overhaul of the observatory and the laboratory in which Lennard had discovered and perfected the explosive which had been used with such deadly effect in the guns of the Ithuriel. Lunch was an entirely delightful... A Glossary Of Names And Terms Used In The Martian Books
Aaanthor. A dead city of ancient Mars. Aisle of Hope. An aisle leading to the court-room in Helium. Apt. An Arctic monster. A huge, white-furred creature with six limbs, four of which, short and heavy, carry it over the snow and... A Green Man's Captive
When the light of day broke upon the little craft to whose deck the Princess of Ptarth had been snatched from her father's garden, Thuvia saw that the night had wrought a change in her abductors. No longer did their trappings gleam with the meta... A Guide Found To The Centre Of The Earth
In the evening I took a short walk on the beach and returned at night to my plank-bed, where I slept soundly all night. When I awoke I heard my uncle talking at a great rate in the next room. I immediately dressed and joined him. He was convers... A Gunpowder Tea-party
Nothing could be completer nor daintier than the cabin and its furnishings, divisions, and subdivisions. The rooms of necessity were small, but sufficiently large for convenience and comfort. A choice selection of best authors had been added by th... A Happy Breakfast
Mrs. Forbes was on the porch next morning when Mr. Evringham returned from his canter. "Fine morning, Mrs. Forbes," he said, as he gave Essex Maid into Zeke's hands. "Very fine. A regular weather breeder. It'll most probably rain to-morrow, an... A Hecatomb
The way of describing this unlooked-for scene, the history of the patriot ship, told at first so coldly, and the emotion with which this strange man pronounced the last words, the name of the Avenger, the significance of which could not escape me, a... A Hero In Kaol
It was daylight when I was awakened by the sound of stealthy movement near by. As I opened my eyes Woola, too, moved and, coming up to his haunches, stared through the intervening brush toward the road, each hair upon his neck stiffly erect. ... A High Old Time
A new phenomenon, therefore, strange but logical, startling but admitting of easy explanation, was now presented to their view, affording a fresh subject for lively discussion. Not that they disputed much about it. They soon agreed on a principle ... A Journey And A Disappointment
It was as the professor had said. From the day that Isaac Hakkabut had entered upon his mercantile career, his dealings had all been carried on by a system of false weight. That deceitful steelyard had been the mainspring of his fortune. But when ... A Journey To The Centre Of The Earth
... A Light On The Horizon
On the following day, without giving himself any further concern about the Jew's incredulity, the captain gave orders for the Hansa to be shifted round to the harbor of the Shelif. Hakkabut raised no objection, not only because he was aware that t... A Little Algebra
The night passed without incident. The word "night," however, is scarcely applicable. The position of the projectile with regard to the sun did not change. Astronomically, it was daylight on the lower part, and night on the upper; so when dur... A Little Off The Track
Barbican's mind was now completely at rest at least on one subject. The original force of the discharge had been great enough to send the Projectile beyond the neutral line. Therefore, there was no longer any danger of its falling back to the Eart... A Lost Oligarch
But in remembering the old life I have run ahead of my story into the new life. The wholesale jail delivery did not occur until well along into 1915. Complicated as it was, it was carried through without a hitch, and as a very creditable achieveme... A Lost Page Of Earth
When I awakened the sun was streaming through the cabin porthole. Outside a fresh voice lilted. I lay on my two chairs and listened. The song was one with the wholesome sunshine and the breeze blowing stiffly and whipping the curtains. It was Larry ... A Lunar Morning
The harsh emphasis, the pitiless black and white of scenery had altogether disappeared. The glare of the sun had taken upon itself a faint tinge of amber; the shadows upon the cliff of the crater wall were deeply purple. To the eastward a dark bank ... A Man And A Maid
In spite of that brave "to-morrow," it was several days before Constans found opportunity to revisit Arcadia House. A misstep upon an icy flag-stone had resulted in a sprained ankle, and for that there was no remedy but patience. Yet the time w... A Matter Of Magnitude
When you're commanding a spaceship over a mile long, and armed to the teeth, you don't exactly expect to be told to get the hell out ... The ship, for reasons that had to do with the politics of appropriations, was named Senator Joseph L. ... A Meeting Of The Automobile Club
Was the mystery of the Great Eyrie to be solved some day by chances beyond our imagining? That was known only to the future. And was the solution a matter of the first importance? That was beyond doubt, since the safety of the people of wester... A Messenger From The Skies
Mrs. Jones and Mattie had found Jennie to be a lovely, intelligent, and more than ordinarily educated girl. While unused to society, yet there was an honest straightforwardness about her that was very charming. The two ladies became easily intimat... A Model Teacher And Ideal Student
The days and weeks flew swiftly by. The fame of the great air-ship spread far and wide, and thousands of visitors came to inspect it and the wonderful voyagers. But what especially drew the people, and was talked of more than all else, was the mar... A Moment Of Intoxication
Thus a phenomenon, curious but explicable, was happening under these strange conditions. Every object thrown from the projectile would follow the same course and never stop until it did. There was a subject for conversation which the whole eve... A Momentous Experiment
On the first day of July, 1908, a scene which was destined to become historic took place in the great Lecture Theatre in the Imperial College at Potsdam. It was just a year and a few days after the swimming race between John Castellan and the Engl... A Monster Meeting
On the following day Barbicane, fearing that indiscreet questions might be put to Michel Ardan, was desirous of reducing the number of the audience to a few of the initiated, his own colleagues for instance. He might as well have tried to check ... A Moonlight Fable
There was once a little man whose mother made him a beautiful suit of clothes. It was green and gold and woven so that I cannot describe how delicate and fine it was, and there was a tie of orange fluffiness that tied up under his chin. And the bu... A Morning Drive
"I declare, Eloise," said Mrs. Evringham the next morning, "it is almost worth three whole days of storm to have a spell of such heavenly weather to follow. We're sure of several days like this now," She was standing at the open window, having shown... A Mysterious Sea
Violent as the commotion had been, that portion of the Algerian coast which is bounded on the north by the Mediterranean, and on the west by the right bank of the Shelif, appeared to have suffered little change. It is true that indentations were p...