Parallel Planetary Life
: Other World LifeI was sleeping soundly on my deliciously soft heap of downy pillows,
when in the early morning I was awakened by a pounding on the door of
the ante-chamber. As one always wakens from a sound sleep with his most
familiar language upon his tongue, I cried out in English, "Who's
there?" The doctor answered, wishing to be let in. I fumbled about in
the darkness sleepily, and opened the door, and he lighted two of my
gas-la
"I am possessed by a tyrant idea, which will not let me sleep," he said.
"I must get rid of it before morning. Come, get your senses about you,
and listen to me," he commanded, as I yawned and rubbed my fists into my
eyes, blinded by the sudden strong light.
"If you think I can sleep with it any better than you can, out with it,"
I answered.
"How does it happen that a young Hebrew is ruler over all these people?"
he demanded.
"Do you lie awake thinking up conundrums?" I ejaculated.
"On Earth, what notable Jews have been rulers over a great people not of
their own race?" he continued.
"Disraeli in England, Joseph in Egypt, and--well, that is all I can
think of just now."
"Perhaps that is enough. Egypt was the greatest grain-raising country in
Joseph's time, wasn't it?"
"Yes, of course," I answered. "And Joseph's rule began with seven years
of most wonderful crops."
"Zaphnath told us this morning that the seventh great crop, and the most
plenteous of all, is now growing," he interrupted.
"What has that to do with Joseph? We are not on Earth, but on Mars. Have
you been dreaming? Zaphnath is---- But, by the way, Joseph's Egyptian
name was Zaphnath-paaneah, meaning a revealer of secrets! When I heard
that name this morning, I thought it was strangely familiar. Pharaoh
called him that when he appointed him ruler, because he had interpreted
his dream," I said, just realizing the very peculiar coincidence.
"You are as good as a Bible!" cried the doctor. "Perhaps you can also
remember by which of Jacob's wives Joseph was born?"
"Of course I can. He was the first son of Rachel, the wife whom Jacob
really loved, and worked fourteen years to secure."
"But how could he have ten older brothers, if he was Rachel's first
son?" he demanded, a little perplexed.
"They were all the sons of her sister Leah and her handmaidens. Rachel
was barren all her life until Joseph was born," I explained.
"And Zaphnath said this morning that his mother was barren all the years
of her life that the Blue Star wandered. He also called himself revealer
of God's hidden things."
"Yes; and it struck me as peculiar at the time that he said of 'God's'
not of 'the gods','" I reflected. "Evidently he thinks there is but
one God. The whole matter is altogether peculiar."
"Here are the facts," replied the doctor. "Listen to them attentively.
We have dropped down into a civilization here upon Mars which coincides
in every important particular with that of the Ancient Egyptians on
Earth. They are great builders, erecters of monuments, raisers of grain,
polygamists, and they now have a young Hebrew ruler, corresponding in
every important respect with Joseph. We chance to have arrived during
the seventh year of plenty of Joseph's rule. Grain abounds; the soil
brings it forth 'by handfuls.' It is, 'as the sand of the sea, very
much,' and the Pharaoh, probably at the suggestion of his young ruler,
is storing it up----"
"By all the Patriarchs!" I interrupted. "They are running a wheat
corner, and I didn't know it! Go on, go on!"
"These are all very singular coincidences with a history which was
enacted many thousands of years ago on Earth. Now, how can you explain
their strange recurrence here?" he queried.
"How should I know? I haven't been lying awake! How do you explain
them?" I asked, full of interest.
"I have tossed on my pillows in there for three hours evolving a theory
for it. If it is correct, our opportunities here in Kem are simply
enormous. Now listen, and don't interrupt me. The Creator has given all
the habitable planets the same great problem of life to work out. Every
one of His worlds in its time passes through the same general history.
This runs parallel on all of them, but at a different speed on each. The
swift ones, nearest to the sun, have hurried through it, and may be
close upon the end. But this is a slow planet, whose year is almost
twice as long as the Earth's, and more than three times that of Venus.
The seasons pass sluggishly here, and history ripens slowly. This world
has only reached that early chapter in the story equivalent to Ancient
Egypt on Earth. We have forged far ahead of that, and on Venus they have
worked out far more of the story than we know anything about. If Mercury
is habitable yet, his people may have reached almost the end, but it is
most probable that life has not started there; when it does begin, it
will be worked out four times as rapidly as it has on Earth."
"Then a seven years' famine will begin here next year, and I am in
charge of the world's entire wheat supply!" I gasped, almost overwhelmed
by the speculative possibilities which this unfolded.
"It is not likely that there will be more than a general similarity of
the history. But Zaphnath has told us that this is the seventh year of
plenty. If the famine begins soon, it will be fair to suppose it will
for about seven crops. In its later developments the entire history may
change when the crucial period comes, and have a very different outcome.
But we are now almost at the beginnings of civilized history. Joseph,
the first Jew in Egypt, is a ruler here, and your entire race must
follow him hither, and pass through a miserable captivity. Even if you
remained here all your life, you would not last that long; but upon the
later doings of your people and their treatment of the Martian Messiah,
when He comes, depend the future conditions of this planet. Will it be
different then from the Earthly story? It is an extremely interesting
theory to follow to the end, but that would take thousands of years, and
we are concerned with the present."
"Doctor, if this theory be true, then we are nothing short of prophets
here!" I exclaimed, still struggling with the wonderful bearings of the
idea on our personal welfare.
"In a general way we are prophets, but Zaphnath has forestalled us on
immediate matters. Let us keep our own counsel as to any foreknowledge.
If we disclose it, we may suddenly lose our opportunities, and, besides,
we shall be powerless to change history here in any important respect."
"I might prevent Zaphnath from bringing all Israel down into Egypt, and
thus save them from that captivity," I exclaimed.
"Then you would forestall a Moses, and prevent the miraculous
deliverance of your people, and all the paternal care which God bestowed
upon them during that time. You will never be able to do this. Zaphnath
is in the way. He is headstrong and wilful. He is an active thinker and
a hard worker among a race of idlers, who live only to enjoy the fulness
of a rich land. He knows the greater activity and industry of his own
people, and he will wish to make them masters of this goodly land. I
will warrant that his head is full of plans at this very moment for
bringing his old father and all his race down here to give them
important places. See how readily he gave the keystone of the whole
situation to you. It will pay you better to keep on good terms with him.
Instead of trying to change the situation, let us make the best of it as
we find it."
"Well, I must say the present situation is attractive enough to me," I
said, and then inquired, "How many gold coins have you, Doctor?"
"I have only a hundred half eagles and a little silver coin," he
replied; "and I wish to be very sure of the correctness of my theory
before I undertake any speculations with that."
"Nonsense! What is money for, but to double, and then to double the
result again!" I exclaimed. "You work out this great theory, and then
fail to grasp its commercial importance to us. You and I will embark in
the grain business, with our entire stock of gold, the first thing in
the morning. We have iron enough to live on."
"I didn't come here to go into business," he answered. "I have a grand
scientific career to pursue, and last night's appointment puts me in
just the position to carry it out."
"Go ahead with it then, but invest your gold coins in my enterprise. I
will manage it all," I said, reaching for my belt under my pillow. "I
have here three hundred eagles and one hundred double eagles,--five
thousand dollars in all. I scarcely need your five hundred dollars, but
I don't wish to see you left out, and buying bread of me at a dollar a
loaf in a short time. Gold must have an enormous value here, considering
the small amount of it used as ornaments in the Pharaoh's household, and
the general currency of iron money. Three of these double eagles would
make a pair of ear pendants equal to his. I wonder how he would like to
have pure gold bracelets on all his women instead of those rough iron
things? And wheat must be cheaper than dirt after seven enormous crops.
I will buy all the grain he has to sell before to-morrow night! Even if
your theory is all wrong, we can't lose much."
"That is all very well, but we may as well be sure," he replied
cautiously. "You can find out much by a few discreet questions to
Zaphnath in the morning."
"The trouble about the whole matter is, that I will be obliged to do
business through him altogether until we learn this language. Come, you
must contribute your share. I have furnished the Hebrew, you must learn
the Kemish at once through those wise men. But I can't wait for that. I
will make Zaphnath teach me the necessary shop words and stock phrases
for carrying on the grain business to-morrow. I can't perform my new
duties unless he does that."
However, the doctor did not respond wholly to my new enthusiasm. He was
sleepy, and retired yawning to his own room to get the rest which had
evaded him. But I lay and tossed on the pillows, revolving a hundred
plans, and feeling anything but sleepy. Presently I thought of a scheme,
which would demonstrate whether there was anything in the doctor's
theory. I knew it would just suit him, and I sprang up and knocked
gently on his door, saying,--
"I have it, Doctor. Here is the very idea!" There was no answer, so I
knocked louder and listened. I heard him breathing heavily in deep
slumber. After all, the morrow would do for ideas; just then he needed
sleep.
More
-
Olaf's Story
There was a little silence. I looked upon him with wonder. Clearly he was in deepest earnest. I know the psychology of the Gael is a curious one and that deep in all their hearts their ancient traditions and beliefs have strong and living roots. An... Omar's Slave
OMAR had been at Trigger's a little over two years when a strange incident occurred. We were then both aged about sixteen, he a few months older than myself. The summer holidays had come round again. I had a month ago visited my uncle in London, a... Omega The Man
The silver airship cut swiftly through the hot thin air. The noonday sun blazed down upon it and the desert world below. All about was the solemn silence of death. No living thing appeared either in the air or on the drab, gray earth. Only the air... On Board The Terror
When I came to my senses it was daylight. A half light pierced the thick glass port-hole of the narrow cabin wherein someone had placed me -- how many hours ago, I could not say! Yet it seemed to me by the slanting rays, that the sun could no... On Disscourn
BY THE TIME that they regained the mouth of the cavern, Blodsombre was at its height. In front of them the scenery sloped downward--a long succession of mountain islands in a sea of clouds. Behind them the bright, stupendous crags of Disscourn loome... On Horsell Common
I found a little crowd of perhaps twenty people surrounding the huge hole in which the cylinder lay. I have already described the appearance of that colossal bulk, embedded in the ground. The turf and gravel about it seemed charred as if by... On The Arizona Hills
I am a very old man; how old I do not know. Possibly I am a hundred, possibly more; but I cannot tell because I have never aged as other men, nor do I remember any childhood. So far as I can recollect I have always been a man, a man of about thi... On The Kaolian Road
If there be a fate that is sometimes cruel to me, there surely is a kind and merciful Providence which watches over me. As I toppled from the tower into the horrid abyss below I counted myself already dead; and Thurid must have done likewise, fo... On The Ocean Bed
Lower and lower sank the submarine. There was a swirling and foaming of the water as she went down, caused by the air bubbles which the craft carried with her in her descent. Only the top of the conning tower was out of water now, the ocean havin... On The Revolving Ladder
THE mining operations at New Aberfoyle continued to be carried on very successfully. As a matter of course, the engineer, James Starr, as well as Simon Ford, the discoverers of this rich carboniferous region, shared largely in the profits. In t... On The River Iss
In the shadows of the forest that flanks the crimson plain by the side of the Lost Sea of Korus in the Valley Dor, beneath the hurtling moons of Mars, speeding their meteoric way close above the bosom of the dying planet, I crept stealthily along ... On The Road
THE course of James Starr's ideas was abruptly stopped, when he got this second letter contradicting the first. "What does this mean?" said he to himself. He took up the torn envelope, and examined it. Like the other, it bore the Aberfoyle postm... On The Road To Simla
Almost quicker than could have been expected, considering the heavy work imposed upon the telegraph wires, the communication arrived from Berlin that Captain Heideck should, for the time being, do duty in the Russian army, and that it should be le... On The Spaniard's Walk
I paid the man half-a-sovereign. There was a seat near by and Sarakoff deposited himself upon it. I joined him. On those heights the morning air struck chill. London, misty-blue, lay before us. The taxi-man took out his pipe and began to fill it. ... On The Waters A Raft Voyage
On the thirteenth of August we were up betimes. There was no time to be lost. We now had to inaugurate a new kind of locomotion, which would have the advantage of being rapid and not fatiguing. A mast, made of two pieces of wood fastened togethe... On The Wings Of The Wind
Leaving M'Connell and a few other Cambridge men to take charge of the Great Telescope, Marston and Belfast in little more than an hour after the receipt of the exciting dispatch, were scudding down the slopes of Long's Peak by the only possible ro... On Wednesday Evening
"This is my silk dress, grandpa," said Jewel, coming out on the piazza Sunday morning. Mr. Evringham was sitting there reading the paper. He looked up to behold his granddaughter standing expectantly. She had on the cherished frock. Her plump b... One Enemy V Twenty-five Millions Of Friends
The American public took a lively interest in the smallest details of the enterprise of the Gun Club. It followed day by day the discussion of the committee. The most simple preparations for the great experiment, the questions of figures which ... Operation Haystack
It's hard to ferret out a gang of fanatics; it would, obviously, be even harder to spot a genetic line of dedicated men. But the problem Orne had was one step tougher than that! When the Investigation & Adjustment scout cruiser landed on Mar... Opportunity
From where Dick Barrow sat, hundreds of men were visible, occupying benches in every manner of position. Some stretched at full length, sleeping in the morning sun after a night in the park. Others sat with heads hanging; thinking thoughts of thei... Ordination
St. Thomas, Tuesday, 23 July 2571 About mid-afternoon, Shannon was leaning back in his desk chair, planning the March raid that would supposedly mark the beginning of the Brotherhood's real push against the Kingdoms, when he sensed a use of ... Orographic Details
The course taken by the projectile, as we have before remarked, was bearing it toward the moon's northern hemisphere. The travelers were far from the central point which they would have struck, had their course not been subject to an irremediable... Ostrog
Graham could now take a clearer view of his position. For a long time yet he wandered, but after the talk of the old man his discovery of this Ostrog was clear in his mind as the final inevitable decision. One thing was evident, those who were a... Ostrog's Point Of View
Graham found Ostrog waiting to give a formal account of his day's stewardship. On previous occasions he had passed over this ceremony as speedily as possible, in order to resume his aerial experiences, but now he began to ask quick short questio... Our First View Of The Earth From Mars-a Martian Courtship
Within a few days we had our first glimpse of the earth from Mars. It appeared only as a very thin but bright crescent of light, as the lighted portion was less than one-twelfth part of the whole diameter of the disc, and it was only visible ... Our Flight
I got out of bed and began to examine my clothes. They were strewn about the floor and on chairs. The colour of them seemed peculiar to my senses. My frock coat, of heavy black material, with curious braiding and buttons, fascinated me. I counted ... Our Route Reversed
Here ends what I call "My Journal" of our voyage on board the raft, which journal was happily saved from the wreck. I proceed with my narrative as I did before I commenced my daily notes. What happened when the terrible shock took place, when th... Our Start We Meet With Adventures By The Way
The weather was overcast but settled, when we commenced our adventurous and perilous journey. We had neither to fear fatiguing heat nor drenching rain. It was, in fact, real tourist weather. As there was nothing I liked better than horse exercis... Our Voyage To Iceland
The hour of departure came at last. The night before, the worthy Mr. Thompson brought us the most cordial letters of introduction for Baron Trampe, Governor of Iceland, for M. Pictursson, coadjutor to the bishop, and for M. Finsen, mayor of the to... Out Around Rigel
[An astounding chronicle of two Lunarians' conquest of time and interstellar space.] The sun had dropped behind the Grimaldi plateau, although for a day twilight would linger over the Oceanus Procellarum. The sky was a hazy blue, and out... Out To Sea
The following morning an advertisement appeared in the papers, under the heading of help wanted: woman. It was the same address on Morgan Avenue. His heart sank! The man was advertising for a wife! Now Barrow knew he was in for a tough streak of l... Outside The Law
Such was the letter addressed to the government of the United States. As to the person who had placed it in the mail-box of the police, no one had seen him. The sidewalk in front of our offices had probably not been once vacant during the e... Outward Bound
HOW, trembling lest we should be discovered, we left Eastbourne by train two hours later--Kouaga joining the train at Polegate so as to avoid notice--how the Grand Vizier of Mo purchased our travelling necessities in London; how we travelled to Li... Oxenford's Daughter
Constans had now spent nearly a fortnight in the valley of the Swiftwater, and, while he had been hospitably received and entertained, he made but small progress in his mission; it seemed as though this second propaganda were also doomed to failur... Panawe
The husband got up to meet his wife and their guest. He was clothed in white. He had a beardless face, with breve and poigns. His skin, on face and body alike, was so white, fresh, and soft, that it scarcely looked skin at all--it rather resembled a... Pandemic
BY J. F. BONE Generally, human beings don't do totally useless things consistently and widely. So maybe there is something to it "We call it Thurston's Disease for two perfectly good reason... Parallel Planetary Life
I was sleeping soundly on my deliciously soft heap of downy pillows, when in the early morning I was awakened by a pounding on the door of the ante-chamber. As one always wakens from a sound sleep with his most familiar language upon his tongue, I... Pepper
I was seated in my chair, back again in this old study. My glance wandered 'round the room. For a minute, it had a strange, quivery appearance--unreal and unsubstantial. This disappeared, and I saw that nothing was altered in any way. I looked towar... Perfidy
On the morning that Bulan set out with his three monsters from the deserted long-house in which they had spent the night, Professor Maxon's party was speeding up the river, constantly buoyed with hope by the repeated reports of natives that the wh... Permissive Limits Of Ignorance And Belief In The United States
The immediate result of Barbicane's proposition was to place upon the orders of the day all the astronomical facts relative to the Queen of the Night. Everybody set to work to study assiduously. One would have thought that the moon had just appea... Personal Reminiscences Why We Decided On The Voyage
My name is Wilfrid Poynders, and during the greater part of my lifetime of more than sixty-three years astronomy has been my favourite study. For the last thirty years the planet Mars has been an object of special interest to me, and I have d... Phoebe At The Peacock Inn
While Copernicus Droop was acquiring fame and fortune as a photographer, Rebecca and Phoebe were leading a quiet life in the city. Phoebe was perfectly happy. For her this was the natural continuation of a visit which her father, Isaac Burton, h... Phutra Again
I HASTENED TO THE CLIFF EDGE ABOVE JA AND helped him to a secure footing. He would not listen to any thanks for his attempt to save me, which had come so near miscarrying. "I had given you up for lost when you tumbled into the Mahar temple," h... Pickaxe And Trowel
The same evening Barbicane and his companions returned to Tampa Town; and Murchison, the engineer, re-embarked on board the Tampico for New Orleans. His object was to enlist an army of workmen, and to collect together the greater part of the mate... Pinpoint In Space
Tom knew now that it was the right thing to do. There was no question, after the Major's story, of what Dad had been doing out in the Belt at the time he had been killed. He had been doing a job that was more important to him than asteroid mining ... Pirates Of Space
Apparently motionless to her passengers and crew, the Interplanetary liner Hyperion bored serenely onward through space at normal acceleration. In the railed-off sanctum in one corner of the control room a bell tinkled, a smothered whirr was heard... Points Of View
The light grew stronger as we advanced. In a little time it was nearly as strong as the phosphorescence on Cavor's legs. Our tunnel was expanding into a cavern, and this new light was at the farther end of it. I perceived something that set my hopes... Polecrab
The morning slowly passed. Maskull made some convulsive movements, and opened his eyes. He sat up, blinking. All was night-like and silent in the forest. The strange light had gone, the music had ceased, Dreamsinter had vanished. He fingered his bea... Postmark Ganymede
Consider the poor mailman of the future. To "sleet and snow and dead of night"--things that must not keep him from his appointed rounds--will be added, sub-zero void, meteors, and planets th... Prelude John Carter Comes To Earth
Shea had just beaten me at chess, as usual, and, also as usual, I had gleaned what questionable satisfaction I might by twitting him with this indication of failing mentality by calling his attention to the nth time to that theory, propounded by cer... Preparations For War
The months that followed were the busiest, I think, of my life. I began by a complete reorganization of this government of which I found myself the head. For the doddering old councilors of the late king I substituted men whom I selected from amon... Preparing For Action
The next day was a busy one, not only for Lennard himself but for others whose help he had come to enlist in the working out of the Great Experiment. He turned up at Bowcock's house on the stroke of seven, got into his pit clothes, and was drop... President Barbicane's Communication
On the 5th of October, at eight p.m., a dense crowd pressed toward the saloons of the Gun Club at No. 21 Union Square. All the members of the association resident in Baltimore attended the invitation of their president. As regards the correspondi... President Winthrop 1999
The Secretary of State closed the door. "Well?" he asked. President Winthrop looked up from the desk and blinked. "Hello, Art," he said. "Sit down." "Sorry I'm late," the Secretary told him. "I came as soon as I got the call." "It doesn... Prisoners
Wherever they were planning to take them, the captors took great pains to make sure that their two prisoners did not escape before they were underway. Greg and Johnny were strapped down securely into accelleration cots. Two burly guards were assig... Pro And Con
At the period when these events took place, I had just returned from a scientific research in the disagreeable territory of Nebraska, in the United States. In virtue of my office as Assistant Professor in the Museum of Natural History in Paris, the... Problem
The letter came down the slot too early that morning to be the regular mail run. Pete Greenwood eyed the New Philly photocancel with a dreadful premonition. The letter said: PETER: Can you come East chop-chop, urgent? Grdznth pro... Project Mastodon
The chief of protocol said, "Mr. Hudson of--ah--Mastodonia." The secretary of state held out his hand. "I'm glad to see you, Mr. Hudson. I understand you've been here several times." "That's right," said Hudson. "I had a hard time making your pe... Prologue
"You must give me a moment," said the old man, leaning back. Percy resettled himself in his chair and waited, chin on hand. It was a very silent room in which the three men sat, furnished with the extreme common sense of the period. It had nei... Prologue
IN THE FIRST PLACE PLEASE BEAR IN MIND THAT I do not expect you to believe this story. Nor could you wonder had you witnessed a recent experience of mine when, in the armor of blissful and stupendous ignorance, I gaily narrated the gist of it to ... Prologue
Several years had elapsed since I had found the opportunity to do any big-game hunting; for at last I had my plans almost perfected for a return to my old stamping-grounds in northern Africa, where in other days I had had excellent sport in pursuit ... Prologue A Race For A Woman
In Clifden, the chief coast town of Connemara, there is a house at the end of a triangle which the two streets of the town form, the front windows of which look straight down the beautiful harbour and bay, whose waters stretch out beyond the islan... Prologue The Rocket Satellite
In the depths of space, some twenty thousand miles from the earth, the body of Professor Jameson within its rocket container cruised upon an endless journey, circling the gigantic sphere. The rocket was a satellite of the huge, revolving world aro... Prominent People
The state apartments of the Wind Vane Keeper would have seemed astonishingly intricate to Graham had he entered them fresh from his nineteenth century life, but already he was growing accustomed to the scale of the new time. They can scarcely be... Prospecting Begins
We ceased to gaze. We turned to each other, the same thought, the same question in our eyes. For these plants to grow, there must be some air, however attenuated, air that we also should be able to breathe. "The manhole?" I said. "Yes!" said Ca... Pursuit
FOR AN INSTANT I STOOD THERE THINKING OF HER, and then, with a sigh, I tucked the book in the thong that supported my loin cloth, and turned to leave the apartment. At the bottom of the corridor which leads aloft from the lower chambers I whistle... Pushbutton War
In one place, a descendant of the Vikings rode a ship such as Lief never dreamed of; from another, one of the descendants of the Caesars, and here an Apache rode a steed such as never roamed the plains. But they w... Puzzling Questions
It was not until the Projectile had passed a little beyond Tycho's immense concavity that Barbican and his friends had a good opportunity for observing the brilliant streaks sent so wonderfully flying in all directions from this celebrated mountai... Question And Answer
On the 4th of December, when the travelers awoke after fifty-four hours' journey, the chronometer marked five o'clock of the terrestrial morning. In time it was just over five hours and forty minutes, half of that assigned to their sojourn in th... Racing For Life
At last the sea subsided, and we were able to get a better view of the armada of small boats in our wake. There must have been two hundred of them. Juag said that he had never seen so many boats before in all his life. Where had they come from? J... Raid
Wednesday, 25 March 2572 The next morning, when Powell offered to help her into lightweight Enforcement body armor, Blackfeather accepted gladly. She'd found out the previous evening, at the same time she'd found out what the term 'unity' ... Raid Master
St. Thomas, Wednesday, 19 June 2571 "The goddamned Bitch is still alive, Raidmaster." Lawrence Shannon looked up from the shabby table he was using as a desk, smiling as one of his doubles threw a newspaper down in front of him. "Yes, e...