The Court-martial
: The Coming Conquest Of EnglandThe mausoleum of Anar Kali, a great octagonal building in the gardens to
the south of the town, was the place whither the Russian prisoners
were taken. Heideck and Edith Irwin were not the first that had found
quarters there; for, besides about a hundred officers, there were
already there numberless English ladies and children whose saviours had
appeared in time to rescue them from the horrible fate of Mrs. Baird and
h
Heideck and Edith Irwin had to part. They were not allowed a long time
to take leave. But even if they had been altogether alone they would at
this moment have been scarcely able to find much to say; for after all
the exertions and excitements of the terrible day just ended such
heavy fatigue and exhaustion had overcome them that they could only
mechanically make use of their limbs; and so, instead of the passions,
hopes, and fears, with which they had been moved but a short time
previously, there was now only a dull void in their brains as in their
hearts.
"Au revoir, to-morrow." That was all that passed between them. Then, as
soon as they had conducted him into the room assigned to him, Heideck
threw himself down, as he was, upon the tiles of the floor, and fell
instantaneously into a deep, dreamless sleep.
The glorious Indian sun, which shone through the round opening in the
ceiling down upon his face, woke him the next morning.
His limbs were stiff from his uncomfortable couch, but the short sleep
had invigorated him, and his nerves had completely regained their old
freshness and vigour.
His room-mates must have been taken away early to some other place, for
he found himself quite alone in the lofty room which was only lighted by
the window in the ceiling. The rays of the sun fell opposite to him
upon a tomb of the purest, whitest, marble quite covered with illegible
hieroglyphics. Whilst he was still engaged in looking at the apparently
ancient memorial tablet, he heard suddenly behind him the light rustling
of a woman's dress, and when he turned round he gazed with pleasurable
surprise into Edith Irwin's pale, fair face.
"How delighted I am to find you still here," she said with a happy
expression. "I was afraid that you had been taken away with the other
prisoners."
"As it seems, it was out of consideration for my well-deserved slumber,"
he replied, with a slight trace of humour. But then, remembering the
terrible seriousness of the situation, he continued in altered and
hearty tones--
"How have you passed the night, Mrs. Irwin? It appears to me as if
all that I have gone through since my return to Lahore has only been a
dream."
With a painful quiver of the lips she shook her head.
"Unfortunately, there is no room for doubt that it has been hideous
reality. Poor, poor Mrs. Baird! One must almost consider it a happy
dispensation of Providence that her husband did not live to see the
terrible fate of his family."
"What, have you news from the field of battle? Do you then know that the
Colonel is dead?"
Edith nodded.
"The Colonel is dead; my husband is dead; Captain McGregor, and many of
my friends from Chanidigot, have been left on the field."
She said it calmly; but he read in her eyes the deep sadness of her
soul.
Much affected by her heroic strength of character, he bent his head
and kissed her hand. She let him have his way for a moment, but then
withdrew her thin, cool fingers with a beseeching look, the meaning of
which he full well understood.
"The Commander-in-Chief and his staff reached the railway station,"
she continued; "they travelled to Delhi with the last train that left
Lahore, just at the eleventh hour; for immediately afterwards the
Russians entered the town. The wreck of the army is now marching to
Delhi, but their pursuers are close at their heels. God alone knows what
will be the fate of our poor defeated army."
He did not ask her where she had obtained all this information; but
that it was quite correct he was firmly convinced, judging by his own
experience. He did not know what to say to her to encourage her, he
who never had been able to toy with empty phrases. A short while they
remained silent, and their eyes simultaneously fell upon the sunlit
marble tomb before them.
"Have you seen this cenotaph before?" the young lady suddenly asked, to
Heideck's surprise. On his answering in the negative, she went on--
"This is the famous tomb of Anar Kali, the beloved wife of Sultan
Akbar, who, on account of her beauty, was given the name of 'Pomegranate
Blossom.' She probably departed this life in the same way that we should
have done if the daggers of the murderers yesterday had reached us. She,
perhaps, was just as little conscious of what was happening to her, as
we should have been in this past night."
"Can you read the inscription?" asked Heideck.
"No, but I have had it interpreted to me; for it is one of the most
famous inscriptions in India. The beautiful Anar Kali was once so
foolish as to smile when the son of her lord and master entered the
harem. And in the selfsame hour the jealous sultan had the unhappy woman
executed. But he must have loved her very dearly, for he erected to
her this beautiful memorial, which should hand down to generations yet
unborn the name of Anar Kali. So full of insoluble riddles is the poor,
foolish heart of man."
Jingling footsteps were heard on the flagstones outside, and the next
moment an officer appeared at the door accompanied by several soldiers.
In abrupt, peremptory tones he ordered Heideck to follow him.
Now, for the first time, the Captain saw in Edith Irwin's face something
like an expression of terror.
"What is the meaning of this?" She turned hastily to the Russian. "This
gentleman is not an Englishman."
The Russian did not understand the question in English; but when Heideck
asked in Russian what they were about to do with him, he replied,
shrugging his shoulders--
"I do not know. Follow me."
"They only want me to prove my identity," said Heideck composedly, in
order to calm the young lady. "I hope that they will let me free after
examining my passports."
"Certainly they must let you go!" she cried, almost passionately. "It
would be against all the laws of nations if they were to do you any
harm. But how shall I endure the uncertainty as to your fate?"
"I shall come back here at once, as soon as it is possible for me to do
so."
"Yes, yes! I beseech you, do not leave me a second longer than you are
obliged. I have not as yet had time to thank you."
The Russian officer showed such manifest signs of impatience that
Heideck no longer hesitated to follow him.
The way that he had to go was not long. He was taken to a house close
by, over whose gate the words "School of Arts" were sculptured in the
stone. He had only to wait a short while in the hall, when before
him there opened the door of a room on the ground floor, adorned with
sculptures, in which a number of officers sat at a long table.
To Heideck it was at once clear that he was to be tried before a
court-martial. A few very downcast-looking men had just been led out.
The officer who presided turned over the papers which lay before him,
and then, casting a sharp look at Heideck, spoke a few words with his
comrades.
"Who are you?" he asked in English, with a decided Russian accent, which
was difficult to understand.
Heideck, who also spoke in English, answered shortly and clearly, and
laid his passport, which he always carried in the breast-pocket of his
coat as his most valuable possession in ease of emergency, before the
Colonel.
As soon as he had read it, the President said in perfect German--
"You are, then, no Englishman, but a German? What are you doing here in
India?"
"I am travelling for the firm of Heideck, in Hamburg."
"In business? Really? Is it part of your business to fight against
Russia?"
"No! and I have not done so."
"You deny, then, that you took part in yesterday's battle?"
"As a combatant, yes! There were other reasons which led me to the
battlefield."
"You only went as a spectator? Didn't it occur to you that, under the
circumstances, this might be very dangerous for you?"
"I have personal relations with several gentlemen in the English army,
and these relations made it necessary for me to visit them during the
battle."
The Colonel turned to a young officer standing a little distance away--
"Lieutenant Osarov, is it true that you recognised in this man, when
he was brought in here last night, a person whom you saw in an English
square during the progress of the battle?"
"Yes, Colonel, I did!" was the decided reply. "I recognise him now quite
clearly. He was riding a black horse, and dashed off when we broke into
the square."
Heideck perceived that it would be useless to deny the fact, in the face
of this direct evidence, and his military honour would, in any case, not
have permitted him to do so.
"What the lieutenant has said is quite correct," he answered,
anticipating the Colonel's question; "but I did not take part in the
fighting. As a friend of Colonel Baird, who was killed, I kept as long
as possible close to him, so as to be able to bring his relations, who
were left behind in Lahore, tidings of his fate and of the issue of the
battle."
"You, a foreigner, were armed in the English square. Since you confess
this much, we need not trouble ourselves with further proceedings. You,
gentlemen, will all agree that we should treat him, according to martial
law, as a traitor?"
The last words were addressed to the other judges, and, with a silent
bow, they declared their assent.
"Since you, a citizen of a nation not at war with us, have fought in the
ranks of our enemies, the Court must therefore sentence you to death.
The judgment of the Court will be at once carried into effect. Have you
anything to say?"
Heideck was as though stunned. It appeared to him as though a black veil
was drawn across the world; and a sharp pang of grief shot through him
as he reflected that he would never see Edith again, and that she would
in vain wait for him for ever.
Then his pride was roused. No one should call him cowardly or timid.
"Is it possible to appeal against the judgment of this court-martial?"
he asked, looking firmly at the Colonel.
"No!"
"Then I must, of course, submit to your sentence, but I protest both
against the procedure of the Court and against the judgment you have
pronounced."
His protest evidently did not make the slightest impression.
"Have you drawn up the execution warrant?" the Colonel said, turning to
the secretary. He then appended his signature and handed it to one of
the attendant Cossacks.
"Lead the prisoner away."
Two of the soldiers took Heideck between them, and he followed them with
a proud, erect bearing, without saying a word more. Amidst the rain of
bullets on the battlefield he had not felt the least trace of fear; but
the thought of being led like an animal to the slaughter-house, filled
him with horror. All the same a power he had hitherto not discovered,
sustained him. The new danger awoke in him new vigour of soul and
spirit.
The Cossacks conducted him a long way on the road which leads from Anar
Kali to the Meean Meer cantonment. Heideck looked about him and observed
the changes that had taken place in Lahore, just like a traveller who
already in spirit lives in the new world that he intends to visit and
who looks upon familiar objects as something strange. Everywhere he
saw small detachments of cavalry, who were preserving order. Only faint
clouds of smoke still marked the place of the fire in the city, which
had evidently been extinguished. The splendid gardens of Donald Town,
through which their way led, the agricultural plantations, and Lawrence
Park wore the same aspect as in the time of profoundest peace.
Heideck was not chained, but the Cossacks who walked beside him had
their carbines presented, ready to fire should he attempt to escape. But
how could he escape? Everywhere round and about, outposts of the Russian
cavalry were discernible; behind him a body of Cossack horse escorted a
whole troop of Indians. Probably they were incendiaries and robbers who
were, like him, being led out for execution; and it did not improve his
frame of mind to find himself on his last road in the company of such a
crew.
After a long march they at length reached the encampment which had been
occupied by the English, the barracks and tents of which were now filled
with Russian troops. It was only with difficulty that his escort could
make their way through the crowd that had assembled; the report that a
number of criminals were being brought into camp must have arrived here
before them, for soldiers of all arms pressed forward inquisitively from
all sides, in order to have a close view of the poor wretches.
Suddenly, Heideck felt the clutch of a small but firm hand upon his arm.
"Oh, master, what is this? Why are they bringing you here like a
prisoner?"
At the first word Heideck recognised the soft voice, that in the
excitement had assumed its natural feminine tones. In the same fantastic
page's livery in which he had last seen him in Chanidigot, the pretended
servant of his friend Prince Tchajawadse here stood quite unexpectedly
before him, as though he had suddenly sprung from the earth, while the
most pained consternation showed itself in his fair, expressive face.
"Is it you, Georgi?" exclaimed Heideck, into whose sadness of heart
the sight of the Circassian brought a faint gleam of hope; "and your
master--the Prince? Is he also close at hand?"
But the Cossacks did not seem inclined to permit their prisoner any
further private conversation.
"Be off with you, young fellow!" one of them exclaimed to the supposed
page; "this is a spy, who is to be shot on the spot; and no one is
allowed to speak to him."
He made a movement as though with a slight motion of his powerful fist
to thrust the slender lithe figure aside, when Georgi fearlessly pushed
back his arm and glared at him with flashing eyes.
"Hold your blasphemous tongue, you liar! You are a thousand times more
of a spy than this gentleman. If you do not leave go of him at once,
you will have a knouting that you will not forget until the end of your
life!"
The Cossacks looked at him and laughed. It was only the handsome face
and the aristocratic bearing of the bold young fellow that prevented
their seizing him.
"Take care, little fellow, that you do not first get the stick," one of
them said good-humouredly; "and be off with you, before we, by accident,
crush you between our finger and thumb."
"Go now, Georgi," Heideck now said, in his turn, on perceiving that the
Circassian was not inclined to obey their orders; "if your master is
near by, go and tell him that I am about to be shot against all the
rules of international law. But tell him to make haste, if he wants to
see me again alive; for it looks as though his comrades intend to make
short work of me."
He did not doubt that the beautiful, hot-blooded daughter of the
mountains had completely understood him. At all events he saw how she
suddenly turned like a flash of lightning, and with the lithe rapidity
of a slender lizard threaded her way through the crowd of rough
soldiers.
A new hope awoke in Heideck's breast, and he felt himself once more
fettered in a thousand bonds to life, which he just before thought he
had entirely parted from. He endeavoured to walk more slowly, in order
to gain time. But the Cossacks, who had until now treated him with a
certain amount of consideration, appeared to have become irritated
by the scene with the page, for one of them urged the prisoner in
commanding tones to greater haste, while the other raised his fist in
his face with a menacing gesture.
Perhaps he would even have struck him; but the German officer looked
into his face with such a proud, commanding glance that he let his
raised arm sink to his side. The sullen-looking fellow felt at once
that he was not here dealing with an ordinary spy, and from this moment
neither curses nor abuse passed his lips.
The rattle of a rifle volley struck Heideck's ear, and although he was
sufficiently accustomed to the crack of shots, a cold shiver passed over
him. The bullets that had just been fired had--he knew it well without
anyone telling him--been the portion of some poor devil who had been
in the same position as himself. That was why these rifle shots were
so full of a significance for him, quite different from that caused
yesterday by the rattle and the crash of the raging battle. Truly, one
need not be a coward to feel an icy shudder at the thought of ten or
twenty rifle barrels directed at one's own breast.
And now they had reached the fatal spot which was to be the goal of all
his earthly wanderings. The parade at the rear of the barrack camp
had been selected for the place of execution, and so summarily was the
punishment being dealt out, that no time had been found to cart away
separately the corpses of those who had been shot. They simply left them
lying in the trench before which the delinquents were posted, probably
because burial in a common grave was more convenient.
An officer was handed the execution warrant, which had been issued by
the President of the court-martial, and handed over the prisoner to a
non-commissioned officer, who, regarding him with an expression of pity,
bade him in an almost apologetic tone to follow him.
Only a few minutes after his arrival on the parade ground, Heideck also
was standing before the fatal ditch, and saw a company of infantry, with
their arms at attention, drawn up before him.
He had now abandoned all hope. Since the verdict of the court-martial
only a miracle could have saved him; and this miracle had not happened.
For a few short minutes he had, after the accidental meeting with the
Circassian, been foolish enough to entertain new hopes of life, but
now even those had vanished. Even had she been animated by the keenest
desire to save him, what, after all, could she do to make the impossible
possible? He was sorry now that he had not confined himself to begging
the Prince through her to allow him decent burial and to send word to
the German General Staff. These last wishes would, perhaps, have not
been impossible of fulfilment, and he did not doubt that his amiable
Russian acquaintance would have gladly rendered him this trifling
service.
The word of command rang out, and the soldiers posted opposite to him
had already, with clank and rattle, shouldered arms, when from the
other side a loud peremptory shout reached Heideck's ear, and he saw a
horseman in Russian dragoon's uniform dashing up, in whose dark red face
he immediately recognised the Prince Tchajawadse.
Close before Heideck he reined in his dripping charger and sprang from
the saddle.
"Little brother! little brother!" he cried, quite breathless from his
ride in such hot haste, clasping, with genuine Russian impetuosity, his
friend, whom he had found again under such strange circumstances, to
his breast. "By all the saints--I should think it was quite time that I
came!"
Then, turning to the astonished officer commanding the firing squad--
"There must be a mistake here. No harm must happen to this gentleman,
for he is not only a personal friend of my own, but he is also a
comrade, an officer of the allied German army."
The lieutenant shrugged his shoulders.
"I have to carry out my orders, Colonel! I can undertake no
responsibility for any mistakes on the part of my superior officers or
of the court-martial."
"I take, then, all the responsibility on my own shoulders for preventing
you from carrying out your instructions, lieutenant! This gentleman will
accompany me, and I give my guarantee for him."
He gave his horse to one of the soldiers, linked his arm in that of
Heideck, and took him off to the tent he occupied in the camp, giving
the while most exuberant expression to his delight at having seen him
again. The breakfast, from which Georgi's message had startled him, was
still on the table, and Heideck needed not much encouragement to partake
of it; for only now he properly realised how much he was in want of
bodily sustenance. Prince Tchajawadse would not hear of any thanks for
what he had done; but when Heideck asked him if he had really correctly
understood that the Prince had spoken of an alliance between the Russian
and German armies, the latter was not slow to give all information on
this head.
"Yes! yes!--it is the fact! The German Empire is hand-in-hand with us.
The first piece of good news that I heard on reaching the army was that
William II. had declared war upon England. The world is in flames. Only
Austria and Italy are neutral."
"And I had no notion of it! But, after all, that is easy enough to
explain. All the telegraph cables are in the hands of the English, and
it was easy for them to suppress every unwelcome despatch. The Indian
newspapers are only allowed, of course, to publish what is agreeable to
the Government; but I am burning with curiosity to learn more. Do you
perhaps know how matters have developed as yet, and in what way Germany
thinks of carrying on the war?"
"It appears that an invasion of England is contemplated. Germany has
mobilised one half of her army, and has occupied Holland. The French
troops, on the other hand, have entered Belgium, so that the two Powers
control the whole coast opposite England."
"And has any action taken place at sea as yet?"
"No; at least down to the present no news has reached us of a naval
battle having been fought. Things are evidently still in the stage
of preparation, and nothing has been heard about the movements of the
German and French fleets. However, the latest intelligence that I
have is now fairly old. We with the army only learn the news that the
Cossacks bring us."
Heideck struck his forehead.
"I feel utterly astonished. To comprehend and digest at one time all
that you have told me almost passes the capacity of a single brain. But
pardon me, Prince, if I trouble you, who have already done so much for
me to-day, with a further request. I am in great anxiety about a lady,
the widow of an English officer who fell in yesterday's battle, and who
was committed to my care. I only left her this morning early, when I was
arrested to be taken before the court-martial, at the mausoleum of Anar
Kali, where she had been interned with other prisoners. Advise me what
to do, in order to send the lady, whose welfare is nearest my heart, a
reassuring message as to my fate, and at the same time shield her from
annoyance and discomfort."
"That is a very simple matter. Do you object to giving me the name of
the lady?"
"Not at all. It is Mrs. Edith Irwin, the widow of Captain Irwin, whom
you also perhaps met in Chanidigot."
"I think I have some recollection. There was something about a gambling
affair, with which he was not very creditably connected--wasn't it so?
Well, then, while you take a good sound sleep in my tent here I
will ride over to Anar Kali, visit the lady, and find out how she is
situated. Be quite sure that no unpleasantness shall happen to her, if
only I succeed in finding her."
"Your kindness puts me quite to shame, Prince. I--"
"You would do precisely the same if fate had happened to have exchanged
our roles. Why, then, waste words about it? I cannot, unfortunately,
offer you a more comfortable couch than my camp-bed there. But you are a
soldier, and I think both of us have, before now, had a worse shakedown.
So, then, pleasant dreams, my friend! I will take care that you are not
disturbed for the next two hours."
Hurriedly, as though to escape all further expressions of gratitude, the
Prince left the tent.
More
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The night was hot and overcast, the sky red, rimmed with the lingering sunset of mid-summer. They sat at the open window, trying to fancy the air was fresher there. The trees and shrubs of the garden stood stiff and dark; beyond in the roadway a g... The Consequences Of A Deviation
Barbicane had now no fear of the issue of the journey, at least as far as the projectile's impulsive force was concerned; its own speed would carry it beyond the neutral line; it would certainly not return to earth; it would certainly not remain ... The Coral Kingdom
The next day I woke with my head singularly clear. To my great surprise, I was in my own room. My companions, no doubt, had been reinstated in their cabin, without having perceived it any more than I. Of what had passed during the night they were ... The Cosmic Express
The year 1928 was a great year of discovery for AMAZING STORIES. They were uncovering new talent at such a great rate, (Harl Vincent, David H. Keller, E. E. Smith, Philip Francis Nowlan, Fletcher Pratt and Miles J. Breuer), that Jack Wi... The Council Of State
It was a brilliant assemblage of high dignitaries and military officers that had gathered in the Imperial Winter Palace at St. Petersburg. Of the influential personages, who, by reason of their official position or their personal relations to the ru... The Count Steps Over The Line
The Silver Cloud's crew, if we may so term it, had busied themselves in various ways, according to their several dispositions and bents of mind. Dr. Jones was occupied more or less of the time with the invalids, who came to him from far and wide. ... The Counter-attack
The news which caused me to change my plans was grave enough. As I have explained, the American lines lay roughly to the east and the south of the city in the mountains. My own Gang held the northern flank of the east line. To the south of us was ... The Country Of The Blind
Three hundred miles and more from Chimborazo, one hundred from the snows of Cotopaxi, in the wildest wastes of Ecuador's Andes, there lies that mysterious mountain valley, cut off from all the world of men, the Country of the Blind. Long years ago ... The Court-martial
The mausoleum of Anar Kali, a great octagonal building in the gardens to the south of the town, was the place whither the Russian prisoners were taken. Heideck and Edith Irwin were not the first that had found quarters there; for, besides about a ... The Crimson Sea
I was in the heart of a rose pearl, swinging, swinging; no, I was in a rosy dawn cloud, pendulous in space. Consciousness flooded me, in reality I was in the arms of one of the man frogs, carrying me as though I were a babe, and we were passing thro... The Crying Of The Man
AS I drew near the house I saw that the light shone from the open door of my room; and then I heard coming from out of the darkness at the side of that orange oblong of light, the voice of Montgomery shouting, "Prendick!" I continued running. Pr... The Crying Of The Puma
MONTGOMERY interrupted my tangle of mystification and suspicion about one o'clock, and his grotesque attendant followed him with a tray bearing bread, some herbs and other eatables, a flask of whiskey, a jug of water, and three glasses and knives.... The Crystal Egg
There was, until a year ago, a little and very grimy-looking shop near Seven Dials, over which, in weather-worn yellow lettering, the name of "C. Cave, Naturalist and Dealer in Antiquities," was inscribed. The contents of its window were curi... The Cylinder Opens
When I returned to the common the sun was setting. Scattered groups were hurrying from the direction of Woking, and one or two persons were returning. The crowd about the pit had increased, and stood out black against the lemon yellow of th... The Dark Nebula
Years melted into the past, centuries, aeons. The light of the incandescent star, sank to a furious red. It was later, that I saw the dark nebula--at first, an impalpable cloud, away to my right. It grew, steadily, to a clot of blackness in the n... The Dark Sun
How long our souls lay in the arms of joy, I cannot say; but, all at once, I was waked from my happiness, by a diminution of the pale and gentle light that lit the Sea of Sleep. I turned toward the huge, white orb, with a premonition of coming troub... The Days Of Imprisonment
The arrival of a second fighting-machine drove us from our peephole into the scullery, for we feared that from his elevation the Martian might see down upon us behind our barrier. At a later date we began to feel less in danger of their eyes... The Dead Immortal
When I reached home, Sarakoff was out. He had left a message to say he would not be in until after midnight, as he was going to hear Leonora sing at the opera, and purposed to take her to supper afterwards. Dinner was therefore a solitary meal for... The Deadly Daughters
These gorgeous fanatics were equally at home with men, murder, or matrimony, and they used all three with amazing success. Dr. Hubert Long, 40, bachelor and assistant professor of political science at Mentioch University, thrust his ru... The Death Of The Curate
It was on the sixth day of our imprisonment that I peeped for the last time, and presently found myself alone. Instead of keeping close to me and trying to oust me from the slit, the curate had gone back into the scullery. I was struck by a... The Death Sentence
A few moments before the appointed time on the following morning a strong guard of Zat Arras' officers appeared at our quarters to conduct us to the great hall of the temple. In twos we entered the chamber and marched down the broad Aisle of Ho... The Decision
Colonel Sebastian MacMaine didn't feel, that morning, as though this day were different from any other. The sun, faintly veiled by a few wisps of cloud, shone as it always had; the guards at the doors of the Space Force Administration Building sal... The Declaration Of War
The capital city of the Fenachrone lay in a jungle plain surrounded by towering hills. A perfect circle of immense diameter, its buildings of uniform height, of identical design, and constructed of the same dull gray, translucent metal, were arran... The Delegate From Venus
Everybody was waiting to see what the delegate from Venus looked like. And all they got for their patience was the biggest surprise since David clobbered Goliath. "Let me put it this way," Conners said paternally. "We expect a cert... The Depths Of Omean
Now I realized why the black pirate had kept me engrossed with his strange tale. For miles he had sensed the approach of succour, and but for that single tell-tale glance the battleship would have been directly above us in another moment, and the... The Destroyers
Anketam stretched his arms out as though he were trying to embrace the whole world. He pushed himself up on his tiptoes, arched his back, and gave out with a prodigious yawn that somehow managed to express all the contentment and pleasure that... The Destruction Of Lo-tan
"How did you know I had been taken to Lo-Tan as a prisoner?" I asked the little group of Wyoming Bosses who had assembled in Wilma's tent to greet me. "And how does it happen that our gang is away out here in the Rocky Mountains? I had expected, a... The Diamond Maker
Some business had detained me in Chancery Lane nine in the evening, and thereafter, having some inkling of a headache, I was disinclined either for entertainment or further work. So much of the sky as the high cliffs of that narrow canon of traffic... The Discovery Of Lines Upon Mars-the Great Martian Controversy
After the little interlude with M'Allister, I resumed my remarks by saying that "The year 1877, so memorable for the near approach of Mars and the discovery of its two tiny satellites, was also the year in which a still more important discove... The Discovery Of The Food
I. In the middle years of the nineteenth century there first became abundant in this strange world of ours a class of men, men tending for the most part to become elderly, who are called, and who are very properly called, but who dislike extrem... The Disillusionment Of Ginger Stott
I Stott maintained an obstinate silence as we walked together up to the Common, a stretch of comparatively open ground on the plateau of the hill. He walked with his hands in his pockets and his head down, as he had walked out from Ailesworth w... The Dochart Pit
HARRY FORD was a fine, strapping fellow of five and twenty. His grave looks, his habitually passive expression, had from childhood been noticed among his comrades in the mine. His regular features, his deep blue eyes, his curly hair, rather chestn... The Doctor Disappears
Hotep saw that he was ruined, and he went to fall down before Pharaoh and beg for mercy. The monarch, not having the courage of his own hard-heartedness, answered him,-- "I desire not to deal harshly with thee, O Hotep; for thou hast struggled ... The Door In The Wall
I One confidential evening, not three months ago, Lionel Wallace told me this story of the Door in the Wall. And at the time I thought that so far as he was concerned it was a true story. He told it me with such a direct simplicity of convicti... The Dope On Mars
Somebody had to get the human angle on this trip ... but what was humane about sending me? My agent was the one who got me the job of going along to write up the first trip to Mars. He was alway... The Dying World
"And now tell us of yourself," said 25X-987, "and about your world." Professor Jameson, noted in college as a lecturer of no mean ability and perfectly capable of relating intelligently to them the story of the earth's history, evolution and mar... The Eagle's Nest
On the morrow, when I awoke after a sound sleep, our vehicle seemed motionless. It seemed to me evident that we were not running upon land. Yet neither were we rushing through or beneath the waters; nor yet soaring across the sky. Had the inve... The Earth
Thus I was, and only the memory that I had lived through the dark, once before, served to sustain my thoughts. A great time passed--ages. And then a single star broke its way through the darkness. It was the first of one of the outlying clusters of ... The Eastern Tunnel
The next day was Tuesday, the 30th of June and at six o'clock in the morning we resumed our journey. We still continued to follow the gallery of lava, a perfect natural pathway, as easy of descent as some of those inclined planes which, in very... The Electric Gun
There was much excitement aboard the Advance. The submarine came to a stop in the water, while the treasure-seekers waited anxiously for what was to follow. Would they be rammed again? This time, stationary as they were, and with the other boat c... The Encounter
CHAPTER I I Oliver Brand was seated at his desk, on the evening of the next day, reading the leading article of the New People, evening edition. * * * * * "We have had time," he read, "to recover ourselves a little from the intoxication... The End
When it came time for Ernest and me to go to Washington, father did not accompany us. He had become enamoured of proletarian life. He looked upon our slum neighborhood as a great sociological laboratory, and he had embarked upon an apparently endl... The End
We may remember the intense sympathy which had accompanied the travelers on their departure. If at the beginning of the enterprise they had excited such emotion both in the old and new world, with what enthusiasm would they be received on their ... The End Of Tao
The scene of desolation that met us in the Lone City was at once extraordinary and awesome. It seemed impossible that our rays, acting for so brief a period, could have done so much damage. The city was nothing more than a semicivilized settlement...