Treason
: The Monster MenOn their return to camp after her rescue Virginia talked a great deal
to von Horn about the young giant who had rescued her, until the man
feared that she was more interested in him than seemed good for his own
plans.
He had now cast from him the last vestige of his loyalty for his
employer, and thus freed had determined to use every means within his
power to win Professor Maxon's daughter, and with her t
wealth which he knew would be hers should her father, through some
unforeseen mishap, meet death before he could return to civilization
and alter his will, a contingency which von Horn knew he might have to
consider should he marry the girl against her father's wishes, and thus
thwart the crazed man's mad, but no less dear project.
He realized that first he must let the girl fully understand the grave
peril in which she stood, and turn her hope of protection from her
father to himself. He imagined that the initial step in undermining
Virginia's confidence in her father would be to narrate every detail of
the weird experiments which Professor Maxon had brought to such
successful issues during their residence upon the island.
The girl's own questioning gave him the lead he needed.
"Where could that horrid creature have come from that set upon me in
the jungle and nearly killed poor Sing?" she asked.
For a moment von Horn was silent, in well simulated hesitancy to reply
to her query.
"I cannot tell you, Miss Maxon," he said sadly, "how much I should hate
to be the one to ignore your father's commands, and enlighten you upon
this and other subjects which lie nearer to your personal welfare than
you can possibly guess; but I feel that after the horrors of this day
duty demands that I must lay all before you--you cannot again be
exposed to the horrors from which you were rescued only by a miracle."
"I cannot imagine what you hint at, Dr. von Horn," said Virginia, "but
if to explain to me will necessitate betraying my father's confidence I
prefer that you remain silent."
"You do not understand," broke in the man, "you cannot guess the
horrors that I have seen upon this island, or the worse horrors that
are to come. Could you dream of what lies in store for you, you would
seek death rather than face the future. I have been loyal to your
father, Virginia, but were you not blind, or indifferent, you would
long since have seen that your welfare means more to me than my loyalty
to him--more to me than my life or my honor.
"You asked where the creature came from that attacked you today. I
shall tell you. It is one of a dozen similarly hideous things that
your father has created in his mad desire to solve the problem of life.
He has solved it; but, God, at what a price in misshapen, soulless,
hideous monsters!"
The girl looked up at him, horror stricken.
"Do you mean to say that my father in a mad attempt to usurp the
functions of God created that awful thing?" she asked in a low, faint
voice, "and that there are others like it upon the island?"
"In the campong next to yours there are a dozen others," replied von
Horn, "nor would it be easy to say which is the most hideous and
repulsive. They are grotesque caricatures of humanity--without soul
and almost without brain."
"God!" murmured the girl, burying her face in her hands, "he has gone
mad; he has gone mad."
"I truly believe that he is mad," said von Horn, "nor could you doubt
it for a moment were I to tell you the worst."
"The worst!" exclaimed the girl. "What could be worse than that which
you already have divulged? Oh, how could you have permitted it?"
"There is much worse than I have told you, Virginia. So much worse
that I can scarce force my lips to frame the words, but you must be
told. I would be more criminally liable than your father were I to
keep it from you, for my brain, at least, is not crazed. Virginia, you
have in your mind a picture of the hideous thing that carried you off
into the jungle?"
"Yes," and as the girl replied a convulsive shudder racked her frame.
Von Horn grasped her arm gently as he went on, as though to support and
protect her during the shock that he was about to administer.
"Virginia," he said in a very low voice, "it is your father's intention
to wed you to one of his creatures."
The girl broke from him with an angry cry.
"It is not true!" she exclaimed. "It is not true. Oh, Dr. von Horn
how could you tell me such a cruel and terrible untruth."
"As God is my judge, Virginia," and the man reverently uncovered as he
spoke, "it is the truth. Your father told me it in so many words when
I asked his permission to pay court to you myself--you are to marry
Number Thirteen when his education is complete."
"I shall die first!" she cried.
"Why not accept me instead?" suggested the man.
For a moment Virginia looked straight into his eyes as though to read
his inmost soul.
"Let me have time to consider it, Doctor," she replied. "I do not know
that I care for you in that way at all."
"Think of Number Thirteen," he suggested. "It should not be difficult
to decide."
"I could not marry you simply to escape a worse fate," replied the
girl. "I am not that cowardly--but let me think it over. There can be
no immediate danger, I am sure."
"One can never tell," replied von Horn, "what strange, new vagaries may
enter a crazed mind to dictate this moment's action or the next."
"Where could we wed?" asked Virginia.
"The Ithaca would bear us to Singapore, and when we returned you would
be under my legal protection and safe."
"I shall think about it from every angle," she answered sadly, "and now
good night, my dear friend," and with a wan smile she entered her
quarters.
For the next month Professor Maxon was busy educating Number Thirteen.
He found the young man intelligent far beyond his most sanguine hopes,
so that the progress made was little short of uncanny.
Von Horn during this time continued to urge upon Virginia the necessity
for a prompt and favorable decision in the matter of his proposal; but
when it came time to face the issue squarely the girl found it
impossible to accede to his request--she thought that she loved him,
but somehow she dared not say the word that would make her his for life.
Bududreen, the Malay mate was equally harassed by conflicting desires,
though of a different nature, or he had his eye upon the main chance
that was represented to him by the great chest, and also upon the
lesser reward which awaited him upon delivery of the girl to Rajah Muda
Saffir. The fact that he could find no safe means for accomplishing
both these ends simultaneously was all that had protected either from
his machinations.
The presence of the uncanny creatures of the court of mystery had
become known to the Malay and he used this knowledge as an argument to
foment discord and mutiny in the ignorant and superstitious crew under
his command. By boring a hole in the partition wall separating their
campong from the inner one he had disclosed to the horrified view of
his men the fearsome brutes harbored so close to them. The mate, of
course, had no suspicion of the true origin of these monsters, but his
knowledge of the fact that they had not been upon the island when the
Ithaca arrived and that it would have been impossible for them to have
landed and reached the camp without having been seen by himself or some
member of his company, was sufficient evidence to warrant him in
attributing their presence to some supernatural and malignant power.
This explanation the crew embraced willingly, and with it Bududreen's
suggestion that Professor Maxon had power to transform them all into
similar atrocities. The ball once started gained size and momentum as
it progressed. The professor's ofttimes strange expression was
attributed to an evil eye, and every ailment suffered by any member of
the crew was blamed upon their employer's Satanic influence. There was
but one escape from the horrors of such a curse--the death of its
author; and when Bududreen discovered that they had reached this point,
and were even discussing the method of procedure, he added all that was
needed to the dangerously smouldering embers of bloody mutiny by
explaining that should anything happen to the white men he would become
sole owner of their belongings, including the heavy chest, and that the
reward of each member of the crew would be generous.
Von Horn was really the only stumbling block in Bududreen's path. With
the natural cowardice of the Malay he feared this masterful American
who never moved without a brace of guns slung about his hips; and it
was at just this psychological moment that the doctor played into the
hands of his subordinate, much to the latter's inward elation.
Von Horn had finally despaired of winning Virginia by peaceful court,
and had about decided to resort to force when he was precipitately
confirmed in his decision by a conversation with the girl's father.
He and the professor were talking in the workshop of the remarkable
progress of Number Thirteen toward a complete mastery of English and
the ways and manners of society, in which von Horn had been assisting
his employer to train the young giant. The breach between the latter
and von Horn had been patched over by Professor Maxon's explanations to
Number Thirteen as soon as the young man was able to comprehend--in the
meantime it had been necessary to keep von Horn out of the workshop
except when the giant was confined in his own room off the larger one.
Von Horn had been particularly anxious, for the furtherance of certain
plans he had in mind, to effect a reconciliation with Number Thirteen,
to reach a basis of friendship with the young man, and had left no
stone unturned to accomplish this result. To this end he had spent
considerable time with Number Thirteen, coaching him in English and in
the ethics of human association.
"He is progressing splendidly, Doctor," Professor Maxon had said. "It
will be but a matter of a day or so when I can introduce him to
Virginia, but we must be careful that she has no inkling of his origin
until mutual affection has gained a sure foothold between them."
"And if that should not occur?" questioned von Horn.
"I should prefer that they mated voluntarily," replied the professor,
the strange gleam leaping to his eyes at the suggestion of possible
antagonism to his cherished plan, "but if not, then they shall be
compelled by the force of my authority--they both belong to me, body
and soul."
"You will wait for the final consummation of your desires until you
return with them to civilization, I presume," said von Horn.
"And why?" returned the professor. "I can wed them here myself--it
would be the surer way--yes, that is what I shall do."
It was this determination on the part of Professor Maxon that decided
von Horn to act at once. Further, it lent a reasonable justification
for his purposed act.
Shortly after their talk the older man left the workshop, and von Horn
took the opportunity to inaugurate the second move of his campaign.
Number Thirteen was sitting near a window which let upon the inner
court, busy with the rudiments of written English. Von Horn approached
him.
"You are getting along nicely, Jack," he said kindly, looking over the
other's shoulder and using the name which had been adopted at his
suggestion to lend a more human tone to their relations with the
nameless man.
"Yes," replied the other, looking up with a smile. "Professor Maxon
says that in another day or two I may come and live in his own house,
and again meet his beautiful daughter. It seems almost too good to be
true that I shall actually live under the same roof with her and see
her every day--sit at the same table with her--and walk with her among
the beautiful trees and flowers that witnessed our first meeting. I
wonder if she will remember me. I wonder if she will be as glad to see
me again as I shall be to see her."
"Jack," said von Horn, sadly, "I am afraid there is a terrible and
disappointing awakening for you. It grieves me that it should be so,
but it seems only fair to tell you, what Professor Maxon either does
not know or has forgotten, that his daughter will not look with
pleasure upon you when she learns your origin.
"You are not as other men. You are but the accident of a laboratory
experiment. You have no soul, and the soul is all that raises man
above the beasts. Jack, poor boy, you are not a human being--you are
not even a beast. The world, and Miss Maxon is of the world, will look
upon you as a terrible creature to be shunned--a horrible monstrosity
far lower in the scale of creation than the lowest order of brutes.
"Look," and the man pointed through the window toward the group of
hideous things that wandered aimlessly about the court of mystery.
"You are of the same breed as those, you differ from them only in the
symmetry of your face and features, and the superior development of
your brain. There is no place in the world for them, nor for you.
"I am sorry that it is so. I am sorry that I should have to be the one
to tell you; but it is better that you know it now from a friend than
that you meet the bitter truth when you least expected it, and possibly
from the lips of one like Miss Maxon for whom you might have formed a
hopeless affection."
As von Horn spoke the expression on the young man's face became more
and more hopeless, and when he had ceased he dropped his head into his
open palms, sitting quiet and motionless as a carven statue. No sob
shook his great frame, there was no outward indication of the terrible
grief that racked him inwardly--only in the pose was utter dejection
and hopelessness.
The older man could not repress a cold smile--it had had more effect
than he had hoped.
"Don't take it too hard, my boy," he continued. "The world is wide.
It would be easy to find a thousand places where your antecedents would
be neither known nor questioned. You might be very happy elsewhere and
there a hundred thousand girls as beautiful and sweet as Virginia
Maxon--remember that you have never seen another, so you can scarcely
judge."
"Why did he ever bring me into the world?" exclaimed the young man
suddenly. "It was wicked--wicked--terribly cruel and wicked."
"I agree with you," said von Horn quickly, seeing another possibility
that would make his future plans immeasurably easier. "It was wicked,
and it is still more wicked to continue the work and bring still other
unfortunate creatures into the world to be the butt and plaything of
cruel fate."
"He intends to do that?" asked the youth.
"Unless he is stopped," replied von Horn.
"He must be stopped," cried the other. "Even if it were necessary to
kill him."
Von Horn was quite satisfied with the turn events had taken. He
shrugged his shoulders and turned on his heel toward the outer campong.
"If he had wronged me as he has you, and those others," with a gesture
toward the court of mystery, "I should not be long in reaching a
decision." And with that he passed out, leaving the door unlatched.
Von Horn went straight to the south campong and sought out Bududreen.
Motioning the Malay to follow him they walked across the clearing and
entered the jungle out of sight and hearing of the camp. Sing, hanging
clothes in the north end of the clearing saw them depart, and wondered
a little.
"Bududreen," said von Horn, when the two had reached a safe distance
from the enclosures, "there is no need of mincing matters--something
must be done at once. I do not know how much you know of the work that
Professor Maxon has been engaged in since we reached this island; but
it has been hellish enough and it must go no further. You have seen
the creatures in the campong next to yours?"
"I have seen," replied Bududreen, with a shudder.
"Professor Maxon intends to wed one of these to his daughter," von Horn
continued. "She loves me and we wish to escape--can I rely on you and
your men to aid us? There is a chest in the workshop which we must
take along too, and I can assure you that you all will be well rewarded
for your work. We intend merely to leave Professor Maxon here with the
creatures he has created."
Bududreen could scarce repress a smile--it was indeed too splendid to
be true.
"It will be perilous work, Captain," he answered. "We should all be
hanged were we caught."
"There will be no danger of that, Bududreen, for there will be no one
to divulge our secret."
"There will be the Professor Maxon," urged the Malay. "Some day he
will escape from the island, and then we shall all hang."
"He will never escape," replied von Horn, "his own creatures will see
to that. They are already commencing to realize the horrible crime he
has committed against them, and when once they are fully aroused there
will be no safety for any of us. If you wish to leave the island at
all it will be best for you to accept my proposal and leave while your
head yet remains upon your shoulders. Were we to suggest to the
professor that he leave now he would not only refuse but he would take
steps to make it impossible for any of us to leave, even to sinking the
Ithaca. The man is mad--quite mad--Bududreen, and we cannot longer
jeopardize our own throats merely to humor his crazy and criminal
whims."
The Malay was thinking fast, and could von Horn have guessed what
thoughts raced through the tortuous channels of that semi-barbarous
brain he would have wished himself safely housed in the American prison
where he belonged.
"When do you wish to sail?" asked the Malay.
"Tonight," replied von Horn, and together they matured their plans. An
hour later the second mate with six men disappeared into the jungle
toward the harbor. They, with the three on watch, were to get the
vessel in readiness for immediate departure.
After the evening meal von Horn sat on the verandah with Virginia Maxon
until the Professor came from the workshop to retire for the night. As
he passed them he stopped for a word with von Horn, taking him aside
out of the girl's hearing.
"Have you noticed anything peculiar in the actions of Thirteen?" asked
the older man. "He was sullen and morose this evening, and at times
there was a strange, wild light in his eyes as he looked at me. Can it
be possible that, after all, his brain is defective? It would be
terrible. My work would have gone for naught, for I can see no way in
which I can improve upon him."
"I will go and have a talk with him later," said von Horn, "so if you
hear us moving about in the workshop, or even out here in the campong
think nothing of it. I may take him for a long walk. It is possible
that the hard study and close confinement to that little building have
been too severe upon his brain and nerves. A long walk each evening
may bring him around all right."
"Splendid--splendid," replied the professor. "You may be quite right.
Do it by all means, my dear doctor," and there was a touch of the old,
friendly, sane tone which had been so long missing, that almost caused
von Horn to feel a trace of compunction for the hideous act of
disloyalty that he was on the verge of perpetrating.
As Professor Maxon entered the house von Horn returned to Virginia and
suggested that they take a short walk outside the campong before
retiring. The girl readily acquiesced to the plan, and a moment later
found them strolling through the clearing toward the southern end of
the camp. In the dark shadows of the gateway leading to the men's
enclosure a figure crouched. The girl did not see it, but as they came
opposite it von Horn coughed twice, and then the two passed on toward
the edge of the jungle.
More
-
The Work Of Fifteen Days
For some time I stood tottering on the mound regardless of my safety. Within that noisome den from which I had emerged I had thought with a narrow intensity only of our immediate security. I had not realised what had been happening to the w... The World At The Feet Of Doctor Jones
The following morning our friends were up be-times and were soon engaged in the busiest day of their lives. The wind was still unfavorable for their passage to Washington, and they abandoned themselves to the numerous duties that pressed upon them... The Wrong Road!
Next day, our departure took place at a very early hour. There was no time for the least delay. According to my account, we had five days' hard work to get back to the place where the galleries divided. I can never tell all the sufferings we end... The Young Russian Captain Of Dragoons
The news of Edith's kidnapping--for, in Heideck's opinion, this was the only explanation, because she would otherwise have left a message for him--fell upon Heideck as a crushing blow. He remembered the terrible cruelties narrated of the period ... The Zone Of Force Is Tested
Seaton strode into the control room with a small oblong box in his hand. Crane was seated at the desk, poring over an abstruse mathematical treatise in Science. Margaret was working upon a bit of embroidery. Dorothy, seated upon a cushion on the f... Their Place Of Shelter
This curious but certainly correct explanation once given, the three friends returned to their slumbers. Could they have found a calmer or more peaceful spot to sleep in? On the earth, houses, towns, cottages, and country feel every shock given ... They Make Themselves At Home And Feel Quite Comfortable
This curious explanation given, and its soundness immediately recognized, the three friends were soon fast wrapped in the arms of Morpheus. Where in fact could they have found a spot more favorable for undisturbed repose? On land, where the dwelli... Things Material And Spiritual
The wind continued all night as last noted, and Silver Cloud, without a tremor or swaying motion of any kind, was scurrying across the barren wastes of the Arctics at marvelous speed. At noon upon the second day from the Pole, Professor Gray took ... This Earth Shall Die
My memory does not serve me well in the scenes which immediately preceded the closing of the drama in which Brande was chief actor. It is doubtless the transcendental interest of the final situation which blunts my recollection of what occurred sh... Three Days
Lincoln awaited Graham in an apartment beneath the flying stages. He seemed curious to learn all that had happened, pleased to hear of the extraordinary delight and interest which Graham took in flying Graham was in a mood of enthusiasm. "I must... Through Carnage To Joy
Sometime later Tars Tarkas and Kantos Kan returned to report that Zodanga had been completely reduced. Her forces were entirely destroyed or captured, and no further resistance was to be expected from within. Several battleships had escaped, but... Through Flood And Flame
Yersted's information convinced me that there was no time to be lost. I must reach the Temple of Issus secretly before the forces under Tars Tarkas assaulted at dawn. Once within its hated walls I was positive that I could overcome the guards of ... Through Space Into The Carboniferous
Seaton opened his eyes and gazed about him wonderingly. Only half conscious, bruised and sore in every part of his body, he could not at first realize what had happened. Instinctively drawing a deep breath, he coughed and choked as the undiluted o... Through The Carrion Caves
Straight toward the north, day and night, our destination compass led us after the fleeing flier upon which it had remained set since I first attuned it after leaving the thern fortress. Early in the second night we noticed the air becoming perc... Thuvia
It was the sound of conflict that aroused me once more to the realities of life. For a moment I could neither place my surroundings nor locate the sounds which had aroused me. And then from beyond the blank wall beside which I lay I heard the sh... Thyma Castle
Soon afterwards the hollow sound of the warden's horn, from the watch over the gate of the wall, proclaimed the hour of noon, and they all assembled for dinner in the banqueting chamber. The apartment was on the ground floor, and separated from th... Tight Squeeze
He knew the theory of repairing the gizmo all right. He had that nicely taped. But there was the little matter of threading a wire through a too-small hole while under zero-g, and working in a spacesuit! ... Tinker's Dam
There is something very fundamental indeed about the ancient showman's trick--divert their attention from the thing you're really doing ... Illustrated by Schoenherr The call on the TV-phone came right in the middle of my shaving. ... To Kill!
The Rajah Muda Saffir, tiring of the excuses and delays which Bududreen interposed to postpone the fulfillment of his agreement with the former, whereby he was to deliver into the hands of the rajah a certain beautiful maiden, decided at last to a... To Save Dusar
Thuvia of Ptarth, battling for more than life against the lust of Jav, cast a quick glance over her shoulder toward the forest from which had rumbled the fierce growl. Jav looked, too. What they saw filled each with apprehension. It was Komal,... To Save The World
Two days later Alan and Miela were quietly married in Bay Head. She still wore the long cloak, and no one could have suspected she was other than a beautiful stranger in the little community. When we got back home Alan immediately made her take of... To The Unknown
WHEN, with elaborate genuflections and vows of allegiance, the governors of the six principal provinces of the mystic Kingdom had taken leave of Omar, we remained in consultation with the old sage for upwards of another hour. He told us many horri... Tom Bowcock Pitman
Lennard found himself standing outside the Trinity Street Station at Bolton a few minutes after six that evening. Of course it was raining. Rain and fine-spun cotton thread are Bolton's specialities, the two chief pillars of her fame and prosper... Tom Is Imprisoned
"Well, I must say he's a cool one," remarked Tom, as the echoes of Mr. Berg's steps died away. "The idea of thinking his boat better than ours! I don't like that man, dad. I'm suspicious of him. Do you think he came here to steal some of our ideas... Tony
St. Thomas, August 2571-February 2572 During the first week after Team Azrael reported to Middletown, Cortin got her men assigned quarters and the personal vehicles they were authorized, then made arrangements for them to have unlimited acces... Too Late
For a moment the two stood in silence; Bulan tortured by thoughts of the bitter humiliation that he must suffer when the girl should learn his identity; Virginia wondering at the sad lines that had come into the young man's face, and at his silenc... Too Many Warnings
For a moment, neither of the boys could say anything at all. From the time they had learned to talk, they had heard stories and tales that the miners and prospectors told about the Big Strike, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, the wonde... Torres Straits
During the night of the 27th or 28th of December, the Nautilus left the shores of Vanikoro with great speed. Her course was south-westerly, and in three days she had gone over the 750 leagues that separated it from La Perouse's group and the south-... Toward The Eternal Fires
I WAS BORN IN CONNECTICUT ABOUT THIRTY YEARS ago. My name is David Innes. My father was a wealthy mine owner. When I was nineteen he died. All his property was to be mine when I had attained my majority--provided that I had devoted the two yea... Toy Shop
Because there were few adults in the crowd, and Colonel "Biff" Hawton stood over six feet tall, he could see every detail of the demonstration. The children--and most of the parents--gaped in wide-eyed wonder. Biff Hawton was too sophisticated to be... Transformation
Odeon was right; he didn't get any sleep. He'd left Medart as soon as a messenger from the ship delivered the materials the Ranger had ordered, and spent the next few hours comparing the Traditional Catholic Bible with the one he knew so well, ... Transformation
"You must make yourself over again," Ernest wrote to me. "You must cease to be. You must become another woman--and not merely in the clothes you wear, but inside your skin under the clothes. You must make yourself over again so that even I would n... Trapped
On along the tunnel they went. And as they progressed, Dennis got the answer to something that had troubled him a great deal before their entrance here--a problem which had been solved, rather amazingly, of itself. Termitaries, as far as the en... Traveling In Iceland
It ought, one would have thought, to have been night, even in the sixty-fifth parallel of latitude; but still the nocturnal illumination did not surprise me. For in Iceland, during the months of June and July, the sun never sets. The temperatur... Traveling With Terror
We made camp there beside the peaceful river. There Perry told me all that had befallen him since I had departed for the outer crust. It seemed that Hooja had made it appear that I had intentionally left Dian behind, and that I did not purpose ev... Treachery
The day following the coming of Vas Kor to the palace of the Prince of Helium great excitement reigned throughout the twin cities, reaching its climax in the palace of Carthoris. Word had come of the abduction of Thuvia of Ptarth from her father'... Treason
On their return to camp after her rescue Virginia talked a great deal to von Horn about the young giant who had rescued her, until the man feared that she was more interested in him than seemed good for his own plans. He had now cast from him t... Treasure And Treason
AT Omar's request a few days later I accompanied him alone through a private exit of the palace, and ere long we found ourselves unnoticed beyond the ponderous city walls, where two horses, held by a slave, were awaiting us. Mounting, we rode stra... Trial Of The Submarine
Tom felt such a relief at hearing of Captain Weston's ruse that his appetite, sharpened by an early breakfast and the sea air, came to him with a rush, and he had a second morning meal with the odd sea captain, who chuckled heartily when he though... Tricks Of Refraction
The doctor figured out that we should be quite insensible to any weight when we were seventy-five thousand miles from the Earth. At fifty thousand miles I would still weigh a pound, and when we had finished the first million miles, the entire proj... Trouble Times Two
The sun was glowing dull red as it slipped down behind the curving horizon of Mars, but Gregory Hunter was not able to see it. There was no viewscreen in the ship's cabin; it was too tiny for that. Greg twisted around in the cockpit that had bee... Troy Town
Constans awoke just as the footsteps died away; he listened, but again the stillness was profound. He felt his way to the secret door; the wainscot screen stood ajar. It was plain that some one had come to the Rat's-Hole only to discover that the ... Turjun The Panthan
The face of Carthoris of Helium gave no token of the emotions that convulsed him inwardly as he heard from the lips of Hal Vas that Helium was at war with Dusar, and that fate had thrown him into the service of the enemy. That he might utilize ... Turning The Tables
When the young inventor informed his father what he had overheard Mr. Berg saying, the aged inventor was not as much worried as his son anticipated. "All we'll have to do, Tom," he said, "is to keep quiet about where we are going. Once we have ... Twenty Minutes Past Ten To Forty-seven Minutes Past Ten P M
As ten o'clock struck, Michel Ardan, Barbicane, and Nicholl, took leave of the numerous friends they were leaving on the earth. The two dogs, destined to propagate the canine race on the lunar continents, were already shut up in the projectile. T... Two Men Resolve To Go Picnicking
One afternoon, the Doctor being at leisure, he and Denison talked long and earnestly of their never-failing theme, the aluminum globe. Denison finally said: "You know, Doctor, that I never go into anything without due consideration. I have stud... Tycho
It was now exactly six o'clock in the evening. The Sun, completely clear of all contact with the lunar disc, steeped the whole Projectile in his golden rays. The travellers, vertically over the Moon's south pole, were, as Barbican soon ascertained... Tycho
At six in the evening the projectile passed the south pole at less than forty miles off, a distance equal to that already reached at the north pole. The elliptical curve was being rigidly carried out. At this moment the travelers once more ent... Tydomin
Oceaxe sat down carelessly on the couch of mosses, and began eating the plums. "You see, you had to kill him, Maskull," she said, in a rather quizzical voice. He came away from the corpse and regarded her--still red, and still breathing hard. ... Under Arrest
As Carthoris, Xodar, Tars Tarkas, and I stood gazing at the magnificent vessel which meant so much to all of us, we saw a second and then a third top the summit of the hills and glide gracefully after their sister. Now a score of one-man air sc... Under Foot
In the first book I have wandered so much from my own adventures to tell of the experiences of my brother that all through the last two chapters I and the curate have been lurking in the empty house at Halliford whither we fled to escape the ... Under The Mountains
As we advanced up the river which winds beneath the Golden Cliffs out of the bowels of the Mountains of Otz to mingle its dark waters with the grim and mysterious Iss the faint glow which had appeared before us grew gradually into an all-envelopin... Under The Ocean
By the next day we had nearly forgotten our past sufferings. The first sensation I experienced was surprise at not being thirsty, and I actually asked myself the reason. The running stream, which flowed in rippling wavelets at my feet, was the sat... Under The Vampire's Wing
WHEN our dazzled gaze grew accustomed to the garish blaze of lights we found ourselves standing in an enormous cavern. Around us were glowing fires and shining torches innumerable; the smoke from them half choked us, while above there seemed an ... Unthinkable
If Nature suddenly began to behave differently, what we consider obvious and elementary today might become--unthinkable. In the story THE DESPOILERS in the October 1947 Amazing Stories I raised the question, "Is there anything abso... Upstarts
Earth was being bet on to break her blockade ... but what was the purse ... and who was to collect? The sight of an Earthman on Vega III, where it was impossible for an outlander to be, brought angry crowds to surround John Crow... Urbi Et Orbi
The astronomical, mechanical, and topographical difficulties resolved, finally came the question of finance. The sum required was far too great for any individual, or even any single State, to provide the requisite millions. President Barbican... Vanikoro
This terrible spectacle was the forerunner of the series of maritime catastrophes that the Nautilus was destined to meet with in its route. As long as it went through more frequented waters, we often saw the hulls of shipwrecked vessels that were ro... Venus In Perilous Proximity
The light of the returning sun soon extinguished the glory of the stars, and rendered it necessary for the captain to postpone his observations. He had sought in vain for further trace of the huge disc that had so excited his wonder on the 1st, an... Vertical Descent
Now began our real journey. Hitherto our toil had overcome all difficulties, now difficulties would spring up at every step. I had not yet ventured to look down the bottomless pit into which I was about to take a plunge The supreme hour had come. ... Victory
It seemed Earth was a rich, and undefended planet in a warring, hating galaxy. Things can be deceptive though; children playing can be quite rough--but that ain't war, friend! I From above came the sound of men singing. Captain Duke O'Nei... Victory
I had gone five miles, and had paused for a moment, half way up the slope of the valley to get my bearings, when a figure came hurtling through the air from behind, and landed lightly at my side. It was Wilma. "I put Bill Hearn in command and f... Victory And Defeat
"John Carter, John Carter," she sobbed, with her dear head upon my shoulder; "even now I can scarce believe the witness of my own eyes. When the girl, Thuvia, told me that you had returned to Barsoom, I listened, but I could not understand, for it... Vigo Bay
The Atlantic! a vast sheet of water whose superficial area covers twenty-five millions of square miles, the length of which is nine thousand miles, with a mean breadth of two thousand seven hundred--an ocean whose parallel winding shores embrace an ... Vigorish
If it "takes a thief to catch a thief" ... what does it take to catch a psi-gifted thief? What do you hate and fear the most? I know a girl who gags and throws up at the mere sight of a bird. Poor kid, when she was a bar... Vital Ingredient
"Champ, what's with ya lately?" Benny asked the question as they lay on the beach. "Nothing," Frankie answered. "Just fight-nite miseries, I guess." "No it ain't, Frankie. It's something else. You losin' confidence in Milt? That it? Can't you... Vortex Blaster
Author of "The Skylark," "Skylark Three," "The Skylark of Valeron," the Lensman stories, etc. Safety devices that do not protect. The "unsinkable" ships that, before the days of Bergenholm and of atomic and cosmic ener... Voyaging To Another World
During each waking period, Barrow spent many hours in the room with the miniature domes. They were beautiful models, which could be opened or moved as desired, by small levers on the foundation. Wires as fine as hairs were strung from one spot to ... Waiting For Doom
This was the all-important news which the inhabitants of every town which possessed a well-informed newspaper read the next morning. It was, in the more important of them, followed by digests of the calculations which had made this terrific result... Want Of Air
Thus around the Nautilus, above and below, was an impenetrable wall of ice. We were prisoners to the iceberg. I watched the Captain. His countenance had resumed its habitual imperturbability. "Gentlemen," he said calmly, "there are two ways of ... Wanted: A Steelyard
Under the still diminishing influence of the sun's attraction, but without let or hindrance, Gallia continued its interplanetary course, accompanied by Nerina, its captured satellite, which performed its fortnightly revolutions with unvarying regu... War
TWELVE days later I found myself accompanying Kona who, at the head of a great force of over eighteen thousand men, was crossing the treacherous quicksands by the Way of the Thousand Steps. The critical position of Mo had been fully discussed by O...