Chapter I: Front Matter

THE
GODDESS OF ATVATABAR

BEING THE
HISTORY OF THE DISCOVERY
OF THE
INTERIOR WORLD
AND
CONQUEST OF ATVATABAR

BY

WILLIAM R. BRADSHAW

PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED

NEW YORK
J. F. DOUTHITT
286 FIFTH AVENUE
1892

COPYRIGHT, 1891, BY
WILLIAM R. BRADSHAW

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CONTENTS.

CHAPTER PAGE

I.--A Polar Catastrophe, 13

II.--The Cause of the Expedition, 19

III.--Beginning the Voyage, 22

IV.--Our Adventures in the Polar Sea, 26

V.--We Enter the Polar Gulf, 31

VI.--Day Becomes Night and Night Day, 34

VII.--We Discover the Interior World, 40

VIII.--Extraordinary Loss of Weight, 45

IX.--Afloat on the Interior Ocean, 50

X.--A Visit from the Inhabitants of Plutusia, 52

XI.--We Learn Atvatabarese, 57

XII.--We Arrive at Kioram, 61

XIII.--Marching in Triumph, 65

XIV.--The Journey to Calnogor, 72

XV.--Our Reception by the King, 78

XVI.--The King Unfolds the Grandeur of Atvatabar, 83

XVII.--Gnaphisthasia, 86

XVIII.--The Journey to the Bormidophia, 94

XIX.--The Throne of the Gods, Calnogor, 99

XX.--The Worship of Lyone, Supreme Goddess, 103

XXI.--An Audience with the Supreme Goddess, 109

XXII.--The Goddess Learns the Story of the Outer World, 114

XXIII.--The Garden of Tanje, 117

XXIV.--The Journey to Egyplosis, 128

XXV.--Escaping from the Cyclone, 133

XXVI.--The Banquet on the Aerial Ship, 139

XXVII.--We Reach Egyplosis, 144

XXVIII.--The Grand Temple of Harikar, 149

XXIX.--The Installation of a Twin-Soul, 153

XXX.--The Installation of a Twin-Soul (_Continued_) 159

XXXI.--The Mystery of Egyplosis, 163

XXXII.--The Sin of a Twin-Soul, 168

XXXIII.--The Doctor's Opinion of Egyplosis, 172

XXXIV.--Lyone's Confession, 176

XXXV.--Our Visit to the Infernal Palace, 183

XXXVI.--Arjeels, 194

XXXVII.--A Revelation, 202

XXXVIII.--Lyone's Manifesto to King and People, 206

XXXIX.--The Crisis in Atvatabar, 212

XL.--My Departure from the Palace of Tanje, 216

XLI.--We Are Attacked by the Enemy, 220

XLII.--The Battle Continued, 225

XLIII.--Victory, 229

XLIV.--The News of Atvatabar in the Outer World, 235

XLV.--The Voyages of the _Mercury_ and the _Aurora
Borealis_, 244

XLVI.--The Arrest of Lyone, 249

XLVII.--The Council of War in Kioram, 253

XLVIII.--The Report of Astronomer Starbottle, 258

XLIX.--Preparation for War, 264

L.--I Visit Lyone in Calnogor, 267

LI.--The Death of Lyone, 271

LII.--The Battle of Calnogor, 279

LIII.--Victory, 283

LIV.--Reincarnation, 288

LV.--Lexington and Lyone Hailed King and Queen
of Atvatabar, 292

LVI.--Our Reception in Calnogor, 298

LVII.--The Combined Ceremony of Marriage and Coronation, 304

LVIII.--The Death of Bhoolmakar, 310

LIX.--The History Concluded, 315

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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

ARTIST, PAGE

MAP OF THE INTERIOR WORLD, _Frontispiece_.

I SIGNALLED THE ENGINEER FULL SPEED AHEAD, AND IN A SHORT TIME WE CROSSED THE ICE-FOOT AND ENTERED THE CHASM, _C. Durand Chapman_, 17

A SEMI-CIRCLE OF RIFLES WAS DISCHARGED AT THE UNHAPPY BRUTES. TWO OF THEM FELL DEAD IN THEIR TRACKS, " 29

THE TERROR INSPIRED BY THE PROFESSOR'S WORDS WAS PLAINLY VISIBLE ON EVERY FACE, " 35

AT THIS MOMENT A WILD CRY AROSE FROM THE SAILORS. WITH ONE VOICE THEY SHOUTED, "THE SUN! THE SUN!" " 41

ONE OF THE FLYING MEN CAUGHT FLATHOOTLY BY THE HAIR OF THE HEAD, AND LIFTED HIM OUT OF THE WATER, _R. W. Rattray_, 55

ONE OF THE MOUNTED POLICE GOT HOLD OF THE SWITCH ON THE BACK OF THE BOCKHOCKID, AND BROUGHT IT TO A STANDSTILL, _Carl Gutherz_, 69

THE SACRED LOCOMOTIVE STORMED THE MOUNTAIN HEIGHTS WITH ITS AUDACIOUS TREAD, _C. Durand Chapman_, 75

THE KING EMBRACED ME, AND I KISSED THE HAND OF HER MAJESTY, " 81

A PROCESSION OF PRIESTS AND PRIESTESSES PASSED DOWN THE LIVING AISLES, BEARING TROPHIES OF ART, _Harold Haven Brown_, 87

ON THE THRONE SAT THE SUPREME GODDESS LYONE, THE REPRESENTATIVE OF HARIKAR, THE HOLY SOUL, _C. Durand Chapman_, 97

THE THRONE OF THE GODS WAS INDEED THE GOLDEN HEART OF ATVATABAR, THE TRIUNE SYMBOL OF BODY, MIND, AND SPIRIT, " 101

HER HOLINESS OFFERED BOTH HIS MAJESTY THE KING AND MYSELF HER HAND TO KISS, " 111

ZOOPHYTES OF ATVATABAR, _Paul de Longpre_

THE LILASURE, 117

THE LABURNUL, 118

THE GREEN GAZZLE OF GLOCKETT GOZZLE, 119

JEERLOONS, 120

A JEERLOON, 120

THE LILLIPOUTUM, 121

THE JUGDUL, 122

THE YARPHAPPY, 123

THE JALLOAST, 124

THE GASTERNOWL, 125

THE CROCOSUS, 126

THE JARDIL, OR LOVE-POUCH, 127

THE BLOCUS, 128

THE FUNNY-FENNY, OR CLOWNGRASS, 129

THE GLEROSERAL, 130

THE EAGLON, 131

THE GODDESS STOOD HOLDING ON TO THE OUTER RAIL OF THE DECK, THE INCARNATION OF COURAGE, _C. Durand Chapman_, 135

THEN THE SHIP ROSE AGAIN TOWARD THE MAMMOTH ROCKS, ADORNED WITH THE TAPESTRIES OF FALLING WAVE, " 141

LYONE WAS BORNE ON A LITTER FROM THE AERIAL SHIP TO THE PALACE, " 147

THE PRIEST AND PRIESTESS STOOD BESIDE THE ALTAR, EACH READING AN ALTERNATE STANZA FROM THE RITUAL OF THE GODDESS, _R. W. Rattray_, 155

HER KISS WAS A BLINDING WHIRLWIND OF FLAME AND TEARS, _C. Durand Chapman_, 181

THE LABYRINTH WAS A SUBTERRANEAN GARDEN, WHOSE TREES AND FLOWERS WERE CHISELLED OUT OF THE LIVING ROCK, _Paul de Longpre_, 187

AS I GAZED, LO! A SHOWER OF BLAZING JEWELS ISSUED FROM THE MOUTH OF THE HEHORRENT, _Leonard M. Davis_, 191

"BY VIRTUE OF THE SPIRIT POWER IN THIS CABLE," SAID THE SORCERER, "I WILL THAT THE MAGICAL ISLAND OF ARJEELS SHALL RISE ABOVE THE WAVES," _C. Durand Chapman_, 197

THE SHIP IN COMPANY WITH A VAST VOLUME OF WATER SPRANG INTO THE AIR TO A GREAT HEIGHT, " 223

WE SLOWLY DRAGGED OURSELVES ACROSS THE RANGE OF ICY PEAKS, " 241

I MOUNTED THE TRUNK AND PROPOSED THE HEALTH OF HER MAJESTY LYONE, QUEEN OF ATVATABAR, _R. W. Rattray_, 261

LYONE REACHED FOR A FLOWER, AND IN DOING SO TOUCHED THE VASE, AND IMMEDIATELY FELL DEAD UPON THE FLOOR, _C. Durand Chapman_, 273

AT THIS JUNCTURE A SHELL OF TERRORITE EXPLODED AMONG THE FOE WITH THRILLING EFFECT, DESTROYING AT LEAST TWO HUNDRED BOCKHOCKIDS, _Walter M. Dunk_, 285

HEAVENS AND EARTH! HE WAS HOLDING LYONE IN HIS ARMS, ALIVE FROM THE LIVING BATTERY! LYONE, THE PEERLESS SOUL OF SOULS, ALIVE ONCE MORE AND TRIUMPHANT OVER DEATH, _C. Durand Chapman_, 293

WE SAT THUS CROWNED AMID THE TREMENDOUS EXCITEMENT. THE PEOPLE SHOUTED, "LIFE, HEALTH AND PROSPERITY TO OUR SOVEREIGN LORD AND LADY, LEXINGTON AND LYONE, KING AND QUEEN OF ATVATABAR," _Allan B. Doggett_, 307

OI MADE BHOOLY AN' KOSHNILI KNEEL DOWN, AN' A SOJER TIED THEIR HANDS BEHIND THEIR BACKS. THEN OI ORDHERED A WAYLEAL TO BEHEAD THIM WID THEIR OWN SWORDS, _Allan B. Doggett_, 313

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