Chapter VI: The Doomed Planet

“A hopeless darkness settles o’er my fate;
• • • • •
My doom is closed.”
(+Count Basil.+)

From the moon Luna the good ship sailed straight for the brilliant Jupiter, the giant planet of the solar system, passing Mars and numerous planetoids on the way. It was almost overwhelming to be flying through space as silently and as steadily as if standing, and to see the various worlds suspended in the black heavens, each turning more or less rapidly and at the same time travelling in a fixed orbit in the race round its governing sun. Words cannot describe the feeling of vastness which seemed to crush the travellers with its awful solemnity and power. As far as the powerful observatory telescope could reach, and beyond that, myriads and myriads of stars; stars everywhere! all lost in the immensity of space. Space and stars! each vista opening out still more stars and still more space, up and down, to right and left, every space bounded by still greater space. And the natural thought came into their minds that if anything went wrong with the ship, what would become of them? where would they go? for they and their puny ship were not of so much moment in that infinite vastness as is one of the thousands of microbes on a pin’s point in comparison to the size of the whole Earth. And ever as they flew through space a large world or planetoid would glide swiftly past them—stately and silent as a ghost—so near that through the glasses they could distinguish on its surface moving life, apparently unconscious of the enormous speed at which the world was spinning and travelling through space; people who, perhaps, as a whole, could not realise that such simple laws as gravity and motion and a thin atmosphere kept them in safety on what might be likened to a single speck of dust floating in a sunbeam. And as the adventurers had all these things impressed upon their hearts and minds by their unique position, they felt that but for the Divine Love, combined with the blessings of mental and physical strength, their intellects must have given way at the mere thought of their littleness amongst so much grandeur. They were seeing something of the Mind of the Creator, and they were compelled to exercise the greatest self-control to prevent hysteria or insanity, as all this glorious mystery was unfolded before them, as they rushed with enormous speed across the vast expanse of heaven, every hour the mighty Jupiter becoming larger and larger as they approached him.

Roughly speaking he is about 490,000,000 miles distant from the sun and his periodical revolution is about twelve Earth-years, his enormous bulk is about 1400 times greater than Earth and his day and night about ten Earth-hours. He travels in his orbit at over 29,000 miles per hour, and the equatorial parts rotate at 28,000 miles an hour. At the time the _Regina_ was christened, in the old days, the days of King Edward the Seventh, Jupiter had six moons—the _Regina_ gave him another, the one she had stolen—making seven: since then six more had been discovered, and the travellers saw there were four others, making in all, seventeen; this alone was worth coming for. Also as they drew nearer they saw that his equatorial velocity of rotation, compared with Earth, was so great that if they landed they would be so light as to be flung off into space and it would be necessary for them to be made heavier, but if this were done, would their physical strength enable them to bear the increased weight, and would the extra atmospheric pressure so oppress them as to cause congestion of the brain, or in other ways be fatal? However, the risk had to be taken, otherwise it would be difficult to get the insects they had come so far to obtain, if they were unable to leave the vessel.

Whilst they were discussing the point they were drawing sufficiently near to elucidate several controversial matters. For centuries it had been thought that the belts of Jupiter were vapour or clouds and nothing more, but now the voyagers distinctly saw what would be hidden and probably unknown to the Jovians themselves, who from their position on the underside of their atmosphere could not be aware of its appearance as seen from the outside. It was unmistakable that the belts were caused by millions of fine particles, like dust, which were constantly coming through the atmosphere, being of too little gravity to remain on the planet, the rapid revolution of which flung them off into space by centrifugal force, and reaching the outside, they revolved round the planet’s atmosphere at a distance of over a thousand miles; these particles were coming from all parts of the planet, eventually to become attracted to one or other of the belts on which they settled. These belts were consequently slowly widening, though they remained isolated and distinct by their own force of gravity and repulsion and were visible to Earth, with an addition of but a few inches in each century.

Passing between the belts nearest the equator, the _Regina_ became involved in the conflicting forces of the revolving atmosphere and the belts and for the space of a few seconds spun round at awful speed, but all danger—if there really was any—passed as she became enveloped in the atmosphere in which she, of course, ceased to spin as she travelled along with it and the planet, seeming stationary but for the slow descent. She was placed in equilibrium some thirty feet from the ground, well out of reach of an assembled and excited throng and before attempting to leave the ship the inmates decided to speak to the people from the outer deck, lest they should not be friendly. They therefore stepped outside, one at a time, in turn, but though their weight had been adjusted, the air was extremely oppressive and it was with much difficulty their voices penetrated the heavy atmosphere. In a few minutes they had severe headaches and were obliged to retire into the artificial air of the ship, in which they quickly revived.

Finding it impossible to hold converse with the Jovians either by word of mouth or telepathy, Godfrey sketched a few grubs of various forms on a piece of paper and dropped it amongst them, and they seemed to understand by motioning that they would send something up.

“I told you you could not do without me!” he cried, simply delighted, and lowering a thin line. “You see, my friendly triad, you’ll never regret bringing me with you. I can manage these people splendidly—Oh, Great Bona!” he ejaculated, aghast, in a tone that brought the rest to the curved window, through which they looked below; “if they’re not bringing a hippopotamus, or something like it! this is a species of vertebrata with which I am unacquainted, and if it is a specimen of their bugs, I shall, at any rate, be able to show my Earth-friends a new and wonderful variety of Hemiptera, or Rhynchota, as we style them now. Great Bona! here, triad! don’t stand staring at it—do something! that line is no good; get out a steel rope, or else float it up; the bug weighs two ton if he weighs a grain! If we’ve to bring a colony of those things aboard, we shall have to sit outside. There’ll only be room for three of them in all this blessed ship, if it’s emptied to the shell;” and he energetically hauled up the thin cord while the others, laughing heartily, lowered a steel line and hooked the end to the winch.

In the meantime the folk below had dragged the weird ‘grub’ to the rope, which they wrapped round its body, but they were either unaccustomed to the work or careless, for when the creature had been hauled about half-way up, the rope slid to one end and he hung head downwards wriggling.

“Just look at the silly folk!” exclaimed Godfrey, in disgust, busily directing operations. “They can’t tie a wisp of rope round a thing like that; it will wriggle out soon and break its neck—what are they running away for?”

Scarcely had he spoken when the ‘grub’ fell, and the instant it touched the ground, there was a terrific report, and several people who could not get away in time lay killed.

“So that was their little present, was it!” continued Godfrey, sarcastically. “They intended the thing to explode in here, did they? we shall have to break the necks of the next lot to see if they’re dangerous!” and disgusted Godfrey drew in the short length of rope still dangling and cast it aside. Seeing his friends still looking below in surprise he went on, “That’s a joke they’ll appreciate better than we do, judging from the mess down there. Now, triad, what’s to be done! I told you it was an idiotic scheme we were on with, and where are my grubs? It strikes me they’re going to be big ones, if that thing there is a young one. I brought dishes and incubators and what-not, for grubs, for Rhynchota, and not vertebrata, they’re made for grubs, so don’t blame me if they’re not big enough. If other things are the size of that little grub they wanted to give us, the cocoons will have to be done quick and be big, or we shall have to live a few hundred years to get enough to weave a decent net, for we can only look after one of these beasts at once. What is to be done? Unless Jovian bugs are miraculous, that beast can no more make a cocoon than I can;” and he looked so completely dismayed that his friends could not help laughing.

As Godfrey said, what was to be done? They could not understand the people, nor the Jovians them, and after proposing several schemes, and rejecting all as impracticable, they remembered that the Bonians had said all planets except Earth were in communication with each other, and it was known that in the old days the Venusians had told the original inventors of the _Regina_ the same thing; therefore they should be able to ‘wave’ to Mars, so they sent several preliminary messages, asking if communication could be established, without receiving any reply except from Earth, saying that communication was already established; what did they mean? Then they ‘waved’ the same messages to Bona, again to receive the same questioning reply from Earth, to which all their messages went and to no other planet.

Pleased that they had not given any particulars of their mission, they merely replied to Earth that they were on Jupiter and testing if their apparatus would carry so far. They then decided to go back and visit Mars, which was between Jupiter and Earth, so closing all up and leaving the people below in wonderment, the _Regina_ rose till outside the belts, when her course was headed for the planet Mars, to which she shot with terrific speed.

The Martians, they knew, were very clever, perhaps the cleverest inhabitants of the whole solar system. This, no doubt, came from generations of scientific training, for they were in jeopardy; they knew their ultimate fate and, with a commendable spirit of determination to retard it as long as possible, rose to the occasion and astonished more than one world with their powers of resource.

The planet is very small, and although it has many moons some are too minute to be measured by Earth-means, appearing to Earthians as but tiny spots, the largest not more than ten miles or so in diameter.

The air of Mars is becoming drier every year; less rain falls, less snow forms, and as vegetation must have moisture it ever becomes more and still more difficult for the Martians to preserve water, for though the atmosphere is like that of Earth in its components it is much clearer and drier. The doomed Martians, therefore, have to husband every drop of water; they build reservoirs, lakes, and swamps, and cut trenches and ditches at all angles and of enormous length, many of them from one thousand to two thousand miles long and some many miles wide. This gigantic scheme of canals is but a great national system of irrigation. Snow forms at the poles during the long Martian winter, and melts in the spring, when it is conducted to all portions of the planet along these immense canals; this causes the vegetation to grow, and the people on Earth see the fresh green growth on the belts and oases after the snow has left the mountain tops. Other large tracts of country are a dark red, whilst others, which are seen from Earth to change from yellow to brown, are marshy land which change in colour according to the quantity of water and moisture stored in them.

Notwithstanding all their care, the planet is doomed, and certain as time will come a day when all the skill of skilled Mars will be unable to procure enough water to keep anything alive, and one of the most beautiful little worlds in creation will cease to support any life as existing on it to-day. Time may change the Martians’ physical needs, and they may adapt themselves to altering circumstances so as to be able to live without moisture, as different beings, but from the trend of existing conditions on Mars, life, as we know it, is doomed.

Knowing and appreciating this, the Martians are using every endeavour to obtain a continuous supply of that which is even more necessary to the existence of human beings than bread.

Being aware of the friendly relations that existed between the Martians and the people of Bona, confined, of course, to telepathy, the travellers had no hesitation in settling down on the planet, feeling sure of a friendly welcome, especially as they knew that the Bonians had telepathed the news and particulars of their visitors and the wonderful ship, both to Mars and Jupiter, and from them the Martians had learned much about Earth, and Great Britain in particular.

As the quartette entered the atmosphere of the planet, they again tried to ‘wave’ and telepath without result, and it was only when they were actually amongst the people that they could interchange thought, though even then with great difficulty.

Alighting from the ship and making all secure, as was their custom, they stepped forward to welcome and be welcomed by the friendly Martians, who had assembled to the number of about thirty, accompanied by the chief of the city in which the _Regina_ had settled.

Imagine their surprise, therefore, on being immediately surrounded and suddenly made prisoners, and their property at once taken over by the chief on behalf of the people. Powerless in such deep treachery they were marched off to a prison to be put to death, whilst some dozen or more scientists rushed to the ladder to enter the vessel. The first to touch the ladder vanished into air before their eyes; so did the second, then the third. By this time the others saw that the matter was not quite the simple thing it appeared, and the next, determining to be very cautious, stretched out his hand to grasp the rail of the ladder, when, with a yell of agony, he saw his hand volatilised to the wrist. In the suddenness of the pain he let fall an electric lamp he was carrying in the other hand, and it rolled towards the foot of the ladder, but when it came near, there was a crackling flash, and that too was gone. The silent suddenness with which their comrades had vanished proved too eerie for the Martian scientists, and they conferred together, agreeing that the prisoners should not be executed till they had explained the matter, when they should share the fate of the Martians. A messenger was therefore despatched in great haste to the captives, offering them their lives if they would explain the secret of entrance and control of their ship, but this they refused to do, and all four were taken to Maraban, the chief town of that district, to be tried as Earth-spies.

The trial was a mere matter of form and all were found guilty; few knew what the trial was about, but that was an unnecessary detail, so that the prisoners were condemned to death. Dennis, Ross and Gilbert all swore Godfrey knew nothing of the working of the ship and was there merely as an entomologist, whilst he—resolutely determined not to part from them—as firmly swore he knew all about it and was in reality the chief expert on board.

Like the people of Earth, the Martians were influenced to a far greater extent by the fabrication than by the truth, which latter they cast aside altogether, preferring to believe Godfrey rather than his more truthful companions, so that though as a race they were superior to Earthians, they possessed the same characteristics in that they only believed what suited their purpose, were it true or false. After a little discussion the judges sentenced Godfrey to imprisonment for life, during which he would have to do such work as was required of him, they thinking that after his three friends had explained the secrets, and had been executed, he would be at hand to solve any difficulties which might crop up in the future, so he was led away to prison, amidst general satisfaction. Saying nothing to him of the fate they had decided upon for the three others, the judges sentenced them to death, their execution to take place within three days, unless they explained the working of their ship in the meantime, and if they complied with this and explained everything so that the Martians could navigate the vessel, they should not die, but remain prisoners on Mars as long as they lived, their ship becoming the property of the state; for the Martians had an idea that by its means they could eventually settle on another planet when their own became too dry to be comfortable. Even immediately many of the people could be sent to Earth, and preferably England, which they knew from the accounts the visitors had given to the Bonians for ages past had been foolish in allowing herself to be the free dumping-ground for all the refuse of other Earth-nations who liked to come, for though many questions might be asked, they need not be answered, or could be answered very indifferently by proxy.

In this way England had become overrun with an undesirable foreign element, for in the height of her prosperity she gave all a welcome, blind to the possibility that harm could come, and that though she held the zenith of the world there might come a setting. Spain, Greece, Russia, Turkey, and other powers had long sunk below the horizon, and to oblivion, and already many of England’s foreign possessions had passed to the stranger, for England had loved the perfumed air and the lap of luxury too much to protest—till the power to protest was lost. Her children had been pampered and pauperised till they expected all things to come to them without effort, and rather than work for their needs they bartered England’s honour for a downy bed; and the time had come when other nations could do just as they liked, if it was done pleasantly and insidiously and caused no inconvenience; so that the Martians knew that England would be the best place in the whole solar system to which the selfish could retire, leaving the weak and the undesirables on their own planet to fight out their doom as best they could.

The three condemned prisoners were isolated, but on asking permission to talk the matter over together, the reasonable request was not refused. They concocted a plan which was put into instant execution, and the Martians were delighted when, a few hours later, the three captives agreed to enter the vessel with several Martian scientists and demonstrate its power, stipulating that their companion should be well treated. This promise was readily given and they were well guarded and brought near the vessel. Although all eyes were on them none saw what they did, but they walked up the ladder safely and entered the ship, followed by the three chosen scientists, and the door was closed.

Dennis asked the Martians to stand in a certain place, so that they should have a clear view of all that was done; Ross, from the switchboard, telepathed: “Notice this switch carefully, it controls great force. I move it ever so little and—you are rigid, in a powerful electric field, unable to move hand or limb.”

Whilst he was doing this, Dennis and Gilbert had insulated themselves and quickly corded the three Martians like mummies, Ross protecting the outside of the vessel as before, and then raising it from the ground about fifty feet, the people below thinking it was merely a matter of demonstration before their scientists. Then the current was broken and the three men were carried to the window, when Dennis and Gilbert lifted one up to throw him out. At sight of their companions bound and helpless, the men below howled with rage and an electric pellet struck the _Regina’s_ side close by Gilbert’s head, just as the man was balanced on the frame. Stopping the figure from falling, he telepathed that if any further hostility was shown, he would kill all three of their captives. His determined manner had its effect and the man was thrown out of the window, but instead of falling he floated about unable to drop. This caused great consternation below, especially when Dennis was seen, not carrying, but almost wafting Number Two out of the window, where he also floated alongside his companion, and then their gravity was altered and they gradually sank. While they were watching these the third Martian, whom they were intending to retain as their interpreter on Jupiter, and whom they had not bound very securely, seeing the opening in the side through which anything could be let down or drawn up, and that it had beside it a coil of flexible wire rope, one end of which was permanently fastened, determined not to be thrown outside and killed like his companions, as he thought, so he suddenly flung aside the door, threw the coil outside, and himself slid down the rope as it fell—all this happening so quickly that he reached the ground before any one had realised what had happened.

With a cry to look out, Ross at once brought the rope in strong galvanic circuit, hoping to hold the man before he let go, but though the fish they wanted had escaped, they hooked another, for at sight of the Martian climbing down the rope several had run to assist, and, just as he let go, a soldier, one of the guard, took hold of the rope to fling it aside, at the same time kicking away the coil on the ground with his unshod foot, when he found himself held. Instinctively, to save himself from falling, he grasped the rope with the other hand, and both minds and feet were fast.

“Here’s luck, Ross!” shouted Dennis, “we’ve lost one and caught another; float him up quick,” and Ross at the switch-board quickly made him lighter and he was soon level with the doorway, when he was drawn in and the door closed, he still fast to the rope with both hands and feet. His gravity being restored, he lay on the floor perfectly helpless, telepathing unutterable things to his three captors, at whom he glared stolidly.

“We only want one man,” said Gilbert, “and he’ll do as well as any.”

“Yes,” assented Dennis, as he rolled the man over to see his face and telepath: “We told your people we would take three men in here and demonstrate the _Regina’s_ power—you make a fourth; now what have you done with our friend?”

No answer.

“What have you done with our friend?” again telepathed Dennis, his face set and hard.

Still no answer.

“Give him a bit more, Ross,” said Dennis, and a stronger current was sent along the rope to which the man’s hands and feet were still clinging, and the power of it made his wrists bend outwards and beads of perspiration began to form on his forehead and trickle down his face, but bravely he endured the torture and refused to tell where Godfrey was imprisoned. Seeing this Dennis continued: “Give him more, Ross; go on slowly till he tells or dies—one or the other.”

The man was now writhing in agony, his limbs twisted all shapes as the muscles became unduly contracted, but still he would not give way. At last nature could bear it no longer; he tried to speak, but his lips were blue and motionless, and he made an effort to telepath. Slight as the effort was, Dennis felt it and, holding up his hand, said, “He’s done, Ross, stop it;” and the current being shut off the poor fellow released the cord and tumbled into an inert, exhausted heap. They revived him, then took him to one of the windows from which position he telepathed the course, and they hovered over the prison. Lower and lower they sank, and then the people saw the second demonstration of great and hidden power, for the _Regina_ was slowly reducing the weight of the prisons. The people below had, at the first sign of trouble, telepathed for the Earthian to be specially guarded, and Godfrey had been placed in an inner prison. This was a small square building with high walls having only one door and no window, and though practically impregnable, there was a strong guard completely encircling it.

The first intimation of the matter being serious came when the roofs became so light that the walls could not retain them; they would not be held down, and one after another, with a series of wobbling jerks they tore away and floated off bodily, borne on the wind gently as butterflies. On the removal of that of the central building, they saw the inner guarded keep and Godfrey, who shouted up, “Good old chums! I knew you’d do something, but I didn’t expect this. Oh!” he cried, as he rose from the floor, “I’m coming up too, am I! well, I will, as you’re so pressing. It will be a little practice for me against the time when I become an angel. Steady!” as he collided gently with the top edge of the wall, and in another second he was soaring like a lark up to the _Regina_, waving his hands in farewell to the people below, telepathing his “hearty good wishes” and regretting he could not “stay to supper!”

Resolved not to let their captive escape alive, the whole of the prison guard below levelled their weapons at him, and scores of deadly pellets came like a shower, but as they drew near his person, they also became proportionately light and floated beside him, their force being instantly spent; in consequence they were wafted harmlessly away on the breeze.

A few seconds later he was inside the ship, when the de-atomising current was instantly connected outside the whole casing, and not a second too soon, for the military was now out. So well organised were the soldiers, that scarcely had protection been secured than the ground was alive with them, and the martial Martians were hurling a fusillade of shells, containing electric shot, deadly liquids, corrosive and explosive gases confined under enormous pressures, and many other death-dealing missiles in a heavy shower, any one of which would have blown the ship to atoms but for the electric invisible shield which de-atomised everything hurled against it.

Right amongst the fighters swooped the _Regina_ like a terrible avenging spirit.

“We’ll let them see what the old ship has in her, and pay them out for their treachery,” said Gilbert, vindictively.

“Right, oh!” cried Godfrey, “serve them as you did me, and scatter them to the four winds of heaven. Hallo!” he broke off to exclaim, catching sight of the Martian who was lying full-length, white and motionless, beside one of the windows. “Is he dead?”

“No,” replied Gilbert, “we had to use a little gentle persuasion before he’d tell us where you were.”

“He’s not far off being dead, though!”

“Not very, but we couldn’t help it, and we want a man, so he’ll do.”

“He’s watching his folks, and the sight will make him respect us as long as he lives. He can tell all we say, I believe, from his face. Look outside!” said Dennis.

Never before had such a fight been witnessed by Earthians. As the _Regina_ settled on the very arms that were projecting deadly missiles, they became de-atomised into vapour and hundreds of the armed fighting men flung themselves bodily on the ship to climb her, instantly to disappear. Slowly she moved along, mowing down the army in battalions; causing the flower of the Martian army to melt away like smoke.

From all directions fresh supplies of men and armaments came pouring up like a flood. This time the _Regina_ ascended and sailed above them, reducing their gravity till they rose about three feet above the ground, where they floated about unstable as straw—a mass of raging, impotent humanity, at the mercy of every breeze that blew.

“Let’s leave them at that,” said Ross, “they’ve only got it temporarily this time, and the effect will wear off in a day or two.”

“Won’t they be able to touch the ground till then?” asked Godfrey, concerned.

“No,” replied Gilbert; “they’ll get gradually heavier as the effect wears off, but if they had got it strong, they would have remained like that so long as they lived, or till we took it off again, and they would have had to be weighted down.”

“It’s a pretty stiff lesson,” commented Godfrey, “but I think they deserved it.”

“They’ll think twice before they act treacherously again,” said Dennis, “and if they or any other people want to fight the _Regina_ she’s ready.”

“I believe our captive does not relish the present aspect of affairs,” remarked Godfrey, “see, he’s white to the very lips,” and they saw the man pale with fear, brave as they knew him to be.

Godfrey went over to him and kneeling beside him asked, by telepathy, if he understood their language, when he responded that he knew all they were saying when they were thinking deeply of it, but when they spoke lightly, without concentrated thought, he could understand nothing. So Godfrey told him how sorry they were to have caused him pain but it was unavoidable. “Cheer up, old fellow,” he continued, “we are all friends here, and all we want of you is to act as interpreter on Jupiter, for we can neither speak nor telepath with them. We’ll bring you back as sound as a bell; I’ll teach you all about electricity on the way, and you shall teach us your language and interpret for us, so we shall neither be under any obligation. We are just off to Jupiter again, and my friends here will wear a tunnel in the ether where we keep going and coming, if we make the journey many more times. You’re pleased? that’s good—it looks healthier,” and he offered the exhausted man a reviving tablet.