CHAPTER XXIV
DESOLATE WANDERINGS
For a moment the three stood helplessly there and stared at each other.They could scarcely comprehend their situation at first. Then, with aglance at the cold and quiet scene all about them, a look up at thesun, which was the only cheerful object in the whole landscape, Jackobserved: "Oh, I say, come on now, don't let's give up this way! Wehave only taken a wrong turn, and I'll wager that the projectile willbe just around the corner. Come on," and he started off.
"Yes," said Mark, "that's the trouble. There are so many corners, andwe have taken so many wrong turns, that we're all confused. I think thebest thing to do will be to stay here a while and pull ourselvestogether."
"That's right," spoke old Andy. "Many a time in the woods I've got allconfused-like, and then I'd sit down and think, and I'd get on theright path in a few minutes after."
"The trouble here is," said Jack, "that there are no woods. If therewere we might know how to get out of them. But think of it! Lost on themoon, in the midst of a whole lot of queer mountain peaks, and bigholes that would hold half a dozen cities of the United States at thesame time, and never know it! This is a fearful place to be lost in!"
"I'm not going to admit that we're lost," declared Mark stoutly.
"Hu! You're like the Indian," spoke Jack. "The Indian who got lost inthe woods. He insisted that it wasn't he who was lost, that it was hiswigwam that couldn't be found. He knew where he himself was all thewhile. That's our case, I suppose. We're here, but the projectile islost."
"Ha! ha!" laughed Andy Sudds. "That's a pretty good joke!"
"But not being able to find the projectile is no joke," went on Mark,who always took matters more seriously than did his chum. "What are wegoing to do?" he added. "We can't stay here like this."
"Maybe we'll have to," declared Jack. "We certainly can't get off themoon--at least, not until we reach the projectile, and I'd like todiscover those diamonds before we go back."
"Hu! Those diamonds!" exploded Mark. "I think this whole thing is awild-goose chase, anyhow! If it hadn't been for those diamonds wewouldn't have come to the moon. I don't believe there are any diamondshere, anyhow."
"Well, I can't prove it to you now, but I will before we get back,"asserted Jack. "We'll be wearing diamonds, as the song says."
"Diamonds aren't going to keep us warm when we're freezing," went onMark, who seemed bound to look on the dark side, "and we can't eat 'emwhen we're hungry. A lot of good they'll do us if we do find them!"
"Oh, cheer up!" suggested Jack cheerfully. "And, speaking of eating,what's the matter with having some lunch? What did we bring it alongfor if we're not going to eat? Let's begin."
His good spirits were contagious, not that Andy needed any specialcheering up, but Mark did. In a few minutes they were seated on somerugged rocks, and, with their life-torches stuck in cracks, so that theperforated metal boxes of chemicals would be on a level with theirfaces, they opened the baskets they had been fore-sighted enough tobring with them.
"Why, I feel better already," asserted Jack, as he munched somesandwiches which Washington White had made. "As soon as we've finishedwe'll have another hunt for the projectile, and I'll wager that we'llfind it."
"I wouldn't finish if I were you," suggested Andy, who was eatingsparingly.
"Finish what?" asked Jack.
"All your lunch. You see," the old hunter went on, "we may find theprojectile, and, again, we may not. I'm inclined to think we're not sovery far from it, but we may be some time locating it in among allthese peaks and craters. So it will be the best plan to save some ofour lunch and drinking water until--well, until we're hungry again,"and he carefully put back into his basket the remains of the food.
"You don't mean to say you think we'll be all day finding theAnnihilator, do you?"
Jack paused, with a sandwich half way to his mouth as he asked thisquestion.
"Well, it's best to be on the safe side," spoke Andy guardedly. "We mayfind it, and, again, we may not. Save your powder against the time ofneed, I say--by powder meaning victuals and drink. We can't drop in arestaurant up here, and I don't see much game to shoot, and I shouldhate to eat such fodder as this," and he poked with his foot somesickly green vines, growing on the ground.
The boys' faces, which had become more cheerful, assumed a seriouslook. Jack stopped eating at once and placed back in the basket hisremaining sandwiches. He also corked up the bottle of water, which waskept from freezing by means of a fur pouch in which it was carried.
"If there's a possibility of being lost some time," spoke Mark, "we'dbetter figure out just how long our food will last," and he examinedthe contents of his basket.
Fortunately Washington White, with a knowledge of the appetites of thechums, had filled the baskets with lavish hands. There was, they found,food enough to last them three days, if they ate sparingly, and therewas enough water for half that time, providing they only took smallsips when thirsty. But they had noticed, in one or two places, littlepools of liquid, which they had not tasted, but which might prove to bedrinking water. Certainly they would need more if they were destined toremain away from the projectile for very long.
"Well, then," observed Mark, when the food calculation was over, "itappears that we can remain lost for about three days, at the most."
"Oh, but we'll be back home--I mean in the projectile--long beforethat," declared Jack.
"I wish I was sure of that," murmured Andy with a dubious shake of hishead.
"Well, let's move on again," suggested Jack. "We feel better now, andmaybe we'll have better luck."
They started off, tramping over the rugged surface of the moon, whilethe sun shone with tepid heat down on them. They had to go this way andthat to avoid the immense fissures in the ground or the yawningcraters, which loomed deep, and in awful silence, in their path.Sometimes they climbed small mountains or crawled in and out of smallcraters, slipping and stumbling.
They were not cold, for their fur garments kept them comfortably warm,and there was no wind to make the freezing temperature search throughthe crevices of their clothing. But it was the desolate silence, theutter absence of any form of life save the pale green vegetation thatgot on their nerves. It was like being in a dead world--on a planetthat seemed about to dissolve into space.
They began their further search for the projectile with hope in theirhearts, but this gradually gave way to despair as they wandered on overthe desolate surface, and saw nothing but the same rugged peaks, thesame yawning caverns and the innumerable craters, large and small.
On they wandered, looking on all sides for the missing projectile, butthey had no glimpse of it. Even climbing to one of the high peaks,whence they had a view of the surrounding country, afforded them notrace of the _Annihilator_, They were utterly lost.
Old Andy, who, by reason of his experience as a trapper and hunter, hadtaken the lead, came to a halt. He looked around helplessly. He did notknow what to do.
"Well, boys," he remarked at length, "I don't like to say it, but Ican't seem to get anywhere. I give up."
"Give up?" murmured Jack, in blank dismay.
"Yes, for the time being," said the old man. "I'm all played out. Iguess we all are. We must have a rest. Here's a sort of cave. Let'scrawl in and have a sleep. Then maybe we can do somethingto-morrow--no, not to-morrow, for they don't have that on the moon,where the day is fourteen days long--but after we sleep we may be ableto find our way back. Anyhow, I've got to get some sleep," and withoutanother word the old hunter went into the cave, and, fixing hislife-torch near his head, where the fumes from it would dissipate thepoisonous gases of the moon, he closed his eyes, and was soon inslumber.
"I--I guess we'd better do the same," said Jack, and Mark nodded. Theywere both sick at heart.