CHAPTER IV
AN ACCIDENT
Washington White was kept busy getting together the food for thevoyage, and he had about completed his task, while Andy Sudds announcedone morning that his department was ready for inspection, and that hethought he would go hunting until the projectile was ready to start.
"Well, if you see anything of that queer man who sent me the note, justask him what he meant by it," suggested Mark, for inquiry from the boywho had brought the message, developed the fact that Dick did not knowthe man, nor had he ever seen him before. He was a stranger in theneighborhood. But, as nothing more resulted from it, the two lads gavethe matter no further thought.
"How soon before we will be ready to start?" asked Jack one day, whilehe and his chum, with the two professors, were working over theprojectile, which was soon to be shot through space.
"In about two weeks," replied Mr. Roumann. "I want to make a fewchanges in the Cardite plates, which will replace the ones used on theEtherium motor. Then I want to test them, and, if I find that they workall right, as I hope, we will seal ourselves up in the _Annihilator_,and start for the moon."
"Are you going to try to go around it, and land on the side turned awayfrom us?" asked Mark, who had been studying astronomy lately.
"What do you mean by that?" asked Jack. "Doesn't the moon turn around?"
"Not as the earth does," replied his chum; "or, rather, to be moreexact, it rotates exactly as the earth does, on its axis; but, in doingthis it occupies precisely the same time that it takes to make arevolution about our planet. So that, in the long run, to quote from myastronomy, it keeps the same side always toward the earth; and today,or, to be more correct, each night that the moon is visible, we see thesame face and aspect that Galileo did when he first looked at itthrough his telescope, and, unless something happens, the same thingwill continue for thousands of years."
"Then we've never seen the other side of the moon?" asked Jack.
"Never; and that's why I wondered if the professor was going to attemptto reach it. Perhaps there are people there, and air and water, for itis practically certain that there is neither moisture nor atmosphere onthis side of Luna."
"Wow! Then maybe we'd better not go," said Jack, with a shiver. "Whatwill we do, if we get thirsty?"
"Oh, I guess we can manage, with all the apparatus we have, to distillenough water," said Professor Henderson, with a smile. "Then, too, wewill take plenty with us, and, of course, tanks of oxygen to breathe.But it will be interesting to see if there are people on the moon."
"If there are any, they must have a queer time," went on Mark.
"Why?" asked Jack, who wasn't very fond of study.
"Why? Because the moon is only about one forty-ninth the size of theearth. Its diameter is 2,163 miles--only a quarter of the earth's--and,comparing the force of gravity, ours is much greater. A body thatweighs six pounds on the earth, would weigh only one pound on the moon,and a man on the moon could jump six times as high as he can on thisearth, and throw a stone six times as far."
"What's dat?" inquired Washington White quickly, nearly dropping somepackages he was carrying into the projectile. "What was yo' pleased t'saggasiate, in remarkin' concernin' de untranquility ob the densitynessob stones jumpin' ober a man what is six times high?" he asked.
"Do you mean what did I say?" asked Mark solemnly.
"Dat's what I done asked yo'," spoke the colored man gravely.
"Well, you didn't, but perhaps you meant to," went on the youth, and herepeated his remarks.
"'Scuse me, I guess I'd better not go on dish yeah trip after all,"came from Washington.
"Why not?" demanded Professor Henderson.
"'Cause I ain't goin' t' no place whar ef yo' wants t' take a littlejump yo' has t' go six times as far as yo' does when yo' is on dis yeahearth. An' s'posin' some ob dem moon men takes a notion t' throw astone at me? Whar'll I be, when a stone goes six times as far as itdoes on heah? No, sah, I ain't goin'!"
"But perhaps there are no men on the moon," said Mark quickly. "It isonly a theory of astronomers that I'm talking about."
"Oh, only a theory; eh?" asked Washington quickly.
"That's all."
"Oh, if it's only a theory, den I reckons it's all right," came fromthe colored man. "I didn't know it were a theory. Dat makes it allright. It's jest in theory, am it, Massa Mark, dat a stone goes sixtimes as far?"
"That's all."
"Oh, well, den, why didn't yo' say so fust, dat it was only a theory? Idon't mind theories. I--I used t' eat 'em boiled an' roasted befo' dewah." And, with a contented smile on his face, Washington went into theprojectile, to finish stowing things away in his kitchen lockers.
The big projectile was housed in the shed where it had beenconstructed, and the professor and the boys were working over it there,carefully guarded from curious eyes, for the German inventor did notwant the secret of his Cardite motor to become known.
The work went on from day to day, good progress being made. The boyswere of great assistance, for they were practical mechanics, and hadhad considerable experience.
"Well, I shall try the Cardite motor to-morrow," announced ProfessorRoumann one night, after a hard day's work on the projectile.
"Do you think it will work?" asked Mr. Henderson.
"I think so, yes. My experiments have made me hopeful."
"And if it does work, when can we start?" asked Jack.
"Two days later; that is, if everything else is in readiness, the foodand other, supplies on board."
"They are all ready to be stowed away," said Andy Sudds, who had beenhunting all day.
It was an anxious assemblage that gathered inside the big shed the nextday, to watch Professor Roumann try the Cardite motor. Would it work aswell as had the Etherium one? Would it send them along through space atenormous speed? True, they would not have to travel so far, nor sofast, but more power would be needed, since, as it was feared no food,water, nor air could be had on the moon, many more supplies were to betaken along than on the trip to Mars, and this made the projectileheavier.
"We will test the Cardite in this small motor first," said Mr. Roumann,as he pointed to a machine in the projectile used for winding a cablearound a windlass when there was necessity for hauling the_Annihilator_ about, without sending it into the air.
Into the receptacle of the motor, the German professor placed some ofthe wonderful red substance he had secured from Mars. Then he closedthe heavy metal box that held it, and, looking about to see if all wasin readiness, he motioned to those watching him that he was about toshift the lever that would start the motor.
"If it works as well as I hope it will," he said, "it ought to pull theprojectile slowly across the shop--a task that would be impossible in amotor of this size, if operated by electricity, gasoline, or any otherforce at present in use. And, if this small motor will do that, I knowthe large ones will send us through space to the moon. All ready, now."
Slowly the professor shoved over the lever, while Jack, Mark and theothers watched him carefully. They were standing back of him, in theengine room of the projectile.
There was a clicking sound as the lever snapped into place. This wassucceeded by a buzzing hum, as the motor began to absorb the greatpower from the red substance, which was not unlike radium in itsaction. There was a trembling to the great projectile.
"She's moving!" cried Jack.
Hardly had he spoken when there was a flash of red fire, a sound as ofa bursting bomb, and everyone was knocked from his feet, over backward,while Professor Roumann was hurled the entire length of the engine room.
"The Cardite motor has exploded!" cried Mark. "Professor Roumann iskilled!"