CHAPTER V.
THE HAZARDOUS UNDERTAKING.
The greater part of the next day was spent in moving the rest of mybelongings to my new quarters and in settling down there. Indeed, sooccupied was I with this task, that the approach of darkness found mequite unprepared for wave contact with Mars. I had been obliged to takemy instrument apart in order to allow the larger pieces of furniture tobe brought into the room, and it required almost two hours to put ittogether again.
When at last all was in readiness and I had turned on the current, Ifound my Martian friend waiting for me.
"This is to be the last of my narrative," he remarked, after we hadgreeted each other.
"What!" I ejaculated in amazement.
"You see, my dear fellow," continued Almos, "it was necessary for youto become gradually acquainted with the advanced contions on Mars,properly to understand them, and I have tried to school your mindaccordingly. It is essential, however, for you to see these things,fully to appreciate the advancement of almost twenty centuries, and onlythus can my highest ambition be realized."
"How is it possible?"
"When I have told you of several important ways in which life on Marsdiffers from that on Earth, you will more readily understand.
"I have said that unhappiness on Mars is almost unknown. It is only thepresence of ill health that causes unhappiness. If the body can be keptin a condition of absolutely perfect health--and by that I meansomething far beyond what is considered perfect health on Earth--thenunhappiness is impossible. Its causes, sorrow, jealousy, envy, hatred,and discontent, are eliminated, and a normal condition of perfectimmunity from wrong-doing and unhappiness exists.
"It has been discovered on Earth that crime is the result of a diseasedbrain, and with us this discovery, in time, developed the fact thatwrong-doing, even in its minor phases, is the result of physical illhealth. Maintain, then, a perfect state of bodily health in a community,and there is no wrong-doing and consequent unhappiness.
"The means of obtaining this bodily health was discovered on Mars, inthe form of invisible light rays, almost six hundred years ago, and itsdiscovery led to a complete transformation in social conditions,establishing perfect tranquillity and happiness upon the entire globe.
"Separate governments became intolerable and were abandoned when racedistinction was forgotten, and the people of Mars became as one family,speaking one tongue. Friendship for one's neighbor was transmuted intolove for one's brother. The pursuit of personal gain was replaced by adesire to work for the good of all, and now a keen individual sense ofright and duty actuates the entire population, and is paramount in allthings. Duties are performed without other compensation than that whichthe fulfillment of something well done brings.
"It was soon found that the remarkable regenerating properties of theserays perpetuated life and youth. Not only did they prevent sickness ofany kind, but they rebuilt the tissues of the body as fast as they woreout, thus making the aging of the body impossible. A child thereforegrows up to full manhood or womanhood and remains in that state of thebody's highest excellence. While the child is developing the raysstimulate his progress; anything beyond that would be decaying, acondition the rays prevent."
Accustomed though I had become to a long recital of the most marvelousaccounts without interrupting, I could not suppress an exclamation ofastonishment at the information that Martians enjoy everlasting life.
Almos received my evident amazement with the quiet smile I had grownaccustomed to observe upon such occasions, and, with a view ofillustrating the point further, said:
"Although one's actual age becomes a very unimportant matter when,instead of being limited to sixty or seventy years, it extends overhundreds of years, I can readily ascertain my age, from the fact that Iwas twenty years old at the time these wonderful rays were discovered. Ihave lived, then, about six hundred of Earth's years, or three hundredMartian years."
"Six hundred years!" I exclaimed, as I looked at the reflection of hishandsome face; his eyes flashing, his cheeks aglow with ruddy health,his whole countenance animated with the full vigor of manhood.
"Of course, we do not know how long the effects of regenerating rayswill make it possible to live," pursued Almos, "but in theory, it wouldseem that by their daily use perfect health will be assured, and lifeitself will continue indefinitely."
"And death become unknown on Mars!" I added, enthusiastically.
"Not quite unknown," rejoined Almos. "For lives are sometimes lost inaccidents. Instant death defies all our science, and will not beconquered. But in accidents, no matter how serious, where a spark oflife remains, we can prevent that from escaping until the body is in acondition to take care of it.
"This is accomplished by a device known as a virator, which, thoughsimple in construction, is the greatest marvel of the age. It consistsof a dome, made of material similar to glass in appearance, but whichdiffers from anything else known, in that it is absolutely atomless.This dome fits over the operating table, upon which the patient lies,with just sufficient room for two persons inside, and is kept at thetemperature of the body. On its top is a small globe made of the samematerial, measuring but a few inches in diameter, which is connectedwith the large chamber below by a neck or passage about an inch wide.The patient is placed inside, and there operated upon. If life leavesthe body, either during the operation or after, the spirit ascendsthrough the narrow passage into the small globe above and is thereretained, as it cannot pass through the material of which the walls ofthis chamber are constructed. The body is then kept continually bathedin the regenerating rays, which not only preserve it as if life were init, but actually carry on the process of healing. This continues untilthe body is in a perfectly sound and healthy condition again, and wellable to retain life.
"And now occurs the most wonderful of all. When everything is inreadiness for the spirit to enter the body again, a strong flow ofsuper-radium is sent through the top globe from an instrument attached.Passing through the small chamber and down the narrow passage, itreaches the body, and immediately changes to a return flow. This currentis but momentary; the patient is seen to move, and the body is once morequickened by the life spark. The flow of super-radium has conveyed thespirit of the patient from the small chamber above and released it inthe body as it returned, in exactly the same manner as it does withlight-waves or sound-waves."
"Marvelous!" I gasped, though my mind could only slowly comprehend thisalmost miraculous achievement. With such vast scientific resourcesnothing seemed impossible to Martians.
Almos had stopped abruptly. A change came over him. His face paled andhis lips set in a hard, determined expression. Instantly I felt my everyfaculty strain to the utmost, in response to the new character of thisremarkable being.
Speaking slowly and deliberately, his keen eyes holding mine fascinatedby a strange fire that seemed kindled within them, he said:
"A few words more and we have reached that point at which death mayawait the inhabitant of Earth who would proceed farther. A death that noscientific knowledge can avert. I have tried to school your mind, to theend that you may fully understand the nature of a desperate undertaking,never before attempted by any human being, which, if you wish toattempt, you must risk alone.
"Impelled by a motive that I cannot now explain, I have spanned themillions of miles of universe lying between us by a bridge of theories,which, should they prove realities, would enable you to see and live inanother world. Should they prove untenable, however, no power on Earthor Mars can save you; in five hours all would be over. You must considerthe possible consequences ere it be too late."
"Never!" I cried. "My dear Almos, I am too vitally interested; I haveproceeded too far now to hesitate at any step toward such a goal.Explain your theories to me, and I will test them, even if it costs memy life, for Mars holds that which is dearer to me than life on Earthever can be."
"Well, my brave fellow," said Almos, his voice softening, "you mustfollow me closely in all I tell
you, and remember every word I say, forto-morrow I can be of no assistance to you. Alone you must undertake thejourney."
I was glad Almos had not questioned me regarding the import of what Ihad said in the enthusiasm of the moment, for I could not help feelingnow that I had acted unjustly in not confiding in him, at once, thefacts regarding the mental image of the beautiful young girl whom Ifully believed existed on Mars, and whose destiny, I was certain, wasinextricably bound with mine. I now decided to do so on the firstopportunity.
"I have explained to you how the spirit may be retained in the upperchamber of a virator after it has left the body," pursued Almos, "and asit is this apparatus we shall employ, I have but to describe theadditions I have made to it to meet our requirements, and also mytheories in connection with them.
"To the lower chamber or dome of a virator I have connected thereceiving apparatus of a radioscope, first removing the image surface.This can be disconnected easily, and the projecting apparatussubstituted, from which I have also removed the image surface. Thus wemay have a free current of super-radium flowing from the radioscope toEarth and returning into the virator, and by substituting the projectingapparatus, we have a current flowing from the virator to Earth andreturning into the receiving apparatus.
"This is exactly the condition that exists in a virator in ordinary usewith these exceptions: the current of super-radium is made to floweither in or out of the bottom chamber, as well as the top; instead ofbeing local, the current is between Earth and Mars, and consequentlymuch more powerful. The currents from both the top and bottom chambersare controlled by clockwork which I have devised for that purpose, andin place of an operating table in the virator I have substituted acouch.
"And now I enjoin you to summon all your courage, for in thisundertaking nothing but nerves of steel will carry you safely through."
"I shall faithfully carry out your instructions, Almos," I responded,trying to appear perfectly calm, though my being fifteen hundred yearsbehind Martian times never seemed so much a handicap as now.
"Follow me, then, word for word," resumed Almos. "Understand all I say,for in the error of a second, the misconception of a word, the hesitancyof a moment, there is death!
"To-morrow, when that part of the Earth's surface on which Paris issituated appears, I shall attach the receiving apparatus of theradioscope to the lower chamber of the virator, so that the returncurrent from Earth will flow into it. I shall then set the clockwork toturn on the current of super-radium in half an hour. In that time mybody must be in a condition to receive your spirit."
I could not suppress a shudder upon hearing this, but I deemed it bestnot to interrupt Almos.
"Filling a cone with the required amount of chloroform, I shall enterthe virator, and, reclining upon the couch, place the cone over my mouthand nose. In a few minutes my spirit will have passed into the upperchamber.
"By experimenting, I have found that regenerating rays are contained insuper-radium. In fact, my theory is that the regenerating rays and theinvisible rays of super-radium are synonymous. Such being the case, whenthe current of super-radium is turned on by the clockwork, it will flowto Earth and, returning, enter the virator and restore my body to anormal condition, freeing it from the fumes of chloroform and making itcapable of receiving its new life.
"The glow of your instrument, in response to the super-radium current,will warn you that this has taken place, and you must then prepareyourself for departure. You will not observe any image, owing to myhaving removed the lenses of the radioscope, but your instrument willglow in response to the current.
"Having prepared a cone of chloroform, you must move a couch directly infront of your instrument, so that upon lying down your body will obscurethe rays from it. You will thus know that you are in the path of thesuper-radium current; this is of the greatest importance as, otherwise,your spirit would undoubtedly escape upon leaving the body and be lostforever.
"After taking every possible precaution to safeguard against anymovement of the body, place the cone securely over your mouth and nose.Within a short time your spirit will leave the body and will instantlybe caught up by the super-radium current, on its return flow to Mars.Entering the receiving apparatus and thus passing into the virator, theflow will come into direct contact with my body, into which it willdischarge your spirit."
Almos stopped abruptly, consternation written on his face. A momentlater, I realized the cause--the two planets were passing out of wavecontact. At such a critical moment nothing could be more unfortunate,and I was about hastily to suggest a postponement, when Almos exclaimed:"It is all right!--I shall leave----"
Wave contact ceased before he had time to finish the sentence, and I wasleft standing before the instrument in a state of irresolution.
How could I arrive on Mars totally unprepared to meet the conditions?Upon my regaining consciousness these might present themselves in themost urgent form, demanding immediate attention and a thorough knowledgeof Martian sciences. Almos' life, indeed, might depend upon just such acondition.
Undetermined upon the course I should pursue the next day, my mindfilled with the most formidable fancies of so strange an undertaking, Iat last sought repose, hoping that with the morrow would come clearerthought.