第5章

Nevermindthebabies。They\'rebetterdead——Out，beforetheLightandtheHotSmoke!"

ThePrincess\'sfirstclearfearlesscall(Melissahadfoundher)

roseanddrummedthroughalltheframes。"LaReineleveult!

Swarm!Swar-rm!Swar-r-rm!"

TheHiveshookbeneaththeshatteringthunderofastuck-downquiltbeingtornback。

"Don\'tbealarmed，dears，"saidtheWax-moths。"That\'sourwork。

Lookup，andyou\'llseethedawnoftheNewDay。"

LightbrokeinthetopofthehiveastheQueenhad，prophesied——nakedlightontheboiling，bewilderedbees。

Sacharissaroundedupherrearguard，whichdroppedheadlongofftheframe，andjoinedthePrincess\'sdetachmentthrustingtowardtheGate。Nowpanicwasinfullblast，andeachsoundbeefoundherselfembracedbyatleastthreeOddities。Thefirstinstinctofafrightenedbeeistobreakintothestoresandgorgeherselfwithhoney；buttherewerenostoresleft，sotheOdditiesfoughtthesoundbees。

"Youmustfeedus，orweshalldie!"theycried，holdingandclutchingandslipping，whilethesilentscaredearwigsandlittlespiderstwistedbetweentheirlegs。"ThinkoftheHive，traitors!TheHolyHive!"

"Youshouldhavethoughtbefore!"criedthesoundbees。，"StayandseethedawnofyourNewDay。"

TheyreachedtheGateatlastoverthesoftbodiesofmanytowhomtheyhadministered。

"On!Out!Up!"roaredMelissainthePrincess\'sear。"FortheHive\'ssake!TotheOldOak!"

ThePrincessleftthealighting-board，circledonce，flungherselfatthelowestbranchoftheOldOak，andherlittleloyalswarm——youcouldhavecovereditwithapintmug——followed，hooked，andhung。

"Holdclose!"Melissagasped。"Theoldlegendshavecometrue!

Look!"

TheHivewashalfhiddenbysmoke，andFiguresmovedthroughthesmoke。Theyheardaframecrackstickily，sawitheavedhighandtwirledroundbetweenenormoushands——ablotched，bulged，andperishedhorrorofgreywax，corruptbrood，andsmalldrone-cells，allcoveredwithcrawlingOddities，strangetothesun。

"Why，thisisn\'tahive!Thisisamuseumofcuriosities，"saidtheVoicebehindtheVeil。ItwasonlytheBeeMastertalkingtohisson。

"Canyoublame\'em，father？"saidasecondvoice。"It\'srottenwithWax-moth。Seehere!"

Anotherframecameup。Afingerpokedthroughit，anditbrokeawayinrustlingflakesofashyrottenness。

"NumberFourFrame!Thatwasyourmother\'spetcombonce，"

whisperedMelissatothePrincess。"Many\'sthegoodeggI\'vewatchedherlaythere。"

"Aren\'tyouconfusingpodhocwithpropterhoc？"saidtheBeeMaster。"Wax-mothonlysucceedwhenweakbeesletthemin。"A

thirdframecrackledandroseintothelight。"Allthisisfulloflayingworkers\'brood。Thatneverhappenstillthestock\'sweakened。Phew!"

Hebeatitonhiskneelikeatambourine，anditalsocrumbledtopieces。

Thelittleswarmshiveredastheywatchedthedwarfdrone-grubssquirmfeeblyonthegrass。Manysoundbeeshadnursedonthatframe，wellknowingtheirworkwasuseless；buttheactualsightofevenuselessworkdestroyeddisheartensagoodworker。

"No，theyhavesomerecuperativepowerleft，"saidthesecondvoice。"Here\'saQueencell!"

"Butit\'stuckedawayamong——Whatonearthhascometothelittlewretches？Theyseemtohavelosttheinstinctofcell-building。"

Thefatherhelduptheframewherethebeeshadexperimentedincircularcell-work。Itlookedlikethepittedhead，ofadecayingtoadstool。

"Notaltogether，"thesoncorrected。"There\'soneline，atleast，ofperfectlygoodcells。"

"Mywork，"saidSacharissatoherself。"I\'mgladMandoesmejusticebefore——"

Thatframe，too，wassmashedoutandthrownatopoftheothersandthefoulearwiggyquilts。

Asframeafterframefollowedit，theswarmbeheldtheupheaval，exposure，anddestructionofallthathadbeenwellorilldoneineverycrannyoftheirHiveforgenerationspast。Therewasblackcombsooldthattheyhadforgottenwhereithung；orange，buff，andochre-varnishedstore-comb，builtasbeeswereusedtobuildbeforethedaysofartificialfoundations；andtherewasalittle，white，frailnewwork。Thereweresheetsonsheetsoflevel，evenbrood-combthathadheldinitstimeunnumberedthousandsofunnamedworkers；patchesofobsoletedrone-comb，broadandhigh-shouldered，showingtowhatmarksthemalegrubwasexpectedtogrow；andtwo-inchdeephoney-magazines，empty，butstillmagnificent，thewholegummedandgluedintotwistedscrap-work，awryonthewires；half-cells，beginningsabandoned，orgrandiose，weak-walled，compositecellspiecedoutwithrubbishandcappedwithdirt。

Goodorbad，everyinchofitwassoriddledbythetunnelsoftheWax-moththatitbrokeincloudsofdustasitwasflungontheheap。

"Oh，see!"criedSacharissa。"TheGreatBurningthatOurQueenforetold。Whocanbeartolook？"

Aflamecrawledupthepileofrubbish，andtheysmeltsingeingwax。

TheFiguresstooped，liftedtheHiveandshookitupsidedownoverthepyre。AcascadeofOddities，chipsofbrokencomb，scale，fluff，andgrubsslidout，crackled，sizzled，poppedalittle，andthentheflamesroaredupandconsumedallthatfuel。

"Wemustdisinfect，"saidaVoice。"Getmeasulphur-candle，please。"

TheshelloftheHivewasreturnedtoitsplace，alightwassetinitsstickyemptiness，tierbytiertheFiguresbuiltitup，closedtheentrance，andwentaway。Theswarmwatchedthelightleakingthroughthecracksallthelongnight。AtdawnoneWax-mothcameby，flutteringimpudently。

"TherehasbeenamiscalculationabouttheNewDay，mydears，"

shebegan；"onecan\'texpectpeopletobeperfectallatonce。

Thatwasourmistake。"

"No，themistakewasentirelyours，"saidthePrincess。

"Pardonme，"saidtheWax-moth。"Whenyouthinkoftheenormousupheaval——callitgoodorbad——whichourinfluencebroughtabout，youwilladmitthatwe，andwealone——"

"You？"saidthePrincess。"Ourstockwasnotstrong。Soyoucame——asanyotherdiseasemighthavecome。Hangclose，allmypeople。"

Whenthesunrose，VeiledFigurescamedown，andsawtheirswarmatthebough\'sendwaitingpatientlywithinsightoftheoldHive——ahandful，butpreparedtogoon。

THEBEESANDTHEFLIES

AFARMERoftheAugustanagePerusedinVirgil\'sgoldenpage，ThestoryofthesecretwonFromProteusbyCyrene\'ssonHowthedanksea-godsowedtheswainMeanstorestorehishivesagainMorebriefly，howaslaughteredbullBreedshoneybythebellyful。

TheegregiousrusticputtodeathAbullbystoppingofitsbreath:

DisposedthecarcassinashedWithfragrantherbsandbranchesspread。

And，havingthusperformedthecharm，Satdowntowaitthepromisedswarm。

Norwaitedlong……TheGodofDayImpartial，quickeningwithhisrayEvilandgoodalike，beheldThecarcass——andthecarcassswelled!

BigwithnewbirththebellyheavesBeneathitsscreenofscentedleaves；

Pastanydoubt，thebullconceives!

ThefarmerbidsmenbringmorehivesTohousetheprofitthatarrives；

Preparesonpan，andkeyandkettle，Sweetmusicthatshallmake\'emsettle；

Butwhentocrowntheworkhegoes，Gods!Whatastinksaluteshisnose!

Wherearethehonesttoilers？

WhereThegravidmistressoftheircare？

Abusyscene，indeed，hesees，Butnotasignorsoundofbees。

WormsoftheripergraveunhidByanykindlycoffinlid，Obsceneandshamelesstothelight，Seetheininsatiateappetite，Throughputridoffal；whileaboveThehissingblow-flyseekshislove，Whoseoffspring，suppingwheretheysupt，Consumecorruptiontwicecorrupt。

WITHTHENIGHTMAIL

ASTORYOF2000A。D。

(Togetherwithextractsfromthemagazineinwhichitappeared)

Anineo\'clockofagustywinternightIstoodonthelowerstagesofoneoftheG。P。O。outwardmailtowers。MypurposewasaruntoQuebecin"PostalPacket162orsuchotherasmaybeappointed"；andthePostmaster-Generalhimselfcountersignedtheorder。Thistalismanopenedalldoors，eventhoseinthedespatching-caissonatthefootofthetower，wheretheyweredeliveringthesortedContinentalmail。ThebagslaypackedcloseasherringsinthelonggreyunderbodieswhichourG。P。O。stillcalls"coaches。"FivesuchcoacheswerefilledasIwatched，andwereshotuptheguidestobelockedontotheirwaitingpacketsthreehundredfeetnearerthestars。

Fromthedespatching-caissonIwasconductedbyacourteousandwonderfullylearnedofficialMr。L。L。Geary，SecondDespatcheroftheWesternRoute——totheCaptains\'Room(thiswakesanechoofoldromance)，wherethemailcaptainscomeonfortheirturnofduty。Heintroducesmetothecaptainof"162"——CaptainPurnall，andhisrelief，CaptainHodgson。Theoneissmallanddark；theotherlargeandred；buteachhasthebroodingsheathedglancecharacteristicofeaglesandaeronauts。Youcanseeitinthepicturesofourracingprofessionals，fromL。V。RautschtolittleAdaWarrleigh——thatfathomlessabstractionofeyeshabituallyturnedthroughnakedspace。

Onthenotice-boardintheCaptains\'Room，thepulsingarrowsofsometwentyindicatorsregister，degreebygeographicaldegree，theprogressofasmanyhomeward-boundpackets。Theword"Cape"

risesacrossthefaceofadial；agongstrikes:theSouthAfricanmid-weeklymailisinattheHighgateReceivingTowers。

Thatisall。Itremindsonecomicallyofthetraitorouslittlebellwhichinpigeon-fanciers\'，loftsnotifiesthereturnofahomer。

"Timeforustobeonthemove，"saysCaptainPurnall，andweareshotupbythepassenger-lifttothetopofthedespatch-towers。

"Ourcoachwilllockonwhenitisfilledandtheclerksareaboard。"

"No。162"waitsforusinSlipEofthetopmoststage。Thegreatcurveofherbackshinesfrostilyunderthelights，andsomeminutealterationoftrimmakesherrockalittleinherholding-downslips。

CaptainPurnallfrownsanddivesinside。Hissingsoftly，"162"

comestorestaslevelasarule。FromherNorthAtlanticWinternose-cap(wornbrightasdiamondwithboringthroughuncountedleaguesofhail，snow，andice)totheinsetofherthreebuiltoutpropeller-shaftsissometwohundredandfortyfeet。Herextremediameter，carriedwellforward，isthirty-seven。Contrastthiswiththeninehundredbyninety-fiveofanycrackliner，andyouwillrealizethepowerthatmustdriveahullthroughallweathersatmorethantheemergencyspeedoftheCyclonic!

Theeyedetectsnojointinherskinplatingsavethesweepinghair-crackofthebow-rudder——Magniac\'srudderthatassuredusthedominionoftheunstableairandleftitsinventorpennilessandhalf-blind。ItiscalculatedtoCastelli\'s"gullwing"curve。

Raiseafewfeetofthatallbutinvisibleplatethree-eighthsofaninchandshewillyawfivemilestoportorstarboarderesheisundercontrolagain。Giveherfullhelmandshereturnsonhertracklikeawhip-lash。Cantthewholeforward——atouchonthewheelwillsuffice——andshesweepsatyourgooddirectionupordown。Openthecompletecircleandshepresentstotheairamushroom-headthatwillbringherupallstandingwithinahalfmile。

"Yes，"saysCaptainHodgson，answeringmythought，"Castellithoughthe\'ddiscoveredthesecretofcontrollingaeroplaneswhenhe\'donlyfoundouthowtosteerdirigibleballoons。Magniacinventedhisruddertohelpwar-boatsrameachother；andwarwentoutoffashionandMagniachewentoutofhismindbecausehesaidhecouldn\'tservehiscountryanymore。Iwonderifanyofuseverknowwhatwe\'rereallydoing。"

"Ifyouwanttoseethecoachlockedyou\'dbettergoaboard。It\'sduenow，"saysMr。Geary。Ienterthroughthedooramidships。

Thereisnothingherefordisplay。Theinnerskinofthegas-tankscomesdowntowithinafootortwoofmyheadandturnsoverjustshortoftheturnofthebilges。Linersandyachtsdisguisetheirtankswithdecoration，buttheG。P。O。servesthemrawunderalickofgreyofficialpaint。Theinnerskinshutsofffiftyfeetofthebowandasmuchofthestern，butthebow-bulkheadisrecessedforthelift-shuntingapparatusasthesternispiercedfortheshaft-tunnels。Theengine-roomliesalmostamidships。Forwardofit，extendingtotheturnofthebowtanks，isanaperture——abottomlesshatchatpresent——intowhichourcoachwillbelocked。Onelooksdownoverthecoamingsthreehundredfeettothedespatching-caissonwhencevoicesboomupward。Thelightbelowisobscuredtoasoundofthunder，asourcoachrisesonitsguides。Itenlargesrapidlyfromapostage-stamptoaplaying-card；toapuntandlastapontoon。

Thetwoclerks，itscrew，donotevenlookupasitcomesintoplace。TheQuebeclettersflyundertheirfingersandleapintothedocketedracks，whilebothcaptainsandMr。Gearysatisfythemselvesthatthecoachislockedhome。Aclerkpassestheway-billoverthehatchcoaming。CaptainPurnallthumb-marksandpassesittoMr。Geary。Receipthasbeengivenandtaken。

"Pleasantrun，"saysMr。Geary，anddisappearsthroughthedoorwhichafoothighpneumaticcompressorlocksafterhim。

"A-ah!"sighsthecompressorreleased。Ourholding-downclipspartwithatang。Weareclear。

CaptainHodgsonopensthegreatcolloidunderbodyportholethroughwhichIwatchover-lightedLondonslideeastwardasthegalegetsholdofus。Thefirstofthelowwintercloudscutsoffthewell-knownviewanddarkensMiddlesex。OnthesouthedgeofitIcanseeapostalpacket\'slightploughingthroughthewhitefleece。ForaninstantshegleamslikeastarereshedropstowardtheHighgateReceivingTowers。"TheBombayMail，"saysCaptainHodgson，andlooksathiswatch。"She\'sfortyminuteslate。"

"What\'sourlevel？"Iask。

"Fourthousand。Aren\'tyoucominguponthebridge？"

Thebridge(letuseverpraisetheG。P。O。asarepositoryofancientesttradition!)isrepresentedbyaviewofCaptainHodgson\'slegswherehestandsontheControlPlatformthatrunsthwart-shipsoverhead。ThebowcolloidisunshutteredandCaptainPurnall，onehandonthewheel，isfeelingforafairslant。Thedialshows4300feet。"It\'ssteepto-night，"hemutters，astierontierofclouddropsunder。"Wegenerallypickupaneasterlydraughtbelowthreethousandatthistimeo\'theyear。Ihateslatheringthroughfluff。"

"SodoesVanCutsem。Lookathimhuntin\'foraslant!"saysCaptainHodgson。Afoglightbreakscloudahundredfathomsbelow。

TheAntwerpNightMailmakeshersignalandrisesbetweentworacingcloudsfartoport，herflanksblood-redintheglareofSheernessDoubleLight。ThegalewillhaveusovertheNorthSeainhalf-an-hour，butCaptainPurnallletshergocomposedly——nosingtoeverypointofthecompassassherises。

"Fivethousand-six，sixthousandeighthundred"——thedip-dialreadserewefindtheeasterlydrift，heraldedbyaflurryofsnowatthethousandfathomlevel。CaptainPurnallringsuptheenginesandkeysdownthegovernorontheswitchbeforehim。

ThereisnosenseinurgingmachinerywhenEolushimselfgivesyougoodknotsfornothing。Weareawayinearnestnow——ournosenotchedhomeonourchosenstar。Atthislevelthelowercloudsarelaidout，allneatlycombedbythedryfingersoftheEast。

Belowthatagainisthestrongwesterlyblowthroughwhichwerose。Overhead，afilmofsoutherlydriftingmistdrawsatheatricalgauzeacrossthefirmament。Themoonlightturnsthelowerstratatosilverwithoutastainexceptwhereourshadowunderrunsus。BristolandCardiffDoubleLights(thosestatelilyinclinedbeamsoverSevernmouth)aredeadaheadofus；forwekeeptheSouthernWinterRoute。CoventryCentral，thepivotoftheEnglishsystem，stabsupwardonceintensecondsitsspearofdiamondlighttothenorth；andapointortwooffourstarboardbowTheLeek，thegreatcloud-breakerofSaintDavid\'sHead，swingsitsunmistakablegreenbeamtwenty-fivedegreeseachway。

Theremustbehalfamileoffluffoveritinthisweather，butitdoesnotaffectTheLeek。

"Ourplanet\'sover-lightedifanything，"saysCaptainPurnallatthewheel，asCardiff-Bristolslidesunder。"Iremembertheolddaysofcommonwhiteverticalsthat\'udshowtwoorthreehundredfeetupinamist，ifyouknewwheretolookfor\'em。Inreallyfluffyweathertheymightaswellhavebeenunderyourhat。Onecouldgetlostcominghomethen，an\'havesomefun。Now，it\'slikedrivingdownPiccadilly。"

Hepointstothepillarsoflightwherethecloud-breakersborethroughthecloud-floor。WeseenothingofEngland\'soutlines:

onlyawhitepavementpiercedinalldirectionsbythesemanholesofvariouslycolouredfire——HolyIsland\'swhiteandred——St。

Bee\'sinterruptedwhite，andsoonasfarastheeyecanreach。

BlessedbeSargent，Ahrens，andtheDuboisbrothers，whoinventedthecloud-breakersoftheworldwherebywetravelinsecurity!

"AreyougoingtoliftforTheShamrock？"asksCaptainHodgson。

CorkLight(green，fixed)enlargesaswerushtoit。CaptainPurnallnods。Thereisheavytraffichereabouts——thecloud-bankbeneathusisstreaked。withrunningfissuresofflamewheretheAtlanticboatsarehurryingLondonwardjustclearofthefluff。

Mail-packetsaresupposed，undertheConferencerules，tohavethefive-thousand-footlanestothemselves，buttheforeignerinahurryisapttotakelibertieswithEnglishair。"No。162"

liftstoalong-drawnwailofthebreezeinthefore-flangeoftherudderandwemakeValencia(white，green，white)atasafe7000feet，dippingourbeamtoanincomingWashingtonpacket。

ThereisnocloudontheAtlantic，andfaintstreaksofcreamroundDingleBayshowwherethedrivenseashammerthecoast。A

bigS。A。T。A。liner(SocieteAnonymedesTransportsAeriens)isdivingandliftinghalfamilebelowusinsearchofsomebreakinthesolidwestwind。LowerstillliesadisabledDanesheistellingthelinerallaboutitinInternational。OurGeneralCommunicationdialhascaughthertalkandbeginstoeavesdrop。

CaptainHodgsonmakesamotiontoshutitoffbutcheckshimself。

"Perhapsyou\'dliketolisten，"hesays。

"ArgolofSt。Thomas，"theDanewhimpers。"Reportownersthreestarboardshaftcollar-bearingsfused。CanmakeFloresasweare，butimpossiblefurther。ShallwebuysparesatFayal？"

Thelineracknowledgesandrecommendsinvertingthebearings。TheArgolanswersthatshehasalreadydonesowithouteffect，andbeginstorelievehermindaboutcheapGermanenamelsforcollar-bearings。TheFrenchmanassentscordially，cries"Courage，monami，"andswitchesoff。

Thenlightssinkunderthecurveoftheocean。

"That\'soneofLundt&Bleamers\'boats，"saysCaptainHodgson。

"Serves\'emrightforputtingGermancomposintheirthrust-blocks。Shewon\'tbeinFayalto-night!Bytheway，wouldn\'tyouliketolookroundtheengine-room？"

IhavebeenwaitingeagerlyforthisinvitationandIfollowCaptainHodgsonfromthecontrol-platform，stoopinglowtoavoidthebulgeofthetanks。WeknowthatFleury\'sgascanliftanything，astheworld-famoustrialsof\'89showed，butitsalmostindefinitepowersofexpansionnecessitatevasttankroom。

Eveninthisthinairthelift-shuntsarebusytakingoutone-thirdofitsnormallift，andstill"162"mustbecheckedbyanoccasionaldowndrawoftherudderorourflightwouldbecomeaclimbtothestars。CaptainPurnallprefersanoverliftedtoanunderliftedship；butnotwocaptainstrimshipalike。"WhenI

takethebridge，"saysCaptainHodgson，"you\'llseemeshuntfortypercentoftheliftoutofthegasandrunherontheupperrudder。Withaswoopupwardinsteadofaswoopdownward，asyousay。Eitherwaywilldo。It\'sonlyhabit。Watchourdip-dial!

Timfetchesherdownonceeverythirtyknotsasregularlyasbreathing。"

Soisitshownonthedip-dial。Forfiveorsixminutesthearrowcreepsfrom6700to7300。Thereisthefaint"szgee"oftherudder，andbackslidesthearrowto6000onafallingslantoftenorfifteenknots。

"Inheavyweatheryoujockeyherwiththescrewsaswell，"saysCaptainHodgson，and，unclippingthejointedbarwhichdividestheengine-roomfromthebaredeck，heleadsmeontothefloor。

HerewefindFleury\'sParadoxoftheBulk-headedVacuum——whichweacceptnowwithoutthought——literallyinfullblast。ThethreeenginesareH。T。&T。assisted-vacuoFleuryturbinesrunningfrom3000totheLimit——thatistosay，uptothepointwhenthebladesmaketheair"bell"——cutoutavacuumforthemselvespreciselyasover-drivenmarinepropellersusedtodo。"162\'s"

Limitislowonaccountofthesmallsizeofherninescrews，which，thoughhandierthantheoldcolloidThelussons，"bell"

sooner。Themidshipsengine，generallyusedasareinforce，isnotrunning；sotheportandstarboardturbinevacuum-chambersdrawdirectintothereturn-mains。

Theturbineswhistlereflectively。Fromthelow-archedexpansion-tanksoneithersidethevalvesdescendpillarwisetotheturbine-chests，andthencetheobedientgaswhirlsthroughthespiralsofbladeswithaforcethatwouldwhiptheteethoutofapowersaw。Behind，isitsownpressureheldinleashofspurredonbythelift-shunts；beforeit，thevacuumwhereFleury\'sRaydancesinviolet-greenbandsandwhirledturbillonsofflame。ThejointedU-tubesofthevacuum-chamberarepressure-temperedcolloid(noglasswouldendurethestrainforaninstant)andajuniorengineerwithtintedspectacleswatchestheRayintently。Itistheveryheartofthemachine——amysterytothisday。

EvenFleurywhobegatitand，unlikeMagniac，diedamulti-millionaire，couldnotexplainhowtherestlesslittleimpshudderingintheU-tubecan，inthefractionalfractionofasecond，strikethefuriousblastofgasintoachillgreyish-greenliquidthatdrains(youcanhearittrickle)fromthefarendofthevacuumthroughtheeduction-pipesandthemainsbacktothebilges。Hereitreturnstoitsgaseous，onehadalmostwrittensagacious，stateandclimbstoworkafresh。

Bilge-tank，uppertank，dorsal-tank，expansion-chamber，vacuum，main-return(asaliquid)，andbilge-tankoncemoreistheordainedcycle。Fleury\'sRayseestothat；andtheengineerwiththetintedspectaclesseestoFleury\'sRay。Ifaspeckofoil，ifeventhenaturalgreaseofthehumanfingertouchthehoodedterminals，Fleury\'sRaywillwinkanddisappearandmustbelaboriouslybuiltupagain。Thismeanshalfaday\'sworkforallhandsandanexpenseof，onehundredandseventy-oddpoundstotheG。P。O。forradium-saltsandsuchtrifles。

"Nowlookatourthrust-collars。Youwon\'tfindmuchGermancompothere。Full-jewelled，yousee，"saysCaptainHodgsonastheengineershuntsopenthetopofacap。Ourshaft-bearingsareC。M。C。(CommercialMineralsCompany)stones，groundwithasmuchcareasthelensofatelescope。TheycostL837apiece。Sofarwehavenotarrivedattheirtermoflife。Thesebearingscamefrom"No。97，"whichtookthemoverfromtheoldDominionofLightwhichhadthemoutofthewreckofthePersewaeroplaneintheyearswhenmenstillflewwoodenkitesoveroilengines!

Theyareashiningreprooftoalllow-gradeGerman"ruby"

enamels，so-called"boort"facings，andthedangerousandunsatisfactoryaluminacompoundswhichpleasedividend-huntingownersandturnskipperscrazy。Therudder-gearandthegaslift-shunt，seatedsidebysideundertheengine-roomdials，aretheonlymachinesinvisiblemotion。Theformersighsfromtimetotimeastheoilplungerrisesandfallshalfaninch。Thelatter，casedandguardedliketheU-tubeaft，exhibitsanotherFleuryRay，butinvertedandmoregreenthanviolet。Itsfunctionistoshunttheliftoutofthegas，andthisitwilldowithoutwatching。Thatisall!Atinypump-rodwheezingandwhiningtoitselfbesideasputteringgreenlamp。Ahundredandfiftyfeetaftdowntheflat-toppedtunnelofthetanksavioletlight，restlessandirresolute。Betweenthetwo，threewhite-paintedturbine-trunks，likeeel-basketslaidontheirside，accentuatetheemptyperspectives。Youcanhearthetrickleoftheliquefiedgasflowingfromthevacuumintothebilge-tanksandthesoftgluck-glockofgaslocksclosingasCaptainPurnallbrings"162"

downbythehead。Thehumoftheturbinesandtheboomoftheaironourskinisnomorethanacotton-woolwrappingtotheuniversalstillness。Andwearerunninganeighteen-secondmile。

Ipeerfromtheforeendoftheengine-roomoverthehatch-coamingsintothecoach。Themail-clerksaresortingtheWinnipeg，Calgary，andMedicineHatbags；butthereisapackofcardsreadyonthetable。

Suddenlyabellthrills；theengineersruntotheturbine-valvesandstandby；butthespectacledslaveoftheRayintheU-tubeneverliftshishead。Hemustwatchwhereheis。Wearehard-brakedandgoingastern；thereislanguagefromtheControlPlatform。

"Tim\'ssparkingbadlyaboutsomething，"saystheunruffledCaptainHodgson。"Let\'slook。"

CaptainPurnallisnotthesuavemanwelefthalfanhoursince，buttheembodiedauthorityoftheG。P。O。Aheadofusfloatsanancient，aluminum-patched，twin-screwtrampofthedingiest，withnomorerighttothe5000-footlanethanhasahorse-carttoamodernroad。Shecarriesanobsolete"barbette"conningtower——asix-footaffairwithrailedplatformforward——andourwarningbeamplaysonthetopofitasapoliceman\'slanternflashesontheareasneak。Likeasneak-thief，too，emergesashock-headednavigatorinhisshirt-sleeves。CaptainPurnallwrenchesopenthecolloidtotalkwithhimmantoman。TherearetimeswhenSciencedoesnotsatisfy。

"Whatunderthestarsareyoudoinghere，yousky-scrapingchimney-sweep？"heshoutsaswetwodriftsidebyside。"DoyouknowthisisaMail-lane？Youcallyourselfasailor，sir？Youain\'tfittopeddletoyballoonstoanEsquimaux。Yournameandnumber!Reportandgetdown，andbe——!"

"I\'vebeenblownuponce，"theshock-headedmancries，hoarsely，asadogbarking。"Idon\'tcaretwoflipsofacontactforanythingyoucando，Postey。"

"Don\'tyou，sir？ButI\'llmakeyoucare。I\'llhaveyoutowedsternfirsttoDiskoandbrokeup。Youcan\'trecoverinsuranceifyou\'rebrokeforobstruction。Doyouunderstandthat？"

Thenthestrangerbellows:"Lookatmypropellers!There\'sbeenawulli-wadownbelowthathasknockedusintoumbrella-frames!

We\'vebeenblownupaboutfortythousandfeet!We\'realloneconjuror\'swatchinside!Mymate\'sarm\'sbroke；myengineer\'shead\'scutopen；myRaywentoutwhentheenginessmashed；and……and……forpity\'ssakegivememyheight，Captain!Wedoubtwe\'redropping。"

"Sixthousandeighthundred。Canyouholdit？"CaptainPurnalloverlooksallinsults，andleanshalfoutofthecolloid，staringandsnuffing。Thestrangerleakspungently。

"WeoughttoblowintoSt。John\'swithluck。We\'retryingtoplugthefore-tanknow，butshe\'ssimplywhistlingitaway，"hercaptainwails。

"She\'ssinkinglikealog，"saysCaptainPurnallinanundertone。

"CalluptheBanksMarkBoat，George。"Ourdip-dialshowsthatwe，keepingabreastthetramp，havedroppedfivehundredfeetthelastfewminutes。

CaptainPurnallpressesaswitchandoursignalbeambeginstoswingthroughthenight，twizzlingspokesoflightacrossinfinity。

"That\'llfetchsomething，"hesays，whileCaptainHodgsonwatchestheGeneralCommunicator。HehascalleduptheNorthBanksMarkBoat，afewhundredmileswest，andisreportingthecase。

"I\'llstandbyyou，"CaptainPurnallroarstothelonefigureontheconning-tower。

"Isitasbadasthat？"comestheanswer。"Sheisn\'tinsured。

She\'smine。"

"Mighthaveguessedasmuch，"muttersHodgson。"Owner\'sriskistheworstriskofall!"

"Can\'tIfetchSt。John\'s——notevenwiththisbreeze？"thevoicequavers。

"Standbytoabandonship。Haven\'tyouanyliftinyou，foreoraft？"

"Nothingbutthemidshiptanks，andthey\'renonetootight。Yousee，myRaygaveoutand——"hecoughsinthereekoftheescapinggas。

"Youpoordevil!"Thisdoesnotreachourfriend。"WhatdoestheMarkBoatsay，George？"

"Wantstoknowifthere\'sanydangertotraffic。Saysshe\'sinabitofweatherherself，andcan\'tquitstation。I\'veturnedinaGeneralCall，soeveniftheydon\'tseeourbeamsomeone\'sboundtohelp——orelsewemust。ShallIclearourslings？Holdon!Hereweare!APlanetliner，too!She\'llbeupinatick!"

"Tellhertohaveherslingsready，"crieshisbrothercaptain。

"Therewon\'tbemuchtimetospare……Tieupyourmate，"heroarstothetramp。

"Mymate\'sallright。It\'smyengineer。He\'sgonecrazy。"

"Shunttheliftoutofhimwithaspanner。Hurry!"

"ButIcanmakeSt。John\'sifyou\'llstandby。"

"You\'llmakethedeep，wetAtlanticintwentyminutes。You\'relessthanfifty-eighthundrednow。Getyourpapers。"

APlanetliner，eastbound，heavesupinasuperbspiralandtakestheairofushumming。Herunderbodycolloidisopenlandhertransporter-slingshangdownliketentacles。Weshutoffourbeamassheadjustsherself——steeringtoahair——overthetramp\'sconning-tower。Thematecomesup，hisarmstrappedtohisside，andstumblesintothecradle。Amanwithaghastlyscarletheadfollows，shoutingthathemustgobackandbuilduphisRay。ThemateassureshimthathewillfindanicenewRayallreadyintheliner\'sengine-room。Thebandagedheadgoesupwaggingexcitedly。Ayouthandawomanfollow。Thelinercheershollowlyaboveus，andweseethepassengers\'facesatthesalooncolloid。

"That\'saprettygirl。What\'sthefoolwaitingfornow？"saysCaptainPurnall。

Theskippercomesup，stillappealingtoustostandbyandseehimfetchSt。John\'s。Hedivesbelowandreturns——atwhichwelittlehumanbeingsinthevoidcheerlouderthanever——withtheship\'skitten。Upflytheliner\'shissingslings；herunderbodycrasheshomeandshehurtlesawayagain。Thedialshowslessthan3000feet。TheMarkBoatsignalswemustattendtothederelict，nowwhistlingherdeath-song，asshefallsbeneathusinlongsickzigzags。

"KeepourbeamonherandsendoutaGeneralWarning，"saysCaptainPurnall，followingherdown。Thereisnoneed。Notalinerinairbutknowsthemeaningofthatverticalbeamandgivesusandourquarryawideberth。

"Butshe\'lldrowninthewater，won\'tshe？"Iask。"Notalways，"

ishisanswer。"I\'veknownaderelictup-endandsiftherenginesoutofherselfandflickerroundtheLowerLanesforthreeweeksonherforwardtanksonly。We\'llrunnorisks。Pithher，George，andlooksharp。There\'sweatherahead。"

CaptainHodgsonopenstheunderbodycolloid，swingstheheavypithing-ironoutofitsrackwhichinlinersisgenerallycasedasasmoking-roomsettee，andattwohundredfeetreleasesthecatch。Wehearthewhirofthecrescent-shapedarmsopeningastheydescend。Thederelict\'sforeheadispunchedin，starredacross，andrentdiagonally。Shefallssternfirst，ourbeamuponher；slideslikealostsouldownthatpitilessladderoflight，andtheAtlantictakesher。

"Afilthybusiness，"saysHodgson。"Iwonderwhatitmusthavebeenlikeintheolddays？"

Thethoughthadcrossedmymind，too。Whatifthatwaveringcarcasshadbeenfilledwiththemenoftheolddays，eachoneofthemtaught(thatisthehorrorofit!)that，afterdeathhewouldverypossiblygoforevertounspeakabletorment？

Andscarcelyagenerationago，we(oneknowsnowthatweareonlyourfathersre-enlargedupontheearth)，we，Isay，rippedandrammedandpithedtoadmiration。

HereTim，fromtheControlPlatform，shoutsthatwearetogetintoourinflatorsandtobringhimhisatonce。

Wehurryintotheheavyrubbersuits——theengineersarealreadydressed——andinflateattheair-pumptaps。G。P。O。inflatorsarethriceasthickasaracingman\'s"flickers，"andchafeabominablyunderthearmpits。GeorgetakesthewheeluntilTimhasblownhimselfuptotheextremeofrotundity。Ifyoukickedhimoffthec。p。tothedeckhewouldbounceback。Butitis"162"thatwilldothekicking。

"TheMarkBoat\'smad——starkravin\'crazy，"hesnorts，returningtocommand。"Shesaysthere\'sabadblow-outaheadandwantsmetopullovertoGreenland。I\'llseeherpithedfirst!Wewastedhalfanhourfussingoverthatdeadduckdownunder，andnowI\'mexpectedtogorubbin\'mybackallroundthePole。WhatdoesshethinkaPostalpacket\'smadeof？Gummedsilk？Tellherwe\'recomingonstraight，George。"

GeorgebuckleshimintotheFrameandswitchesontheDirectControl。NowunderTim\'slefttoeliestheport-engineAccelerator；underhisleftheeltheReverse，andsowiththeotherfoot。Thelift-shuntstopsstandoutontherimofthesteering-wheelwherethefingersofhislefthandcanplayonthem。Athisrighthandisthemidshipsengineleverreadytobethrownintogearatamoment\'snotice。Heleansforwardinhisbelt，eyesgluedtothecolloid，andoneearcockedtowardtheGeneralCommunicator。Henceforthheisthestrengthanddirectionof"162，"throughwhatevermaybefall。

TheBanksMarkBoatisreelingoutpagesofA。B……C。Directionstothetrafficatlarge。Wearetosecureall"looseobjects"；

hoodupourFleuryRays；and"onnoaccounttoattempttoclearsnowfromourconning-towerstilltheweatherabates。"

Under-poweredcraft，wearetold，canascendtothelimitoftheirlift，mail-packetstolookoutforthemaccordingly；thelowerlaneswestwardarepittingverybadly，"withfrequentblow-outs，vortices，laterals，etc。"

Stillthecleardarkholdsupunblemished。Theonlywarningistheelectricskin-tension(IfeelasthoughIwerealace-maker\'spillow)andanirritabilitywhichthegibberingoftheGeneralCommunicatorincreasesalmosttohysteria。

Wehavemadeeightthousandfeetsincewepithedthetrampandourturbinesaregivingusanhonesttwohundredandtenknots。

Veryfartothewestanelongatedblurofred，lowdown，showsustheNorthBanksMarkBoat。Therearespecksoffireroundherrisingandfalling——bewilderedplanetsaboutanunstablesun——helplessshippinghangingontoherlightforcompany\'ssake。Nowondershecouldnotquitstation。

Shewarnsustolookoutfortheback-washofthebadvortexinwhich(herbeamshowsit)sheisevennowreeling。

Thepitsofgloomaboutusbegintofillwithveryfaintlyluminousfilms——wreathinganduneasyshapes。Oneformsitselfintoaglobeofpaleflamethatwaitsshiveringwitheagernesstillwesweepby。Itleapsmonstrouslyacrosstheblackness，alightsontheprecisetipofournose，pirouettesthereaninstant，andswingsoff。Ourroaringbowsinksasthoughthatlightwerelead——sinksandrecoverstolurchandstumbleagainbeneaththenextblow-out。Tim\'sfingersonthelift-shuntstrikechordsofnumbers——1:4:7:——2:4:6:——7:5:3，andsoon；forheisrunningbyhistanksonly，liftingorloweringheragainsttheuneasyair。Allthreeenginesareatwork，forthesoonerwehaveskatedoverthisthinicethebetter。Higherwedarenotgo。Thewholeuppervaultischargedwithpalekryptonvapours，whichourskinfrictionmayexcitetounholymanifestations。Betweentheupperandlowerlevels——5000and7000，hintstheMarkBoat——wemayperhapsboltthroughif……Ourbowclothesitselfinblueflameandfallslikeasword。Nohumanskillcankeeppacewiththechangingtensions。Avortexhasusbythebeakandwedivedownatwo-thousandfootslantatanangle(thedip-dialandmybouncingbodyrecordit)ofthirty-five。Ourturbinesscreamshrilly；thepropellerscannotbiteonthethinair；Timshuntstheliftoutoffivetanksatonceandbysheerweightdrivesherbulletwisethroughthemaelstromtillshecushionswithjaronanup-gust，threethousandfeetbelow。