Five Thousand Miles Underground; Or, the Mystery of the Centre of the Earth by - (best novels of all time txt) 📕

The food supply consisted of compressed capsules on which a man could subsist for several days. There was also some water, but not much, since that can not be compressed and would, therefore, take considerable room.

“The only thing for us to do,” said the professor, “is to get into the cylinder, seal it up, and trust to Providence. This is what I intended to use when we were caught in the draught.”

“How can we get into the column of water after we shut ourselves into the cylinder?” asked Mark.

“The cylinder fits into a sort of improvised cannon,” said Mr. Henderson. “It is fired by electricity and compressed air. We will aim it at the column, press the button and be projected into the midst of the water. Then——” He did not finish the sentence, but the others knew what he meant.

“When are we to start?” asked Mark.

“As soon as possible,” replied the professor. “I must arrange the cylinder, compress the air and lay out the food supply.”

It took the rest of the day to do this, as the inventor found it would be advisable to attach a weight to the end of the cylinder, to hold it upright in the column of water. The weight could be detached automatically when they were shot up into the midst of the ocean, where, as Hankos had told them, the column spurted forth.

Then some food was stored in the tiny ship that was destined to be their last hope, and some tanks of water were placed in it.

“I think we are almost ready,” Mr. Henderson said about noon the next day.

“What about our gold and diamonds?” asked Jack suddenly. “Can we take them with us in the cylinder?”

“That’s so!” exclaimed Mr. Henderson. “I forgot about them. I’m afraid we’ll have to leave the riches behind. We will not be able to carry them and the food we need, for it may be a week or more before we can leave the cylinder. Gold and diamonds will be a poor substitute for something to eat.”

“I’m goin’ t’ take mine!” said Washington with much conviction. “I might as well starve rich as starve poor!”

“We may be able to take a few diamonds,” the professor answered. “The gold will be too heavy. Let each one select the largest of the diamonds he has and put them in his pockets.”

Then began a sorting of the wealth. It was strange, as they recalled afterward, throwing away riches that would have made millionaires envious, but it had to be done. All the wealth in the world would not equal a beef capsule when they were starving, and they realized it. So they only saved a few pieces of gold as souvenirs, and took the best of the diamonds. But even then they had a vast fortune with them.

At last all was in readiness. The cylinder had been placed in the tube from which it was to be shot gently forth by compressed air, so that it would fall into the upward spouting column of water. The charge of compressed air was put in and the electric wires arranged.

“Are we all ready?” asked Mr. Henderson.

“I think so,” said Jack, in what sounded like a whisper, but which was loud, only the noise of the water muffled it.

“Then we had better enter the cylinder,” spoke the inventor. “Take a last look at the Flying Mermaid, boys, for you will never see again the ship that has borne us many thousand miles. She served us well, and might again, but for the freak of nature that has placed us in this position.”

For the first time the adventurers realized that they must abandon the craft in which they had reached the new world. So it was with no little feeling of sadness that they climbed up the ladder that had been arranged and slid down into the cylinder. One by one they took their places in the padded berths arranged for them. It was a snug fit, for the professor knew if there was too much room he and the others might be so tossed about as to be killed.

Mr. Henderson was the last to enter. Standing at the manhole he took a final look at his pet creation, the Mermaid. Through the opened windows the colored lights came, shifting here and there. Outside the terrible column of water was roaring as if anxious to devour them.

“Good-bye, Mermaid!” said the professor softly.

Then he closed down the manhole cover and tightened the screws that held it in place. He touched a button that turned on the electric lights and the interior of the cylinder was illuminated with a soft glow.

“Are you all ready?” he asked.

“Jest as much as I ever will be,” replied Washington, who, as the crisis approached, seemed more light-hearted than any of the others.

“Then here we go!” exclaimed Mr. Henderson.

His fingers touched the button that connected with the electric machine, which operated the compressed air.

There sounded a muffled report. Then it seemed to those in the cylinder that the end of the world had come. They shot upward and outward, through the top of the conning tower which had been removed. The cylinder, launched straight at the column of water struck it squarely and, an instant later was caught in the grasp of the giant force and hurled toward the upper world.

Up and up and up the mass of metal with its human freight went. Now it was spinning like a top, again it shot toward the earth’s crust like an arrow from the archer’s bow.

It was moving with the velocity of a meteor, yet because of being surrounded with water, and traveling with the same velocity as the column, there was no friction. Had there been, the heat generated would have melted the case in an instant.

For the first few seconds those in the cylinder were dazed by the sudden rush. Then as it became greater and greater there came a curious dull feeling, and, one after another lost consciousness. The terror of the water column, and the frightful speed, had made them senseless.

It seemed like a month later, though, of course, it could have been only a few hours or a day at most when Jack opened his eyes. He saw his companions, white and senseless all around him, and at first thought they were dead. Then he saw Mark looking at him, and Washington asked:

“Is any one livin’ 'sides me?”

“I am,” replied Jack decidedly.

Then, one after another they regained their senses. But they were in a strange daze, for they were being carried along like a shooting star, only, as they went at the same rate as did the element carrying them, they did not realize this.

“I think I’m hungry,” said Bill, who had the best appetite of any of the travelers.

“You’ll find a beef capsule in the little compartment over your head,” spoke the professor.

Bill was about to reach for it, when they were all startled by a sudden side motion of the cylinder. Then came a violent shock, and a sound as of splashing water. Next the cylinder seemed to be falling, and, a few minutes later to be shooting upward. Following this there was another splash and the cylinder began to bob about like a cork on a mill pond.

“We have reached the sea! We are afloat on the ocean!” cried the professor.

Hurriedly he disengaged himself from the straps that held him to his bunk. He pushed back the lever that opened the manhole. Into the opening glowed the glorious sunlight, while to the occupants came the breath of salt air.

“Hurrah!” cried Jack. “We are safe at last!”

“Safe at last!” the professor answered, and then they all gave a cheer.

For their cylinder, which might now be termed a boat, was floating on the great Atlantic. The blue sky was overhead and the air of the sea fanned their cheeks.

They had shot up from the underground earth, in the column of water, had been tossed high into the air, had fallen back when the liquid shaft broke into spray, had descended into the ocean, gone down a hundred feet or more, and then had shot up like a cork to bob about the surface.

For a week they were afloat, and then they were picked up by a passing vessel, rather weak and very much cramped, but otherwise in good shape. They said nothing of their adventures, save to explain that they were experimenting in a new kind of boat. About a month later, for the ship that had rescued them was a slow sailer, they were back on the island whence that wonderful voyage was begun.

“Well, we solved the mystery of the center of the earth,” remarked Jack, one evening, when they were gathered in the old shack where so many wonderful adventures had been planned.

“Yes, we did,” said Mr. Henderson. “And no one else is ever likely to go there.”

“Why?”

“Because the only way of getting there was destroyed by the earthquake, and no one could ever force his way down through that upward-shooting column of water.”

“That’s so. Well, we have the diamonds, anyway,” spoke Mark. “They ought to make us rich.”

And the jewels did, for the stones proved to be of great value, even though the adventurers had saved only a few of the many they found in the ruined temple.

But there was money enough so that they all could live in comfort the rest of their lives. As the professor was getting quite old, and incapable of making any more wonderful inventions, he closed up his workshop and settled down to a quiet life. As for Washington, Andy, and Bill and Tom, they invested their money received from the sale of the diamonds in different business ventures, and each one did well.

“I am going in for a good education,” said Jack to Mark.

“Just what I am going to do,” answered his chum. “And after we’ve got that——” He paused suggestively.

“We’ll go in for inventing airships, or something like that, eh?”

“Yes. We’ve learned a great deal from Mr. Henderson, and in the course of time we ought to be able to turn out something even more wonderful than the Electric Monarch, the Porpoise, or the Flying Mermaid.”

“Yes, and when we’ve invented something better——”

“We’ll take another trip.”

“Right you are!”

And then the two chums shook hands warmly; and here we will say good-bye.