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

the big hole?” asked Jack, one day.

“I think we ought to be near it in about two weeks,” the professor replied. “I only hope we shall not be disappointed, and will be able to explore it.”

“'Tain’t goin’ t’ be no fun t’ be decimated an’ expurgitated inter a conglomerous aggregation of elements constituting th’ exterior portion of human anatomy,” said Washington in dubious tones.

“You mean you’re afraid of being boiled in the steam from the big hole?” asked Mark.

“Jest so,” replied the colored man.

“You don’t need to worry about that,” put in the professor. “I will not take the ship down if there is any danger, though of course there will be some risk.”

The ship, having been fully repaired, was now able to be speeded up, and was sent scudding along toward her destination. Rodgers proved a valuable acquisition toward the crew, for he had sailed many years in the waters over which they were flying, and was able to give the professor many valuable hints. He had heard vague stories of the island with the big hole, but had never been near it. He did not make the trip however, as, at his request, he was put off at an inhabited island one night.

It was about a week after the sailors were frightened from the ship, that a curious experience befell Mark. Washington was on duty in the conning tower, attending to the apparatus as the ship flew through the air, and all the others had gone to bed. Mark had remained up, later than the others as he was interested in reading a book on science.

About ten o’clock he became hungry, and going to the pantry got some bread and cold meat. He set these on a table, and then, remembering he would need some water to drink, started after some in the cooler, which was in a little room near the tower.

Washington heard the boy as he turned the faucet to draw the liquid, and spoke to him, as the colored man was rather lonesome at his post. Mark did not linger more than a minute or two, but when he returned to where he had left the food he was much surprised.

There was not a trace of it to be seen. The dishes were on the table, but every vestige of bread and meat had disappeared.

“I wonder if a cat or dog has been here,” was Mark’s first thought. Then he remembered that no such animals were aboard the Mermaid.

Something on the floor caught his eye. He stooped and picked it up. It was a slice of bread, but in such shape that the boy stared at it, puzzled as to how it could have become so.

It was flattened out quite thin, but the strangest part of it was that it bore what seemed to be the marks of thumb and fingers from a very large hand. So big, in fact, was the print, that Mark’s hand scarce covered half of it, and, where the bread had been squeezed into a putty like mass (for it was quite fresh) the peculiar markings on the skin of the tips of the fingers were visible.

“It looks as if a giant grabbed this slice of bread,” Mark observed. “There are strange happenings aboard this ship. I wish I knew what they meant.”

He looked all around for the food, thinking perhaps a rat had dragged it off, but there was no trace of it.

Suddenly the boy thought he heard a sound from the big storeroom. He was almost sure he heard something moving in there. He started toward the door when he was stopped by hearing the professor’s voice call:

“Don’t open that door, Mark. Have I not told you that place must not be entered?”

“I thought I heard some one in there,” Mark replied.

“There is nothing in there but some apparatus of mine,” Mr. Henderson said. “I want no one to see it. What is the matter?”

Mark explained matters to the scientist, who had, as he said later, arisen on hearing the boy moving about.

“Oh, it was a rat that took your stuff,” Mr. Henderson said. “I guess there are some pretty big ones on the ship. Get some more food and go to sleep.”

Mark felt it best to obey, though he was by no means satisfied with the professor’s explanation. He listened intently to see if any more noises came from the storeroom, but none did, and he went to bed.

Several times after that Mark tried the experiment of leaving food about. On each occasion it was taken.

“It looks as if the ship was haunted,” he said. “Of course I know it isn’t, but it’s very queer. They must be strange rats that can get food from shelves when there is only the smooth side of the ship to climb up,” for on some occasions Mark had tried the experiment of putting the food as nearly out of reach as possible.

It took several nights to learn all this, and, as he did not want to take any one into his confidence, he had to work in secret. But, with all his efforts he learned nothing, save that there was something odd about the ship that he could not fathom.

At first he believed the professor had some strange animal concealed in the storeroom, but he dismissed this idea almost as soon as he thought of it. For what could the scientist want with an animal when they were going to the interior of the earth? That some beast had slipped aboard was out of the question. Mark was much puzzled, but finally, deciding the matter did not concern him a great deal, gave up trying to solve the mystery, at least for a time.

The ship was now in the neighborhood of the equator and the climate had become much warmer. So hot indeed were some nights that they slept out on deck, with the Mermaid flying through the air at a moderate pace, for it was deemed best not to go at any great speed after dark.

One night the professor, after consulting various charts and maps, and making calculations which covered several sheets of paper announced:

“We should sight the mysterious island to-morrow.”

“That’s good news!” exclaimed Jack. “I’m anxious to see what’s below inside of that big hole.”

“Everybody git ready for their funerals!” exclaimed Washington in a deep voice. “I ain’t got many——”

“Cheer up,” interrupted Jack, poking Washington in the ribs. The colored man was very ticklish, and he began to laugh heartily, though, perhaps, he did not feel like it.

Suddenly, above the sound of his shouts, there came a crashing, grinding noise from the engine room.

CHAPTER XII

THE BIG HOLE

“Something has gone wrong!” exclaimed the professor as he jumped up. He reached the engine room ahead of any one else, and when the two boys got there they found him busy twisting wheels and shifting levers.

“Anything serious?” asked Jack.

“It’s the gas machine again,” Mr. Henderson replied. “It broke where we fixed it. However it doesn’t matter. I was going to lower the ship anyhow, as I want to approach the island from the water. We will go down a little sooner than I counted on.”

The disabling of the gas machine caused the vapor to escape slowly from the tank, and this made the ship sink gradually. By means of the emergency stop-cock the descent could be controlled almost as well as though the machinery was in working order. Half an hour later the Mermaid rested on the water.

It was a little rough, as there was quite a swell on, and not so pleasant as floating in the air on an even keel, but they made the best of it.

On account of the little accident, and not being certain of its extent, it was deemed best not to send the ship ahead. So they laid to until morning.

For the better part of two days all those on board the Mermaid had their hands full mending the break and making other repairs found necessary. In that time they lay to, floating idly with the currents, or blown by the wind, for the professor would not start any of the engines or apparatus until the ship was in good condition.

In this time Mark had several times recalled the curious happenings in regard to the disappearing food, and the mystery of the storeroom. But there were no further manifestations, and no other signs that there might be a strange visitor aboard.

“I couldn’t have imagined it all,” said Mark, “but I guess what did happen may have been caused by natural means, only I can’t discover them.”

It was about two days after this, the ship having sailed scores of miles on the surface of the water, that Mark, who was in the conning tower exclaimed:

“That looks like a waterspout ahead of us.”

“That’s what it is!” Jack agreed. “What shall we do?”

“Call the professor!” said Mark. “He’ll know.”

When Mr. Henderson came, he looked for a long time at a cloud of black vapor which hung low in the east.

“It may be a waterspout,” he said. “We’ll rise in the air and see if we can avoid it.”

The ship was sent up into the air. As it rose higher and higher, the professor, making frequent observations from his conning tower, cried out:

“That is no waterspout!”

“What is it?” asked Mark.

“It is the steam and vapor rising from the big hole in the earth! Boys, we are almost there!”

“Are you sure that’s it?” asked Mark.

“Almost positive,” Mr. Henderson replied. “You can see how much warmer it has become of late, as we approached the equator. We are almost due at the island, and I have no doubt we have reached it.”

As the ship flew forward the mass of dark vapor became more pronounced. Through the glasses it could be noticed to consist of rolling masses of clouds. What lay beneath them no one knew. The adventurers were going to try to find out.

Now that they had arrived at the beginning of the main part of their journey, the travelers felt their spirits sink a little. It was one thing to plan to go down into the depths of the earth, but it was quite another to make the actual attempt. Still, they were not going to give up the project. The professor had confidence in his ship and believed it could safely make the trip. Still it was with no little apprehension that Mr. Henderson watched the nearer approach of the craft to that strange island.

“Perfesser, are yo’ really an’ truly goin’ t’ depress this elongated spheroid an’ its human consignment int’ that conglomerous convoluted mass of gaseous vapor regardless of th’ consequences?” asked Washington, as he gazed with wide opened eyes at the sight before him.

“If you mean am I going to let the Mermaid go down into that hole you are perfectly correct,” the scientist answered, “though you could have said it in fewer words, Washington.”

“I—I guess I’ll get out an’ walk,” the colored man made reply.

“This isn’t any trolley car,” observed Mark. “Don’t lose your nerve, Wash. Stay with us, and we’ll discover a gold or diamond mine, maybe.”

“Is there diamonds down there?” asked the colored man, his fright seeming to leave him.

“There are all sorts of things inside the earth,” the professor answered.

“Then I’m goin’ along!” Washington declared. “I always did want a diamond ring, an’ I knows a little colored gal that wants one, too. I’m goin’ all right! This suttenly am th’ most kloslosterous conjunctivity of combativeness that I ever sagaciated!” and he began to do a sort of impromptu cake-walk.

CHAPTER XIII

DOWN INTO THE EARTH

It was now noon, but the adventurers did not think of dinner in the excitement of approaching the mysterious island. The speed of the ship was increased that they might the more quickly come to it. As they approached they could see the masses of vapor more plainly, and it appeared that some great commotion must be going on inside the big hole, since clouds of steam arose.

“I only hope it doesn’t prove too hot for us,” observed the professor. “However, I provided a water jacket for the ship, and we may need it, as well as the vacuum chambers to keep the heat from us.”

It was about three o’clock when the flying ship reached the edge of the island. From there it was about a mile to the rim of the big hole, over one side of which the waters of the ocean poured with a roar that could be heard over half a mile off.

“I think we had better halt and see that everything is in good shape before proceeding,” said Mr. Henderson. “Jack, you and Mark make a thorough inspection of the engine room, and see that all the apparatus is in working order.”

The two boys prepared to do as they were told. Mark, who was walking a little ahead of Jack, entered the apartment from which the storeroom opened. As he did so he saw, or thought he saw, the door of the place where the extra supplies were kept, close. Without saying anything to Jack he hurried forward, and tried the knob. It would not turn.

“That’s funny,” said Mark to himself. “I could almost swear I saw some one go into