I shall spare the reader a recital1 of the tireless efforts, continuing through many almost sleepless2 weeks, whereby Andrew Hall obtained his clew to Dr. Syx’s method. It was manifest from the beginning that the agent concerned must be some form of etheric, or so-called electric, energy; but how to set it in operation was the problem. Finally he hit upon the apparatus3 for his initial experiments which I have already described.
“Recurring to what had been done more than half a century ago by Hertz, when he concentrated electric waves upon a focal point by means of a concave mirror,” said Hall, “I saw that the key I wanted lay in an extension of these experiments. At last I found that I could transform the energy of an engine into undulations of the ether, which, when they had been concentrated upon a metallic4 object, like a chunk5 of gold, imparted to it an intense charge of an apparently6 electric nature. Upon thus charging a metallic body enclosed in a vacuum, I observed that the energy imparted to it possessed7 the remarkable8 power of disrupting its atoms and projecting them off in straight lines, very much as occurs with a kathode in a Crookes’s tube. But—and this was of supreme9 importance—I found that the line of projection10 was directly towards the apparatus from which the impulse producing the charge had come. In other words, I could produce two poles between which a marvellous interaction occurred. My transformer, with its concentrating mirror, acted as one pole, from which energy was transferred to the other pole, and that other pole immediately flung off atoms of its own substance in the direction of the transformer. But these atoms were stopped by the glass wall of the vacuum tube; and when I tried the experiment with the metal removed from the vacuum, and surrounded with air, it failed utterly12.
“This at first completely discouraged me, until I suddenly remembered that the moon is in a vacuum, the great vacuum of interplanetary space, and that it possesses no perceptible atmosphere of its own. At this a great light broke around me, and I shouted ‘Eureka!’ Without hesitation13 I constructed a transformer of great power, furnished with a large parabolic mirror to transmit the waves in parallel lines, erected14 the machinery15 and buildings here, and when all was ready for the final experiment I telegraphed for you.” Prepared by these explanations I was all on fire to see the thing tried. Hall was no less eager, and, calling in his two faithful assistants to make the final adjustments, he led the way into what he facetiously16 named “the lunar chamber17.”
“If we fail,” he remarked with a smile that had an element of worriment in it, “it will become the ‘lunatic chamber’—but no danger of that. You observe this polished silver knob, supported by a metallic rod curved over at the top like a crane. That constitutes the pole from which I propose to transmit the energy to the moon, and upon which I expect the storm of atoms to be centred by reflection from the mirror at whose focus it is placed.”
“One moment,” I said. “Am I to understand that you think that the moon is a solid mass of artemisium, and that no matter where your radiant force strikes it a ‘kathodic pole’ will be formed there from which atoms will be projected to the earth?”
“No,” said Hall, “I must carefully choose the point on the lunar surface where to operate. But that will present no difficulty. I made up my mind as soon as I had penetrated18 Syx’s secret that he obtained the metal from those mystic white streaks19 which radiate from Tycho, and which have puzzled the astronomers20 ever since the invention of telescopes. I now believe those streaks to be composed of immense veins21 of the metal that Syx has most appropriately named artemisium, which you, of course, recognize as being derived22 from the name of the Greek goddess of the moon, Artemis, whom the Romans called Diana. But now to work!”
It was less than a day past the time of new moon, and the earth’s satellite was too near the sun to be visible in broad daylight. Accordingly, the mirror had to be directed by means of knowledge of the moon’s place in the sky. Driven by accurate clockwork, it could be depended upon to retain the proper direction when once set.
With breathless interest I watched the proceedings23 of my friend and his assistants. The strain upon the nerves of all of us was such as could not have been borne for many hours at a stretch. When everything had been adjusted to his satisfaction, Hall stepped back, not without betraying his excitement in flushed cheeks and flashing eyes, and pressed a lever. The powerful engine underneath24 the floor instantly responded. The experiment was begun.
“I have set it upon a point about a hundred miles north of Tycho, where the Yerkes photographs show a great abundance of the white substance,” said Hall.
Then we waited. A minute elapsed. A bird, fluttering in the opening above, for a second or two, wrenched25 our strained nerves. Hall’s face turned pale.
“They had better keep away from here,” he whispered, with a ghastly smile.
Two minutes! I could hear the beating of my heart. The engine shook the floor.
Three minutes! Hall’s face was wet with perspiration26. The bird blundered in and startled us again.
Four minutes! We were like statues, with all eyes fixed27 on the polished ball of silver, which shone in the brilliant light concentrated upon it by the mirror.
Five minutes! The shining ball had become a confused blue, and I violently winked28 to clear my vision.
“At last! Thank God! Look! There it is!”
It was Hall who spoke29, trembling like an aspen. The silver knob had changed color. What seemed a miniature rainbow surrounded it, with concentric circles of blinding brilliance30.
Then something dropped flashing into an earthen dish set beneath the ball! Another glittering drop followed, and, at a shorter interval31, another!
Almost before a word could be uttered the drops had coalesced32 and become a tiny stream, which, as it fell, twisted itself into a bright spiral, gleaming with a hundred shifting hues33, and forming on the bottom of the dish a glowing, interlacing maze34 of viscid rings and circlets, which turned and twined about and over one another, until they had blended and settled into a button-shaped mass of hot metallic jelly. Hall snatched the dish away, and placed another in its stead.
“This will be about right for a watch charm when it cools,” he said, with a return of his customary self-command. “I promised you the first specimen35. I’ll catch another for myself.”
“But can it be possible that we are not dreaming?” I exclaimed. “Do you really believe that this comes from the moon?”
“Just as surely as rain comes from the clouds,” cried Hall, with all his old impatience36. “Haven’t I just showed you the whole process?”
“Then I congratulate you. You will be as rich as Dr. Syx.”
“Perhaps,” was the unperturbed reply, “but not until I have enlarged my apparatus. At present I shall hardly do more than supply mementoes to my friends. But since the principle is established, the rest is mere37 detail.”
Six weeks later the financial centres of the earth were shaken by the news that a new supply of artemisium was being marketed from a mill which had been secretly opened in the Sierras of California. For a time there was almost a panic. If Hall had chosen to do so, he might have precipitated38 serious trouble. But he immediately entered into negotiations39 with government representatives, and the inevitable40 result was that, to preserve the monetary41 system of the world from upheaval42, Dr. Syx had to consent that Hall’s mill should share equally with his in the production of artemisium. During the negotiations the doctor paid a visit to Hall’s establishment. The meeting between them was most dramatic. Syx tried to blast his rival with a glance, but knowledge is power, and my friend faced his mysterious antagonist43, whose deepest secrets he had penetrated, with an unflinching eye. It was remarked that Dr. Syx became a changed man from that moment. His masterful air seemed to have deserted44 him, and it was with something resembling humility45 that he assented46 to the arrangement which required him to share his enormous gains with his conqueror47.
Of course, Hall’s success led to an immediate11 recrudescence of the efforts to extract artemisium from the Syx ore, and, equally of course, every such attempt failed. Hall, while keeping his own secret, did all he could to discourage the experiments, but they naturally believed that he must have made the very discovery which was the subject of their dreams, and he could not, without betraying himself, and upsetting the finances of the planet, directly undeceive them. The consequence was that fortunes were wasted in hopeless experimentation48, and, with Hall’s achievement dazzling their eyes, the deluded49 fortune-seekers kept on in the face of endless disappointments and disaster.
And presently there came another tragedy. The Syx mill was blown up! The accident—although many people refused to regard it as an accident, and asserted that the doctor himself, in his chagrin50, had applied51 the match—the explosion, then, occurred about sundown, and its effects were awful. The great works, with everything pertaining52 to them, and every rail that they contained, were blown to atoms. They disappeared as if they had never existed. Even the twin tunnels were involved in the ruin, a vast cavity being left in the mountain-side where Syx’s ten acres had been. The force of the explosion was so great that the shattered rock was reduced to dust. To this fact was owing the escape of the troops camped near. While the mountain was shaken to its core, and enormous parapets of living rock were hurled53 down the precipices54 of the Teton, no missiles of appreciable55 size traversed the air, and not a man at the camp was injured. But Jackson’s Hole, filled with red dust, looked for days afterwards like the mouth of a tremendous volcano just after an eruption56. Dr. Syx had been seen entering the mill a few minutes before the catastrophe57 by a sentinel who was stationed about a quarter of a mile away, and who, although he was felled like an ox by the shock, and had his eyes, ears, and nostrils58 filled with flying dust, miraculously59 escaped with his life.
After this a new arrangement was made whereby Andrew Hall became the sole producer of artemisium, and his wealth began to mount by leaps of millions towards the starry60 heights of the billions.
About a year after the explosion of the Syx mill a strange rumor61 got about. It came first from Budapest, in Hungary, where it was averred62 several persons of credibility had seen Dr. Max Syx. Millions had been familiar with his face and his personal peculiarities63, through actually meeting him, as well as through photographs and descriptions, and, unless there was an intention to deceive, it did not seem possible that a mistake could be made in identification. There surely never was another man who looked just like Dr. Syx. And, besides, was it not demonstrable that he must have perished in the awful destruction of his mill?
Soon after came a report that Dr. Syx had been seen again; this time at Ekaterinburg, in the Urals. Next he was said to have paid a visit to Batang, in the mountainous district of southwestern China, and finally, according to rumor, he was seen in Sicily, at Nicolosi, among the volcanic64 pimples65 on the southern slope of Mount Etna.
Next followed something of more curious and even startling interest. A chemist at Budapest, where the first rumors66 of Syx’s reappearance had placed the mysterious doctor, announced that he could produce artemisium, and proved it, although he kept his process secret. Hardly had the sensation caused by this news partially67 subsided68 when a similar report arrived from Ekaterinburg; then another from Batang; after that a fourth from Nicolosi!
Nobody could fail to notice the coincidence; wherever the doctor—or was it his ghost?—appeared, there, shortly afterwards, somebody discovered the much-sought secret.
After this Syx’s apparitions69 rapidly increased in frequency, followed in each instance by the announcement of another productive artemisium mill. He appeared in Germany, Italy, France, England, and finally at many places in the United States.
“It is the old doctor’s revenge,” said Hall to me one day, trying to smile, although the matter was too serious to be taken humorously. “Yes, it is his revenge, and I must admit that it is complete. The price of artemisium has fallen one-half within six months. All the efforts we have made to hold back the flood have proved useless. The secret itself is becoming public property. We shall inevitably70 be overwhelmed with artemisium, just as we were with gold, and the last condition of the financial world will be worse than the first.”
My friend’s gloomy prognostications came near being fulfilled to the letter. Ten thousand artemisium mills shot their etheric rays upon the moon, and our unfortunate satellite’s metal ribs71 were stripped by atomic force. Some of the great white rays that had been one of the telescopic wonders of the lunar landscapes disappeared, and the face of the moon, which had remained unchanged before the eyes of the children of Adam from the beginning of their race, now looked as if the blast of a furnace had swept it. At night, on the moonward side, the earth was studded with brilliant spikes72, all pointed73 at the heart of its child in the sky.
But the looting of the moon brought disaster to the robber planet. So mad were the efforts to get the precious metal that the surface of our globe was fairly showered with it, productive fields were, in some cases, almost smothered74 under a metallic coating, the air was filled with shining dust, until finally famine and pestilence75 joined hands with financial disaster to punish the grasping world.
Then, at last, the various governments took effective measures to protect themselves and their people. Another combined effort resulted in an international agreement whereby the production of the precious moon metal was once more rigidly76 controlled. But the existence of a monopoly, such as Dr. Syx had so long enjoyed, and in the enjoyment77 of which Andrew Hall had for a brief period succeeded him, was henceforth rendered impossible.
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1
recital
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| n.朗诵，独奏会，独唱会 | |
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sleepless
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| adj.不睡眠的，睡不著的，不休息的 | |
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apparatus
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| n.装置，器械；器具，设备 | |
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metallic
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| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
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chunk
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| n.厚片，大块，相当大的部分（数量） | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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projection
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| n.发射，计划，突出部分 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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facetiously
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| adv.爱开玩笑地；滑稽地，爱开玩笑地 | |
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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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streaks
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| n.（与周围有所不同的）条纹( streak的名词复数 )；（通常指不好的）特征（倾向）；（不断经历成功或失败的）一段时期v.快速移动( streak的第三人称单数 )；使布满条纹 | |
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astronomers
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| n.天文学者，天文学家( astronomer的名词复数 ) | |
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veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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wrenched
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| v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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winked
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| v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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brilliance
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| n.光辉，辉煌，壮丽，（卓越的）才华，才智 | |
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interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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coalesced
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| v.联合，合并( coalesce的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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hues
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| 色彩( hue的名词复数 )； 色调； 信仰； 观点 | |
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maze
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| n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑 | |
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specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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precipitated
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| v.（突如其来地）使发生( precipitate的过去式和过去分词 )；促成；猛然摔下；使沉淀 | |
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negotiations
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| 协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过 | |
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inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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monetary
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| adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的 | |
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upheaval
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| n.胀起，(地壳)的隆起；剧变，动乱 | |
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antagonist
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| n.敌人，对抗者，对手 | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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45
humility
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| n.谦逊，谦恭 | |
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46
assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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conqueror
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| n.征服者，胜利者 | |
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48
experimentation
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| n.实验，试验，实验法 | |
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49
deluded
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| v.欺骗，哄骗( delude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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50
chagrin
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| n.懊恼；气愤；委屈 | |
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51
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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52
pertaining
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| 与…有关系的，附属…的，为…固有的(to) | |
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53
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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54
precipices
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| n.悬崖，峭壁( precipice的名词复数 ) | |
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55
appreciable
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| adj.明显的，可见的，可估量的，可觉察的 | |
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56
eruption
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| n.火山爆发；（战争等）爆发；（疾病等）发作 | |
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catastrophe
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| n.大灾难，大祸 | |
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nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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miraculously
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| ad.奇迹般地 | |
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starry
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| adj.星光照耀的, 闪亮的 | |
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rumor
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| n.谣言，谣传，传说 | |
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averred
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| v.断言( aver的过去式和过去分词 )；证实；证明…属实；作为事实提出 | |
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63
peculiarities
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| n. 特质, 特性, 怪癖, 古怪 | |
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volcanic
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| adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的 | |
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pimples
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| n.丘疹，粉刺，小脓疱( pimple的名词复数 ) | |
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rumors
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| n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷 | |
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67
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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68
subsided
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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69
apparitions
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| n.特异景象( apparition的名词复数 )；幽灵；鬼；（特异景象等的）出现 | |
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70
inevitably
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| adv.不可避免地；必然发生地 | |
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71
ribs
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| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
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72
spikes
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| n.穗( spike的名词复数 )；跑鞋；（防滑）鞋钉；尖状物v.加烈酒于( spike的第三人称单数 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划 | |
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73
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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74
smothered
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| （使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制 | |
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75
pestilence
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| n.瘟疫 | |
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76
rigidly
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| adv.刻板地，僵化地 | |
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77
enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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