Obviously, she was not on board Fernand's space flyer. Where, then, was she? Certainly Fernand himself had had no opportunity to hide her, unless his whole flight into space were a trick to deceive the searchers, and that was more than unlikely. Fernand was cunning—was this some new piece of duplicity?
Turning from the empty room he ran down to where Fernand lay, still unconscious. Kneeling by his side Ralph applied1 a small electrical shocking device to the spine2 of the insensible man, with the result that in a few minutes Fernand opened his eyes and stared dazedly3 into those of his captor.
"Where is she?" asked Ralph hoarsely4. "What have you done with her? Answer me, or by God, I'll blow you into Eternity5!" and, aiming his Radioperforer at Fernand's head, he spoke6 with such ferocity that the other shrank involuntarily.
"I don't know," he muttered, weakly. "It's God's truth I don't know. The Martian got her. He took her away[Pg 165] and left me drugged." His voice trailed off and he seemed about to collapse7.
"You're a liar8!" growled9 Ralph, but his tone lacked the conviction of the words. There was that in the other's voice that rang true. Mechanically, he cut the cords that bound Fernand, and the man rolled over helplessly. He was weak and dazed, and altogether too broken in spirit to make any further trouble. His nerve was gone.
Ralph propped10 him up against the wall, but he slumped11 over on his side limply. Impatient at the delay, Ralph went in search of water, and finding a pitcher12 of it in Fernand's laboratory, unceremoniously dumped the contents over the prone13 man's head. This had the desired effect of restoring him somewhat, and in a short time he was able to tell the story in detail.
"When I applied the chloroformal to you that night, I used the same drug on Alice, while Paul 9B 1261, a friend of mine, took care of your driver. We dragged Alice into our cab, and made for the outskirts14 of New York where I had the space flyer in readiness. A maid for her was already on board. We got Alice on and I put her in the care of Lylette, and in a few seconds we were off.
"When we got well out in space I locked the steering16 disc and helped the maid revive Alice, and in a few minutes she was herself again, which she fully17 demonstrated by slapping my face and then trying to tear me apart like a wildcat, when she found where she was." He gave a wry18 smile at the recollection.
"Go on!" snapped Ralph.
"It was an hour later, and we were burning up space, traveling at a rate of 70,000 miles an hour, that the radio signalling apparatus20 began ringing furiously. I tuned21 in,[Pg 166] and heard a faint, gasping22 voice from somewhere out in the great void. With difficulty I learned that there was another space flyer somewhere near me, with two men and four women on board, and that their oxygen supply was being rapidly exhausted23, due to the spoiling of some of the oxygen-producing chemicals. They asked for a small supply of oxygen, enough to get them back to Earth. Otherwise they would be doomed24.
"Knowing myself to be safe from pursuit for some hours, even had you known I abducted25 Alice, I decided26 to aid the crippled flyer, and answered that I would assist them as soon as possible. I went up to the conning27 tower and, with the telescope, located the other machine. Then I reversed the anti-gravitator machinery28 and within a short time I had drawn29 up level with the flyer.
"We made fast, and ran the connecting tube between the two machines. When the joints30 were made air-tight I crawled through, and just as my head came through the opening into the other, two hands gripped me around the throat and I was jerked into the machine. I made a desperate effort to wrench31 myself free but I was absolutely helpless in such hands. I found myself gripped by Llysanorh', the Martian, and I might as well have fought a tiger as that seven-footer.
"He said nothing, only stared at me with his enormous eyes, while he dragged me to a small compartment32, manacled my hands, and left me, locking the door behind him. But he was back in fifteen minutes or so, with a triumphant33 look in his eyes. He picked me up and pushed me through the connecting tube into my own flyer. He dragged me into my machine-room, and forced me to watch while he, using a big hammer, smashed the mech[Pg 167]anism of my six anti-gravitators, so that I would not be able to steer15, and could fly in only one direction. He ruined all the spare parts, to make sure that I could not make any repairs or replacements34.
"'I intercepted36 your letter to Paul 9B 1261, and followed you. You didn't count on me, Fernand, when you stole Alice. Neither you nor that fool scientist Ralph 124C 41+ shall have her. No man shall have her but myself. I will kill her first. I don't know why I don't kill you, except that you are scarcely worth the trouble. You can't pursue me with your machine in this condition, and when—if ever—you are found, it will be too late.'
"'Good God, man,' I said, 'surely you won't take a helpless Terrestrial girl!'
"'It is only what you did,' he replied, 'and at least, I love her!' And with that he pressed a cloth saturated38 with some drug unknown to me against my face, and that is all I remember.
"I must have been unconscious at least six or seven hours and when I came to, it was another hour before I shook off the effects sufficiently39 to recollect19 anything. Llysanorh' had taken off the manacles, but I was as helpless as if I had been bound. I must have dozed40 off, for I had only just awakened41 when I looked out and saw your flyer approaching. And that's the whole story."
Ralph had listened to the amazing narrative42 with growing apprehension43. He knew enough of the Martian character to realize that Alice was in the hands of a man who, once the die was cast, would stop at nothing. He had been hopelessly, pitifully in love with Alice. It was easy to see that, having, probably quite by accident, inter[Pg 168]cepted Fernand's letter to Paul telling of his plans, he had in a moment of desperation, born of despair, determined44 to carry her off himself. Perhaps, in the first place, he had only intended to save her from Fernand, and then, considering the small possibility of discovery and pursuit, had succumbed45 to his overwhelming passion for her, and abducted her instead of returning with her to Earth. But whither was he bound? Surely, not to Venus where the inhabitants were nearly all Terrestrials, and whose laws were identical with those of Earth.
Mars? Possible, but improbable, although Llysanorh' might have some friend in his sect46 who would perform the Martian marriage ceremony secretly. But even if this were the case where could he take his captive bride? They would not be permitted to live on Mars, neither would Earth or Venus accept them.
The intolerably hot planet Mercury was out of the question, and the two moons belonging to Mars had no atmosphere.
At this thought Ralph sprang to his feet with an exclamation48.
"I've been a fool not to think of them before," he cried. "Of course he would get her to one of them, and once there she will be lost forever. Good God, I must find his machine and head him off before it's too late."
He turned savagely49 on Fernand still crouched50 against the wall. "I'm tempted51 to leave you to the fate the Martian intended for you. God knows it wouldn't be half what you deserve."
[Pg 169]
The scientist looked at him contemptuously for a moment.
"Bah!" he said scornfully, "can't you even take your medicine like a man? But I'll turn your machine around and direct it Earthward. You will intercept37 the Earth in about thirty hours. You can't steer, but you can accelerate or retard53 the speed of your flyer, and need not collide with the Earth if you are careful.
"And remember this," he added grimly, "if you and I ever meet again I will pound your miserable54 cowardly body into jelly!"
He turned his back on the abject55 man, and returned to his own flyer. Then he turned Fernand's machine around, disconnected the two from each other, and in a few seconds Fernand's flyer had disappeared.
Ralph sprang into action. He immediately began taking observations. These told him that it would take him at least thirty days to reach Mars, even though he forced his machine to the utmost. He could not travel over 90,000 miles an hour, but, on the other hand, he felt sure that Llysanorh's machine was incapable56 of making more than 85,000 miles an hour. But the Martian had a handicap of probably 600,000 miles, and if Ralph gained on him at the rate of only 5,000 miles an hour, it would take 120 hours, or five terrestrial days to overtake him.
Ralph turned his machine towards the point in space where Mars would be at the end of thirty days, and now set himself to the task of making a search for the other flyer with the polarized wave apparatus.
For four wearisome and anxious hours he sought through space perseveringly57, and was at last rewarded by locating another machine which he was certain was[Pg 170] that of the Martian, as he had reasoned, heading for Mars.
At the same time the results of his calculations dismayed him greatly, for they revealed that Llysanorh's machine was making no less than 88,000 miles an hour. At this rate, Ralph was gaining only 2,000 miles an hour, and it would take thirteen or fourteen days to overhaul58 the other flyer. But as the Martian could not hope to reach Mars under twenty-nine days himself, Ralph figured that he, barring some unforeseen accident, would overtake him long before he landed there.
It was absolutely imperative59 that he do so, for once the Martian left Mars and headed for the Asteroids further pursuit would be useless. There were over 4,000 of these little planets already known[10] and it would be the work of a lifetime to search on each one for the fugitive60 and his victim. Speedy action on Ralph's part was urgent.
These little Asteroids, revolving61 in an orbit between Mars and Jupiter were practically uninhabited, although most of the larger ones had a good atmosphere, and a fair climate, considering their distance from the sun.
Some of them were only a few miles in diameter, and the largest measured but 485 miles. An electromobile, running at the slow rate of 60 miles an hour could circle such a tiny planet in 24 hours!
The larger planetoids had a superb vegetation, and as the gravity on these bodies was only a fraction of that on the Earth, the trees and shrubs62 were gigantic, while colossal63 fruits and vegetables grew in abundance. These plants helped to create a dense64 atmosphere, in spite of the small gravity, and life, on one of these little planets, was,[Pg 171] in many respects, far more comfortable and pleasant than on Earth or Mars.
illus
Now began the hardest part of the chase for Ralph. There was nothing more to do than he had already done. From now on he must wait with what patience he could summon to his aid, until such time as his machine should catch up with that of the Martian. He could force his own no further, and he was very sure that Llysanorh' was also flying at his utmost speed.
At work, he had not had much time for thought.
Now, with time hanging heavily on his hands, his conjectures65 as to the fate of his sweetheart drove him, at times, nearly to madness.
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1
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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spine
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| n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊 | |
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dazedly
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| 头昏眼花地，眼花缭乱地，茫然地 | |
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4
hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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5
eternity
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| n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷 | |
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6
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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7
collapse
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| vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷 | |
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8
liar
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| n.说谎的人 | |
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growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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10
propped
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| 支撑，支持，维持( prop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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slumped
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| 大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的过去式和过去分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下] | |
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12
pitcher
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| n.(有嘴和柄的)大水罐；(棒球)投手 | |
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13
prone
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| adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的 | |
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14
outskirts
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| n.郊外，郊区 | |
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15
steer
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| vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶 | |
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16
steering
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| n.操舵装置 | |
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17
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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18
wry
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| adj.讽刺的；扭曲的 | |
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19
recollect
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| v.回忆，想起，记起，忆起，记得 | |
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20
apparatus
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| n.装置，器械；器具，设备 | |
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21
tuned
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| adj.调谐的，已调谐的v.调音( tune的过去式和过去分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调 | |
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22
gasping
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| adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词 | |
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23
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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24
doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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abducted
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| 劫持，诱拐( abduct的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（肢体等）外展 | |
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26
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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27
conning
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| v.诈骗，哄骗( con的现在分词 )；指挥操舵( conn的现在分词 ) | |
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28
machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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29
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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30
joints
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| 接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语） | |
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31
wrench
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| v.猛拧；挣脱；使扭伤；n.扳手；痛苦，难受 | |
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32
compartment
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| n.卧车包房，隔间；分隔的空间 | |
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33
triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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34
replacements
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| n.代替( replacement的名词复数 )；替换的人[物]；替代品；归还 | |
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35
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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36
intercepted
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| 拦截( intercept的过去式和过去分词 )； 截住； 截击； 拦阻 | |
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37
intercept
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| vt.拦截，截住，截击 | |
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38
saturated
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| a.饱和的，充满的 | |
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39
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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40
dozed
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| v.打盹儿，打瞌睡( doze的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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41
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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42
narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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43
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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44
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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45
succumbed
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| 不再抵抗（诱惑、疾病、攻击等）( succumb的过去式和过去分词 )； 屈从； 被压垮； 死 | |
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46
sect
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| n.派别，宗教，学派，派系 | |
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47
asteroids
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| n.小行星( asteroid的名词复数 )；海盘车，海星 | |
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48
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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49
savagely
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| adv. 野蛮地，残酷地 | |
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50
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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51
tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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52
mumbled
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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53
retard
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| n.阻止，延迟；vt.妨碍，延迟，使减速 | |
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54
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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55
abject
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| adj.极可怜的，卑屈的 | |
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56
incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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57
perseveringly
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| 坚定地 | |
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58
overhaul
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| v./n.大修，仔细检查 | |
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59
imperative
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| n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的 | |
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60
fugitive
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| adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者 | |
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61
revolving
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| adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想 | |
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62
shrubs
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| 灌木( shrub的名词复数 ) | |
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63
colossal
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| adj.异常的，庞大的 | |
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64
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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65
conjectures
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| 推测，猜想( conjecture的名词复数 ) | |
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