A Voyage to Arcturus

striking matches in every room — at the end of the examination he was ready to swear that the man they were expecting had not even stuck his nose inside the premises. Groping th

their ears the trainlike grinding o

after all,” remarked Mask

is gettin

t was beyond my powers — but why, heaven knows. T

c gravity,” mut

r, rather, I don’t —

lly taking a mouthful of the neat liquor

ers and bunglers, b

I know nothing about him his mere name has an exciting e

t . . . ” replied Nights

, but could make nothing out

n forget some of them? . . . Perhaps you can tell

l. . . . Ask me no more ques

waiting for Krag,”

a light, quick footstep was heard running up t

his head, and he looked stern and forbidding. After scrutinising the two friends for a moment or so, he

ot here, th

you for your hospitality, for it h

remark. “Are yo

you are. It is not

eard you stumbling about in the to

Nightspore informs me that the

er doubts are

ess an open mind. I am quite w

. You know that until you are able to climb to the to

awkward obstacle, for I

s pockets, and at lengt

d roll up your shirt

to make an inc

cause the effect is certain, but you c

pocket-knife — ” be

Maskull,” inter

rat of the universe,” said Krag. “Le

pore o

a careless and almost savage slash at Maskull’s upp

” asked Maskull,

“Pull your shirt down, i

, who endured his operation with grim indi

doubt whether he would not have to faint, but it subsided almost immediately, and then he felt no

said Krag. “Now y

and a moment later their footsteps, clattering down the uncarpeted stairs, resounded through the deserted house. K

s to the tower, Maskull caught his ar

did it

o, but Nightspo

he remarked, after a pause. “There must be ill-

t I thought the thing was cur

, “but you mustn’t for a minute imagine that all

the lantern. Maskull followed him with some trepidation, in view of his previous painful experience on these stairs, but when, after the first half-

in order to renew his acquaintance with the miraculous spectacle of the Arcturian group. The lens had lost

mounted and stared out, but still the common sights presented them

e saw yellow light shining through the crack of a half-opened door. His companions were standing just inside a small room, shut off from the s

ked around him with curio

atform over our he

window magnify, as it di

ve seen heart-expanding sights. From the fifth window, for example, you would have seen Tormance like a co

hat has need got

the same reason that you have now been able to mount the stairs

quite understanding what he mea

spent ti

s mysterious individual, Krag.

. There’s no need to waste time over visualising him,

” He pressed his

ip?” asked

he began to tear off his cloth

ollowing, however, the exa

hairs, like an ape’s. “Who knows what the Tormance fashi

ull, pausing in the mi

“New pleasure organs possi

them. Maskull’s spirits rose fast,

breaking its head off between his fingers. There were no glass

. Krag dropped onto the floor and rolled around on his back, kicking his legs in the air. He tried to drag Maskull down on top of hi

nged, piercing wail, such as a banshee might be imagin

Maskull, disengaging him

rit trying to reproduce the bagpipes of it

ag. “Maskull will sleep

ic friend. I am pilot, and you passeng

at last?” as

icon! . . . Do you know that it takes light a hundred years or so

t that Surtur i

he is. He is a

I see

u have asked for it, and wanted it. Few people in Tormance will know

through a trap to the flat roof above. When they

eight high; the tank containing the Arcturian back rays was in front, the car behind. The nose of the torpedo was directed toward the south-eastern sky.

c, far-distant star, which was to be their sun from now onward. He frowned, shivered slightly, and got in beside Nightspore. Krag clambered

Its speed increased sensibly, though not excessively, until the approximate limits of the earth’s atmosphere were reached. Krag

rama of the heavens. An extreme drowsiness oppressed him. He opened his eyes violently a do

e’s face. The alterations in the aspect of the sk

ching with savage intentness his phospho