A Voyage to Arcturus

hing in the shape of food. In a safe in the kitchen he discovered a bag of mouldy oatmeal, which was untouchable, a quantity of quite good tea in an airtight caddy, and an unop

For firewood, one of the kitchen chairs was broken up with a chopper. The light, dusty wood made a good blaze in the gr

took the place of it; the nearly black tea was mixed with an equal quantity of the spirit. Of this c

rly. "Do you intend to finish

and one must do someth

a look at t

l's lips, remained poised in the air. "

out to the Ga

t's

swered Nightspore

. "Walking is better than soaking at any time, and

four miles

ginning to regard you as a second Krag. But if so, so mu

ely found themselves again on the moorland road that had brought th

the erection with puzzled interes

the platform

hrowing him

es

n we are looking at the gateway of Arcturus,

it impossible, I fanc

t at the end of another mile it vanished. The two men then had some rough walking up and down hillsides and across deep gullies. The sun disappeared behind the hills, and twilight imperceptibly came on. They soon reached a spot where furthe

aid Nightspore. "We are both used to

e instantly swung himself down and started walking along this ledge at a rapid pace. Maskull, seeing that there was no help for it, followed him. The shelf did not extend for above a quarter of a mile, but its passage was some

d platform of rock and came to a sudden end. A narrow inlet of t

," said Maskull, "I presume

lying at full length, face downward. He drew his head and shoul

teresting down th

s ineffectually gazing, he heard what sounded like the beating of a drum on the narrow strip of shore below. It was very faint, but quite distinct. The beats were in four-four time, with the third beat slig

in, he questioned Nightspore. "W

locally 'The Drum Taps of Sorgie.' You will not hear tha

ll it imply?" demande

to hear it more and more distinctly.... N

oked at the time. It was past six.... But he was t

s a little way above the sea, directly opposite them, in the east. As they were passing the base of the tower, Maskull

make haste t

obably in there, since the gate

nted, but made

, and the flickering light disclosed the lower end of a cir

ll wait

he proceeded, the sensation of crushing weight, so far from diminishing, grew worse and worse. It was nearly physically impossible to go on; his lungs could not take in enough oxygen, while his heart th

that it was not a window at all but a lens.... The sky was not a wide expanse of space containing a multitude of stars, but a blurred darkness, focused only in one part, where two very bright stars, like small moons in size, appeared in close conjunction; and near t

ot appeared in their naked reality.... These colors seemed to him most marvellous, as if, in seeing them through earth eyes, he was not seeing them correctly.... But it was at Tormance that he stared the longest and the most earnestly. On that myste

understand, Maskull, that you are only an instrument, to be used and then broken? Nigh

with trembling fingers. No one was i

of the tower. On gaining the open air, his sensation of weight was instantly removed, b

form came forward.

t see him. But I he

it

but a voice warne

se voices too," said Ni