The Moon Metal

d as incapable of affording a grip for the fingers or a support for the toes. Presently we arrived at the foot of a stupendous precipice, which was absolutely insurmount

ut to it," I remarked. "If you will go to the left I will t

place easier than this," Hall repli

concealed about you?" I as

ded, unstrapping his knapsack. He produced

med. "But how are you

hydrogen, and which was furnished with a device for retarding the vol

l just suffice to carry up our rope, and a small but practically unbreakable grapple of hardened gold. I calculate to send the grapple to the top of the precipice with the balloon, and

airship, with the grapple swaying beneath it, over the brow of the cliff into the atmospheric eddy above. As soon as we saw that the grapple was well over the edge we pulled upon the rope. The bal

must be our motto

lt, although each time we slightly shifte

ultaneously we threw our weight upon the slender

aught the first knot above my head. "It's my device,

iftly hand over hand, but occasionally stopping and t

he had ascended about one hundred feet. "Here and

y ploughing its way towards the edge with each impulse of the climber, until but another pull was needed to set it flying! So vivid was my fancy that I tried to banish it by noticing that a certain knot in the rope remai

down feet foremost. It would be useless to attempt any description of my feelings; I would not go through that experience again

cheerily. "No harm don

uld prove more secure than the first? Hall did not hesitate, however, for one instant. Up he went again. But, in fact, his best chance was in going up, for he was within four yards of the top when the mishap occu

shouted. "It

his side I grasped his hand and pressed i

a miracle," he remarked

erge of the precipice the prong had wedged itself into a narrow crack, so firmly that we had to chip away the stone in o

e we ventured to attack the next precipice which hung beetling directly above us. It was not as lofty as the one we had j

f the anchorage, not only putting our combined weight repeatedly upon the rope, but flipping and jerking it with all o

, had imparted a most distressing oscillation to the rope. This sometimes carried me with a nerve-shaking bang against a prominent point of the precipice, where I would dislodge loose fragments that kept Hall dodging for his life, and then I would swing out, apparently beyond the brow of

ence I worked myself fairly out of breath, so that, when at last I reached the rounded brow of the cliff, I

astened I signalled to Hall, and he soon stood at my sid

ll try wing

ce. However, it would have been impossible to go back. In order to descend the two precipices we had surmounted it would have been nece

rrow ridge, but a few square yards in area, which constitutes the apex of the Grand Teton. A little below, on the opposite side of a steep-walled gap which divides the top of the mountain into two pa

cting the Syx works, the top of whose great tufted smoke column was thousands of feet beneath our level. Jackson's Lake, Jenny's Lake, Leigh's Lake, and several lakelet

laimed Hall, "I thoug

ha

ss at the roof of Syx's mil

n as I had put the glass to my eyes. "There's

inside!" repeated

there except so

nothing becaus

see nothing that I can make anything of except a shining

e Syx works many t

es

see the openin

ev

ever he

ev

how his visitors everyt

, he concealed the double tunnel

han that," Hall responded, "and the Gran

riend was absorbed in th

he most wonderful

Well, I've long

at you are thinking of. Do you remember my

ly surprised by your qu

x Syx is greater than any alchemist that ever lived. If those old fellows in the dark ages had accomplished everything they set out to do, they would h

he man in the moon,"

ned Hall, "and some

that shines down there? You see

, and he whirled about and glanced down at the Syx mill. The column of smoke was diminishing in volume, an indication that the engine was about to enjoy one of its periodical rests. The irregularity of these stoppages had always been a subject

ing wide apart on the roof, moved towards one another until their arched sections

s mid-afternoon, and we shall need all of our t

at divides the summit of the Teton into two pinnacles, we had no difficulty in descending by the route followed by all previous climbers. The weather was fine, and, having found good shelter among the rocks, we passed the night in comfort. The next day we succeeded in swinging r

n on top of the

aste for that sort of thing I should advise you to go u

alloon of yours," continued th

ve been planning that a long time. You probably don't

way without pursuin

ld have known that he would see us going up this side of the peak, particularly with the balloon to give us away. However, what's done ca