Amazing Stories, Vol. 2, No. 2 — page 27: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE MOON POOL which Throckmartin said they passed in the Cham- ber of the Moon Pool. The result is the necessary factor in the formation of the Dweller. There would be nothing scientifically improbable in such a pro- cess. Kubalski, the great Russian physicist, pro- duced crystalline forms exhibiting every faculty that we call vital by subjecting certain combina- tions of chemicals to the action of highly concen- trated rays of various colors. Something in light and nothing else produced their pseudo-vitality. We do not begin to know how to harness the potential- ities of that electro-magnetic vibration of the ether we call light.” - “Listen, Doc,” said Larry earnestly, “TI’ll take everything you say about this lost continent, the people who used to live on it, and their caverns, for granted. But by the sword of Brian Boru, you’ll never get me to fall for the idea that a bunch of moonshine can handle a big woman such ag you say Throckmartin’s Thora was, nor a two-fisted man such as you say Throckmartin was, nor Huldricks- son’s wife—and I’ll bet she was one of those strap- ping big northern women too—you’ll never get me to believe that any bunch of concentrated moon- shine could handle them and take them waltzing off along a moonbeam back to wherever it goes. No, Doc, not on your life, jamais de la vie, as we said at the front—nix!”’ “All right O’Keefe,” I answered, now very much irritated indeed. “What’s your theory?” And I could not resist adding: “Fairies?” “Professor,” he grinned, “if that Thing’s a fairy it’s Irish and when it sees me it’ll be so glad there’ll be nothing to it. ‘I was lost, strayed, or stolen, Larry avick,’ it’ll say, ‘an’ I was so homesick for the old sod I was desp’rit,’ it’ll Say, an’ ‘take me back quick before I do any more har-rm!’ it'll tel] me— an’ that’s the truth. “Now don’t get me wrong. I believe you all saw Something all right. But what I think you Saw was some kind of gas. All this region is voleanie and islands and things are constantly poking up from the sea. It’s probably gas; a volcanic emanation: something new to us and that drives you crazy— lots of kinds of gas do that. It hit the Throckmar- tin party on that island and they probably were all more or less delirious all the time; thought they saw things; talked it over and—collective hallucination just like the Angels of Mons and other miracles of the war. Somebody sees something that looks like something else. He points it out to the man next him. ‘Do you see it?’ asks he. ‘Sure I see it,’ Says the other. And there you are—collective hal- lucination. “When your friends got it bad they most likely jumped overboard one by one. Huldricksson sails into a place where it is and it hits his wife. She grabs the child and jumps over. Maybe the moon rays make it luminous! I’ve seen gas on the front under the moon that looked like a thousand whirling dervish devils. Yes, and you could see the devil’s faces in it. And if it got into your lungs nothing could ever make you think you hadn’t seen real devils.” For a time I was silent. “Larry,” I said at last, “whether you are right or I am right, I must go to the Nan-Matal. Will you go with me, Larry?” “Goodwin,” he replied, “I surely will. I’m ag in- terested as you are. If we don’t run across the Dolphin I'll stick. Ill leave word at Ponape, to tell them where I am should they come along. If they report me dead for a while there’s nobody to care. So that’s all right. Only old man, be reasonable. You’ve thought over this so long, you’re going bug, honestly you are.” And again, the gladness that I might have Larry O’Keefe with me, was so great that I forgot to be angry. CHAPTER X The Moon Pool A COSTA, who had come aboard unnoticed 1) by either of us, now tapped me on the arm. “Doctair Goodwin,” he said, “ean I see you in my cabin, sair?” At last, then, he was going to speak. I followed him. “Doctair,” he said, when we had entered, “fhis is a veree strange thing that has happened to Olaf. Veree strange. An’ the natives of Ponape, they have been very much excite’ lately. “Of what they fear I know nothing, nothing!” Again that quick, furtive crossing of himself. “But this I have to tell you. There came to me from Ranaloa last month a man, a German, a doctair, like you. His name was von Hetzdorp. I take him to Ponape an’ the natives there they will not take him to the Nan-Matal where he wish to go— no! SolItake him. We leave in a boat, wit’ much instrument carefully tied up. I leave him there wit’ the boat an’ the food. He tell me to tell no one an’ pay me not to. But you are a friend an’ Olaf he depend much upon you an’ so I tell you, sair.” “You know nothing more than this, Da Costa?” I asked. ‘Nothing of another expedition ?” “No,” he shook his head vehemently. “Nothing more.” “Hear the name Throckmartin while you were there?” TI persisted. “No,” his eyes were steady as he answered but the pallor had crept again into his face. I was not so sure. But if he knew more than he had told me why was he afraid to speak? My anx- iety deepened and later I sought relief from it by repeating the conversation to O’Keefe. “So!” He whistled. “Well, that means trouble. Now I’ll pray to all the fairies in Ireland that we don’t meet up with the Dolphin.” His prayers must have been powerful, for the hext morning we raised Ponape, without further incident, and before noon the Suwarna and the Brunhilda had dropped anchor in the harbor. Upon the excitement and manifest dread of the natives, when we sought among them for carriers and work- men to accompany us, I will not dwell. It is enough to say that no payment we offered could induce a single one of them to go to the Nan-Matal. Nor would they say why. Finally it was agreed that the Brunhilda should be left in charge of a half-bees? O31 5y27) 131 — - CSCO AA