The Argosy, Vol. XXIV, No. 1 — page 107: what you’re looking at

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

A MONTH IN THE MOON. 107 On the sixth day after the arrival under the walls of Tehbali of the left wing of the Mahdists, who had turned aside from the siege of Khartoum to assail the peak, it became evident that an assault was prepargng. Horsemen went and came from one camp to another ; trifes formed them- selves into columus; tom toms resounded on every side, and thousands of weapons gleamed in the sunshine. On a sudden one of the columns got into marching order and drew toward the village of Tehbali, now entirely deserted by its inhabitants. The other columns proceeded eastward and northward in the direction of the pedk. There was not a moment to be lost in checking tits movement. One of the cannons behind a little earth mound on the esplanade was pointed on the village, which the south column had now almost reached. ‘“ Fire !’’ said Norbert. The cannon ball flew through the air and fell, bursting behind the attack- ing column. It was not a bad shot fora first attempt. None of the assail- ants were hit, but they were panic stricken by the noise in their rear, and they fled in disorder. The other columns followed their example. For two or three days they gave no more sign of life. Soon, however, they were seen working hard at planting cannon batteries on the adjacent heights, and on the seventh day of the assault one of these batteries opened fire, Not a single cannon ball so much as touched the observatory, which stood much higher than the guns of the besiegers. But several projectiles fell upon the furnaces and the other buildings at the base of the peak, and it was clear that the enemy aimed especially at destroying the works. This was too much for Norbert’s philosophy. His lonely plateau was to him the whole world, and so, on the second day of the bombardment, he resolved to see for himself what harm had been done. ‘Taking advantage of the time of siesta, when even the cannon’s voice was silenced, and all the world slept, besiegers as well as besieged, he went alone and on foot, cautiously down the mountain. | There was not much harm done, but still quite sufficient to disquiet him. He came to a sudden resolution to try the final coup at once. ‘‘Virgil,’’ he said, on his return to the summit, ‘‘join the connecting wires to the shafts of the heat condensers.’* It was now forty eight minutes past two o’clock. A searching sun shone right down on the Bayouda Desert. Virgil set about his work undisturbed. At the end of half an hour he returned to the Gallery of Telescopes, where Norbert was observing the sky, and announced that all the heat condensers were at work. According to the calculations it took five minutes for the maximum effect of the machines to be attained, and a quarter of an hour to charge the accu- mulators. This done, the action could be kept up continually day and night. Norbert waited twenty minutes, watch in hand, and then went. to the Hall of Motors. Here he found Sir Bucephalus, reading the lastest number of the 7Z77es, CoORnnie nooks 5 ;