Argosy, Volume XXIII — Index Page, 1897 — page 192: what you’re looking at

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

{ml « ,* 762 | A MONTH IN THE MOON. his appearance at one of the side doors of the observatory. He was waving his arms, and signaling to his master to hasten. They both ran up to him, : ‘“A great misfortune has happened, sir !’’ he exclaimed, as soon as Nor- bert had come back into the hearing atmosphere of the observatory. ‘“ What is it?”’ ‘‘ The chlorate of potassium ! ”’ “‘ What about it?’”’ 7 ‘’ You know that there were eight barrels full just before the lunar night. Now there is only one.’’ “ How! only one left? ”’ ‘‘J amas much mystified as yourself, but soit is. All the barrels are empty excepting one alone !’’ Norbert could not believe his ears. It sounded incredible. He ran to the storeroom, where the barrels had been placed. ‘They were all there, ina row, as he had seen them fourteen days previously. But Virgil had spoken true. All but one gave a hollow sound when struck. They were empty. Some one had stolen seven tons of chlorate, and the prisoners must be the culprits. . It was a terrible situation. One ton of chlorate of potassium could not possibly furnish sufficient oxygen for eight days’ consumption. A cold chill of horror crept over Norbert. Was it to be his fate’ to see Gertrude suffocated for want of air in this strange world to which he had brought her ? A hundred times no! Anything but that. The prisoners should be put to death, the others placed on rations, rather than that Mademoiselle Kersain should be in want of oxygen for a single minute ! Followed by Kaddour and Vigil, Norbert went to the prison (where the commissioners received him without a word), and proceeded to make a thorough search throughout the building. ‘“‘ Seven tons of chlorate of potassium,’’ said he, ‘‘are not a trifle, and it could no be very easy to hide them !’’ The walls were sounded, the floor taken up in ever so many places. But all in vain; no chlorate was to be found. Then they searched all about. The circular passage, the storerooms, the whole observatory were examined with the help of the electric light and the pickaxe and hammer. ‘They could find no trace of chlorate. Yet it was impossible that it could have been used up, or have evaporated. There had been no heat for fourteen times twenty four hours. Besides, how could the prisoners have managed to carry out such an operation? Norbert and the doctor felt a growing suspicion stealing over them. Was it possible that Kaddour But, no, the thought was too odious. The dwarf must, in that case, be a very monster of hypocrisy. The whole tenor of his behavior since the castaways had admitted him to their intimacy militated against such a supposition. Norbert would not entertain the idea for a moment. Kaddour himself seemed to have a kind of intuition that he was being suspected, and was naturally therefore more upset than any one about their a) €omicbooks.com —