The Argosy, Vol. XXV, No. 1 — page 188: what you’re looking at

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

188 A MONTH IN THE MOON. ‘“‘ Shall I tell you, my masters,’’ pursued Kaddour, ‘‘ how this child was sold by you to the Viceroy of Egypt; how at Cairo he lived the life of a curious beast or domestic animal for twelve years ; how he fled to the desert, where he instigated rebellion and incited the natives to war ; how he subse- quently found himself in the moon; and how, throughout it all, one fixed idea governed him—the determination to be revenged on you? But I need not detail the history; you have recognized me, and you know now what to expect. Yes, Peter Gryphins; yes, Vogel ; it is I—Midgy, Ex-General-in- Chief of the myrmidons of the Sultan of Batavia! I—whose flesh you cramped and mutilated, to sell it, first to the gaping public, then to a viceroy. I have grown a little—at least four inches—since you lost sight of me. ‘The child’s chin now bears a man’s beard. But it is I, all the same, you scoundrels! I have you at last within my grasp, and-I won’t let you go!’’ ° : Kaddour might have gone on indefinitely in this strain ; the unhappy men had ceased to listen to his words. Beside themselves with amazement and fear, they had fallen on their knees before him, beseeching mercy. But he would not even look at them. Maddened with rage, he heaped stone upon stone in feverish haste, while Virgil quickly worked the plaster ; and in a few minutes only a square aperture of a few inches in size remained for the passage of air. CHAPTER XLV.—NEARING THE EARTH. SOME minutes after the late terrible scene between Kaddour and his old tormentors, Virgil took provisions to them, and reassured the unfortunate men with the intelligence that the only penalty inflicted on them was to fetch the chlorate back from the bottom of the crater Rheticus. They did,this with such alacrity that the chlorate was all restored within twelve hours, although this entailed enlarging the orifice of the crater, going down it, and filling their sacks to take them to the observatory penny seven times in succession. The fabrication of oxygen now proceeded rapidly, while the machines were set going to charge the electro-accumulators. At the expiration of forty eight hours, the time fixed by Norbert, the preparations were com- pleted. The young scientist announced the welcome fact at breakfast time, and then proceeded quite calmly to establish contact. ‘' Now we start,’”’ he said, looking at his chronometer and making a note in his pocketbook. ‘‘ We shall arrive in a hundred and fifty five hours and eight minutes, not counting the seconds.’’ ‘“ Arrive where ?’’ asked Gertrude. ‘In the Soudan. I had a motive yesterday in hurrying matters so. The position of the earth at this moment is such that we have every chance of descending on the desert of Bayouda. Had I waited one hour longer we should have fallen on Bengal or Cochin China. It was, you see, advis- able to make as much haste as possible. ’’ Eomichook (S@)