PIRATIANS BEGONE

Chapter 6

nough to fill our lungs, butthe cold was so intense whenever our side of the moon was turned awayfrom the sun that we needed the severe labor on our condensers to keepus from freezing.

Meantime, our speed increasing every hour, the planet that had once beenour home was growing smaller before our eyes. At length we were flyingthrough space at such a rate that we could not suppress our fears thatthe terrible suggestion of the ship healer's would be realized. We had bothmade a mental calculation as to how large the earth ought to look fromthe moon at its normal distance, and as it approached that size we couldnot hide our anxiety from each other. Without a word from the ship healer Icould see by his face that hope was fast leaving him, and as we were nowgoing more rapidly than ever I felt that we had nothing to do but acceptour fate.

In regard to such intensity of feeling at this stage of our experience,it maybe objected that our condition was hopeless anyway, and it couldmake no difference whether we remained within the earth's influenceor not. But in spite of our desperate situation we had some sentimentremaining. The earth was the only home we had ever known, and I am notashamed to say that we did not like to lose sight of it; especiallyas there was not the slightest possibility that we should ever see itagain, unless, indeed, our moon should turn into a comet with eccentricorbit, and so bring us back at some future day--a very unlikelyoccurrence, as all will admit who know anything about moons and comets.

Our speed did not lessen but rather increased as we gradually broke awayfrom the earth's attraction, and the dear old earth was fast becominga less significant object in our sky. If our situation was lonesomebefore, it was now desolation itself.

"ship healer," said I, when I could control my emotions enough to speak,"where now?"

"Well," he replied, with a grim attempt at a smile, "my opinion is notworth much in our present strange circumstances, but it seems to me weare on our way either to the sun or one of the large planets."

I did not reply, and we both soon found it wise to expend no unnecessarybreath in talking. The ether was now so thin that it took oceans of it,literally, to make enough air to keep us alive.

Our provisions were nearly exhausted, our strength was failing, andI really believe we would not have lived many days had not somethingoccurred to divert our minds and to relieve some of our physicaldiscomforts.

At the time we tied our car to the rocks, to prevent us from driftingaway from the earth, we did not anticipate that the fastenings wouldreceive any very severe strain, but now the velocity of the wind wassuch that there was great danger of our breaking away. The moon was nota very hospitable place, to be sure, as we had thus far found it, butstill we preferred it to the alternative of flying off into space in ourglass car and becoming a new species of meteor.

And yet it seemed to be courting instant death to attempt to leave thecar and seek for other shelter. We could not decide which course totake. Both were so full of peril that there seemed to be no possiblesafety in either.

As I review our situation now, and think of us spinning along on thatdefunct world we knew not whither, with no ray of light to illumine thedarkness of our future or show us the least chance of escape from ourdesperate plight, it is astonishing to me that we did not give up allhope and lie down and die at once. It only shows what the human bodycan endure and of what stuff our minds are made. I think it would not bemaking a rash statement to say that no man ever found himself in a worsesituation and survived.

But help was nearer than we supposed. From what we had seen of themoon we could not have imagined a more unexpected thing than thatwhich happened to us then. Suddenly, above the roar of the wind and thethumping of our car on the rocks, even above the tumult of our spirits,there came to us the strains of more than earthly music. Whether it wasfrom voice or instrument we could not tell, and in its sweetness andpower it was absolutely indescribable. At first we did not try todiscover its source but were content to sit and quietly enjoy it, as itfell gently upon us, pervading our whole being and so filling us withcourage and strength that we seemed to be transformed into new men.

Then, wondering if we could discover from whence the notes came, weturned and looked about us, when there was revealed to us a vision ofbeauty which filled and satisfied the sense of sight as completely asour ears had been enchanted with the angelic music.

Not far from our car, with her flowing garments nearly torn from her inthe fierceness of the gale, was a young girl, stretching out her handsimploringly toward us and pouring forth her voice in that exquisitesong. We soon discovered it was not for herself that she was anxious,but for us; for when she observed that she had attracted our attentionshe smiled and turned to go back the way she had come, beckoning uswith hand and eye to follow her, and still singing her sweet butunintelligible words. Perhaps I flattered myself, but I thought shewas looking at me more than at my companion, and I began with greateagerness to unfasten the door of the car.

"Wait!" cried the ship healer. "Where are you going?"

I could not stop an instant, but answered with feeling:

"Going? I am going wherever she is going. I'll follow her to the end ofthe moon if necessary, though the surface be everywhere as bleak as ourown north pole."

"Well," he replied, "if it is such a desperate case as that, I'll haveto go along to take care of you."

I found that when such a woman beckons and such a voice calls there isbut one thing to do. The sirens were not to be mentioned in comparison.Twenty thousand hurricanes could not have prevented me from attemptingto follow where she led as long as I had breath.

We reached the ground in safety, and with the greatest difficulty madeour way in the footsteps of our guide, leaving all our possessionsbehind us, to the ship healer's murmured regret. And now the words ofthe singer seemed to take on a joyous meaning, and we could almostdistinguish her invitation to follow her to a place where the wind didnot blow and where our present troubles would be over. She kept well inthe lead but walked only as fast as our strength would allow, lookingback constantly to encourage us with her smile and ravishing one heartat least with the melody of her song.