A Journey in Other Worlds [28]
marked '8,' "the champagne cocktails will be on the desk."
"I see you know his ways," said Stillman to Bearwarden, drooping
his eyes in Deepwaters's direction.
"Oh, yes, I've been here before," replied Deepwaters. "You see,
we navy men have to hustle now-a-days, and can't pass our time in
a high-backed chair, talking platitudes."
At this moment there was a slight rumbling, and eight champagne
cocktails, with the froth still on, and straws on a separate
plate, shot in and landed on a corner of the desk.
"Help yourselves, gentlemen," said Bearwarden, placing them on a
table; "I hope we shall find them cold."
"Do you know," said Deepwaters to Ayrault, while rapidly making
his cocktail disappear, "the Callisto's cost with its outfit will
be very great, especially if you use glucinum, which, though the
ideal metal for the purpose, comes pretty high? I suggest that
you apply to Congress for an appropriation. This experiment
comes under the 'Promotion of Science Act,' and any bill for it
would certainly pass."
"No, indeed," replied Ayrault; "the Callisto trip will be a
privilege and glory I would not miss, and building her will be a
part of it. I shall put in everything conducive to success, but
will come to the Government only for advice."
"I will send a letter to all our ambassadors and consuls," said
Stillman, "to telegraph the department anything they may know or
learn that will be of use in adjusting the batteries, controlling
the machine, or anything else, and will turn over to you in a
succinct form all information that may be relevant, for without
such sorting you would be overwhelmed."
"And I," said Deepwaters, "will order the commanders of our
vessels to give you a farewell salute at starting, and to pick
you up in case you fail. When you have demonstrated the
suitability of apergy," he continued, "and the habitability of
Jupiter and Saturn--,which, with their five and eight moons,
respectively, and rings thrown in, must both be vastly superior
to our little second-rate globe--we will see what can be done
towards changing our orbit, and if we cannot swing a little
nearer to our new world or worlds. Then we'll lower, or rather
raise, the boats in the shape of numerous Callistos, and have a
landing-party ready at each opposition, while a man or two can be
placed in charge of each projectile to bring it back in ballast.
Thus we may soon have regular interplanetary lines."
"As every place seems to have been settled from some other," said
Cortlandt, "I do not see why, with increased scientific
facilities, history should not repeat itself, and this be the
point from which to colonize the solar system; for, for the
present at least, it would seem that we could not get beyond
that."
"As it will be quite an undertaking to change the orbit, said
Deepwaters, "we shall have time meanwhile to absorb or run out
all inferior races, so that we shall not make the mistake of
extending the Tower of Babel."
"He is putting on his war-paint," said Stillman, "and will soon
want a planet to himself."
"I see no necessity for even changing the orbit," said
Bearwarden, "except for the benefit of those that remain. If
this attempt succeeds, it can doubtless be repeated. An increase
in eccentricity would merely shorten the journey, if aphelion
always coincided with opposition, which it would not."
"Let us know how you are getting on," said Deepwaters to Ayrault,
"and be sure you have the Callisto properly christened. Step
lively there, landlubbers!" he called to Stillman; "I have an
appointment at Washington at one, and it is now twenty minutes
past twelve. We can lunch on the way."
Ayrault immediately advertised for bids for the construction of a
glucinum cylinder twenty-five feet in diameter, fifteen feet high
at the sides, with a domed roof, bringing up the total height to
twenty-one feet, and with a small gutter about it to catch the
rain on Jupiter or any other planet they might visit. The sides,