A Journey in Other Worlds [49]
while Ayrault set about starting a fire. He
had to use Cortlandt's gun to clear the dry wood of snakes,
which, attracted doubtless by the dead mastodon, came in such
numbers that they covered the ground, while huge pterodactyls,
more venomous-looking than the reptiles, hovered about the
opening above.
Arranging a double line of electric wires in a circle about the
mastodon and themselves, they sat down and did justice to the
meal, with appetites that might have dismayed the waiting throng.
Whenever a snake's head came in contact with one wire, while his
tail touched the other, he gave a spasmodic leap and fell back
dead. If he happened to fall across the wires, lie immediately
began to sizzle, a cloud of smoke arose, and lie was reduced to
ashes.
"Any time that we are short of mastodon or other good game," said
Ayrault, "we need not hunger if we are not above grilled snake."
All laughed at this, and Bearwarden, drawing a whiskey-flask from
his pocket, passed it to his friends.
"When we rig our fishing-tackle," he continued, "and have fresh
fish for dinner, an entree of rattlesnake, roast mastodon for the
piece de resistance, and begin the whole with turtle soup and
clams, of which there must be plenty on the ocean beach, we shall
want to stay here the rest of our lives."
"I suspect we shall have to," replied Ayrault "for we shall
become so like Thanksgiving turkeys that the Callisto's door will
be too small for us."
While they sat and talked, the flowers and plants about them
softly began their song, and, as a visual accompaniment, the
fire-flies they had not before noticed twinkled through the
forest.
"My goodness! " exclaimed Cortlandt, "how time goes here! We
started to get breakfast, and now it's growing dark."
Hastily cutting some thick but tender slices from the mastodon,
and impaling them with the remains of the heart on a sharpened
stake, they took up the wires, and the battery that had been
supplying the current, and retraced their steps by the way they
had come. Their rubber-lined cowhide boots protected them from
all but the largest snakes, and as these were for the most part
already enjoying their gorge, they trampled with impunity on
those that remained in their path. When they had covered about
half the distance to the raft, a huge boa-constrictor, which they
had mistaken for a branch, fell upon Cortlandt, pinioning his
arms and bearing him to the ground. Dropping their loads,
Bearwarden and Ayrault threw themselves upon the monster with
their hunting-knives with such vim that in a few seconds it beat
a hasty retreat, leaving, as it did so, a wake of phosphorescent
light.
"Are you hurt?" asked Bearwarden, helping him up.
"Not in the least," replied Cortlandt. "What surprises me is
that I am not. The weight of that boa-constrictor would be very
great on earth, and here I should think it would be simply
crushing."
Groping their way through the rapidly growing darkness, they
reached the raft without further adventure, and, once on the
lake, had plenty of light. Two moons, one at three quarters and
the other full, shone brightly, while the water was alive with
gymnotuses and other luminous creatures. Sitting and living upon
the cross-timbers, they looked up at the sky. The Great Bear and
the north star had exactly the same relation to each other as
when seen from the earth, while the other constellations and the
Milky Way looked identically as when they had so often gazed at
them before, and some idea of the immensity of space was conveyed
to them. Here was no change; though they had travelled three
hundred and eighty million miles, there was no more perceptible
difference than if they had not moved a foot. Perhaps, they
thought, to the telescopes--if there are any--among the stars,
the sun was seen to be accompanied by two small, dark companions,
for Jupiter and Saturn might be visible, or perhaps it seemed
merely as a slightly variable star, in years when sun-spots were
numerous,
had to use Cortlandt's gun to clear the dry wood of snakes,
which, attracted doubtless by the dead mastodon, came in such
numbers that they covered the ground, while huge pterodactyls,
more venomous-looking than the reptiles, hovered about the
opening above.
Arranging a double line of electric wires in a circle about the
mastodon and themselves, they sat down and did justice to the
meal, with appetites that might have dismayed the waiting throng.
Whenever a snake's head came in contact with one wire, while his
tail touched the other, he gave a spasmodic leap and fell back
dead. If he happened to fall across the wires, lie immediately
began to sizzle, a cloud of smoke arose, and lie was reduced to
ashes.
"Any time that we are short of mastodon or other good game," said
Ayrault, "we need not hunger if we are not above grilled snake."
All laughed at this, and Bearwarden, drawing a whiskey-flask from
his pocket, passed it to his friends.
"When we rig our fishing-tackle," he continued, "and have fresh
fish for dinner, an entree of rattlesnake, roast mastodon for the
piece de resistance, and begin the whole with turtle soup and
clams, of which there must be plenty on the ocean beach, we shall
want to stay here the rest of our lives."
"I suspect we shall have to," replied Ayrault "for we shall
become so like Thanksgiving turkeys that the Callisto's door will
be too small for us."
While they sat and talked, the flowers and plants about them
softly began their song, and, as a visual accompaniment, the
fire-flies they had not before noticed twinkled through the
forest.
"My goodness! " exclaimed Cortlandt, "how time goes here! We
started to get breakfast, and now it's growing dark."
Hastily cutting some thick but tender slices from the mastodon,
and impaling them with the remains of the heart on a sharpened
stake, they took up the wires, and the battery that had been
supplying the current, and retraced their steps by the way they
had come. Their rubber-lined cowhide boots protected them from
all but the largest snakes, and as these were for the most part
already enjoying their gorge, they trampled with impunity on
those that remained in their path. When they had covered about
half the distance to the raft, a huge boa-constrictor, which they
had mistaken for a branch, fell upon Cortlandt, pinioning his
arms and bearing him to the ground. Dropping their loads,
Bearwarden and Ayrault threw themselves upon the monster with
their hunting-knives with such vim that in a few seconds it beat
a hasty retreat, leaving, as it did so, a wake of phosphorescent
light.
"Are you hurt?" asked Bearwarden, helping him up.
"Not in the least," replied Cortlandt. "What surprises me is
that I am not. The weight of that boa-constrictor would be very
great on earth, and here I should think it would be simply
crushing."
Groping their way through the rapidly growing darkness, they
reached the raft without further adventure, and, once on the
lake, had plenty of light. Two moons, one at three quarters and
the other full, shone brightly, while the water was alive with
gymnotuses and other luminous creatures. Sitting and living upon
the cross-timbers, they looked up at the sky. The Great Bear and
the north star had exactly the same relation to each other as
when seen from the earth, while the other constellations and the
Milky Way looked identically as when they had so often gazed at
them before, and some idea of the immensity of space was conveyed
to them. Here was no change; though they had travelled three
hundred and eighty million miles, there was no more perceptible
difference than if they had not moved a foot. Perhaps, they
thought, to the telescopes--if there are any--among the stars,
the sun was seen to be accompanied by two small, dark companions,
for Jupiter and Saturn might be visible, or perhaps it seemed
merely as a slightly variable star, in years when sun-spots were
numerous,