A Journey in Other Worlds [58]
tired, they concluded not to pitch their camp, but to
resume the march by moonlight, which would be easy in the high,
open country they were traversing.
While in quest of fire-wood, they came upon great heaps of bones,
mostly those of birds, and were attracted by the tall,
bell-shaped flowers growing luxuriantly in their midst. These
exhaled a most delicious perfume, and at the centre of each
flower was a viscous liquid, the colour of honey.
"If this tastes as well as it looks," said Bearwarden, "it will
come in well for dessert"; saying which he thrust his finger into
the recesses of the flower, intending to taste the essence.
Quietly, but like a flash, the flower closed, his hand being
nearly caught and badly scratched by the long, sharp thorns that
now appeared at the edges.
"Ha!" he exclaimed, "a sensitive and you may almost say a
man-eating plant. This doubtless has been the fate of these
birds, whose bones now lie bleaching at its feet after they have
nourished its lips with their lives. No doubt the plant has use
for them still, since their skeletons may serve to fertilize its
roots."
Wishing to investigate further, Bearwarden placed one of the
birds they had shot within the bell of another flower, which
immediately contracted with such force that they saw drops of
blood squeezed out. After some minutes the flower opened, as
beautiful as ever, and discharged an oblong ball compressed to
about the size of a hen's egg, though the bird that was placed
within it had been as large as a small duck. Towards evening
these flowers sent up their most beautiful song, to hear which
flocks of birds came from far and near, alighting on the trees,
and many were lured to death by the siren strains and the honey.
Before resuming their journey, the travellers paid a parting
visit to the bell-shaped lilies on their pyramids of bones. The
flowers were closed for the night, and the travellers saw by the
moonlight that the white mounds were simply alive with
diamond-headed snakes. These coiled themselves, flattened their
heads, and set up such a hissing on the explorers' approach that
they were glad to retire, and leave this curious contrast of
hideousness and beauty to the fire-flies and the moons. Marching
along in Indian file, the better to avoid treading on the
writhing serpents that strewed the ground, they kept on for about
two hours. They frequently passed huge heaps or mounds of bones,
evidently the remains of bears or other large animals. The
carnivorous plants growing at their centre were often like hollow
trees, and might easily have received the three travellers in one
embrace. But as before, the mounds were alive with serpents that
evidently made them their homes, and raised an angry hiss
whenever the men approached.
"The wonder to me," said Bearwarden, "is, that these snakes do
not protect the game, by keeping it from the life-devouring
plants. It may be that they do not show themselves by day or
when the victims are near, or that the quadrupeds on which these
plants live take a pleasure, like deer, in killing them by
jumping with all four feet upon their backs or in some other way,
and after that are entrapped by the flowers."
Shortly after midnight they rested for a half hour, but the dawn
found them trudging along steadily, though somewhat wearily, and
having about completed the third side of their square.
Accordingly, they soon made a right-angle turn to the left, and
had been picking their way over the rough ground for nearly two
hours, with the sun already high in the sky, when they noticed a
diminution of light. Glancing up, they saw that one of the moons
was passing across the sun, and that they were on the eve of a
total eclipse.
"Since all but the fifth moon," said Cortlandt, "revolve exactly
in the plane of Jupiter's equator, any inhabitants that settle
there will become accustomed to eclipses, for there must be one
of the sun, and also of the moons, at each revolution, or about
forty-five hundred
resume the march by moonlight, which would be easy in the high,
open country they were traversing.
While in quest of fire-wood, they came upon great heaps of bones,
mostly those of birds, and were attracted by the tall,
bell-shaped flowers growing luxuriantly in their midst. These
exhaled a most delicious perfume, and at the centre of each
flower was a viscous liquid, the colour of honey.
"If this tastes as well as it looks," said Bearwarden, "it will
come in well for dessert"; saying which he thrust his finger into
the recesses of the flower, intending to taste the essence.
Quietly, but like a flash, the flower closed, his hand being
nearly caught and badly scratched by the long, sharp thorns that
now appeared at the edges.
"Ha!" he exclaimed, "a sensitive and you may almost say a
man-eating plant. This doubtless has been the fate of these
birds, whose bones now lie bleaching at its feet after they have
nourished its lips with their lives. No doubt the plant has use
for them still, since their skeletons may serve to fertilize its
roots."
Wishing to investigate further, Bearwarden placed one of the
birds they had shot within the bell of another flower, which
immediately contracted with such force that they saw drops of
blood squeezed out. After some minutes the flower opened, as
beautiful as ever, and discharged an oblong ball compressed to
about the size of a hen's egg, though the bird that was placed
within it had been as large as a small duck. Towards evening
these flowers sent up their most beautiful song, to hear which
flocks of birds came from far and near, alighting on the trees,
and many were lured to death by the siren strains and the honey.
Before resuming their journey, the travellers paid a parting
visit to the bell-shaped lilies on their pyramids of bones. The
flowers were closed for the night, and the travellers saw by the
moonlight that the white mounds were simply alive with
diamond-headed snakes. These coiled themselves, flattened their
heads, and set up such a hissing on the explorers' approach that
they were glad to retire, and leave this curious contrast of
hideousness and beauty to the fire-flies and the moons. Marching
along in Indian file, the better to avoid treading on the
writhing serpents that strewed the ground, they kept on for about
two hours. They frequently passed huge heaps or mounds of bones,
evidently the remains of bears or other large animals. The
carnivorous plants growing at their centre were often like hollow
trees, and might easily have received the three travellers in one
embrace. But as before, the mounds were alive with serpents that
evidently made them their homes, and raised an angry hiss
whenever the men approached.
"The wonder to me," said Bearwarden, "is, that these snakes do
not protect the game, by keeping it from the life-devouring
plants. It may be that they do not show themselves by day or
when the victims are near, or that the quadrupeds on which these
plants live take a pleasure, like deer, in killing them by
jumping with all four feet upon their backs or in some other way,
and after that are entrapped by the flowers."
Shortly after midnight they rested for a half hour, but the dawn
found them trudging along steadily, though somewhat wearily, and
having about completed the third side of their square.
Accordingly, they soon made a right-angle turn to the left, and
had been picking their way over the rough ground for nearly two
hours, with the sun already high in the sky, when they noticed a
diminution of light. Glancing up, they saw that one of the moons
was passing across the sun, and that they were on the eve of a
total eclipse.
"Since all but the fifth moon," said Cortlandt, "revolve exactly
in the plane of Jupiter's equator, any inhabitants that settle
there will become accustomed to eclipses, for there must be one
of the sun, and also of the moons, at each revolution, or about
forty-five hundred