A Journey in Other Worlds [75]
Asia. They found no trace of the great
monsters that had been so numerous on the mainland, though there
were plenty of smaller and gentle-looking creatures, among them
animals whose build was much like that of the prehistoric horse,
with undeveloped toes on each side of the hoof, which in the
modern terrestrial horse have disappeared, the hoof being in
reality but a rounded-off middle finger.
"It is wonderful," said Bearwarden, "how comparatively narrow
a body of water can keep different species entirely separate.
The island of Sumatra, for instance, is inhabited by marsupials
belonging to the distinct Australian type, in which the female,
as in the kangaroo, carries the slightly developed young in a
pouch; while the Malay peninsula, joined to the mainland, has all
the highly developed animals of Asia and the connected land of
the Eastern hemisphere, the narrow Malacca Strait being all that
has kept marsupials and mammals apart, though the separating
power has been increased by the rapid current setting through.
This has decreased the chance of creatures carried to sea on
drift-wood or uprooted trees getting safely over to such a degree
that apparently none have survived; for, had they done so, we may
be certain that the mammals, with the advantage their young have
over the marsupials, would soon have run them out, the marsupials
being the older and the less perfect form of life of the two."
Before leaving the beautiful sea-girt region beneath them,
Cortlandt proposed that it be named after their host, which
Bearwarden seconded, whereupon they entered it as Ayrault Island
on the charts. After this they rose to a great height, and flew
swiftly over three thousand miles of ocean till they came to
another island not quite as large as the first. It was four
thousand five hundred miles long by something less than three
thousand wide, and was therefore about the size of Africa. It
had several high ranges of mountains and a number of great rivers
and fine harbours, while murmuring, bubbling brooks flowed
through its forest glades. There were active volcanoes along the
northern coast, and the blue, crimson, and purple lines in the
luxuriant foliage were the most beautiful they had ever seen.
"I propose," said Bearwarden, "that we christen this Sylvialand."
This Cortlandt immediately seconded, and it was so entered on the
charts.
"These two islands," said Bearwarden, "may become the centres of
civilization. With flying machines and cables to carry
passengers and information, and ships of great displacement for
the interchange of commodities, there is no limit to their
possible development. The absence of large waves will also be
very favourable to sea-spiders, which will be able to run at
tremendous speeds. The constancy in the eruptions of the
volcanoes will offer a great field to Jovian inventors, who will
unquestionably be able to utilize their heat for the production
of steam or electricity, to say nothing of an inexhaustible
supply of valuable chemicals. They may contain the means of
producing some force entirely different from apergy, and as
superior to electricity as that is to steam. Our earthly
volcanoes have been put to slight account because of the long
intervals between eruptions."
After leaving Sylvialand they went westward to the eastern of the
two crescent continents. It was separated from the island by
about six thousand miles of ocean, and had less width than the
western, having about the proportions of a three-day crescent,
while the western had the shape of the moon when four or five
days old. They found the height of the mountains and plateaus
somewhat less than on the eastern continent, but no great
difference in other respects, except that, as they went towards
the pole, the vegetation became more like that of Scotland or a
north temperate region than any they had seen. On reaching
latitude fifty they again came out over the ocean to investigate
the speckled condition they had observed there. They found
monsters that had been so numerous on the mainland, though there
were plenty of smaller and gentle-looking creatures, among them
animals whose build was much like that of the prehistoric horse,
with undeveloped toes on each side of the hoof, which in the
modern terrestrial horse have disappeared, the hoof being in
reality but a rounded-off middle finger.
"It is wonderful," said Bearwarden, "how comparatively narrow
a body of water can keep different species entirely separate.
The island of Sumatra, for instance, is inhabited by marsupials
belonging to the distinct Australian type, in which the female,
as in the kangaroo, carries the slightly developed young in a
pouch; while the Malay peninsula, joined to the mainland, has all
the highly developed animals of Asia and the connected land of
the Eastern hemisphere, the narrow Malacca Strait being all that
has kept marsupials and mammals apart, though the separating
power has been increased by the rapid current setting through.
This has decreased the chance of creatures carried to sea on
drift-wood or uprooted trees getting safely over to such a degree
that apparently none have survived; for, had they done so, we may
be certain that the mammals, with the advantage their young have
over the marsupials, would soon have run them out, the marsupials
being the older and the less perfect form of life of the two."
Before leaving the beautiful sea-girt region beneath them,
Cortlandt proposed that it be named after their host, which
Bearwarden seconded, whereupon they entered it as Ayrault Island
on the charts. After this they rose to a great height, and flew
swiftly over three thousand miles of ocean till they came to
another island not quite as large as the first. It was four
thousand five hundred miles long by something less than three
thousand wide, and was therefore about the size of Africa. It
had several high ranges of mountains and a number of great rivers
and fine harbours, while murmuring, bubbling brooks flowed
through its forest glades. There were active volcanoes along the
northern coast, and the blue, crimson, and purple lines in the
luxuriant foliage were the most beautiful they had ever seen.
"I propose," said Bearwarden, "that we christen this Sylvialand."
This Cortlandt immediately seconded, and it was so entered on the
charts.
"These two islands," said Bearwarden, "may become the centres of
civilization. With flying machines and cables to carry
passengers and information, and ships of great displacement for
the interchange of commodities, there is no limit to their
possible development. The absence of large waves will also be
very favourable to sea-spiders, which will be able to run at
tremendous speeds. The constancy in the eruptions of the
volcanoes will offer a great field to Jovian inventors, who will
unquestionably be able to utilize their heat for the production
of steam or electricity, to say nothing of an inexhaustible
supply of valuable chemicals. They may contain the means of
producing some force entirely different from apergy, and as
superior to electricity as that is to steam. Our earthly
volcanoes have been put to slight account because of the long
intervals between eruptions."
After leaving Sylvialand they went westward to the eastern of the
two crescent continents. It was separated from the island by
about six thousand miles of ocean, and had less width than the
western, having about the proportions of a three-day crescent,
while the western had the shape of the moon when four or five
days old. They found the height of the mountains and plateaus
somewhat less than on the eastern continent, but no great
difference in other respects, except that, as they went towards
the pole, the vegetation became more like that of Scotland or a
north temperate region than any they had seen. On reaching
latitude fifty they again came out over the ocean to investigate
the speckled condition they had observed there. They found