Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-11-17
CHAPTER VII.

tt~ 2 SirlktS one 81 tNt SNlliS. 41I4tnC S'Ntl-
y 81 its inmates. Tho moon is explored.
CHAPTER VIII.
20 periodical comet. rs knew, was
Of this time approaching the neighbor
hood Of the sun, and no stranger of that
kind had been Gt tecied from the obsorya.
ior.cs making its way sunward bcfor,
We left the earth. Here, however, was
enthusiastically comet rushing toward
the sun, iiinRinS out great cleaning
tail behind il and 80 close To us that /
wondered to see it remaining almost
motionh'ss in the sky. This phenomenon
was soon explained 10 mo, and the eX
PLANTATION was Of most GisQuieting
character.
The stranger had already been por
ceived not only from the flagship, In;
from the other meMborS Of the squad
ron, and, as | now learned. efforts had
tccn made to get out Of its neighLor.
hood, hut for seine reason the electrical
apparatus did not work perfectly, some
mysterious disturbing tcrcc acting upon
il, and 20 il hau been found impossible
o. avoid m encounter with the comet
not an actual coming into contact with
it, but a falling into the sphere of its
influence.
In fact, ! was informed that for sew
eIal hours the squadron had been drag.
Eiug along in the wake Of comet voi Y
much as boats are sometimes towCd oil
ty a wounded whale. Every effort had
been made 10 50 adjust the electric
charge upon the ships that they would
1t r,pelled from the comotic mass; but,
owing apparently to eccentric changes
continually going On IN the electric
charge affecting the olasAing mass Of
nc;voric bodies which constituted the
head If the ccmet, we found it ,mpossi.
biz To escape from Its influence.
AT one instant the ships would be re.
PEELED, Immediately Gfterward thov
would be attracted again, and thus they
were dragged hither ANA tnither, but
never able TO break from the invisible
leash which the comet had cast upon
them. The latter was moving with
enormous velocity toward the sun, and
consequently We were being carried
back again, away from the object Of our
expedition, with fair prospect Of being
aiS>ipa,ea in blazing yapors when the
comet had dragged us, unwilling pr's
out--. INFO the immediate ncighborhou,
OF the solar furnace,
Even the most cool headed lost hi
self control in This terrific emergency
Every kind ot device that experience q
the Imagination could suggest wa
tried, hut nothing would do still! G.
W. rushed with the electrified atom
composing the tail Of the comet sweeI
ing 10 and fro over the members Of thc
rQuadron, - they shifted their position
ike the lur,c O. smoke from gigantic
ytoamer drifting over the SEA birds tha,
,ol!ow in its course,
Was This 20 rnd il all, then? Was thu,
the fate that Providence had in store fci
U.s. Were the hopes OF the earth thus &
perish: Was the expedition 10 he wreck
ed and its fate to remain forever NJ
known 10 the planet from which it haC
set forth: And was our beloved ciob,
which had seemed - fair To- US who
Ne last looked upon il near ny arG i!
whose defense we bad resolved To spend
our last breath, 10 lie left helpless and
n the mercy Of its implacshle foe III III,
sky:
At length we gave ourselves up fol
lest. There seemed 10 be 10 possible
way to free ourselves from TIE talcfu
grip Of this terrible and unlocked fci
enemy,
As the comet approached the sun it.
electric energy rapidly increased, and
watching il with telescopes-for w,