Amador ledger., 1905-12-08

lows well-known natural law. The
gravltatlon of the little planet was almost
as much less than that of the earth as
It's size, and 1 weighed-had scales been
provided-about ten pounds, more or
less. With my muscles, it was nothing
to jump seventy or eighty feet, the diffi,
Guilty being to keep on the ground at all.
Now, suppose you are wondering
now 1t was that the planet was not drawn
to the earth by the great attraction of
tne latter body. 1t took the scientists less
than live minutes to determine the reason
accurately. 1t was because of the COM
position of Nebula, such ingredients hav-
ing been put together in its formation as
to repei the advances of the earth toward
union, but not enough to drive the lit
tie fellow altogether away from
motherly protection. He had come with
in certain distance, beyond which ne
could not pass. My companions called
me back, as they wanted to make some
calculations, and I sprang back as easily
as l had jumped across.
by looking at the earth, they had dis
covered that we were travelling around
that planet from east to west, while it
turned over from west to east. The COM
blned motions in opposite directions made
our speed about two thousands miles an
hour, so that we should circle the eartn
every twelve hours. This calculation
was of the greatest Importance, since we
would have to time our departure ac-
wanted to. If we allowed our balloon to
ascend Mt the wrong time, it was Just
as likely that we should find ourselves
over an, ocean as over the land, and lust
as likely over Africa as over America.
Figures were jotted down, and we then
determined upon an exploration of our
kingdom.
AT this point I did some figuring my
self. 1t seemed reasonable to me to sup
pose that, if 1 could jump seventy feet
7 11cf
times faster here than 1 could on the
earth. And 1 proved it 1 pointed out
to the others clump of trees about
mile away, and then, asking them to time
me, started: My work surprised me be-
yond expectations, for l leaped into the
air about thirty feet at each bound,
alighted easily some sixty feet beyond,
and took another bound, as simply as If
on the earth, yet with an ease that gave
me not the slightest weariness. 1 ran
miles in a fraction under three minutes!
=" AT that rate said I, I can run
around this ball at the rate of forty-fve
miles an hour; and If your calculations
are correct, and it is eight miles in di-
ameter, 1T must be about twenty-five miles
in circumference. I can, therefore, If 1
don't get winded, circle it in less tnan
forty minutes, and I'm going to do it,
'Two of the party volunteered to ac-
company me. and off we started at
good clip, the stop watches being out at
the word Cor None OF us seemed to
mind the exertion, if floating lightly in
the air can be called exertion; and we ran
along through the forests and across the
plains with the ease and grace of grey
hounds. For half an hour we did not
slacken our pace; but there ap-
peared before us deep gulley, at
the bottom of which was a stream.
Here we came to standstill The
gulch was quite fifty feet deep and
nearly hundred wide at the top; and as
far as we could see, there was no better
crossing in sight Eated at our work,
and feeling certain we could make the
leap, we all ran at it together. Every
bound we took was better than the pre-
vious one; and when we reached the edge
Of the arroyo, we sprang into the air like