The Washington times., 1912-04-01

The Second Deluge sARRET! 3 + sERxlss
ERIAL STORY.
GARRETTP. SERVISS
Copyright. 1911. The Frank A. Munsey Co.

! Perhaps the happiest man aboard was
Captain Arms. At last he could make
as many and as certain observations as
he chose, and he studied the charts OF
Asia until he declared that now he knew
the latitude and longitude of the noun
tains better than he did those of the
seaports of the old oceans.
He had not the least difficulty In find-
, ing the location OF Mt. Everest again,
and when he announced that they were
hoating over II, Cosmo Immediately pre-
pared to make another measurement of
the depth of water on the peak. The
result was hardly gratifying. He found
that II had diminished but four inches.
He said to Captain Arms:
The range Is rising, but less rapidly
than | hoped. Even II the present rate
should be doubled it would require five
years for the emergenCe of the highest
point. Instead of remaining In this part
of the world We shall have an abun-
dance of time to voyage round the
earth, going leisurely. and when we get
| back again perhaps there will he
enough land visible to give us a good
start"
Mr.. Versal" said the captain. you
remember that you promised me that
should drop my anchor on the head of
Mt. Everest II l worked a traverse
across Beluchistan."
Certainly remember It; and also
that you were not much disposed to un-
dertake the task. However, you did II
well, ana suppose that now you want
me 10 fulfill the hargain?"
Exactly" replied the captain I'd
just like TO get a mud-hook in the top
Knot Of the earth. reckon that that'H
lay over all the sea yarns ever spun"
Very well, returned Cosmo. Try
| II, II you've got cable enough
Enough and to spare" cried the cap
tain, and I'll have the Gaurisankar,
as the Frenchman calls it. hooked in
I' This was an operation which called
| everybody to the rails to watch ii. Hun
dreds of eyes tried TO follow the anchor
as it descended perpendicularly upon
the mountain-top, nearly forty feet be-
meath. Through the clear water they
| could dmly see the dark outlines OF the
summit below, and they gazed at 1t
with wonder. and sort of terror.
! Somehow they felt that never before
! had they fully appreciated the awful
! depths over which they had been float
| ing. The anchor steadily dropped un-
! til II rested on the rock.
| 1t got hold finally, and in a few
minutes the great vessel was swinging
| slowly round, held by a cable whose
grasp was upon the top Of the world
! When the sensation had been sufficient
| ly enjoyed the anchor was tripped. and
the nose of the Ark was turned north
| westward.
! The news of what they were about tc
| do was both welcome and saddening "a
! the inmates of the vessel. They wished
to pass once more over the lands where
| they had first seen the light, and al
! the same time they dreaded the memo
! fes that such a voyage would ineY-
| itablv bring back into their minds with
! overwhelming force. But, at any rate
| It would be better than drifting for
years yer Tibet and China.
| They ran slowly, for there was nc
| hurry, and the Ark Ead now become tc
them as house and a home-theiI
| only foothold on the whole round earth
and that but little floating island OF
buoyant metal They crossed the Pa.
mfrs and the Hindu-Kush, the place
where the Caspian sea had been swal.
| lowed 10 in the universal ocean. and
| ran over Ararat which three months
before had put them into such fearful
danger. but whose loftiest summit now
lay LOCO feet beneath their keel.
At length. after many excursions to,
| ward the north and toward the south
| IN the halcNOn weather that seldom
! failed since the withdrawal of the neb,
ula, they arrived at the place (or above
~ which had stood during centuries
for noon-mark on the globe
1t was midday when Captain Arms
| having made his observations, said tC
Cosmo and the others on the bridge:
Noon at Greenwich and noon on the
| Ark Latitude, 81 degrees 30 minutes
! That brings you as nearly plumb oveI
! the place as you'd be likely to hh r.
| Right down there lies the old observa
tory that set the Chronometer for the
! world, and kept the clocks and watches
up to their work"
4 Continuation Of This story VIII
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