The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1914-06-08
EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS

strain had at last affected his mind.
For several hours we had not spoken
except a. he asked me for the read
ings Of the instruments from time to
time. and announced them.
Ny thoughts were filed with vain
regrets. I recalled numerous acts Of
my past life which / should have been
glad to have had few more years to
live down. There was the affair in the
Latin Commons at Andover when CAL
houn and had put gunpowder In the
stove and nearly killed one OF the
masters. And then
But what was the use? was about
to die and atone for all these things
and several more. Already the heat
was sufficient to give me a foretaste
Of the hereafter. A few more degrees
and should lose consciousness.
What are the readings now,
David?" Perry's voice broke in upon
my sombre reflections.
Ninety miles and one hundred and
fifty-three degrees" I replied.
Cad. but we've knocked that thir-
ty-mile crust theory into . cooked
hiatt" he cried gleefully.
Precious lot Of good II will do U.S."
I Rrowled back.
But. my boy" he continued.
doesn't that temperature reading
mean anything to you? Why. IT
hasn't gone up In six miles. Think OF
II, son!"
Eyes, I'm thinking OF IT," an
swered; but what difference will 1t
make when our air supply Is ex-
hausted whether the temperature Is
ono hundred and ffty-three degrees
or a hundred and nfty-three thou
sand? Well be Just as dead. and no
one will know the difference. any
how"
But I must admit that for some
unaccountable reason tho stationary
temperature did renew my waning
hope. What hoped for could not
have explained, nor did I try. The
very fact, as Perry took pains to ex-
plain. OF the blasting Of several very
exact and learned scientific hypothe-
SEES made II apparent that we could,
not know what lay before us within
the bowels Of the earth, and so we
might continue to hope for the best.
at least until we we're dead-when
hope would no longer be essential to
our happiness.
ture had dropped to one hundred and
fifty-two and a half degrees! When
I announced It Perry reached over
and Rugged me.
From then on until noon Of the
second day II continued to drop until
It became as uncomfortably cold az
II had before been unbearably hot.
At a depth Of two hundred and forty
miles our nostrils were assailed by
almost overpowering ammonia fumes.
and the temperature had dropped to
ten below zero!
We suffered nearly two hours OF
this intense and bitter cold. until at
about 245 miles from the surface OF
solid Ice. when the mercury quickly
rose to 30 degrees. During the next
three hours We passed through ten
miles OF Ice, eventually emerging into
another series OF ammonia impreg-
mated strata, where the mercury
again fell to ten below.
Slowly II rose once moro until wa
were convinced that at last we were
nearing the molten interior Of the
earth.
At 400 miles the temperature had
reached 1862 degrees. Feverishly 7
watched the thermometer. Slowly II
rose, Perry had ceased singing. and
was at last praying.
Our hopes had received such a
death blow that the gradually in
creasing heat seemed to our distort Cd
ina ginations much greater than II
really was. For another hour | saw
that plt!less column Of mercury rise
and rise until at 40 miles II stood
at 1853 degrees. Now 1t was that we
began to hang upon those readings
In almost brea thless anxiety.
One hundred and fifty-three de.
grees had been the maximum tenn
perature above the ice stratum
Would 1t stop at this point again OF
would II continue it's merciless climb
We knew that there was no hope
and yet with the persistence OF life
itself we continued to hope agains,
practical certainty.
Already the air-tanks were at low
ebb; there was barely enough Of tn,
precious gases to sustain US for an