The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1917-11-30

liberated. not from Mars or Venus, but
out of the earths own yItalsls
Captain Masterman sat bolt upright
az he spoke; be looked like some old
prophet spelling out the doom OF man.
The intense earnestness IN his words
shook FACETS incredibly for mo-
ment, and left him sick with horror.
suppose that civilization. every
thing which has gone to make up the
life we know--family love, books,
monuments parliaments, ships-all of
II IL 10 be at the mercy OF this mer-
ciless horde, and that we are going
20 fight harder than we have fought
since the days when we held our own
against the saber-toothl Who'd think
or care then whether he was an Eng
ilshman or Dutchman who'd trouble
whether his friends were white men,
negroes, Hottentots or Chinese, SO
long as they were human7 Wouldn't
that make for the brotherhood Of man,
Donald2 Wouldn't we set all our con-
ylcts fFee7 Wouldn't kings shake
hands with anarchists and college pro-
fessors with coal heayers7 Wouldn't
class and race vanish like dreams
when the nights oyer7 And maybe
that's what Gods working FOR, lieu
tennntl"
'But the imposslblllty, Masterman
Granting the incredible suppositIon
That these deep-sea organisms exist,
and could live under pressure enor-
mously increased, and breathe"
Were supposlng that, lieutenant"
''IIow could they survive the strug-
gle for existence In an unnatural ele-
ment7"
Lieutenant. man has existed since
tertiary times, but he never learned
to fly tin 1908 He never went up In
a balloon until a hundred and fifty
years ago. Our imaginations can't
rise to the realization of what this
generation has done, but our descend
ants will look on us as demigods, and
the Wright brothers viii become
myths, like that chap that invented
cooking, Prom-Prom-7.
"Prometheus."
eyes, sir. Well, then, after living
for thousands of years at the bottom
OF I'VE miles OF air, an ocean OF oxy-
gen and nitrogen, we've found out how
10 get up on top Of 1t. They are liy.
Ing at the bottom Of an ocean OF oxy
gen aud hydrogen. Suppose they
| learned to fly. tool
"You can see what they'd do. Som,
OF their scouts, who had gone OF
ahead, would discover that the dr.
land was teeming with food. Food II
such quantities as these hungry mon
sters had never dreamed about. FooC
In solid chunks, instead of dissolved
Particles Of plankton, varied with al
occasional cannlbal dinner. And llght
by which TO capture it--sunllghtl NJ
more hunting down their prey will
| phosphorescent torchesi
AT first they'd nibble the grass ant
leaves of the trees. But they'd fine
that cellulose Is pretty indigestibl'
stun. Then one of them would dis
cover dead bird or rabbit, and an
other that sheep and cattle make goo,
eating. and then"
"Then mani" muttered Donald
gripping the arms OF his chair. Tn
madman's picture had become dread
fully real to him.
"Other bodies would follow tn
scouts, Donald. They wouldn't
quite adapted 10 dry land nc frs
They'd make their way along tn
river beds. They'd swarm up the Hue
son, the Rhine, the Severn, the Mi.
sisslppl. That's what we did, an
even today we haven't got very ia
from the river banks. Wen, they
rest aud recuperate, eating the iis
they found, until the supply hecam
exhausted. Then"
Good Lordl" gasped Donald, An
then the reaction came. OF cours
! Masterman was ravlng mad, the ma,
dest member of the March Hare
, club. What fool he had been TO |,
J the old. fellows dismal prophecies u
; on his neryesl
He leaned forward and placed h
, hand on Masterman's knee.
"Dld you 20 to the navy office VIII
the Idea OF telling that 60 the seer
, tary8" he asked.
. II did, sir" answered Masterman.
Then, II may say so without 81
: ting oifonse, It " mercy that 10
: failed 20 secure an interview Wit
, him." said Donald. "why. Masterma
-er--you know how hard Il Is
. convince anyone OF che truth OF an
I, thing q little Out az the ordinary" /
. was feeling his way carefully no,
10 avoid hurting the old fellow. 'wh
Mastorman, II you were to make suS
! suggestion as that at the navy otiic
. they'd shut you up as a--as not qul
:, right, he said.
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