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22 chapters
A VOYAGE TO ARCTURUS.
A VOYAGE TO ARCTURUS.
CONTENTS Chapter 1. THE SÉANCE Chapter 2. IN THE STREET Chapter 3. STARKNESS Chapter 4. THE VOICE Chapter 5. THE NIGHT OF DEPARTURE Chapter 6. JOIWIND Chapter 7. PANAWE Chapter 8. THE LUSION PLAIN Chapter 9. OCEAXE Chapter 10. TYDOMIN Chapter 11. ON DISSCOURN Chapter 12. SPADEVIL Chapter 13. THE WOMBFLASH FOREST Chapter 14. POLECRAB Chapter 15. SWAYLONE’S ISLAND Chapter 16. LEEHALLFAE Chapter 17. CORPANG Chapter 18. HAUNTE Chapter 19. SULLENBODE Chapter 20. BAREY Chapter 21. MUSPEL Chapter 9. OC
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Chapter 1. THE SÉANCE
Chapter 1. THE SÉANCE
On a March evening, at eight o’clock, Backhouse, the medium—a fast-rising star in the psychic world—was ushered into the study at Prolands, the Hampstead residence of Montague Faull. The room was illuminated only by the light of a blazing fire. The host, eying him with indolent curiosity, got up, and the usual conventional greetings were exchanged. Having indicated an easy chair before the fire to his guest, the South American merchant sank back again into his own. The electric light was switche
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Chapter 2. IN THE STREET
Chapter 2. IN THE STREET
The three men gathered in the street outside the house. The night was slightly frosty, but particularly clear, with an east wind blowing. The multitude of blazing stars caused the sky to appear like a vast scroll of hieroglyphic symbols. Maskull felt oddly excited; he had a sense that something extraordinary was about to happen. “What brought you to this house tonight, Krag, and what made you do what you did? How are we understand that apparition?” “That must have been Crystalman’s expression on
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Chapter 3. STARKNESS
Chapter 3. STARKNESS
A couple of days later, at two o’clock in the afternoon, Maskull and Nightspore arrived at Starkness Observatory, having covered the seven miles from Haillar Station on foot. The road, very wild and lonely, ran for the greater part of the way near the edge of rather lofty cliffs, within sight of the North Sea. The sun shone, but a brisk east wind was blowing and the air was salt and cold. The dark green waves were flecked with white. Throughout the walk, they were accompanied by the plaintive, b
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Chapter 4. THE VOICE
Chapter 4. THE VOICE
It was by this time past three o’clock. Feeling hungry, for they had eaten nothing since early morning, Maskull went downstairs to forage, but without much hope of finding anything in the shape of food. In a safe in the kitchen he discovered a bag of mouldy oatmeal, which was untouchable, a quantity of quite good tea in an airtight caddy, and an unopened can of ox tongue. Best of all, in the dining-room cupboard he came across an uncorked bottle of first-class Scotch whisky. He at once made prep
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Chapter 5. THE NIGHT OF DEPARTURE
Chapter 5. THE NIGHT OF DEPARTURE
When they returned to the house, the windows were all in darkness and the door was ajar, just as they had left it; Krag presumably was not there. Maskull went all over the house, striking matches in every room—at the end of the examination he was ready to swear that the man they were expecting had not even stuck his nose inside the premises. Groping their way into the library, they sat down in the total darkness to wait, for nothing else remained to be done. Maskull lit his pipe, and began to dr
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Chapter 6. JOIWIND
Chapter 6. JOIWIND
IT WAS DENSE NIGHT when Maskull awoke from his profound sleep. A wind was blowing against him, gentle but wall-like, such as he had never experienced on earth. He remained sprawling on the ground, as he was unable to lift his body because of its intense weight. A numbing pain, which he could not identify with any region of his frame, acted from now onward as a lower, sympathetic note to all his other sensations. It gnawed away at him continuously; sometimes it embittered and irritated him, at ot
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Chapter 7. PANAWE
Chapter 7. PANAWE
The husband got up to meet his wife and their guest. He was clothed in white. He had a beardless face, with breve and poigns. His skin, on face and body alike, was so white, fresh, and soft, that it scarcely looked skin at all—it rather resembled a new kind of pure, snowy flesh, extending right down to his bones. It had nothing in common with the artificially whitened skin of an over-civilised woman. Its whiteness and delicacy aroused no voluptuous thoughts; it was obviously the manifestation of
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Chapter 8. THE LUSION PLAIN
Chapter 8. THE LUSION PLAIN
Maskull awoke before the others. He got up, stretched himself, and walked out into the sunlight. Branchspell was already declining. He climbed to the top of the crater edge and looked away toward Ifdawn. The afterglow of Alppain had by now completely disappeared. The mountains stood up wild and grand. They impressed him like a simple musical theme, the notes of which are widely separated in the scale; a spirit of rashness, daring, and adventure seemed to call to him from them. It was at that mom
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Chapter 9. OCEAXE
Chapter 9. OCEAXE
Maskull’s second day on Tormance dawned. Branchspell was already above the horizon when he awoke. He was instantly aware that his organs had changed during the night. His fleshy breve was altered into an eyelike sorb; his magn had swelled and developed into a third arm, springing from the breast. The arm gave him at once a sense of greater physical security, but with the sorb he was obliged to experiment, before he could grasp its function. As he lay there in the white sunlight, opening and shut
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Chapter 10. TYDOMIN
Chapter 10. TYDOMIN
Oceaxe sat down carelessly on the couch of mosses, and began eating the plums. “You see, you had to kill him, Maskull,” she said, in a rather quizzical voice. He came away from the corpse and regarded her—still red, and still breathing hard. “It’s no joking matter. You especially ought to keep quiet.” “Why?” “Because he was your husband.” “You think I ought to show grief—when I feel none?” “Don’t pretend, woman!” Oceaxe smiled. “From your manner one would think you were accusing me of some crime
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Chapter 11. ON DISSCOURN
Chapter 11. ON DISSCOURN
BY THE TIME that they regained the mouth of the cavern, Blodsombre was at its height. In front of them the scenery sloped downward—a long succession of mountain islands in a sea of clouds. Behind them the bright, stupendous crags of Disscourn loomed up for a thousand feet or more. Maskull’s eyes were red, and his face looked stupid; he was still holding the woman by the arm. She made no attempt to speak, or to get away. She seemed perfectly gentle and composed. After gazing at the country for a
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Chapter 12. SPADEVIL
Chapter 12. SPADEVIL
Maskull found that his new organs had no independent function of their own, but only intensified and altered his other senses. When he used his eyes, ears, or nostrils, the same objects presented themselves to him, but his judgment concerning them was different. Previously all external things had existed for him; now he existed for them. According to whether they served his purpose or were in harmony with his nature, or otherwise, they had been pleasant or painful. Now these words “pleasure” and
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Chapter 13. THE WOMBFLASH FOREST
Chapter 13. THE WOMBFLASH FOREST
He awoke to his third day on Tormance. His limbs ached. He lay on his side, looking stupidly at his surroundings. The forest was like night, but that period of the night when the grey dawn is about to break and objects begin to be guessed at, rather than seen. Two or three amazing shadowy shapes, as broad as houses, loomed up out of the twilight. He did not realise that they were trees, until he turned over on his back and followed their course upward. Far overhead, so high up that he dared not
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Chapter 14. POLECRAB
Chapter 14. POLECRAB
The morning slowly passed. Maskull made some convulsive movements, and opened his eyes. He sat up, blinking. All was night-like and silent in the forest. The strange light had gone, the music had ceased, Dreamsinter had vanished. He fingered his beard, clotted with Tydomin’s blood, and fell into a deep muse. “According to Panawe and Catice, this forest contains wise men. Perhaps Dreamsinter was one. Perhaps that vision I have just seen was a specimen of his wisdom. It looked almost like an answe
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Chapter 15. SWAYLONE’S ISLAND
Chapter 15. SWAYLONE’S ISLAND
When he awoke, the day was not so bright, and he guessed it was late afternoon. Polecrab and his wife were both on their feet, and another meal of fish had been cooked and was waiting for him. “Is it decided who is to go with me?” he asked, before sitting down. “I go,” said Gleameil. “Do you agree, Polecrab?” The fisherman growled a little in his throat and motioned to the others to take their seats. He took a mouthful before answering. “Something strong is attracting her, and I can’t hold her b
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Chapter 16. LEEHALLFAE
Chapter 16. LEEHALLFAE
At midnight, when Teargeld was in the south, throwing his shadow straight toward the sea and making everything nearly as bright as day, he saw a great tree floating in the water, not far out. It was thirty feet out of the water, upright, and alive, and its roots must have been enormously deep and wide. It was drifting along the coast, through the heavy seas. Maskull eyed it incuriously for a few minutes. Then it dawned on him that it might be a good thing to investigate its nature. Without stopp
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Chapter 17. CORPANG
Chapter 17. CORPANG
Maskull did not awaken till long after Blodsombre. Leehallfae was standing by his side, looking down at him. It was doubtful whether ae had slept at all. “What time is it?” Maskull asked, rubbing his eyes and sitting up. “The day is passing,” was the vague reply. Maskull got on to his feet, and gazed up at the cliff. “Now I’m going to climb that . No need for both of us to risk our necks, so you wait here, and if I find anything on top I’ll call you.” A phaen glanced at him strangely. “There’s n
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Chapter 18. HAUNTE
Chapter 18. HAUNTE
While Maskull sat, Corpang walked restlessly to and fro, swinging his arms. He had lost his staff. His face was inflamed with suppressed impatience, which accentuated its natural coarseness. At last he stopped short in front of Maskull and looked down at him. “What do you intend to do?” Maskull glanced up and idly waved his hand toward the distant mountains. “Since we can’t walk, we must wait.” “For what?” “I don’t know... How’s this, though? Those peaks have changed colour, from red to green.”
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Chapter 19. SULLENBODE
Chapter 19. SULLENBODE
Sullenbode’s naked skin glowed softly through the darkness, but the clothed part of her person was invisible. Maskull watched her senseless, smiling face, and shivered. Strange feelings ran through his body. Corpang spoke out of the night. “She looks like an evil spirit filled with deadliness.” “It was like deliberately kissing lightning.” “Haunte was insane with passion.” “So am I,” said Maskull quietly. “My body seems full of rocks, all grinding against one another.” “This is what I was afraid
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Chapter 20. BAREY
Chapter 20. BAREY
The day had already dawned, but it was not yet sunrise when Maskull awoke from his miserable sleep. He sat up and yawned feebly. The air was cool and sweet. Far away down the landslip a bird was singing; the song consisted of only two notes, but it was so plaintive and heartbreaking that he scarcely knew how to endure it. The eastern sky was a delicate green, crossed by a long, thin band of chocolate-coloured cloud near the horizon. The atmosphere was blue-tinted, mysterious, and hazy. Neither S
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Chapter 21. MUSPEL
Chapter 21. MUSPEL
The fog thickened so that the two suns wholly disappeared, and all grew as black as night. Nightspore could no longer see his companion. The water lapped gently against the side of the island raft. “You say the night is past,” said Nightspore. “But the night is still here. Am I dead, or alive?” “You are still in Crystalman’s world, but you belong to it no more. We are approaching Muspel.” Nightspore felt a strong, silent throbbing of the air—a rhythmical pulsation, in four-four time. “There is t
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