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ETIDORHPA OR THE END OF EARTH.
ETIDORHPA OR THE END OF EARTH.
THE STRANGE HISTORY OF A MYSTERIOUS BEING AND The Account of a Remarkable Journey AS COMMUNICATED IN MANUSCRIPT TO LLEWELLYN DRURY WHO PROMISED TO PRINT THE SAME, BUT FINALLY EVADED THE RESPONSIBILITY WHICH WAS ASSUMED BY JOHN URI LLOYD WITH MANY ILLUSTRATIONS BY J. AUGUSTUS KNAPP SIXTH EDITION CINCINNATI THE ROBERT CLARKE COMPANY 1896...
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ASCRIPTION.
ASCRIPTION.
To Prof. W. H. Venable, who reviewed the manuscript of this work, I am indebted for many valuable suggestions, and I can not speak too kindly of him as a critic. The illustrations, excepting those mechanical and historical, making in themselves a beautiful narrative without words, are due to the admirable artistic conceptions and touch of Mr. J. Augustus Knapp. Structural imperfections as well as word selections and phrases that break all rules in composition, and that the care even of Prof. Ven
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PREFACE TO THIS EDITION.
PREFACE TO THIS EDITION.
The foot-note on page 160, with the connected matter, has awakened considerable interest in the life and fate of Professor Daniel Vaughn. The undersigned has received many letters imparting interesting information relating to Professor Vaughn's early history, and asking many questions concerning a man of whose memory the writer thinks so highly but whose name is generally unknown. Indeed, as some have even argued that the author of Etidorhpa has no personal existence, the words John Uri Lloyd be
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A VALUABLE AND UNIQUE LIBRARY.
A VALUABLE AND UNIQUE LIBRARY.
From the Pharmaceutical Era, New York, October, 1894. In Cincinnati is one of the most famous botanical and pharmacal libraries in the world, and by scientists it is regarded as an invaluable store of knowledge upon those branches of medical science. So famous is it that one of the most noted pharmacologists and chemists of Germany, on a recent trip to this country, availed himself of its rich collection as a necessary means of completing his study in the line of special drug history. When it is
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PROLOGUE.
PROLOGUE.
My name was Johannes Llewellyn Llongollyn Drury. I was named Llewellyn at my mother's desire, out of respect to her father, Dr. Evan Llewellyn, the scientist and speculative philosopher, well known to curious students as the author of various rare works on occult subjects. The other given names were ancestral also, but when I reached the age of appreciation, they naturally became distasteful; so it is that in early youth I dropped the first and third of these cumbersome words, and retained only
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CHAPTER I. "NEVER LESS ALONE THAN WHEN ALONE."
CHAPTER I. "NEVER LESS ALONE THAN WHEN ALONE."
ore than thirty years ago occurred the first of the series of remarkable events I am about to relate. The exact date I can not recall; but it was in November, and, to those familiar with November weather in the Ohio Valley, it is hardly necessary to state that the month is one of possibilities. That is to say, it is liable to bring every variety of weather, from the delicious, dreamy Indian summer days that linger late in the fall, to a combination of rain, hail, snow, sleet,—in short, atmospher
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CHAPTER II. A FRIENDLY CONFERENCE.
CHAPTER II. A FRIENDLY CONFERENCE.
It is rare, in our present civilization, to find a man who lives alone. This remark does not apply to hermits or persons of abnormal or perverted mental tendencies, but to the majority of mankind living and moving actively among their fellows, and engaged in the ordinary occupations of humanity. Every man must have at least one confidant, either of his own household, or within the circle of his intimate friends. There may possibly be rare exceptions among persons of genius in statecraft, war, or
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CHAPTER III. A SECOND INTERVIEW WITH THE MYSTERIOUS VISITOR.
CHAPTER III. A SECOND INTERVIEW WITH THE MYSTERIOUS VISITOR.
It is not pleasant to have one's mental responsibility brought in question, and the result of my interview with Professor Chickering was, to put it mildly, unsatisfactory. Not that he had exactly questioned my sanity, but it was all too evident that he was disposed to accept my statement of a plain matter-of-fact occurrence with a too liberal modicum of salt. I say "matter-of-fact occurrence" in full knowledge of the truth that I myself had at first regarded the whole transaction as a fantasia o
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CHAPTER IV. A SEARCH FOR KNOWLEDGE.—THE ALCHEMISTIC LETTER.
CHAPTER IV. A SEARCH FOR KNOWLEDGE.—THE ALCHEMISTIC LETTER.
I am the man who, unfortunately for my future happiness, was dissatisfied with such knowledge as could be derived from ordinary books concerning semi-scientific subjects in which I had long been absorbed. I studied the current works of my day on philosophy and chemistry, hoping therein to find something tangible regarding the relationship that exists between matter and spirit, but studied in vain. Astronomy, history, philosophy and the mysterious, incoherent works of alchemy and occultism were f
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CHAPTER V. THE WRITING OF MY CONFESSION.
CHAPTER V. THE WRITING OF MY CONFESSION.
Having become a member of the Secret Society as directed by the writer of the letter I have just read, and having obtained the secrets hinted at in the mystic directions, my next desire was to find a secluded spot where, without interruption, I could prepare for publication what I had gathered surreptitiously in the lodges of the fraternity I designed to betray. This I entitled "My Confession." Alas! why did my evil genius prompt me to write it? Why did not some kind angel withhold my hand from
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CHAPTER VI. KIDNAPPED.
CHAPTER VI. KIDNAPPED.
The events just narrated occurred in the prime of my life, and are partly matters of publicity. My attempted breach of faith in the way of disclosing their secrets was naturally infamous in the eyes of my society brethren, who endeavored to prevail upon me to relent of my design which, after writing my "Confession," I made no endeavor to conceal. Their importunities and threatenings had generally been resisted, however, and with an obliquity that can not be easily explained, I persisted in my un
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CHAPTER VII. A WILD NIGHT.—I AM PREMATURELY AGED.
CHAPTER VII. A WILD NIGHT.—I AM PREMATURELY AGED.
In the depths of night I was awakened by a noise made by the opening of a door, and one by one seven masked figures silently stalked into my prison. Each bore a lighted torch, and they passed me as I lay on the floor in my clothes (for I had no bedding), and ranged themselves in a line. I arose, and seated myself as directed to do, upon the only stool in the room. Swinging into a semi-circle, the weird line wound about me, and from the one seat on which I rested in the center of the room, I gaze
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CHAPTER VIII. A LESSON IN MIND STUDY.
CHAPTER VIII. A LESSON IN MIND STUDY.
The door of the cabin was open when I awoke, the sun shone brightly, and my friend, apparently happy and unconcerned, said: "Father, we must soon start on our journey; I have taken advantage of your refreshing sleep, and have engaged breakfast at yonder farm-house; our meal awaits us." I arose, washed my wrinkled face, combed my white hair, and shuddered as I saw in a pocket mirror the reflection of my figure, an aged, apparently decrepit man. "Do not be disturbed at your feeble condition," said
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CHAPTER IX. I CAN NOT ESTABLISH MY IDENTITY.
CHAPTER IX. I CAN NOT ESTABLISH MY IDENTITY.
In surprise I perceived coming towards us a light spring wagon, in which rode one of my old acquaintances. Pleasure at the discovery led me to raise my hat, wave it around my head, and salute him even at the considerable distance that then separated us. I was annoyed at the look of curiosity that passed over his countenance, and not until the two vehicles had stopped side by side did it occur to me that I was unrecognized. I had been so engrossed in my companion's revelations, that I had forgott
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CHAPTER X. MY JOURNEY TOWARDS THE END OF EARTH BEGINS.—THE ADEPTS' BROTHERHOOD.
CHAPTER X. MY JOURNEY TOWARDS THE END OF EARTH BEGINS.—THE ADEPTS' BROTHERHOOD.
My companion did not attempt to watch over my motions or in any way to interfere with my freedom. "I will for a time necessarily be absent," he said, "arranging for our journey, and while I am getting ready you must employ yourself as best you can. I ask you, however, now to swear that, as you have promised, you will not seek your wife and children." To this I agreed. "Hold up your hand," he said, and I repeated after him: "All this I most solemnly and sincerely promise and swear, with a firm an
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CHAPTER XI. MY JOURNEY CONTINUES.—INSTINCT.
CHAPTER XI. MY JOURNEY CONTINUES.—INSTINCT.
It is unnecessary for me to give the details of the first part of my long journey. My companion was guided by a perceptive faculty that, like the compass, enabled him to keep in the proper course. He did not question those whom we met, and made no endeavor to maintain a given direction; and yet he was traveling in a part of the country that was new to himself. I marveled at the accuracy of his intuitive perception, for he seemed never to be at fault. When the road forked, he turned to the right
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CHAPTER XII. A CAVERN DISCOVERED.—BISWELL'S HILL.
CHAPTER XII. A CAVERN DISCOVERED.—BISWELL'S HILL.
We stopped that night at a tavern in Smithland. Leaving this place after dinner the next day, on foot, we struck through the country, into the bottom lands of the Cumberland River. traveling leisurely, lingering for hours in the course of a circuitous tramp of only a few miles. Although it was the month of December, the climate was mild and balmy. In my former home, a similar time of year would have been marked with snow, sleet, and ice, and I could not but draw a contrast between the two locali
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CHAPTER XIII. THE PUNCH-BOWLS AND CAVERNS OF KENTUCKY.—"INTO THE UNKNOWN COUNTRY."
CHAPTER XIII. THE PUNCH-BOWLS AND CAVERNS OF KENTUCKY.—"INTO THE UNKNOWN COUNTRY."
"This part of Kentucky borders a field of caverns that reaches from near the State of Tennessee to the Ohio River, and from the mouth of the Cumberland, eastward to and beyond the center of the State. This great area is of irregular outline, and as yet has been little explored. Underneath the surface are layers of limestone and sandstone rock, the deposits ranging from ten to one hundred and fifty feet in thickness, and often great masses of conglomerate appear. This conglomerate sometimes caps
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CHAPTER XIV. FAREWELL TO GOD'S SUNSHINE.—THE ECHO OF THE CRY.
CHAPTER XIV. FAREWELL TO GOD'S SUNSHINE.—THE ECHO OF THE CRY.
Thus speaking, my quiet leader, who had so long been as a shepherd to my wandering feet, on the upper earth, grasped my hands tightly, and placed them in those of my new companion, whose clammy fingers closed over them as with a grip of iron. The mysterious being, now my custodian, turned towards the creek, drawing me after him, and together we silently and solemnly waded beneath the stone archway. As I passed under the shadow of that dismal, yawning cliff, I turned my head to take one last glim
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CHAPTER XV. A ZONE OF LIGHT DEEP WITHIN THE EARTH.
CHAPTER XV. A ZONE OF LIGHT DEEP WITHIN THE EARTH.
"Oh! for one glimpse of light, a ray of sunshine!" In reply to this my mental ejaculation, my guide said: "Can not you perceive that the darkness is becoming less intense?" "No," I answered, "I can not; night is absolute." "Are you sure?" he asked. "Cover your eyes with your hands, then uncover and open them." I did so and fancied that by contrast a faint gray hue was apparent. "This must be imagination." "No; we now approach a zone of earth light; let us hasten on." "A zone of light deep in the
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CHAPTER XVI. VITALIZED DARKNESS.—THE NARROWS IN SCIENCE.
CHAPTER XVI. VITALIZED DARKNESS.—THE NARROWS IN SCIENCE.
"In studying any branch of science men begin and end with an unknown. The chemist accepts as data such conditions of matter as he finds about him, and connects ponderable matter with the displays of energy that have impressed his senses, building therefrom a span of theoretical science, but he can not formulate as yet an explanation regarding the origin or the end of either mind, matter, or energy. The piers supporting his fabric stand in a profound invisible gulf, into which even his imaginatio
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CHAPTER XVII. THE FUNGUS FOREST.—ENCHANTMENT.
CHAPTER XVII. THE FUNGUS FOREST.—ENCHANTMENT.
Along the chamber through which we now passed I saw by the mellow light great pillars, capped with umbrella-like covers, some of them reminding me of the common toadstool of upper earth, on a magnificent scale. Instead, however, of the gray or somber shades to which I had been accustomed, these objects were of various hues and combined the brilliancy of the primary prismatic colors, with the purity of clean snow. Now they would stand solitary, like gigantic sentinels; again they would be arrange
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CHAPTER XVIII. THE FOOD OF MAN.
CHAPTER XVIII. THE FOOD OF MAN.
"This leads me to remark," answered the eyeless seer, "that you speak without due consideration of previous experience. You are, or should be, aware of other and as marked differences in food products of upper earth, induced by climate, soil and cultivation. The potato which, next to wheat, rice, or corn, you know supplies nations of men with starchy food, originated as a wild weed in South America and Mexico, where it yet exists as a small, watery, marble-like tuber, and its nearest kindred, bo
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CHAPTER XIX. THE CRY FROM A DISTANCE.—I REBEL AGAINST CONTINUING THE JOURNEY.
CHAPTER XIX. THE CRY FROM A DISTANCE.—I REBEL AGAINST CONTINUING THE JOURNEY.
As we paced along, meditating, I became more sensibly impressed with the fact that our progress was down a rapid declination. The saline incrustations, fungi and stalagmites, rapidly changed in appearance, an endless variety of stony figures and vegetable cryptogams recurring successively before my eyes. They bore the shape of trees, shrubs, or animals, fixed and silent as statues: at least in my distorted condition of mind I could make out resemblances to many such familiar objects; the floor o
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CHAPTER XX. MY UNBIDDEN GUEST PROVES HIS STATEMENT AND REFUTES MY PHILOSOPHY.
CHAPTER XX. MY UNBIDDEN GUEST PROVES HIS STATEMENT AND REFUTES MY PHILOSOPHY.
Let the reader who has followed this strange story which I am directed to title "The End of Earth," and who, in imagination, has traversed the cavernous passages of the underworld and listened to the conversation of those two personages who journeyed towards the secrets of the Beyond, return now to upper earth, and once more enter my secluded lodgings, the home of Llewellen Drury, him who listened to the aged guest and who claims your present attention. Remember that I relate a story within a st
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CHAPTER XXI. MY WEIGHT DISAPPEARING.
CHAPTER XXI. MY WEIGHT DISAPPEARING.
We halted suddenly, for we came unexpectedly to the edge of a precipice, twenty feet at least in depth. "Let us jump down," said my guide. "That would be dangerous," I answered; "can not we descend at some point where it is not so deep?" "No; the chasm stretches for miles across our path, and at this point we will meet with the least difficulty; besides, there is no danger. The specific gravity of our bodies is now so little that we could jump twice that distance with impunity." "I can not compr
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CHAPTER XXII. MY UNBIDDEN GUEST DEPARTS.
CHAPTER XXII. MY UNBIDDEN GUEST DEPARTS.
Once more I must presume to interrupt this narrative, and call back the reader's thoughts from those mysterious caverns through which we have been tracing the rapid footsteps of the man who was abducted, and his uncouth pilot of the lower realms. Let us now see and hear what took place in my room, in Cincinnati, just after my visitor, known to us as The-Man-Who-Did-It, had finished reading to me, Lewellyn Drury, the custodian of this manuscript, the curious chapter relating how the underground e
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CHAPTER XXIII. I QUESTION SCIENTIFIC MEN.—ARISTOTLE'S ETHER.
CHAPTER XXIII. I QUESTION SCIENTIFIC MEN.—ARISTOTLE'S ETHER.
Days and weeks passed. When the opportunity presented, I consulted Dr. W. B. Chapman, the druggist and student of science, regarding the nature of light and earth, who in turn referred me to Prof. Daniel Vaughn. This learned man, in reply to my question concerning gravitation, declared that there was much that men wished to understand in regard to this mighty force, that might yet be explained, but which may never become known to mortal man. "The correlation of forces," said he, "was prominently
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CHAPTER XXIV. THE SOLILOQUY OF PROF. DANIEL VAUGHN.—"GRAVITATION IS THE BEGINNING AND GRAVITATION IS THE END: ALL EARTHLY BODIES KNEEL TO GRAVITATION."
CHAPTER XXIV. THE SOLILOQUY OF PROF. DANIEL VAUGHN.—"GRAVITATION IS THE BEGINNING AND GRAVITATION IS THE END: ALL EARTHLY BODIES KNEEL TO GRAVITATION."
"Please continue, I am intensely interested; I wish that I could give you my reasons for the desire; I can not do so, but I beg you to continue." "I should add," continued Vaughn, ignoring my remarks, "that we have established rules to measure the force of gravitation, and have estimated the decrease of attraction as we leave the surfaces of the planets. We have made comparative estimates of the weight of the earth and planets, and have reason to believe that the force expression of gravitation
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CHAPTER XXV. THE MOTHER OF A VOLCANO.—"YOU CAN NOT DISPROVE, AND YOU DARE NOT ADMIT."
CHAPTER XXV. THE MOTHER OF A VOLCANO.—"YOU CAN NOT DISPROVE, AND YOU DARE NOT ADMIT."
A year from the evening of the departure of the old man, found me in my room, expecting his presence; and I was not surprised when he opened the door, and seated himself in his accustomed chair. "Are you ready to challenge my statements?" he said, taking up the subject as though our conversation had not been interrupted. "No." "Do you accept my history?" "You can not disprove, and you dare not admit. Is not that your predicament?" he asked. "You have failed in every endeavor to discredit the tru
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CHAPTER XXVI. MOTION FROM INHERENT ENERGY.—"LEAD ME DEEPER INTO THIS EXPANDING STUDY."
CHAPTER XXVI. MOTION FROM INHERENT ENERGY.—"LEAD ME DEEPER INTO THIS EXPANDING STUDY."
"I partly comprehend that such would be the case," I said. "If a series of knife blades on pivot ends be set in a frame, and turned edgewise to a rapid current of water, the swiftly moving stream flows through this sieve of metallic edges about as easily as if there were no obstructions. Slowly turn the blades so as to present their oblique sides to the current, and an immediate pressure is apparent upon the frame that holds them; turn the blades so as to shut up the space, and they will be torn
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CHAPTER XXVII. SLEEP, DREAMS, NIGHTMARE.—"STRANGLE THE LIFE FROM MY BODY."
CHAPTER XXVII. SLEEP, DREAMS, NIGHTMARE.—"STRANGLE THE LIFE FROM MY BODY."
I know not how long I sat wrapped in slumber. Even if my body had not been wearing away as formerly, my mind had become excessively wearied. I had existed in a state of abnormal mental intoxication far beyond the period of accustomed wakefulness, and had taxed my mental organization beyond endurance. In the midst of events of the most startling description, I had abruptly passed into what was at its commencement the sweetest sleep of my recollection, but which came to a horrible termination. In
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CHAPTER XXVIII. A CHALLENGE.—MY UNBIDDEN GUEST ACCEPTS IT.
CHAPTER XXVIII. A CHALLENGE.—MY UNBIDDEN GUEST ACCEPTS IT.
The white-haired reader, in whom I had now become deeply interested, no longer an unwelcome stranger, suspended his reading, laid down his manuscript, and looking me in the face, asked: "Are you a believer?" "No," I promptly answered. "What part of the narrative do you question?" "All of it." "Have you not already investigated some of the statements I previously made?" he queried. "Yes," I said; "but you had not then given utterance to such preposterous expressions." "Is not the truth, the truth
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CHAPTER XXIX. BEWARE OF BIOLOGY, THE SCIENCE OF THE LIFE OF MAN.[6]
CHAPTER XXIX. BEWARE OF BIOLOGY, THE SCIENCE OF THE LIFE OF MAN.[6]
(The old man relates a story as an object lesson.) [6] The reader is invited to skip this chapter of horrors.—J. U. L. "But you have not lived up to the promise; you have evaded part of the bargain," I continued. "While you have certainly performed some curious experiments in physics which seem to be unique, yet, I am only an amateur in science, and your hydrostatic illustrations may be repetitions of investigations already recorded, that have escaped the attention of the scientific gentlemen to
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CHAPTER XXX. LOOKING BACKWARD.—THE LIVING BRAIN.
CHAPTER XXX. LOOKING BACKWARD.—THE LIVING BRAIN.
The old man accompanied his word "come," as I have said, by rising from his chair, and then with a display of strength quite out of proportion to his age, he grasped my wrist and drew me toward the door. Realizing at once that he intended I should accompany him into the night, I protested, saying that I was quite unprepared. "My hat, at least," I insisted, as he made no recognition of my first demur. "Your hat is on your head," he replied. This was true, although I am sure the hat had been previ
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CHAPTER XXXI. A LESSON ON VOLCANOES.—PRIMARY COLORS ARE CAPABLE OF FARTHER SUBDIVISION.
CHAPTER XXXI. A LESSON ON VOLCANOES.—PRIMARY COLORS ARE CAPABLE OF FARTHER SUBDIVISION.
"Get into the boat," said my eyeless pilot, "and we will proceed to the farther edge of the lake, over the barrier of which at great intervals of time, the surface water flows, and induces the convulsion known as Mount Epomeo." We accordingly embarked, and a gentle touch of the lever enabled us rapidly to skirt the shore of the underground sea. The soft, bright, pleasant earth-light continually enveloped us, and the absence of either excessive heat or cold, rendered existence delightful. The wei
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CHAPTER XXXII. MATTER IS RETARDED MOTION.
CHAPTER XXXII. MATTER IS RETARDED MOTION.
"It is possible—is it not?—for you to imagine a continuous volley of iron balls passing near you in one line, in a horizontal direction, with considerable velocity. Suppose that a pane of glass were to be gradually moved so that a corner of it would be struck by one of the balls; then the entire sheet of glass would be shivered by the concussion, even though the bullet struck but a single spot of glass, the point of contact covering only a small area. Imagine now that the velocity of the volley
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CHAPTER XXXIII "A STUDY OF SCIENCE IS A STUDY OF GOD."—COMMUNING WITH ANGELS.
CHAPTER XXXIII "A STUDY OF SCIENCE IS A STUDY OF GOD."—COMMUNING WITH ANGELS.
"This is incredible," I exclaimed. "You need not be astonished," he answered. "Is there any argument that can be offered to controvert the assertion that man is ignorant of many natural laws?" "I can offer none." "Is there any doubt that a force, distinct and separate from matter, influences matter and vivifies it into a living personality?" "I do not deny that there is such force." "What then should prevent this force from existing separate from the body if it be capable of existing in it?" "I
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CHAPTER XXXIV. I CEASE TO BREATHE, AND YET LIVE.
CHAPTER XXXIV. I CEASE TO BREATHE, AND YET LIVE.
During this conversation we had been rapidly walking, or I should better say advancing, for we no longer walked as men do, but skipped down into the earth, down, ever downward. There were long periods of silence, in which I was engaged in meditating over the problems that successively demanded solution, and even had I desired to do so I could have kept no record of time; days, or even weeks, may have been consumed in this journey. Neither have I any method of judging of the rapidity of our motio
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CHAPTER XXXV. "A CERTAIN POINT WITHIN A SPHERE."—MEN ARE AS PARASITES ON THE ROOF OF EARTH.
CHAPTER XXXV. "A CERTAIN POINT WITHIN A SPHERE."—MEN ARE AS PARASITES ON THE ROOF OF EARTH.
I realized again, as I had so many times before, that it was useless for me to rebel. "The self-imposed mystery of a sacrificed life lies before me," I murmured, "and there is no chance to retrace my footsteps. The 'Beyond' of the course that I have voluntarily selected, and sworn to follow, is hidden; I must nerve myself to pursue it to the bitter end, and so help me God, and keep me steadfast." "Well said," he replied; "and since you have so wisely determined, I am free to inform you that thes
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CHAPTER XXXVI. DRUNKENNESS.—THE DRINKS OF MAN.
CHAPTER XXXVI. DRUNKENNESS.—THE DRINKS OF MAN.
"Intemperance has been the vice of every people, and is prevalent in all climes, notwithstanding that intoxicants, properly employed, may serve humanity's highest aims. Beginning early in the history of a people, the disease increases with the growth of a nation, until, at last, unless the knife is used, civilization perishes. A lowly people becomes more depraved as the use of liquor increases; a cultivated people passes backward into barbarism with the depravities that come from dissipation. He
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CHAPTER XXXVII. THE DRUNKARD'S VOICE.
CHAPTER XXXVII. THE DRUNKARD'S VOICE.
Then I noticed a medley of sounds seemingly rising out of the depths beyond us. The noise was not such as to lead me to infer that persons were speaking coherently, but rather resembled a jargon such as might come from a multitude of persons talking indiscriminately and aimlessly. It was a constant volley, now rising and now falling in intensity, as though many persons regardless of one another were chanting different tunes in that peculiar sing-song tone often characteristic of the drunkard. As
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CHAPTER XXXVIII. THE DRUNKARD'S DEN.
CHAPTER XXXVIII. THE DRUNKARD'S DEN.
As we progressed the voices in our rear became more faint, and yet the whistling volleys of screeching voice bombs passed us as before. I shuddered in anticipation of the sight that was surely to meet our gaze, and could not but tremble for fear. Then I stopped and recoiled, for at my very feet I beheld a huge, living human head. It rested on the solid rock, and had I not stopped suddenly when I did, I would have kicked it at the next leap. The eyes of the monster were fixed in supplication on m
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CHAPTER XXXIX. AMONG THE DRUNKARDS.
CHAPTER XXXIX. AMONG THE DRUNKARDS.
I remember once to have stood on the edge of Niagara's great whirlpool, but not more fearful did its seething waters then seem than did the semi-human whirl into which I had now been plunged. Whether my guide had been aware of the coming move that separated us I never knew, but, as his words were interrupted, I infer that he was not altogether ready to part from my company. Be this as it may, he disappeared from sight, and, as by a concerted move, the cries of the drunkards subsided instantly. I
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CHAPTER XL. FURTHER TEMPTATION.—ETIDORHPA.
CHAPTER XL. FURTHER TEMPTATION.—ETIDORHPA.
Then, as my voice reverberated from the outer recesses, I caught a sound as of music in the distance. I raised my head and listened—yes, surely there was music. The melody became clearly distinct, and soon my senses were aware that both vocal and instrumental music were combined. The airs which came floating were sweet, simple, and beautiful. The voices and accompanying strains approached, but I could distinguish no words. By and by, from the corridors of the cavern, troops of bright female form
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CHAPTER XLI. MISERY.
CHAPTER XLI. MISERY.
As all the bubbles in a glass shrink and vanish when the first collapses, so the troop of fairy-like forms before me disintegrated, and were gone. The delicate being, whose hand I held, fluttered as does a mist in the first gust of a sudden gale, and then dissolved into transparency. The gaily decked amphitheater disappeared, the very earth cavern passed from existence, and I found myself standing solitary and alone in a boundless desert. I turned towards every point of the compass only to find
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CHAPTER XLII. ETERNITY WITHOUT TIME.
CHAPTER XLII. ETERNITY WITHOUT TIME.
"Man's conception of eternity is that of infinite duration, continuance without beginning or end, and yet everything he knows is bounded by two or more opposites. From a beginning, as he sees a form of matter, that substance passes to an end." Thus spoke my guide. Then he asked, and showed by his question that he appreciated the nature of my recent experiences: "Do you recall the instant that you left me standing by this bowl to start, as you imagined, with me as a companion, on the journey to t
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CHAPTER XLIII. THE LAST CONTEST.
CHAPTER XLIII. THE LAST CONTEST.
I, Lewellyn Drury, had been so absorbed in the fantastic story the old man read so fluently from the execrably written manuscript, and in the metaphysical argument which followed his account of the vision he had introduced so artfully as to lead me to think it was a part of his narrative, that I scarcely noted the passage of time. Upon seeing him suspend his reading, fold the manuscript, and place it in his pocket, I reverted to material things, and glancing at the clock, perceived that the hand
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CHAPTER XLIV. THE FATHOMLESS ABYSS.—THE EDGE OF THE EARTH SHELL.
CHAPTER XLIV. THE FATHOMLESS ABYSS.—THE EDGE OF THE EARTH SHELL.
Promptly at eight o'clock the next evening the old man entered my room. He did not allude to the occurrences of the previous evening, and for this considerate treatment I felt thankful, as my part in those episodes had not been enviable. He placed his hat on the table, and in his usual cool and deliberate manner, commenced reading as follows: For a long time thereafter we journeyed on in silence, now amid stately stone pillars, then through great cliff openings or among gigantic formations that
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CHAPTER XLV. MY HEART THROB IS STILLED, AND YET I LIVE.
CHAPTER XLV. MY HEART THROB IS STILLED, AND YET I LIVE.
"It now becomes my duty to inform you that this is one of the stages in our journey that can only be passed by the exercise of the greatest will force. Owing to our former surroundings upon the surface of the earth, and to your inheritance of a so-called instinctive education, you would naturally suppose that we are now on the brink of an impassable chasm. This sphere of material vacuity extends beneath us to a depth that I am sure you will be astonished to learn is over six thousand miles. We m
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CHAPTER XLVI. THE INNER CIRCLE, OR THE END OF GRAVITATION.—IN THE BOTTOMLESS GULF.
CHAPTER XLVI. THE INNER CIRCLE, OR THE END OF GRAVITATION.—IN THE BOTTOMLESS GULF.
I recall a whirling sensation, and an involuntary attempt at self-preservation, in which I threw my arms wildly about with a vain endeavor to clutch some form of solid body, which movement naturally ended by a tight clasping of my guide in my arms, and locked together we continued to speed down into the seven thousand miles of vacancy. Instinctively I murmured a prayer of supplication, and awaited the approaching hereafter, which, as I believed, would quickly witness the extinction of my unhappy
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CHAPTER XLVII. HEARING WITHOUT EARS.—"WHAT WILL BE THE END?"
CHAPTER XLVII. HEARING WITHOUT EARS.—"WHAT WILL BE THE END?"
A flood of recollections came over me, a vivid remembrance of my earth-learned school philosophy. "I rebel again," I said, "I deny your statements. We can neither be moving, nor can we be out of the atmosphere. Fool that I have been not to have sooner and better used my reasoning faculties, not to have at once rejected your statements concerning the disappearance of the atmosphere." "I await your argument." "Am I not speaking? Is other argument necessary? Have I not heard your voice, and that, t
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CHAPTER XLVIII. WHY AND HOW.—"THE STRUGGLING RAY OF LIGHT FROM THOSE FARTHERMOST OUTREACHES."
CHAPTER XLVIII. WHY AND HOW.—"THE STRUGGLING RAY OF LIGHT FROM THOSE FARTHERMOST OUTREACHES."
"Confronting mankind there stands a sphinx—the vast Unknown. However well a man may be informed concerning a special subject, his farthermost outlook concerning that subject is bounded by an impenetrable infinity." "Granted," I interrupted, "that mankind has not by any means attained a condition of perfection, yet you must admit that questions once regarded as inscrutable problems are now illuminated by the discoveries of science." "And the 'discovered,' as I will show, has only transferred igno
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CHAPTER XLIX. OSCILLATING THROUGH SPACE.—EARTH'S SHELL ABOVE ME.[14]
CHAPTER XLIX. OSCILLATING THROUGH SPACE.—EARTH'S SHELL ABOVE ME.[14]
[14] For detail illustration of the earth shell, as explained in this chapter, see the plate. Continued my companion: "We have just now crossed the line of gravitation. We were drawn downward until at a certain point, to which I called your attention at the time, we recently crossed the curved plane of perfect rest, where gravity ceases, and by our momentum are now passing beyond that plane, and are now pressing against the bond of gravitation again. This shell in which gravity centers is concen
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CHAPTER L. MY WEIGHT ANNIHILATED.—"TELL ME," I CRIED IN ALARM, "IS THIS TO BE A LIVING TOMB?"
CHAPTER L. MY WEIGHT ANNIHILATED.—"TELL ME," I CRIED IN ALARM, "IS THIS TO BE A LIVING TOMB?"
"If you will reflect upon the condition we are now in, you will perceive that it must be one of unusual scientific interest. If you imagine a body at rest, in an intangible medium, and not in contact with a gas or any substance capable of creating friction, that body by the prevailing theory of matter and motion, unless disturbed by an impulse from without, would remain forever at absolute rest. We now occupy such a position. In whatever direction we may now be situated, it seems to us that we a
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CHAPTER LI. IS THAT A MORTAL?—"THE END OF EARTH."
CHAPTER LI. IS THAT A MORTAL?—"THE END OF EARTH."
At length I perceived, in the distance, a crescent-shaped ring of silver luster. It grew broader, expanding beneath my gaze, and appeared to approach rapidly. "Hold; cease your desire for onward motion," said the guide; "we approach too rapidly. Quick, wish with all your mind that you were motionless." I did so, and we rested in front of a ridge of brilliant material, that in one direction, towards the earth's outer circle, broadened until it extended upward as far as the eye could reach in the
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CHAPTER LII. THE LAST FAREWELL.
CHAPTER LII. THE LAST FAREWELL.
My mysterious guest, he of the silver, flowing beard, read the last word of the foregoing manuscript, and then laid the sheet of paper on the table, and rested his head upon his hand, gazing thoughtfully at the open fire. Thus he sat for a considerable period in silence. Then he said: "You have heard part of my story, that portion which I am commanded to make known now, and you have learned how, by natural methods, I passed by successive steps while in the body, to the door that death only, as y
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EPILOGUE. LETTER ACCOMPANYING THE MYSTERIOUS MANUSCRIPT.
EPILOGUE. LETTER ACCOMPANYING THE MYSTERIOUS MANUSCRIPT.
The allotted thirty years have passed, and as directed, I, Llewellyn Drury, now break the seals, and open the envelope accompanying the mysterious package which was left in my hand, and read as follows: Herein find the epilogue to your manuscript. Also a picture of your unwelcome guest, I—Am—The—Man, which you are directed to have engraved, and to use as a frontispiece to the volume. There are men yet living to bear witness to my identity, who will need but this picture to convince them of the a
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ACCOUNT OF THE DEATH OF PROF. VAUGHN, BY REV. EUGENE BRADY, S.J.
ACCOUNT OF THE DEATH OF PROF. VAUGHN, BY REV. EUGENE BRADY, S.J.
[Concerning the last days of Professor Vaughn, the following from the pen of Father Brady, pastor of St. Xavier's Church, is of special interest. This is peculiarly appropriate by reason of the fact that Father Brady, while a boy, attended the college during the time Professor Vaughn taught in Bardstown, Kentucky, and finally comforted him in his last moments.—J. U. L.] " My Dear Mr. Lloyd :— "Concerning the foot-note on page 160 of Etidorhpa. The description of Daniel Vaughn is correct. The sto
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ETIDORHPA AS A WORK OF ART.
ETIDORHPA AS A WORK OF ART.
Professor S. W. Williams, Wyoming, Ohio. If a fine statue or a stately cathedral is a poem in marble, a masterpiece of the printer's art may be called a poem in typography. Such is Etidorhpa. In its paper, composition, presswork, illustrations, and binding—it is the perfection of beauty. While there is nothing gaudy in its outward appearance, there is throughout a display of good taste. The simplicity of its neatness, like that of a handsome woman, is its great charm. Elegance does not consist i
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