They wanted to install the tube, while the women were asleep. The ship would be too cold for comfort for a long time after the blasts could be started again. When the heating units in the hull were shut off it would become freezing inside.
Men raced through the ship, stopping at their staterooms on the way.
d.i.c.k dropped three extra covers over Dolores without disturbing her, then slipped into the heaviest clothing that he owned.
Each man was occupied in his own room, in the same way. Heavy coats were taken to the men at the controls while the remainder of the crew were sent to a room with an emergency heating unit.
In fifteen minutes they were back at the compression chamber, and at the touch of a b.u.t.ton the blasts were silenced from the control room.
By the time an opening was cut in the heavy tanks, the cold had begun to creep into the ship. The men worked desperately, and for a while perspiration dampened their clothing. Then the chill crept deeper--and they shivered. Their fingers grew numb, and they had to warm them over a small electric unit, but the opening slowly enlarged beneath their torches.
When the tube was fitted into the hole, and the metal began to flow around the edges, even the torches seemed to throw little heat. d.i.c.k knew his nose was frosted, and warned the others not to touch their nose or ears. According to John"s watch it required three hours to fit the tube in place.
When they rang for the power to be turned on, they waited in vain. When minutes pa.s.sed without reaction, they glanced at each other in consternation. Brown and Martin raced up the ramp while the others waited. Within a few minutes the tubes began to fire and warmth slowly drove back the numbing cold.
Water pipes had burst, and they hurried to stop the leaks. The main tanks were uninjured, as the cold hadn"t penetrated the big supplies in storage.
d.i.c.k suddenly realized that Brown and Martin hadn"t returned. When he reached the upper deck all of the women were gathered near the room where the crew had been left. The thermometer was only fifty degrees, even then, and they shivered in heavy coats.
Every dome man was stretched out on the floor! As d.i.c.k stepped within, his heart almost stopped beating--but they were only unconscious! His breath escaped in a long sigh, after holding it for almost a minute.
Brown and Martin were trying to revive the p.r.o.ne forms. The control men lay beside the others, brought there by the two earthmen. The eyes of first one then another, slowly opened, and they looked around in amazement. Cold affected them like an anaesthetic, causing complete unconsciousness.
When the ship reached normal warmth, they felt as good as ever. It hadn"t been cold enough to freeze them, in their section, and not a man was injured. When they understood what happened, the men hurried back to the controls.
The heavy coils were soon fastened around the tube, and it was filled through a valve on the upper side. A gauge was set to register the pressure of the vapor within. They decided to raise steam pressure enough to equal the compression of the fuel.
It required fifteen minutes for the water to reach the boiling point, while they nervously held their watches. They could keep track of minutes and hours, although there was no longer day and night in their lives. According to their figures, they now ate dinner at three o"clock in the morning, and went to bed in the early afternoon.
They held their breath when the steam valve was opened. It moved slowly under d.i.c.k"s fingers, while a thousand questions raced through every mind.
"Would it silence the blasts? Would it put them out of commission permanently? Was that moment, and the turning of that valve, the end of existence for them all?"
d.i.c.k glanced at the gauge on the tube, then jerked the valve shut. The pressure was still far below that of the fuel. He turned the heating unit on full, and watched the gauge climb higher. They didn"t understand the numerals of the domed cities, but knew the pressure was getting terrifically high.
When he opened the valve again, the steam gauge _did not rise_! It held almost steady. The hiss of escaping steam, sounded through the heavy metal faintly.
The tubes began to fire spasmodically! d.i.c.k bit his lips, as he opened the valve a little wider. John McCarthy wiped the sweat from his forehead, as every face turned white as chalk.
_They fired evenly again!!!_ The steam was working through the mixture--_discharging through the blasts_!
They felt their bodies sway under the effects of acceleration and exultance filled them. There was _some_ reaction, at least!
Morquil appeared on the ramp, his face lighted by a smile. "_What have you done?_ The ship is traveling at _almost twice the speed that it was before_! Is it all right?"
d.i.c.k sat down hard. Not a man in the crowd was able to answer. Success had left them speechless. Barrow was the first to recover his voice.
"Are you _sure_?"
"Yes, d.i.c.k! We took three separate observations, and each showed the same result--almost _double_ normal speed! Does it mean what you wanted?
_Can we reach the domes?_"
"I hope so, Morquil. If the steam has made _that_ much difference, we"ll get there without trouble. The water must be conserved as much as possible--and hope that it lasts. Whether it increases the power of the fuel, or simply creates an additional body to drive against, is not important. _We"re getting there!_"
CHAPTER VII
_Jupiter and Trouble!_
The huge ship circled the planet twice, with the instruments adjusted to detect the metal of the domes. They spread over many miles of the surface, yet were like grains of sand on the enormous globe. When the gauges quivered over a section, hidden beneath the mists, every one breathed a sigh of relief.
It would be many hours before the ship was within the cities, but they were _home_! Every earthman had the same feeling. Jupiter was almost as much of a home to them as to the natives, even before they had seen it.
They eagerly looked forward to sight of the domes that would be under their care.
John McCarthy entered the control room with a big tray of containers.
"Here! It"s not liquor, but I"ll bet you enjoy it more. There"s enough in each of these to _really_ quench your thirst. I for one, will enjoy drinking all of the water I want, after five weeks on short rations."
It seemed impossible that the clouds outside could be deadly. They were beautiful in the reflected light of the sun, yet those vapors contained poison that no man could live in. The domes were the only place that life could exist on the strange planet.
As they dropped through the heavy mists, it created a feeling of dense fog. They could see nothing of the surroundings, trusting entirely on the instruments. It was like groping in the dark, yet the earthmen knew it had been done before, and the dome men showed no fear.
When a slight jar shook the ship, they breathed easier. _It had touched the ground!_ They could feel some effect of the heavy gravity, even within the insulated hull. The ship slanted down at a steep angle, sliding forward with its own weight.
The earthmen didn"t understand what was happening, but watched the actions of the dome men. They were using a different control board now, beneath the other panel. McCarthy was down in the hold, watching the action of machines that had been idle until now.
When they stopped, the mists disappeared from around them. Lights above outlined a huge metal pa.s.sage. The ship started forward again and heavy doors slid back at the approach with bright light appearing beyond.
They were looking across sun-lit country; the most perfect scene they had ever witnessed. Strange trees, and growth of every description, spread in every direction. When the ship slid into the open, they were beneath one of the domes--enormous beyond their greatest imagination, and exquisitely beautiful.
While they watched spellbound, people started across the fields to greet the expedition. The women were well proportioned, and far different from the men of the race. Not as tall as the women of earth, or quite as well built, but their heads were much smaller than the men"s.
All men were dressed in flowing robes, the women in much less clothing.
They wore tight-fitting garments, like bathing suits of metallic cloth.
They were happy and carefree, seemingly without a worry in their lives.
Children came romping across the fields beside their parents.
Minutes, slipped by, and the people from earth hadn"t moved. Sight of their new home was too wonderful to grasp at once. Instead of the gloomy metal covering they had expected, the curved surface above was finished in blue that resembled clear sky at home--as if they had reached the land of their dreams.
When their minds snapped back to reality, the dome men were being welcomed by friends and relatives. The babble of voices came faintly to the control room, from the power hull.
John McCarthy joined them. When the machines stopped, he came up to find the reason. Now the others watched as he gazed at the beautiful scene for the first time. Their own amazement was reflected in his eyes. When he looked up at the curved dome, his wife slipped her arm around him.