a month had elapsed since the meeting in the rooms of the gun club, and a change had taken place in public opinion.
the advantages of altering the axis of rotation were being forgotten; and the disadvantages were being enlarged upon. it was impossible that a catastrophe could be avoided, for any change must necessarily be occasioned by a violent shock. what the catastrophe would be no one could say. was this amelioration of climate desirable? who would gain by it except the eskimos, laps, and samoyeds, who had nothing to lose?
the major and his allies were indefatigable in their prophecies of evil.
“it is evident,” said karkof “that the projectors will do all they can to protect the united states from the consequences of the shock.”
“but can they?” asked harald. “when you shake a tree all the branches shake.”
“and,” said the dutchman, “when you are hit in the stomach does not your whole body shake?”
“that is what that famous clause meant!” said todrin. “here are the geographical and meteorological modifications!”
“yes,” said baldenak. “but suppose the change of axis throws the seas out of their existing basins?”
“and if the ocean level is lowered at different points,” said jansen, “some people may find themselves so high up in the world that communication with them will be impossible!”
81“if they go up too high they will not be able to breathe!” said harald.
“would you like to see baltimore as high as mont blanc?” asked donellan.
this modification of the axis was evidently a public danger.
a change of 23° 28′ would produce a considerable displacement in the seas, owing to the flattening at the poles. the earth was thus threatened with similar disasters to those that, it is believed, have recently occurred in mars. there entire continents, among others libya and schiaparelli, have been submerged, as shown by the faint blue replacing the faint red. lake moeris has disappeared. north and south there have been changes, and the oceans have withdrawn from many localities they formerly occupied. if a few charitable souls have been much affected at the “floods in mars”—almost as much as to open subscriptions for the sufferers—what would they do for the floods on the earth?
protests came in by every post. the united states government was urged to interfere.
“look at these yankees,” said one. “they want to hang the globe on another axletree! as if the old one, after all these centuries, had worn out! but is it not as sound as it was at the beginning?”
and there was sulphuric alcide at work trying to find out the nature and direction of the shock that j. t. maston had arranged. once master of the secret, he would very soon know what parts of the earth were in danger.
it was not likely that the united states would suffer. barbicane & co. were quite yankees enough to take care 82of their own country. evidently the new continent between the arctic sea and the gulf of mexico had nothing to fear. it was even possible that north america would gain a considerable accession of territory.
“that may be,” said the nervous people who only saw the perilous side of things. “but are you sure? supposing j. t. maston has made a mistake? supposing barbicane makes a mistake when he puts maston’s theory in practice? such a thing can happen to the cleverest artillerists! they do not always score a bull’s-eye!”
these fears were sedulously worked upon by the major and the opposition. todrin published a number of articles in a leading canadian newspaper. harald rushed into print in a swedish journal. colonel boris karkof tried his hand in a russian one. the americans began to take sides. the new york tribune and the boston journal took up their parable against barbicane. in vain the north polar practical association tried to stem the rising tide. in vain mrs. scorbitt paid ten dollars a line for serious articles, humorous articles, and smart, scathing paragraphs treating the dangers as chimerical. in vain the enthusiastic widow endeavoured to show that if ever hypothesis was unjustifiable, it was that which assumed that j. t. maston was capable of an error!
neither barbicane nor his co-directors took the trouble to say anything. they let the talk go on without making any change in their habits. they seemed to be thoroughly absorbed in the immense preparations necessitated by their undertaking. the revulsion of public opinion seemed to concern them not in the least.
but in spite of all mrs. scorbitt could do, it soon came about that impey barbicane, captain nicholl, and j. t. 83maston began to be looked upon as dangers to society. so high grew the clamour that the federal government had to interfere, and call upon them to declare their intentions. what were their means of action? how did they intend to substitute one axis for another? what would be the consequences of the substitution? what parts of the globe would the substitution endanger?
the excitement raging in every state in the union allowed of no hesitation on the part of the washington government. a commission of inquiry, composed of engineers, mathematicians, hydrographers, and geographers, to the number of fifty, presided over by the celebrated john prestice, was appointed on the 19th of february, with full powers to investigate the affair, and put a stop to it if necessary.
impey barbicane was requested to attend before the commission.
barbicane did not come.
the police went to look for him at his residence, 95, cleveland street, baltimore.
barbicane was there no longer.
where was he?
they did not know.
when had he gone away?
five weeks ago, on the 11th of january, he had left maryland in company with captain nicholl.
where had they gone?
no one could say.
evidently the two members of the gun club were on their way to the mysterious region where preparations would begin under their direction.
but where could that be?
it was important to know, if the scheme of these dangerous projectors was to be nipped in the bud.
the effect of this departure of barbicane and nicholl was immense. the popular wrath rose like the rising of the equinoctial tide against the north polar practical association.
but there was one man who ought to know what had become of impey barbicane and his colleague. there was one who ought to be able to reply, and that instantly.
j. t. maston!
j. t. maston was requested to appear before the commission.
he did not go!
had he then left baltimore? had he gone with his colleagues, to help in the work of which the world awaited the results with such very natural alarm?
no! j. t. maston was still to be found at ballistic cottage. he was still incessantly at work, but now on other calculations, which he only left to spend an occasional evening with mrs. scorbitt at new park.
a policeman was sent with an order from the president of the commission.
the policeman reached the cottage, knocked at the door, entered the hall, and had a warm reception from fire-fire and a cool one from j. t. maston.
however, the secretary of the gun club thought it as well to go quietly, and he appeared before the commission complaining bitterly of having been interrupted in his occupation.
the first question put to him was,—
“do you know the whereabouts of impey barbicane and captain nicholl?”
“i do,” said j. t. maston, “but i am not authorized to tell you.”
second question,—
“are these two men occupied in the preparations for their intended modification of the terrestrial axis?”
“that,” said j. t. maston, “is part of the secret with which i am entrusted, and i refuse to say.”
would he submit his calculations to the commission, that they might judge if the project of the association could be accomplished?
“no, certainly not!” said j. t. maston. “it is my right as a free american citizen to keep from anybody the result of my work!”
“but if that is your right, mr. maston,” said president prestice solemnly, as if he spoke in the name of the entire world, “it may be your duty to speak in face of the anxiety that exists.”
j. t. maston did not think it was his duty. he had only one duty—to keep silent; and he would keep silent.
in spite of their persistence, their supplications, their threats, the members of the commission of inquiry could get nothing out of the man with the iron hook. never would they have believed that so much obstinacy lurked within a gutta-percha cranium!
j. t. maston left as he had arrived, and that he was congratulated on his valiant defence by mrs. scorbitt we need hardly say.
when the result of j. t. maston’s appearance was made known, public opinion took a form that was really serious for his safety. the pressure on the government became so great that secretary john s. wright had to obtain permission from the president to act manu militari.
on the evening of the 13th of march, j. t. maston was in his workroom at ballistic cottage, absorbed in his algebra, when the bell of the telephone tinkled nervously.
“hallo, there! hallo, there!” murmured the instrument in a way that showed great anxiety.
“who’s there?” asked j. t. maston.
“mrs. scorbitt.”
“what is it?”
“be on your guard! i have just heard that this very night—”
the sentence had not been finished when the door of ballistic cottage was burst open by a push from several shoulders, and up the staircase came an extraordinary tumult. there was a voice protesting; then other voices silencing it; then a bump as of a fallen body—bump, bump—it was the negro, fire-fire, rolling downstairs after an unavailing defence of his master’s home—bump, bump; the door of the workroom flew open; policemen rushed in; the excitable maston seized a revolver; instantly he was disarmed; a policeman laid his hand on the papers on the desk; maston slipped free and dashed at a note-book; the police were after him; before they could reach him he had torn out the last leaf, clapped it to his mouth, and gulped it down as if it had been a pill!
“now!” said he in the tone of a leonidas at thermopylæ. “now you can do your duty.”
an hour afterwards he was in the gaol at baltimore.
and that was probably the best thing that could have happened to him, for the populace were in such a state of excitement that the police might have found themselves powerless to protect him.
