Neither,
then, is sufficient to bear us in the safety through eight thousand
miles of rock to the antipodes."
"If the crust is of sufficient thickness we shall come to a final
stop between six and seven hundred miles beneath the earth's surface;
but during the last hundred and fifty miles of our journey we shall
be corpses. Am I correct?" I asked.
"Quite correct, David. Are you frightened?"
"I do not know. It all has come so suddenly that I scarce believe
that either of us realizes the real terrors of our position. I feel
that I should be reduced to panic; but yet I am not. I imagine that
the shock has been so great as to partially stun our sensibilities."
Again I turned to the thermometer. The mercury was rising with less
rapidity. It was now but 140 degrees, although we had penetrated
to a depth of nearly four miles. I told Perry, and he smiled.
"We have shattered one theory at least," was his only comment, and
then he returned to his self-assumed occupation of fluently cursing
the steering wheel. I once heard a pirate swear, but his best
efforts would have seemed like those of a tyro alongside of Perry's
masterful and scientific imprecations.
Once more I tried my hand at the wheel, but I might as well have
essayed to swing the earth itself. At my suggestion Perry stopped
the generator, and as we came to rest I again threw all my strength
into a supreme effort to move the thing even a hair's breadth--but
the results were as barren as when we had been traveling at top
speed.
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