Page:Amazing Stories Volume 01 Number 04.djvu/40

328 and a moment later the broader countenance of President Boon loomed in the eiectric glare beside the doctor's black frame-work of eyebrows and mustache. Behind them were grouped the other visiting financiers. "This tunnel," said Dr. Syx, "leads to the mine head, where the ore-bearing rock is blasted." As he spoke a hollow roar issued from the depths of the mountain, followed in a short time by a gust of foul air. "You probably will not care to go in there," said the doctor, "and, in fact, it is very uncomfortable. But we shall follow the next car-load to the smelter, and you can witness the reduction of the ore," Accordingly when another ear came rumbling out of the tunnel, with its load of cracked rock, they all accompanied it into an adjoining apartment, where it was cast into a metallic shute, through which, they were informed, it reached the furnace. "While it is melting," explained Dr. Syx, "certain elements, the nature of which I must beg to keep secret, are mixed with the ore, causing chemical action which results in the extraction of the metal. Now let me show you pure artemisum issuing from the furnace." The Metal Shown Running from the Furnace HE led the visitors through two apartments into a third, one side of which was walled by the front of a furnace. From this pro- jected two or three small spouts, and iridescent streams of molten metal fell from the spouts into earthern receptacles from which the blazing liquid was led, like flowing iron, into a system of molds, where it was allowed to cool and harden. The financiers looked on wondering, and their astonishment grew when they were conducted into the rock-cut store-rooms beneath, where they saw metallic ingots glowing like gigantic opals in the light which Dr. Syx turned on. They were piled in rows along the walls as high as a man could reach. A very brief inspection sufficed to convince the visitors that Dr. Syx was able to perform all that he promised. Although they had not penetrated the secret of his process of reducing the ore, yet they had seen the metal flowing from the furnace, and the piles of ingots proved conclusively that, he had uttered no vain boast when he said he could give the world a new coinage. But President Boon, being himself a metallurgist, desired to inspect the mysterious ore a little more closely. Possibly he was thinking that if another mine was destined to, be discovered he might as well be the discoverer as anybody. Dr. Syx at- tempted no concealment, but his smile became more than usually scornful as he stopped a laden car and invited the visitors to help themselves. "I think," he said, "that I have struck the only lode of this ore in the Teton, or possibly in this part of the world, but I don't know for certain. There may be plenty of it only waiting to be found. That, however, doesn't trouble me. The great point is that nobody except myself knows how to extract the metal." Mr Boon closely examined the chunk of rock which he had taken from the car. Then he pulled a lens from his pocket, with a deprecatory glance at Dr. Syx. "Oh, that's all right," said the latter, with a laugh, the first that these gentlemen had ever heard from his lips, and it almost made tliem shudder; "put it to every test, examine 'it with the micro- scope, with fire, with electricity, with the spectro- scope — in every way you can think of! I assure you it is worth your while!" Again Dr. Syx uttered his freezing laugh, pass- ing into the familiar smile, which had now become an undisguised mock. "Upon my word," said Mr. Boon, taking his eye from the lens, ""I see no sign of any metal here!" . "Look at the green specks!" cried the doctor, snatching the specimen from the president's hand. "That's it I That's artemisium! But it's of no use unless you can get it out and purify it, which is Jay t iret!' Dr. Syx Laughs FOR the third time Dr. Syx laughed, and his merriment affected the visitors so disagree- ably that they showed impatience to be gone. Immediately he ehanged his manner. "Come into my office," he said, with a return to the graciousness which had characterized him ever since the party started from New York. When they were all seated, and the doctor had handed round a box of cigars, he resumed the con- versation in his most amiable manner. "You see, gentlemen," be said, turning a piece of ore in his fingers, "artemisium is like aluminum. It can only be obtained in the metallic form by a special process. While these greenish particles, which you may perhaps mistake for chrysolite, or some similar silicate, really contain the precious metal, they are not entirely composed of it. The process by which I separate out the metallic ele- ment while the ore is passing through the furnace is, in truth, quite simple, and its very simplicity guards my secret. Make your minds easy as to over-production. A man is as likely to jump over the moon as to find me out." "But," he continued, again changing his man- ner, "we have had business enough for one day; now for a little recreation." While speaking the doctor pressed a button on his desk, and the room, which was illuminated by electric lamps — for there were no windows in the building — suddenly became dark, except part of one wall, where a broad area of light appeared. Dr. Syx's voice had become very soothing when next he spoke: "I am fond of amusing myself with a peculiar form of the magic-lantern, which I invented some years ago, and which I have never exhibited except for the entertainment of my friends. The pictures will appear upon the wall, the apparatus 'being con- cealed." He had hardly ceased speaking when the il- luminated space seemed to melt away, leaving a great opening, through which the spectators looked as if into another world on the opposite side of the wall. For a minute or two they could not clearly discern what was presented; then, gradually, the flitting scenes and figures became more distinct un- til the lifelikeness of the spectacle absorbed their whole attention. Before them passed, in panorarr