Page:Amazing Stories Volume 01 Number 07.djvu/86

Rh tank set into the floor, and partitioned off into numerous smaller sections, each of which contained a fish or email amphibian. He waved a hand at the cages set about the walls, the orang being the largest of the various occupants.

"Where are the lions and tigers? The ones the villagers claim to have heard?" asked Mason.

"So long as they didn't claim actually to have seen them," said the Doctor, "my faith in the yokels is unshaken. They merely hear the sounds of certain local insects and birds amplified and sent out through the horn in the tower in order to test the attraction of the sounds for similar species. We occasionally use a radio decoy, so to speak, in testing our transmitter. Also, we convert various forms of radiant energy into 'radio' equivalents, and try them out too, and much noise results. We have actually transmitted the equivalent of radium 'gamma' rays, the various waves found in polarized light and in X-rays, as well as the usual radio waves at the other end of the scale, which reach into the thousands of meters.

"To get back to this collection, however," he continued, "I tell you truthfully that every one of the specimens you see here was born on the premises!"

"That python?"

"Almost three years ago, and he's as big as the usual forty or fityfifty [sic] year old specimen," the Doctor assured him.

"The badger, the lemur, and that brown toad?" persisted Mason.

"Everyone of them!"

"I give up!" confessed Mason.

"You had better, until after luncheon, Gary," advised the Doctor. "Come along, Johnssen! It's time to eat."

The three men left the miniature zoo and aquarium, and strolled back to the house together, where Stevens and Bridges joined them shortly.

UKI served them deftly and silently while they conversed about the topics nearest to their hearts. The talk was most amazing to Mason, who was reluctant to appear gullible.

"Mason, here, is an old college chum of mine," explained the Doctor. "After dabbling in science, he commenced on theology, and then, by easy stages drifted into archaeology in order to substantiate for himself some of the beliefs he had picked up. As for me, you see how I have departed from the paths of 'goodness.' You needn't hesitate to speak frankly before our friend here. He'll get the general import of your remarks. He's kept up with events in the scientific world—the known scientific world," he amended.

Stevens began.

"Have you ever heard of a radio wave measuring one meter?"

"Surely!" said Mason affably.

"One of a millimeter?" persisted Stevens.

"Not in radio work, though probably some of the radium wave emanations are shorter than that."

Have"Have [sic] you ever heard of a quadrillimeter or a pentillimeter?"

"Get on with you!" said Mason with some asperity. "There are no such words or measurements. You're making game of me!"

Doctor Santurn smiled, the swarthy, weazened Bridges chuckled, and Johnssen rumbled mirthfully.

Bridges took up the cudgels.

"Will synthetic gin produce the 'D.T.'s', to your knowledge," he asked slyly.

"Very likely," snapped Mason, on guard.

"Then a man who has taken sufficient synthetic liquor over a long enough period of time should see synthetic snakes and animals, shouldn't he?"

"Clever!" jeered Mason. "Synthetic snakes! Fancy them!"

"No. Don't fancy them. They exist. You've seen one yourself."

"What! This is too thick for me!" cried Mason; but they gave him no mercy.

"It's your turn, Johnssen," said the Chief. "Do you remember the ancient myth about Minerva springing forth full-fledged from the head of Jupiter?"

"Yes—well?"

"Of course it's a myth," conceded Johnssen, "But it's not so far from what might be possible."

Mason extended his cigar-case around the table.

"The cigars are 'on me', gentlemen. I assure you they contain no hasheesh or other substance calculated to encourage your fabrications. Munchhausen himself would feel abashed in your presence.

His table-mates laughed in good spirits at his incredulity as they rose to go back to their separate tasks, and to Mason there was something forbiddingly convincing in the fact that not one of them had attempted to bolster his argument for; argument's sake.

HE sun had descended through its arc during the afternoon, sending, through the red, stained-glass panels of the westerly windows of the library, queer, bloody mottlings on the backs of the books that lined the walls, as Mason and the Doctor discussed the work on The Plateau.

"Gary, do I appear rational to you?" the Doctor had asked.

"Your question implies some self-doubt as to your own sanity, I presume. Judging from externals, and as a layman, I can truthfully say you appear nothing out of the ordinary. Your manner of speech, however, has disturbed me somewhat; but on the whole I'd say you'd pass as nothing worse than slightly eccentric."

"Ah!" the Doctor had said. "But after I have proceeded a little, you'll think differently, no doubt. Shall I start with fundamentals?"

"Do!"

And then the biologist had entered on the weirdest and most unforseen harangue that it had even been Mason's lot to attend.

"Have you ever heard of the 'nitrogen cycle,' where the element nitrogen, 'fixed' by bacteria on grass roots, is ingested by cattle, turned into proteins, eaten by humans, and returned again to soil and air, and so on ad infinitum?"

"Surely," said Mason, "That's elementary."

"That's Immortality!" corrected Doctor Santurn. "Nitrogen immortality, and just as demonstratable in every element.

"Nitrogen will always be nitrogen so long as the