Page:Clement Fezandié - Through the Earth.djvu/147

Rh The Australian government had weakly allowed itself to be swayed by arguments of this nature, and the issuing of the injunction restraining the passage of the car bearing our hero followed as a matter of course.

The injunction once signed, the fleetest revenue cutter was despatched with it, and had arrived at the very moment we have mentioned, when William was already snugly ensconced in his car.

this flashed through the doctor's mind in an instant, and at the same time a wave of disappointment came over him at the idea that his fifteen years of hard toil were to go for naught. After conducting his enterprise to a satisfactory termination in spite of all the obstacles of nature, he was now to be stopped and turned back through the foolishness of men! It was a hard blow, but there was no help for it. The doctor was not the man to oppose the decree of the government under which he lived.

With a heavy heart he turned to his speakingtube.

"Petrie," he called out to his chief engineer, "we shall not be able to send the car through; please have it held back."

"Too late, doctor," returned the engineer. "The