Page:Clement Fezandié - Through the Earth.djvu/240

220 the center of the earth—some dust remaining in the tube. "With all the doctor's ingenuity and care, he could not avoid leaving some particles of matter in the tube, and it was evidently these particles which caused the whole trouble.

While seeking to discover the cause of the shock William's attention was somewhat diverted from his perilous situation; but having, as he thought, found the true solution, he dismissed the matter from his mind, and prepared to cope with the difficulties which he felt were in store for him. With a renewed sense of his danger, he anxiously looked at the telemeter.

One glance was sufficient to show him that the speed of the car was decreasing rapidly, and it at once flashed upon him that the molten matter must be gaining upon him. To satisfy himself on this point, he again opened the shutter at the top of the car, and looked out; but, to his intense relief, the molten matter that was following him in the tube had now dwindled down to a mere speck of light.

For a few moments he remained at the window, absorbed in his own thoughts. It was comforting to know that there was no immediate danger, for while there's life there's always hope, and so long as the car was gaining on the molten matter