Page:Clement Fezandié - Through the Earth.djvu/245

Rh the earth, for the telemeter showed him that he was still two miles underground.

"This is just as I expected!" exclaimed William; "for although Dr. Giles did his best to get all the air out of the tube, he was not able to make a perfect vacuum, and what little air was left has sufficed to retard the car somewhat, and so prevent it from going the whole distance. In fact, it is surprising that the vacuum was even so perfect as it has been. I did not expect to come within twenty miles of the surface on the New York side.

"It is true that my greatest loss of speed was only eight feet per second, since objects in the car, even when heaviest, weighed only four ounces to the pound, so I could easily have calculated that my total retardation would be about two miles. At any rate, I have beaten the record for rapid traveling, for I have gone eight thousand miles in a little over forty-two minutes, and that is a figure that will not be beaten in a hurry!"

Scarcely were these words well out of his mouth when he felt another shock, and perceived that the car was in motion again.

A sudden fear arose in his mind. "That must be the shock of the molten matter!" he cried. "It must have caught up with me!"