Page:Doughty--Mirrikh or A woman from Mars.djvu/172

. Higher, and higher still it rose, growing broader at the same time, until the whole room was as bright as day;  and the strange part of it was, the flame now had lost some  of its crimson tint and become whiter, more like an electric  light.

“The dish, Wylde! For God’s sake keep your eyes on the dish, man!” cried the Doctor.

My eyes fell to the surface of the black liquid; it was as smooth and motionless as glass, and, in spite of its opacity, I  found, to my amazement, that I could look into it to what  seemed unfathomable depths.

As I gazed no word was spoken; the Doctor’s eyes were as firmly riveted as my own.

I seemed to be looking off into immeasurable space, with the sun, as a huge fiery globe hanging above me, radiating  its heat and light in mighty puffs, like some breathing monster, and yet I was shivering with the very intensity of cold.

Nor did the light of the molten orb seem to illuminate. It was as though I was in darkness looking at the light. I could see all the stars of heaven shining with surpassing  brilliancy—all, did I say? No; not all. The planets were wanting among the others, they were with me. I seemed to be an atom floating helplessly among them. They were all whirling forward through space with incredible rapidity; it  was like gazing at a huge orrery, for each planet was of proportions so prodigious that I felt they must be seen in their  proper size.

Mercury—aye, and the disputed Vulcan within its orbit—Venus, Mars, the Earth, asteroids by hundreds, mighty Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and even far off Neptune, all were  there. Beyond Neptune rolled three others, enormous in their proportions; two of them had rings like Saturn, nor  was there one among all the number unattended by its  moon or moons.

Now suddenly all vanished, and I saw nothing but the dish, the girl, old Padma and his rod, but yet the spell remained unbroken—my gaze was still transfixed.

Again Padma moved his rod, and once more I was uplifted among the spheres.

Precisely what I had seen before I saw now, but I seemed to have assumed a different point of observation—I was between the earth and Mars!

Now I saw them!