Читать книгу The Centaurians. A novel онлайн

62 страница из 68

“The Propellier will explode! nothing is proof against this!” he cried.

“We are witnessing,” said Saunders, in reassuring tones, “a phenomenon of the heavens, a combination of electrical forces which will soon disperse and rage in various portions of the globe. It cannot harm us should it descend, as its power, force, will have evaporated. This portion of the globe upon which we are now traveling is——er—hum——”

“God in heaven!” yelled Saxe. “Look, boys, we’re done for!”

Saxe., the mainspring of the party, to our amazement, was overcome with terror.

“Come,” he cried, retreating with frantic haste, “come, or we’ll perish! The Propellier is going to burst!”

We stampeded to the rear car and clustered around the window to gaze at that which had so roused Saxe.’s terror, while he sank in a heap, mopping his brow.

The wide-spreading arch of fire suddenly parted with a great blast of thunder, which rolled and revolved over our heads with terrific crash, then passed on toward the south. What chained our attention was the appearance of a great milk-white cloud that sailed through the parted arch, submerging it. A cloud, funnel shaped, of milky, opal tints, whose throbbing, fiery heart burned vividly beneath the thin, shell covering. It gained in size and weight as it advanced, and gradually losing flakiness became a dull, ominous purple, rapidly deepening to black, then with appalling suddenness it was upon us.