On a lark to the planets: A sequel to "The wonderful electric elephant"Montgomery, Frances Trego
Science
On a lark to the planets: A sequel to "The wonderful electric elephant"
Montgomery, Frances Trego
Fantasy fiction; Interplanetary voyages -- Fiction; Science fiction
Presently they began to pass dismal cells in which were chained
wicked-looking men and women, and over each of these cells was an
account of the deeds each had committed, cut in letters which gleamed
like coals of fire. All around them blue, yellow, and green devils were
working, stirring the already hot fires, throwing on more sulphur or
adding fuel, refusing ever to give the poor inmates the cool draught of
water for which they were continuously begging.
Over one of the cells they read the account of a most brutal murder,
over another the inhuman treatment of wife and children, and so on past
hundreds and hundreds of cells until they were sick at heart to know
that such cruelties could exist and had to be in some way punished. Of
course they could not but hear the moans and groans of the victims and
their horrible language as well, but deaf ears were turned to all
pleadings and the girls felt that it would be useless for them to beg to
be taken back to the surface and daylight and were beginning to lose
their courage, when to their surprise and delight they saw Harold and
the Prince coming down a broad passage just ahead of them. What then was
the astonishment of the boys to see them being trundled in wheelbarrows
down in the very depths of Hades?
“What do you mean by bringing these ladies down here?” said the boys’
guide to the sprites who had carried away the girls.
They explained that they had been told to bring down two people whom
they would find in a certain place, and as the girls were in this place
they of course brought them down. With many and profuse apologies for
their mistake, made in a language not one word of which the girls could
understand, these sprites retired.
The guides now asked them if they would like to investigate further for
there were numerous divisions to Hades which they had not as yet seen.
These divisions were graded according to the atrocity of the deeds
committed. The most wicked criminals were sent to the lowest depths, the
punishments there being the most severe, while they lessened as each
higher division was reached. The boys declared they had seen all they
cared to and as for the girls, they had witnessed much more than they
wished to, so they were quickly conducted to the open air.
“This is the very way we were taken down,” said Ione.
“Sure enough, it is,” replied the Princess. “Did you ever see such an
elevator in all your life?” for with a one, two, three, they had reached
the open air, while just before them fluttered their air-ship.
“Now where shall I take you?” asked their attendant, “I have orders to
show you the sights of our island.”
“Thank you, but we must not tarry longer,” said Harold.
“But surely you will like to visit our satellites and luminous belts
which we are very proud of since ours is the only planet in this solar
system that has luminous belts.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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