The Germ Growers: An Australian story of adventure and mysteryPotter, Robert
Science
The Germ Growers: An Australian story of adventure and mystery
Potter, Robert
Science fiction, Australian
After we had gone, as I thought, a few miles, Signor Davelli changed
the direction of the paddles and swept round in a longish curve, until
the forward part of the car was turned to our starting point. When we
had travelled about half way back he turned the valve again and
refilled the balloons, and then he stopped the paddles and we lay
floating in the air, rising very slowly and gently. Then he bade me
look to the west and say if I saw anything. I could see nothing at
all, the day was quite cloudless. Then he bade me look downward, but
still to the west. Then I saw a shadow, as I thought, of a great bird,
but I could see no bird to cast the shadow. The sun was now declining
a little, and he bade me turn and look downward again, but now to the
east. Then I saw the shadow of our own car, and although the point of
view was not the same, there was no room to doubt but that the other
shadow was cast by a car like ours. The moment I saw the likeness my
old Welsh experience came with a flash to my mind. These were just the
same queer sort of shadows that I had seen long ago at Penruddock the
day James Redpath had disappeared; yes, and surely the evening before
the day we reached the valley, the evening of the day that we lost
poor Gioro I had seen just the same sort of shadow. And—— Could it be?
Yes, it surely was—the dreadful face that I recognised yesterday was
no other than James Redpath’s own! How it was that I did not identify
him before I do not know, but now I knew very surely that I had seen
himself indeed. Such was the tumult of mixed feelings that now took
possession of me that although we moved rapidly forward again until we
had passed quite over the valley and then wheeled round once more, I
took no notice of our movements until I found that we were descending
to the spot where we had started, the front of the car facing
southward as before. I looked at Signor Davelli, and I read in his
face an expression of gratified pride and a strong sense of power.
There was nothing repulsive in his aspect now, at least nothing
repulsive to me. I felt also that I was being somehow dominated by his
will, and that I was not altogether unwilling that it should be so. I
felt certainly some remnant of the horror with which I had looked
yesterday on his face and the faces of his men, but I was conscious
that my horror was rapidly merging into simple wonder. I felt
something of the sort of awe which the suspected presence of the
supernatural produces in most minds; but the feeling which dominated
for the present all other feelings in me was a devouring curiosity.
Just then the sacred allegory of the Fall passed before my mind rather
as if presented than recalled. In my mind’s eye I saw the very Tree
itself which was to be desired to make one wise, and the legend
written under it—
“Eritis sicut Deus scientes bonum et malum;”
but neither device nor motto seemed to have any other effect upon me
than to stimulate my curiosity.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account