I had been so absorbed in Gale’s one-sided dialogue that I had forgotten the presence of those about us. He ceased speaking now, for a moment, evidently listening to a lengthier communication. Recalling myself, I glanced about at the others, wondering how much or how little of it they had comprehended. Probably very little, yet the effect upon them had been startling. They had witnessed our sudden transformation from people not greatly different to themselves into what must have appeared to them unholy barbarians—wild untamed savages, awakened to a fierce and to them brutal frenzy by the unseen electric summons. In their faces was a horror and condemnation never before written there. An awakening, indeed, had followed the galvanic touch. Gale, all unconscious of this, now broke loose again. “No, we haven’t done anything yet in that line. They don’t need any missionary work here, or homes, but they need everything else. I was just telling Nick a scheme a while ago. We felt a little discouraged, then, because we couldn’t get word from the ship, but I’m waked up now, and we’ll make things hum. We’ll get franchises from the government for electric lights and trolley lines, and steamboat traffic, and we’ll build some factories, and I’ll put a head-light on this temple, and an elevator inside, and we’ll lay out additions in all directions. Vacant property here as far as you can see, and just going to waste. Of course we’ll have to fix up some easy way to get people over the ice-wall, and run sledge trains over the snow between here and Bottle Bay, like they do in the Klondike. It may take a year or two to get the place opened up, but we can do it, and when we do, it’ll be the greatest spot on earth. We didn’t know just how we were going to get out of here before, though we haven’t worried any, but now you and Biff can take the yacht back to New York and make up a big expedition. You’ll have to bring a lot of stuff we didn’t have this time, and a lot of money—small money—silver change, and nickels. These jays haven’t got any, and don’t know what it is, but it won’t take ’em long to find out when they find they can get it for some of their stuff and give it back for trolley rides. Nick and I’ll just camp right up here on this temple, and we’ll plan the whole thing, so——”