I give these figures without corrections for atmosphere, axial rotation
of the meteor, or the attraction of other bodies. Theoretically they are
accurate, though in practice they were altered somewhat. During our
brief days we weighed more than I have stated; while at night, less.
Indeed, had we essayed a jump into the air at night, we should doubtless
have been unable to struggle our way back.
How can that be, you ask? Our proximity to Saturn! Around this great
planet we were revolving at a distance of no more than thirty-five
thousand miles. Saturn’s surface gravity is a trifle greater than that
of your earth—1.07 to be exact. Saturn’s density is only one-ninth that
of the Earth; but the difference is made up because of its tremendous
size. Saturn’s gravity—to us on the meteor—was an appreciable pull,
even though diminished by the distance between us, and further offset by
the meteor’s rapid rotation.
Thus, you see, when Saturn was below us—in daytime—its gravity was
added to ours. But at night, when it was in the sky above, it was
subtracted.
These conditions applied to the days I am describing. Our meteor was
then between Saturn and the Sun. Later in our year, when we had passed
around Saturn, the Sun was blotted out. There was then no
daylight—merely alternate periods of a sky filled with Saturn’s silver
disk and the azure, star-filled outer Space.
I have not mentioned the time of our meteor’s axial rotation. It was, as
you on Earth measure time, 2 hours, 58 minutes. A complete day and night
in less than three hours!
When I had finished showing Nona my strength, it was night again. And
such a night! Saturn no more than thirty-five thousand miles away! The
darkened bands were plainly visible. When fully overhead, the circular
limb of the planet came down in all directions almost to our horizon.
The silver light from it was dazzling. And everywhere in the sky,
meteors like ourselves were whirling past—silver in Space, flaming red
when fragments of them struck our atmosphere.
Occasionally a meteorite would strike our surface, but we had no fear of
them. For an hour perhaps, we stood together, silent, gazing with awe at
these mysteries of the sky. Until at last Nona gently drew me back to
her cave.
CHAPTER IV
Within the cave the air seemed warmer than before, perhaps because I was
flushed and tired from my exertion. The radiant light from the rocks was
soft. Here all was quiet and peace.
At once I threw myself upon Nona’s couch, stretching my limbs, head
pillowed upon my crooked arm. For a time, as before she stood regarding
me. There was in her gaze now no fear, but a curious softness. I sensed
it. With sudden thought she smiled, and swam across the cave. She got a
stone, hollowed out like a cup. She filled it at the stream and offered
it to me. I drank gratefully.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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