"Not in the least,"replied Cortlandt."What surprises me is that I am not.The weight of that boa-constrictor would be very great on earth,and here I should think it would be simply crushing."Groping their way through the rapidly growing darkness,they reached the raft without further adventure,and,once on the lake,had plenty of light.Two moons,one at three quarters and the other full,shone brightly,while the water was alive with gymnotuses and other luminous creatures.Sitting and living upon the cross-timbers,they looked up at the sky.The Great Bear and the north star had exactly the same relation to each other as when seen from the earth,while the other constellations and the Milky Way looked identically as when they had so often gazed at them before,and some idea of the immensity of space was conveyed to them.Here was no change;though they had travelled three hundred and eighty million miles,there was no more perceptible difference than if they had not moved a foot.Perhaps,they thought,to the telescopes--if there are any--among the stars,the sun was seen to be accompanied by two small,dark companions,for Jupiter and Saturn might be visible,or perhaps it seemed merely as a slightly variable star,in years when sun-spots were numerous,or as the larger planets in their revolutions occasionally intercepted a part of its light.As they floated along they noticed a number of what they took to be Will-o'-the-wisps.Several of these great globules of pale flame hovered about them in the air,near the surface of the water,and anon they rose till they hung above the trees,apparently having no forward or horizontal motion except when taken by the gentle breeze,merely sinking and rising.
"How pretty they are!"said Cortlandt,as they watched them.
"For bodies consisting of marsh gas,they hold together wonderfully."Presently one alighted on the water near them.It was considerably brighter than any glow-worm,and somewhat larger than an arc lamp,being nearly three feet in diameter;it did not emit much light,but would itself have been visible from a considerable distance.Cortlandt tried to touch it with a raft-pole,but could not reach far enough.Presently a large fish approached it,swimming near the surface of the water.When it was close to the Jack-o'-lantern,or whatever it was,there was a splash,the fish turned up its white under side,and,the breeze being away from the raft,the fire-ball and its victim slowly floated off together.There were frequently a dozen of these great globules in sight at once,rising and descending,the observers noticing one peculiarity,viz.,that their brightness increased as they rose,and decreased as they sank.
About two and a half hours after sunset,or midnight according to Jupiter time,they fell asleep,but about an hour later Cortlandt was awakened by a weight on his chest.Starting up,he perceived a huge white-faced bat,with its head but a few inches from his.
Its outstretched wings were about eight feet across,and it fastened its sharp claws upon him.Seizing it by the throat,he struggled violently.His companions,awakened by the noise,quickly came to his rescue,grasping him just as he was in danger of being dragged off the raft,and in another moment Bearwarden's knife had entered the creature's spine.
"This evidently belongs to the blood-sucking species,"said Cortlandt."I seem to be the target for all these beasts,and henceforth shall keep my eyes open at night."As day would break in but little over an hour,they decided to remain awake,and they pushed the dead bat overboard,where it was soon devoured by fishes.A chill had come upon the air,and the incessant noise of the forms of life about them had in a measure ceased.
Cortlandt passed around a box of quinine as a preventive against malaria,and again they lay back and looked at the stars.The most splendid sight in their sky now was Saturn.At the comparatively short distance this great planet was from them,it cast a distinct shadow,its vast rings making it appear twice its real size.With the first glimmer of dawn,the fire-balls descended to the surface of the water and disappeared within it,their lights going out.With a suddenness to which the explorers were becoming accustomed,the sun burst upon them,rising as perpendicularly as at the earth's equator,and more than twice as fast,having first tinged the sky with the most brilliant hues.
The stream had left the forest and swamp,and was now flowing through open country between high banks.Pushing the raft ashore,they stepped off on the sand,and,warming up the remains of the mastodon's heart,ate a substantial breakfast.
While washing their knives in the stream preparatory to leaving it--for they wished to return to the Callisto by completing the circle they had begun--they noticed a huge flat jelly-fish in shallow water.It was so transparent that they could see the sandy bottom through it.As it seemed to be asleep,Bearwarden stirred up the water around it and poked it with a stick.The jelly-fish first drew itself together till it touched the surface of the water,being nearly round,then it slowly left the stream and rose till it was wholly in the air,and,notwithstanding the sunlight,it emitted a faint glow.
"Ah!"exclaimed Bearwarden,"here we have one of our Jack-o'-lanterns.Let us see what it is going to do.""It is incomprehensible to me,"said Cortlandt,"how it maintains itself;for it has neither wings nor visible means of support,yet,as it was able to immerse itself in the stream,thereby displacing a volume of liquid equivalent to its bulk,it must be at least as heavy as water."The jelly-fish remained poised in the air until directly above them,when it began to descend.
