THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESENTED BY PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID mfm ^^ w i 3abylon Electrified. I Babylon Electrified THE HISTORY OF AN EXPEDITION UNDERTAKEN TO RESTORE ANCIENT BABYLON BY THE POWER OF ELECTRICITY AND HOW IT RESULTED BY A. BLEUNARD DOCTOR OF SCIENCES TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH BY FRANK LINSTOW WHITE ILLUSTRATED BY MONTADER l^i:^:^-^^^ r— LONDON CHAPMAN & HALL, Limited 1890 1 Pbinted in Philadelphia by Gebbie & Co. Copyrighted, 1889. 3 7^ 13 3z f Slo CON"TENTS. FIRST PART. Chaptee I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. TX. X. XI. XII. XIII. XIV. XA'. XVI. MESOPOTAMIA. Captain Laycock's Project A Dream .... A CALCrLATION WITH A NEGATIVE RESULT A Great Discovery At Sea .... On the Banks of the Orontes Fatjia ..... The Euphrates Babylon .... The Discovery of Grimmitschoffer From Bagdad to Mo.sul The Grotto of Bavian The Hydraulic "Works Across the high ^Iountains A Sad Event .... The Valley of the Dyalah 1 9 14 22 30 39 57 68 76 85 94 109 120 130 143 154 SECOND PART. THE ELECTRIC WORKS. Chapter I. LllJKIlTY . " TI. The Kasr and Babel 11 III. The Sam 161 169 182 (5) ivi31 3»J8 CONTEXTS. Chapter IV. From Babylon to the Per.sian Gulf " V. The Electric LiriiiTnoisE " A'l. The LioiiTixd of Liberty " VII. The Great Works " VIII. Tillage and Cooking by Electricity " IX. The End of an Archaeologist " X. A Revolt .... .XI. The Thermo-Solar Pile / " XII. The Calm before the 8torm *' XIII. New Causes for Anxiety " XIV. Jack Adams .... " XV. Destriction of the Hydraulic "Works XVI. The Revenge .... " XVII. Ruin and Desolation " XVIII. A Year After .... 191 20(3 217 I'liO 235 242 249 254 262 270 276 281 285 295 301 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE Discnssinsr the captain's project . 1 Captain Laycock 2 The geologist 4 His lonlsliip 6 Tdd-pitce 8 A vision 9 Tall-piece — In the desert ... 13 In Badger's study 14 "Jack Adams was alone in the library of his lordship " ... 18 Tad-pk'ce — An important calcu- lation 21 " Babylon will be reconstructed " 22 The French electrician .... 25 The reporter 25 Engineer Blacton ...... 26 Tail-piece — The Davy and the Faraday 29 "At sea" 30 "A magnificent bolis " .... 36 Tail-piece — "She could not tear her.self away from her contem- plation " 38 On the banks of the (Jrontes . . 39 The caravan 43 A rough road 47 Marrah 51 "The sheikh came to meet them" 53 "J^ /'«/// Mohammed " ... 54 Tail-piece — A dowar 56 Aleppo 57 A ruined city 59 " Fatma . . . had fallen at the foot of the tomb" .... 61 "The chief of the band " ... 63 A caravan 66 I PAOE Tail-piece 67 Thekalak 68 The ruined bridge of Deir ... 72 Tail-piece — A Mesopotamian tur- tle 75 HiUah 76 "Badger . . . was looking anx- iously in the direction of the city" 78 Flatnose at work 80 Tail-piece — C/ief Green . . . 84 "The discovery of Grimmit- schofFer " 85 A native husbandman .... 88 Tail-piece — Mr. GrimmitschofFer . 93 An eastern court-yard .... 94 " It seemed to him that the young girls eyes were wet " ... 95 The Bagiiad of the Arahian Xif/hts 98 The Bagdad of reality . . . .100 "FroniTekritto Mosul" . . .105 Tail-piece 108 The grotto of Bavian . . . .109 Nebbi-Yunus Ill "Grimmitsehoffer was beside him- self with joy " 113 '* A subterranean cascade . . . .118 Tail-piece — The governess . . .119 Among the mountains . . . .120 A picturesque road 125 Wild flowers 128 AtRowandiz 129 ■'They entered a deep hollow " . 136 Flatnose's fall 141 Tail-piece 142 Kurds 143 (7) 8 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE "Flatnose . . . had been killed instantly" 146 "Don't move, please" . . . .152 Tail-piece — A factor in civilization 153 The Lesser Zab 154 " Grimmitselioffer . . . discov- ered a colossal head of stone " . 1 59 Tail-piece — The camp . . . .160 Liberty 161 " You treat me like the little prin- cesses in the fairy tales " . .166 Tail-piece — ' ' Protection against sunstroke" 168 On the Kasr 169 Monsieur Cornille 174 "An improvised lunch " . . . 177 Tail-piece — The Mouchot appa- ratus 181 The hunt 182 " The horses were tied to some palms" 184 "They advanced only with ex- treme difficulty " 186 "Cahuzac . . . came back, push- ing a hamper before him " . . 188 An unfortunate savant . . . .189 Tad-piece — Game 190 To the Persian Gulf 191 Chaldeans 196 At Waraba and Bubian .... 200 A rare native 204 The electric lighthouse .... 206 Miss Nelly 210 The silent bearer of dispatches . 213 Tail-piece — The electric lamp . .216 The lighting of Liberty . . .217 Grimm at work 220 *'They showed themselves un- veiled" 221 PAGE On the road to Babylon . . . 224 The future canals 226 " He drew the name of Nedjef ". 228 Digging canals 232 A native laborer 233 An electric kitchen 235 The editor's table 239 Tail-p)iece — An electric roast . .241 The mad archaeologist .... 242 Grimmitschoffer's discovery . . 246 l\itl-piece — Call & Co. 's make . 248 A strike 249 Tail-piece — The refractory Mos- lem 253 The riot 2r)4 A malignant native 256 Tail-piece — The moving power . 261 The calm before the storm . . . 262 The congregation of the faith- ful .. . 267 Tail-piece — The two friends . . 269 On the road to Bagdad .... 270 " Death to the Christians " . . 274 Tail-piec( — The electric road . . 275 Jack Adams and Fatuia . . . 276 Tail-piece — Fatma 280 "Destruction of the hj'draulic works" 281 The work of destruction . . . 283 The revenge 285 On a war footing 2S7 "This is my will" 290 Tail-piece 294 The explosion 295 A miraculous escape .... 299 Tailpiivi — Tlie Kasr in flames . 300 A year after 301 Tail-piice — An opponent to pro- gress 304 FIRST PART. ]MH:SOPOTA.]y[IA.. CHAPTER I. CAPTAIN LAYCOCK S PROJECT. A LARGE gathering was assembled that evening at the London house of Sir James Badger, baronet. The principal members of Parliament, of the bar, of the financial world, were there. The arts, literature, and the sciences had also furnislied their most illustrious representatives. Lord Badger was a man of about fifty yeai-s of age, robust and tall. He had been early bereft of a wife whom lie had loved tenderly; but there was left; to him a young daughter, between twenty and twenty-two years of age, Miss Nelly, on whom all his strength of aifection was concentrated. One of the richest pro- prietors in England — his fortune was estimated at over twenty mil- (1) BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. lions of i)ouuds, sterling — Lord Badger took j)leasure in promoting daring enteqjrises, if they seemed to him in the least to have a use- ful aim. Proud of the adventumu? spirit of his oouutrvmen, he could bo extremely liberal with his money when some distant voyage or imjwrtant discovery was in question. ''Gladstone," an influential member of Parliament Avas saying at tliis moment, '' Gladstone makes too many concessions with regard to Egypt, AVe must ivmain the mastere of that country, if we do not wish to be driven from the Indies by the Russians." "The English," replied a little old man with a clean-shaven face, "are most assuredly making all etiorts to guartl the roads which lead to the Indies. Cyprus Mongs to us, and we have the jirotectorate of Asia Minor. As to Egypt, it is to be hojK-d that we shall soon emei^ victorious fnmi the present difficulties. England. when her interests are at stake, never flinches." Applause greeted these l^atriotic words, which g-ainetl in im|xtrtance from tlie fact that they wore lUteretl by one who was a public favorite and ^^ lio held a high position in the Ministry. The conversation then took another turn. Tiie latest novel, the exhibition of jxiintings, the play in vogue at the moment, became the subjects of dis<^'Ussion. " Gentlemen," suddenly said a person who had not taken i>art in the conversation before, " jx^rmit me to recur for an instant to the Egyptian qncstion." The speaker was a tall man, with a red and sun-burnt face, and flowing whiskers. His energetic physiognomy pnx'laimeil him to lx» a man accustomed to brave danger. It was Captain I^ycock, of the Royal Navy, who had made the tour of the world five times, and had been in many a scrimmage. BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 8 "England," lie continued, "seeks to get possession of the two routes which lead to the Indies. The first and most important at the present time is Egypt : it may l>e said to belong to us. As to the second, that begins opposite to Cyprus, passes round Arabia, and ends at the Persian Gulf. This route, in the near future, may become the rival of the first. I ask you, gentlemen, if it is not time for England to begin to think of preparing the roads of the future by improving a route which will be among the most effective for the exchange of our products. Some j)ersons have alr€*ady thought of constructing a railway to connect the iSIediterranean with the Indies. Several plans have already been proposed, but all met with grave ■obstacles." " Did you not make one of an expedition to Asia Minor and Mesopotamia?" interrupted Badger, addressing the captain. " Yes, my lord." " Will you, then, please to give us some information about this curious C(juntry, so that our ideas on the subject may be more clearly defined ? " " With pleasure," said the captain. " We see that Mesopotamia, from the earliest times, was the rival of Egyjjt, to which country, moreover, its physical form gives it more than one point of resem- blance. By turns these two favored countries disputed the monopoly of the exchange between Europe and Asia. History tells us that luider the reign of Xebuchadnezzar Babylon became the great mart of the world. Teredon, on tlie Persian Gulf, and Tyre, on the Mediter- ranean, were the two extreme points at which the thoroughfare between Asia and Europe began and ended." At this point the captain was internipted by Miss Nolly, who in- vited Lord Badger's guests to draw nearer to the tea-table wiiich two servants had just brought in. Nothing could be more charming than the modest grace with which this young girl, a jx^rfect type of English beauty, did the honors of her father's salon. A\'hile rising and com- ing forward in answer to her call, the men continued their conver- sation. " Permit me to call your attention to the fact, my dear captain," a celebrated geologist interposed at this point, " that the superiority of the road from Teredon to Tyre is due to the natural configuration of that ]iart of Asia. Meso]>otamia is a vast plain which abuts at the uorthwest on the Mediterranean. It is true that a mountain cliain BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. skirts the borders of that sea. But, opposite to the island of Cypi*us, this chain diminishes in height to admit of easy communication be- tween the valley of the Euphrates and that of the Orontes. Thus you see that the route of Nebuchadnezzar was wholly laid out by nature." " Your remark proves but one thing, my dear Mr. Monaghan," re- sumed the captain, "and that is that Mesopotamia is inevitably destined to regain one day the station from ^vhich it has fallen. Com- mercial routes cannot depart from natural lines. The course of his- tory ])roves the truth of wiiat I have just asserted. At the time of the conquest of Mesopotamia by the Persians the new occupants, it is true, obstructed the river Euphrates for purposes of defence ; but as soon as Alexander had driven out the Persians he made haste to re-establish the commer- cial routes. He caused an immense basin to be dug at Babylon, and that city became an important port, where thousands of ships unloaded their merchandise. Sev- eral centuries afterward the Arabs drove out the Greeks ; nevertheless, the pros- perity of Babylon continued during the early years of the Mussulman occuj>ation, and it remained for the Turkish con- quest to reduce this country to the miser- able state in which we see it to-day. Thus, gentlemen, you see that Babylonia for many centuries remained the princi})al route of commerce be- tv/een Asia and Europe. It is true that this splendor has wholly dis- appeared in our day : where once there stood numerous rich and populous cities nothing is now to be seen but heaps of rubbish scattered alxtut in the sands of the desert. ]5ut that which has been may be again. A\'hy could not our daring countryman, liord Badg(M*, who is sto|)ped by no obstacles, why could he not undertake the resurrection of this vast country?" Ca])tain Laycock's proposition was certainly calculated to please the adventurous s|)irit of his lordshij) ; yet Badger was n(»t the man to bei'ome enthusiastic and to take up the matter in this way without con- sidering all the difficulties of the undertaking. He desired, thei*eforo, to have an exact account of the state of the country in (picstion. BABYLON KLEfTRIFIED. 5 " Captain," lie replied immediately to him who had called upon him to take the initiative in the matter, "can you tell me why Mesopo- tamia has become a desert after so long a period of prosi)erity ? You niulcrstand the importance of my (juestion. It is to be feared, in fact, that the causes of its decadence are ii-remcdiable. It seems strange to me that a country inhabited during a long succession of centuries should by degrees have become a sterile desert. If the decadence of the country is due to *^he faults of the inhabitants or to the migrations of civilization, it is possible to revive its ancient prosperity. But if nature has become modified, if the rivers are less full, if the sources have dried up, if the sands of Arabia have invaded the rich cultivated lands of bygone times, I think these regions must be left in their con- dition, for it is not within the power of man to restore the former order of nature." " ^ly lord," replied the captain, " this is what I noted during my voyage in Mesopotamia. To-day, as formerly, the soil is remarkably fertile wherever there is water. I believe, therefore, that it is simply necessary to repair the canals in order to cover jNIesopotamia with a vegetation as luxurious as it was in antiquity and to enable the country to maintain millions of inhabitants." Monaghan then began to speak : " I cannot," said he, " allow Avliat Captain Laycock has said to pass by without submitting a few observations which may, perhaps, be of a nature to modify his opinion. In travelling through Asia ]Minor and along the coast of Palestine it soon becomes evident that changes have taken place in the nature of the climate since past ages. There where, as history tells us, rich cultivated lands formerly gave sup- port to numerous populations the dismal desert now extends far and wide. It is the lack of water that causes this sterility. There is less rainfall in our day, and the old river-beds are either altogether dried n]> or contain but nn insignificant stream of water. Hills which were formerly cultivated from base to summit are to-day scorched by the rays of an implacable sun." "And is the cause of this scarcity of water known ? " asked some one. ' ' " Yes," replied Monaghan. " It is due to the disappearance of the ancient forests, and, what is much more im})ortant, to the change in the direction of the atmospheric currents, which no longer bring the vapoi*s with which they become charged in passing over the seas." 1 m ' ipl i r/ 6 BABYLON ELECTRIFIKP. Durino; the whole of this conversation between Captain Laycock and the ireologist Monaghan, James Badger liad remained silent ; one would have said that he Avas balancing in his mind the hope which the first had given him and the discouraging reasons which the other seemed to suggest to " Captain," he said, suddenly, addressing honest Laycock, " I think that your propo- sition deserves to be studied very attentively, and, whatever objec- tions it may call forth, I thank you for having communicated it and for having thought of me as the one to put it into execution. And now, gentlemen, I in- vite you to take a eup of tea." The conversation once more became gen- eral, and covered the most varying subjects. But I^ord Batlger and Captain Ltiycock remained silent, each absorbed in his thoughts. Lord Uiidgcr reHet-t- ed on the project of the (•;i|)taiu ; the nn>re he tli(»ught of it the more the execution of this jn-oject pleased him by its grandeur and by tin' advantages which his country would derive from it. Laycock, on the other hand, could not call the assertions of the geologist, Monaghan, into (piestion. The climate of this western poilioii of Asi;i h:id evidcnily undergone givat BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 7 changes. In order to revive civilization in the midst of these des- erts, it would be necessary to restore artificially "vvhat nature had herself destroyed, by making use of the power given tt) man by modern sci- ence, and su2>plying the deficiency in the rainfall by raising the Avaters of the Tigris and the Euphrates, so as to spread the fertilizing licpiid throughout the country by means of more numerous canals. While the conversation around him became more animated, Caj)- tain Laycock was lost more and more in contemplation of this work of the future. He saw Mesopotamia becoming, in a short time, the public granary of all Europe. Besides grain, a large number of other useful plants might be cultivated. The North would furnish the finest fruit-trees : the cherry, apple, pear, plum, orange, lemon, pomegranate — all natives of Asia Minor and of jNIesopotamia. I^ower down, other plants, still more useful, would be added — the sugar- cane and the cotton plant, both sources of industries of the greatest importance. Finally, in Lower jNIesopotamia, around Babylon itself, forests of date-palms could be cultivated. The Holy Scriptures located the terrestrial Paradise in ^Mesopotamia, and not without reason. Where could a land be found better adapted to the welfare of man ? Here, the sky is of a splendor unknown in the misty countries of Europe ; the soil, as fertile as that of Egypt, lends itself to the cultivation of the most varying products. \Miy delay longer a pacific conquest which would furnish an outlet for the crowded populations of the old continent ? Unfortunately, to dig canals, to raise the waters, to construct and work manufactories, would require an enormous force, and ]Mesopo- tamia itself oifered no resources. Deprived of forests and of coal- mines, it lacked fuel, the first requisite of all operations. Thus Captain Laycock was obliged to admit that, notwithstanding the fascinating grandeur of the work, its execution was well-nigh impossible. Lord Badger, Avho, by a natural coincidence, had him- self arrived at a similar conclusion, approached the sailor and said abruptly : " Captain Laycock, I shall undertake the execution of your project if you find coal in ]Mesopota/nia." "Alas, my lord," exclaimed the captain, who was not surprised by Badger's words, so exactly did they correspond with his own thoughts, "that is impossible." 8 JJAHVLON ELECTRIFIED. "Then," replied Uadger, " your projeet is likewise impossible of realization ? " " Pardon me," said one of those present, Avho had been listening attentively to the words exchanged between the eai)tain and ]3adger ; " you lack coal, but you have electricity." He who spoke was a tall young man, with a black beard, sharp eyes, and a physiognomy that Avas southern rather than Anglo-Saxon in character. It was an engineer ; one Jack Adams. " Explain yourself, Mr. Adams," said his lordshiji, who did not fully understand the significance of the engineer's remark. " That is quite simple, my lord," replied the latter. " Although coal is wanting, natural forces abound in the very heart of ^Mesopo- tamia. Now, at this day, science is sufficiently advanced to enable you to transform all the natural forces into electricity, and this again into new forces which will replace advantageously the coal which you lack." At this point Jack Adams was suddenly interrupted by the voice of a stout person, who called to his lordship : " We are waiting only for you to complete a party at whist. Come, now, make haste; you can talk of serious things to-morrow." "That is true," said Badger, addressing the captain and Jack Adams ; " this evening I must devote myself to my guests. But call on me to-morrow morning, if you please, Mr. Adams. ^^ e can then talk of the means of reconstructing ancient Babylon." %m ■^MO^: CHAPTER II. A DREAM. Jack Adams' words had produced a deep impression on Lord Badger. But little versed in matters of electricity, that science which, though so modern, had already been so fruitful in results, he could have but an imperfect idea of the consequences of that which the engineer had revealed to him. Yet it was enough to enable him to perceive the possibility of bringing the project of Captain Laycock to -a successful issue. When the last of his guests had taken leave, and he had embraced liis dear Xelly more tenderly than usual, his lordship went down into his garden. He felt tlie need of being alone and breathing more freely. The over-heated air in the rooms seemed to obscure the ideas that thronged his brain. As he walked slowly down the paths, he thought of the numerous incidents of the evening. The captain's proposition, the objections made by Monaghan, had left him wavering between hope and fear, when the magic word electricity, uttered by Jack Adams, had restored his confidence by offering newivistas to his mind. It ap])eared to him then that the resurrection of Mesopotamia, the restoration of liabylon to its original power and splendor, were matters possible of realiza- tion, and he saw in himself the one marked out for that work. "While he was abandoning himself to these thoughts, which the pro- found silence that reigned about him seemed to favor, the coolness of (9) 10 BABYLON ELF.CTRIFIKD. the night and the perfume-laden air of the garden restored order and calm to his ideas, which had just been in such a state of ebullition. Badger retired to rest with his heart full of faith in the future. Xevertheless, the night had only momentarily (juieted him ; he was hardly in bed before this feverisline;ecu recognized. He therefore took care to suiioiuid himself with sjKcial- (14) BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 15 ists, and he was almost always fortunate in his choice of men. This he had })roven once again by a})plying to the electrician, Jack Adams, wlio had allowed him to perceive the possibility of realizing his project. Jack Adams had already attained celebrity by several brilliant in- ventions. Still young, hardly thirty-five years of age, he i)ossessed the ardent confidence which sustains courage and enables one to per- form wondei"S. He believed in the future of his favorite science, in the good which electricity would bestow some day on civilization. Bound by no ties, he would devcttc himself body and soul to a great y this contact, and the standard of progress will rise gloriously over the regenerated world ! " Jack Adams was rcnllv i-'lorious in his cntlmsinsm. Tie had hecome BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 19 quite trautiHguretl. As he stood before the map he seemed to ride the world, to eoiuniand the eU'inents. His ga/e, lost in the infinite, saw the sublime spectacles conjured up by his words. James Badger looked at him with admiration. His ch-eam was more grandly developed than before ; science completed admirably that which had been inspired by his imagination. The engineer was the first to break the silence ; " Let us return to that which interests us, my lord," said he. " You see that Mesopotamia lies in the zone of the deserts of the old conti- nent. The sun, thcretbre, will not fail us. The Persian Gulf, with Its tides and M^aves, is at our doors. That sea, however, cannot be of nuich use to us ; its tides are not very perceptible nor its waves very nigh. As to the Avinds, they are very regular in these regions. From May to September Me shall have the southern monsoon ; during the other half of the year tlie northern winds will not cease to blow. Kivers and streams abound in JNlesopotamia. Besides the Tigris and the Euphrates, Avhich fiow through its whole length, a large number of streams run down the mountains. On the north there is the Bat- man-Soo, whose Maters are as torrent-like as those of the Tigris at its rise. The Arzen-Soo, the Boutan-Soo, the Bitlis, the Greater Zab, the Le.sser Zab and the Diyalah are important tributaries of the Tigris. The ]Mourad, the Kara-Soo and the Tokma-Soo are tributaries of the Eu])hrates. Wc shall not Mant for Matcrfalls, for there are numerous cascades in the mountains. The Eui)hrates itself forms several im- portant cataracts. Here you see the forty passes M'here more than three hundred rai>ids succeed each other within a distance of about one hundred miles." " 1 see M-ith pleasure," said Lord Badger, " that jMesopotamia is situated favorably for our projects. It seems that nature has accumu- lated here the most appropriate means for our assistance. Please set to work as ]iromptly as possible, sir engineer. Make your calcula- tions ; don't let us begin anything carelessly. J M'ish to rebuild Jiabv- lon ; I M^ish to raise this city from the dust and restore Mesoi)otamia to its ancient splendor. You have caused me to perceive the possi- bility of this resurrection by means of electricity. It remains for you to calculate our chances of success. The day is still little ad- vanced. It has not struck twelve yet. Please to come doMii with me to the dining-room where a frugal repast awaits us. You can devote the evening to your calculations. Let us never wait until the morrow 20 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. before coming to a resolution — great works are quickly decided upon. Hinnan thought loses its vigor in waiting." Jack Adams was alone in the library of his lordship. Heaps ol" paper, covered with figures and algebraical calculations, were spread out before him. Long equations, bristling with .r's and ^'s, all a ca- balistic language, curled around the end of his pen. He seemed like a magician evoking the spirits of earth and heaven. And was he not in truth a magician, this man bent over his work ? Oh, surprising power of mind I he was fathoming nature, that eternal enigma. A modern Titan, he combined and amalgamated the power of the mysterious element in his mathematical formulas. Under his skilful hands heat and light, movement and chemical force, were transibrmed at will into that unseizable iiuid, electricity. Guided by the formulas of the illustrious j)hysicists of our century — Ampere, Faraday, La- place, Joule, Ohm, Coulomb — he manipulated at pleasure the various manifestations of force, AVoni out with fatigue, covered with perspiration, he still strung out figures on figures. Not a moment of rest had he yet granted himself to quiet his overstrained nerves. At six o'clock his lordship entered his study. Adams, lost to sight and sound, was not aware of his presence. Ijord Badger did not dare to interrupt him ; he comprehended that the moment was decisive. A long quarter of an hour passed in comj)lete silence. Night had gradually set in. Oidy a faint light now filtered through the mist that had risen from the Thames. At last the engineer stirred. He |X'rceived his lordship, who was anxiously regarding him. " My lord," exclaimed he, rising and stepping hastily toward him. " mv lord, I have but one more equation to resolve. It embodies all my investigations and will decide the late oi" our work." '* Very well ; go on," said Badger. " 1 await with impatience the results of your last calculations," It was now com])letely dark. His lordship rang the bell. A ser- vant brought in a lighted lamp. Ten minutes passed, a century for liadger. He seemed to h(>ar the beatings of his heart, grown more ra])id under the influentv of his emotion. Finally, j>ale, with dinnned eyes, Jack Adams said in a low voice: ! BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 21 " My lord, your project must be abandoned, at least for the present. Science is as yet unable to furnish us with the moans of realizing; our dream. Our api)aratus are too imperfect to j)rovide us with tlie amount of caloric which we should need. I had hojied too soon ; but the reality shows the impossibility of realizing our hopes at present." J CHAPTER IV A GREAT DISCOVERY. Two Aveeks liave j^ass^od since the oecnrrenoc of tlie events which we have just related. Time has somewliat quieted the a£]!;i-tation of Lord Badger, struck so cruelly by the negative result to wliich the calculations of Jack Adams had led. The disillusionment was hard for a daring man, accustomed to overcome all ohstaclcs. liadger litid tried iiai-d to fight against it at first and had gone over the cah'ulations with Adams in due form. But he was eom])clled rmally to submit to the evidence. His lordshi]) had seen Captain Ijaycock again and liad made known to him the vicissitudes through which his project had successively ])assed. The idea of making use of electricity had ap])earcd very original to Laycock, and he deeply regretted the impossibility that had been eu- comitered. He said to Badger that there was still room fi)r hope and that, perhaps, a better means for accomplishing tlie work would be fi)und. (22) BABYLOX ELECTRIFIED. 23 Let US now transfer ourselves to Tvord Kadiiier's dwelHnij : wc find him sitting in an arni-eliair, absently reading the Tunes. Not that the paper is lacking in interest ; no, but his lordship's thoughts are else- where. Always under the influence of a fixed idea, he reads wh(»le sentences and pages without attempting to understand the sense, l^ad- ger's body is in London ; his mind is in Asia. But see how his eye suddenly brightens. He rises precipitately. He approaches the window in order to read more clearly a paragraph which has just met his eyes. This paragraph contained but these few lines : " It is announced that a French electrician has discovered a new thenno-dcctvic pile of great power. The invention is still a secret. It seems that by means of this pile it is possible to transform sixty hun- dredths of the heat of the solar rays into electricity." His lordship's agitation will be understood. If the discovery was true, it would modify the situation entirely : his project might at last be realized. Jack Adams must be informed at once, and his opinion obtained. He hastily wrote a line asking the engineer to come to him, rang for a servant and told him to take the letter to its address. Tile servant was about to go, when his lordship was informed that Jack Adams wislicd to see him. The engineer entered hurriedl}', and hastened towards Badger. " Victory ! " cried he. " Babylon will be reconstructed." His lordship and the engineer shook hands effusively. They were transported with joy. "So you have heard of the new discovery?" said his lordshi]\ "I have just received a letter about it from Paris," replied Adams. " My correspondent was himself present at the experiments of the in- ventor, a ]Mr. Cornille. He gives me details from which I may deter- mine with certainty the possibility of undertaking your project with success." " God be praised ! " said his lordship. "And now, please to explain to me exactly how this new discovery will enable us to realize onr ]>lans. I had just foreseen this result when reading the paragraph in the Times; and that is the reason I was about to send for you, when you came yom-solf." His lordship and the engineer both sat down. " Nothing can be easier, my lord," said the engineer. " I had sup- 24 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. jx)sehlet formed of sev- eral large-sized sheets of paper with broad margins^ joined together, and cov- ered with close and legible writing, and a pen and ink-stand, stands Sir James Badger ; his habit- ually serious face is yet more grave than usual. Tlie others, ranged around him in a semicir- cle, are motionless, as se- rious as his lordship. We feel that the moment is solemn for all. The grav- ity of the party has even extended to Flatnose. JUulger took the i)am- phlet from the table. " Gentlemen," he begtui, in a slow voice, " we all know beforehand the ol)- ject of this meeting; we all j)ursue the same end : the resurrection of Babylon and of Mesopcttamia. We swear to re- main faithful to our work, faithful unto death." " We swear it," repeated those who surrounded him. "The agent by means of which we hope t(» attain this end is elec- tricity. We swear to keep tlie secret of our associate and friciid. BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 27 Cliarles Cornill4, until the completion of our experiments. These once ended, each of us becomes free ag;ain." " We sNvear it ! " " Each one of us, furthermore, binds himself to execute faithfully and zealously the jiart of the programme which is assigned to hint in the general work ! " " We pledge ourselves ! " " I shall now read to you for the last time our act of association, after which it will but remain for each of us to affix his signature to this document." Badger slowly reid the terms of the pamphlet, stopping after each paragraph, in order to give time for any observations that miglit be made. He met only with signs of assent. When he had finished reading, he replaced the pamphlet on the table, and, dipping the pen into the ink, he was tlie first to sign, in his beautiful writing, firm and clear. The others followed his example, and came forward to sign in their turn. "And now, gentlemen," said his lordship, when all was finished, " you know what each man's role is. Let us hasten, and let each one perform his task. Everything must be ready in six months." After these words, it but remained for them to take leave of his lordship. What resolutions had been taken ? What had been the role assigned to each of our characters? Why was it desired to keep the secret of Cornille's discovery ? So many questions, to which we shall reply successively. We have seen that an association had been formed for the execution of the jirojects suggested by Captain Laycock. Jack Adams was in- trusted with the general superintendence of the work. C'ornille, whose discovery had made the execution of the project possible, had for his special duty the perfecting of his tliermo-solar pile and the construction of a gigantic one. As for Badger, he reserved for himself the supreme management of the work. It was he, moreover, who devoted a hu'ge part of his for- tune to the enterprise and who took charge of the dii)lomatic proceetl- ings. It had been decided that the first years should be devoted to trials which were indispensable to avoid meeting Avith certain failure. It was necessary to test on a large scale Cornille's pile, which as yet was but 28 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. au attempt. The basis of the association might be broadened and an appeal made to public subscription when preliminary trials had tlemon- strated the possil)ility of accomplishing the intended transformations. The reason will now be understood which led his lordship to exact secrecy in regard to Cornille's discovery. It was not an object in speculation, since he proposed to make it public as soon as his experi- ments in Mesopotamia were ended. But, if the secret of Cornille's pile had been made known innnediately, a swarm of inventors would have seized u})()n a prize so easy to work out. New improvements would have been announced every day with much display, and would have thrown disturbance into the work undertaken at Babylon. Now, to bring this work to a safe end, it was necessary to preserve all calm- ness and serenity of mind. Cornille was to set to work immediately to seek for the final im- provements of his marvellous discovery. Lord Badger placed all the necessary credit at his disposal. The experiments were to take place in a part of his lordship's garden, transformed into M-orks. They were thus certain to be secure from inquisitive persons and from spies who would seek to detect the secret. Jack Adams was also to be in no want of work during six these months. He would have to procure or cause to be constructed the ap])aratus which were to be set up in ISIesopotamia : turbines, dynamo-electric machines, condensators, cables, Mindmills, etc. It was necessarv to think of everything, even to the smallest detail, for down there Avould be found neither works to make up the wanting material, nor a trades- man to furnish a screw or a bolt that had been forgotten. A\'hat a number of materials to l^e collected in this short space of time ! Jack Adams was furthermore charged with engaging tlu' hands nec- essary for setting up the apparatus and working them afterward. "What skill it would be necessary to display ! AVorknun and superiors would have to show untiring zeal and courage to ('onlcnd with a j)euj)le who detest science. Badger's duty was relatively simj)ler. It was necessuy to obtain the Sultan's authority to found a city and a colony on the banks of tho Ku- plirates, on the site formerly occu])ied by Babylon. In order to hasten the conclusion of the treaty, Badger took the resolution of going to Constantinople himself; he thus placed himself directly in comiuuni- caticm with the infbicntial ])eople of whom he would stand in nerd. As to Captain Ijaycock, the first ])roni(»t('r of llic project, he was ap- BARYLOX ELECTRTFIFD. 29 pointed to manage the ships intended for the transport of the travel(>rs and the material. Two large steamships were to reach the Indian Ocean by the Snez Canal, and unload their cases in the port of Basso- rah, on the Shat-el-Arab. A third small steamer, with light draught, was to take Sir James liadgcr and his companions to the coasts of Syria. From there, it would in its turn reach the port of Bassorah and serve for transporting the machines on the shallow waters of the Tigris and the Euphrates. The place of the geologist, ]\Ionaghan, was necessary among the members of the expedition. His profound knowledge of the country which was to be traveled over and inhabited, would often be of great use. Blacton was to be intrusted with the general management of the electric motors. Having for some years made a specialty of this kind of motors, he had been introduced to Badger as an indispensable auxiliary. Flatnose's duties were fully indicated : he was to send to his paper, following the occurrence, notes, information, narratives, Avliieh would result in preventing public attention from being diverted from an en- terprise the preparations for which would without doubt excite curios- ity to a high degree, but which would not fail to be, soon forgotten if the interest excited by its beginnings were not kept alive constantly. Wiiat enterprise to-day can hope to succeed without the co-operation of the press ? Besides, Flatnose formed a gay note in this grave and learned society, a ray of fine and joyous humor. Such were the personages and the r6les assigned to each, at the mo- ment when Badger caused the document to be signed which seemed like a preface to the resurrection of Babylon. 1 .', CHAPTER V. AT SEA. AVe are at tlie end of the month of August, a week before tlie day of dc])arture, set on tlie third of September. Tlie })reparations are eom- pleted. Lord Badger has returned from Constantinople, having obtained all he desired. His task had been easy. The Turkish govennnent, in Avant of money, had seen in his lordship's project a means of enriching itself. Lord Badger had ])laced liimself in communication with several im- portant personages, who had given him letters of I'cconnncndation to the chiefs of the countries where he wonld set up his api)aratiis. He was the holder of a firman which granted him the proprietorship i)Iying the needs and establishing the security of the eM(er]»iise dii-eeted by BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 31 his lordship. The order was explicit, and no one wonld dare to evade it. Cornille's researches had been perfectly snccessful. Important im- provements had been made in the thermo-electric pile. It hud been j)ossible to raise its original yield of sixty hundredths to seventy-five. The construction of a gigantic pile of fifty thousand elements had been completed. Jack Adams, on his part, had purchased or caused to be constructed all the necessary apparatus. Miss Xelly was to accompany her father. She wished to follow him in this daring expedition, to share fatigue and danger with him. She kept her governess with her, the spare and tall Miss Jenny Ross, who could not have separated herself from her young mistress. Captain Laycock had easily obtained leave of absence for three years. A very useful member had furthermore been added to the expedi- tion : it is the cook, Green. His modest office was neither the least important nor the easiest ; but, having already traveled much. Green knew the culinary secrets of all parts of the earth. They might, tlierefore, trust to him to keep them from dying of hunger. During this last week it was intended to put the apparatus on board of the two large transports, the Davy and the Faraday. The small steamer, tlie ElecfrieUy, was specially destined to carry the leaders of the expedition, with their luggage. The three ships were to sail at the same time. The Davy and the Faraday were to carry, besides the plant, the numerous hands engaged by Jack Adams. Sixty men, workmen and foremen, had been di- vided between the two ships. Their destination, as we have already said, was Bassorah, at the lower end of the Persian Gulf. As to the E/edrleity, it was to land Badger and his daughter, with Miss Ross, as well as Cornille, Monaghan, Blacton, Flatnose and Green at Iskanderoon, on the coast of Syria. Laycock and Jack Adams would rejoin the Davy and the Faraday at Suez, to go with these two ships to Bassorah. The third of September arrived at last. On that day the sun rose radiant, as if to salute the departing voyagers with his rays. Was he not king of the feast, this star which was to give a portion of his heat to resuscitate the empire of Semiramis ? His j)resence was thus a happy omen, and he seemed to say to all : " You can count on me." The Electricity rocked softly under a light Avind. Already under steam, a light cloud of smoke issuol from its wide smoke-stack. Near 32 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. by, two Other ships, of mud) greater tonnage, were eonipleting their preparations for departure. They were the Davy and the Farudaij^ whieh were to follow the Eledricity at an interval of a few hours. A little before six Captain Laycock appeared on St. Katharine's Doeks, walking with a resolute step and whistling a martial air. His hands in the two pockets of his jacket, his cap perched jauntily on his head, his whiskers flying in the wind, he replied with a friendly good morning to the salute of the sailors. The brave seaman, who was wearied by the turbulent life of the cities, was hajipy to return again to the sea, which he had not seen for several months. He went on board of the ship, and inspected it minutely to its smallest details, wishing to assure himself with his own eyes that nothing was wanting and everything was in order. He finally took possession of his cabin, and awaited the arrival of the other travellers. The time of departure was fixed at eleven o'clock precisely, the time of high-tide. The docks of the Thames became more animated each moment. The ships, crowded against each other, were loading and unloading merchandise. Several of them Mere also waiting for the tide in order to gain the high seas. Jack Adams, Cornille, ]Monaghan and Blacton arrived one after the other. Their luggage had, since the day before, been down in the hold or in their cabins. They walked about on the deck, talking or smok- ing cigars, while awaiting Badger's arrival. As to Green, he was al- ready at his cooking-stove since morning: luncheon was to be taken on board ship on the way down the Thames. His lordship, his daughter, and the governess, arrived by carriage a few minutes before eleven. Giving his arm to Miss Xelly, Badger rai)idly crossed the gangway and stej)}>ed on board of his shi}\ The passengers and sailors were drawn up on the deck to receive them. INIiss Nelly was radiant. What a ]>leasure for her to make so long a voyage ! Pier traveling costume for the long voyage, a dark blue dress of light material, soft felt hat with tnrned-up brim, and a veil of the same color as the dress, became her charmingly. Her cheeks, under the influence of her ]>leasure and excit(>ment, were yet more rosy than usual ; her eyes sparkled more and had a more energetic expres- sion. A little too much given to dreaming, she now allowed hei*self to be swayed by external matters. Besides, she felt liersclf the queen in this select company ; she knew that she would be ])('tt('(l and spoiled by every one. And was she not indeed the fairy in whom all placed BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 33 their trust, and who would make the hours passed on the sea seem less long? The parssengers felt moved when the young; girl ,st('j)jK'd on the ship, and Miss Nelly's look remained impressed on more than one heart. His lordship shook hands M'ith all. "And Flatnose," said he, " why where is he ? It seems to me that our journalist fails us." In truth, Flatnose was absent. Meanwhile, the time advanced and the ship was to sail at eleven o'clock. The English never wait ; so much the worse for the late-comers. A clock in the neighborhood struck eleven. Badger gave the signal for departure. Suddenly, desperate calls were heard on the wharf, and a man appeared, running as quickly as his little legs would permit, red as a lobster, puffing like a locomotive. It was Flatnose, whose em- bonpoint had almost caused him to be left behind. London Bridge receded gradually in the distance. The Electricity passed proudly along the docks w Inch line the left bank of the Thames, between two interminable lines of ships that had come from all quar- ters of the globe. The monuments of the capital were profiled against a grayish horizon. Greenwich and its handsome naval hospital were soon passed. They might say good-bye to London. The passengers descended to their cabins in order to put in place such articles as they had taken with them at the last moment. It was also necessary to make some modifications in their toilette : the maritime life was beginning and was to last several weeks. The ship's bell rang for luncheon and all went up on deck again, where the table Avas set. The ship had already made good progress. "Woolwich had been passed, with its hulks, the glorious remains of the frigates taken from the French at the battle of Trafalgar. The Thames, with its low banks, flowed through flat meadows. The landscape was monotonous, and but seldom deserved to draw the attention. Toasts were proposed to the health of Ijord Badger and ISIiss Nelly, and success drunk to the resurrection of Babylon. After luncheon, they walked about on the deck, smoking and con- versing. The ship passed Gravesend and its beautiful gardens, a j)lace of resort for the inhabitants of the capital during the summer. It is at Gravesend that the Thames ends. From here on the Electricity 3 34 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. sailed on the open sea. In the evening it ronnded the headland of North Foreland and entered the channel. We shall not follow the ship in its rapid passage throngh the Chan- nel and the Atlantic Ocean. The weather remained fine, with a quiet breeze which did not strain the little vessel. They kept well away from land. There was none in sight but the cliffs of France and Eng- land and the granitic rocks of Finisterre when they rounded Brittany. The time did not pass slowly for those on board, for each one con- trived to vary his studies and diversions. Miss Xelly played the piano ; Laycock was also a musician, and jilaycd the violin. Jack Adams and Cornille assisted Miss Xelly witli their voices. Cornill6 especially, a great lover of the opera, knew the principal airs of French, Italian and German music. As to Flatnose, he made puns, composed charades, and told all sorts of anecdotes ; he was the wit of the party. Nor was earnest work neglected. They re-examined the plans ; thty studied the maps of the country Avhich they wei'c going to visit ; they contrived new appliances of electricity. On the latter subject their imagination rose at times to extravagance. Did not jolly Flatnose propose one day to construct electric men with which to people the new Babylon ! Thus the time passed on board. The Electricity was a fast vessel, and rapid progress was made. On the evening of the 7th they were already in sight of the coasts of Spain. They sailed close along the coast of Portugal and stopped at Gibraltar to take in coal. After that they left the Atlantic to enter the Mediterranean. The heat became much greater and the sky more blue. The proximity of the lands and the deserts of Africa made itself felt. On tiie 13th they had passed Sicily and the Isle of Malta. The ship was sailing calmly on the wide lake lying between Sicily, Greece and Tripoli, when the sky became suddenly overcast, and a violent wind set in to blow a gale. The furious sea broke over the deek of the ship. The latter lurched and rightiHl again immdliately, seeming to defy the elements risen against it. Its hull (|uiveretl, its masts shook ; but it was able to resist the fury of the ^vaves. The passen- gers had taken refuge in their cabins. !Miss Nelly, not yet sufficiently accustomed to the sea, was rather frightened ; she seemed each instant to feel the ship swallowed up by the sea. Captain Laycock, fortunately, did not lose his head. He had seen BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 35 miic'li more terrible storms than this one. Clinging to the railing of his bridge, he directed the working of the ship in a firm voice. Land was far off — the Mediterranean deep; there was little to fear. The storm lasted eight honrs. At last it calmed down. The sea became smooth and blue as before. The passengers went on deck again. A good dinner by chef Green, washed down with champagne, and lit up by tlie rays of the setting sun, ended in dispelling the anxie- ties of the day. The conversation of course turned on the incidents of the storm. The captain, from liis calculations and the height of the sun, concluded that they could not be far from the coast of Africa — towards tlie prom- ontory of Barca. It was higli time that the storm came to an end, or they would have risked being dashed to pieces on a rock. While they were taking tea by the light of the moon and of the stars which shine so brightly in these dark blue and clear nights of the oriental countries, Miss Xelly asked Cornille what the cause was of these sudden changes from cahn weather to a furious storm, and from storm to a calm such as they were enjoying at the moment. The engineer had begun to explain to the young girl the mechanism of storms and the general theory of the winds, always produced by the sudden cooling of certain atmospheric layers, which acts as a great current of air, Avhen he was suddenly interrupted in his demonstrations by a bright light which illumined the sky. They took it for liglitning at the first moment, and thought another storm was coming up ; but it was a magnificent bolis. It crossed the firmament in all its length, proceeding slowly, and leaving myriads of sparks behind it. Then it disai)peared at the horizon towards the East. " Father," cried Miss Nelly, " this globe of fire invites us to follow it ! It is a messenger whicli Heaven sends you to encourage you in your project ! " "I accept your augury, my dear Nelly," replied Badger, embracing his daughter. "AVe are certain of success if Heaven aids us." As if all the wonders of the earth had agreed on a rendezvous on that evening, the sea became phosphorescent. The ship seemed to sail on an ocean of fire. The wake which the prow left far behind it, the foam raised by the screw, the lightest ripj^les on the surface of the waves were as many jets of fire, wliich sparkled in the night. Tlie passengci*s were all collected on the deck, admiring this magnificent spectacle. 36 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. Towards midnight the pliosphorescence suddenly ceased, and every one sought his cabin, profoundly impressed by tiic varietl events of the day. The sky re- mained clear dur- ing the rest of the passage. They were, besides, ap- proaching the first port where they were to touch, and the passengers were already making their prepai'ations for disembarking. One evening the island of Cyprus was at last sig- naled. In the dis- tance was descried the summit of ]\Iount Troodos, which forms part of the range of Olympus. Then, little by little, the eye discerned the summits of the Adi']])hi, the peaks of the Machcras, and finally the iu'adhuul of the Stavrovnui. This promontory, espe- cially, struck the eye by its spiry form. The ship sailed along the foot of the mountain, and by the aid of glasses one could sec the temple of the Benedictines, eonstruetcd BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 37 at its summit. The story runs that in the caverns of this mountain the Knight Tannhauser is awaiting the sound of the kst trumpet. The sun liad already set when the Eledrk'ity let go her anchor before the port of Larnaca, the ancient Citium of the Greeks. The night was too far advanced to think of landing, for it is im- possible for ships of any considerable tonnage to approach th.e shore. It was therefore necessary to pass one more night on board, notwith- standing the great pleasure every one would have felt in reaching terra Jinna, after passing so long a space of time on the sea. Next morning the transshipment of the travelers began at daybreak. Boats rowed by natives came to receive the passengers, and brought them to land. The Electricity was left in charge of the mate. Cap- tain Laycock, who knew Cyprus, having been there several times, wished to serve as a guide for Badger and his companions. Since the treaty of 1878 with Turkey the island of Cyprus is gov- erned by England. After sailing for fifteen days, they were once more on English soil. It had been decided to devote a day to the inspection of Larnaca. This is a double city. The Marina is a new quarter, built on the sea-coast. As to the city proper, it is built at about two-thirds of a mile from the shore, in the midst of a large, uncultivated plain, where nothing meets the eye but here and there a few palms with long trunks swaying in the breeze. AVhat a contrast ! To pass abruptly from London to Larnaca — from the mists of the Thames to the azure skies of Asia ! At sea, the transition to the diiference in the clearness of the sky had been clearly perceived ; but the contrast became apparent in all its grandeur when they found themselves on land again. The city is in reality but a poor village. Tiie houses are low, with flat roofs and walls half crumbled down. Yet this singular medley was pleasant to the eyes and to the imagination. The intense light tinged the walls with reflections unknown in the dull climates of tiie north of Europe. All objects stood out strongly and in strange relief against the dark blue sky. And what originality in the varied costumes of the passers-bv ! Greeks, Turks, Armenians, Jews, Arabs — all the nations of the Orient elbowed each other in the streets, forming the most curit>us contrasts of color by this intermixture. At the extremity of tiie city, our travelers climbed a slight elevation, from where the view extended far out to the sea and to the mountains of Cyprus. Sky, earth and 38 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. sea sparkled uiuUt the l)nniin*, disappear almost completely amidst the clumps of verdure. Bare R)cks jut out over the rivernow and then, overhanging it at a great height. Tiie sky, the trees, the earth, the waters, form an a#5^-^5|^^^ the latter 'y% I)lace, where every- ^^^'^C^^^^^--^— -i . • thing could be found that ^^-^^^^ '^^ was necessary for recovering "-- ^^^r^"^-' from their previous fatigues : fresh Avatcr, exquisite fruits, vegetables in ' ~.-''"^^-^: abundance, would soon have recruited the "T^^ ^-;=."^ strength of the travelers. '^ -tT-t^^ Homs, the ancient Emesa, is of considerable importance from a com- mercial point of view. ^More than 1(),()()() camels pass through it alter the autumn harvests. It is not only a great market, it is also the cen- tre of a very ])rosperous industry. It jiossesses maiuiflu-tories toi- silk figured w^ith gold, cotton goods and coarser stutl's. IMuch madder is raised iu the vicinity. BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 49 A short stream, the Nahi-el-Kebir, has made a passage for itself through the range of the Amanus ; its valley might be used for a rail- Avay that would have its starting-point at Tripoli in Syria on the Medi- terranean, and reach the Euphrates by the plain. Thus, three natural roads were open to the railway destined to join the Euphrates to the jNIediterrancan. At present, it was only a ques- tion of making surveys ; later, when all the documents had been col- lected, a definite decision would be jointly made. While Cornille and jMonaghan devoted themselves to these investi- gations, the rest of the caravan took advantage of the stoppage by in- specting Hamah and its surroundings. The stay at Kamah is delightful. Its gardens are the most beauti- ful to be found in Syria, which possesses such beautiful ones. Lord Badger had rented one of these gardens, situated outside of the city, and had there established his camp. The high plateaux which surround the city produce corn and wheat in abundance. To raise the water necessary for cultivation up to these high plains, use has been made, following the immemorial usage of the East, of gigantic norias or water-wheels placed all along the blufils, and which impart an unusual movement to that part of the course of the Orontes. The culture of the cotton-tree has given birth to a prosperous indus- try in this country ; more than 3,000 weavers manufacture common stuffs here for the people of the land. The manner of weaving is as primitive as the manner of tilling, and the loom, which might figure in the retrospective museum beside the plough, probably dates back to the same antiquity. In one of her walks, ^liss Nelly had an opportunity of seeing one in full operation. On the floor of a little hut, too low to admit of an upright position, and lighted only by the opening serving as a door, a young woman, between sixteen and eighteen years of age, of the purest Arabian type, whose costume recalled that of Horace Yernet's Bc/xvca at the Fountain, was seated in Oriental fashion, that is to say squatting on the ground, before a rough wooden frame on which were stretched the threads destined to form 'the warp of tlie cloth. With her slender fingers, which performed the functions of the shuttle, the weaver passed the thread which was to form the weft alternately over and under the 4 50 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. threads of the warp. She showed a surprising dexterity in this deli- <;ate opei-ation. AVhile continuing her work, she inclined her fine head, from which a rich braid of jet black hair fell down on her uncovered breast, now to the right, now to the left of the wooden fianie, and looked curiously at the young Englishwoman with her beautiful cliild- like eyes, roguish and soft, while a smile of naive astonishment j)aitcd her red lips and showed her shining teeth. These walks, giving rest from the long rides on horseback, this knowledge of the familiar manners and customs of a countiy which is acquired only l)y living there and seeing its inhabitants close by; these scenes of a rural beauty which the traveler accustomed to follow standard routes observes so rarely, served to occupy the six days m hich passed away, until the return of the explorers ^Nlonaghan and Cornille, in an agreeable manner. Nevertheless, they were happy to be united once more, and the interrupted voyage was joyfully resumed. On leaving Hamah, the vallev of the Orontes was abandoned in order to reach Aleppo by ascending towards the north-east. The road followed by the caravan passed over slightly undulating plateaux, varying in height from 1100 to 1300 feet. Vegetation be- came scarce. No trees. Now and then some dwarfed and stunted shrubs. They were beginning to enter the immense belt of deserts which extends over vast spaces in Arabia and terminates in a rounded point in that part of Asia Minor thntugh which the travelers were then passing. This vast plain, stretching farther than the eye can reach, is not level and uniform as one might at first suppose it to be. As you ad- vance, you perceive the ground, now slightly deiM'cssed, now slightly swelling, is, on the contrary, very uneven. At a distance this uneven- ness is not visible to the eye, which sees but an ocean of sands, streaked, like the surface of Avaters in calm weath(>r, with a nmltitude of little longitudinal strife. The sea of sand is no more sheltered from storms than the other sea. The winds which come from the south blow here with extreme violence, for no serious obstacle is opj)ose(l to their action, and, in sev- eral places, tluy liave heaj)ed uj) banks of gravel, downs, or ridges. Here and there a rock rises above the ground, on the surface of which there appear at great intervals large l)rown spots whicli one cannot help com])aring to islands : tliese are the oases. The anaIoad- BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 53 ger and his friends into the building, while his servants attended to the escort. The casbah was a square, lieavy edifice, running around an interior court, like all Arabian dwellings. Around the court extends a gallery on Mdiicli the doors open that lead to the rooms. Under this gallery servants were grinding wheat and maize in a mill formed of two stones turning on each other. In the centre of the ^^-jj-^-'^^i^, divan, that is to say, '^ ^^j^. ^] of the apartment ^^^ ^^ which, in everv East- '>j^!'s*| ern house I, is used for a 'i'j ^ •' visitors, a '( ''lA ^ ■ receivnig table had been set, and a collation of cou- scous, dates, water- melons, milk and eggs was served. This divan was a large, square room, with a vaulted ceiling, situated on the ground-floor, about two stories high, look- ing to the north, and having windows only on that side. Every- thing here was admira- bly arranged for pro- tecting one's self from the heat and enjoying the delights of the oriental farniente. The skeikh insisted on making his guests smoke chibouks and nargilehs, 54 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. ate? ^••;:^•^..f!K•: and our travelers appreciated highly the sweet and perfumed tobacco which was offered them. AVhen the repast was ended and the coffee had Ijeen drunk, Miss Nellv and the governess repaired to that portion of the palace assigned to the women, which they entered alone. However generous and cordial Oriental hospitality may be, the rule which forbids the women from appearing before men with unveiled faces has remained inflexible. The visitors were received by the wife of the sheikh, and by his daughters, who, both widows and childless, had come back to their father, waiting, no doubt, until it pleased him to choose new husbands for them. Notwithstanding h e r age — advanced, for a wo- man <.»f her race — and the embonpoint that \vas begin- ning to seize ujion her, //)// ladt/ ]\I()hammed was still handsome. Of noble birth, she possessed the graceful ease of a true c/rande (htmcy and consented with a charming simj)licity to satisfy Miss Nelly's curiosi- ty on the subject of man- ners, customs, and usages. In taking leave of the female portion of the sheikh's family, and while n'))lving as well as she could to the wishes and coniplinuMits which the Oi'ieiitals always lavish ])roi"iisely on their guests, Miss Nellv could not su])press a certain emotion. She expressed to the three ladies the hope of seeing them again should she ])as>^ tlirough the desert again in returning to P^ngland. This wish was sineei-e. She had enjoyed for the (irst time the hospitality of a veritable Arabian AKJ^^'"^^ BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 55 homo, and she had felt the charm of that reception, at once reserved and spontaneous, courteous and grave, so different from the common- placeness, the banaUte of European politeness, and which causes the trav- eler to forget that he is a stranger, even in a city througli which he passes for the first time, even among people whom he will never see again. She rejoined her father and the rest of the party among plantations and delightful gardens, where a network of small canals of running water preserved a coolness during the greatest heat of the day. Lord Badger conversed with the sheikh and the principal pro- prietors of the oasis on all matters concerning cultivation and irrigation. What he saw and heard gave him encouragement in pursuing his Avork. " You see what can be done with water," said he to his companions, " the desert is transformed into a garden. What can we not accom- plish when, thanks to our electrical machines, we shall draw it di- rectly from the Euphrates? The whole of Mesopotamia will become one immense oasis." It was four o'clock, and they intended to reach Aleppo before night. They therefore resumed their journey again, thanking his Arabian lordship for his cordial hospitality. Soon after leaving Marrah the caravan met with a Dowar of nomad Arabs. A dowar is a village in which tents take the place of houses. AVhen the tribe wishes to change its camp and transport it somewhere else, the skins and stuffs which form tiie tents are taken down, rolled around the stakes which had served to support them, and packed, together with the furniture, packages, and other luggage, on mules and other beasts of burden. The men ride on horseback. The women and children travel on camels. At the moment when the caravan passed near to the doMar, fire had been lit to prepare the evening meal, composed principally of rice and curdled milk. Children, quite naked, or covered simply witii a burnous fastened around the neck, were playing around the tents, near which large dogs — somewhat similar to those of Kabylia — kept good watch, barking formidably and showing their menacing teeth. AVomcn, frightfully tattooed and hardly covered by a dress of blue stuff, were picking up brushwood. Their appearance, it nnist be said, was anv- thing but attractive, and it could be easily seen that, had some slight 56 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. service been demanded of them, their reception would not have been of the kindest. As to the men, some were gravely smokino; their chibouks, quietly seated on the ground ; others, seated on horseback, were wheeling about at a little distance. Their immense hats, resembling some- what those of the French market-porters, their heavy lances, from which hung wreaths of black feathers, showed them to be chiefs (»f large tents. The oxen and sheep, which these nomads take witli them everywhere, were wandering about at random on the ])lains, searching for the thin blades of grass between the pebbles. The sun had disappeare]K), which is situated at about an equal distance from the sea and from the river. It might pcrliaps be possible some day to connect the Mediterranjban with the Euphrates by means of a canal, the line of which has been fully indicated by nature. Aleppo is not by far as finely situated as the other cities of Syria. It wants water ; the small river El-Kocik, which runs through it, fur- nishes sufficient for consumption by the inhabitants, but there is not (57) 58 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. enouo:li water to produce fertility. By industry the natives, and, es- pecially, the Euro})eans settled in the city, have succeeded in creating beautiful gardens adjoining the outskirts ; still, these gardens, though carefully cultivated, do not approach, in the beauty of the trees and the freshness of the grass, to those of Haniah, of ^Vntioch, and of most of the Arabian villages. Aleppo is a kind of artificial oasis which cannot rival those in which nature has done everything. On the other hand, its streets are better paved, broader, and cleaner than in most Oriental cities, even the largest. The bazaar has nothing to distinguish it from other establishments of the same kind. There are the same wooden stalls ranged on the sides of narrow, covered pas- sages, into which but little air and light penetrate. Only, this bazaar, where the products of three continents are heaped up and exchanged, is the most considerable one of the region. It alone makes it worth the while to stop several days at Aleppo. The Europeans are quite numerous at Aleppo. As in the whole Mussulman orient, the Latin element predominates. It is chiefly rep- resented by the Genoese and the Venetians, who form a sort of com- mercial aristocracy, holding the first rank. These rich merchants form a distinct clan, which not every one can enter. Their houses — un})re- tentious on the exterior, but containing beautiful furniture, massive silver-})latc, valuable bibelots, accumulated through several generations — form, in the very precincts of the bazaar, a sort of square which bears the name of Khan of the Franlcs. The English colony, much less numerous, also occupies a separate quarter, the handsome houses of which — in place of a luxury of an- cient date — contain all that is attractive in modern establishments. It was in one of these elegant dwellings that Lord Badger and his fellow-travelers were to stay during their sftjourn at Aleppo. INIonaglian desired to study in a ])articular manner the depression which unites Aleppo to the Orontes. It was therefore decided to move towards the east as far as Dana. A few hours after leaving Aleppo they passed through a \wi\\) of ruins of a singular asjicct. At the bottom of a crevice in the gi-ound, sheltered at the nortli and at the south by rugiicd walls of lihickish rocks, were seen the ruins of an aliaiidinicd viilatic I'hc walls of the houses — l)iiilt of lariie, blocks of basalt — were still standing. The roofing alone luid been taken down, no doubt to serve for otIi(>r purposes. BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 59 c^.: AVliile approacliing to examine these ancient debris, Monaglian called the attention of his companions to the crevices which furrowed the walls of some of these houses ; in some places even, the walls seemed to have been torn up entirely from the ground and transported vertically to a distance of several yards. These mute witnesses, no doubt dating back several centuries, indicated clearly enough from what cause this village had been abandoned. The population — Chris- tian, to all appearances — had been compelled to flee from the violence of the earth- quakes and seek a li^" _ -^ i^ refuge somewhere else. It was a repre- sentation, on a small scale, of Herculaneum ''''T.-^>-'' 7- ' "" or Pompeii. All this part of Asia is, more- over, essentially volcanic. The conical mountains, like those of Auvergne, in France, are frequently met with here. From their jagged craters — to-day extinct and covered with fruit trees — trachytie and basaltic lava has flowed on the surrounding country. Decomposed by the rains, it has spread on the soil the elements of an incomparable fertility. Under the influence of the iron and the phosphoric acid, the vegetation here accpiires a superabundance of vitality. Unfortu- nately, the subterranean activity still often manifests itself by violent shocks. The subterranean gases, seeking an outlet and no longer find- ing one through the obstructed passages of the ancient craters, explode ; 60 BABYLON ELECTKII-'IED. the earth moves and opens, sometimes engulfing in a few seconds the work of many years. Dana was reached without accident. After having hmched here and left their animals to cool off, Monaghan and Cornill^ set out to make surveys in the valley, while Badger, iiis daughter, and the gov- erness, accompanied only by a guide, went to visit the celebrated Roman tomb, which is still shown in the environs of the city. It is the best preserved monument of its kind in Syria. It bears the date of the year 324 of the Christian era. As they ajiproached the tomb, our tourists perceived, not without suqirise, a white mass which seemed to lean against a stone separated from the monument. While asking themselves what this could mean, they continued to advance, when suddenly the white form rose up, and a woman — a child, rather — whom the sound of the travelers' footsteps had caused to look around, showed her charming face, batlied in tears. She appeared to be fifteen or sixteen years of age at the most ; her dis- hevelled hair and disordered dress seemed to indicate a })recipitate "flight. She wore the picturesque costume of the Greek women of Syria, very similar to that of the slaves of the rich Turkish pashas : a .short and loose vest, covered with lace ; jiutled trousers of flowered silk, fastened around the waist by a sash fringed with gold ; shcshia edged with gold, and half-boots of yellow morocco. When she saw the strangers coming towards her, the child sprang up witii a bound and started forward as if disposed to take flight again. ]jut the poor creature's strength no d<)ul)t failed her, for slie stoppicl, began to tremble, and fell d(»wn again on the stone which had sup- ported her before. Miss Nelly ai)proa('he(l, and kindly took her by the hand, trying to make her understand, by her caresses, the interest which she took in her troubles. That soft voice seemal to revive the y(»ung girl. She raised her head, and regarded Miss Nelly with i-on- fidence, seeming to im})lore her not to abandon her. At a venture, Miss Nelly asked her in Arabic, of which language she had learned a few words, who she was, and how she came to be there. To her own and her fatiier's great astonishment, the young girl replied in ])ure Englisii. This is, in brief, the story that she told : a Greek by birth, she had been — at a very early age — carried off by the Turks and sold to a wealthy English lord who owned eonsideiable land in Asia Minor. That was the without difficulty his pardon for your attempted flight, and cause him to treat you better in the future than in the past." «2 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. But, at the bare thought of fallkig agaiu iuto the power of her j)er- secutors, Fatma (that was the name which her Turkish master had given the young slave) began crying and sobbing anew. The wife of the j)asha was without doubt deliglited to be rid of her servant. The lattcr's return would cause new alarms, and she would not fail to make her pay dearly for them. Rather than face the resentment of her ter- rible mistress, the fugitive would have chosen death. Throwing her- self at Miss Nelly's feet, she entreated her to take her as a slave, .swearing to love her always and to follow her everywhere like a faith- ful dog. Lord Badger made the young girl rise, and tried to restore a little of her courage. " I cannot dispose of you, in spite of your master, my child," he •said to her ; " according to the laws of the country, you belong legiti- mately to him. To try to conceal you amongst us, or to repulse by force those whom your master will send in your pursuit, if he has not already done so, would be to expose us all to the danger of being massacred, for the people among whom Me are will not fail to take the part of your ravishers against us. But be reassured : I hope, in restoring you to your master, to proceed in such a manner that he will consent to my buying you. We shall afterward consider what had best be done." Fatma thanked Lord Badger effusively and returned to Dana A\ith her new companions. On the way, she related the incidents of Lord Plarrigton's death. She had, however, little to say about it. A dis- ordered band of Turkish soldiers had invaded his lordshi})'s house. He had defended himself; but, overwhelmed by numbers, compelled to leave a tower in which lie had sought refuge, because the soldiers had set it on fire, he had been killed by a bullet. The geologist and C'ornille were greatly su rj)rised to see Fatma in comj)any with lindger and his daughter. They were (piickly ac- quainted with the circumstances. They congratulated liis lordship on his good action, and a])proved his ])lan. As to Flatnosc, jic declared the occurrence to be a very conmiim one. He t)bserved that in a dis- tant expedition, it always happened that some one was delivei<'d, and that logically, Fatma would infallibly have been met with some day or another. The horses, wliieh had l)een cooling oil", were (|uite readw 'i^hcy hastened to get back into their saddles, l^'atiua sueeuuitied to fatigue r.ABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 63 and to the cxoiteniont of the day. The guide seated her as well as he ooiild on his animal, whieli he led by the bridle, walking at her side. The young girl and her guide were placed in the centre of the little cavalcade, which then started oif. They had hardly left Dana, when they jierceived a troop of Turkish soldiers on the road. Poorly and loosel}' dressed, as they often are in this part of the empire, they arrived before the caravan in the most complete disorder. He who ajjpeared to be the chief of the band had no sooner perceived Fatma, more dead than alive, than he began to utter loud cries, and darted toward the unhap})y girl, with the evident intention of stran- gling her. Quick as lightning Cornille threw his horse be- tween the young girl and her aijo-ressor. The latter drew his sabre and called on his companions to aid him. Cor- nille, revolver in hand, kept the cliief at a distance, ready to blow out liis l)rains if he advanced a stej). Badger, INIonaghan, Flatnose, and even Miss Nelly drew tlicir revolvers. The Turkish soldiers hesitated for a moment before this menacing attitude, then, believing themselves to be the weaker, replaced their sabres in their girdles. The cliief alone, furious with rage, continued to wheel about the Europeans, whirling his sabre above his head, and uttering inarticulate cries. But, always finding a revolver pointed at himself, he kept at a respectful distance. Suddenly his horse sank under him, and man and beast disappeared together. They had fallen into a hole dug at the side of the road. The soldiers went to the aid of their chief, who was yelling with pain, for his horse was trampling upon him at the bottom of the hole. After much troul)le they succeeded in getting the poor devil out, with a broken leg and arm. This incident entirelv cooled the ardor of the bellitrerents. The iK^ 64 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. soldiers inclined to the belief that their chief was in the wrong, since he had been so uuexpa'tetlly pnnished by Allah. Some pieces of money, which IJadtjer had adroitly distribnted anionic them, served to convince them fully of this fact, so that they ended l)y being more disjwsed to follow Badger's orders than those of their wounded chief. A parley was begun. The soldiers explained that the pasha had sent 'them in pursuit of his fugitive slave. The guide, translating Badger's words for them, replied that Futnia was, in fact, being taken back to her master, and that, therefore, they had but to join the party and go with it to Alep[)o. This they decided to do after having tied the wounded man on a horse. The unhappy wretch uttered cries of pain at each movement of his animal, which did not prevent him, however, from shaking the fist which he could still use at Fatma, who, almost fainting after so much excitement, pressed close against ]Miss Xelly, as if she were the only power capable of protecting her. The return to Aleppo was not marked by any further occurrence. Lord Badger waited u])on the pasha. The latter, desirous, perhaps, of restoring peace in his household and of quieting his wife's sc(^>lding, raised no difficidties in the way of selling his slave to the Englishman. And then, tliesum offered was large and the pasha in want of money, not a rare thing in Turkey. It would be impossible to express the joy which the young girl felt when she learned that she was to have nothing further to do with her op])ressors. Lord Badger offered her the means of leaving Turkey and returning to her native land. At this proposition the child's face, but a moment before so joyful, suddenly became sad and troubled. She had no longer any relatives, she would be like a stranger in her own land. Having never known any condition but that of servitude, the idea of being free had for her no precise meaning. Happiness, such as she imagined it, was to have good masters to whom one can be dev(tted and attached. "I have been a slave since my childhood," she said, ingenunusly, "keep me with you as your slave, I shall serve you devotedly as long as I live." Nelly's soft eyes, fixed on her father's at that moment, seconded the touching request. Badger decided that the young girl shonld reinaiu with them and shoidd make one of the exj)edition. The new recruit was not the least ornament of the party. Lively, merrv, fntlicsoinc, always ready to sing ami laugh, she was like a joy- BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 65 ous bird, twittoriiiii; aiul prattling;, in the midst of this company of serious people. ^liss Nelly entertained no distrust of her new friend. The sincerest affection continued always to exist between these two amiable persons, born under such different skies. ^liss Xelly was the l)lond incarnation of the mists of the north — Fatma the creation of the burning sun of Asia. It was decided that the young Greek should keep the somewhat bovish costume, which became her so capitally, at least until they re- turned to Europe. While they were staying in the cities she would be careful not to go into the streets but strictly veiled and enveloped in her Judk, as the ^Mussulmans do not allow a woman in Oriental costume — that is, regarded as belonging, like themselves, to the reli- gion of the Prophet — to show herself out-of-doors with uncovered face. On the third day after the one marked by the episode which we have just related, the journey began again — more monotonous than that from Hamah to AlejDpo. Aleppo lies on the borders of the desert. From here to the Eu- phrates the boundless waste extends almost without interruj^tion to the banks of the river; then the desert continues towards the East, to end only on the banks of the Tigris. Jabul is the only station of some importance which the caravan encountered. On leaving Jabul, where tlie supply of water Avas renewed, the sky, which until then had been unchangeably blue, took on a pale color. The temperature suddenly grew cooler. Towards evening the rain began to fall. It threatened to be a bad night. The caravan halted, and not a moment was lost in preparing camp. It was high time. Hardly had they finished their preparations, when the wind arose with extreme violence and threatened every moment to tear awa}' the tents, which were, however, firmly fixed to the ground. The rain fell in torrents. Repose was not to be thought of amid this unloosening of the elements. Badger and his people were collected in the principal tent ; tlie men, standing, forming a group, Miss Xelly and her gov- erness sitting as well as they could on heaps of shawls and cloaks, while Fatma, seized with terror, and cowering at their feet, hid her pretty, frightened head between the arms of her friend at each new gust. ]\Ionaghan admonished everybody to be patient; the rain could not last long in this country and this climate. And, in fact, at the end of two hours, the wind abatetl and the rain suddenly ceased to fall. Each 5 66 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. one went to his tent, and soon the travelers peacefully fell asleep iu their hammocks, guarded by sentinels who watched by turns. Next day the sky was again as clear as on the jireoeding days. Tlie sun rose in a horizon of fire, as if revivified by the shower of the night before. The caravan set out again on its journey. In the evening the travelers had an op]>ortunity of viewing one of those spectacles which are to be seen only in this dream-land. From two to three hundred camels were walking in file some miles away from them. The outlines of these animals, and of the Arabs who rode them, stood out sharjily against the clear sky. The transparency of the air was such that the eye perceived all the details of tlie forms, and even the regular undulations of the walk, ^^\'re it not" for the con- \ V traction of the perspective, one would have believed them to be but a short distance otf, and, in this silence of an Oriental night, the ear was instinctively strained to catch the sound of the steps striking the ground. Tliis denial given to previously acquired liabits — this con- tradiction which seems to exist between the two senses which ]>lace us in direct communication with the outer Avorld — certainly contributes much towards producing for every inhabitant of the north, newly transferred to the orient, that sort of enchantment in whii'h every- tliing that is seen seems to ]iartake at the same time of the real and of the visionary. When the silhouette of tlie last camel had disaj)peared, the eyes of the travelers were still fixed on the horizon. l"'latnos(>'s j(>sting voice was tl)e iirst to l)reak the charm. " Look," cried the journalist, suddenly seizing Badger's arm, " look BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 67 at that long mass that is iiioviag rapidly through the desert. A lamp ])re('edes the gigantic repti]'^ and lights the way. Tliere, a siirill Avhistle announces its arrival ; it's tlie railroad of your dreams, my lord, the line which sets London and Calcutta in communication." " You forget to see something else," replied his lordship, laughing. " Turn a little to the right, my dear Flatnose : what do you say of those long poles which are outlined in the distance?" " Those ! "' exclaimed the journalist. " Why they are the electric ships which cross Syria by ascending your canal." It was decidedly useless to attempt to surprise Flatnose in the act of being enthusiastic or serious. Is this an influence of stoutness on the ideas? I leave it to the ])hysiologists to solve the question. On the next day, towards noon, certain changes in the nature of the ground, bushes and tufts of green grass, announced the vicinity of the river. And, in fact, the silvery surface of the Euphrates soon ap- peared bet^\•eeu the trees — this Euphrates which they were now to descend as far as Babylon. The place at which they stopped is Baylis. Of an ancient city there remain but shapeless debris, a ruined castle on a hill of clialk, around Avhich are grouped the houses of a miserable Turkish village. -W It i.s not so easy lo travel <»n the Euphrates as on tht> Thames or the Seine. Nevertheless Badiicr and his companions IkkI resolved to reach Babylon hy the water-road. For this they Mould make use of a raft of a peculiar form — already in use at the time when Herodotus visited these countries — and which is called hilak. The Irihik, the name alone of which has perhaps varied in the course of centuries, is formed by two rows, crossed, of trunks of trees sawed in two and firmly bound together, .so as to form a plane surface. Underneath leather bottles are attached, inflated w itii air, which keep this stage floatinri- vations would soon be forgotten. A\'eiv thev not at Babvlon, on the (76) BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 77 sacred site of an ancient civilization — on the gronnd on whicli it was to appear in renewed splendor — thanks to the application of the dis- coveries of modern science? The last part of tiie jonrney had appeared longer than all the rest. When approaching the end, one would always Hive to harry forward, and the most dispassionate characters are subject to a kind of fever. Sir James Badger was the first to rise next morning. The stars were beginning to pale before the dawn, and night was disappearing from the east. The banks of the Eu})lirates were covered with a transparent vapor which was agitated by a light wind. The others came out of their tents in succession and ranged them- selves in silence around his lordship. The moment was solemn — it was like taking possession of the ancient empire of Semiramis. The light became brighter every moment. On the banks of the river, in the distance, to the farthest horizon, the ground was broken and irregular. The level plain of the desert gave place vto hillocks covered with shrubs and thorny bushes. Each of these knolls was the shapeless ruin of some palace of an- cient Babylon. The edifices, constructed entirely of bricks and bitu- men, had collapsed under the action of the elements and the agency of man. The bricks, burnt and unburnt, had been again converted into clay, and formed these artificial hills. Here was all that was left of so marvellous a capital ! Where were the palaces, the walls, the temples, the hanging gardens which had made of Babylon the most wonderful and the largest city of the world ? Of all these, nothing remains but dust. To-day, only a few tumble-down Arabian houses stand on the site of the city, where so many different nations had met, which had been so often conquered and raised up again from its ruins, which had sheltered the great con- querors of the world — from Cyrus and Alexander to the .Vrabs. The city of Hillah obstructed the view towards the south : Hillah- el-Feidah, that is to say, Hillah the grand, which occuj^ies a ])ortion of ancient Babylon. It is shaded by date-trees and is surrounded by magnificent gardens. They, saw the bridge of boats, six hundred and fifty feet long, which places the city, built on the right bank, in com- munication with the suburl)s on the opposite bank. Xot far away from the camp some Aral)S had also raised their tents. They were pilgrims going to the holy city of Kerbela. Badger, armed with a field-glass, was looking anxiously in thedirec- 78 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. tion of the city, behind the bridge of boats. At last he uttered a cry of joy : " The EledricUij lias at last arrived at Hillnh ! " said he. " I ran see very distinctly its smoke-stadv and tlic coidrs of Knulaiul and my own flyinti: from its mast." The ladies were left in the camp nnd<"r tlic j)r()terti()n of Monatjhan. BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 79 Blacton and Flatnose. The last was delighted to iiave arrived at Babylon. From that moment his rdle of reporter was to begin. He liad already settled himself comfortably before a small portable desk, and was covering several sheets of paper with his jovial prose. How many tilings there were to Mrite to his editor in this first article ! As for Badger and Cornille, tliey proceeded towards Hillali. Badger had not been mistaken. It was indeed the Electricifij which floated on the waters of the Enphrates. Half an honr later tliey were on board of the little ship effusively shaking C'a})tain Laycock's hands. How happy they were to see each other again, safe and sound, after an ab- sence of six weeks ! Laycock and Jack Adams had arrived without accident at Bassorah Avitli the little fleet. The Davy and the Faraday had been immedi- ately unloaded, and the working-stock stored in the docks of the port. This done, the Electricity had been loaded and had ascended the Tigris as far as Tekrit, with Jack Adams and the hands for the hy- draulic works. Here, as it was impossible for the steamboat to con- tinue on its way, there being not enough water, the machines had been transferred to flat boats, which could go up without difficulty as far as Mosul. The Electricity had descended again to Bassorah. After receiving a new load, it had this time ascended the Euphrates as far as Hillah, where it had lain at anchor for two da vs. awaitino- Badger's arrival. With the working-stock, the ship brought at the same time the hands intended specially for Babylon. After having listened to this re])ort and having assured himself that all was in good order, Badger, accompanied l)v Cornille and Captain Laycock, waited upon the representative of the Turkish government nt Hillah. The latter had received official orders from the Sultan through the governor of Bagdad. A hundred soldiers had even been sent from that city, designed to secure the works at Babylon against an armed attack. All the forenoon had been occupied in this way. Our three friends remained in camp only during the lunch-hour. Then there Mere re- newed handshakings and end/less questions regarding the events of the two journeys. If Laycock had many interesting things to relate about his voyage and his trip on the Tigris, Badger and those who accompanied him had also enough to say on their part. 80 BAr.YLON ELECTRIFIED. The introduction of Fatma to the captain and of the captain to the youno; r your very feet. The Babylonian workmen who fashioned these bricks fi)ur tiiousand years ago, little supposed that they would serve one day to construct electric works." Tiie walk had been a long one. Since leaving ITillah, they had covered over four miles. It was decided to rest for half an hour »tn the top of Babel. "So it is well understood," urged Badger, "that tlie kasr will serve as site for the works, while the thermo-electric pile will be placer me," said ISIiss Nelly, " tlu're is one thing that is not quite BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 83 clear to me. Although I liavc felt the difference that exists between the Oriental sun and our i)oor sun of London, I yet ask myself how you are going to iind a sufficiently large quantity of solar heat here to form numerous works, give motion to electric locomotives, and illumi- nate and heat cities ! Now, what a furnace of heat is the sun? " " I happen to have something to convince you in my note-book, here," said Cornille ; " it is a calculation by ISIr. ISIarcel Desprez, which will give you an idea of the immense quantity of solar heat use- lessly lost in certain regions of the globe." The eno-ineer then read these few lines : " To evaporate a kilogramme * of water under a pressure of ten at- mospheres, it must be furnished with a quantity of heat equal to 650 calories. Now, the apparatus of Monsieur jNIouchot pemiits the evap- oration of about a kilogramme of water per hour. Let us see what that represents on a surface equal to that of France, for example. The area of France being about 200,000 square miles, it is easily found that the quantity of water whicih will be evaporated in an hour, during a fine summer's day, is about 17,700,000,000 cubic feet, or 500,000,- . 000,000 kilogrammes. In order to evaporate a like quantity of water in a good boiler, it would be necessary to burn 60,000,000 tuns of oil, that is to say, one-fifth of the total actual consumption of the whole world. The powerful locomotives which draw the express trains on our railroads, when they are used at full power, evaporate somewhat over 180 cubic feet of water per hour, producing a 500 horse-po^\■er on the pistons. It follows from this that the solar radiation, on a surface equal to that of France, could evaporate enough water to feed more than 80,000,000 of locomotives, producing together 40,000,000,000 horse-power. If this quantity of steam, produced nnder a pressure of ten atmospheres, escaped freely into the air, supposing there is a dis- charge of 610 kilogrammes per second and per square yard, it would take a funnel with a diameter of ov'cr 550 yards, or equal to that of the crater of a volcano." " I bow before science and before the figures," said Miss Xelly, smiling, " and I make a most humble apology to the sun. I certainly did not suspect that he possessed such power." "Mesopotamia," resumed the engineer, "enjoys a contimially clear sky. The brightness of the sun is rarely dimmed there by clouds. » 2.2046215 lb. avoirdupois. 84 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. Twelve square yards of sui'face are sufficient to give, by means of the thermo-electric pile, a one-horse power during the whole day. Babel has a surface of about twelve thousand square yards ; we shall attain a thousand horsejwwer for our first trials." " Let us go, my friends," said Badger ; " here we have been resting for half an hour, lunch aM-aits us, and there is still enough to occupy our time usefully from now until dinner-time." They all rose. Flatnose yawned, stretched his arms, rubbed his eyes. He had slept during this conversation, too serious for him. The secrets of science had little temptation for him. He was content to admire the results and to make them known ; when, in order to sat- isfy the demands of the modern public, he thought it necessary to adorn his fanciful style with a learned quotation and technical terms, lie always had some kind friend at liand to furnish him with the ele- ments of this bit of effect. Thanks to this innocent subterfuge, he added to his reputation as a charming narrator, an incomparable re- porter, that of being second to none in encyclopaidic knowledge. THE DISCOVERY OF GRIM- MITSCHOFFER, Next day they set to work. The - camp was fixed inland, five hnndred ■^ yards east of the kasr, on a knoll ' ''■ high enough to afford security from inundations. It was decided to con- struct in this place the workshops, storehouses, dwellings, and all the buildings necessary for so large an undertaking. Oh iL. V vening of the fifth day the camp presented a picturesque and animated appearance. Blacton and Coruille, comfortably estab- lished for a prolonged stay, occupied huts at the top of the eminence ; so that thev could watch, even at a distance, and notice anything that (85) 86 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. happened in no matter what part of the work-yards, at any hour of the day or niss. Badger and his companions had an example of this on their first excursion. Coming to the edge of a marshy piece of land, they saw an Arab stooping over the ground, holding a long stick in his hand, M-ith whi(;h he drew little furrows in the wet soil. Puzzled by this .spectacle, they drew nearer. The Arab had already scratched a large surface. He paid no attention to tiie ])resence of the Euroj)cans and continued his work. AVhcn he had finish«l he took a bag and scat- tered wheat l)y tiie handful over the ground which he liad turned up; tlicn, with his stick, he roughly covered the seed wilh :i light layer of earth, and went away without saying a word. After their return to camp, they learned that it was in this way that BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 89 the Arabs cultivated the ground. And yet, in spite of this rough manner of tilling and sowing, the results obtainwl surpass all belief. Four months after the sowing — that is to say, about ^Vpril — the crop is ri})e and ready for the harvest. A single grain of wheat has pro- duced thirty or forty fold increase. Badger acquired the certainty that Babylon wf)uld soon become the public granary of Europe. These results need not astonish us, for Mesopotamia is the native land of wheat. AVhat results would not be obtained when the too jn'iniitive process of farming, practised by the Arabs, had been replaced by the perfected methods of Europe ! On the day before the one on which Laycock was to return from Bassorah, an expedition was organized for exploring the right bank of the Euphrates. Babylon extended over both banks of the river, M'hich the Qiteen Xitocris had caused to be spanned by a bridge. Not a trace of this monument remains to-day. This time the party was complete, excepting Blacton, whom it was llo^v impossible to get away from his work for even an hour. Cornille ■desired to visit an important hill — the Birs-Nimrod — which it might, perhaps, be possible to make good use of later on. Perha})s, too, the engineer was inwardly happy to journey once more by the side of Miss Nelly. She Avas to leave on the second day after. AA'ho knows if he would ever see her again ? Flatnose himself had designed to make one of the party. This would give occasion for a new article for his paper ; and, finally, he was fully decided l)y the fact that they were to be accompanied by the provision Magon, in which vehicle he could be comfortably installed, and in company witii the charming Miss Ross. They started at daybreak, for it would not take less than the mIioIc day to go and return conveniently. The caravan descended along the Euphrates, passing near to the place where they had landed the fii'st time. About a thousand yards farther on they entered the suburbs^ of Hillah — poor hovels, inliabited by half-vagabond Arabs. After having j)assL'd along a lane M'hich seemed to be deserted, they reached the bridge of boats which connects the suburbs on the left bank with the city, built on the right bjink, then they entered Hillah, This city resembles all those that line the Euphrates — white-washed walls, houses with flat roofs that serve as a ])lace of assembling for all the members of the family during the summer evenings, large gardens 90 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. where palm-trees wave tlieir tops in tlie wind, moscpie with slender minarets. They had (piickly passed through tlie city, and were once more in the midst of the solitude. The landscape was the same as that on the left bank, in the neiglihorhood of Babel and of the kasr — the same monotonous plain, studded with knolls formed by heaps of bitumen and bricks. These tells M'cre, however, less numerous here. The reason of this is that Babylon extended pi'inci pally on the left bank of the Euphrates ; the other part was, properly speaking, nothing but an immense suburb. In the distance rose a sort of hill which overlooked the plain. They proceeded straight towards it. The eminence of Birs-Ximrod lies about five miles from Hillah and about ten miles from the kasr and from Babel. The caravan, not hurried in its march, had taken nearly four hours to pass over the distance. The Birs-Nimrod — tliat is to say, the toAver of Nimrod — is one of the rare monuments which have escaped the comj^lete decay of the ancient palaces of Babylon. C\)nstructed on the banks of one of the arms of the Euphrates — the one which takes most of the waters of the river to Lake Nedjef — it was formerly an immense observatory- erected to science in the reign of Nebuchadnezzar. It bore the name of Totoer of the Seven Spheres. The Arabs think they see in it the ruins of the ancient Tower of Babel. Birs-Nimrod is a striking example of the rapidity with which the monuments of Babylon have disappeared. The dimensions of the mound, quite rectangular, arc G30 feet in length by 488 feet in breadth. Its height, above the level of the plain, is at present from 105 to 225 feet. Now, Strabo, in his time, gave it a height of five stadiums, which corresponds to about GOO feet. Since Stral)o's time, the tower of Nimrod has, therefore, become about o7o feet lower. If tiiere i^ no interruption to this rapidity of dcstruc^tion, not a trace of it will remain a thousand years hence: AV^liy be astonished because the other monuments, less solidly constructed, have already disappeared almost completely? They ascended the mound, not a very difficult undertaking, ou account of the slight declivity of tlie slope. Arrived at the toj), our travelers found themselves fiicc t saying. How deliver him ? That did not appear easy at first sight. The tower was solid, without stairs. Some windows, placed at equal inter- vals, indeed pierced the thickness of the walls ; fragments of arches also stood out at one of the corners. But, unless one were a cat or a monkey, climbing the edifice by this means was not to be thought of " How can we reach you ? How get up there ? " " Raise up the ladder which has fallen at the foot of the wall, on the other side," replied the stranger in French. They passed around to the other side of the wall, and saw indeed a long ladder lying among the bushes. It Mas now easy to understand how our man had been left on the top of the tower : he had reached the top by means of the ladder ; but, by some accident, this had slid to the ground, thus leaving the visitor a prisoner. The ladder was raised against the wall, and the unfortunate captive could at last descend. Pale, weak, famished, the pbor man was in a sad condition. For- tunately, the lunch was served at the bottom of the Birs-Ximrod. The whole party descended the hill again, and quickly sat down to table. m BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. " Do you feel better now ? " said Badger, when the unknown had swallowed his first mouthfuls. " Very mucii better, thank you," he replied, in jnu'e Enolish. " I was almost dead with hunger when you delivered me from above there." " Can you tell us now who you arc ? " said Badger. "e/a," said the unknown, M'itli his mouth full. "But does this gentleman then know all the languages?" exclaimed Flatnose. "After all, that is not astonishing, since we are at Babylon." After having recovered his strength somewhat, the man related his adventures. His name was Grimmitschoifer, and he was occupied at the time with archseological researches relative to the ancient empire of Assyria. Since several days he was exploring the ruins of Babylon, and had begun his researches at the monuments on the right bank. Desirous of mounting the tower of the Birs-Nimrod, he had taken two Arabs with him to carry a long ladder. But fancy his stupefaction and his fright when, having reached the top of the building, he saw liis two rascally Arabs overturn the ladder and run off at full ^peed ! For three days he had called for help. Not a human being had ap- peared near the tower. Determined not to die of hunger, he was about to hurl himself from a height of thirty feet when Badger's caravan had appeared at the horizon. Through what dreadful anxieties had he not ])ar^sed during an hour! What if the travelei\s should turn away from the Birs-Nimrod \\ ithout seeing his signals or hearing his desjierate cries ! Grimmitschoffer knew liadger and his companions l)y name. He had been informed at Hillali of the arrival of the Europeans and of the end which they ])ursuo(l. They desired, said the inhabitants, to recover the treasures buried for centuries in the kasr and in Babel. As to himself, he Mas, as he modestly declared, a distinguished archreologist. He had published more than a hundred memoirs and had written over a dozen volumes on the monuments of all the coun- tries of the earth. He desired to reconstitute the ]>lan of Jiabylon, in order to demonstrate to the scholars that ancient Rome was constructed on exactly the same plan as the ancient ca]>ital of Assyria, with opera- tions analognt man ; but his forty-five yeai-s — he looked at least sixty — his bald forehead, liis long liiiir falling in locks on his neck, his large nose and the euoniioiis spectai-les which hid half (94) i BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 95 of his face, could not vie either witli the fifteen years or with the naive grace of the young Greek. On the preceding day, after the return to camp, Grimm had again wislied to read his manuscript on his comparative study of Rome and Babylon. Unfortunately, on account of the general fatigue, every one had retired to his tent after supper. The following day, another fruit- less attempt : the whole day was occupied in preparations for the de- parture. Our ar- chaeologist iiad to resiiju himself and . put his manuscript away for a more favorable time. Five days were necessary to finish the complete equip- ment of the cara- van. At last, on the 6th of Janu- ary, they were ready to start. The Eledndty had al- ready left again three days before. Tiie little steamer was to descend the Euphi'ates to its junction with the — ^"' Tigris, and then ascend the latter river as far as Bagdad, where Bad- ger and his companions would await it. They had preferred to go directly from Babylon to Bagdad by the land-route. The journey would last only three days and would consequently be much quicker than in going by the Eledndty. The separation was cordial. , Blacton and Cornill6 wished their old companions a pleasant journey. Badger gave his last charges, and shook them by the hand, much more deeply moved than he would have wished to show. When Cornille bid Miss Nelly adieu, it seemed to him that the joung girl's eyes were wet. She answered him in an uncertain voice, 96 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. that seemwl as if contracted by emotion. Tlicn he encountered the look of Fatma, whose mischievous smile seemed to say : I foresaw it long ago. " Can it be that I arii loved," thought the engineer to himself. At the very thought a great joy filled his soul. But, sunnning up all tlie enersv of his will, he said to himself that, even in the interest of his heart's idol, he must hope that she would forget him. The distance which separates the Euphrates from the Tigris between Babylon and Bagdad is only about forty-nine miles. The journey can be easily made in two days, especially in the month of January, when the temperature is endurable. The Arabs have given the name of Jezireh to the region which ex- tends between the two rivers. It is a vast, mountainous plain, solitary and level, whose horizon is bounded only by infinity. The Turkish government has caused modest caravansaries or khans to be erected, which, from distance to distance, offer a shelter and lesting-place to the caravans. Six hours after leaving Babel they arrived at the first of these khans. A halt was made to rest and to take dinner. In the evening the second one was reached. The tents were raised for the night, and they prepared to eat supper near a large fire of dry brushwood. It was a beautiful star-lit night. The flames of the improvised hearth threw strange liglits on the surroundings of the camp. Tiie travelers talked long about the journey they were undertaking; al)ont Jack Adams, of whom they hoped to have news at Bagdad or at Mosul ; about the hydraulic; machines and the turbines. Next morning at daybreak the caravan set out again. After going a mile or two they came across one of those canals which served to spread the waters of the Tigris and the Euphrates over the plain. This one, about sixty feet w^ide, bordered right and left by high embankments, crossed the desert in a straight line and converted it into a fertile plain. It is now half filled up. Large jiools of stagnant water covered with green weeds, intersected by long strips of sand, arc all that rcniain of tiiis fine work of the Babylonian engineei-s. How easy would it not be to restore it to its original staU> ! Tluy liad almost reached the third kiian when an accident happened which nn'giit have had grave results, but which, fortunately, ended in a eoiuieal manner. Flatnose and (irinnn, who, notwithstanding their frcviuent cjuarrels, BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 97 or perhaps because of this, felt at times the irresistible necessitv'^ of being together, rode at the head oi' the party. Suddenly their horses were seeu to sway from right to left and fall heavily to the ground. The rest of the caravan immediately hurried to their assistance. Monaghan, mIio was the first to arrive, had to stop his horse, whicii was plunging into deep holes. He dismounted and made signs to the othei-s to stop. In the meantime Grimm rose, felt himself from head to foot and ascertained that no bones were broken. As to stout Flatnose, he had to be lifted on his legs. He groaned as if there was not a bone left whole in his body. " Try to walk," said Monaghan to him. He made a few steps in advance, but plunged into another hole and fell heavily again. They succeeded at last in getting him out of this, to him, doubly dangerous spot and bringing him back to terra jirma. He was bruised, but not Avoundcd. The guide explained what had hapi^ened. They had passed over the burrows of a colony of jerboas. These animals dig deep under- ground galleries close to the surface of the ground, wliich cave in when a heavy body passes over them. He added that accidents like those which had just happened were not rare. On the evening of the same day tiiey discerned at the horizon the minarets and cupolas of the mosques of Bagdad, in xVrabic Dar-es- Salaam, the abode of peace. Seen thus at a distance of two miles or so the ancient capital of the Abbasside caliphs appears to the surprised and delighted eye of the traveler such as he has been able to picture it to himself in a past which seems to belong as much to fairy-laud as to reality. The city covers almost the same space as in the time when it con- tained a numerous popidation, and nothing stands in the way of the imagination which ascribes to it the splendor and magnificence of i\v- gone times. The white houses, on the terraces of which one seems to see the shadows of the women who have come out to breathe the jier- fumed coolness of the night ; the sharply defined spires of the min- arets, vying in slenderness and lightness Mith the slender trunks of the palm-trees; the Tigris, which unfolds like a broad silvery band ; the sky, of a clearness unequalled even in the Orient, indicate well the city of the Thousand and One Nifjhh, where, in one of the fantastic 7 98 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. palaces indistinctly seen by the light of the stars, Scheherazade is jM?r- haps just relating one of her wonderful tales. Unfortunately the fairy scene disappears as you approach it. AVhen the caravan had passed the walls it found itself in a large waste place, in which, here and there, stood the ruins of some miserable cabins. A few hundred yards farther on they entered the suburbs on the rig bank of the Tigris. At the end of a long street they readied t banks of the river, which was crossed on a bridge of boats and not t from which Badger and his companions took possession of a lai building which the English consul had rented for thcni and caused be furnished in European style, Next day Miss Nelly and Fatnia, the first to waUe up, desired It le ar ■ge to to BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 99 inspect the house before breakfasting. It was composed, like all the dwellings of tlie rich Arabs, of one-story buildings arranged around a large square court. The gallery giving access to the a})artmcnts on the ground-floor was supported by small, light columns of pahn-wood, with graceful corbellings and delicate cai)itals. The two young girls descended by a narrow staircase into a sort of cave, or rather a vaulted chamber hollowed out below the level of the court. They were informed that this was the sinlab. Here the in- habitants of the house sought refuge during the excessive heat. They found here both coolness and shadow. There being nothing further to see below, they ascended to the flat roofs by an interior staircase. From here there was a splendid view to be had of the city and the surroundings. " It's too beautiful ! " cried Miss Nelly, after having contemplated this scene for several minutes. " Fatma, do bring my father and our friends." A few minutes later they were all collected on the terrace. Flat- nose alone was wanting. He snored like an organ-pipe, forgetting in sleep his misfortunes of the day before. They had not had the heart to wake him. The })anorama which was unfolded before their eyes was truly magical. Bagdad, with its masses of houses, its gardens breaking out between the terraces, its cupolas and minarets covered Avith brightly colored faience, extended on the two banks of the Tigris. The river, broad and si)arkling, wound through the plain amidst a forest of palm-trees. To the east, to the north and to the st)uth there was the limitless desert, the waste desert, with a soil of clay and sand. At the east the mountains of Persia raised their snow-covered summits to- wards the sky. The distance prevented them from seeing the details, but the ])eaks, the rounded domes, the dentated crests, could be dis- tinguished with exceeding clearness. Below, dark masses detached themselves : they were the smaller mountains, the lateral chains which seem so grand to the traveler standing at their base and which disa[)- pear before the enormous mass of the central chain when regarded from a distance. I Leaning on the balcony of the terrace, our friends could not tear themselves away from their contemplation. The dazzling sun, re- flected on the gold of the surrounding sands, flooded everything with so bright a light that the city appeared as if enchanted. 100 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. Miss Nelly was enraptured to see Bagdad at last, the city isolated in the midst of the deserts which seem to separate it from the rest of the world, a city that is almost fabulous to the inhabitants of the Western countries. Alas ! the reality was not altogether like the fiction. The palaces of Haroun-al-Raschid, the monuments of Zobeidah have crumbled into dust. Everything has contributed towards the destmction of the .splendors of the ancient caliphs : the Turks, the Tartars, the tempests, and even the inundations of the Tigris. Bagdad has fallen greatly from the position which it had formerly occupied. Its walls have grown too wide for its present inhabitants, reduced in number to iilty thousand. Fortunately the true observers and the true artists are not subji-ct to the same deceptions as the connnon herd of touri.sts, for whom the most beautiful things liave exactly the value of theatre .^'cncry. For those who know how to see, the reality olfers conijuMisations which well replace the dream. If the Bagdad of to-day does not resemble that of the TJion.sdiitJ (1)1(1 One Xlf/lifs, it yet has its blue sky, its beautiful river, its iu(i»iu]iarable climate. In its mosipies and in its ba/ai*s the BABYLON ELECTRIFIED, 101 varied crowds still jostle each other, the throngs belonging to tiie various nationalities which have divided this part of Asia among themselves. The Turkish rule has not been able to take from it its essentially Arabian character. It remains the most Oriental among the Oriental cities, the ideal capital of a poetic empire that has disappeared. Yet they could not stay forever on the terrace, sunk in contempla- tion ; they must take advantage of the few days which would elapse before the arrival of Captain Laycock to visit the city and its environs. It was decided that each one should follow his fancy and go where he M'ishcd. Badger, accompanied by his daughter and Fatma, proceeded towai-ds the bridge of boats which serves to connect the suburbs on the right bank with the city, situated on the left bank. The cities of Mesopo- tamia have always developed principally in the direction of the set- ting sun. After having crossed the bridge, our three sight-seers entered a coffee-house composed of a covered gallery serving as a divan, and under which several Turkish merchants, nonchalantly extended on cushions, were smoking their chibouks and drinking pure Mocha. Opposite to the coffee-house was an abandoned mosque, devoted to certain ruin by the carelessness and unconcern of the natives. The Arabs do not destroy the monuments — as they have M'rongfully been accused — but they allow the most beautiful of them to be destroyed by the action of time and the elements, without ever trying to oppose any obstacle. Since it has allowed itself to be despoiled of the most beautiful countries in the imiverse, this people, which in times of old founded the most wonderfid empire of the world, seems to be jirey to a great nostalgia. Become conquering by the spirit of religious proselytisni, it awaits, one might think, a new prophet who shall arise and recom- ' mence the marvelous legend, the remembrance of which iiui-sues it. Until then, what avails it to be disturbed ? Nothing is Avorth trcub- Hng about ; such seems to be its motto. On the Tigris there was a perpetual moving to and fro of craft of all shapes and kinds. Boats with long flexible masts and sails swelled by the wind were descending the stream, taken rapidly along by the current. Ships and kalaks, run aground or made fast near the shore, 102 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. were briiio:ing timl)ei', cut on the mountains of Persia, to the capital, and were loading and unloading merchandise. But what diverted the two Ijondonei-s most was to see the numerous "guffehs," or coracles, descending or ascending the river, transporting passengers and packages from one shore to the other. These " quifehs " are a very curious kind of boats, contemporaneous, no doubt, with the kalaks, and also dating back to the Assyrian epoch, for representations of them are seen on the l)as-reliefs found in the excavations. They miglit be compared — excepting the handle — to the oval baskets which the French i)easant-women use for taking butter and eggs to market. They are constructed of plaited rushes, and covered with bitumen. They are guided with a single oar, which propels them by turning. The bridge of boats also presented a very animated appearance. It was being incessantly crossed by a varied procession : Arabs of the desert, mounted on their small and spirited horses ; jiedestrians or Jewish merchants, ]>nrsuing their pleasure and their business, at the slow, even trot of the large white asses mottled with designs in color of hcniiah ; native women, carefully veiled, somewhat resembling walking bundles; Kurdish Avomen, Avith uncovered faces, accompanied by their husbands, tall fellows, Avith a lianly and proud air. Then there were large flocks of sheep, fed in the meadows which line the Tigris, going to the slaughter-houses of the city ; camels, heavily loaded with the products of Pereia and Arabia. The next day was devoted to visiting the mosques. The Englisli consul had obtained, not without trouble, the authorization of the mil- itary governor of Bagdad, with the express reservation that the visitors should leave their shoes at the door, a condition to whidi the ladies as well as the men submitted with good grace. One must never uselessly hurt religious feelings. For the thinker and for the sincere believ(>r, every religion is to be resj)ected for the reason alone tliat it is a reli- gion. Tlie best preserved mosfjucs are those of Abd-el-Kader, Abd-el- Rahman, and that of the Slieikh Yoosuf. Built of brieU, tliey are lined (tn the exterior with squares of eolored faience, Mhieh form ex- ceedingly i)retty designs and give the minaret a light and graceful ap- l)earance. On the interior the mosques, by their bareness and simplicity, re- mind you a littU' of the Protestant elinrehes. No statues or altars ; BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 103 no representations of figures of man or beast. Arabian architecture allows of but little ornament other than geometrical designs. On the whitewashed walls are inscribed verses from the Koran ; there are no benches or seats of any kind ; the faithful pray kneeling on mats or carpets. It cannot be denied that these temples, where the soul feels itself, without help or an intermedium of any kind, face to face with the only God, produce a very thrilling effect. Bagdad possesses a railway, or rather a tramway, the only one which exists in Mesopotamia, and which serves to connect the city with the pretty and elegant village of Kazmin, composed of fine villas and gardens full of flowers. Our travelers went out after breakfast one day to take a walk there. Kazmin is the country-seat of the capital, the rendezvous of the wealthy Arabs during the heat of summer. It is also a place of pil- grimage venerated by the Persians, who come to pay their devo- tions at the tomb of the iman Moosa-ibn-Jaffar, a celebrated Shiite martyr. This tomb lies in a superb mosque covered with blue, black, white, and rose-colored faience. A large crowd of pilgrims had come together there. It was necessary to forego inspecting its interior, for, in the eyes of these fanatical Mussulmans, the more presence of the Europeans would have profaned the holy place. Thcv had to be con- tent with admiring the exterior of the monument, a large, square edi- fice, in the midst of a court surrounded by arcades. The platform is surmounted by two gilded cupolas, shaped like mushrooms. At the four cornel's, there are four minarets with gilded to])s. The general effect is rich and beautiful. The tints are delicate and mellow. Eight days thus passed very quickly, in promenades and excursions, until the arrival of Captain Laycock. They embarked once more on the Eledriciti/, to ascend the Tigris to jNIosuI. On leaving Bagdad, the river flows through a forest of palm-trees. In the deep shadows of the woods, country-houses with their orchards form bright sjiots. To the right and to the left lay the level plain. Towards the mcif/rab, that is to say, the Avest, the desert extended to the extreme limits of the horizon. Towards the east the country was fertile. Near the ruins of Ctes- iphon, a valley, parallel to that of tlie Tigris, and still more fi'rtile, extends in magnificent carpets of verdure to the foot of the mountains 104 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. of Persia. It is the valley of the Diyalah, one of the most important tributaries of the Tigris, and which runs into this river a little above Bagdad. After having passed the pretty village of Mahdhim, half hidden among date-trees, the river makes a turn, and Bagdad and its minarets are lost to view. A little farther on, the passengers of the Electricity could see for the last time the cupolas of Kazmin sparkling in the rays of the noon- day sun. Above Kazmin, the landscape becomes more monotonous. The desert approaches nearer and nearer to the river. The latter makes a w^ide turn towards the east, then ascends again towards the north. On the second day they passed Samarrah and its celebrated mosque. Under the caliphs Samarrah was a large and flourishing city. It was the favorite residence of the eighth caliph, jMotasscm-Billah, who made it his capital in order to punish the inhabitants of Bagdad for their turbulent character. To-day it is nothing but an unimportant village. How many capitals have arisen and have disaj)peared thus in Mesopotamia ! Yet, if the Shiite tradition is to be believed, a great destiny is yet in store for Samarrah. It is from this city that the Mahdi will come, who will appear like another Messiah. A little before Samarrah an embankment was remarked, formed by a very high rampart of earth, which began at the Tigris and extended farther than the eye could reach into the desert. The savant (Trimm declared that they had before them the celebrated wall of Ninirod, which served both as line of defence and boundary line between Meso- potamia and Media. They were, in fact, ascending rapidly toward the north. In the ab- sence of the Median wail the tem})erature and the brightness of the sky would have sufficiently informed the travelers of this fact. In the middle of the day it was still warm, but in the morning and (>ven- ing it became cold enough to oblige them to dress as in winter, and it was well for the ])arty that tiiey were abundantly providtnl with blankets and furs. Toward the east the mountains of Persia, becoming more and more visible, showed not only their peaks and summits, but even their slopes covered with snow. The dazzling sheet descended the iieights down to the Ix'ginnings of the j)lain. BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 105 Below Tekrit the water of the Tigris suddenly changed color and became yellowish and oily. This phenomenon was produced by the n;n)litha which flowed on its surface. Monaghan collected a certain quantity of it, v/hich he was able to set on fire. A little farther on the ship passed over the springs themselves of the inflammable liquid, which bursts out above the water in big, black and fetid ripples, then to spread out over the surface. The geologist explained tliat the presence f petr leum is not unusual in the neighborhood of the mountain-chain ; they "Were entering an ex- tremely curious vol- canic country and would have occasion to study a large num- ~' ber of natural phe- nomena. At Tekrit they had to leave the Electricity and bid adieu again to Captain Laycock. The latter was to return to Baby- lon to transport the rest of the material there. He was charged with a thousand compli- ments to Cornillc and Blacton. IVIiss Nelly even intrusted him jwhh a friendly line to Cornill6, ' ' below which Fatma added a good- day — " bon-jour " — in French. It was easy to procure a large boat at Tekrit for ascending the Tigris to ^losul. They ^f ere comfortably installed in it and the jour- ney was continued. The monotonous desert began again after Tekrit, but it did not last long. The mountain-chain, which always lay on the right, drew per- ceptibly nearer to the river. Soon it raised its escarpments beside the 106 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. Tigris. Tliev entered a narrow ravine, where the river had opened a passage for itself. This whole region seems deeply disturbed. To the right and to the left of the Tigris rugged walls rise abruptly, from which each year, with the melting of the snow, enormous blocks of stone become de- tached. The defile is obstructed by huge rocks between which the river rushes and roars. In the evening, by moonlight, the effect of this chaos is fantastic. It seems as if the mountain would close up and engulf you. The rocko then take on strange forms. One might take them for tlie genii of the earth, guarding the entrance to these deep gorges and defending it from the approach of daring intruders. On emerging from the defile of Hamrin a large valley is entered. To the left extends the mountain wall through which you have just passed ; to the right arise the steep walls of another mountain-chain. The Lesser Zab, a tributary of the Tigris, here joins with it amidst marshes filled wdth rushes. At this point the Tigris ascends at first toward the northwest, then directly toward the north. Grimm pointed out a high hillock on the right bank. This is the hill of Kaleh Shergat, which marks the site of one of the most an- cient cities of Assyria, Calah, or Chalach, one of the four primitive cities mentioned in Gcnems. The three others were : Nineveh, Kcho- both-ir and Resen. All four were founded by Asshur, grandson of Noah, from whom the Assyrians derive their name. They had, in fact, lefl Babylonia, that is to say tlie empire of the south and of the plains, to enter into Assyria, the empire of the north and of the mountains. The ruins became as numerous as in the vicinity of Babylon and of Bagdad. They were in the region which, according to the l^iblc, has seen the arising of the most ancient em- pires. The tells continued almost uninterruptedly on both banks of the river. Grinun tluis had <»('casion frc(|uently to give his traveling companions the benefit of his ju'ofound knowledge of arcluoology. It was in truth exceedingly interesting to listen to him. The high mountains draw nearer ra]>idly, abruptly closing up on the east the ])lain through which the Tigris fiovvs. Their glaciers rise to an enormous height. On their blackish sides the fields of snow formwl spots of a du//ling whiteness. At sunset these snows and glaciers arc tinged willi the most varving colors. The whole gnnuit BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 107 of tones appears here in a gradation of color tlie delicacy of which no brush could render. At the mouth of the Greater Zab the spectacle is truly adniiral)le. You cut through the wall perpendicularly at its axis. Parallel cliains and the valleys lying l)etween these chains are seen to defile succes- sively. From this results a variety of ]>()ints of view which holds the admiration constantly in suspense, for none of these valleys re- sembles the other. Yet the farther you advance the more gigantic the landscape be- comes. The summits accumulate and eclipse everything with their enormous masses, the snow descends lower continually. A few miles farther on the two slopes subside again. The river spreads broadly between two verdant and flowery banks. As in all valleys sheltered between high mountains, the air was calm, the tem- perature warm and penetrating. The flora was that of the southern countries of Europe, while on the various levels of the mountain the zones of vegetation of the temperate and frigid regions are super- posed, even to the limit of perpetual ice, where every trace of vege- tation disappears. About a mile and a quarter from the Tigris rise the ruins of Xim- rood. In excavating the tell the palace of Asshur-Xazirpal has been discovered, as well as inscriptions which have made possible the recon- struction of a very interesting portion of the history of Assyria. A few hours later the boat arrived at Mosul, and our travelers left their moving house for a more comfortable dwelling. Badger's first care was to go to the English consulate at ^losul in quest of news about Jack Adams. He received the very latest. The engineer had almost completed his first hydraulic works near Jezireh- Ibn-Omar in the upper valley of the Tigris; all his men were in good healtli, and he was impatiently awaiting the arrival of his lordship to inaugurate his first electric station. At ease on that score, Badger occujiied himself with the means of transport for taking himself and his companions first to Jezireh and then to the different valleys of the tributaries of the Tigris. The use of watercourses as a meahs of conununication was, in fact, no longer to be thought of. For two months they were to jienetrate into the region of the high mountains that separate Persia from Assyria and from Mesopotamia, climb steep passes and surmount the separating ridges of several deep valleys. 108 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. As it would take a week to organize the new caravan, raise beasts and men, and procure the provisions necessary for so long a journey through wild and uninhabited countries, it was decided to devote this waiting-time to visiting the ruins of Nineveh, Khorsabad and Bavian. The next day but one was fixal upon as the day of departure for this excursion. During these two days Mosul was to be inspected. Mosul, by its position, is one of the most considerable cities of Mesopotamia. The point of junction of the principal valley tribu- tary to that of the Tigris, it carries on an extensive commerce with Persia, the Caucasus and the Kurdish tribes of the mountain. It has about forty thousand inhabitants ; its importance is not due only to its commerce, but also to the manufacture of marvelous stuff's. It is said that Mosul has given its name to the light fabric which we manu- facture in Europe under the name of muslin and which has been im- ported from the East. Mosul is built in form of an amphitheatre, on the top of a hill which is nothing but an advanced ramification of the range of the Seinjar. The Tigris flows at the foot of this hill and divides into several branches. At this place the river is already navigable for rafts of some size. A fine bridge of boats gives access to the city. The appearance of Mosul is quite grand. The principal buildings and the houses of some importance are constructed of alabaster, which is called marble of Mosul. One of the two bazaars is very handsome and presents a most animated appearance. The other resembles all the establishments of the kind. At the summit of the hill, in the centre of a magnificent garden, baths have been constructed, fed by a thermal spring. Turks and Arabs come here all the year round to seek remedies for their ills or occasions for amusement. CHAPTER XII. THE GROTTO OF BAVIAN. At the hour appointed evervbody was ready for the projected expe- dition to the rnins and to Bavian. After having crossed the bridge of boats which connects Mosnl with the left bank of the Tigris, they followed a road of somewhat over a mile and arrived op})osite a high monnd, which covers a space of no less than twenty-five acres. It is the Konyunjik, where ancient Nineveh stood — Nineveh, the great city, " of three days' jonrney." As a site for a capital, it was difficnlt to choose a better spot. Near to the mountains, from whence it could obtain the stones and all tiie materials of construction ; on the bank of a large river, wiiii'h then had, no doubt, a much rfiove considerable discharge of water tlian to- day, it opened and closed at its will the road which placed the east and the west in communication. It kept in awe the undisciplined tribes of the mountain as well as the peoples of the flat land. When the Assyrian empire is solidly founded, Baindon replaces Nineveh. That is the invariable law. Every government which is (109) 110 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. established by the right of the strongest must think as much of de- fending itself as of attacking. The first care of the conqueror is to fortify himself in the positions gained. The hordes Avhich he hurls upon unsuspecting populations must be able, when necessarj'^, to seek refuge behind impregnable rara])arts. Later on, there are considerations of another kind which sweep it away. The period of conquest and war is succeeded by the period of development and wealth. Nineveh is the eagle's nest of the Asshurs and Nimrods; Babylon, the brilliant capital of the magnifi- cent empire of Semiramis. Grimmitschoffer desired very much to make a thorough study of Nineveh. In his system, everything that related to the Assyrian empire had an importance of the first order, for, from the foundation of this mighty empire began, according to him, all the misfortunes of humanity. Nimrod was the first despot, the first to put in practice, if not to formulate, the celebrated axiom : INIight is right. The tyrants and the Caesars who came after him were but his continuators and his plagiarists. But the reign of force, the emblems of which were the winged heads of bulls found in the excavations, was drawing to its close. Right and justice, represented by the lamb and the ram, would reign once more upon earth, and he, Grimm, might perhaps be the ]\Ioscs destined to lead humanity into this promised land, or, rather, into this recovered paradise. The Kouyunjik had been excavated in every direction by preceding explorers. Cut open by blows of the pick-axe, it allowed subterra- nean galleries to be seen at several points, extending in all directions. Grimm, bearing a lantern in his hand, and followed by two men also providwl each with a lantern and a pick-axe, entered the largest of these galleries. "Above all," cried Flatnose, as the nnlueologist disappeared in the darkness, " al)ove all, do not forget to bring us back a Niuevite, living or dead." "And select a handsome one," cried Nelly in turn, laughing, "I shall give hin) as a husband to Fatma." AVTiile (Irinnn, in search of some precious find, was thus entering into the depths of the earth, the otiicrs, led by Alouaghan, wei-e exam- ining the uncovered ruins and (h'bris. It c(»ul(l be ascertained that the interior a|):u-lnients of the aucii'ut palaces were lined all around, to about tw(,-thir(l:;of their height, with slal)s of maible and of sculp- BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. Ill turcd stones. The sculptures represented combats or ^unts. Frag- ments of sphinx were found, of h'ons, and of immense winged bulls such as those which have been sent to the Louvre and to the British 3Iuseum. There were numerous enameled bricks. The prettiest were laid aside to be brought away. Meanwhile the time passed and the antiquarian did not reappear. They went to visit the village of Xebbi-Yunus, on one side of the mound of Kouyunjik, and also situated on a small hill, where, it is said, the jirophet Jonah lies buried. God had commanded him to go and preach penitence to the Nincvites. The irascible })r()phct, wiio would, perhaps, not have been sorry to have seen with his own eyes the destruction of the evil-doers, took good care not to obey, and fled on a ship. It was only after the adventures of which we know that he decided to fill the rdle of a messenger of peace, the grandeur of which he understood so little. The fig-tree is still shown under whieh, his sermon finished, he went to sleep, not without still raging inwardly against the divine mildness. They were returning to the mound, when the two men who had accompanied Grimm to aid him in his researches, came running towards them at the top of their speed. They told them that an accident had just happened to the j)oor savant. He had advanced into a narrow cleft in the ground, when it had caved in and he had been buried under a heap of rubbish. A rescuing party was qijickly organized. Monaghan, at the head of a dozen men armed with pick-axes, advanced to the spot where the accident had taken place, and set about to deliver the victim ^^'*.l^^^^ M^*mf-4.^, The morning was splendid ; the sun shone •'-**'^' ^^''-'^ ^^** ^- *• ^"^ in a cloudless sky. The mild tem])eratin'e promised a fine spring day. In these high mountain gorges the climate ap- proached that of southern Europe. The workmen were already at their posts. When Badger and his compan- ions were collected in the machine-room, Jack Adams gave a signal. The sluices were 126 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. tlie water, now falling with its full weight on the turbines, set the whole mec'lianism in motion. The wheels turned with an astonish- ing rapidity, tlie leather belts whistled in passing from one pulley to another ; the rings of the dynamo-electric machines, turning with a fearful rapidity between the arms of the electro-magnets, gave their peculiar humming sound. But it was not these details, surprising for the common run of peo- ple, which at this moment held the attention of those present. Col- lected in a corner of the room, they all followed anxiously with their eyes a small instrument hung against the wall. For this instrument was a dynamometer, intended to give the measure of the electric force produced by the machines. Now, according to the calculation, it was necessary that this electric force should reach a fixed minimum in order that the current might be transmitted from the works at Jezireh to the central works at Babylon. It can therefore be imagined what must have been the anxiety of all the spectators. If the minimum was not reached, if Jack Adams had erred in his calculations, this important part of the enterprise would have to be abandoned. They would have to give up the idea of transporting the power of the waterfalls in the mountains to Babylon. They did not have long to wait. At the end of a few minutes, durinw; which the turbine took on a uniform movement and the dv- uamo-electric machine became surcharged by magnetization, the dyna- mometer, after a few oscillations, stopped at a fixed j)oint. " Forty-eight," cried Jack Adams, in a voice which showed his inner emotion. "Won !" replied Badger. It was sufficient to reach forty. And, his face showing no outward sign of the least emotion, but with a fervor which showed his joy, he shook Jack Adams vigorously by the hand. They were delighted with the brilliant success gained by the en- gineer. Indecil, during the whole duration of the meal, at which Badger, his companions and the employes of the works were united around the same table, the experiments of the morning formed the sole topic of the general conversation. Green, the famous, the model cook, had suri)assetl himself for the occasion. Pie had made a trij) to Je/ireh the day before, and had bought ex<[uisite j)oultry and the most savory fruits of the eoinitry. BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 127 For money, everything that is desired can be had in any part of the world ; and we know that money was least wanting in his lordship's party. At the end of the meal toasts succeeded each other without inter- ruption. They were brought to Badger, to Jack Adams, to Mona- ghan. Even Flatnose and Grimmitschoffer were not forgotten ; the first, on account of the admirable account which he had written on the spot, at the foot of the electric machine, and which was destined tct bring joy or consternation to the admirers of Lord Badger's attempt or to those jealous of him ; the second, because of his extraordinary adventures, which would one day cover his name with glory. The series of toasts was ended, when Badger rose and said : " To the health of Cornillo ! We must not forget the absent one. Like Jack Adams, Cornill6 will succeed and will also have his hour of victory." Miss Nelly raised her glass like all the rest, which did not prevent Fatma from noticing that her young friend had blushed slightly when her father uttered the name of the Frenchman. " ]My dear Mr. Adams," said Badger, addressing the engineer, " will you please to tell us now ^vhere }'ou have located your other works ? Is the work advanced, and do you expect soon to inaugurate them?" " My lord," replied the engineer, '* I have ascended the Tigris to its sources, and have found suitable sites for three new works. The first is situated at the confluent Botan-Soo, near a village called Schebleh ; the second is at Bodia, on the Batmau-Soo. As to the third, it stands higher up, at Egil, on the Tigris itself The constructions are far ad- vanced, for they were begun shortly after that of these works. The results obtained here this morning prove to me that the three other works will give still better results, for the turbines employed are more powerful. I wanted first to try the least powerful machine, certain, after that, of success with better apparatus." " It is well," said Badger, " and I congratulate you on your courage and your intrepidity in overcoming all obstacles. M'cll, gentlemen," added his lordship, rising from the table, " I see that there are still bright times in store for sciei>^'e ! " A few days of rest were necessary before facing new hardshii)s, in a hilly and still little known country. It was decided, therefore, to remain for a further part of the week at the hydraulic works. The happiest of all during this halt was Grimmitschofler. One 128 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. evening the celebrated archaeologist was at last able to read his manu- script. While Flatnose was sleeping in a corner of the common room, Badger thinking of his projects, Miss Nelly and Fatma chatting softly of that which young girls talk about, Grinimitschoifer slowly and rev- erently read his manuscript. His reading lasted over an hour. When it was ended at last. Badger congratulated him and assured him that this work would be the delight of all the scientific societies of Europe and America. " My dear sir," added his lordship, " you will be honored by the academies and named a corresponding member on your return to Europe." Grimm was consequently under the influence of the deepest joy. His fairest dreams were to be realized, and he beheld himself finally arrived at the pinnacle of glory. Badger and the two young girls loved to watch Jack Adams' work. They often passed whole hours sitting on the banks of the Tigris, of which they heard the distant roaring among the rocks. Nothing charms tiie imagination like this music of the waters. One can dream on the banks of torrents as well as on the shores of the sea. Jack Adams was often questioned by his lordship's curious daughter. She abst)lutcly desired to know what kind of a turbine had been placed in the works. "But, Miss Badger," replied -the engineer, "that cannot interest you." "On the contrary," said she, "you caimot believe how nnu-h 1 ad- BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 129 mire these chefs-fVoeuvre of mechanism. You cannot imagine, Mr. Engineer, that a young girl should he fond of science? In the opinion of men, a miss thinks only of her toilette and of frivolous things. That is a mistake, you see. Young girls are also able to take a lively interest in that which is grand and beautiful. My father has under- taken a gigantic work. He is surrounded by courageous men. I admire you and delight in your conflicts with matter." " How handsome she is," said Jack Adams to himself, bewitched by the inspired air of the young girl. Her eyes had grown brighter since her sojourn in the Orient. Her pale cheeks were tinged with a deeper carmine. The life in the open air had developed her supple body ; far from injuring her, the wan- derings in the desert and in the mountains had added a new charm to her attractiveness, already so great before. 9 . CHAPTER XIV. ACROSS THE HIGH MOUNTAINS. The caravan is again at Mosul, and is preparing to leave for the mountains of Kurdistan. Sadness is depicted on every countenance. AVhat can have happened ? The fact is that at the moment when we find our travelers again, Badger has brought them bad news. He has returned from the English consulate, and it has been impossible to find any trace of ^liss lloss. Yet the most active search was insti- tuted. The surroundings of the grotto were searchetl ; the few in- habitants of the neighboring villages were questioned. Useless labor : it had been impossible to find her, living or dead ; uoImkIv has hcaixl anything of her. They had to resign themselves, therefore, and give up the poor gov- erness as lost. She was the first iniKK'cnt victim of the enterprise. (130) BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 131 They lamented her sincerely. Good and obliging, in spite of her peevish manner, she left a void difficult to fill. Miss Xelly lost in her a devoted friend, who had replaced her mother as to cares and attentions. Badger was moved more deeply than he wished to have appear. But the most afflicted was Flatnose. We have not forgotten that ]Miss Ross shared the bottom of the large provision wagon with the journalist. There, a little romance had begun, which, if not as dramatic as that of Romeo and Juliet, would nevertheless have been concluded in London by a happy marriage. Some good news had in a certain measure counterbalanced the bad. Badger had brought with him from the consulate a long letter from Babylon. There was excellent news ; everything was going on as one could wish. Cornille announced that the buildings of the works on the Kasr and on Babel Mere rising up visibly. Captain Laycock had been seen again, with a load of machines. He had immediately left again for the Tigris, which he was going to ascend as far as possible, to bring the last turbines intended for the hydraulic Avorks erected by Jack Adams. Cornille had added a few pleasant words for ^Miss Xelly and her little friend Fatma. This good news, and Cornill^'s remembrance, caused Miss Nelly to forget somewhat the disappearance of her gov- erness. Badger and his companions were now going to travel through wild countries, even more mountainous than those of the upper Tigris. Few Europeans had been able to penetrate among the unsubjected hordes of the Kurds. This people, similar to the Montenegrins, have contrived to live in an almost complete independence in the midst of the most terrible emigrations and of tlie invasions of the Asiatic or European conquerors. Isolated witliin their mountain walls and on high plateaux, the waves of the inundations have dashed powerlessly against the granite rocks which formed their dwellings. It was necessary to visit these countries, for it was there that they were to find the most powerful water-falls. The snowy summits of the mountains send innumerable impetuous torrents down into the plain. There could as yet ,be no question of constructing hydraulic works amidst this hostile population. But, in the near future, Badger hojied to remove the difficulties and to place his turbines there in all security. A twofold object was thus pursued by visiting the mountains of 132 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. Kurdistan. Tliey were going to explore an unknown country, visit the torrents and water-falls, and prepare the placing of the future works. As to the second aim, it was to open negotiations with the chiefs of the tribes and to obtain their authorization to place turbines in their country. Badger was almost certain of gaining this latter object with facility. He counted for that on the instinct of these primitive races, which impels them to accept with enthusiasm everything that is capable of ameliorating their material condition. Besides, would they not beludd these wonders of science with a superstitious terror? AVhen, with electricity, torrents of water drawn at the springs would be sent through their kanots ; * when, with this fluid, they would be lighted and warmed, would they not bow before the po^ver of Allah ? But we are leaving the caravan to penetrate among the Zebari Kurds and quietly ascend the Greater Zab. At Amadiah, Badger had a long interview with the ])atriarch of the Chaldeans, in the famous monas- terv of Raban-Ormuz. The patriarch promised his protection, and that he would use all his influence in the country for furthering his lordship's projects. From there they went to Julanierk, a jxipulous centre, Avherc Badger had a very important conference with the jirin- cipal chiefs of the country. Finally, descending the same river again, the caravan proceeded to Rowandiz, where we now find them. Rowandiz occupies an immense surface on a deeply cleft soil. Its numerous flat-roofed houses, assuming a cubic form, descend to the bottom of the ravines in a curious confusion, to rise higlier again on the opposite slope. One miglit fancy that one Mere beholding the re- mains of a gigantic avalanclie of blocks of stone, tumbled down from the summits of the neighboring mountains. The heat makes itself strongly felt here in summer. The inhabitants then retire to the roofs, which are sheltered against the rays of tiie sun by thick curtains of foliage. When the caravan entered into the city, it was market day. The bazaars were crowded by a busy throng. Rowandiz is a thoroughfare for the caravans whicli go from Mesopotamia to Persia ; therefore this ])lace is of great importance from a commercial ])()int of view. Mucli tobacco of a good cpiality is also raised here, which is soKl powdertnl, *Tli<' kanots are mi der^' round conduits wliicli serve to trans])ort to a distance tlie water drawn from the sj>rin(;s of tlie nioiintiiin. BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 133 and from the oaks iu the vicinity gall-nuts are gathered, which are exported to Europe. On leaving Kowandiz, they were going to enter a series of wild ravines, of difficult and even perilous access. The guide affirmed that they would yet meet with immense masses of snow. No matter, they must advance and descend into the valley of the I^esser Zab, from which they were separated only by a ridge that could be crossed iu two days. During the whole morning the path offi^rcd no serious difficulty. They wound around the base of broad conical layers, produced by the centenary accumulation of the detritus descended from the surrounding summits. These cones were covered with a rich vegetation of oaks, of birches, and, especially, of coniferous trees. The pines and firs attained a height and a thickness that were at times extraordinary. Water was abundant. They frequently met with brooks running down the slopes, murmuring among the trees of the forest, which crossed the path and were then lost in the unknown depths of the ravines. At about eleven o'clock, as they were proceeding comfortably on level ground, well shaded with trees, they came across a cool spring Avhich gushed out from the base of a rock. It was decided to make a halt at that spot and to take luncheon. While Green, assisted by the scullions, was starting a good fire, in- tended for roasting a rib of mutton. Badger and the other travelers were resting, seated on a row of flat stones. The conversation turned on the electric wires, destined to connect the various works with the central works of Babylon. In fact, similar to an immense spider-web, Avhich was to extend over ^lesopotamia, a large number of wires were to start from the mountains of the north and of the east to concentrate all the electricity of the hydraulic works on the summit of the kasr. "Our wires," said Jack Adams at this jioint, " will be underground. If we should stretch them on posts, they Avould be too nuich cx})osed to the inclemencies of the weather, to the storms, and, above all, to the vandalism of some excited fanatics ! Buried beneath the ground, they will be completely protected from these causes of destruction." " It will be a long job," observed Monaghan. "With time and money," replied Badger, "everything is accom- plished." 1S4 . BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. "That is true, my lord," replied the geologist. " The work must be already begun," resumed the engineer. " In six months or more Babylon will be connected with the works at Jezireh. The Davy and the Faraday have returned to England to bring their cargo of wires and machines. They must be back by this time, and the workmen are at work at Babylon." "Admirable! admirable!" cried Grimmitschoffer, enraptured by the last words of Jack Adams. " Electricity is certainly the most beautiful of all the sciences !" "After archjeology, however," said Flatnose, patting the savant on the shoulder. The latter turned around furiously, but his wrath \vas quickly ap- peased ; he had too great a disdain for so ignorant a journalist as Flat- nose. The others burst out laughing, and Grimm thought that this laughter was intended for Flatnose, and not for him. When the meal was finished, the guide informed the travelers that they were in the neighborhood of rich lead and coi)i)er mines. That was Monaghan's affair. It \vas immediatelv decided that all who were willing should go in search of these mines. AVhen the little party was formed, it ascended the path for about two hundred yards, to a half dried-up torrent, the pebbly bed of which they had to follow for several minutes. Monaghan, Jack Adams, ]\Iiss Nelly, and Fatma, the only persons of which the little troupe of geologists was composed, not including the guide, each held a little hammer in the hand for breaking the rocks and ascertaining their nature. At last they stopped. The guide made them climl) the steep slopes of the right bank of the torrent. Clinging to the trees and to the projecting points of rock, the first aiding those who followed, they were soon collected at the fi)ot of a high grayish wall. Detaching a fragment by a smart l)l()w of his hammer, Monaghan showed his companions a heavy mass, with a bright glitter as <»f lead lately cut. Tliey could not make a mistake in view of these distinc- tive characteristics. They had before them an enornums vein of galena, very easy to extract. They descended again, and the guide caused the travelers once more to enter the bed of the torrent. Jumping from stone to stone, two hundred yards farther on they reached a clayey bank, which they had nuich trouble in climbing. The slij^pery ground gave no support. BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 135 The guide, more agile, was the first to reach the top of the slope, and held out his staff to Monaghan. The latter, in turn, assisted the young girls to get up. As to Jack Adams, who was the last, he wanted to climb the bank alone. But he came to grief; for, his foot slipping from under him, he slipped and drenched his legs in the water of the brook. They laughed heartily at his little mishap. Accepting now the aid of the staff which Monaghan held out to him, the engineer had quickly rejoined his companions. Entering a copse, the guide conducted the party towards an escarp- ment of a reddish color. This was an iron mine, composed of red hematite. Monaghan broke off a specimen which he put in his bag with that of the galena. The spot in which they were formed a sort of clearing. Jack Adams proposed that they should rest for ten minutes before returziing to join Badger. There happened to be here some large stones on which they could sit down. The ten minutes past, Fatma was the first to rise, and, laughing merrily, the little mad- cap cried : " I'm going to break my seat with my hammer !" Then, giving a blow with the instrument on the stone which had served her as a scat, she caused a large piece to fly off'. It fell at Monaghan's feet. He quickly picked up this fragment. After having examined it for an instant, he cried : " Why, this is copper ore ! It's malachite ! " In truth, Fatma had just broken that precious and rare stone which is used for manufacturing vases, clock-stands, ornaments of every kind. The geologist was struck by the idea of breaking his seat also. A general amazement : this was also a block of malachite. Then there was a frenzy for destruction. All, armed with their hammers, began to break, not only their scats of a minute before, but also all the sur- rounding stones. They had to submit to the evidence : it was always the same copper ore. Monaghan, desiring to conceal the value of the discovery Ix^fi^re the guide, said that this ore was poor and without value. The trouble was unnecessary, however, for the Kurds had no inclination to work these metalliferous deposits.' These treasures were awaiting the arrival of the Europeans to be converted into iron, lead, copper, or ornamental stones. " To horse, gentlemen ! " cried Badger, as soon as our geologist had 136 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. rejoined the rest of the caravan. " The way is long, and we must not lose time if we wish to arrive at a camping-ground to-night." The ravine which they left on their left hand grew deeper at every step, while the sides of the rocks rose on the right to a dizzy height. Their progress was impeded by the presence of pebbles which rolled under the feet of men and horses. For two hom-s they thus passed around the base of a lesser chain ; then they entered a deep hollow which had to be ascended in order to reach the highest point of the axis of the ^,^:''^*'' mountain. Several torrents rushed from the top of /^Mi^' 'y the mountains, through this furrow, down into ,' ^ the lower valleys. Swollen l)y the recent rains, (.'' the waters were overflowing and tumultuous. TJk' ' passage of these torrents could not be eifected without some difficulty, and even danger. At one of them it was necessary to dismount. The men of the es- cort pulled up big stones on the banks of tlie torrent and ar- ranged them dexterously in the midst of the foaming waters. The men passed over easily. As to the hoi'ses and nudes, half in the water, half on the stones, they also succeeded in crossing the diffi- cult passage. At five o'clock, the roar of a cascade was heard quite near by. A quarter of an hour later the caravan passed out on a sort of bare pro- montory. The forest ceased suddenly at this spot. On the opposite side a gigantic jet of water rebounded from rock to rock and was swallowed up in a deep basin three hundred feet below the promon- BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 137 tory. The cascade might have been some nine hundred feet in height, which would place the beginning of the falls at about six hundred feet above the heads of the spectators. The scene was truly wonderful. To the left of the cascade, the mountain rose perpendicularly to a height of from fifteen hundred to eighteen hundred feet. The cliffs, of a reddish tint, were entirely bare, without the least trace of verdure. To the right, the horizon became somewhat [enlarged, at a greater height. A sort of gorge was seen, hemmed in by two walls of a greenish tint. These variations in color gave the place a strange appearance. It was conjectured that, at the time when the mountain had taken origin in consequence of a frightful commotion of the earth, this spot had been the centre of some subter- ranean irruption. And in fact, jNIonaghan picked up some stones and declared that these cliffs were in a great measure com})osed of am- phibole. Now, amphibole characterizes the rocks of lower origin, issued from the interior of the earth's crust. AVhen they turned their backs on the cascade, which made a deafen- ing uproar, the view extended into the distance over the mountains and the plains through Mhich wound the Greater Zab. AVhat a panorama ! The eye looked down over an immense expanse. The sun, already standing very low in the west, left the plain in comparative shadow, while the distant mountains and the surrouuding summits were tinged with the brightest of colors. The guide regarded the horizon with an anxious eye. "There is going to be a storm this evening," said he. This announcement was received with an incredulous air. The sky seemed clear ; no cloud could be seen in the distance. Yet the sagacity of the mountaineers is well known : they are but rarely mistaken in prognostics of this kind. The color of the rocks, the temperature of the air, the intensity of the light, a thousand nothings which the stranger does not notice, are for them infallible signs. " From what do you know that there will be a storm ? " asked Jack Adams. " The base of the mountains, at the level of the plain," replied the guide, " is clouded in vapors." " ^yhich proves," said Monaghan immediately, " that there is a layer of cold air above the warmer air of the plain. We shall therefore have rain, it is to be feared." " Let us ascend," resumed the guide. " In twenty minutes we shall 138 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. have reached the top of the cascade. There we shall be sheltered from the wind in a charming valley, and you can raise your tents in all security." The caravan therefore continued its ascent, which was difficult during these twenty minutes. The path turned back several times on itself, overhanging the sides of the cascade at a perilous height. The horses slipped and did not know where to set their feet. A fall would have been fatal. They were obliged to ascend on foot, leading the animals by the bridle. But what a delight when they arrived on top ! They trod on a tender and bright green grass, dotted with innumerable small flowers of the most varied colors. It was paradise after the infernal regions. A brook wound luxuriously through this turf, not susi^ecting what fate awaited it a few yards lower down. It was this brook, in fact, which gave rise to the cascade. Right and left of the grass-land the mountains rose peqiendioularly. They followed the brook ; ten minutes later they reached the larther end of the little plain. There, sheltered from the wind, they raised the tents and made preparations for passing the night. The guide's prognostication was already being realized. The air grew gradually darker, and the rumbling of thunder was soon heard in the distance. In s]>ito of the threatening sky, Badger, the young girls, ]\Ionaglian and Jack Adams went back to the edge of the grass- land, to the place Avhere the brook fell in a cascade. They wished to see once more the sublime spectacle of the i)lain of the Greater Zab. But everything was now dimmed by the mist. The storm was pass- ing below them, following the course of the valley. Retracing their steps, therefore, they slowly returned to the camp- ing-])lace. AVhat a delight in taking a walk in such a ])lace ! Sud- denly the farther end of the pass was lit up by a bright rwl light, and fantastic shadows ran along the sides of the rocks. It was chef Green who was lighting his kitchen-range, that is to say, who was cooking the suj)per on a wood fire. The storm drew off. Only a few drops of rain fell on the heights. Tiie m'ght passed quietly ; they slept to the rumbling noise of the cascade. The next morning at daybreak the ascension of the mountain was continued. The highest point of the ridge had to be gained by about BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 139 noon. The descent would then be made rapidly to the valley of the Lesser Zab. The j)atli began at the foot of the escarpment to the right and rose in long zig-zags across the fallen rocks of a former torrent. The ascent was not excessive ; yet progress was made difficult by the want of firmness in the ground on which they trod. Finally, at the end of an hour, the caravan reached a kind of platform a few yards in width. Little flowers grew out through the clefts in the rock. A hundred steps farther on they turned suddenly to the right, to enter a deeply sunk pass. The cold was intense, for they were approaching the snow. Already they saw some large white patches at the back of the defile, in the places sheltered from the sun. It is impossible to imagine a wilder and more solitary spot. The ravine was bound on the right and on the left by almost perpendicular rocks of an olive-colored black. Xot a blade of grass, not even moss on these stones as hard as granite. Before them they saw the defile Avhich rose rapidly, obstructed at its upper part by gigantic heaps of rocks. " That looks like the entrance to the infernal regions," said Miss Nelly. " You are nearer right than you think," replied Monaghan. " I very much suspect fire of being the author of these sublime horrors. We must be near to the centre of a volcanic eruption." " Look," cried the young girl, stopping before a rock. " What can this queer plant be that is crawling over the surface of this stone ? " "You know it well, notwithstanding, Miss Badger," replied the geologist. " It is this which forms the forest through which we had to pass in order to get here." " What !" exclaimed Miss Nelly. "Is that a fir? It has but little resemblance to tiiose vigorous trees, so straight and proud, which I perceive some two or three hundred yards below us." " These are nevertheless common fii-s," said ^lonaghan. " The mountain is full of surprises for the traveler, and tiiis is not among the least of them. This defile is very cold and avalanches and freez- ing storms are passing through it continually. The firs have, there- fore, had to modifv their conditions of vitality in order to resist the inclemency of the air. Here they crawl along the stones like ivy, pressing their attenuated branches against the surface which protects them. We are again passing through a forest of firs, as we did far- 140 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. ther below. But what a change in the constitution of the trees ! Thev are hardly visible, dwindling down to a few thin stems, similar to ivy." " It is strange, indeed," said Miss Nelly. They had arrived at the foot of the barrier which ended the ravine. At that point there was no longer a regular path. They had to climb over the boulders, heaped up in the most fearful confusion. Every- body dismounted again ; the horses had to be led by the bridle. The most difficult part of the passage had been reached. Finally, after much exertion and many falls, fortunately none of them serious, the caravan arrived safely on a long surface, covered with a fine grass, like down. The journey now became an agreeable promenade. They ar- rived at the edge of a lake with blue and limpid waters. But, in striking contrast, the basin of this lake and the surrounding rocks were of an opaque black. Monaghan stopped, picked up some specimens of the rock, examined them minutely, and said : " Gentlemen, we have arrived on the crater of a former volcano. This lake has filled the orifice through which the lava passed which we have climbed since passing the cascade. I can now understand the cause of the dismal color of these mountains and their complete bar- renness. The rocks on which we tread are diallage and serpentine. Their hardness has resisted the attacks of water and air ; no plant can find subsistence in so sterile a soil." The caravan passed around tlie lake. They stopped fi)r an instant to rest and to take some nourishment. Only a short stay was made, for it Avas extremely cold. An ascent of about a thousand feet remained to be climbed. This was an easy task, for the path was broad and the slope comparatively gentle. In three-cpiartcrs of an hour they had reached the highest point of the mountainous ridge which separates the valley of the Greater Zab from that of the Lesser Zab. The view from these heights was admirable. The eye looked down on an endless horizon of snowy summits, lofty peaks, domes sparkling in the sun and deeply lying valleys. Notwithstanding all tiie attractions of this marvelous panorama, it soon became necessary to descend. A cold wind blew on this side, more exposed to the west than the other. The snow, raivly met with during the ascent, covered the side of the mountain for a slope of BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 141 several hundred yards in length. The guides enjoined them to ad- vance with caution. Thc.patli Avas narrow and slij)pory ; a false step might bring about a catastrophe. For the first hundred yards all went well. Suddenly Flatnose was seen to lose his balance, fall from his horse onto the edge of the path and roll towards the abyss on the mountain. There was a cry of alarm. Every one stopped, regarding with terror the jour- nalist's fall. But, strange to say, Flatnosc's body disappeared from the view of the astonished spectators. After he had rolled for several seconds, a ball of snow was seen to form, M'hich grew larger visibly, going down the de- clivity with a frightful velocity, bounding over th rocks, continually increasing size. The ball of snow was trans- formed into a gigantic avalanclu Finally, arriving at the bottom of slope, it struck violently against a which barred its way, and scatter directions. What a surprise ! from the midst black spot M'as seen to shoot out and sink into a bed of snow thirty yards farther on. " It's Flatnose ! " cried Badger. " He is not dead, I see his legs struggling in the air. T^iere ! see him sit up and feci himself! Poor fellow ! " The black spot was, indeed, seen to move. The caravan descended the path as quickly as possible. A quarter of an hour later they were close by Flatnose, still bewildered by his miraculous fall, but without 142 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. the least wound. They caused him to drink a cordial. It was long before the poor journalist, strongly agitated, regained his speech. He did not undei'stand his situation at all. They had to explain to him how, his body having formed the nucleus of a ball of snow, he had come to be drawn along in the centre of the avalanche ; how he had been preserved by just this covering of snow ; how at last the final collision had broken his prison, where he ran the risk of being suf- focated. In the evening the caravan, hardly yet recovered from the excite- ment, encamped in the valley of the Lower Zab. ""■' '^SKy' CHAPTER XV. A SAD EVENT. The camp had hardly been fixed, when the sky suddenly became overcast, and a fearful storm broke loose in the mountain. The tents, shaken by a raging wind, threatened every instant to fly away. They had to be folded up again in all haste, and a better shelter sought in some miserable huts which stood not far from there. This hamlet is called Khoi-Sanjak. The storm lasted for two long hours. At last the sky began to clear up. They availed themselves of the opportunity for leaving the smoky and evil-smelling place in which they were cooped up. The spectacle which our travelers then had before their eyes cannot be depicted. No description could give any idea of it. No brush even would be capable of reproducing such a combination of wonderful colors. While the gorge below was still wrapped in darkness, farther above (143) 144 BABYLOX ELECTRIFIED. the sun shone in all his brightness. The snow, the neves, and the gla- ciers of the high summits were tinged with colors of the most intense purple. At the base the most dazzling white reflected sheaves of golden light. Surprising contrast of nature ! After the furious battle of the elements, the day api)carod again as clear and fine as before. This fair weather lasted but a quarter of an hour ; the sky became clouded again. A gray hue spread over the valley ; a fine and cold rain continued to fall for the rest of the evening. The inhabitants of the hut in which our tmvelei-s had sought refuge said that the valley was not very safe just then. A band of marauders had passed a few days before and must be keeping the field in the neighborhood. Next day the sun shone in all his brightness. The caravan resumed the journey, redoubling its caution. It was forbidden to separate ; the guns and revolvers were carefully examined. The morning passed quietly ; the country seemed deserted. After the noon-day meal, they entered a series of narrow defiles. Suddenly, the scouts of the advance guard pointed out a group of ten Kurds of suspicious appearance. Badger immediately gave the order to halt. The whole of the caravan concealed itself behind a large rock which obstructed the gorge. Badger resolved to send some scouts forward. It was necessary to get information as to the intentions of these men. The caravan was numerous enough and sufficiently well armed to resist an attack of ten marauders ; but his lordship desired before all to avoid shedding blood. A fight, even with brigands, might comi)r()- mise the success of his future enterprises. He had entered these mountains as an advocate of peace and of civilization, and did not wish to fire a useless shot. Four resolute men were chosen to move forward. Jack Adams placed himself at their head. Flatnose, ex- cited by his adventure of the preceding day, declared that he also would join the band of scouts. They all tried to dissuade liim from doing so. " I have nothing to fear," said he in a jesting tone. " There are no more robbers in these mountains than there are Krnnien in Tunis. You will see that these peoi)le are jxaccful .shepherds, who come to play pastorals in this poetic spot." Our six scouts advanced slowly, hiding behind the rocks and bushes. Ten minutes later, they were hardly a hundred yards away from tiie Kurds. The latter, seated in a circle around a fire, were just taking BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 145 their meal. They liad tied their horses to the tmnks of some trees near by. Their guns, lying on the ground beside them, were within reach of their hands. Jack Adams and his companions remained motionless for a moment, trying to divine the intentions of these Kurds. But there could ])e no mistake about it. These were neither traveling merchants nor shep- herds leading their flocks ; they were nothing else but highway robbers. One of these men was suddenly seen to rise and disappear l)ehind a ■copse. He reappeared an instant later, dragging two prisoners after liim, with their hands bound behind their backs. He was evidently bringing them to take their share of the meal. One of these prisoners was a woman, with torn garments and half-naked. The other was a man, Flatnose took out his glasses and examined the new arrivals. Sud- denly he drew his revolver from its case. Then, darting forward, he cried with a harsh voice : "It's Miss Koss!" At the cry uttered by Flatnose, the brigands sprang up with a single bound and darted toward their guns. Flatnose, wild with rage, was running forward like one possessed. Jack Adams and the four scouts tried to overtake him, but it was too late. They heard the brave journalist cry : " No, it shall not be said that I will not save Miss Ross from the hands of these brigands !" At the same time, he fired off the six shots of his revolver in the direction of the robbers. The latter immediately replied with their guns. Poor Flatnose, struck in the centre of the forehead by a bullet, fell to the ground without moving again. He had been killed instantly. At the sound of these reports, Badger and his companions hastened at a gallop towards the place of the fight. On seeing so numerous a party coming up, the brigands became afraid. They untied their horses, were in their saddles in the twinkling of an eye, and fled, abandoning their two prisoners. Jack Adams, rendered furious by Flatnose's death, fired the two shots of his gun after the brigands ; the four men who accompanied him immediately followed his example. Two of the brigands were /then seen to sway on their horses and fall to the ground, while the animals continued their wild flight. The rest of the fugitives were soon out of gun-shot. Jack Adams rushed to the aid of Flatnose. Badger, Monaghan, and the rest of the caravan, came up at the same moment. There was a 10 146 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. general amazement. Except Jack Adams and the four scouts, the new-comers did not know of the catastrophe. Flatnose was raised up. Monaghan, who was somewhat of a doctor, examined the wound. ?-^<*^'i^ ^^. .^^ All care would be useless ; the bullet had entei*ed through the fore- head, shuttered the brain, and passed out again at the back. The body was hiid on the grass. For some nionu-nts there was a complete silence. What ! Flatnose, their jolly companion, was now BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 147 dead ! They would never see him again ! And yet everything before them remained unchanged in appearance. The sky was bhie as before ; the torrent murmured merrily among the pebbles. IVIiss Nelly was the first to break the silence : " Poor Flatnose," said she, drying her tears, " he was an honest fellow." *' He was only a journalist," said Grimmitschoffer, on whose heart the episode in the cellar at Khorsabad still weighed. "Yes, sir," replied Badger, irritated by this, to say the least, un- timely reflection; "but he was alscJ a brave soul. His death has shown it." "You misconstrue my meaning, my lord," replied the saixoif. "I am as pained as you are by the death of your friend. I simply meant to say that, for the success of your enterprise, his loss is less irrepara- ble than if it were ]Mr. Jack Adams, for example, who had been killed." " Before a corpse, and above all the corpse of a companion, of one who has shared our joys and our sorrows, interest is a thought Avhich cannot enter into our hearts," replied Badger. A renewed silence followed upon these curt words. All regarded w'ith sadness the body of their friend. Death had been so instantane- ous that no feature of the face was altered. The half-closed eyes had the same expression of jolly good humor ; the lips seemed still to smile after a final pun. This time it was Jack Adams who was the first to speak : " Gentlemen," said he, " I think it is time that we should look after the prisoners." "Are there any prisoners?" cried those who stood around him. " True, gentlemen, I have forgotten to tell you tiiat it was while trying to save Miss Ross that Flatnose met his death." "Miss Ross," cried Badger, " IMiss Ross is here !" His lordship, conducted by Jack Adams, proceetlcd towards the sj)ot where Miss Ross and her companion were waiting to be released. They had seen the brigands take flight; they understood that the Europeans had remained piasters of the field. !Miss Ross had no doubt but that the canivan that was attacked was that of Badger ; she saw the end of all her suiferings coming at last. She little suspected that a new and irreparable misfortune Mas the price of her lilx^rty. When Badger and the engineer had approached near enough to her 148 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. to be recognized, the poor woman started forward to meet them. She could only exj)res.s her happiness at first by tears and disconnected words. Badger, whose heart was pained at sight of this joy, did not know what means to emj)h)y in order to prepare her for the sad news. " Wiio is this man who is with you?" asked he. " He calls himself Cahuzac. He is a photographer, a Frenchman, whom the brigands had made a prisoner with me." His lordship made a few steps towards the j)hotographer, and held out his hand to him, telling him that he was welcome among them. The events which we have just related had followed each other so rapidly that the prisoner did not understand his situation as yet. He had some persons before him of whose intentions he was ignorant. All that he knew was that a fight had taken place, that some men had been killed or Mounded, and that he was free. '* Please to come Avith us, monsieur,'^ said Badger to him in French. j\Iiss Ross, however, seemed to have a sort of presentiment of some catastrophe. " Your companions are all alive and well?" she asked, hesitatingly. " We have a terrible misfortune to deplore." The four arrived at the group which surrounded Flatnose's Ijody. AVith a movement, the instructress pushetl aside those who stood in her way, and, without a cry, M'ithout a tear, she knelt down beside the inanimate remains of her faithful companion, mIiosc hand she held between her own for a long time. The ])oor woman's grief was all the more touching, as she believed it to be her duty to repress it. Faithful, even when she beheld her hopes falling away, to principles of austerity, exaggerated perhaps, but respectable, she f'eariil to set her pupil a bad example by giving way to all the feelings which weighed do\vn her heart. Yet a heroism too long sustained is beyond the ])ower of luunan nature. The unfortunate woman soon became convulsed with violent sobs. Miss Nelly comprehended that it was time to put an end to this painful scene, and, })artly by gentle force, partly by ]>ersuasion, she succeedetl in bringing away Miss Ross, who could at last weep with no other witnesses but the two young girls. For the first time the true character of her instructress had been revealed to Miss Nelly. Youth is at times cruel without wishing to be so, and through ignorance. In spite of her kindness of heart and BABYLON • ELECTRIFIED. 149 the true affection which she felt for her governess, tlic young English girl had not refrained at times from langliing at what she called Miss Ross's romance. That one should have one's little romance at twenty was very natural in her eyes ; but that a woman who was more than twice as old as herself should also want to have her own, seemed to her a most unlikely thing. She now understood that, on the thresiiold of old age, the love founded on real sympathies and on mutual esteem can hold as high a place in life as, at twenty years, a more romantic and tender sentiment. The affection which circumstances had caused to arise between Miss Ross and Flatnose, and which was to have ended in the marriage of the old maid and the old bachelor, deserved to be respected, and not to be made the subject of jests. Miss Nellv resolved to atone for her faults and to assua their })ris(tners in return for a ransom. Bandits the Kurds are by nature. Would Turkish justice find the crime sufficiently great to merit a severe punislnnent ? If the two prisoners were set at liberty, it would be all uj) with Batlger's influence over the tribes of Kurdistan, while, if he himself took the initiative (164) BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 156 in pardoning, that act of clemency on his part would produce the best effect. His lordshi]), therefore, went to the two wounded men, to whom he caused to be explained that he gave them back their liberty. At the same time, he gave orders to conduct them to Altyn-Kopri, Mhere they Mould be taken care of. When the litter passed near to the Europeans, the captor of Miss Ross shook his fist at Badger while uttering some \vords which they could not understand. " What did he say?" Badger asked of the guide. " I do not dare to repeat it to you." " Spcalc on, I wish it," ordered Badger. He said : " Dog of a Christian, I shall be revenged." " He w^ill be dead to-morrow," was Badger's only answer. Tliis scene took place on the morning of the day which saw the arrival of the expedition near the walls of Altyn-Kopri. A few hours later Badger and his companions resumed their journey. The caravan continued to follow the banks of the Lesser Zab and passed before the city. Altyn-Kopri is built on an island, with banks worn away by the waters of the torrent. The houses rise picturesquely above each other on a succession of broad terraces, the first of which begins al)ove tlie cliffs M'hich fall perpendicularly into the Lesser Zab. An oviform bridge j^asses majestically over the torrent. Below, the rapid waters roar at a great depth between two rows of calcareous walls. From this bridge on, the caravan ceased to follow the course of the Lesser Zab. It entered a road peinDcndicular to the river, advancing towards the south. Progress now became less difficult. The moun- tains grew less steep, the valleys less uneven, and offered a more com- fortable })assage for men and animals. Two days later, they arrived without accident at Kerkook, situated at the sources of the Adhem, one of the tributaries of the Tigris. Jack Adams recognized the possibility of placing works over the torrent. AVater was plentiful, and there was a sufficient inclination of the ground. / Kerkook had another attraction for the caravan. Naphtlia springs are found there in plenty. Badger and his companions repaired to the most famous of these springs. Monaghan desired greatly to study these repositories on the spot. It would be possible later on to make 166 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. use of these uatural riches, to win which no attempt has as yet been made in that i)art of Mesopotamia. " Isn't naphtha the same thing as petroleum?" Miss Nelly asked the geologist, when they had arrived before the spring. " Pretty much the same, ]Miss Badger," replied the geologist. " AVhen it is a slimy liquid, Avith a strong smell, it is called petro- leum, and when it is a transparent liquid, with an almost agreeable odor, we call it naphtha. . . ." Thus speaking, JSIonaghan took up in a glass a small quantity of the liquid which flowed at the bottom of the spring. He poured the contents on a hollow stone and put a lighted match to it. A large flame immediately sprang up. " You see, gentlemen," said the geologist, " that this is in truth a naphtha spring." " This country must be full of naphtha, then," said Cahuzac. " I have already gone over this region in all directions, and I have every- where met with springs similar to this. Since you pass to Kifri in order to gain the valley of the Dyalah, I shall conduct you to springs much richer than these." " AVillingly," replied Monaghan. " What you tell me there does not surprise me. Numerous petroleum springs are found near here in the Caucasus and in Persia. Springs of this kind abound in the neighborhood of Baku and in the peninsula of Apsheron, in the Shervan, so famous for their perpetual fires." Three days after the conversation which we have just recounted, we find our travelers at Tuz-Khurmali. Here they were to stop for sev- eral days in order to give Jack Adams and Monaghan time to recon- noitre the country. Several torrent-like affluents of the Adhcm take their rise in these parts. It was probable that a favorable site would be found for large hydraulic works. Between Tuz-Khurmali and Kifri, ISIonaghan made a most im])()r- tant discovery. While ascending the course of a deeply embanked brook, he found a bed of coal. The people of the country had no knowledge of the existence of this mine, so well was it hidden from all eyes. Yet it was not accident only that had aided the men in this dis- covery. In studying the rocks of the country, Monaghan had recog- nized the ])resencc of carlxtnifcrous layers. By degrees, fiillowing the inclination of the strata composing the soil, he had been kil to ascend BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 157 the course of the torrent, tlie waters of which, by laying bare the rocks, had enabled him to observe the transformations of the strata in the soil. Finally, to his great joy, Monaghan arrival at a place where large black bands showing level with the soil left no further doubt as to the existence there of coal. Tiie lodes appeared numerous and thick ; their slight depth would permit them to be easily worked. Monaghan returned to camp with his pockets full of specimens. Badger experienced an intense satisfaction at this discovery. Coal was an auxiliary on which they had not counted, but which would nevertheless render important services. Although, it is true, the solar rays could be utilized by transforming them into forces for the service of man, yet this was no reason for despising the natural resources which, as it were, offered themselves. Badger sent for Adams in order to tell him of the good news. He enjoined the engineer and the geologist to observe the strictest silence on this repository of coal. If the discovery was noised abroad it was to be feared that adventurers, as they are found everywhere in such large numbers, might come to make excavations in this country. The benefit of Monaghan's discovery would thus be lost, and it was but just that they should reserve the monopoly of this so precious combustible for themselves. " The consum])tion of coal must be enormous," said Miss Nelly to Monaghan. " Much is already burned for heating purposes, but still more must be consumed by the gas-works and steam-engines." " Certainly, Miss Badger," replied the geologist, " Do you know how many steam-engines there are existing on the surface of the earth ? " " I have no idea." " There are one hundred and fifty thousand locomotives, the total power of which is thirty millions horse-power. As to the number of stationary engines, that is still larger, and their power exceeds forty- six millions horse-power. " These numbers are appalling," said tlie young girl. " Now," resumed the geologist, " if, as is obviously true, thirty men are equal to one-horse po\Ver, we arrive at the enormous number of a thousand million men replaced by the steam-engines wiiicli are dis- tributed among the civilized nations. This number of a milliard of laborers, created by the genius of man, is there not something gigantic about it? Does it not by itself explain all the superiority of the 158 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. civilized nations over the mass of nations still sunk in barbarism ? The savage force of the barbarians can no longer encroach upon our civilization as at the end of the Roman empire. To the brutal force of man wc can oppose a still more brutal force, that of our iron machines. We have now the advantage of numl)ers, for the milliard of workmen whom we have created will always keep in awe the bar- barians who might still want to precipitate themselves on our countries. The world is to-day invaded by the Europeans ; the inferior races recede and disappear before the superior and intelligent races, sub- mitting to the natural law of the weaker. But let us not forget that we can conquer only with the aid of our machines, with our workmen of iron. In order to make the grape-shot which anniiiilates all resistance, steam-engines are necessary. Steam-engines are necessary again for boring the cannons, making powder, transporting men and engines of war to the ports and taking the ships from there to the country of the enemy." "The steam-engines are also instruments of progress, my dear Monaghan," interrupted Badger. " It is the railroads which have given so great a scope to commerce. It is likewise the steam-engines which produce the thousand and one objects necessary for the existence of man. I think that, far from being only agents of destruction, the steam-engines are, on the contrary, and above all, useful, peaceful and civilizing objects." "You are right, my lord," replied the geologist. "I had con- sidered but a portion of their usefulness, but I am the first to recognize that they are, before all, instruments of peace and of labor." A few days later the caravan proceeded to Kifri, and then reached the valley of the Dyalah, the most important tributary of the Tigris. A large number of na])htiia springs were met witii all along the way, as Cahuzac had foretold. The photographer was decidedly an agreeable and jolly comj)anion. This man, with his restless and intelligent look, iiad always a smile on his lips and a song ready to float oif on the air. Of a simplicity which often bordered on unreserve, he was yet never obtrusive. Amiable, fraidv, obliging, he succeeded (piickly in winning every one's sympathy. " A good acquisition," said Badger one day to Jack Adams. "These Frenchmen are all the same," replitnl the engineer, witii a touch of bitterness. BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 159 It took twelve days to descend the valley of the Dyalah. Jack Adams found an excellent site for hydraulic works near Kizil-Robat, in the gorges of the Hamrin. The caravan was now again in a land of plains ; the mountains had been finally left. They passed through a veritable garden, intersected by myriads of brooks which spread coolness and fertility round about them. The frosts of winter had hardly been left, when, suddenly, our travelers found them- selves amid the splen- dors of summer, with a burning sun over their heads. This sudden transition was not with- out its inconveniences. The two young girls had some trouble in standing it. It became necessary to travel more slowly and by short stages. After leaving Bakuba they ceased to follow the stream, in order to take the shortest cut to Bagdad. The ruins of Dastaghad, as yet unex- plored, won Grimmitschoffer's attention for a whole day. Tlie savajit discovered a colossal head of stone there — weighing at least fifty pounds — which he packed up with the greatest precautions, so as to be able to study it at leisure after his return to Babylon, for, according to him, this find was of a nature to throw a light upon a large section of the country. " No more brains in one than in the other," murmured Jack Adams between his teeth. A singular contrast between these two men — the one always looking ahead, hoping everything from the future ; the other constantly turned towai'ds the past, seeking there the secret of the destinies of humanity. 160 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. On the 19th of April the caravan was back at Bagdad. Every one was very glad to be once more in a known place. Next day, before lunch, Lord Badger took ISIiss Rose aside. " These continual journeys weary you," said he to her, kindly. " It has been so for some time ; it would be worse at present, when you would find sad memories everywhere. Return to England. I have taken the necessary measures to secure an honorable existence for you over there. The governess of my daughter can always count on me." Miss Rose thanked his lordship for his kindness. It would be a trial for her to be separated from her pupil ; but, after all, she saw that Badger was right. An instructress since the age of eighteen, the time had come when rest became indispensable for her ; the last ordeal that she had just undergone had overwhelmed her. She M'as therefore left with the English consul, who was commis- sioned to send her back to her native country. The parting was pain- ful ; they promised each other to write and to meet again in London. The expedition, reduced by a third, resumed its journey across the desert. This time it was proceeding towards the final resting-place, towards Babylon. PART SECOND. THE ELECTRIC ^X^ORKS. CHAPTER I. LIBERTY So here our travelers are once more following the road that leads through the desert from Bagdad to Babylon. This time, on arriving at the latter city, they felt the agreeable sensation that the most de- termined explorers, the most inv^eterate tonrists feel on retnrning home. They were no longer to camp under tents or lodge in precarious shel- ters ; they would be at home, in their own dwellings, provided with all European comforts. They were going to find their home again, the sweet home which the English know so well ho^v to take with them everywhere. AN'ith Miss Nelly a greater and deeper joy was joined to this im- pression of comfort — she was to meet Cornille again. And, admitting that she had not as yet told herself that she loved the French en- gineer, a separation of three months had caused her to see what a large place he would henceforth hold in her life. Careful of her dignity, j)roud of her father's name, which she would not have wished to ex- change but for an equally honorable and illustrious one, she did not 11 (161) 162 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. abandon herself quietly to the sentiment which she felt arising in her, but wislicd before all to assure herself tliat he who inspired it was worthy of it. This daughter of the north had never thought that reason and duty had nothing to do witli passion, and that love, blind love, is its own law in itself Between Cornille and Miss Nelly there was, as it were, a sort of secret agreement, a tacit understanding to deserve each other's love before receiving it. This had not hinderetl ISIiss Nelly from thinking her horse's gait decidedly slow, nor Cornille from ascending more than twenty times to the top of the Kasr in order to scan all points of the horizon in the hope of seeing the caravan. On account of the heat, which began to be excessive on the plain, he supposed that they would travel during a part of the night and rest during the day. He was, therefore, since before dawn at his post of observation, when a cloud of dust, seen in the distance, announeetl to him the approach of the so earnestly longed-for party. The whole works were immediately in confusion. Every one made preparations to receive his principal in a proper manner. Blacton and Cornille mounted their horses and Avcnt to meet Badger. The meeting took place two miles from the works. They shook hands cordially with each other. Cornille ascertained at a glance how much Miss Nelly had gained in beauty. " I find you always the same. Miss Nelly," he said to her ; " this long voyage has not wearied you ; aside from your complexion, ^hich is slightly darkened by the sun of the Orient, one would say that you had never left London." "The fact is," declared Badger, "that my daughter has never looked so well as to-day. What sparkling eyes, what a fresh and rosy complexion !" Meanwhile Cornill6 ran his eye over the jiarty and remarked the absence of two of his old companions and the presence of a new- comer. "Why, where is our stout Flatnose, and grave Miss Ross?" asked he. " Flatnose is dead," rei)lied Badger, sadly. "As to Miss Ross, she must be at this moment on her way to England." And he recounted in a few words the events of w hii li we know already. "Poor Flatnose," said tlic cngineeer, dee]>ly moved, "he had a tender heart under his rough exterior." BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 163 " We have been deeply grieved by his tragic end," resumed Badger ; "yet we have had a diversion from our sorrow by meeting witli a new companion, whom I have yet to introduce to you — Monsicar Cahuzac, a photographer and a Frenciunan." Then, turning to Cahuzac : " Permit me to introduce you to Monsieur Cornille, the French engineer, of whom you have so often heard us speak." The two compatriots shook hands vigorously. The caravan resumed its journey towards the works, which ap- peared for the first time befi)re the eyes of the travelers. The sight was a glorious one and well calculated to fill Badger's heart with joy and pride. The two mounts of the Kasr and of Babel rose majestically at the horizon. Their inclined slopes, furrowed by the waters of heaven, had been replaced for a large part of their cir- cumference by thick vertical Avails of brick. Counterforts in tlie form of towers served as supports. The Kasr and Babel now had a striking resemblance to mediaeval fortresses. Badger was the first to observe it. " Your works, my dear Cornille, resemble a stronghold." " That is what they are, in fact, my lord," replied the engineer. " Who knows whether we may not have to stand a siege some day ? One must never trust the Arabs. From up there we shall be able to resist a whole army." " You will be victorious," interrupted Cahuzac, " for have you not lightning at your disposition for pulverizing the barbarians ? " " It would not be the first time that electricity had filled this role" said Grimm, in an undertone, as if speaking to himself. As they ajiproached nearer to the works, or rather to the fortresses, for never had works presented themselves under such an aspect, they could see the details more clearly. The upper part of Babel had the form of a large terrace. It will be remembered that the mount — now on the right hand of the travelers — bore Cornill6's thermo-electric piles. Now, to allow the rays of the sun all their force of action, it was necessary to have no elevated obstacle on the upper surface of the plateau. It was not thus^ on the Kasr, Avhere the works ]>roporly speaking were located, that is to say, a large number of buildings in- tended for various uses. Whence arose a multiplicity of forms, of pointed roofs, of towers, and of chimneys, offering to the eye an ap- l>eai'ance which, though most strange, was yet higiily picturesque. 164 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. ""WTiy is not Captain Laycock here?" exclaimed Badger; "he would see the realization of his work. And what a gigantic work ! Honor to those who have contributed towards the erection of this temple of science and progress. Honor to you, my dear Coruill6, my dear Adams, my excellent Blactou ; honor to all, for all have done their duty." Badger had hardly ended these words when another horseman was seen to huriy towards them at full speed. A few minutes later Cap- tain Laycock dismounted from his horse and rushed into Badger's arms. " Now the feast is complete," said Badger ; " I had just made the remark that only you were wanting, and I expressed my regrets." " I knew the day of your return," replied Laycock. " I would not have been absent for anything in the world. ^My ship has been at Babylon since an hour. I have just taken the time to put everything on board in order and to get here at full speed." " Thank you, my good friend," replied Badger, strongly moved by these repeated marks of sympathy. " This is my last voyage until the return of the ships which have gone to England for a new cargo. Everything is now in its place. I am entitled to a few weeks' rest." " They will not be grudged you, be assured of that ; but I know you—before three days have passed, you modern Ximrod, you will have caused all the echoes of the neighborhood to resound with your exploits as a hunter. Did Captain Laycock ever take a rest?" A rise in the ground had until then prevented the base of the two hillocks from being seen. When tiie caravan reachcKl the top of a high dune of sand, a city, a veritable city, appeared Ix'fore the as- tonislied eyes of the travelers. ]\Iore than three luuulred houses with ilat roofs and surrounded by small gardens stood in the si)aee com- priselateau we have i>laced the accumulators. They will collect the electricity furnished by the piles at Jiabel and by the hydraulic works which my friend Jack Adams has constructed on the streams and torrents of the basin of the upper Tigris and of the mountain-chain bordering Persia. As to the lower rows, they hold the dynamo-electric motors. These are of two kinds — the niotors destined to act by the combustion of coal and of ])etroleum are con- tained in the buildings which you see at your right; at your left we have placed those which will receive their movement through the dec- BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 171 tricity drawn directly from the accumulators and which are much more numerous." " It is perfect," said Jack Adams. "Admirable," said Badger, delighted at the skill of his engineers. " Receive my heartiest congratulations, my dear Cornille." " Pardon me, my lord," resn.med the latter; "that this work is not all my own, you know. Jack Adams and I laid out the plans to- gether before leaving London. As to the buildings of the works, it is to modest Blacton, who is hidden over there behind the others, that the principal credit is due. Come, my worthy collaborator, come forward, then, to receive the praise due to your labors." " My friends," said Badger, " everybody has done his duty and is keeping his promises. I thank all in the name of all." It was decided that they should begin by visiting the buildings set apart for the dynamo-electric machines. They descended from the platform of the tower to the lower terraces by a stair-case more rapidly than by the broad road running on an inclined plane. Cornille opened a door, and the visitors found themselves in a large hall constructed half of wood, half of bricks. Floods of sunshine entered through widely opened windows. " Here we are in the large hall of the dynamo-electric motors," said the engineer. " Which ? " asked Laycock. " Those which work by the aid of steam-engines." "And where are these steam-engines?" asked Captain Laycock, in his turn. " I don't see any." " They are in a building parallel to this. You see that horizontal shaft that runs through the centre of the hall from one end to the other?" "Yes." " Well, this shaft receives its rotar\' movement by a series of wheel- works which are themselves set in motion by the steam-engines in the other building." " And the dynamo-electric motors themselves are set in action by the horizontal shaft ? " said Monaghan. " Just so." " Perhaps these gentlemen would rather see the buildings of the steam-engines first," said Jack Adams, in his turn. 172 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. "Oh, yes !" exclaimed Miss Nelly, "it is curious to see these great iron monsters work." The attraction exerted by the steam-engines is easily understood. They seem endowed with life, and what a life ! No living being, no marine monster possesses so powerful a breath. "What a regularity in the action of their enormous muscles ! The powerful rods whicli the cylinders cause to move backwards and forwards, the beams which rise and descend, give a terrifying idea of their power. And when they spit fire and belch forth clouds of smoke, as if ready to pulverize everything in their way, man, though the creator of these terrible engines, begins to fear them. He dreads the effects of the formidable forces which he has himself set to work. The building with the machinery was much less spacious than the first. It contained but two steam-engines. But how powerful they appeared ! " These two engines will be sufficient for our first experiments," said the engineer. " The boilers of the one will be heated with coal, the other with petroleum. And neither the one nor the other Ayill be wanting, according to the information which Monaghan has already given me concerning the beds discovered by him in the course of your journey." They examined the boilers, the steam-engines. Everything M-as placed in the best condition. They then returned to the first building, that of the electric motors. " 3fonsieur Cornille," said Miss Nelly, " could you be kind enough to give me a few explanations concerning these electric motors?" " With great pleasure. Miss Badger," said Cornill6, happy to seize this o})portunity of being brought together with his idol. " AYhat interests me most," continued Miss Nelly, " is electricity. Steam is already well known. At Jezireh I have seen the motor of the hydraulic works in action. Mr. Adams has taught me the firet rudiments ; you see, therefore, that I am a savant ! " AVhilc the rest of the party continued to inspect tiie machines Cornill6 remained behind with Miss Nelly and Fatma, who was as desirous of being instructed as her mistress. They sto])]K'(l before a first group of five motors. " These are five Gramme machines, called after their celebrated in- ventor," said the engineer to the two young girls. " One of your compatriots, I suppose ? " askeart in the sport, as the work would not suffer by a few hours' absence of the superiors. Grimm was the only one to declare that it would be impossible lor him to take part in the hunt, on account of the excavations which he could not leave for a single day. Xo one asked him to alter his mind. Next day, at the first faint gleam of dawn, e\-erybody was in the saddle. The morning appeared superb, although the atmosphere Mas a little close. The heat had been oi)pressive during the preceding days. It had been decided to proceed towards the north, ascending the left bank of the Euphrates. Here there lay broad spaces, covertHl with liigh grasses, where the ca])tnin had discoverctl the presence of a large (182) BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 183 number of animals. At six o'clock the little party had cleared over six miles. A halt was made. The horses Avere tied to the trunks of some stunted palms, grown there by accident, and the chase began. Ten minutes later the shooting began on all sides. From the rapidity with which the shots succeeded each other it was easy to con- jecture that game abounded. In fact, the game-bags filled up visibly. No pity was shown, and the number of victims was considerable. At ten o'clock, as had been agreed upon, every one came to the place of rendezvous — a palm-tree a little better furnished with foliage than the others. Contrary to expectation, the sun was less hot than had been feared. Its reddish disk seemed obscured by an invisible vapor. Monaghan showed a certain inquietude. '' This is not natural," said he to the hunters ; *' some storm is brew- ing that will not be long in breaking loose. Let us be on our guard ; these atmospheric phenomena are to be feared in these regions." Captain Laycock, on the contrary, insisted that the interrupted hunt should be resumed. " We have time," said he ; " the sun has been gracious enough to veil itself for us ; let us take advantage of it. When mc see the storm approaching we shall take up the road to Babylon again. With our horses we shall travel faster than it." The hunt was, therefore, begun again with renewed ardor. During this time Green was preparing one of those excellent dinners of which he knew the secret. The wines of Burgundy and of the Rhine would not be wanting and would give renewed strength for the exploits of the afternoon. On their return the hunters found the table set. The horseback ride in the morning and four hours of hunting in the meadows had sharpened their appetites. They ate ravenously, and little was spoken during the first part of the repast. Little by little the tongues became loosened. Cornille and Cahuzac, like true Frenchmen, led all the conversation, yet without monopoliz- ing it to themselves. Every one could have his say, give out his ideas. The conversation was charming and lively, dazzling and full of r.vy);v7. On this ground they were iio longer in England, but rather in France, in Paris ! Monaglian alone was absorbed and seemed preoccupied. Two or three times he rose in order to examine the state of the sky in the direction of the horizon. The repast, however, had passed without accident and was nearing 184 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. its end, when a sudden change occurred in the state of the atmosphere, Pui!s of hot air succeeded each other at short intervals. Little \vhirl- ■m ■ winds raised columns of dust. '''*^ It seemed as if the day were suddenly waning. "It's the storm," said Monaghan. " We have not a moment to lose. Quick, to horse, and let us regain Liber- ty at full galloj)." They rose precipitately. The coifee, brought immediately, was swallowed burning hot. Five minutes later the bag- gage was loaded again and everybody in the saddle, ready to leave. But at the moment when Badger gave the spurs to his horse the latter, instead of advancing, began to turn around itself, showing signs of a great ter- ror. Everything was in vain, caresses and threats, blows with the Avhip and pricks with the spur. The other horses followed the example of Badger's steed and refused to advance. Miss Nelly and Fatnia would have been un- horsed if they had been less skilful riders. They had to resign themselves and dis- mount. IJiit what was to be done? The sky was becoming cov- ""*• ered with a yellow mist. At the zenith it was yet free from clouds; but the transparent vapor ob- served in the morning was taking on the opacity of a great black '■\>/n dyKi^ BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 185 cloud, increasing visibly, and behind which the sun appeared but as a pale, round spot, fading away rapidly. The air became sirfltbcat- ing ; squalls of hot wind whirled up clouds of sand each minute. It was urgent to come to a decision. It was impossible to think of remaining in the plain, where no slielter whateyer offered itself and where no obstacle would check the violence of the tempest. Monaghan proposed that they should take a direction perpendicular to that of the river and to go inland. Some tells were seen half a mile away. It would perhaps be possible to find a shelter there against the wind. There was no time for deliberation ; Monaghan's advice seemed good and they set out, turning their backs on the Euphrates. The horses, drawn by their bridles, advanced slowly. " They are looking towards the west," said the geologist, " the storm will come from there." In truth, the poor animals, with downcast and dejected look and evidently under the influence of an insurmountable terror, were turn- ing their heads in the direction indicated. A broad, scarlet-red band was beginning to appear at tlie horizon. A quarter of an hour, which seemed a century, elapsed before they were able to reach the border of the meadow. The tempests of the sea are as nothing in comparison with these frightful storms of impal- pable, burning and suffocating dust. "Who has not heard of caravans buried in the sands stirred up by the simoon in the midst of the .Vfri- can Sahara? Now, it was precisely the simoon which was advancing, sweeping away everything in its passage, wrenching up everj^thing ; the terrible simoon, known under the name of Sam in ^lesopotamia. " Let us make haste," cried ^lonaghan ; " see the cyclone coming ; do not let us lose a second ! " Unfortunately they advanced only with extreme difficulty. " I am going to run ahead to look for shelter," cried Cornille, "and I shall come back to fetch you." And he darted forward. He was seen to disappear behind a hil- lock, then to reappear shortly afterward, beckoning to them to advance. But the horses absolutely refused to do so. " Let us abandon them," said Badger. " Try to bind up their eyes," said Cahuzac. 186 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. This course siiocccdcxJ as well as could be desired, and they were able to rejoin Cornille in a few minutes. " What have you found ? " asked Miss Nelly, who, in spite of all her energy, began to be agitated by fear. " Let us give thanks to Grimmitschoffer," replied Cornille. " For once in his life he will have been useful to his poor contemporaries. Thanks to his mania for making excavations everywhere, he has pre- --^- jS^iilSiS- pared a large grotto for us, where we can be sheltered as long as the storm lasts." Indeed, after having wound around a series of tells of greater or less height, they arrived at a large excavation dug at the base of one of them. It was high time. The red band had enlarged consider- ably ; resembling an immense circle, it rose rapidly above the horizon and was about to reach the zenith. Behind it the sky took on a livid color, which took on a deeper and deeper inie, to become entirely black. There was sonictliing terrible, almost infernal, in the sjwH'tacle. It seemed as though the ilay was about to end and all nature to fall back into chaos. They enteral the cavity. The roof appeareo- site of the other rivers, which are almost inlets of the sea at their mouths. Just look at the Thames, the Seine, the Gironde, the Scheldt, the Danube." " Patience, Miss Badger, the Euphrates will soon do as the other rivers, and will proudly bear the tribute of its abundant waters to the Indian Ocean. The cause of its ])resent narrowness is accidental. Have you i'orgotten then that the canal of Ilindiyah, which begins above Jial)ylon, turns ofl" a portion of its waters to feed the sea of NetljefV ]>nt let this same Ilindiyah return, and you will see the Euphrates regain its normal width." BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 193 Meanwhile, the river dried up more and more. Tn the neighbor- hood of Lamhim the marshes began. The banks, on both sides, were now but immense plains of reeds, from whieh the sound of the steam, escaping noisily from the boiler, caused myriads of aquatic birds to fly up. The captain was furious at not being able to send a few good shots after them. His sporting instincts were aroused at sight of these innumerable fowls. But delay was not to be thought of — not a minute was to be lost — if they did not want to run the risk of seeing the vessel run agroiuid. It is in the midst of these marshes that the Euphrates has its narrowest point — a little over two hundred feet in width. Its depth also diminished visibly. Several times there had already been heard, under the hull, a singular noise, which gave the captain great uneasiness. " The boat is grazing the muddy bottom," said he. " If the level of the Euphrates sinks a few inches yet, we shall be unable to advance any farther." The Euphrates fell over seven inches on that very day. At four o'clock in the afternoon a violent concussion shook the ves- sel, whose hull had sunk deeply into a sand-bank. INIiss Nelly and Fatma, M^ho were sitting in the saloon, were suddenly thrown to the floor. The very thick carpet softened their fall, so that they received only some light contusions. The other passengers were more or less hurt, but none seriously. A sailor only, hurled head foremost against a corner of the engine-ladder, was picked up unconscious. In an instant everybody was on deck. " What is the matter ? What has ha])pened ? " asked the two young girls, while the men remained silent and impassive. The caj)tain did not stop to reply to his passengers. He had other cares at that moment than to play the agreeable towards the ladies. He must assure himself before all that the en2:ine was not in danirer and that no leak showed itself The Elcdrieity was solidly built and had not suffered. This result ascertained, and then only, (he captain returned to his companions and explained to them what had just hap- pened so unexpectedly. " The ship has run agrouiid on a sand-bank. Have no fear ; there is no danger. Is anybody hurt ? " They showed him the sailor, who was still imconscious. He exam- ined him and found that the swoon M'as causcnl sinii)ly by a rather severe concussion of the brain. By his orders, the wounded man was 13 194 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. conveyed to the sailors' quarters and caused to inliale salts. A quarter of an hour later lie apjx'ared on deck again, still somewhat stunned, but in a fair way to recovery. And now, what was to become of them ? Would it be possible to extricate themselves ? The captain had the engine work backwards. The vessel trembled, but did not back an inch. After an hour's ctlbrts, nothing remained for them to do but to fold their arms. Night had set in. It was best to wait until next day l)efore deciding on what course to take. They descended to the saloon, took su})per as if n(»tliing ex- traordinary had occurred, and went quietly to l^ed. Yet the situation might become critical ; they were sunk in the mud, amidst an inextricable forest of reeds, and distant from all assist- ance. But the characteristic of English courage is calmness. We others — we Frenchmen — are second to none as regards intrepidity. Onlv, we must act this intrepidity en virtuose. Our courage is exjian- sive, talkative, exaggerated if need be. To die singing is an essen- tially French device. If an Englishman were obliged to find its pendant, to die silently is what he would probably inscribe on his escutcheon. According to one's disposition, or perhaps also according to circumstances, one is at liberty to give the preference to English courage or to French valor ; one thing is beyond doubt, that the two nations have always found it to their advantage to unite and employ their similar yet different qualities towards a common end. Next morning, on awaking, ]\Iiss Nelly was agreeably surpriswl to feel the ship moving. She looked but of the cabin window ; it was not to be denied, the Electricity was running at full speed on the Eu- phrates ; reeds and marshes had disappeared. "Then I have dreamed last night," she said to herself She dressed hastily, without waking Fatma, who was still asleep, and ascended to the deck, where her father was alone with the captain. The latter was saying to his lordship : "There has been a fresh rise in the water last night. Thanks to this fortunate circumstance, we have been enabled to set the vessel afloat again, and to get off from the sands. We have passed tlie dan- gerous point, and we now have nothing similar to fear." "I felt no uneasiness at any time," replied liadgcr. "And you, my daughter?" "Nor I either. You know well, father, that with you I should go without fear to the end of the world." BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 195 " You see that I was right, Miss Nelly," said the captain to the youno; girl, " the Euphrates has regained its original width." " The Hindiyah has returned then ? " " Yes, we passed its mouth at six o'clock in the morning. You were still asleep. But wait a little, we are soon going to pass a branch of the Tigris." *' How, a branch of the Tigris?" "Yes, that is strange, isn't it? Above Babylon it is the F^uphrates which discharges a part of its waters into the Tigris. Below, it is the Tigris which flt)ws in part into the Euphrates; these alternations show wdiat a small diiference in level there is between the basins of the two rivers." A half hour had hardly elapsed ^\hen the Electricity passed oppo- site to the derivation announced by the captain. It was, however, but a broatl canal, offering nothing remarkable. Its waters were never- theless sufficiently abundant to visibly enlarge the bed of the river, and from then on navigation became much more easy. The region througli which they were ])assing had a less wild ap- pearance. The cultivations became more important ; cities were passed. Nazrieh, built at the junction of the Shat-el-Hai — the new derivation of the Tigris and of the Euphrates — held the attention of the travelers to a high degree. " AVhy, look, we have come back to Europe," cried Miss Xelly ; " see, there are houses like in England." " We are nevertheless still in Mesopotamia," replied Jack Adams ; "only Xazrieh was built by a Belgian engineer, who thought of nothing better — although the climatic conditions were dianietrically opposed — than to construct, on the banks of the Tigris and of the Euphrates, a city which was the exact copy of those on the shores of the Meuse or of the Scheldt. At Liberty we have been better inspii-ed." Nevertheless it was decided to visit the city, as much from interest as from curiosity. Nazrieh might otter peculiarities useful to imitate at Liberty. It is always good to consult the experience of others. The vessel was passing through ancient Chaldea, the one country in the world which has perhaps exercised the most decisive influence on the destinies of h.umanity since the times that can be calletl historic. It is here that the invention of phonetic writing is generally laid. It is true that it is also attributed sometimes to the Phoenicians and to the Egyptians. These employed it for common uses, while the liiero- 196 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. glypbic writing was reserved fur sacral uses. It is perhaps correct to attribute the same discovery to several nations. At a certain point of intellectual development, it may happen that nations, having attained the same degree of civilization, make the same inventions simultane- ously. Be that as it may, whether the priority in the most marvelous of man's discoveries belongs to Chaldea or not, there is another kind of glory which cannot be denied it — that of having been the religious in- structress of the white, Semitic and Japhetic races. The native land of the three great monotheistic religions — Judaism, Christianity and Islamism — our traditions, our legends come to us from her, and, thanks to tlie European spirit of initiation and of propagation, they will soon have made the tour of the world. Alas ! Chaldea has fallen greatly from its ancient splendor. En- tire cities here are built of reeds. Our travelers saw an example of this when passing before Suk-e-Sheyukh. The successoi'S of those who instructed the world have now only slight branches to shelter them from the inclemencies of the weather. This results from the difference of the races. If the soil is less fertile, if the pestilential marshes and barren sands have re- '^^_ placet] Avell-tillod fields and fertile plains, the iault must be charged i to the carelessness of the present inhabi- tants. The ancient Chaldeans were coura- geous and industrious men, the modern Arab returns to nomadic life. After a journey of several days the Electricity arrived at tke junction of the two rivers. A large village, Kurna, is situated at the very extremity of the point. The appearance of the two rivers differs entirely. "You might believe yourself to be at Lyons," said Miss Nelly, "at the junction of the lihone and the Saone. Wliik' the Tigris is the Rhone with its im])etuosity and its dizzy rapidity, the Euj)hrates represents the slow and majestic course of tiie Saone." " Do yt)U know the signification of the word Tigris ? " INlonaghan asked the young girl. BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 1»7 "Not at all." " Tigris means arrow." "Then it is very well named. You oall to my mind that, accord- ing to my old professor of geography, Rhone comes from the Celtic and signifies rapid river, bnt arrow seems to me a more happy name." The stream of water formed by the union oi' the Tigris and the Euphrates, and which bears the name of Shat-el-Arab, presents a magnificent appearance. Its broad sheet seems boundless. The banks arc low ; river, plain and sky are confounded in one undecided line. The blue of the firmament tinges the waves ; the rays of the sun cause the sands of the desert to glisten far and wide; all is but one sheaf of light, one immense glow. "How beautiful it is!" Miss Nelly munnnred again and again, leaning on the balustrade of the ship. " I have never seen anything like it." In the neighborhood of Bassorah the landscape was not the same. The plantations of date-trees formed veritable forests. The view, in- stead of extending boundlessly towards all points of the horizon, was bounded on the right and on the left by a curtain of verdure. They were rapidly approaching the sea. The tides began to make themselves felt. These tides are not very strong, for the Persian Gulf, which is, as it were, a pendant of the Red Sea, or Arabian Gulf, is, like the latter, deeply embanked in the land and communicates with the Indian Ocean only by the narrow inlet of the Strait of Ormuz. Neverthe- less, on account of the small elevation of the banks of the river, its waters, mingled with the waves of the sea, inundate the forests of palms twice a day at high tide. Under the influence of this constant moisture, and of the sea-salt Avhich forms an excellent manure for them, the date- trees of Bassorah give the best dates in the whole world. They stopped a whole day at Bassorah. Badger was desirous of visiting some of his compatriots who have established important bank- ing and commercial houses in this city. This time they had returncKl entirely to civilization. TlW new city, built on the banks of the river, is wholly European in appearance, in mannei*s and in language. For all that, or perhajis even on account of that, it had little attrac- tion for our travelers. A striking proof of the facility with which 198 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. one becomes disacciistomed to the civilization of tlie cities if one lias only tasted free and independent life. Old Jiassorah interested them more. Like Venice, it is built ou canals, the walls of its buildings plunging directly into the water. The interrupted voyage was resumed with pleasure. They were in haste to reach the shores of the sea. Down to Fao, a small city situ- ated at the very mouth of the river, the panorama remained the same — forests of date-palms, fruit-trees in abundance, well-cultivated fields, which seemed of an extraordinary fertility ; at times immense sur- faces covered with wheat. " One cannot imagine the fertility of the soil," said Monaghan. *' There are years in which the abundance of the crops is such that the natives feed their cattle with wheat, and the cattle even being unable to consume it entirely, they are compelled to use it as fuel." " And to think," remarked Jack Adams, " that at the same time w^hole villages are dying of hunger in India ! Yet it would be easy to transport this excess of wheat over there." " Yes ; but the inertia and the fatalism of the populations stand in the way. They would sooner die of hunger than seek their iborang forward in her turn to hold hac-k her friend. It was too late. The BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 203 crocodile had already seized the border of the dress of the unfortunate girl, who, thrown down by the shook, had rolled over on the grass. Suddenly, at the moment when the monster rushed forward a second time to seize her in the middle of the body, a gunshot rang out and the crocodile sank heavily to the ground. Three seconds later Mona- ghan, his still smoking gun in his hand, raised up the unconscious Fatma, while INIiss Nelly, who had come up beside her, tried to bring her to. As the crocodile still gave some signs of life, Monaghan dis- charged a second shot point blank at it, shattering its head. When Badger and Jack Adams, attracted by the sound of the two shots which the geologist had fired oif, and by Miss Nelly's cries of distress, came up, they found Fatma recovered from her swoon and sobbing, a prey to a nervous fit, a very natural result of the terrible shock which she had received. " What has happened ? " asked I>ord Badger, anxiously. ]Monaghan told him how that, while hunting wild ducks near by, he had heard the cries of the two young girls and had hurried to their assistance. It was high time, for he had found Fatma thrown down and the crocodile i>reparing to devour her. As to Miss Nelly, she had fallen on her father's neck, trembling all over. As soon as her agitation permitted her to speak, she told him how Fatma had wished to sacrifice herself to save her. "Dear, dear Fatma!" exclaimed Badger, with tears in his eyes, clasping the young girl in his arms; "brave and generous soul ! From this day on I have another daughter. Were it not for your admirable sacrifice it would be all over with my Nelly. And you, my dear Monaghan," added he, after a moment, grasping the geologist's hand, "you have done your duty nobly. Count on me at all times." " My lord," the latter replied, simply, " what I have done ever}' one else would have done in my place. Besides, I am amjily rewarded by the very service itself that I have been able to render our two companions." They slowly retraced the way to the encampment. Fatma, suj)- ported on one side by Lord Badgei^'s arm, on the other by Miss Nelly's, gradually recovered. She told them that from the moment when she advanced towards the monster she no longer knew what haj)pentHl. Stunned by the shock, she had immediately lost consciousness and had not even heard the two shots fired by IVIonaghan. 204 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. " I thought," said Badger to the latter, " that there were no croco- diles in Mesopotamia, no more in the Enphratcs than in the Tigris." " The opinions are divided on this snhject," replied the geologist. " Some naturalists assert that they are met with, others deny it abso- lutely. At any rate, it is certain that these animals are extremely rare. But we have to-day obtained the proof that there are still some in ex- istence and that this malevolent species is not wholly destroyed." On their return to camp Badger proposed that they should defer their departure until the day after, and rest during the remainder of the day and the following night, so as to give Fatma time to recover completely. But Monaghan was of the ojjinion that the diversion and the fatio;ue of the iournev could onlv be favorable for the convalescent by effecting a happy diversion on her nerves. The journey to Babylon was, therefore, resumed in the evening, and a few days later the caravan had the pleasure of being once more in Liberty. No, traveling in sunnner was decidedly not agreeable. Tt was decided that they should quietly await the return ol' the ('(.oler days of autumn before undertaking new expeditions. The life which they led at I^iberty then resumed, outwardly, its accustomwl course ; nothing was changed, a])parently. Yet, any one who might have j)Osscssed the gift of reading hearts could have prognosticated, without fear of being mistaken, that it was all over with the delightful and peaceful intimacy of former times. Already it became easy to foresee that many storms were on the point of breaking forth, the consequences BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 205 of which would compromise not only tlie happiness of those concerned, but the very prospects of tlie work itself. The success of this work had been due in a great measure to tlie perfect harmony which, until then, had not ceased to exist between all the members of tlie association. Under the inevitable pressure of human passions this harmony was on the point of disappearing. THE ELECTRIC LIGHTHOUSE. "Absence," a French moralist has I said, "fosters the great passions and snp- |[)resses the lesser ones, even as the wind jextinguishes eandles and kindles the fire." During the few weeks that Miss Nelly and Cornillc* had jnst passed at a distance from each other, thev had had ample leisure to exanu'ne their hearts carefully, and to ascertain whether the sentiment which they felt for each other was simply a deception of the heart, a fancy of the imagination, born of the circumstances which had brought them together during many months, or whether it had the [xtsitive and earnest character of an affection ca})able of orienting a whole lifetime. The result of this inward in(|uiry was the same for both of those concerned. Cornille decided that he would never love another woman than Miss Nelly; she, for her part, after having well examinwl her- self, felt entirely ready to sacrifice jircjudices of i-ank and fi>rtune for the man whose name, she rightly thought, she would one day i)e not only happy, but proud to bear. AVomen possess a great ad\antage over men ; they are rarely mis- taken as to the sentiments which they ins])ire. Miss Nelly was thus in advance of Cornille inasmuch as she was absolutely certain of the (20()) BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 207 j'^oung Frenchman's love, while he was still asking himself whether he was really the })referrecl one. Since the scene in tlie hall of the electric motors, no particular inci- dent had occurred between the two young people. ISIiss Nelly seemed even to avoid being alone with Cornille, and to seek Jack Adams' society in preference. It was he to whom she now applied when she had some information or an explanation to ask foi\ It was his com- pany which she demanded when a visit to the Kasr or to Babel was in question. Cornill6, a novice as yet* in the study of the human heart, was luu't by this conduct. " Is she not free," said he to himself, " to choose Avhom she will ; why this manoeuvre of seeming to hold equal balance between two men who are friends to-day, as if she wished to make rivals of them to-morrow ? " And he was almost disposed to accuse Miss Nelly of coquetry. In this he was completely mistaken. The young Englishwoman was too proud, she had too just a consciousness of her worth to take such an attitude. In trying to react against the sentiment which drew her towards Cornill6, and which she felt to be governing her greatly, she was, on the contrary, obeying the most noble feelings. By the very reason of her more refined nature and the perhaps higher conception of duty which she has formed, the consequences of a bad choice are still nuich more to be dreaded for woman than for man. Every young girl feels this truth instinctively, even before her reason is sufficiently develojied to enable her to account for it. Hence, when a choice is to be made, there is a hesitation which hardly ever exists with the young man, and which has often the appearance of caprice and coquetry. Our friend Cornille had allowed himself to be deceived by this ap- pearance like any ordinary mortal. It was not long before he was undeceived. A few days before their departure for the Persian Gulf, Jack Adams, Miss Nelly and Fatma were walking one afternoon towards the Kasr, when, at a turn of the road, they met Cornilld, who, for his part, was going to the works a^ Babel. Cornille greeted them politely; but his face immediately took on so siid an expression that Miss Xclly experienced a feeling almost of reraoi*se. She asked the young man to accompany them to the toj) of the tower. Cornille hesitated an instant. The eyes of the young girl were fixed upon him at this moment. They 208 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. expressed so sincere an astonishment and so eloquent a reproach, that it would have shown bad grace indeed to he sulky notwithstanding. The four together, therefore, continued the way to the Kasr. " Poor Cornille," said Fatma to her mistress, at a moment when they had allowed themselves to be distanced by the engineers, " there were tears in his eyes when he saw you pass with Mr. Jack Adams." " He is wrong," replied Miss Nelly, simply, " for he loves me, and I love him, too." The visit to the Kasr passed off most smoothly ; they talked ma- chines, electricity; they spoke of new Babylon and of its destiny. The conversation kept in a serious channel, without deviating towards any of those subjects which come almost naturally in a convei'sation between young people : — their tastes, each one's predilections, the esti- mate of a book, of a piece of music — and \vliere, each one's |)ei*sonality being necessarily implicated, it becomes easy to hint at what one does not wish to express plainly. Nevertheless, Cornille appeared to have completely recovered his serenity. The truth is that a really sincere person possesses a moral ascendency which it is im})ossible to escape. Miss Nelly's look — that look marked by an undeniable honesty — had been sufficient to cause Cornille, who was surprised in his injustice, to be pierced to the depths of his heart with regret at having even been able to suspect her. Nevertheless, from this day on until the one Hxed upon for the departure. Miss Nelly, under the pretext of having preparations to make, remained almost always locked jip in her room, except at meal hours and in the evening, when, the whole party being gathered to- gether, she was sure never to run the risk of finding herself alone with Cornille or Jack Adams. She came but seldom into the parlor, and Avent out only when accompanied by her father. A new occurrence, which it is time to mention, imposed this rigorous caution upon her. Absorbed by another sentiment, and not very vain by nature, I^ord Badgei*'s charming daughter had never said to herself that Cornill*^ was not the only one to live in a daily intimacy with her, and that, also young, good-looking in a])pearance, and likewise destined for a brilliant future. Jack Adams might Ix'licve he had the right — for the same reason as his French coUcagiic — of loving her, and flatter iiim- seir with the hope of being also loved l)V lier. Jt was (Inring the visit to the Kasr that she had, for the first time, a sudden intuition, as it Mere, of the situation. Then, recalling to BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 209 mind many apparently trifling circumstances, to which she had at- tached no importance, and olxserving attentively Jack Adams' attitude, «lie no longer retained any doubt : Cornille Nvas not the only one who loved her ; Jack Adams and he were rivals, and rivals without know- ing it. This discovery, which might perhaps have exalted an ordinary ivoman with pride, filled ]Miss Nelly, on the contrary, with sadness. She immediately comprehended the seriousness of the situation, re- proached herself for her innocent Machiavelism, which had perhajis ■encouraged the hopes of Jack Adams, whom she esteemed, although she had little sympathy for him. In an instant her resolution was taken. For several weeks she was going to be separated from Cor- nille and in constant relation with Jack Adams. The latter must understand from her attitude that he was forbidden to hope. As to the former, she must examine herself seriously on his account, and, if she felt herself resolved to sacrifice all to be his wife, not hesi- tate to pledge him her faith. In the opposite case she must, even at the risk of being misjudged, confess to him honestly that she had been mistaken as to the nature of the sentiment which she felt lor him, and bid him renounce all hope of ever obtaining her hand. It was with this intention that she had left. Her handshake with Cornille at parting expressed an affection at the same time so grave and so moving, that the young man understood that his fate was to be decided forever. There was such a harmony between these two beings, an esteem so complete and absolute, that Cornille did not doubt that, Avhatever his beloved one's decision would be, it would be worthy of her and of him. He felt within him the power to await the decree W'hich was to decide his fate, if not without anxiety, at least with a calm and manly resignation. This digression, absolutely indispensable in order that the sequence of events may be understood, has caused us to turn back for several weeks. Let us now return to the point at which we discontinued our «tory, that is to say, at the return of the caravan to Lil)erty. "How is your thermo-solar pile gettiug on?" asked Miss Xelly smilingly of Cornille, when /she found herself alone with him for a moment after lunch next day. " Very well. My expectations are being realizwl ; it will be coni- pleted in the month of November, and in the spring it will be possi- ble to set it in operation," 14 210 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. " Good ! Until then you must not think of anything else. Your first duty is towards your work ; as long as it is not completed, no diversion is permitted." "You depend greatly upon my courage, mademoiselle f" "I count very much on my own. So, is it agreed?" "Your wishes are ordei^s." "Thank you." She held out her hand to him, and he kept it for an instant hctwcM'U his own. " Miss Nelly ! dear Miss Nelly r " Hush," said she, disengaging herself, while haj)py Cornilk', stand- BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 211 ing motionless in the same place, seemed like a man who was suddenly to see the sky open over his head. In thus })ostp()nino; the time at which she should authorize C'ornilie to declare himself officially, ISIiss Xelly had had no intention of im- posing a time of probation upon him, which she deemed useless, for she was quite sure of the engineer's love. Siie dreaded the conse- quences of an avowed rivalry between him and Jack Adams, and hoped, by gaining time, to see all traces of this rivalry disai)pear. Already Jack xVdams seemed to have understood the significance of her more markcKl reserve towards himself; in a few months, thought she, he will be completely cured of a passion without a possible issue, and Avill resign himself philosophically to his friend's happiness. Miss Nelly had decided that Jack Adams' ruling passion was pride, and she believed him to be but little accessible to sentiment. In this she was not mistaken ; but wliat slie was not aware of, was the ex- tremes to which wounded pride can drive a violent nature and a vindictive mind. At present, everything was quiet as yet. The labors were pushed on without intermission at the works of the Kasr and of Babel. Jack Adams and Cornille united their elforts so that everything should be finished at the commencement of the rainy season. Work was not wanting. The Davy and the Faraday had arrived at Bassorah in the first days of July. There was no possibility of transporting the new ma- terial to Babylon by Avay of the river. They had thus found them- selves luider the necessity of having all of it carried on camels' backs. A slow, expensive, and inconvenient way; but there was no other course to take. The hydraulic works of the upper Tigris were kept in regular electric communication with Liberty. In the middle of the month of August all were finally completed. The underground wires con- nected them with the central works of the Kasr. They were only awaiting the first rains of autumn and the rising of the Tigris in oi*der to send torrents of electricity to I>abylon and charge the accunudators to repletion. During the months of August and September the weather remained dry; but, from the first days in October, the telegraph reported abun- dant rains in the valley of the upper Tigris, and on the 17th the man- 212 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. ager of the works at Jezireh telegraphwl to Lord Badger that the Maters of the Tigris were high and the machines ready to work. At noon precisely the electric fluid arrived like an iniix>tu(jus flood at the extremity of the w ires. From the wires it was caused to pass into the accumulators, which were to be charged successively. Badger and his companions, collected together in the hall of the accumulators, are anxiously following the movements of the appa- ratus. The engineers, the builders, and the foremen are there to watch the progress of the final experiment. Everything goes on as Avell as could be desired. The first accumulator only has Ixvn placed in communication with the wires. At the end of eight minutes the bubbling is heard which is produced by the tumultuous escaping of oxygen and hydrogen, announcing that the accumulator is completely charged. Jack Adams takes his note-book and his pencil and puts down some figures. When his calculations are finished : " Gentlemen," says he, " in twenty-four hours we shall have charged two hundred elements ; that is to say, the wherewithal to begin the electric lighting of Liberty. To-morrow evening Babylon will be lit up by the force drawn from the sources of the Tigris." The engineer then placed the wires in communication with the fii"st series of the accumulators. All those present matched him work with curiosity. The hands of the works, loss familiar than their superiors with the theories of science and Avith mathematical abstractions, loudly expressed their astonishment at sight of these long copper wires, covered Avith silk and gutta-percha, proceeding in all directions in an a})parent disorder. That which seemed most extraordinary was to jX'i-suade oneself that these wires were really traversed by streams of electricity. " It is certain," said Badger, " that all this strangely confuses the imagination. The mind refuses to believe in such wonders." " I confess it is amazing," replied Jack Adams. " JMore than once T too have stopjK'd, ju'nsive, before the iron wires of a teh^graj)!!. Eh ! what, T said to niyseli", is it possible that at this moment words, sen- tences are circulating in this wire? I :uu in London, and there, througii this base metal, through this inert matter, there comes from Calcutta the announeenieiit of a brilliant iniieritanee, of a birth, of a death. All is silent around me, and yet here is ])assing the message Avhich traverses continents and seas with the rapidity of lightning." " When a vessel," added CornillC", " passes through the Mediterra- BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 213 iiean from Gibraltar to the shores of Asia Minor, as our Eledncity has done, the passen- gers sail more than once over cables which bind the con- tinents together, without thinking that human thought is passing at a few yards below their feet. Yes, my dear friend, you are right, there is something here to astonish even those who are the authors of these wonders." "As for me," said Miss Nelly, " it seems to me that I am the plaything of a dream. I cannot imagine that this inert wire, offering absolutely nothing extraordinary either to the sight or to the touch, should be at this moment the seat of a current of force which started over six hundred miles from here a thou- sandth of a second ago. I cannot be- lieve that this force is accumulated in these equally inert bits of lead." "And yet, miss, to-morrow evening you will certainly be obliged to believe it, when the place here will be lit up as in broad daylight." 214 BABYLON ELECT.RIFIED. In support of his words, Jack Adams showed, in all its details, the electric lam]) destined to throw a brig'lit liirht over all the re*rion. " Your lamp," observed Cornille, " is truly of gigantic proportions. I have never seen the like of it." "This is true. It was necessary to have in our possession a lumin- ous source of considerable intensity. Electricity shall not»lail us, and it is a question of illuminating a very large area." " AVhat is the power of this lamp?" " I estimate it at thirty thousand Carccl lamps at the least. This intensity of light corresponds to one hundred and fifty horse power, expended at this moment in any one of the works of the upjier Tigris. That is about one-fifth of the total force over which we can dispose up there. You see thus, my dear Cornille, that tiiis lighthouse, notwith- standing all its power, will consume for itself but the fifth part of the electricity which the hydraulic works send to Babylon," During all the afternoon of the following day Liberty was iuvadetl by a numerous crowd, arriving from all directions. The report of the evening's ex])eriment had spread quickly since the day before to Hillah and to the neighboring villages. Xotwitlistanding their supercilious affectation of indifference towards all that comes from the west, the natives had not been able to resist the temptation of seeing a new sun lit by the power of man. The streets of Liberty offered a most picturesque spectacle. Groups of Arabs, squatting on the ground in oriental fashion, took their frugal repast in the shadow of the houses, and ])ati(>ntly awaiicd the night. Sheiks arrived, magnificently dra])ed in their white burnous, their fine weapons sparkling in the sun, and mounted on mettlesome and riclily ca])arisoned horses. Ciu'ious peo}>le of lower degree had uniti>tl to travel by caravan. The tents raised around the city, the camels and the asses tied to stakes fixed in the ground, gave Liberty tlie a})pear- ance of a sort of intreuclied camp Yet, in this varied nndtitude, there was nothing of the din and tunudt, the deafening uproar of th'> Euroj)ean crowds. Tiiis gathering, composed only of men, and where neither the silvery voices of women nor the joyous cries i)f chiklren were heard, remained impassive aud cabu. at U'ast in aj)pearance, not- witlistaudiug its feverish expectation. I>a(lger received the visits of several sheiks and eaids of the oases, .some of whom, ab'i-ady kuowu to him, introduced their fri<'nds and relatives, who were desirous in their tui'u to see the "great Christian BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 215 chief." He talked long with them, and spoke to tliem of the experi- ments which he was going to try. On returning among the crowd, these sheiks in turn related all that the P^nglish lord had just told them. Curiosity was thus excited only the more, and the end of the day was awaited with great impatience. At seven o'clock the last accumulator was charged. They had to telegraph to the upper Tigris to have the movement of the turbines stopped. The current being interrupted, it was unnecessary to let the apparatus act to no purpose. Xext morning tlie turbines were to bo set in motion again, and the accumulators charged anew for the illumi- nation of the lighthouse. At last the sun set. Badger and all his companions proceeded to- wards the plain which extended at the foot of the Kasr, so as to be Avell opposite to the projection of the luminous rays. He was followed by the hands of the works and by the crowd of natives. Not a cry was uttered. An almost religious silence reigned. All, civilized and native, collected amid these deserts, felt themselves under the influence of the strange, of the inexplicable. For the first time the electric light was to flash out in these solitudes and illumine the ruins of the most famous of ancient cities. Twilight does not last long in these low latitudes ; yet they desired to wait until it had been entirely night for some time, so that the sud- den transition from darkness to light should be more striking. Time passed slowly ; the stars, becoming brighter and brighter, S})arkled by myriads in the firmament, where the milky way extended like a broad phosphorescent belt. " AVhat a beautiful night ! " murmured Miss Nelly into her father's ear. " Yes, dear child, heaven favoi's our attempts. It loves the bold ones who strive to wrest its secrets from it for the good of humanity." "Is it not strange that science is at times accused of impiety?" "Very strange, indeed," said Badger, with a certain solenmity, " for science is God himself." At this moment nine o'clock was heard to strike from the church of Liberty. Badger, rising iitimediately, set fire to a rocket ]>lanted in the ground before him. The rocket described a curve in the air, and, at the same instant, the lighthouse of Liberty was lit up by an im- mense jet of light. Surprised and almost blinded, the Arabs remained for a moment 21$ BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. speechless and startled. Then, all at once, the air resounded with their cries. Fond, above all, of the marvelous, this spectacle enra]>- tured them to deliriousness, and their enthusiasm no lonjicr knew any bounds. Allah ! .\llah ! Allah ! they rejxated, prostrating themselves^ and raising their arms toward heaven. Then there Avas a huhbnl) of confused voices, of varied exclamations. One thing that seemed to astonish them greatly was to see the excessively lengthened and in- tensely l)laek shadows which their bodies projected l)ehind them. Like great children, they amused themselves by making the most grotesfjue contortions in order to laugh at the images which they thus obtained on the sand. Suddenly the light was extinguished. Darkness set in, black, thick, all the more intense as the transition had been more rapid. By an effect of contrast due to the strain on the retina under the too bright impression of the electric light, the sky, just before diaphanous, now appeared l)lack as ink. The cries ceased instantly. At the end of three seconds the lighthouse was lit again definitely. ""Why this interruption?" Miss Xelly asked her father. " That was in the programme. Jack Adams wanted to surprise the curious." " Then he has well succeeded," said the young girl, laughing. It was midnight when the lighthouse ceased to shine. Those present had been informed as to the hour at which the light would l)e extinguished, so that each one could reach his tent or his inn as easily as in broad daylight. CHAPTER VI. THE LIGHTING OF LIBERTY. The next day was still more fruitful in wonders than the preceding one. Tiie lighthouse, notwithstanding all its power, was mere child's play for engineers such as Jack Adams and Cornille. The question now was to light up the streets and the houses of Liberty. It was also necessary to light up the two works of the Kasr and of Babel, so that the work might be continued during the night. Two different systems were to be employed for this purpose : the voltaic arc, obtained by Jablochkoff lamps, was to serve for lighting the streets and the halls of the Kasr and of Babel ; as to the houses, it was expedient to make use of the incandescent light, softer and easier to handle than the voltaic arc. During the whole day the workmen were in motion. The lamps had to be ])ut in their places, the connection of the wires made sure of; in a word, it was nece&sary tliat nothing should be overlooked, so as to be certain of success. Towards three o'clock the excitement began to be very great again in the streets of Liberty. The crowd of curious ones had grown still larger since the day before. (217) 218 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. The rest of the afternoon passed in the greatest quiet. At the sup- per hour this crowd dispei-sed to take some nourishment, whether inuU-r the tents, or in the inns of the city, or simply in tlie open air, on the sand or the grass of the meadows. Liberty was abundantly provided with victuals of every kind. Badger had given orders that food should be distributed gratuitously to every one. The oriental people are remarkably moderate. A handful of farina, a little water, a few dates or dried figs, that is what, for an Arab, constitutes an excellent repast. The liberality of his lordship did not need, therefore, to in- volve him very deeply. As on the day before, they waited until the darkness was complete before giving the signal for the illumination. This time the eti'ect was still more striking. As (juick as lightning all the streets, all the houses, all the shops, were lit up wonderfully. Electric lamps were distributed everywhere in profusion. The enthusiasm had been great on the night before ; this evening it was indescribable. It was delirium — it was folly. The natives went through all the shops, into all the houses, and found new causes for amazement everywhere. The coifee-houses, sparkling in the light of innumerable lamps, especially excited their admiration. Meanwhile the cry : " Fire ! fire !" rang out at one extremity of the city. The crowd immediately rushed towards the fire. When it arrived, all danger was already over. It was only a board that had taken fire, and a large pail of water, thrown over it, had been sufficient to extin- guish it. Jack Adams, who was walking with Cahuzac in the neighborhood of the house \vherc the fire had broken out, at the moment when the iirst flames were perceived, had inunediately divined the cause of the fire, while Cahuzac extinguished the burning board. The two inune- diately came back to the place where their friends A\'ere, to reassure them as to the consequences of the accident. " Mow did it haj»i)('n?" liadger asked Jack Adams. " That is very simple. We arc lit up at this moment by more than six thousand lanq)s. The condnctors, of a large diameter on leaving the works, grow gradnally thinner, until they are turned into simple wires at the moment when they enter the houses. These eonductoi*s arc of (•o])per, and enclosed in tubes of iron from whieli they are sepa- rated by henq) and petroleum. Now, the heat developed in the co])per BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 219 wires being so much the greater as they are thinner, it liappened that the current was intense enough to bring one of the wires to red lieat and set fire to the board against wliioh it was fastened. I had but to cut this wire in order to destroy the source of the evil. Our friend Caliuzac has done the rest by throwing water on the board." " But is there no means of preventing this accident, which can be- come very serious in a large number of cases, and menace a whole city with conflagration ? " "AV^hy yes, and this means is employed everywhere in Liberty. At the point where the wires enter a house, a wire of fusible metal is in- tercalated, which is intended to melt and to interrupt the current in the possible case that this current should become strong enough to damage the lamps or bring the inner wires to red heat." " But now ? " ... remarked Cahuzac. " In this case," continued Jack Adams, " it is probable that they forgot to put in this fusible wire. I shall go to assure myself of it to- morrow morning. With regard to this, observe the great superiority of electricity over gas as a means of public lighting. "What precau- tions must be taken for gas when it is desired to interrupt the com- munication with the street-pipe ! If this pipe is cut off, it nuist be hermetically closed in order to prevent the escape of gas. What dan- gers there are then to fear ! With electricity there is nothing of this. The wire is cut, and that is all ; the electricity cannot escape from the cut." Recovered from the short panic caused by the threatened conflagra- tion, the crowd had begun to move about again, less rough, however, more calmly and quietly, for one becomes surfeited of everything, even of the marvels and miracles of science. Besides, a new surprise was expected, and everybody proceeded towards the Kasr, Avhich — at eleven o'clock precisely — was in its turn to be lit up. The crowds massed themselves on the immense meadows which separate the town from the works. Eleven o'clock struck ; instantaneously, as if by the stroke of a magic wand, the last vestige of that which once was great Babylon was one blaze from base to summit. It was a gigantic pyramid of light, a formidable accumulation of electric lamps. All the details of the works appeared as if in broad daylight. At the top of the tower the lighthouse threw out its light 220 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. far and wide over the plain. This time the spectacle truly approached the suhlinio. " It has caused tears to come into my eyes," said good Moua- ghan naively to Badger. The gates Avere opened and the pul)lic was permitted to mcn'C about in all parts of the Kasr. The crowd ^vas seen to go up the spiral road and overrun the highest stories of the works. Ten minutes later there could be seen moving about on the jilatform above, and under the brilliant light of the lighthouse, thou- sands of heads surmounted by white haiks wound around with cords of camel's hair. On that evening the steam and petroleum engines were also i)ut into requisition. The accunuila- tors, charged by means of the works on the Tigris, furnished the light of the lighthouse and of Ijiberty ; the dynamo-engines, worked by coal and petroleum, served to light up the buildings of the Kasr. Jack Adams turned the power- ful rays of the lighthouse on to the ruins with which the })lain of Babylon is studdtnl. Some of these riiins presented a strange and truly fantastic appearance : under the intense brilliancy of the electric light, which eifaces the jM'inunbra, the tells resembhil raging waves on a stormy sea. At the foot of one of these hillocks, situated at about a mile from Liberty, a man was perceived, armed with a pick-axe, who was fever- BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 221 ishly digging the ground. He was lit up in his work by a lantern suspended from tlie end of a stick. It was easy to recognize Grimm, who, since the electric experiments had begun, was more than ever bent on his excavations. He raised his head for a moment, looked in the direction of the lighthouse, and set to work at diiririuir aanicd, and that one fancied one could almost hear the bursts of laughter is- suing from all the half open mouths. A certain number of women belonging to the working or poor class, and whoso dignity did not confine them Mithin the walls of their dwellings, had even ventured, but closely veiled, these, on the road from Hillali to Liberty. The children, who in the East seldom leave their mothers, accompanied them. This evening's gathering thus had an animation and a picturesqueness which the most brilliant festivals rarely have in the ISIussulman countries, where the absence of the icminine and infantile element brings a tone of gravity even into joy and pleasure. The feast did not end until very late at night. It was only towards two o'clock in the morning that the visitors, intoxicated with light and astonishment, retired to their tents and to the inns. Next morning Liberty had resumed its usual appearance. At day- break the Arabs had all reached their homes again. The experiments had succeeded perfectly on the whole. Excepting a few unimportant accidents, like that of the tire that broke out, evervthins: had ffone on as well as could have been desired. There had, indeed, been here and there some momentary extinc- tions, some defectiveness in the eonductibility of the wires ; an accu- mulator had been damaged. But these are tilings which are inevital)le in all works, and al)ove all at the beginning of so considerable an ex- periment. " We shall remedy the lew defective points," said Jack Adams to Badirer. " Now that we are rid (*f the crowd, we shall be more at ease to continue our trials." "If the crowd inconveniences you, "replied Badger, "it will be easy to keep il at a distance." "You think, then, that there will always be an allluence of visitors?" BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 22S " I am convinced that a still greater number of curious people will come here than during the last two days. These oriental populations are slow to come out ; but when once you have succeeded in setting them in motion there is a veritable invasion." On that very day they had proof that his lordship's conjectures were correct. Captain Laycock and Monaghan were walking about on the upper terraces of the Kasr, Avhen they perceived in the distance, on the road to Bagdad, a large caravan which was advancing rapidly towards Liberty. They hastened to inform Badger, who mounted with them to the summit of the tower, and all three turned their glasses in the direction indicated. The party was still too far off to distinguish anything, unless it be that it consisted of at least five to six hundred persons and was com- posed for the greater part of Arabs, who formed a multitude of white points, against which a few black spots stood out. These black dots indicated that there were several Europeans with the Arabs. Badger and his companions now awaited with impatience the arrival of the troop. Perhaps it brought information from Lon- don ; perhaps, who could tell ? even friends. The caravan did not make its entry into Liberty until tln-ee hours later. Badger and Ca]>tain Laycock went to meet it. They had not been mistaken : at the head of the troop there rode some fifteen Europeans, five or six of whom were acouaintances ; the English consul at Bag- dad ; the French consul ; Sir Edward Barthing, one of Badger's warmest friends ; Captain James Colson, an old acquaintance of Lay- cock ; two journalists, one of them a correspondent of the Times. Sir Edward Barthing and Badger, Captain Colson and Laycock fell into each other's arms in ecstasy. The English consul introduced to his lordship his colleague, the French consul, and some ten of the principal inhabitants and the native authorities of Bagdad. The lat- ter, mounted on superb horses, had put on their finest costimies for the occasion. His lordship bid his new guests welcome and conducted them to his dwelling. As to the throng that followed the f^nropeans and the Arab chiefs, it was sqbn dispersed in the coffee-houses of the city and in the environs. "And now explain to me how this caravan was formed?" asked liord Badger, when they were all collected in the })arlor before a lunch M"hich, though an improvised one, was none the less sumptuous. " How 224 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. have you been able to know so quickly that we had ben:un our exjwri- ments ? Yet I had expressly forbidden them to telegraph tlie news to Bairdad in order to avoid obstruction." " It was your experiments themselves that informed the inhabitants of Bagdad," replied Barthing. "The day before yesterday, at six o'clock in the evening, the news suddenly spread that a strange phe- nomenon was showing itself at the horizon towards the southwest. The population repaired in a body towards a knoll which rises at the highest point of the city and from where you command tiie view of the desert. I hastened there also, and saw a bright light sparkling above the horizon, throwing, as it were, jets of gold on the sand. I immediately saw that it was an electric lighthouse, and the consul, who was with me, declared that you had begun your experiments. Then, without losing time, we informed a few friends and ac(piaint- ances, and, mounting on horseback, we took the road to Babylon. We were followed by a large crowd, eager to see, which lias accompanied us to this place." The conversation contiiuied with animation. liadgcr and his daughter were hai)py to have late news from London, which Sir Ed- ward Barthing had left a short time since. The papers and reviews arrived regularly at TiiixTty, and a voliMninous corres|)(»ii(lenee was received there, but in regard to those thousand nothings which alone can render well the character of the absent native land, Barthing, w Im was well known in so(^iety, could furnish details, piquant through their newness. The experiments of the day belort' were repeatetl during the in'ght. BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 225 After having visited the city, the halls, the thousand wonders of the Kasr, Badger caused the Europeans and the native chiefs to mount to the top of the light-house tower to witness the experiments in li<>;litins, and .lack Adams was asked to draw out one. Unhappily for him, fortune, which had favored him at the first turn, wished without doubt to just I fv her name as a fickle goddess, for she al)ai)(loncd him at the decisive moment, and he drew the name of Nedjef. When Miss Nelly heard this result, she could not repress a move- <.?y»V-» BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 229 ment of joy, which, almost imperceptible and fugitive as it was, had not escaped her father, whoso eyes were at that moment fixed upon her. Since some time before this Badger had ac(|uired the certainty that his daughter loved one of the two engineers; but which one? He could not have stated it precisely. The drawing by lots had seemed to him an excellent means for ascertaining this ; that is why, during the whole time that the operation lasted, he had but seldom taken his eyes off his daughter. The gleam of pleasure which had crossed Miss Nelly's eyes when Jack Adams read the name of Nedjef had told him what he desired to know. Now it was settled — his daughter loved Cornille. This discovery did not displease him. Jack Adams and Cornille were both perfect gentlemen, equally distinguished, equally intelligent, equally industrious, the one like the other. If Badger had been asked which of the two seemed to him most worthy of esteem it would have puzzled him to reply. Yet, if his daughter had loved Jack Adams, his affection, with quasi-maternal intuitions, would have experienced alarms which it did not feel at all concerning Cornille. An optimist by nature and also somewhat from reason, he had yet too much pene- tration and experience in men not to have divined in Jack Adams the germ, if not of a coarse and vulgar egoism, at least of an unbounded self-love which time and successes would but develop. Cornille, on the contrar}', seemed to him endowed to a degree greater than ordinary with that happy qualification to which we are pleased to give the name, somewhat odd, perhaps, but after all expressive and well-invented, of altruism. In short, it seemed to his lordship that his daughter's happiness would be better assured with the Frenchman, and for his fatherly heart that was above all the important point. Jack Adams accepted his relative exile with good grace. " Fate has been just," he said to Cornille, stretching out his hand to him. " When I have gone to the frontiers of Persia or to the shores of the Persian Gulf you have remained alone ; it is now my turn to exile myself a little." " Quite an easy exile, my dear Adams," replied Cornille ; " from the sea of Xedjef to Babylo^n is but a step ; you will manage to cross it frequently." " Be sure that I shall not fail to do it," replied Jack Adams. Indeed, it might be said that, during the four months that his mis- 230 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. sion lasted, there was not a week in which Jack Adams did not come to pass a day at I^ihcrty. Towards the middle of the month of January, about a month after the commencement of the work, an exact account eould already \)e rendered of the plan of the whole. It was, in fact, of an extreme simplicity. On the site of ancient Babylon an immense square of about two and a half miles on each side had been marked out. Tiiere the new city was to arise, dotted with verdant clumps of trees, inter- sected by canals of running Mater, and over which the cano})ies of date-palms would wave about like gigantic fans destined to cool the atmosphere. The original square had been divided into sixteen hundred other squares by means of forty parallel lines drawn in the direction of the river and forty other lines perpendicular to the first. An immense chess-board had thus, been obtained, each square of which covered over two acres, that is to say, measuring about one hundred yards on each side. As Babylon was to be a gigantic city, the streets would have a breadth of one hundred yards by a length of two and a half miles. Cahuzac had made a remark ^vith regard to this that was not devoid of a certain interest: that is, that tlie inlial)itants of one side of the street would not be annoyed by the curiosity of the inhabitants of the opj)osite side. Besides, added he, the gossips would not be able to chatter and speak ill of the neighbor across the street. Large covered galleries, stretching from right to left, along the whole length of the street, M'ould, during the day, shelter the pedes- trians from the heat of the sun, already temj^ered by the brooks of running water and a double row of trees. By an ingeniously con- trived system, the part of the roadway lefl open to the sky could also be covered by canvas stretched from one roof to the other of the cov- ered galleries. Modern Babylon might have l)ecn reproached with being (piite monotonous, and with resembling the cities of the United States, over which — according to the expression of an American author — the god of architecture seems to have cast a malediction. In order to avoid a similar disgrace, and not to inflict on the old eartli, which had seen so many wonderful cities arise, th(> pretentious and irritating vidgarity of our modern cities, Badger had resolved to borrow all his ctTects at once from the constant source of all beauty : BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 231 nature. And, certainly, he was in a centre where he could draw freely on its treasures. By causing water to circulate in abundance in his nascent city, he could make of it a fairy-like city of trees and flowers. Under the luxuriant foliage, under the variety of tlie leaves, the inevita- ble poverty would disappear. In order to break tlie monotony, large places had been conceived, half of which were to be conv^erted into parks, in which they would try to collect together the species belonging to different zones of cul- ture, and the other half of which were to be reserved for the markets, the places of reunion, the great public monuments. It would have been unjust to ask more, the rest was the affair of the architects. It was hoped that they would come, like the rest, when the moment had arrived. Ah ! if only the Arabian genius had been able to rise from its torpor ! '^Tlie time is not yet ripe," murmured Grimm, mysteriously, put- ting the forefinger of his right hand to his brow. To see the birtli of a city is assuredly one of* the most curious and attractive spectacles that can be imagined. In order to bring such an enterprise to a successful end, there is perhaps not a single branch of human activity which it is not necessary to lay under contribution. It is a complex work in which every one is interested according to his qualifications : the poet like the artist, the artisan like the man of the world, the illiterate as well as the learned. What, then, is it when — as in the case of new Babylon — it is a question of causing it to issue all in a piece, and furnished with the complicated organism of modern life, from a desolate soil, abandoned for a long succession of centuries ! The digging of the canals greatly interested Miss Xelly and Fatma. Not a day passed on which they were not seen in one part or the other of the work-yards. Badger often accompanied them ; but it also fre- quently happened that he lefl them alone under Cornill^'s care. He knevr them to be safe and well taken care of. He had an absolute confidence in the character of his daughter, and in the honesty of the engineer. AYhen the two young people were betrothed, he knew that he would be the first one to be informed of it. The canals had not only for their object the bringing of water to the city, they were to serve for irrigating the plantations and cultivated lands which extended all around over a vast perimeter. And so, for several miles around, interminable staked-out lines were seen to ex- tend, representing the future irrigating canals. 232 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. That which greatjy excited tlie curiof^ity of the young girls was, above all, the working of the machines which were taking up the mud and the sand. Let us say a word about the method employed by Cornille. The canals to be dug had little depth and little width, for they were to serve only for irrigation and not for the transport of ships or even of simple boats. The machines for digging the ground wore similar to those which served for piercing the isthmus of Suez and that of Panama. But, instead of working by the aid of steam or of com- pressed air, they received their movement from electricity. For this, large wires, stretched along the ground, placed the electric works of the Kasr in communication with the extracting aj)paratus. It was a truly curious spectacle, these powerful engines which workwl without the eye being able to surmise where the motive power was. No fire, no smoke, nothing but a silent fluid, circulating in a stream in the copper wires. The hapj)iest of all during these lal)ors was certainly our archieolo- gist, Grimmitscholfer. He abandoned his singular excavations in the BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 233 form of trenches, for they became unnecessary ; the digging of the canals rephicetl them with advantage. "Now, what are you looking for in this manner?" Monaghan asked him one day when he saw the archaeologist carefully inspecting the bottom of a ditch that had just been dug. " It seems to me that, until now, the archaeologists contented themselves with making excava- tions in the ruins of the ancient monuments, and not with digging ditches across the plains." "You are right," answered Grimm. "But, if my colleagues act thus, it is because they are content with searching the common remains of the palaces or temples. As for myself, I have a grander object in view, of which no one has thought until now." "And what is this object, Mr. Grimm?" " Hush ! " replied the savant. " I shall soon have gained it, and you will be astonished at the boldness of my researches." " Be it so," said the geologist ; " I have too much resjiect for the secrets of others to question you any further." The labors brought to light a large number of curious objects, stones with inscriptions, foundations which threw a new light on the palaces of Babylon, statuettes, an immense quantity of articles which would make Badger's museum the richest in the wiiole world with regaixi to the ancient oriental civilization. The objects found belonged by right to his lordship. If Badger gave up all rights to his finds to Grimmitschoffer, those of the associa- 234 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. tion were legitimately his. The scientist contentetl himself with glean- ing. His ambition no longer lay there ; he was seeking the philoso- pher's stone of arehteology. What was it ? No one knew it, if not Grimmitseh offer. Did he know it himself? The future will soon tell us. CHAPTER Yin. TILLAGE AND COOKING BY ELECTRICITY. At the same time that the work of digging the canals was begun, another operation, more common, but no less useful, was being per- formed. The ground comprised between two canals was being tilled and sown by means of electric machines. Ploughs and drills were moved by the aid of motors similar to those which served for the excavations. It will be remembered how fertile the soil of Mesopotamia becomes as soon as it is supplied with a little water. Well, now it would not be wanting, and magnificent crops might be expected. For the first year, two hundred and fifty acres were thus sown, about a mile and a half from Liberty. The electric tillage, moreover, presented no difficulties whatever. (235) 236 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. Cornill^, who was the organizer of this work, had but to cojiv several famous experiments ah*eady made in France, principally at 8erniaize. The ground tilled and sown, it was still necessary to think of the future. The grains committed to the earth were to germinate and give birth to numerous ears. The essential point was to irrigate the plantations. Xow, water was not far off, since the fields were sur- rounded by a belt of ditches in communication with the Euphrates. But from the ditches the liquid had to be led to the roots of the stalks of corn. To arrive at this result pumps had to be set up. This irrigation required a new application of electricity. Each pump was furnished with a little electric motor, and each electric motor had to be connected by a special wire with the accumulators of the works on the Kasr. Thus this strange spectacle was afforded of solitary pumps working all alone, with no apparent motive power. Cornille had yet to occupy himself with the utilization of electricity for a domestic use of great interest. It was a question of nothing less than electric cooking and heating at Liberty. Chef Green was overwhelmed with joy. Just think ! Green was to be the first to heat his kettles, to roast his chickens by the aid of electricity. It must be admitted that this was enough to turn the brain even of a cook. " Electric soup !" " Roast venison, mode electnque I " "Asparagus, sauce electriqiie! " " Electric vanilla cream ! " Such was the memi which Green now saw every night in his dreams. Cornille in a few days transformed this dream into reality. On the 5th of February, at four o'clock in the evening, Green's kitchen was heated and lit up exclusively by electricity. From that day on not a single particle of coal appeared in the scuttles. . AVhat cleanliness now ! This was no longer a kitchen, it was a par- lor. No more of that dreadful coal which blackened the walls, no more smoke, no oven spreading heat and bad odor at random around it. A strang(f kitchen, in truth, where the most fantastic apparatus re- placed the common cooking-stove. " You see, Miss," said Green to Miss Nelly, who had come to wit- ness the first experiments in electric cooking; " I press this button, BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 237 and behold the water boiling in the kettle. I press this other button, and there the chicken turns slowly before the hot roaster." At the moment when Green was speaking thus he was standing up before a board provided with buttons, similar to those used for electric bells. Before each button a copper plate contained the indication of the corresponding apparatus and its use. Hot water, meat to boil, gridiron, roaster, stove No. 1, stove Xo. 2, etc. It was sufficient to push a button in order to set the corresponding api)aratus in action. By pushing another button, situated a little be- low the first, the electric current was interrupted and the operation brought to an end. Several apparatus were even automatic. Thus the current ceased spontaneously as soon as the temperature of the water reached the boiling-point and was re-established of itself when the temperature became too low. It is interesting to know how Cornille had solved the problem of electric heating. To the same extent that electric lighting has been a problem studied in all its phases, that of electric heating has been neglected. This fact is easily explained : the means of economical heating abound around us. Coal, wood, petroleum, are not high in price, and, thanks to them, we obtain a steady heating. The need of heat borrowed from electricity has, therefore, not yet made itself felt. But at Liberty the problem deserved the trouble of being closely examined. The quantity of electricity which they had at their com- mand was so considerable that it became possible to replace heating by coal by electric heating. Cornille had found himself under the obligation of inventing the necessary apparatus himself. He had only availed himself of the property which the electric current possesses of bringing a fine plati- mnn wire to red heat. Each time that the electricity circulates in a metallic wire it develops more or less heat. The temperature is the higher as the diameter of the wire is smaller. Cornille had chosen pla;tinum, notwithstanding its high ])rice, lying between that of gold and that of silver. But phxtinum had one im- mense advantage, that of being fusible only at an excessive temjK'ra- ture, and, above all, of not being attacked by the substances which would enter into the composition of the food. 238 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. This last point was of the greatest necessity. A copper wire, for example, would have gradually dissolved in the food and would have ended by poisoning the guests. "Now," said Cahuzac, "Green poisons us sufficiently already, with- out electricity coming to the rescue." Simply a joke, having but the force of a witticism, for chef Green was really a model cook, having never disturbed anybody's digestion. The culinary instruments were divided into two categories — the roasters and the boilers. The first were to be brought to a high tem- perature, to a violent red heat, radiate and roast the meats turning near them. The object of the second was to boil the water and bring it to ebullition. The roasters were composed of platinum wires brought to incan- descence by the electric currents. As to the boilei's, they were spirals of platinum immersed in the liquid that they were to boil. The spiral of platinum became red hot in the air. But in the mass of water it communicated its heat to the liquid, which was rapidly brought to ebullition. The 5th of February was a holiday for Badger and his companions. A grand banquet united the principal collaborators of his lordship around the same table. Jack Adams was present and gave his col- leagues an account of the state of the works in the lake of Xedjef. They were advancing rapidly and would soon be finished. The feast was merry, and a considerable mmiber of toasts hailed the new electric cooking. One only, Cahuzac, found fault. At each new dish he was seen to make a grimace. " Why, what is it that you object to in this cooking ? " Cornill6 at last asked him, out of jiatience. " I find," replied the photographer, smacking his tongue against his palate, " I find that it has a slight odor of electricity." After the electric cookery Cornille did not rest yet. He set up two electric lifts, one at the Kasr, the other at Babel. From the same time dates also the appearance of the first pa})er at Liberty. This journal, which bore the title of Bahi/hn Elednficd and from which we have borrowed the greater part of our narrative, appeared but once a week. The paper was printed on a rotary ])ress, set in movement by electricity. Thus thought was set down in indelible characters at Babylon by means of the falls of the Tigris. A uni(|ue event in the aiuials of BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 239 journalism — Babylon Electrified was distributed gratuitously to all its subscribers. Furthermore, the works of the Kasr and of Babel were connected by telephonic wires with the dwellings of the engineers at Babylon. The principal houses of the city were also connected with each other. Cornille delighted the inhabitants of Liberty by setting up electric clocks in the streets. Finally, an accident also gave ]Monaghan an occasion to show a new and original application of electricity. They came to tell him one day that one of the workmen at the Kasr had had a finger torn off. The unfortunate man's hand had been caught in one of the gearings of the steam-engine. It was lucky for him that the accident had had no worse conse([uences. He had run the risk of losing his hand, his arm, and perhaps even of being entirely crushed between the mIiocIs. Monaghan went to the place of the accident. Tiie amputation of the finger was found to be necessary. It was then that the idea came 240 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. to him of utilizing the electric current for cutting off the crushed part. Monaglian took a long platinum wire and brought it to a white heat by the passage of electricity. Then, using this wire like a knife, he cut the patient's finger in a few seconds. The operation succeeded perfectly, and the invalid, notwithstanding the loss of his finger, felt relieved at once. This operation was naturally spoken of in the evening at the com- mon table. " How is it," asked Cornille, who had witnessed the ojjeration of the geologist-doctor, " that not a single drop of blood was lost, and that the patient did not show signs of a very intense pain ? Yet it seems to me that the artery cut by the wire would let blood flow, and that the section of the nerves would bring on the sensation of acute pain. Add to this that a burn is always very painful." " You forget one thing, my dear Cornille," replied Monaghan ; " that is that the platinum wire was brought to the temperature of red heat. Now, at this temperature, the cuts are cauterized, the arteries and veins closed^ and the nerves so instantaneously destroyed that all pain is suppressed."., ' " That is true," replied Cornille. " That also calls to my mind a certain accident of which I was the victim quite recently. I desired to show some persons Avith what facility the electric current brought the platinum wires to a red heat. AVell, through forgetful ness, I had kept one of the extremities of the j)latinum wire between my fingers at the moment when it was traversed by the current. I felt no pain whatever, and it was only through the smell of the buiued flesh that I was apprized of tlie fact that tlie wire had penetrated my skin." The conversation then continued on the subject of other ai)i)lieations of electricity to medicine, and especially to surgery. ISIonaghan re- called that a great number of dynamo-electric machines were nuule for the use of invalids, with alternating weak currents. These currents are caused to i>ass through the sick jnirts, and real relief is at times obtained. Cornille told of anotlier very curious surgical application of which he had been a witness. It was a (juestion of extract iug a small frag- ment of iron from the eye of a smith. A pair of iron j)iuccrs were arranged so an to serve as a magnetic nucleus for a powerful clwtro- BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 241 magnet. The piece of iron then attached itself fast to the pincers, and <;oukl be drawn out. As they were in the humor for story-telling, Captain Laycock men- tioned a curious occurrence that had happened in Brazil during a short sojourn that he had recently made in that country. An invalid was afflicted with elephantiasis. A physician subjected the excrescence of flesh to an electric current, which finished by reducing the swelling and li(piefying it, so to speak. " I have also heard it told," said Miss Nelly, " that the interior of the human body could be lit up, and the exact place seen where a pro- jectile had lodged itself." " That is perfectly correct. Miss Badger," replied ISIonaghan. " Un- fortunately this procedure, so simple and so ingenious, can be applied only in cases where the projectile is situated in the neighborhood of the stomach or of the lungs. A small electric lamp is introduced into the stomach of the wounded person. Thus the interior of the body is strongly lit up, and it becomes possible to perceive the position of the opaque projectile." " How ingenious this all is ! " said Miss Nelly. " How convenient electricity is, and how it is applied to innumerable uses." " Yes, Miss Badger," replied Cornille. " Electricity is certainly the most convenient form in which force can be utilized, for we trans- form it at will into movement, heat, and light." 16 CHAPTER IX. THE END OF AN ARCHAEOLOGIST. For several months Grimmitsclioffer had \)Qcn showing certain signs of mental derangement. His madness had begnn on the day when he returned to Babylon, after his excursion on the npper Tigris and the frontiei*s of Persia, What characterized his morbid condition was that he seemed to liave no aim whatever in his excavations. He neglected the really interesting finds, which were nevertheless not wanting, to search ex- citedly for " something " which he would not tell. The conclusion is that he did not know himself what he was seek- ing — a characteristic sign of madness. Yet, until then, they could still doubt. But doubt was no longer admissible when he was seen to abandon the hillocks and trace these interminable ditches in the midst of the ]>lain. This time it was no longer to be denied, the poor savduf was com- ])letely mad. Every one had pity on him, let him alone, and only looked after him at long intervals. In short, his madness was mild ; he was a great child, incapable of doing the least harm. On the 18th of March, GrimmitschofTer came to Libei-ty in an agi- tation ini])ossil)le t(> describe. Bareheaded, his clothes in disorder, his eyes starting from their sockets, he noisily entered Jiadger's dining- room. All were assembled at that moment, quietly talking of the (242) BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 24S works which were being executed at the time and of those which were soon to be undertaken. Jack Adams had loft the lake of Nedjof on the evening of the day before, and was passing- tlic day at Liberty. A bomb bursting suddenly in their midst could not have produced a greater surprise. Miss Nelly and Fatma both uttered a cry of terror, and left their seats, ready to flee. Every one rose, thinking of an attack, a fit of raving madness. But Grimm, on reaching the centre of the room, suddenly stopped ; then, looking around him with a triumj^hant air, he slowly uttered these words : " I have found it." And, as every one remained silent : " Yes, gentlemen, I have found that which I have been seeking for so long a time . . . Now, I can tell you to your face, you thought me mad. You pitied this poor Grimmitschoffer." As several made a negative gesture : " Do not deny it," continued Grimm, without giving them time to speak : " I saAv it clearly l)y yoiu' looks. But to-day I come here witli head erect, and I no longer fear your jests, for I have found it." "Well, what is it that you have found?" asked Badger, when Grimm had calmed himself " What I have found, my lord ? " cried the savant, raising his eyes towards heaven ..." What I have found ? . . . I prefer not to tell you, and to leave the pleasure of surprise to you. Come with me, and you shall see." " AVhere must we go ? " asked Jack Adams. " Is it to the end of the world ? " said Cahuzac. " No, my fine Mr. joker," replied Grinnn to the j^hotograj^her. " I even advise you to take your apparatus along, for that which you are going to see is so wonderful that you should leave its image for the admiration of posterity." " Where must we go ? " asked Jack Adams a second time. "To the seventh tell, on the road from Liberty to Bagdad," replied Grimm, " two miles from heroj^' " Let us go," said Badger, " I'll fi)llow you. The weather is agree- able t])roaclied the boiler and went all nrouud it. He was BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 247 seen to stoop down as if to read an inscription ; then he came back to- wards Grimmitschoffer with a jesting air : " My dear savant and friend Grimmitschofier," said he to the areli- aeologist, " permit me to congratulate you on your discovery. Draw near : you will be able to read on one of the sides of your locomotive the name of its maker." " They all went forward towards the boiler, Grimm in front with Cahuzac. " Stoop down," said the latter. " Look here ; read : GAIL & CO.— PARIS." Grimmitschoffer uttered not a single word. The blood rose sud- denly to his face ; he turned two or three times on himself and fell heavily to the ground, against the boiler which he had just discovered. He was raised up immediately and all necessary attentions M'cre lavished upon him. It was useless ; the apoplectic stroke had been fatal. Grimm was dead ! . . . The loss of Grimmitschoffer without doubt Avas not likely to cause as much regret as that of good Flatnose; but, although the archaeologist won but very little sympathy, and though, swelled with vanity, he had not succeeded in making himself liked by his companions, yet this unexpected death nevertheless spread consternation among tlie members of the expedition. " Here are two victims in less than a year," said Badger, on the day after the accident ;" if that continues, who of us will be left to witness the completion of the work ? " "That is true, my lord," replied Monaghan. "But it must be ob- served that the two victims have themselves been the instruments of their death. Flatnose would still be living were it not for his blind temerity and bravery. A.? for Grimmitschoffer, he died of pride. He would never have survived his disgrace as a savant. '' " By the bye," asked Badger, " how do you explain the presence of this boiler, constructed at Call's, among the rubbish of a tell?" " I have made inquiries," replied Monaghan ; " here an; the results : Some twenty years ago a steamboat tried to ascend the Euphrates above Babylon. The little vessel ran aground on a sandbank. The crew, after useless efforts to set it afloat again, had to al)andon it to go to the 24S BABYLO!? ELECTRIFIED. mouth of the river in quest of more powerful means for saving the ve^seL But, when they returned, the ship had completely disappeared, A band of Arab pillagers had carried off all thai it was possible to take, then completed the destruction of the rest by setting fire to it. The steam-engine itself was taken off. But, not being able to bring away so heav^- a weight, the plunderers buried it in the tell, where it was unfortimately found again by Grimmitschoffer." " I do not understand." said Badger, *• why Grimm had not read the inscription, yet plain enrjugh, which was the cause of his death.'* "Pardon me," replied Monaghan, "that is easily understood. Grimm, full of joy at the discovery, did not take the time to examine it. Entirely blinded by his fixed idea that locomotives existed at Babylon, he believed that his find was genuine. In the midst of a ruin, he would certainly expect to find only objects belonging to the same epoch as that ruin. It must be acknowledged that for a mind engrossed like his the mistake was easy to make." CHAPTER X. A REVOLT. While setting up the numerous electric apparatus which we have described around Liberty and in the town itself, Cornille had taken care not to neg:lect his thermo-solar pile. It was complete, and the time was approaching when it would become necessary to make use of it. It was in the middle of May, and the turbines of the upjK*r Tigris were beginning to slacken their movement. Tlie waters, decreasing more and more within a fortnight, had suddenly fallen over three feet. It was the end of the winter season for the hydraulic works ; the summer season was to Ix^in for Bal)el. After the electricity pro- duced by the waterfalls, the electricity produced by the rays of the sun. " After the rain, fine weather," as Cahuzac said. (249) 250 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. Indeed, the time was approaching when, as the turbines would cease to work altogether, it would become necessary to renew the supply of electricity by the thermo-solar pile. Cornill6 was awaiting with an impatience easy to understand this day, which was to decide his future, when graye eyents occurred which well nigh com- promised the future of the work and indefinitely deferred the welfare of our hero. On the eyening of the 21st of May the lighthouse and the whole town of Liberty were wrapped in the most profound darkness. This is what had hapiwned. For some time before this a secret restlessness reigned in the works. A week before, Badger had receiyed a deputation from the European workmen, who demanded an increase in wages on ac- count of the approaching heat which would make the work more fatiguing. Others, professing to be oyerworked, desired to return to England. In appearance the demands of the workmen were just ; in reality they were not. Liying at Liberty Mas for them extremely cheap. They had dwelling, lighting, heating for nothing. The humblest laborer earned no less than from eight to ten shillings * a day. As to the victuals, they had to pay for them, which Ayas but just; but there was a fixed price on all goods, and this price certainly represented the minimum of the cost price. Their lot was thus, in truth, })rcfcrable to that of the workmen in Eurojie, without eyen taking into con- sideration the facilities which would be afforded those who should desire to become colonists, and the future prospects that were open before them. As to returning to their native land, no obstacle was laid in tlic way of any workman m ho asked to do so. Badger in that (jase furnishctl him with the sum necessary for reaching Bassorah, and to get from there to any part of Europe which he named. But now it was no longer a question of one or two workmen ask- ing to return to their country — there was a whole troop of tiiem, and it was unreasonable to demand that Badger should pay the exjK'nses of a desertion en masse, the consequences of which might be disastrous for his interests. Badger, therefore, did not doubt for a moment that a ferment of ♦About $2.00 to $2.50.— Trans/alor. BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 251 discord existed at Liberty and that the \vorkmen were incited by some ringleader. But where find this leader? How extirpate this ferment ? It was necessary to act with extreme prudence. Without promising anything whatever, Badger dismissed the embassy, saying that he would first have to consult his associates. On that very evening, in fact. Badger gave his friends an account of what had passed during the day and explained the situation to them. They were all convinced, like himself, that there was among the workmen — as it nearly always happens in such cases — a firebrand who incited tkem to revolt. The main point was to gain time. On the following day. Badger received the delegates again. He showed them how worthless, how unjust even, their demands were ; talked long to them of the exceptional situation which was given them by the association of which he was the principal, and concluded by declaring that he did not believe in the sincerity of their demands. He thoujj;ht that thev were concealing; the truth from him. The delegates tried at first to deny that there was any premedita- tion with them, or a secret motive for their proceeding. But, forced to their last intrenchments and driven against the wall by the inflexible logic of his lordship, they finally confessed the truth. The truth was that the European workmen had yielded to fear. The native population of the town and of the works, so peaceful until then, was very nuich agitated fijr some time. The Arab workmen frequently assembled together, and the resolutions which they took in these private meetings, from which the foreign workmen were carefully excluded, were always kept secret. One fine day, however, some European workmen were invited to attend one of these meetings. There it was made known to them that the native workmen, dissatisfied with their wages, were resolved to demand an increase. And as Lord Badger would no doubt have an- swered them that the European workmen showed themselves to be less exacting, the latter were called upon to demand iiu increase immediately for themselves. The Europeans, who thought their wages were sufficient, declared that they would not obey this order. At this reply great was the wrath of the Arab workmen. They declaretl in plain terms that they were 252 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. going to drive away the foreigners, put them all to death, and destroy the works from top to bottom. It wa.s then that the Europeans, alarmed, promised the Arabs to obey them and to demand a large increase in wages of Lord Badger. Some, more timorous than the others, even resolved to ask to depart immediately. These revelations were grave. It was necessary to act with energy. Captain Lay cock proposed nothing less than to fusillade all the Arab workmen. " No," replied Badger, " We must be prudent. It is perhaps still time to bring the reliels back to reason. Before having recourse to force, I want to exhaust persuasion. But if I fail I shall not hesitate to break down all obstacles." " Another one who believes in the efficacy of kindness and clemency," said Cahuzac to himself. " If it were I, I should draw up all these l)la('kani()()rs in a line, and, M)irr !' they would bo struck down by ek'ctricity, which would do wonderfully well here." After a short deliberation, it was left to Badger's skill to put an (Mid to the conflict. The European workmen were called together. His lordship a-ssured them that no harm should come to them as long as he were there, and urged them quietly to resume their work. On the BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 253 other hand, he summoned the Arab workmen, promised tliem a slight increase of wages, and threatened them with the anger of the padishah if they persisted in their refractoriness. For a few days everything seemed to be restored to order. But on tlie 21st all the workmen, natives and foreigners, refused to go up to the works on the Kasr. That is why the town of Liberty was enwrapped for a whole night in complete darkness. CHAPTER XI. THE TIIERMO-SOLAR PILE. Tins time tlicrc was no hesitating — the least appea ranee of weak- ness would have been the ruin of the expedition, the misearriage of the dreams for the future, and perhaps the signal for a general massacre of the Eurojieans present at Liberty. But with men of the stamp of Badger and his associates, nothing like this was to be feared. Without losing a minute, Badger telegraphed to the English consul at Bagdad, informing him of what had taken place, and rccpiesting him to send Turkish troops with all ])ossible speed. At the same time he (254) BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 265 asked him to inform tlie governor of his firm intention to arrest the principal culprits and have them taken under safe escort to Bagdad to be tried there. Two hours later the consul answered that the governor gave Badger carte blanche to punish the guilty parties. He notified him, besides, of the near arrival of a hundred Turkish soldiers. Badger went among the rebels immediately after, armed with his revolver. He was accompanied by Cajitain Laycock, by the two engineers and by Blacton, also armed ; IMonaghan and Cahuzac had remained with the two young girls, prepared for any emergency. " Do not leave my father," had been Miss Nelly's whispered en- treaty to Cornill6. Badger informed the Arabs of his intention to arrest the culprits, and of the near an-ival of the Turkish soldiers. As he finished si)eaking, one of the Arabs approached him, his eye aflame, brandish- ing a long knife. With a shot from his revolver, Badger stretched him at his feet. At sight of this, there was a general stampede in the group of na- tives. Not that the Arabs lack courage, but every energetic use of force exercises a sort of fascination over them. Badger's action had invested him in their eyes with a prestige to which they submitted without even attempting to resist. There remained the European workmen. They assured Badger that they had acted only under the threat of the Arabs, and that they were willing to take up their work again. Badger deemed it prudent to arm them, for fear of a more general uprising on the part of the Arabs. Those among the latter who had openly taken part in the revolt did not return, either on that day or on those following. A few came back to Libertv and humblv asked to enter the works ag-aiu. Badger, thinking the revolt quelled, complied with their recpiest. One of them attracted notice by his supplications and his protesta- tions of repentance. It was a laborer who had settled in Liberty not long before. Dressed like an Arab, his appearance and speech would cause him to be' recognized rather as a Kurd. Badger ^iciivo him per- mission to enter the works again like the others. But if lie had seen the glance full of hate which the Kurd darted at him Avhen he had crossed the threshold, Badger would have comprehended that the man whom he had killed was neither the principal nor the most dangerous culprit. 256 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. AVhen the Turkisli soldiers arrived, three days later, all was quiet at Liberty. Nevertlieless, as the return of similar occurrences might be feared, it was decided that they should remain in the town. The departure of a part of the workmen had fortunately brought no serious disturbance into the labors at the works. On the 25th of May they were ready to set the thermo-solar pile in motion. It had been decided that they should await the time when the sun already stood high over the horizon before beginning the working of the apparatus. At ten o'clock, the rays would fall in an almost per- pendicular direction, and the maxi- mum yield would be obtained. From nine o'clock on, Cornill6 was at his post on the platform of Babel. He had no doubt as to the result. He had made so many preliminary experiments that he be- lieved himself able to foretell with certainty the quantity of electricity that could be collected in the accu- mulators. Nevertheless, since the morning, he was prey to a great agitation. Suppose that the sun which was rising, instead of shining on his triumph, was going to light up his defeat? It would only be a drawn game, after all ; he would begin again ; he was sure of his calcula- tions. But it was not only a question of success that was at issue ; it was not his fortune, his ambiti()n,which Averc at stake, it was his love, his hap- piness. Miss Nelly had said to him : '' Until then, think of nothing else." From tliis day forth, he would therefore be permitted to as})ire oj)enly to her hand, to allow not a day to ])ass without proving his attection to her, without striving to win her own. Tliev would then form projects together for the future. Was it really possible, such a dream ? A^^as n(jt some evil spirit watching in the darkness to j)repare a terrible awaking for him ? But no, everything favored him : the sky was splendid; not a cloud, BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 257 however light, to hide the rays of the sun. No moisture in the air to (lirainish the intensity of its rays. A burning heat, pouring down on the copper plates of the pile, and quite ready to be transformed into electricity. Cornille placed the two poles of the pile in communication with the wires which led to the accumulators in the works on the Kasr. He carefully examined the wires which connected the elements of the pile, so as to avoid any interruption of the current. He was desirous of having a hand himself in the final preparations and to leave nothing unthought of, so that he should be able, whatever happened, to bear witness to himself that he had kept the promise made to his beloved one, to think of nothing but the final success. Ah ! if she were only there. The hand on the dial of Babel was drawing near to ten o'clock, when two persons, who were no others than Miss Nelly and Fatma, appeared at the end of tne terrace. For those wlio believe in the effects of inspiration, there will be nothing surprising in this appearance. Since morning. Miss Nelly also was tormented by a distressing expectation. She also had wished to be alone. She had shut herself up in her room and had refused to accompany her father and liis friends, who had gone to the accumula- tors in order to be enabled to ascertain immediately the result obtained. She was feverishly Avatching the clock slowly marking the minutes, when, moved by a sudden resolution, she took her hat, her parasol, her gloves, and, leaning on the arm of her faithful companion, she pro- ceeded towards the Kasr. Somewhat out of breath from a rapid ascent, the two young girls stopped a moment l)efore advancing towards the engineer wlio, ab- sorbed in his work, had not heard them coming;. Miss Nellv advanced alone, and found herself opposite Cornille just at the moment when he raised liis head, after having finished his examination. ** You here, Miss Nelly ! " cried he, overwhelmed with joy and surprise. " I wanted to come myself to inspire you with courage and confi- dence," replied his lordship's daughter. " Was I wrong in violating orders ? " "Can you speak so?" said the engineer. "I have never been wanting either in courage or in confidence ; but now that you are 17 258 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. here, my good genius, my patron fairy, I am certain of success. Thank you, Miss Nelly, thank you." These words agitated the young girl. But, overcoming her emotion, she said to the engineer, in a still faltering voice : "And now, attention to your calculations ; you run the risk of being behind time, and my father is punctuality itself. There is no longer any one here : Fatma and I will wait quietly in some corner." However quickly this scene had taken place, it had lasted several minutes. Violent strokes of the hammer rang on the bell of the tele- phone which placed Babel and the Kasr in communication. Cornille hastened towards it and put the instrument to his ear. "What has happened?" asked Badger; "it is already five minutes past the hour, and there is still nothing." Cornille drew out his watch, an excellent chronometer ; it showed indeed five minutes past ten. "An involuntary delay," he replied immediately, "I'll set it in motion." And, running towards the ends of the wire, he put them in commu- nication with the poles of the pile. This done, he went back to the telephone, waited five minutes, and asked : "What result?" " Perfect," replied Badger, a minute later, Cornille anxiously re- peating all his words. " The figure announced is even exceeded by five units." "My best congratulations, Mr. Engineer," ]Miss Xelly then said, advancing and roguishly outlining a ceremonious courtesy. Then, pressing Cornille's hand, first with the grave tenderness of a sister, and then with the tender and fond affection of a //r my hand this very day." Before he had even foiuxl the strength, in the ecstasy of his happi- ness, to stanmier a word of thanks or at least to fall on his knees, as a well-bred lover would nt)t have failed to do, Miss Xelly had taken Fatma's arm again and was hastily descending the stairs. Cornille saw her go down the slope, ligiit as a bird, and soon dis- appear in the direction of the Kasr. BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 25Si: " I do not know what I should have done," ho mutterem|M>sition of water by the thermo-solar ]>ile. So long as Cornille's pile furnished such quantities of electricity, it became useless to go far away to collect the natural forces of the wind, of the tide and of the waves of the sea. Badger, consulted with regard to the abandonment of this part of the programme, was the first to advise it. In his oi)inioii, the trial BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 265 experiments had given such results that it was advisable to finish them as quickly as possible, to publish, them, to found a great joint stock company for the construction of new Babylon, and to make an appeal for capital. Besides, to tell the truth, the utilization of the wind, of the tides and the waves of the sea seemed to him still too much in its infamy. In the waterfalls, and above all in the rays of the sun, there were the means for furnishing sufficient electricity to the future colony. It would always be time to finish the experiments with the rest. AVhen the receiver was constructed, it was necessary to find a suitable site for it. It was decided to place it on the top of Babel, in the vicin- ity of the pile. There, it would be near to the electric source, and under the immediate supervision of Cornille. Ten days after the events which we have just related, the new es- tablishment was completely finished. It had a vague resemblance to gas-works. By means of thick platinum wires, the water was decom- posed into its two elements by the electric current. Oxygen and hydro- gen, subjected to a pressure of thirty atmospheres, were accumulated in the receiver. Thanks to this arrangement, they possessed a considerable source of heat : for it is known that an excessively high temperature is obtained by the combination of oxygen with hydrogen. A month has passed away since the revolt of the Arabs. The works of the Kasr have now taken on their usual appearance again ; the town of Liberty is quiet. Were it not for the presence of the Turkish soldiers, nothing would have recalled the painful scenes of the threatened riot of the 21st of May. Babel, which appeared to slumber for so many months, has in its turn become a centre of activity. Now it is the soul of Badger's (en- terprise, for at its summit electricity is produced, the source of every movement. It will be remembered that one of Badger's great projects was the construction of electric railways. Since CornillC''s thermo-solar pile furnished streams of electricity, it was now possible to think of the construction of the most useful railroad. This latter was quite naturally indicated among the three principal lines which were to start from liabvlon. These three lines were : that of Bagdad, that of the Persian (iulf, and lastly that of the Mcnliterra- nean. The line of Bagdad presented serious disadvantages if it was 266 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. built first, for it would i)ermit the hostile populations of the East to come easily to the new city. Badger desiretl, on the contrary, to iso- late Babylon as long as possible from the rest of Mesoi)otamia, which is watered by the Tigris. The line of the Persian Gulf would not be of use until later on. There thus remained only the railroads which, ascending the Euphrates, would proceed across Syria to join tiie ^ledi- terraneau. For this year, they desired simply to construct a short branch of alx)ut twelve miles, quite sufficient for the preparatory trials. The work advanced rapidly, especially as to the embankments which were to protect the railway from the inundations of the river. Thus, everything seemed to proceed as well as could be desired. And yet disquietude reigned in all hearts, AVhat an anxiety seizes you suddenly in the middle of a fine sum- mer's day at the approach of a violent storm? Nothing, in appear- ance, disturbs the purity of the sky, and yet every one has the pre- sentiment of an unknown danger. The bird becomes silent in the branches, the insects go back below the ground, the grass itself trem- bles and withers. ]\Ian, uneasy, examines the horizon, and looks in the distance for the cloud M'hich is to bring the lightning. Thus Cornille, a more sensitive nature than the others, perhaps, more particularly felt the storm approaching. Two things gave him espe- cially much uneasiness : the revolt of the Arabs and the care which Badger had taken to keep secret his betrothal to iNIiss Xelly. It is true that the Arabs were now quiet. But it seemed to Cornill6 that this calm very much resembled that which precedes a storm. He no longer found the same sympathy as fomnerly among these workmen. Always sparing of words, they worked silently, retired Avithin them- selves, as if impatiently awaiting a much longed-for coming event. Cornille had tried to make tlicni speak. They had answered him that no one bore Badger or him any malice, that they all liked their n)asters, whom they found good and generous. What displeased them was the work accomplished by his lordshij). They foresaw that tluy would be driven out of ^Mesopotamia in the near future. They had bei'u told that Badger wanted to found a large city on the site of Babylon, and people it with Europeans, that is to say, Christians. They, the Arabs and Mahometans, would therefore be obliged to fiee and to return to Aral)ia, where existence was so hard and the soil of such little fertility. BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 267 Then, he liad further learned that the dervishes looked unfavorably on the works executed in their ('oiintrv. All that was beinii; dune at Babylon was the work of the evil spirit. The wonders which had been witnessed could be explained only by his inter- vention. On their return home, after having seen the electric lighting of Liberty and the lighthouse of tlie Kasr, the Arabs had shown less religious fervor than before. It was therefore necessary to root out this fennent of indiscipline and of relaxing in faith. If care was not taken, Christianity would soon replace the religion of IMahoniet. " Death to these dogs of Christians ! " ,^]^ had said the marabouts in the mosques. Sooner or later, an outburst of rage and hate was to be exjiected on the part of the ])opulace against Badger's enterprise. The only thing which coidd yet save Badger and his companions was the support of the Sultan .and of the armed force. But it is known how fee- ble is the influ- ence of the Sul- tan in INIesopo- tamia. Every year witnesses the outbreak of considerable revolts, of which the Turk gets the upper hand only with nuich difficulty. If relig- ious fanaticism was min- gled with it, there was ■' - V everything to fear. The commander of the faithful himself seemed to lend a favorable ear to the comi)laints which Avere addivssed to him against Badger. 268 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. The fact was, therefore, that he too foarefl tlie influence of the pow- erful English lord on the populations of Asia Minor. AVe have also said that one of the things which troubled Cornill6, was the silence which Badger desired to preserve in regard to the be- trothal of his daughter, and the reason for which he found it impossi- ble to discover. Uneasy for a time at the favor with which Jack Adams seemed to be regarded by Miss Nelly, he had long ago recovered from his jealous fancies and had ceased to see a rival in his colleague. Still less would he have suspected him of base envy. He had always considered Jack Adams as his devoted friend, and continued to esteem him as such. Man is ingenious in tormenting himself. Cornille came to think that his betrothed had already been engaged to some one in England, and that, for this reason, Badger did not wish to divulge her engage- ment with another. He spoke of it to Miss Nelly, who assured him that her heart had always been free, and that she had never been en- gaged to any one. " ISIy father simply wished to know whether you were capable of keeping a secret," she sometimes said, laughingly. At bottom, she was only too well assured of the wisdom of his lord- ship's injunctions. She feared the terrible consequences of an open rivalry between the two young men as much as he — more than he, perhaps. Yet happi- ness makes blind, and Miss Nelly was yet in the age when hope in the future is strong enough to counterbalance and silence dismal presenti- ments. In spite of the uneasiness which this cause for anxiety gave her, the sentiment which predominated with her was the joy of knowing her life to be joined forever to that of Cornille. What delightful projects for the future were exchanged with Fatnia. " You will stay with us," said she to her companion, " you will see how happy I shall be with him." " Pshaw ! " replied Fatma, " when you are once married you will no longer care for my society." " You naughty girl. That is to say that it is you who will leave me to be nun ric'd in your turn." "Oh ! as for that, I don't say no," replied the young girl, blushing. "There! now 1 think of it, you will marry Jack Adams." BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 269 " Never," cried Fatma, with an energy which surprised Miss Nelly. "Why? Is he not young, liandsome, aniial)le?" " I don't like liim," resinned Fatnia. " It may be that he is good, but he has a hard look. He has the eyes of a harsh man ! I should be afraid of him if ho were my husband. Oh ! I beg of you, my dear Nelly, do not think of making me marry him. I would die rather than become his wife." " Fear nothing, my dear Fatma," said ISIiss Nelly, embracing her, " I shall never be the one to advise you to marry any one whom you do not love. We shall try to find a husband for you who will please you better than Jack Adams," Thus the two young girls chatted. While the storm was rising above the horizon and threatening to engulf everything, the two weak creatures, full of faith in the future, slept in peace, peacefully and smiling. CHAPTER XIIT. NEW CAUSES FOR ANXIETY. CoRNlLLi&'s fears seemed chimerical, for everything remained qniet during the months of June, July and August. The intense heat Avhich reigned at this period considerably retarded the progress of the works. No European would have been able to bear an excessive fatigue with a temperature which often exceeded forty-five degrees centigrade. They worked only a few hours each day — in the morning at the rising of the sun, and in the evening at its setting. Jack Adams had taken the management of the construction of the railroad ; Cornille continued to dig canals all around the future Babylon. Badger often inspeoted the works, taking ^liss Nelly and Fatma with him. He allowed the young girls to go out alone only as little as possible. In order to avert Jack Adams' suspii-ions, and at the sime time not to displease Cornill^^, he was careful to visit the workyards of the canals one day and those of the railway tlic next. He JKtjK'd thus to gain time and to escape any einnii until the time (270) BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 271 of his return to Loncion, wliioli was to take place the following summer. The construction of the railway was a sight worthy of attracting attention. The embankments w'ere executed by means of electricity. It was a question of digging up the ground in order to get earth out of it, which was then heaped up so as to form an embankment, on M'hich the rails were laid. The railway was thus protected from the inundations of the Euphrates, the windings of which it followed. The machines serving for the extraction of the earth had already been in operation on the borders of the lake of Xedjef for digging a harbor. The powerful dynamo-electric motors received their move- ment by means of wires laid from the workc of the Kasr to the point where the work was going on. But the most interesting was the laying of the rails. It was neces- sary to make use of the forge every moment, in order to rivet them and join rail to rail, so as to establish the electric comnnmication from one end of the line to the other. Jack Adams had invented portable forges, Avitli which he utilized the mixture of oxygen and hydrogen produced by the excess of electricity of the thermo-solar pile. It had been an easy matter. It is known that the mixture of oxygen and hydrogen, in the proportion of two liters of hydrogen for one liter of oxygen, gives, in burning, a heat capable of melting the most re- fractory metals, even platinum. Jack Adams therefore collected, in very strong cases, a certain por- tion of this mixture, compressed at a pressure of thirty atmospheres. These cases were then brought to the spot where the work was going on, and served to set the forges going. For that, it was simply ncx'cs- sary to cause the gaseous mixture to pass through a caoutchouc tube to blowpipes constructed in a peculiar manner. There, the mixture was ignited ; a long flame was thus obtained, which, in an instant, brought the thickest bars of iron to a temperature of white heat. We have just said that the mixture of oxygen and hydrogen was ignited at the end of the l)lowpipe. This was possible only on the condition of having a blowpipe specially constructed for this use. It will be seen why. When a mixture of oxygen and hydrogen is ignited, a fearful deto- nation takes place. If this mixture had, therefore, simply been lit at 272 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. the end of the blowpipe, without taking any special precaution, the case which contained the gases would have been caused to burst. Fortunately, there is a means, already employed by Davy in his safety-lamp for miners, permitting the ignition of a detonating mix- ture at the end of a blowpipe, without at the same time causing the explosion of the whole mass. It is sufficient to insert, along the tube which brings in the gases, a great quantity of fine wire-gauze of plati- num. Under these conditions, explosions are no longer to be feared : the fire cannot spread from the flame of the blowpipe to the ex})losive mixture contained in the reservoir. The works of the electric railroad advanced but very slowly. At the end of the month of August, no more than five miles of rails had as yet been laid. It was useless to hurry. They would have all winter to hasten the completion of the line. Besides, they Mere in want of rails, a new supply of which would not arrive until the beginning of autunni. Meanwhile, in the last days of the month of August, the events be- came grave again. The Arabs, very cjuiet until then, again showed hostile intentions. Every day emissaries arrived at I^iberty, sent by the enemies of Badger's projects, who gained over the Arab laborers, inciting them to revolt or to desertion. The mutterings which arose increased each day. Badger lost patience at last. Nothing irritates intrepid men so much as these daily broils, which one feels nuist become dangerous in time, and against which one is disarmed. The brave man delights in find- ing himself fairly in the presence of danger. Having it before him, he fears it no longer and feels himself strong enough to brave it. Badger therefore resolved to hasten matters. He decided to dis- charge the Arab laborei-s at the works, and to ex])el them also from Liberty and even from the precinct granted by the sultan on the site of Balnlon. He would retain only the EnrojH'ans. The enemy would no longer be with him, it is true ; but it was to be expected that this hostile act would draw upon him the animosity of the Arab populations of the neighborhood. Th(> ju'i'il would j>er- haps become greater; but he would have the advantage of knowing exactly where the enemy was to be found and how he would have to fight him. Fortifications would be raised around Babylon, they w(»uld l)e armed with camions, Turkish trooj)s would be j)lac('d here, deter- mined to defend Badyrer's work. BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 273 For tliis, they would have to come to an understanding with the authorities of Bagdad and of Constantinople. It Avas necessary to enter into negotiations which would re(j[uire time and shrewdness. Badger called his companions together. He made known to them that he would leave for Bagdad that very evening. He would come to an understanding with the governor and return inniiediately after. He asked Laycock whether he would consent, in case it should become necessary, to proceed to Constantinople to see the sultan, so as to ob- tain all the indispensable authorizations. It is unnecessary to say that Laycock consented and held himself entirely at his lordship's com- mand. It was then the 2d of September. Badger left for Bagdad on the same evening, accompanied only by four trusty servants, courageous and capable of resisting an attack of plunderers. INIounted on excel- lent horses, they could easily, in two days, cover the distance which separates Babylon from the capital of iNIesopotamia. Miss Nelly would gladly have accompanied her father, but that was impossible. Badger was obliged to double his stages ; at that period of the year the young girl would not have been able to stand so great a fatigue. The leave-taking between the father and the daughter did not take place without a certain emotion on both side-^. Fortunatelv, IMiss Nelly was still ignorant of the dangers which threatened them all ; otherwise her sorrow at seeing herself separated from her father would have been much greater. It was, therefore. Badger who was most deeply moved, but he took good care not to allow it to be seen. What was going to happen at Liberty during his absence? He recom- mended calmness and coolness. If anything serious happened, they should immediately telegraph to him at Bagdad. Three days after his departure, that is to say on the 5th, a despatch was received from Bagdad at eight o'clock in the evening ; his lord- ship announced that everything went well and that Captain Laycock "svas to hold himself in readiness to leave for Constantinople imme- diately after his return. Badger announced at the same time that he would leave Bagdad on the second dav after and that he would arrive at Liberty on the 8th, during the night. Badger, in fact, needed the following day to see the governor again and to consult with the English consul. The English government would have to act at the court of the sultan in Constantinople and to 18 274 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. exert its influence to procure the nece^isary authorizations for his lordship. Everything being finished and in a fair way at Bagdad, Badger retraced the road to Babylon on the day fixed by his telegram. He returned full of hope in the future and believed that he was certain to overcome to advantage the ill-will of the natives and of the mara- bouts. The little band was but a few miles from Liberty, on the night of the 8th, when another party of several horsemen was perceived before it. Ignorant of the intentions of the new- comers, they cocked their car- bines and drew their revolvers. The two parties were now only twenty yards or so apart, when Badger heard a voice cry- ing out: "A friend! I am ^^'^# Captain Lay cock." ,^^ It was, in truth, the captain who had come forward to meet his lordship. " What is the matter?" asked Badirer, eaiicrlv, when he was face to face with Laycock. " Bad news, my lord," replied the ca})tain. ** \\c have been in- formal from the works at Jezireh that the Kurds of the mountain have revolted, that they are de- scending in a l)ody towards the Tigris and threatening to destroy our estal)lishments." "Curse it!" cried Badger. "The villains, not being able to hurt us at Liberty, now deal their blows at our hydiaulic works on the upper Tigris ! " They made for TJbcrty at fidl gallop, reaching it an hour later. Immeadger j)laeed himself in telegraphic communication with the manager of the works BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 276 at Jezireh. The latter answered that there was nothing new, but that they were momentarily expecting the most serious events. He asked for help at the same time. Badger called his collaborators together. It was decided forthwith that Captain Laycock and Monaghan should leave immediately for the upper Tigris. Their arrival might, perha})s, save the works from a complete destruction. As to Captain Laycock, who was to go to Con- stantinople, he would proceed to that city after having pacified the revolted Kurds. Next morning the captain and the geologist took the road to Bag- dad. They were armetl with his lordship's full authority and abun- dantly supplied with the sinews of war, that is to say, with gold. " I rely on you," said Badger to them, effusively pressing the hands of Laycock and Monaghan. " Your mission is not without peril. Try to recall to reason the spirits misguided by superstition and ignorance. Do not oppose their beliefs, but prove to them that we are not enemies of God, but, on the contrary, advocates of progress." ' Alas ! Badger himself had not entire faith in the efficacy of these means. He felt clearly that humanity was not yet ripe for jiacific l)rogress, and that, for a long time to come, perhaps, it ^vould still be necessary to impose it by force. CHAPTER XIV. TACK ADAMS. During the wlude week there was — between Liberty and the upper Tigris — an incessant interchange of telegrams. ^^"5 The excitement continued among tlie ]>o]nilations of Kurdistan. The works were visited every moment by munerons bands of rebels. So far they had not attempted an attack by force of arms, and contented themselves with uttering threats. Jiadger had informed the managers of the works of the coming of Laycock and Monaghan. The chief point was to gain time; to in- form the Kurdish chiefs who had ])romised their alliance, and, with their aid, to try to calm the most hot-headed fellows. The gold of Laycock and Monaghan would do the rest. It might, therefore, have been hoped that everything would soon be restored to order, if a new complication had not been addtnl to all those of an already perilous situation. To the dangers from without internal discord was to be added. From this day on the hoiiisof the existence of Badger's work were mimbei-cd. (27G) BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 277 The poor human being, in a great measure througli liis own fault, no doubt, is so little accustomed on this earth to feel himself in pos- session of an unalloyed happiness, tiiat, if such good fortune comes to him, he is always in great danger of allowing himself to be found out, whatever interest he may have in concealing his precious secret. In spite of the efibrts which he makes to be lost in the crowd, a hajij>y man does not resemble other men — a naive satisfaction with himsi'lf and with others, a general benevolence and optimism form a sort of halo for him which betrays him without his suspecting it. If the heedless eyes of an indifterent person are rarely mistaken in these symptoms, how is it with the envious look, constantly on the alert, of a jealous and proud rival ? At his rival's air of satisfaction, even in the midst of the anxieties to which he was a prey ; at the radiance of happiness which trans- figured Miss Xelly, Jack Adams could not long deceive himself, and he soon arrived at the conviction that the two young people had mutually pledged their faith. In the paroxysm of excitement and rage into which this discovery threw him, he resolved not to content himself witii suspicion, and to have, as we say, his mind clear about it. Quite full of this idea, he proceeded one afternoon to Badger's dwelling, fully decided to demand an explanation of him. As he advanced, however, the uselessness and even the ridiculous- ness of his proceeding gradually appeared to him. Exact an ex- planation of his lordship? to what purpose? Express his resentment to him ? by what right ? Had not Badger and Miss Nelly acted in the fulness of their liberty ? Had there ever been any promise ex- changed between the young girl and him ? What was to be done, therefore ? He wanted to challenge his rival ; fight with him and kill him. He wanted to stab Miss Nelly. He wanted ... all that a man wants who is blinded by rage, that is to say, that he did not know exactly what himself. He no longer thought, he was out of his senses. Exposed to the tumult of a thousand conflicting passions, he was prowling like a wild l)east awund Badger's house, with haggard look and discompostil countenance, when he saw Fatma come out alone and proceed to the right, as if to go towards the Kasr. In his present state of mind nothing was more ai)t to exasperate Jack Adams, for he did not doubt for a single instant that Fatma was 278 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. commissioned to take a message to Cornille from lior mistress. He restrained himself, liowever, and, trying to set ou a calm face, he ac- costed the young girl. " Young lady," he said to her, " I have serious mattei*s to talk about with you. AVe are alone here; nobody can hear us. It concerns Miss ^\'lly."" " I am listening to you, sir," replied Fatma. " Is your mistress betrothed to Cornille ? " asked the engineer. On hearing these words Fatma could not help trembling. But, re- covering herself, as if the most simple matter in the world had been in question : "You think so?" said she. "Well! in what way does that con- cern you? Has not Miss Ncllv the right to be betrothed to whom she likes?" " Wretch ! " cried Jack Adams, violently seizing the young girl's wrists, "then you don't know that I love your mistress, and that if she marries Cornille I shall kill them both ! " "Let me go," said Fatma, whom this sudden rage frightened. ** Let me go ; you hurt me." "Answer me," continued Jack Adams, beside himself, " is your mis- tress the fiancee of Cornille; yes or no?" " I know nothing about it." "You lie, your mistress conceals nothing from you." "Mr. Jack Adams," replied the young girl, who had succecdtni in freeing herself from the engineer's grasp, " if she M'hom it ])leascs vou to call my mistress, and who treats me like a sister, hides nothing from me, not even her most inward secrets, it is, no doubt, because she has absolute confidence in me, and it is not you, a gentleman, Avho would want to force me to betray this confidence." When he heard himself thus recalled to self-respect and to a sense of honor by this maiden who stood before him, Jack Adams could not hclj) himself from a profound feeling of shame; it wanted but little, and, hiding his face in his hands, he would have fled far, very fin- away from every evil temptation. Ihit ever since he yielded to tiie perverse instincts of his natin-c, his conscience lost ukm-c each dav. "I am not here to listen to nioi-al (lisserlalions," sneered he; " it is immaterial to me to be ;i genlleniau oi- not lo be one. 1 am descended from a violent and vindictive race. I have sworn rcveiiire, I shall re- BABYLOX ELECTRIFIED. 279 venge myself. I shall be up there quicker than you, and if I find Cornille, woe to him ! . . . I shall kill him ! " " You will not do that," said Fatma, who, believing the engineer to be, on the conti-ary, capable of anything in the state of exasiK'ration in which he found himself, was determined to pacify him at any price. " No, you will not do that," she continued in an entreating tone, drawing nearer. " Cornille is your friend, and he would be prepared to face the most cruel death, for his part, in order to save you from no matter what danger. ^liss Xelly loves him, you say ? Let us admit that this is true, since you think so. But, Miss Xelly is not alone here, I am also pretty, and ... I love you ! " " You love me, you, Fatma ? " exclaimed Jack Adams, overAvhelmed with surprise. " Yes," replied the poor girl, in an almost faltering voice. " But . . . you made me afraid and I did not dare to tell it to you. You gave me much pain, I assure you, when you occupied yourself inces- santly with Miss Xelly without pretending to notice me. And . . . just now, again . , . when you told me that you loved her. . . . Ah ! now I understand jealousy myself, too." " Do you s})eak the truth, Fatma," continued Jack Adams in a low voice, " is this not a generous falsehood in behalf of her whom you call your sister?" " To prove to you that I speak the truth, ask my hand of Lord Badger to-morrow, this very evening, when you wish. . . ." Choked l)y her emotion, the young girl staggered and seemed about to faint. " Fatma ! " cried Jack Adams, supporting her. " Yes, you are handsome and you also deserve to be loved." " Xow, leave me," the young girl suddenly said, disengaging herself. " I hear some one . . ." "Au revoir, Fatma ! " Uncertain, agitated in spite of himself by what had just taken ]>lare, Jack Adams descended to Liberty again, while Fatma went towards Babel. As soon as she knew herself to be alone, the ])oor thing sat down on a bank of grass, and, pressing both hands upon her heart, as if to pre- vent it from bui-sting, she said to herself that it was ended, ended. Ended her haj)])iness and the pleasant dreams of the future. Slie would be the wife of Jack .Vdams, whom she did not love, and who 280 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. loved another. And yet, she Avould be a faithful wife to him. She ■would strive to make liim better. Fatma's devotion was all the more heroic, as Jack Adams insjiired her with a veritable terror. But, with somewhat savage natures^ gratitude — so rare with the civilized — is an absolute, almost religious sentiment, from which any sacrifices may be expected. Without any hesitation, without a look backward, Fatma had invented this gener- ous subterfuge : to protect the happiness of her benefactress, she had immolated her heart by offering her hand to the man whom she ab- horred, just as, to save her life, she had, but a few months previously, thrown herself before the monster ready to devour her. DESTRUCTION OF THE HYDRAULIC WORKS. Two days after the secret drama which we have just related, and which had no other witnesses than its own actors, alarminj^ telegrams were re- ceived from the upper Tigris. The Kurds, hesitating until then, showed themselves more and more hostile to the Europeans. The chiefs with whom Badger had made a|liancc at Julamcrk, on the Greater Zab, were unable to restrain the flinatical populations. Numerous emissa- ries, come from the south of Mesopotamia, preached the destruction of the sacrilegious works of the infidels. The patriarch of the Chaldeans, at Elkosh, had tried in vain to in- (281) 282 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. tervene. His efforts had proved powerless before a hostility wjiich nothino; could any longer suppress. Badger despaired. I^aycock and Monaghan, gone only a week ago, could not reach Jezireh before a month. Would they arrive before the commencement of hostilities? Would not everything he already destroyed ? A\'^hat exasperated his lordship and his companions most was the consciousness of their powerlessness. As if by an irony of fate, they almost came to curse this science which })ermittcd tlicm to be informed, hour by hour, of the events which hurried along and brought on their ruin, while they found themselves confronted by the impossibility of remedying it. " Science is still very incomplete," exclaimed Cornille in despair. " Why are there not means of transport which abolish distance as the telegraph abolishes time ! " The 20th of September was an unlucky date. It was learned that day that the telegraphic communication was interrupted between the works of Bodia and those of Jezireh. The emotion felt at Liberty on receipt of this telegram will be un- derstood. Badger immediately asked for the cause of this rupture. " We do not knoiv. No news received from Bodia and Egil before the breaking of the wire." Such was the laconic reply of the manager of the works at Jezireh. Alas ! this reply was sufficiently clear. The works at Bodia had been attacked unawares l)y the Kurds, and the telegraphic wire cut. Two long days passed in the most ])ainful exjxrtation. At Jezireh they were still in ignorance as to the fate of the inhabitants of Bodia and Egil. At last, on the morning of the 22d, the following telegram was received : "Managers and workmen of Bodia arrive safe and sound at Schcblch. Works complctehf destroyed. Kurds have designs onhj upon the build- ings, not upon the persons." Thus the fears were confirmed ; the Kurds were beginning to put their tlireats into execution. Fortunately, until now no loss of any human lives was to be dej)lored. l>adger breathed more freely. " The works can be rebuilt," said he to his com])ani<»ns ; "they can l)c jnade finer than they were, but life caniKtt be restored to a dead man." BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 283 It was probable that the works at Egil had met the same fate as those of Bodia ; but, on account of the distance which required a three days' journey, they were not certain of it until a few days later. Badger had still a gleam of hope. *' It is possible," said he to his daughter and to Cornille, who seldom left him, no more the one than the otiior, during these terrible days, " it is possible that the Kurds, satisfied with tiieir revenge, stop at Bodia and return to their moun- tains. The works of Schebleh and Jezireh will then be spared." ^"•S*^? i i-ilr. " I do not think so," replied Cornille, with sadness. " The one that directs the Kurds must be hostile to us to the death. Be convinwd, therefore, that he will not stop half-way." " Let us hope that the captain and ^lonaghan will arrive in time," said Badger. He had no more than finished his sentence when the bell of the telegraph rang. They rushed towards the apparatus. ''WorhH of Schebleh onfirb' A sentence which, in its brevity, ex]>resscd a great deal. Cornille was right. The enemy continued his work of destruction without intermission. Descending the course of the Tigris, he burned evervthing on his wav. 284 BABYLON- ELECTRIFIED. A profoundly sorrowful sight was then beheld. Badger, this man of so manly an energy, of an inflexible will, ]5adger Mcpt. Before the destruction of his work, before the ruin ol" his hopes, this strong spirit had a moment of weakness. Cornill6, no less moved, respected this deep sorrow. At this solemn hour, every word of consolation would have been out of place. Cor- nille was also touched in his most lawful ambitions ; like Badger, he was on the point of despairing of the future. Soon, overcoming his emotion, Badger went to the telegraphic ap- paratus and sent off this telegram : "aSc^ jire yourself to the tcorks and to the dicellings of Jezireh. Wait for your comrades from Efjil,from Bodki,from Schebleh; return all to- gether to Bagdad, ichere I shall await you." " Why at Bagdad, and not at Liberty ? " asked Cornill6 with aston- ishment. " My dear Cornill6," said Badger, laying his hand firmly on the engineer's shoulder, " in a Meek Liberty will no longer exist." CHAPTER XYI. THE REVENGE. Fatma's admirable devotion had, for a few days, brought a hap]\v diversion to the schemes for revenge which absorbed all the faculties of Jack Adams. Tlie young Greek was, in truth, very handsome. Her beauty, more absolute, obtruded itself even more, at fii*st sight, than that of Miss Nelly, Hap})ily favored on the score of intellectual endowments, she was kind-hearted — every one knew it — even to entire forgetfulness of self. It was impossible that the voluntary confession of her love should not have made a vivid impression on a young man, inclined to extreme passions. i But pride is the chief fault of the Englishman, as it is the chief weakness of England. If Cornille had not boon in love with Ivord Badger's daughter, or if only he had been an Englishman himself also, it is more than probable that Jack Adams — placed between two equally (285) 286 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. charming young girls — would have felt himself drawn by preference towards the young Greek. And it is a fact that Fatma — a few years younger than her companion, of a more pliant and malleable character, consequently, let us say the word, of a more contestable intellectual superiority — would have better answered the ideal which Jack Adams had formed of woman, than tlic proud Miss Nelly, who had the ex- travagant pretension of becoming the companion and the equal of her husband. It is also probable that if Jack Adams had acted differently he would have succeeded in gaining the love of the young Greek. The despotic and stern air which she found in him would not have been capable of frightening her long, accustomed as she was from her in- fancy to see woman accepting without a murmur her comi)lete subjec- tion to her husband, and to recognize with a good grace the immense distance which separates them. The love of this man, apparently of such little tenderness, would have moved her and . . . all would have been for the best, for everybody would have been satisfied. Unfortunately it was not thus that matters were to end. Since Cornille presumed to aspire to win the love of the mistress, how could Jack Adams demean himself so much as to think of the servant ! No, his honor and that of England were at stake, the victory must be dis- puted with the Frcnchmnn and, finally, gained by himself. These sentiments of pride and of ambition, which, unknown, jwr- haps, to Jack Adams, had from the beginning had a greater part than real affection in his passion for Miss Xclly, now returned more vio- lently to the charge to whisper their detestable advice to him and cause him disdainfully to repulse the charming girl who had pletlged her faith to him. Marry Fatma, a former slave, a girl picked uj) in tiie midst of a field, never ! It is true, Fatma Avas the adopted daughter of Badger, who, without doubt, would endow her richly. A further rcast)n for not accepting her as a wife, for he would owe his fortune to Miss Nelly's father, who, no doubt, would consider him very hajipy, while he did not tliink he was doing too nuich for Cornille — the ixlious rival — in giving him the hand of his own daughter. lie even reproaehee that the presence of the Turkish soldiers will suffice to keep them in awe. I am, besides, resolved to blow out the brains of the first one who will dare to threaten us." " How unfortunate that Captain Laycock and Monaghan are not here," said Jack Adams. " Yes," replied Badger. " I have sent a telegram to Bagdad to let them know of the events as soon as they arrive at Mosul and to tell them to return at once to Liberty, Avhere their presence has bc^'ome necessary." " They cannot be here until three weeks fi'om now, at the earliest," remarked Cornille. " And between this and then, what events may happen ! After all, gentlemen, the best is to trust in God and in our firmness. It is, per- haps, still })0ssible to bring our enterprise to a good end. In the space of a year we can finish everything here and then return to Eng- land to prepare the final work. One never obtains one's object but at the price of long efforts and hard sacrifices. AVe liavc not had too much to complain of so far." " Assuredly not," replied Cornille. " Our experiments have been satisfying in every resjiect. AMiatever happens, we may be proud of the results obtained. AVe wanted to prove that the natural fi)rces can be transformetl into electricity, this electricity then conducted to a given point and adapted to all the daily uses. Very well ; I think that this princij)le is hencefi)rth an established fact." "And all this has l)een done by you, gentlemen," said Badger, ad- dressing himself to Jack Adams and CornilR — "the one by bringing to Babylon the motive ])()wer of the falls of the Tigris, the other by seizing the power of the solar rays in the midst of the tiesert. Yon have deserved well of science and of humanity. A\'hen, later on, New Balnlon will have reapjx'ared on the ruins of the ancient, your names will be graven in letters of gold on a triumjtlial eolunni, lor you will have been its new founders." BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 289 " You show too much modesty, my lord," replied Cornille. " We have worked under your orders. It is you who have united in a single group so many separate minds. In union only there is strength. He who groups the different talents so as to cause a grand and durable work to spring from the common cffbrt, he has more merit than the others, and his name will be famous and honored." " The conclusion of all this, my dear collaborators," said Badger, smiling, "is that each one of us, like the laborers of whom the Gos- pel tells, has done all that is in his power to do, and, consequently, de- serves his reward. But, before loading ourselves mutually with eulogies, let us think of the difficulties of the present. Wlicn we shall have finally triumphed, we shall wait with patience to be crowned with laurels." " In that case," said Cornille, " we risk waiting a long time. Gratitude is a virtue that is very long in coming to men." " It never comes for contempomries," said his lordship ; " too many prejudices stand in the way. To do good to men is to make an in- vestment at a long date. Fortunately, the true reward of liaving been useful to one's fellow-men does not depend upon the others. One in- herits oneself of the good which one has done, by the very satisfac- tion which one feels at it. To have formed part of the creative and beneficent spirit, is that not enough for a mortal ? " There was a moment of silence. " Enough of philosophy like that, gentlemen," said Badger, rising. " I perceive that nothing makes a philosopher of one so well as mis- fortune. Let each one return to his work. Let us have a reciprocal confidence in ourselves. Count on me as I count on each one and on all." All of those present came forward in turn to press the hand which Badger held out, and went out, taking away a little more confidence in the future. Cornille passed last. Badger gave him to undei-stand that he wished to speak to him in private. " My poor friend," he said to him as soon as they were alone, " I want to sj>eak frankly with you. I am afraid," continued he, in a grave tone ; " yes, afraid. It seems to me that we are on the very brink of our ruin." "Why, what is the matter, my lord? Just now you seemed to hope." 19 290 BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. "We are surrounded by implacable enemies who wish our ruin. Do not ask me where or who they are, I know nothing about it. If I knew it I should not be afraid. We have been struggling for some time in a net the meshes of which are drawn closer each moment." "Does the danger not appear greater tt) you than it really is? It is far from here to the land of the Kurds. Here, the soldiers of the sultan protect us." "Alas! I wish I were mis- taken ; but I perceive certahi signs M'hich make me fear everything . . . Cornille, I have a service to ask of you." " Whatever it may be, count on me." " If I die," continued Bad- ger, a prey to a strong emotion, " promise me to watch over my daughter and to protect her." Then, going to his writing- desk and taking out of it a sealed envelope which he - , - : "Z^iP^-^ ^' "~^ gave to Cornille : "This is my will," said he to him. "On your return to England, you will marry my Nelly, my dear child, the only being that ..." " My father, I implore you, leave these gloomy thoughts. Why speak already of your death ? Am I not here to defend you ? If you perish, be sure that I shall be dead first." "I forbid that," resumed Badger, warmly, drawing Cornille to his breast in a strong embrace. " You have not the right to die, is not my daughter your betrothed ? As for myself, I must be the first in the conflict which is near at hand. I am your leader, it is my duty to defend you." At this moment the bell rang violently. " Come in," said Badger, with great calmness. Blacton entered with a dismayiKl countenance : "All the Arabs are already aciiuainti-il with the destruction of the works on the Tigris," said he. "You see it, Cornill6 !" cried liadger, " I was right in saying that there is a traitor amongst us. The wat<;h-word was given iu advance. BABYLON ELECTRIFIED. 291 The Kurds of Liberty know all about the revolt of the Kurds of tiie mountain. And what are the Anibs doing?" added he, addrescing Blacton. " They are unmoved and work as usual." "A bad sign. That is not natural. If they are quiet, it is because they are getting ready to act. But where seize their leader? ..." Badger immediately calle