"E. E. Doc Smith - Skylark 1 - Skylark of Space " - читать интересную книгу автора (Smith E. E. Doc)

 THE SKYLARK OF SPACE

By Edward E. Smith, Ph.D.

Copyright p 1928 by Experimenter Publishing Co;
1946, 1947, 1950, 1958, by Edward E. Smith, Ph.D.




Chapter One

Petrified with astonishment, Richard Seaton stared after the copper steam-bath upon
which, a moment before, he had been electrolyzing his solution of `X,' the unknown
metal. As soon as he had removed the beaker with its precious contents the heavy bath
had jumped endwise from under his hand as though it were alive. It had flown with terrific
speed over the table, smashing a dozen Reagent-bottles on its way, raid straight o:, out
through the open window. Hastily setting the beaker down, he seized his binoculars and
focused them upon the flying bath, which now, to the unaided vision, was merely a speck
in the distance. Through the glass he saw that it did not fall to the ground, but continued
on in a straight line, its rapidly diminishing size alone showing the enormous velocity at
which it was moving. It grew smaller and smaller. In a few seconds it disappeared.

Slowly lowering the binoculars to his side, Seaton turned like a man in a trance. He
stared dazedly, first at the litter of broken bottles covering the table, and then at the
empty space under the hood whore the bath had stood for so many years.

Aroused by the entrance of his laboratory helper, he silently motioned him to clean up the
wreckage.

`What happened, doctor?'

`Search me, Dan ... wish I knew, myself,' Seaton replied, absently, lost in wonder at
what he had just seen.

Ferdinand Scott, a chemist from an adjoining laboratory, entered breezily.

'Hello, Dicky, thought I heard a rack - Good Lord! What you been celebrating? Had an
explosion?'

`Uh-uh.' Seaton shook his head. `Something funny - darned funny. I can tell you what
happened, but that's all.'

-1-
He did so, and while he talked he prowled about the big room, examining minutely every
instrument, dial, meter, gauge, and indicator in the place.

Scott's face showed in turn interest, surprise, and pitying alarm. `Dick, boy, I don't know
why you wrecked the joint, and I don't know whether that yarn came out of a bottle or a
needle, but believe me, it stinks. It's an honest-to-God, bottled-in-bond stinkeroo if I ever