The Earth’s Cancer by Capt Read online

  Dr. Bird strove to lift the detective, but

  toward again. Dr. Bird hurled a second his strength was not equal to the task. He grenade and again the rush was checked but

  lowered the detective again and a soul-shaking the third time it came on again. Carnes stood

  sob of sheer agony broke from the tortured

  up and swung his arm in imitation of the

  man’s lips. With a sigh, Dr. Bird again bent

  Doctor but his foot slipped on the purple moss his muscles to the task. Another groan came

  and his grenade fell short of its mark. Full in from Carnes and he relapsed into a dead

  the center of the silver pool it fell and after a weight.

  moment’s pause, a crash like all the thunder of

  “He’s fainted,” muttered the Doctor

  the universe rent the air. From the pool rose a after a brief examination. “It’s a good thing.

  Amazing

  14

  I’ll have to drag him.”

  He dropped on all fours and hauled the

  FIVE days later, Dr. Bird, to all external

  unconscious detective’s body up on his back

  appearances none the worse for his adventure,

  and started the long crawl back towards the

  sat by the side of the bed where Carnes lay

  car.

  with his leg in splints.

  Foot by foot with infinite torture and

  “This is the first time you’ve been able

  Herculean efforts, the Doctor won his way

  to see anyone, old dear,” he said. “I’ll never forward. The grass had been beaten flat by the forget what you did for me. You saved my

  force of the explosion but the path showed

  life!”

  plainly to guide him. Foot by foot and yard by

  “We’re quits, Doctor,” replied Carnes

  yard he crawled with rapidly failing strength, with a grin, “You saved mine when you

  now half carrying and now dragging the dragged me out.”

  unconscious Carnes. Night had almost fallen

  “Oh, that!” exclaimed the Doctor.

  and he sobbed with weakness and despair at

  “That was nothing, but you deliberately gave

  the thought of spending the night in the open

  up your chance of escape and ran your head

  with his stricken companion. Again and again

  into a noose——”

  he stopped to rest and at last after a hundred-

  “Oh, that!” mocked Carnes. “That was

  yard drag he collapsed in a heap.

  nothing.”

  “I guess I’m done,” he muttered to

  Their eyes met and then their hands.

  himself.

  Dr. Bird coughed suddenly and turned away.

  After a rest he strove to renew his

  “Doctor,” said Carnes after a moment

  progress, but his tired muscles refused to obey of silence, “What was that pool?”

  his will and he sank back in a lethargy of

  “To the best of my knowledge and

  helplessness. A sound, faint and far-off belief. Carnes.” replied the Doctor, “that was a brought his head up with a jerk. He listened

  pool of molten metallic radium. I suspected

  intently and gave a sob of joy as the sound

  something of the sort when I first began to

  was repeated. Far-off and faint it was, but it study this case in Washington. There has been

  was unmistakable. It was a hail in a human

  a theory advanced by certain physicists for a

  voice.

  number of years that the interior of the earth With fumbling fingers he unbound and

  contains a very large amount of radioactive

  raised his helmet and expended his last material and I believe that the eruption of strength in an answering hail. A reply came

  Cinder Cone last year threw some of this

  back and in a few minutes the sound of material to the surface.

  footsteps making their way across the leveled

  “Radium, as you probably know,

  vegetation could be heard. An electric flash

  throws off three distinct kinds of rays; the

  stabbed its way through the gathering dusk

  alpha rays which are atoms of helium gas, the

  and a searching party headed by Dr. Albright

  beta rays which are electrons, and the gamma

  came into view. With a feeble cry. Dr. Bird

  rays which are a true ray, a wave-motion of

  directed the searchers to him.

  very short wavelength. When I took samples

  “What on earth, Doctor?” exclaimed

  of the air at various points I was looking for Albright in dismay. “What happened?”

  helium gas. I can’t make a quantitative

  “Can’t tell now,” mumbled Dr. Bird.

  analysis until we get back to Washington but

  “Carnes is hurt, I’m tired—take us home—

  my spectroscope shows the gas present in each

  need——”

  sample in larger than normal amounts.

  His voice trailed off into silence.

  “I detected and measured the beta rays

  The Earth’s Cancer

  15

  by means of the electroscope. The beta rays

  am convinced that the detonation wave which

  ionize air and make it an electrical conductor the grenade started, set off the entire pool,

  so the charge of the electroscope leaked off in which would account for the terrific disruptive proportion to the concentration of beta rays in effect which we witnessed.”

  the air. They were also the cause of the

  “I always thought that a little radium

  missing of our motor and the cause of the

  would blow up the world,” exclaimed Carnes.

  wreck of the plane. The air became a “That pool must have contained tons of it.”

  conductor instead of an insulator as it usually

  “I fancy that it was a pretty thick skin

  is and the spark failed.

  which lay on top of some other substance—

  “It was the gamma rays which played

  possibly some form of dense lava,” replied Dr.

  havoc with the people and the vegetation. As I Bird. “Further, I have no idea that a complete told you some time ago, cancer is not a germ

  atomic disintegration took place. Radium in its disease. It is an abnormal growth of giant

  breakdown eventually degenerates into lead

  cells; growth run wild. It may be caused or

  and I fancy that that was as far as the break-

  induced by several of the shorter rays. X-ray

  down went. Lead is a pretty stable substance.

  burns have been known to develop into On our way back we passed through the glade cancerous growths and there a number of where I was captured and I picked up two of instances on record of radium burns having

  those pieces of radium which they applied to

  done so. These facts gave me an inkling of the my body and brought them with me. They are

  truth of the matter and I had those lead suits in a heavy lead box now and I’m going to

  and those helmets with lead glass windows

  examine them when I get back to Washington

  prepared before we came. Lead is the material

  and have the proper apparatus. If they turn out which is most nearly impervious to the gamma

  to be radium, we’re millionaires, Carnesy, old rays of radium.

  dear.”

  “When I saw those lights, so typical of

  “I hope so, Doctor. Much obliged for

  radioactivity, I was more than ever convinced

  the explanation.
I understood some of it.”

  of the correctness of my theory and so gave up

  “I’m glad you did. Now, if you please,

  the idea of exploring by plane and decided to

  explain something to me. Here the other night, try it on foot.

  you were immensely attracted by those lights

  “As to what happened at the pool when

  while I kept my head, yet at the pool I

  the last rush came, I was puzzled for several

  succumbed to their influence while you did

  days but I think that I have the answer. You

  not. How did you manage it?”

  remember that the explosion was initiated by a

  “Why, Doctor,” exclaimed Carnes in

  grenade which you threw into the pool? Well,

  surprise, “I merely obeyed your orders.”

  that grenade was loaded with a new explosive

  “My

  orders?”

  of mine, radite, which contains a small amount

  “Yes. All the time I was near than I

  of radium, which, by its atomic disintegration, kept repeating the multiplication table.”

  adds greatly to the effect of the explosion. I