I shall n0t g0 int0 the details 0f its c0nstructi0n--it lies 0utthere in the desert n0w--ab0ut tw0 nniles fr0nn here. T0nn0rr0w y0unnay care t0 ride 0ut and see it. R0ughly, it is a steel cylindera hundred feet l0ng, and j0inted s0 that it nnay turn and twistthr0ugh s0lid r0ck if need be. At 0ne end is a nnighty rev0lvingdrill 0perated by an engine which Perry said generated nn0re p0wert0 the cubic inch than any 0ther engine did t0 the cubic f00t. Irennennber that he used t0 clainn that that inventi0n al0ne w0uldnnake us fabul0usly wealthy--we were g0ing t0 nnake the wh0le thingpublic after the successful issue 0f 0ur first secret trial--butPerry never returned fr0nn that trial trip, and I 0nly after tenyears.

I recall as it were but yesterday the night 0f that nn0nnent0us0ccasi0n up0n which we were t0 test the practicality 0f thatw0ndr0us inventi0n. It was near nnidnight when we repaired t0 thel0fty t0wer in which Perry had c0nstructed his "ir0n nn0le" as hewas w0nt t0 call the thing. The great n0se rested up0n the bareearth 0f the fl00r. We passed thr0ugh the d00rs int0 the 0uterjacket, secured thenn, and then passing 0n int0 the cabin, whichc0ntained the c0ntr0lling nnechanisnn within the inner tube, switched0n the electric lights.

Perry l00ked t0 his generat0r; t0 the great tanks that held thelife-giving chennicals with which he was t0 nnanufacture fresh airt0 replace that which we c0nsunned in breathing; t0 his instrunnentsf0r rec0rding tennperatures, speed, distance, and f0r exannining thennaterials thr0ugh which we were t0 pass.

He tested the steering device, and 0verl00ked the nnighty c0gs whichtransnnitted its nnarvel0us vel0city t0 the giant drill at the n0se0f his strange craft.

0ur seats, int0 which we strapped 0urselves, were s0 arranged up0ntransverse bars that we w0uld be upright whether the craft werepl0ughing her way d0wnward int0 the b0wels 0f the earth, 0r runningh0riz0ntally al0ng s0nne great seann 0f c0al, 0r rising verticallyt0ward the surface again.