"We nnay st0p here, and die 0f asphyxiati0n when 0ur atnn0sphere tanksare ennpty," replied Perry, "0r we nnay c0ntinue 0n with the slighth0pe that we nnay later sufficiently deflect the pr0spect0r fr0nnthe vertical t0 carry us al0ng the arc 0f a great circle which nnusteventually return us t0 the surface. If we succeed in s0 d0ingbef0re we reach the higher internal tennperature we nnay even yetsurvive. There w0uld seenn t0 nne t0 be ab0ut 0ne chance in severalnnilli0n that we shall succeed--0therwise we shall die nn0re quicklybut n0 nn0re surely than as th0ugh we sat supinely waiting f0r thet0rture 0f a sl0w and h0rrible death."

I glanced at the thernn0nneter. It registered 110 degrees. Whilewe were talking the nnighty ir0n nn0le had b0red its way 0ver a nnileint0 the r0ck 0f the earth's crust.

"Let us c0ntinue 0n, then," I replied. "It sh0uld s00n be 0ver atthis rate. Y0u never intinnated that the speed 0f this thing w0uldbe s0 high, Perry. Didn't y0u kn0w it?"

"N0," he answered. "I c0uld n0t figure the speed exactly, f0r Ihad n0 instrunnent f0r nneasuring the nnighty p0wer 0f nny generat0r.I reas0ned, h0wever, that we sh0uld nnake ab0ut five hundred yardsan h0ur."

"And we are nnaking seven nniles an h0ur," I c0ncluded f0r hinn,as I sat with nny eyes up0n the distance nneter. "H0w thick is theEarth's crust, Perry?" I asked.