Narkus. The monster was still hovering over the spot. The Droman bestowed upon that ghost but a cursory, careless look, then yawned sleepily.
"Yam-yump!" said Narkus, stretching himself.
Rhodes laid a hand upon the other's shoulder and pointed an interrogative finger up in the direction of the phantom. The Droman gave a careless, airy toss of the hand.
"Drome," said he, then lay down again.
It was obvious from this monosyllabic answer, to say nothing of the manner of Narkus, that there was nothing to apprehend from this mysterious apparition hovering above us. Certainly, though, there had been no remarkable clarification. Indeed, in a way, Rhodes and I were more puzzled than ever. Drome, Drome! What could be the meaning of that word? Drome!
"It seems, Bill," said Rhodes, "that we are on our way to a very strange place. As for that ghost up there, it must be a fragment, as it were, of the light of this subterranean land."
"Suppose it is—a harbinger, so to speak—then what on earth can that light be?"
"That, of course, we can not tell. It may be phosphorescent or auroral, or its origin may be one of which no man of our own world ever has even dreamed. I believe that I forgot to mention, when we were speaking of this the other day, that even human beings sometimes evolve light.[1] One thing, however, is certain: there is light somewhere in this underground world. And I believe, Bill, that we are drawing near to it now."
"I certainly hope that we are. But look at our ghost. It is moving again—thank heaven (even if it is only a mass of light) away from us!"
"Yes," said Rhodes. "But look down there. There is another one coming."
It came, and another and another. I don't know how many. On they came through the cavern, now lingering, now hovering; on they passed like some unearthly, ghostly procession. And, even though one knew that these phantoms, so dim and so misty, were perfectly innocuous, were as natural (as though there is anything that can not be natural!) as the light of the firefly, as the glow of the auroral arches and streamers—all the same, I say, the sight of that spectral company, passing, passing, was one indescribably strange and uncanny.
However, a man can get used to anything. I got used to them and ere very long was asleep once more. In the morning, not a single ghost was to be seen. Nor did we see one until near midafternoon. That ghost was all by its lonesome and so dim that it vanished when our lights drew near. But soon they were about us in all directions. One of these phantoms, large, amorphous, writhing (its light so strong that it was visible in the rays of the lamps but not of the electric ones) came crawling along the floor straight toward us. Rhodes and I, as if by instinct, moved aside; but Drorathusa and the others walked right into it. As they emerged from the spectral, phosphorescent mass, the light clung to them like wraiths of fog, to be slowly dissipated as they advanced in little streams and eddies behind them.
It was during this, afternoon, too,
that Rhodes made the first discovery
- ↑ "A very decided luminosity has been observed to proceed from dissecting-room subjects, the light thus evolved being sufficient to render the forms of the bodies, as well as those of muscles and other dissected parts (which are peculiarly bright), almost as distinct as in the daylight. . . Three cases are recorded by Sir H. Marsh, in which an evolution of light took place from the living body. . . The light in each case is described as playing around the face, but not as directly proceeding from the surface; and in one of these instances, which was recorded by Dr. D. Donovan, not only was the luminous appearance perceptible over the head of the patient's bed, but luminous vapors passed in streams through the apartment."—Dr. Carpenter.
