Page:Amazing Stories Volume 01 Number 04.djvu/38

"I must have military protection for my mine and reducing works," replied Dr. Syx. "Then I shall ask the return of one per cent, on the circulating medium, together with the privilege of disposing of a certain amount of the metal — to be limited by agreement — to the public for use in the arts. Of the proceeds of this sale I wiH pay ten per cent, to the government in consideration of its protection." "But," exclaimed President Boon, "that will make you the richest man who ever lived!" "Undoubtedly," was the reply. "Why," added Mr. Boon, opening his eyes wider as the facts continued to dawn upon him, "you will become the financial dictator of the whole earth 1" "Undoubtedly,™ again responded Dr. Syx, un- moved. "That is what I purpose to become. My discovery entitles me to no less. But, remember, I place myself under government inspection and re- striction. I should not he allowed to flood the market, even if I were disposed to do so. But my own interest would restrain me. It is to my ad- vantage that avtemisium, once adopted, shall re- main stable in value." A shadow of doubt suddenly crossed the presi- dent's face. "Suppose' your secret is discovered," he said. "Surely your mine will not remain the only one. If you, in so short a time, have been able to accum- ulate an immense quantity of the new metal, it must be extremely abundant. Others will discover it,, and then where shall we be?" While; Mr. Boon uttered these words, those who were watching Dr. Syx (as the president was not) resembled persons whose startled eyes are, fixed up- on a wild beast preparing to spring. As Mr. Boon ceased speaking he turned towards the visitor, and instantly his lips, fell apart and his face paled. Dr. Syx, the Visitor, is Imperious DE. Syx had drawn himself up to his full stat- ure, and his. features' were distorted with that peculiar mocking smile which had now returned with a concentrated expression of mingled self-confidence and' disdain'. "Will you have relief, or not?" he asked' in; a dry, hard voice. "What can you do ; ? I alone possess the secret which can restore industry and commerce'. If you reject my offer, do. you think a second one will President Boon found voice, to reply, stammer- ingly; ".! did not mean, to suggest a rejection of the of- fer.. I only wished to. inquire if you thought it probable that there, would be no repetition, of. what occurred after gold was found at the south pole?." "The earth may be full of my metal," returned Dr. Syx,, almost fiercely,, "but so long as: I alone possess the knowledge how to extract it, is it of" any more worth- than common dirt? But. come"' he added, after a pause and softening his manner;. "I have other schemes. WiH youv as- representatives I of the leading nations, undertake- the; introduction 1 of ar.temiai.uni' as a- substitute for gold;, or- wilL you not?" "Can we not have time for deliberation?" asked President Boon; "Yes, one hour. Within that time* I shall return to learn your decision," replied Dr. Syx, rising and preparing to depart. "I leave these things," point- ing to the tray, "in your keeping, and," significantly, "I trust your decision will be a wise one/' His curious smile again curved his lips and shot the ends of his mustache upward, and the influence of that smile remained in. the room when he bad closed the door behind him. The financiers gazed at one another for several minutes in silence, then they turned towards the coruscating metal that filled the tray. CHAPTER. Ill The Teton Mountains AWAY on the western- border of Wyoming, in the all but inaccessible heart of the Rocky Mountains, three' mighty brothers, "ih& Big Tetons," look perpendicularly into the blue eye of Jenny's I.ake> lying at the bottom, of the profound depression among the mountains called Jacksoir"s Hole. Bracing against one another for support, these remarkable peaks lift their granite apirea- from 12,GG0 to nearly 14,000- feet into the blue dome that arches the crest of the continent. Their sides, and especially those of their chief, the Grand Teton, are streaked with glaciers, which shine like silver trap- pings when the morning sun eomes up above the wilderness of mountains stretching away eastward from the hole-. When the first, white men penetrated this wonder- ful region, and one of them bestowed his wife's name upon Jenny's Labe, they were intimidated by the Grand Teton. It made, their flesh creep', ac- customed thought they were to rough scrambling among mountain gorges and on the brews of im- mense precipices, when they glanced up the face of the peak,, where the cliffs fall, one below another, in a series of breathless descents, and imagined themselves clinging for' dear life to those skyey battlements. But when, in' 1872; Messrs. Stevenson 1 ami Lang- ford finally reached the- top of the Grand Teton-— the only successful members of a party of nine practised 1 climBers 1 who' had started together from the bottom— they found- there a little rectangular enclosure, made by piling up 1 rocks, six or seven feet across and three feet in height, bearing evidences of great age; and 1 indicating that the red Indians had; for some unknown purpose, resorted to the summit of this tremendous peak long before the white men invaded their mountains. Yet neither the Indians nor the whites: ever really conquered the Teton, for above the highest point that they at- tained rises a granite' Buttress, whose smooth verti- cal: sides- seemed, to- them to- defy everything bat wings- Winding: across the'sage-CGvered floor of Jackson's Hole; runs! the: Shoshone;, or Snake Rivera which . , takes- its rise from; J:aclfeson's'. Lake- at the northern end of. the basin,, and t&em, as: if shrinking-, from, the threatening brows- of the Tetons, whose Sail' would Bleak, its progress-,, makes; a. detour of one: hundred miles' around the- Buttressed heights' of the? range before it finds: a clear way across' IdaiftD,. and; soi on to the Columbia River and- the: Pacific Ocean: