Caltraps of Time (5 page)

There was a heap of Papers on the Bench, all printed, but of a marvellous smoothness and lustre. I cou’d not imagine, who wou’d desire to see so many Words in print in a lifetime, and all concern’d with such strange matters withall. On the Wall, hanging from a kind of Pin, was a great Table, as if engrav’d upon a kind of Parchment, but lustrous, that prov’d to be a Calendar or Almanack of the days of one month, that Month of April. But the days of the week had chang’d, so that they did not fit. I saw that the year was indeed that of 1964, Anno Domini, so that my Machine had brought me, where it was appointed. And I thank’d ALMIGHTY GOD for that, and pray’d once more with all my heart, that all shou’d be well.

By this time, I had become in a manner accustom’d to the Clamour without. I was now so Bold, that I thought I cou’d safely go out of this Chamber and out of sight of my Machine. So I softly open’d the Door of the Chamber (and a mighty strange fashion of Door that was), and listen’d (as well as I cou’d for the Chariots) and look’d into the part beyond it. This was a Passage like a huge Hall or Court (but all roof’d), naked and smooth however, and lit by these strange White-hot Bars over-head, that yet seem’d to cast no Heat. No Body was to be seen there, but there were many Doors that open’d out of this Court. I turn’d round to see the Door of the Chamber, that I might know it again, and saw that it bore the Number, Thirteen, high upon it, made of solid Peices of some substance that was Black. Thinks I, may no ill luck attend this Number. Then I closes this Door, opens it again, and closes it finally, and steals along the Hall or Passage where day light came round an Angle.

Here was a great Door, that led perhaps to the Road without, for the Noise of the Chariots was now much more lowd. On the Wall hung great Tables, bearing Papers, and Charts, and solid Numbers, and Knobs, and more things, then I cou’d take note of. Then (before I cou’d vanish) a Door opens, and out comes a Fellow in a mighty strange manner of Cloathing, that I wou’d have burst out laughing at, if I had not been so much in fear. He had long slender Breeches, or Trowzers, of a light-coloured Cloth; a short Coat of smooth Stuff, that came down to his Waist or little lower, but open at the front, with Linnen within and some thing ty’d at the Neck. The fashion of his Hair was mighty strange. He look’d on me, open’d his Mouth, and spoke, what I took to be some forren Tongue, for I cou’d make nothing of it. And here was all our Discourse.

He: Lowgh. Naugh dwenthing foyoo? (With a kind of Questioning voice.)

Myself: Prithee, Sir, do you converse in English?

At this he frown’d, and turn’d back thro’ his Door, but left it open, for I heard him in speech with another, as follows.

He: Chappea lux lau ikthtauon crauea. Now enthing bau ootim? Caun honstan zaklay wottee sez.

The Other: Nowoulman. Nopmaugh pidgen enwaya. Prap-seez thatfla caimea mon thcow. Breezdin breezdaught. Weo tav moce curetay.

Now I thought, I must not stay, for I cannot explain my purpose or my being here, and these do not speak English (I suppose). I ran back to the Door number’d Thirteen, but making as little sound, as I cou’d, open’d it, clos’d it again, got me into my Machine, slid the Rod to rightwards, and, to make the least and safest change I cou’d think of; turn’d the Pointer for the Months to one less (that for March, as I suppos’d) and push’d on the Red Knob. After a short Faint-ness, in which the Chamber turn’d Clowdy in the middle parts, and darker, I found my self and the Machine in the same Chamber, slid the Rod to lock it, and came out to look to the Calendar. This indeed show’d the month of March, and I stole out of the Door (observing first, that the Papers were not in the same state in which I had seen ‘em), and came down the Hall. Before I turn’d the Angle there comes past it another Body, cloath’d something like the first. I was thankful that I wear my own Hair, for neither of these Fellows had a Wig, and as I found, all Men in this People wear their own Hair. He turns his Head and looks at me. I bow’d to him, came towards the Tables on the Wall, star’d on them, turn’d round, and stept slowly back to the Room from which I was come. At the Door I turn’d me round, but the Fellow was not to be seen. Back in I went and once more into my Machine, slid the Rod back, and debated within my self; where shou’d I go now. At length I resolv’d, to try a Time a few months ahead, and so I set the Months Dial to August, and shortly found my self there.

Now I still heard the Clamour, but less lowd, and when I got me out of the Chamber I found no Persons without, tho’ I waited for the space of above half an hour. When I try’d the great Door to the Road I found it fast, and ‘twou’d not by any means be open’d. I concluded, I must have lit upon some Holiday. When I came to look more closely upon one of these Tables of Calendars, I found that the Day of the Machine was a Sunday that month of that year. I thought, I had brought my self into some Golledge, tho’ the matters discours’d upon in the Books therein, must have puzzled the very Virtuosi of our Royal Society. I found in some Chambers a number of Books writ in High-Dutch, and two in French, but never a one in Latin, and the tongue of nearly every one was, English. I had a clowdy notion, that the strange speech of the Men that I had met with heretofore, might be a kind of English, not-withstanding it’s sounding so uncouth, and these Discoverys made me encline the more to that supposition. But this but made me fear the more, for my chances of coming alive out of such a Predicament, when I cou’d not even play a false part, such as to be some Traveller, that I might be let alone. If I cou’d but find some of the simpler sort of Books, I might learn some news from ‘em, but how was I to Interpret their Outlandish expressions?

‘Twas while I ponder’d on these matters, that I came upon a great mass of Broad-sheets, folded together, in one of the Chambers. I fell to perusing them and soon saw, that I had a manner of Courant before me, wherein was printed all News, that might concern this People. The Print was shut up in many Columns with long Lines between ‘em and huge Words at the head of each Column. But here again, I cou’d make out little, and what I cou’d, ‘twas all Robberies and Murthers, with some Warlike Entertainment. There was besides a subtle sort of Engraving, mighty life-like, such as I saw in that Book before, that shew’d Men running hither and thither, and single Faces that look’d sadly upon me, and Wenches half-nak’d. On one Sheet was a Chariot, such as I had seen in the Road, with no Horses, all clos’d in with glass Windows. I saw News that seem’d to be come from India, from China, from Moscovy, and from the America’s, with a date but one day before the day of the Sheet (which was that Saturday), as’t had been in the next Shire. At this I began to Tremble anew, for I wonder’d to think, what Wizards I was come among, and what a People, that wou’d know what went about across the World, as well as what lay at their own Door Steps.

Now I crept back to my Machine like a Dog to it’s Kennel, and debated with my self, what I was to do. I desir’d mightily to know more of this World, but I cou’d not see, how I was to get by in it. Now my Eyes fell upon a Peice of the Lectern in that Machine, whereon ‘twas writ across, HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT. Thinks I, here is the means, that I can Journey by, or that will at least bring me out of this Building, without a Soul troubling me. The whole Peice cou’d be mov’d, ‘till it slipp’d down along-side, and underneath there lay a number of little shining Crystalline Plats, like Windows in the Metal, each one mark’d out in Squares, and each with two Buttons along-side to right and left. Below the first Plat was a Subscription, METRES; by the second, DM, HM; by the third, KM X 1, 10. The Squares of the second and third Plat were each laid across with ten Lines each way, that made finer Squares. Lastly were two small Half-Globes, or Hemi-Spheres, with Lines of Longitude and Latitude clearly mark’d upon ‘em, and faint lines, that shew’d the Continents. The Hemi-Sphere on the left hand had below it the Letter, N, the other, the Letter S, so that I could well see, that they meant the World to north and south of the Equator. These Spheres had the same two Buttons each beside ‘em. By every place, the Button on the left hand was mark’d with a Bent Arrow to right-ward, and a Letter N, whilst the other had a like Arrow and the Letter E. I thought, it must be, that the first Plat is for the smallest movement, and the Globes for the greatest, across the World. The left-hand Buttons, are to move northwards, if you turn ‘em clockwise, or south, the other way, and the right-hand Buttons, are to move east, and west. Now will I make a Tryal of the first Plat, with this Green Knob (for there was one, like the Red Knob, but amongst the Plats).

I pray’d once more, then I turn’d the left-hand Button with what Care I cou’d. I saw a little black Line begin to grow straight up along on the Plat. When it had grown to the extent of half a Square, as I thought, I stopt my Turning, and the Line grew no more. Then I push’d on the Green Knob. And behold, some thing struck my Shoulder, and I found, the Machine was come about two foot to one side, so that the Wall of it on one quarter was vanish’d within the Wall of the Room. Then, too, I saw a kind of Needle within a little Dial amongst the Plats, and one end was mark’d N, so I thinks this must be a Compass, that will tell me, where is North. The Road is to the north-east of where I stand. The breadth of a Metres Square, I now saw, must be three, or four foot, and since there were ten of these Squares each way, it cou’d be, that the smallest Square in the next Plat was the same as ten Metres, whatever these might be in truth. Then I mov’d carefully one Metre to east-wards, and it was so, and I had the fourth Side of my Machine safe and sound once more, for which I gave hearty thanks. A Metre, I concluded, was a Yard or an Ell in this People’s speech, that is, if ‘twas indeed among this People that the Machine was made, but of that I had no certain knowledge. The ways that I had turn’d lay all mark’d out in black upon the first Plat.

Now I consider’d if this Machine is to move Horizontally, and it come within a Hill, I shall Choak, or if it come over a Valley, I shall fall within it to the ground, and be kill’d. So I look’d again at the Circle where ‘twas writ of Height, and I saw it had two Dials, one within the other, the outer Dial mark’d COARSE, the inner, FINE. Above them was a slender Tube, with a shining Green Glow, or Spark, floating in it, and writ alongside, METRES, SURFACE INDEX, BLUE = CAR; and even Marks all the way up the Tube. I thought long on these things, and in the end I thought that I knew what they must mean. The Fine Dial wou’d send me gently up, or down, the Coarse one far. If I saw a Blew Spark, I shou’d know it was to shew, where the Machine wou’d be, and how far from the Green, before I push’d on the Red or the Green Knob. So shou’d I be sav’d from Death.

Now, says I to my self, I see no Body in the Road, and the Chariots have not come on it for these many minutes. I will bring my Machine beyond this Building, but so near, that a Chariot is not like to strike against it. And this I did, moving three Metres east and two north.

Here the Clangour was twice as terrible, and the Smell of Burning far stronger, mix’d with some thing sweet, that caught my Breath. I saw no Persons about, but I judg’d it prudent, to place my Machine close by a Wall, and this I presently did, with a little Manage. No sooner had I contriv’d this, than a Host of Children came by. One had a Stick, with which he Rattled upon the Wall and on my Machine. Another stopt and cry’d, as I thought, Luk, his a new found Keost (or somewhat of this nature) na Man putting git op na Saun-day. I was in fear once more, but another Child calls to him, Horriop, wa lay it! and they all runs on. Then I saw three Chariots standing idle further down the Road. The Buildings that were near me were vast Edifices of Stone, but where the Chariots stood, was a low sort of Brick-made Houses, standing each in a little Park or Plot, with a few Trees. One Chariot, I saw anon, was standing in a Side-Road in such a little Park, and a Fellow was rubbing it down like one, that wou’d Curry a Horse. He had a Pail on the Ground by him, of a light Blew colour. On each side of the Road, and evenly sett apart from each other, were tall Masts, like so many Gyants Pikes, but of Stone, and crook’d at the Top, with a little Cage of Glass at the Crook. I found later, that they were publick Lanthorns, as you shall hear. The Borders of the Road were wonderful neat and trim, with Grass, shut in by Pygmaean Walls of Stone, and beside these Flaggs, to make a firm Path. The Sky above was dim and smoaky, for all that there was no Clowd in it. Tho’ I seem’d to be in the midst of a great Town, there was no Ditch in the Street, but it bent up towards the middle part, and was smooth and black. At the Sides, under the little Walls of the Grass, were Holes with a broad sort of Grate, as if to let the Water down, but no Water ran there.

Now I wax’d very Bold, and wou’d see, what the Fellow was doing with the Chariot. I saw him empty the Pail he had, at a place by the House, and while he was thus busy’d, I mov’d my Machine as many Metres as I thought shou’d bring me on t’other side of the Road by him. I found my self in the middle of the Road with the Ground of it over one side of the Floor of my Machine, and a Chariot was Rowling up to me as if the Devil rode it. I gave my self up for lost, but the Chariot made as to stop, with a Fearful Sound, and swerv’d round me, with a Devils Countenance in deed within it. At that the Fellow that had the Pail look’d round, and saw me, and came out upon the Road Edge, and call’d out, Wot you doing with that Contrapshen? I took the Sence, of what he was saying, and open’d one Door, and cry’d softly to him, If you will go back a Fathom or two, I’l bring it safe to the side. He seem’d to know, what I meant, for he ran backwards to his Chariot, and stood staring at me, while I mov’d the Machine two Metres in his way and (with the Fine Dial for the Height) enough upward to bring my Floor clear out. Hahaughdgea do that? says he, and ‘twas his turn, to be frightned. Then I thought, this Machine is not known to this People, its either a Mystery of some Virtuosi, or ‘tis come from some other Time. My Fellow had a soft open kind of Countenance, that made me put some trust in him, so I slid the black Rod across, that lock’d the Machine, and came out, and told him, I was come by strange chance from another Time, where I had found this Machine, that I had learnt to manage, that cou’d send a Man from one Place to another, or from one Time to another. I told him, I cou’d not easily understand his Speech, but that if he spake slowly, I wou’d make shift to follow, what I cou’d. Can you put that Thing ouva Ther in the Shayid clouce ptha Hauooce? he says, and points. So I brought my Machine little by little, where he wou’d have it, and lock’d it again. Comm insauid, he says, so I went into his House with him.