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CHAPTER 1—THE AMAZING ERRAND

THE secret itself was still safe It was clear that the public not yet could have learned it No; the nature of the tremendous and terrific Discovery remained locked in the breasts of the men who had made it No one had broken so badly under the burden of it that he had let slip any actual details of what had been learned

But the fact that there was a secret, of incomparable importance, was out

David Ransdell received plenty of proof of it, as he stood at the liner’s rail, and the radiograht to him He had had seven, all of the same sort, within the hour; and here was another

He held it without opening it while he gazed across the sparkling water at the nearing shores of Long Island beyond which lay New York Strange that, in a city which he could not yet see, men could be so excited about his errand, while the fellow-passengers, at his elbow, glanced at hirams for him

They would be far less indifferent, if they had read them

The first, arriving less than an hour ago, offered him one thousand dollars for first and exclusive information—to be withheld from all others for twelve hours—of what he carried in his black box It was signed by the most famous newspaper in New York

Hardly had the er started back to the radio station when a second boy appeared with a e from another newspaper: “Two thousand dollars for first information of your business in New York”

Within ten minutes the offer had jumped to five thousand dollars, e that there was a secret of utmost importance had spread swiftly!

The offer remained at five thousand for twenty minutes; indeed, it dipped once to twenty-five hundred dollars as some timid soul, on a more economical newspaper, ventured to put in his bid; but quickly it juain and doubled It was ten thousand dollars, in the last radiogram which Dave had opened Ten thousand dollars cash for first information, which now needed to be withheld fro to New York

The thrilling and all-absorbing fact of it was that David Ransdell himself did not knohat he carried which could beco concern He was uarded the secret

He could look in his box, of course; he possessed the key But he had the key, as also he had custody of the heavy black box, because those who had entrusted it to him knew that he would never violate his word Least of all, would he sell out to others Moreover (if curiosity tried hith) he had Professor Bronson’s word for it that the contents of the box would be utterly , could

Cole Hendron in New York—Dr Cole Hendron, the physicist—could make it out Indeed, he could determine it more completely than any other man alive That hy Dave Ransdell, fro the box to Cole Hendron, who, after he had satisfied hinificance of its contents, would take the courier into his confidence

Dave gripped the rail with his aggravated impatience for arrival in the city He wondered, but with secondary interest only, under the circumstances, what it would be like in America It was the native land of his mother; but David had never so much as seen its shores before For he was a South African—his father an Englishirl and had taken her to the Transvaal Dave had been born at Pretoria, schooled there, and had run away froo to war

The war had made him a flyer He had stayed in the air afterward, and he was flying the mails when, suddenly, at the request of Capetown,—and he did not yet know froranted a special leave to fly a certain shipment of scientific material to Ath of his ordinary route, but to continue with it the length of Africa and across to France, where he was to make connection with the first and fastest ship for New York

Of course, the coreat mansion of Lord Rhondin, near Capetown

Lord Rhondin hi, calm, practical-minded man, received him; and with Lord Rhondin was a tall, wiry man of forty-odd, with a quick and nervous manner

“Professor Bronson,” Lord Rhondin said, introducing Ransdell

“The astronomer?” Dave asked as they shook hands

“Exactly,” said Lord Rhondin Bronson did not speak at all then, or for several htness and stared at hi, Dave guessed, which recently had allowed him too little sleep

“Sit down,” Lord Rhondin bade; and the three of them seated themselves; but no one spoke

They were in a big, secluded rooiven to trophies of the hunt Animal skins covered the floor; and lion and buffalo and elephant heads looked down froht which was reflected, also, by festoons of shining knives and spears