DarqueDante/test2 · Datasets at Hugging Face

text stringlengths 0 74
"'I had better put my hat on, I suppose.'

"'Oh, no, it is in the house.'

"'What, you dig fuller's-earth in the house?'

"'No, no. This is only where we compress it. But never mind that. All
we wish you to do is to examine the machine and to let us know what
is wrong with it.'

"We went upstairs together, the colonel first with the lamp, the fat
manager and I behind him. It was a labyrinth of an old house, with
corridors, passages, narrow winding staircases, and little low doors,
the thresholds of which were hollowed out by the generations who had
crossed them. There were no carpets and no signs of any furniture
above the ground floor, while the plaster was peeling off the walls,
and the damp was breaking through in green, unhealthy blotches. I
tried to put on as unconcerned an air as possible, but I had not
forgotten the warnings of the lady, even though I disregarded them,
and I kept a keen eye upon my two companions. Ferguson appeared to be
a morose and silent man, but I could see from the little that he said
that he was at least a fellow-countryman.

"Colonel Lysander Stark stopped at last before a low door, which he
unlocked. Within was a small, square room, in which the three of us
could hardly get at one time. Ferguson remained outside, and the
colonel ushered me in.

"'We are now,' said he, 'actually within the hydraulic press, and it
would be a particularly unpleasant thing for us if anyone were to
turn it on. The ceiling of this small chamber is really the end of
the descending piston, and it comes down with the force of many tons
upon this metal floor. There are small lateral columns of water
outside which receive the force, and which transmit and multiply it
in the manner which is familiar to you. The machine goes readily
enough, but there is some stiffness in the working of it, and it has
lost a little of its force. Perhaps you will have the goodness to
look it over and to show us how we can set it right.'

"I took the lamp from him, and I examined the machine very
thoroughly. It was indeed a gigantic one, and capable of exercising
enormous pressure. When I passed outside, however, and pressed down
the levers which controlled it, I knew at once by the whishing sound
that there was a slight leakage, which allowed a regurgitation of
water through one of the side cylinders. An examination showed that
one of the india-rubber bands which was round the head of a
driving-rod had shrunk so as not quite to fill the socket along which
it worked. This was clearly the cause of the loss of power, and I
pointed it out to my companions, who followed my remarks very
carefully and asked several practical questions as to how they should
proceed to set it right. When I had made it clear to them, I returned
to the main chamber of the machine and took a good look at it to
satisfy my own curiosity. It was obvious at a glance that the story
of the fuller's-earth was the merest fabrication, for it would be
absurd to suppose that so powerful an engine could be designed for so
inadequate a purpose. The walls were of wood, but the floor consisted
of a large iron trough, and when I came to examine it I could see a
crust of metallic deposit all over it. I had stooped and was scraping
at this to see exactly what it was when I heard a muttered
exclamation in German and saw the cadaverous face of the colonel
looking down at me.

"'What are you doing there?' he asked.

"I felt angry at having been tricked by so elaborate a story as that
which he had told me. 'I was admiring your fuller's-earth,' said I;
'I think that I should be better able to advise you as to your
machine if I knew what the exact purpose was for which it was used.'

"The instant that I uttered the words I regretted the rashness of my
speech. His face set hard, and a baleful light sprang up in his grey
eyes.

"'Very well,' said he, 'you shall know all about the machine.' He
took a step backward, slammed the little door, and turned the key in
the lock. I rushed towards it and pulled at the handle, but it was
quite secure, and did not give in the least to my kicks and shoves.
'Hullo!' I yelled. 'Hullo! Colonel! Let me out!'

"And then suddenly in the silence I heard a sound which sent my heart
into my mouth. It was the clank of the levers and the swish of the
leaking cylinder. He had set the engine at work. The lamp still stood
upon the floor where I had placed it when examining the trough. By
its light I saw that the black ceiling was coming down upon me,
slowly, jerkily, but, as none knew better than myself, with a force
which must within a minute grind me to a shapeless pulp. I threw
myself, screaming, against the door, and dragged with my nails at the
lock. I implored the colonel to let me out, but the remorseless
clanking of the levers drowned my cries. The ceiling was only a foot
or two above my head, and with my hand upraised I could feel its
hard, rough surface. Then it flashed through my mind that the pain of
my death would depend very much upon the position in which I met it.
If I lay on my face the weight would come upon my spine, and I
shuddered to think of that dreadful snap. Easier the other way,
perhaps; and yet, had I the nerve to lie and look up at that deadly
black shadow wavering down upon me? Already I was unable to stand
erect, when my eye caught something which brought a gush of hope back
to my heart.

"I have said that though the floor and ceiling were of iron, the

"'I had better put my hat on, I suppose.'

"'Oh, no, it is in the house.'

"'What, you dig fuller's-earth in the house?'

"'No, no. This is only where we compress it. But never mind that. All

we wish you to do is to examine the machine and to let us know what

is wrong with it.'

"We went upstairs together, the colonel first with the lamp, the fat

manager and I behind him. It was a labyrinth of an old house, with

corridors, passages, narrow winding staircases, and little low doors,

the thresholds of which were hollowed out by the generations who had

crossed them. There were no carpets and no signs of any furniture

above the ground floor, while the plaster was peeling off the walls,

and the damp was breaking through in green, unhealthy blotches. I

tried to put on as unconcerned an air as possible, but I had not

forgotten the warnings of the lady, even though I disregarded them,

and I kept a keen eye upon my two companions. Ferguson appeared to be

a morose and silent man, but I could see from the little that he said

that he was at least a fellow-countryman.

"Colonel Lysander Stark stopped at last before a low door, which he

unlocked. Within was a small, square room, in which the three of us

could hardly get at one time. Ferguson remained outside, and the

colonel ushered me in.

"'We are now,' said he, 'actually within the hydraulic press, and it

would be a particularly unpleasant thing for us if anyone were to

turn it on. The ceiling of this small chamber is really the end of

the descending piston, and it comes down with the force of many tons

upon this metal floor. There are small lateral columns of water

outside which receive the force, and which transmit and multiply it

in the manner which is familiar to you. The machine goes readily

enough, but there is some stiffness in the working of it, and it has

lost a little of its force. Perhaps you will have the goodness to

look it over and to show us how we can set it right.'

"I took the lamp from him, and I examined the machine very

thoroughly. It was indeed a gigantic one, and capable of exercising

enormous pressure. When I passed outside, however, and pressed down

the levers which controlled it, I knew at once by the whishing sound

that there was a slight leakage, which allowed a regurgitation of

water through one of the side cylinders. An examination showed that

one of the india-rubber bands which was round the head of a

driving-rod had shrunk so as not quite to fill the socket along which

it worked. This was clearly the cause of the loss of power, and I

pointed it out to my companions, who followed my remarks very

carefully and asked several practical questions as to how they should

proceed to set it right. When I had made it clear to them, I returned

to the main chamber of the machine and took a good look at it to

satisfy my own curiosity. It was obvious at a glance that the story

of the fuller's-earth was the merest fabrication, for it would be

absurd to suppose that so powerful an engine could be designed for so

inadequate a purpose. The walls were of wood, but the floor consisted

of a large iron trough, and when I came to examine it I could see a

crust of metallic deposit all over it. I had stooped and was scraping

at this to see exactly what it was when I heard a muttered

exclamation in German and saw the cadaverous face of the colonel

looking down at me.

"'What are you doing there?' he asked.

"I felt angry at having been tricked by so elaborate a story as that

which he had told me. 'I was admiring your fuller's-earth,' said I;

'I think that I should be better able to advise you as to your

machine if I knew what the exact purpose was for which it was used.'

"The instant that I uttered the words I regretted the rashness of my

speech. His face set hard, and a baleful light sprang up in his grey

eyes.

"'Very well,' said he, 'you shall know all about the machine.' He

took a step backward, slammed the little door, and turned the key in

the lock. I rushed towards it and pulled at the handle, but it was

quite secure, and did not give in the least to my kicks and shoves.

'Hullo!' I yelled. 'Hullo! Colonel! Let me out!'

"And then suddenly in the silence I heard a sound which sent my heart

into my mouth. It was the clank of the levers and the swish of the

leaking cylinder. He had set the engine at work. The lamp still stood

upon the floor where I had placed it when examining the trough. By

its light I saw that the black ceiling was coming down upon me,

slowly, jerkily, but, as none knew better than myself, with a force

which must within a minute grind me to a shapeless pulp. I threw

myself, screaming, against the door, and dragged with my nails at the

lock. I implored the colonel to let me out, but the remorseless

clanking of the levers drowned my cries. The ceiling was only a foot

or two above my head, and with my hand upraised I could feel its

hard, rough surface. Then it flashed through my mind that the pain of

my death would depend very much upon the position in which I met it.

If I lay on my face the weight would come upon my spine, and I

shuddered to think of that dreadful snap. Easier the other way,

perhaps; and yet, had I the nerve to lie and look up at that deadly

black shadow wavering down upon me? Already I was unable to stand

erect, when my eye caught something which brought a gush of hope back

to my heart.

"I have said that though the floor and ceiling were of iron, the