"Your crashing here at Angkor Vat ... our escape in the time-machine ... these events had to take place in order that an ancient legend might be fulfilled. That was our predestined path, and there was never anything we could have done to change it. It was as stoppable as a glacier."
"And—and the others? Sheng-ti? Tauthus?"
Sheila's brows congealed. "I do not know—exactly. It is told that an ancient king of the yellow race, he whose name gave a mighty empire its name, was called 'Ching-tse.' And Tauthus of Cush—ancient Cush became Egypt, you know. And the Egyptian records claim their 'light-bringer' to have been a god named 'Thoth.'..."
But not now, nor soon, nor perhaps ever could these strange wonders be decided. Nor did this seem to Ramey Winters that they should linger longer, at this time, in the cold, forsaken walls of Angkor Vat. So gently he drew the girl from before the panel.
"We must go now, Sheila. There is much we must do here, but now is not the time to do it. Much may have happened since we left. War threatens Indo-China; for all we know war may have started since we left. We have the food and blankets Sugriva gave us. A long journey lies before us to Thailand. To friends and safety. We'd better get on our way."
So stepped the two from Angkor's lonely halls into the green-veiled sunlight of the tropics. Gray were the walls and spires they left behind, but grim no longer, nor menacing to two who knew their story. Someday, knew Ramey Winters, someday when war's insanity had died in mankind's bosom, they would return to read more fully the carven messages of friends they knew and loved. Someday....
But not now. Now they must leave gray Angkor and seek their future beyond the flaming jungle-lands. Long was the way, and dangerous perhaps; apes chattered in branches carpeted with moss; marsh and morass, wild beast and wilder man, these were the hazards they must pass.
Yet somehow they felt no fear. There was lightness in their hearts and in their steps as hand-in-hand they stepped forward to meet whatever fate might bring.
[1]The Burma Road is the vital supply route over which the Chinese Republic, cut off from almost all sea commerce by the Japanese invaders, still maintains contact with the outside world. Were it closed, it is doubtful whether the valiant army of General Chiang Kai-shek could long continue its fight against aggression.—Ed.
[1]The Burma Road is the vital supply route over which the Chinese Republic, cut off from almost all sea commerce by the Japanese invaders, still maintains contact with the outside world. Were it closed, it is doubtful whether the valiant army of General Chiang Kai-shek could long continue its fight against aggression.—Ed.
[2]Many devotees of the "science" of numerology are firmly convinced that the Great Pyramid of Cheops was too geometrically designed as to present to him who could decipher its structural allegory a comprehensive prophecy of the world's future for more than 5,000 years.—Ed.
[2]Many devotees of the "science" of numerology are firmly convinced that the Great Pyramid of Cheops was too geometrically designed as to present to him who could decipher its structural allegory a comprehensive prophecy of the world's future for more than 5,000 years.—Ed.
[3]Follows another reference which would have interested Dr. Aiken:"I accept that, in the past ... inhabitants of other worlds have—dropped here, hopped here, wafted, sailed, flown, motored—walked here, for all I know—been pulled here, been pushed; have come singly, have come in enormous numbers; have visited occasionally, have visited periodically for hunting, trading, replenishing harems, mining; have been unable to stay here, have established colonies here; have been lost here; far-advanced peoples, or things, and primitive peoples or whatever they were: white ones, black ones, yellow ones—"I have a very convincing datum that the ancient Britons were blue ones. Of course we are told by anthropologists that they only painted themselves blue, but in our own advanced anthropology, they were veritable blue ones—"Annals of Philosophy, 14-51: Note of a blue child born in England. That's atavism!"—fromThe Book of the Damned, by Charles Fort.—Ed.
[3]Follows another reference which would have interested Dr. Aiken:
"I accept that, in the past ... inhabitants of other worlds have—dropped here, hopped here, wafted, sailed, flown, motored—walked here, for all I know—been pulled here, been pushed; have come singly, have come in enormous numbers; have visited occasionally, have visited periodically for hunting, trading, replenishing harems, mining; have been unable to stay here, have established colonies here; have been lost here; far-advanced peoples, or things, and primitive peoples or whatever they were: white ones, black ones, yellow ones—
"I have a very convincing datum that the ancient Britons were blue ones. Of course we are told by anthropologists that they only painted themselves blue, but in our own advanced anthropology, they were veritable blue ones—
"Annals of Philosophy, 14-51: Note of a blue child born in England. That's atavism!"—fromThe Book of the Damned, by Charles Fort.—Ed.
[4]Cassandra, daughter of King Priam of Troy, was said to have been loved by the god Apollo, who gave her the gift of prophecy. But afterward, offended with her, he rendered the gift unavailing by ordaining that her predictions should never be believed!—Ed.
[4]Cassandra, daughter of King Priam of Troy, was said to have been loved by the god Apollo, who gave her the gift of prophecy. But afterward, offended with her, he rendered the gift unavailing by ordaining that her predictions should never be believed!—Ed.
[5]Michel de Nostradamus, most amazing of all prophets, not only accurately forecast major world events for many hundreds of years but supplemented his prophecies with theexact datesas well as the names ofpersonsandplacesinvolved. So highly is he regarded on the continent that at the outbreak of World War II, more than five new editions of his book,The Prophetic Centuries, were rushed into print to supply the demand of Frenchmen eager to learn the outcome of the new strife.Unhappily the prophecies of Nostradamus suffered the fate of those of Cassandra. Few believed his statements that France would be betrayed from within, Paris fall, and the greater part of the nation be occupied by German forces.—Ed.
[5]Michel de Nostradamus, most amazing of all prophets, not only accurately forecast major world events for many hundreds of years but supplemented his prophecies with theexact datesas well as the names ofpersonsandplacesinvolved. So highly is he regarded on the continent that at the outbreak of World War II, more than five new editions of his book,The Prophetic Centuries, were rushed into print to supply the demand of Frenchmen eager to learn the outcome of the new strife.
Unhappily the prophecies of Nostradamus suffered the fate of those of Cassandra. Few believed his statements that France would be betrayed from within, Paris fall, and the greater part of the nation be occupied by German forces.—Ed.
[6]Study of brain structure has convinced medical men that the degree of human intelligence is commensurable not to the size of the brain, but by the number and depth of its convolutions. These groovelike depressions in the gray-matter are apparently fashioned by thought-action.Since it is also believed that thought itself is an electrical phenomenon, it is altogether conceivable that a machine might be devised whereby a transformation of patterns from one brain to another might be achieved. Thevilyishnaof Rudra is evidently based on a refinement of some such principle as this.—Ed.
[6]Study of brain structure has convinced medical men that the degree of human intelligence is commensurable not to the size of the brain, but by the number and depth of its convolutions. These groovelike depressions in the gray-matter are apparently fashioned by thought-action.
Since it is also believed that thought itself is an electrical phenomenon, it is altogether conceivable that a machine might be devised whereby a transformation of patterns from one brain to another might be achieved. Thevilyishnaof Rudra is evidently based on a refinement of some such principle as this.—Ed.
[7]The mural here described is no invention of the author. It actually exists. Many and ludicrous have been the attempts of savants to give a logical explanation of its meaning. Readers of scientific fiction, less hindered by dogma and prejudice, may be willing to accept it as factual proof that at one time in history intercourse did exist between this earth and the planet Venus.—Ed.
[7]The mural here described is no invention of the author. It actually exists. Many and ludicrous have been the attempts of savants to give a logical explanation of its meaning. Readers of scientific fiction, less hindered by dogma and prejudice, may be willing to accept it as factual proof that at one time in history intercourse did exist between this earth and the planet Venus.—Ed.
[8]"The wrath of Azuria, because the other peoples of this earth would not turn blue to suit her.... In the vitrified forts of a few parts of Europe we find data that the Humes and Gibbons have disregarded. The vitrified forts surrounding England ... the vitrified forts of Scotland, Ireland, Brittany and Bohemia."Or that, once upon a time, with electric blasts, Azuria tried to swipe this earth clear of the peoples who resisted her. The whitish, or yellowish, or brownish peoples of Scotland, Ireland, Brittany ... built forts, or already had forts, on hilltops. Something poured electricity upon them. The stones of these forts exist to this day, vitrified or melted and turned to glass."The stones of these forts are vitrified in no reference to cementing them ... they are cemented here and there, in streaks, as if special blasts had struck, or played, upon them ..." from "The Book of the Damned" by Charles Fort.—Ed.
[8]"The wrath of Azuria, because the other peoples of this earth would not turn blue to suit her.... In the vitrified forts of a few parts of Europe we find data that the Humes and Gibbons have disregarded. The vitrified forts surrounding England ... the vitrified forts of Scotland, Ireland, Brittany and Bohemia.
"Or that, once upon a time, with electric blasts, Azuria tried to swipe this earth clear of the peoples who resisted her. The whitish, or yellowish, or brownish peoples of Scotland, Ireland, Brittany ... built forts, or already had forts, on hilltops. Something poured electricity upon them. The stones of these forts exist to this day, vitrified or melted and turned to glass.
"The stones of these forts are vitrified in no reference to cementing them ... they are cemented here and there, in streaks, as if special blasts had struck, or played, upon them ..." from "The Book of the Damned" by Charles Fort.—Ed.
[9]vilyishna: A Gaanelian machine which transfers knowledge from one brain to another by rearranging the electrical thought-patterns.—Ed.
[9]vilyishna: A Gaanelian machine which transfers knowledge from one brain to another by rearranging the electrical thought-patterns.—Ed.
[10]Many astronomers believe the planetoids (or asteroids) which girdle space between Mars and Jupiter are the fragments of a true planet formerly located in that orbit. In his bookRagnarok, Ignatius Donnelly suggests that this planet may have been destroyed by a comet.—Ed.
[10]Many astronomers believe the planetoids (or asteroids) which girdle space between Mars and Jupiter are the fragments of a true planet formerly located in that orbit. In his bookRagnarok, Ignatius Donnelly suggests that this planet may have been destroyed by a comet.—Ed.
[11]This is not mere imaginative fiction. The mystery of the Barbary Apes continues to baffle the military men and cartographers of Gibraltar to this day. These African visitors seem to invade and desert the Rock at will, despite the fact there is no visible connection between the two places.—Ed.
[11]This is not mere imaginative fiction. The mystery of the Barbary Apes continues to baffle the military men and cartographers of Gibraltar to this day. These African visitors seem to invade and desert the Rock at will, despite the fact there is no visible connection between the two places.—Ed.
[12]Few modern laymen realize that aluminum, now so commonly used by every household, was, less than a hundred years ago a "precious metal" known only to royal coffers and experimental laboratories. When a method of obtaining it freely from its native ores was finally invented, so inexperienced was the general public in its uses that a company had to be formed to "educate" mankind to its employment. Even today the many uses of aluminum are not yet decided.—Ed.
[12]Few modern laymen realize that aluminum, now so commonly used by every household, was, less than a hundred years ago a "precious metal" known only to royal coffers and experimental laboratories. When a method of obtaining it freely from its native ores was finally invented, so inexperienced was the general public in its uses that a company had to be formed to "educate" mankind to its employment. Even today the many uses of aluminum are not yet decided.—Ed.
[13]The accompanying news-clipping might have helped Ramey solve the mystery—or might have only furthered his confusion. One truth shines clearly through the webwork of half-knowledge to which man is heir: That there exist in this world many ancient secrets as yet unsolved.—Ed.
[13]The accompanying news-clipping might have helped Ramey solve the mystery—or might have only furthered his confusion. One truth shines clearly through the webwork of half-knowledge to which man is heir: That there exist in this world many ancient secrets as yet unsolved.—Ed.
[14]The persistent legend of a monkey-leader named 'Anuman (or Hanuman) is one of the oldest and best-loved tales of Asiatic peoples. His name and a record of his deeds may be found in the ancient records of practically all Oriental sects.—Ed.
[14]The persistent legend of a monkey-leader named 'Anuman (or Hanuman) is one of the oldest and best-loved tales of Asiatic peoples. His name and a record of his deeds may be found in the ancient records of practically all Oriental sects.—Ed.
[15]The reader is recommended to a closer examination of theRamayana, sacred book of the Hindus, procurable in an inexpensive edition at almost any well-stocked library. The portion here reduced to its essentials is but one of many amazingly fascinating sections.In connection with this, it is interesting to note that the god Rama is considered to be but one of the seven Avatars (or reincarnations) of the god Vishnu. Hindu theosophy admits of many things scoffed at by modern, practical science: reincarnation, demoniac possession and "invasion of other world creatures" being but a few.—Ed.
[15]The reader is recommended to a closer examination of theRamayana, sacred book of the Hindus, procurable in an inexpensive edition at almost any well-stocked library. The portion here reduced to its essentials is but one of many amazingly fascinating sections.
In connection with this, it is interesting to note that the god Rama is considered to be but one of the seven Avatars (or reincarnations) of the god Vishnu. Hindu theosophy admits of many things scoffed at by modern, practical science: reincarnation, demoniac possession and "invasion of other world creatures" being but a few.—Ed.