mass. It cooled, and as it cooled it shrank. At length a thin

crust of solid matter formed upon its outer surface--a sort of

shell; but within it was partially molten matter and highly expanded

gases. As it continued to cool, what happened? Centrifugal

force hurled the particles of the nebulous center toward the crust

as rapidly as they approached a solid state. You have seen the

same principle practically applied in the modern cream separator.

Presently there was only a small super-heated core of gaseous matter

remaining within a huge vacant interior left by the contraction of

the cooling gases. The equal attraction of the solid crust from

all directions maintained this luminous core in the exact center of

the hollow globe. What remains of it is the sun you saw today--a

relatively tiny thing at the exact center of the earth. Equally

to every part of this inner world it diffuses its perpetual noonday

light and torrid heat.

"This inner world must have cooled sufficiently to support animal

life long ages after life appeared upon the outer crust, but that

the same agencies were at work here is evident from the similar

forms of both animal and vegetable creation which we have already

seen. Take the great beast which attacked us, for example.

Unquestionably a counterpart of the Megatherium of the post-Pliocene

period of the outer crust, whose fossilized skeleton has been found

in South America."

"But the grotesque inhabitants of this forest?" I urged. "Surely

they have no counterpart in the earth's history."

"Who can tell?" he rejoined. "They may constitute the link between ape

<<BackPagesTo menuNext>>