eauty within," said Dr. Jones, and he was about to apply
the knocker again, when a deep bass voice from a window above addressed
them in a language with which they were unfamiliar.

"We cannot speak your language. Do you speak English?" asked Dr. Jones.

"Are you men, angels, or devils, and what do you want," returned the
voice in fairly good English.

The Doctor hastened to give the desired information, and told who they
were, etc., concisely as possible.

"What is that fearful and wonderful silver ball or globe in which you
dropped from the skies among us?"

After further explanations the bars were removed, and the massive door
swung slowly open. There stood before them a large, black-bearded man,
holding by the collars two large Russian hounds. The brutes growled and
showed their horrid fangs in a way that made the visitors cringe and
draw back.

"Please restrain your dogs, sir, for our mission is a perfectly peaceful
one," said Dr. Jones; and he smiled so blandly that the man seemed to
dismiss his apprehensions. He gave a signal which summoned two men, to
whom he consigned the dogs, and they were led away. He now invited them
to enter, and gave them seats in an adjoining room.

"Gentlemen, I am Count Icanovich, and this is my castle. I welcome you
to its hospitalities. You must excuse the reception we gave you, for I
must confess that I have never been so startled in my life as when I saw
your extraordinary ship come swooping down upon us a few moments ago.
Half my people are in fits, or hidden away in all sorts of holes and
corners."

"I am exceedingly sorry, Count, to have come so abruptly and informally
among you, but I assure you that we are here very much against our own
wishes. We are bound for the North Pole, but this terrible gale from the
north necessitated our anchoring for the present. But since fate has
cast us among you, I am very happy to make the acquaintance of Count
Icanovich. I am Dr. Jones of Washington City, United States, and this is
Professor Gray, of Smithsonian Institute, same city."

The Count shook hands with them very cordially, and asked, "How many are
there of your party?" Upon being told, he immediately desired that they
all be brought to the castle.

"We see but little of the world in this place," said he, "and we hail
this break in the humdrum monotony of our life with extreme pleasure."

The two gentlemen returned appropriate acknowledgments of the Count's
kindness, and