believed that the velocity of light is the limiting velocity, and many
of our leading authorities hold this view--but it cannot be proved, and
is by no means universally held. In this connection, it would appear
that J. J. Thompson, in "Beyond the Electron" shows, to his own
satisfaction at least, that velocities vastly greater than that of light
are not only possible, but necessary to any comprehensive investigation
into the nature of the electron.

We do not know the nature of light. Neither the undulatory theory nor
the quantum theory are adequate to explain all observed phenomena, and
they seem to be mutually exclusive, since it would seem clear by
definition that no one thing can be at the same time continuous and
discontinuous. We know nothing of the ether--we do not even know whether
or not it exists, save as a concept of our own extremely limited
intelligence. We are in total ignorance of the ultimate structure of
matter, and of the arrangement and significance of those larger
aggregations of matter, the galaxies. We do not know nor understand, nor
can we define, even such fundamental necessities as time and space.

Why prate of "the impossible"?

Edward Elmer Smith, Ph.D.

CHAPTER I

DuQuesne Goes Traveling

In the innermost private office of Steel, Brookings and DuQuesne stared
at each other across the massive desk. DuQuesne's voice was cold, his
black brows were drawn together.

"Get this, Brookings, and get it straight. I'm shoving off at twelve
o'clock tonight. My advice to you is to lay off Richard Seaton,
absolutely. Don't do a thing. _Nothing, hold everything._ Keep on
holding it until I get back, no matter how long that may be," DuQuesne
shot out in an icy tone.

"I am very much surprised at your change of front, Doctor. You are the
last man I would have expected to be scared off after one engagement."

"Don't be any more of a fool than you have to, Brookings. There's a lot
of difference between scared and knowing when you are simply wasting
effort. As you remember, I tried to abduct Mrs. Seaton by picking her
off with an attractor from a space-ship. I would have bet that nothing
could have stopped me. Well, when they located me--probably with an
automatic Osnomian ray-detector--and heated me red-hot while I was still
better than two hundred miles up, I knew then and there that they had us
stopped; that there was nothing we could do except go back to my plan,
abandon the abduction ide