



Produced by Greg Weeks, George Snoga, Stephen Blundell and
the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
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              PHARAOH'S BROKER

   BEING THE VERY REMARKABLE EXPERIENCES
            IN ANOTHER WORLD OF
               ISIDOR WERNER

            (WRITTEN BY HIMSELF)


 EDITED, ARRANGED, AND WITH AN INTRODUCTION
           BY ELLSWORTH DOUGLASS


                  [Device]


                   LONDON
         C. ARTHUR PEARSON LIMITED
           HENRIETTA STREET W.C.
                    1899




Transcriber's Note:

    Minor typographical errors have been corrected without note.
    Obsolete spellings have been retained. The oe ligature is
    represented by [oe].




CONTENTS


                                                  PAGE
 INTRODUCTION: ELUSIVE TRUTH                         7


               BOOK I. SECRETS OF SPACE

 CHAPTER
      I. DR. HERMANN ANDERWELT                      19
     II. THE GRAVITY PROJECTILE                     27
    III. STRUCTURE OF THE PROJECTILE                37
     IV. WHAT IS ON MARS?                           48
      V. FINAL PREPARATIONS                         57
     VI. FAREWELL TO EARTH                          67
    VII. THE TERRORS OF LIGHT                       81
   VIII. THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW                   91
     IX. TRICKS OF REFRACTION                       99
      X. THE TWILIGHT OF SPACE                     108
     XI. TELLING THE TIME BY GEOGRAPHY             117
    XII. SPACE FEVER                               126
   XIII. THE MYSTERY OF A MINUS WEIGHT             141


               BOOK II. OTHER WORLD LIFE

      I. WHY MARS GIVES A RED LIGHT                157
     II. THE TERROR BIRDS                          170
    III. TWO OF US AGAINST THE ARMIES OF MARS      182
     IV. THE STRANGE BRAVERY OF MISS BLANK         192
      V. ZAPHNATH, RULER OF THE KEMI               204
     VI. THE IRON MEN FROM THE BLUE STAR           220
    VII. PARALLEL PLANETARY LIFE                   240
   VIII. A PLAGIARIST OF DREAMS                    249
     IX. GETTING INTO THE CORNER                   260
      X. HUMANITY ON PTAH                          275
     XI. REVOLUTIONIST AND EAVESDROPPER            283
    XII. THE DOCTOR DISAPPEARS                     292
   XIII. THE REVELATION OF HOTEP                   304




INTRODUCTION

Elusive Truth


It was the Chicago _Tribune_ of June 13th, 189-, which contained this
paragraph under the head-line: "Big Broker Missing!"

   "The friends of Isidor Werner, a young man prominent in Board of
   Trade circles, are much concerned about him, as he has not been seen
   for several days. He made his last appearance in the wheat pit as a
   heavy buyer Tuesday forenoon. That afternoon he left his office at
   Room 87 Board of Trade, and has not been seen since, nor can his
   whereabouts be learned. He is six feet two inches high, of athletic
   build, with black hair and moustache, a regular nose, and an
   unpronounced Jewish appearance. His age is hardly more than
   twenty-seven, but he has often made himself felt as a market force on
   the Board of Trade, where he was well thought of."

But it was the _Evening Post_ of the same date which prided itself on
unearthing the real sensation. A scare-head across the top of a first
page column read:

   "A PLUNGER'S LAST PLUNGE!"

   "The daring young broker who held the whole wheat market in his hands
   a few months ago, amassing an independent fortune in three days, but
   losing most of it gamely on subsequent changes in the market, has
   made his last plunge. This time he has gone into the cold, kind bosom
   of Lake Michigan. Isidor Werner evened up his trades in the wheat
   market last Tuesday forenoon, and then applied for his balance-sheet
   at a higher clearing house! No trace of him or clue to his
   whereabouts was found, until the _Evening Post_, on the principle of
   setting one mystery to solve another, sent its representative to
   examine a strange steel rocket, discovered half-buried in the sands
   of Lake Michigan, near Berrien Springs, two days ago. Our reporter
   investigated this bullet-shaped contrivance and found an opening into
   it, and within he discovered a scrap of paper on which were written
   the words: 'Farewell to Earth for ever!' Werner's friends, when
   interviewed by the _Evening Post_, all positively identified