"The next requirement of man," continued the Demon, "is defense fro. his enemies. I notice with sorrow that men frequently have wars an. kill one another. Also, even in civilized communities, man is i. constant danger from highwaymen, cranks and policemen. To defen. himself he uses heavy and dangerous guns, with which to destroy hi. enemies. This is wrong. He has no right to take away what he can no. bestow; to destroy what he can not create. To kill a fellow-creatur. is a horrid crime, even if done in self-defense. Therefore, my secon. gift to you is this little tube. You may carry it within your pocket.
Whenever an enemy threatens you, be it man or beast, simply point th. tube and press this button in the handle. An electric current wil. instantly be directed upon your foe, rendering him wholly unconsciou. for the period of one hour. During that time you will hav. opportunity to escape. As for your enemy, after regainin. consciousness he will suffer no inconvenience from the encounte. beyond a slight headache.""That's fine!" said Rob, as he took the tube. It was scarcely si. inches long, and hollow at one end.
"The busy lives of men," proceeded the Demon, "require them to mov. about and travel in all directions. Yet to assist them there are onl. such crude and awkward machines as electric trolleys, cable cars. steam railways and automobiles. These crawl slowly over the uneve. surface of the earth and frequently get out of order. It has grieve. me that men have not yet discovered what even birds know: that th. atmosphere offers them swift and easy means of traveling from one par. of the earth's surface to another.""Some people have tried to build airships," remarked Rob.
"So they have; great, unwieldy machines which offer so much resistanc. to the air that they are quite useless. A big machine is not neede. to carry one through the air. There are forces in nature which may b. readily used for such purpose. Tell me, what holds you to the Earth. and makes a stone fall to the ground?""Attraction of gravitation," said Rob, promptly.
"Exactly. That is one force I refer to," said the Demon. "The forc. of repulsion, which is little known, but just as powerful, is anothe. that mankind may direct. Then there are the Polar electric forces. attracting objects toward the north or south poles. You have guesse. something of this by the use of the compass, or electric needle.
Opposed to these is centrifugal electric force, drawing objects fro. east to west, or in the opposite direction. This force is created b. the whirl of the earth upon its axis, and is easily utilized, althoug. your scientific men have as yet paid little attention to it.
"These forces, operating in all directions, absolute and immutable. are at the disposal of mankind. They will carry you through th. atmosphere wherever and whenever you choose. That is, if you kno. how to control them. Now, here is a machine I have myself perfected."The Demon drew from his pocket something that resembled an open-face. watch, having a narrow, flexible band attached to it.
"When you wish to travel," said he, "attach this little machine t. your left wrist by means of the band. It is very light and will no. be in your way. On this dial are points marked 'up' and 'down' as wel. as a perfect compass. When you desire to rise into the air set th. indicator to the word 'up,' using a finger of your right hand to tur. it. When you have risen as high as you wish, set the indicator to th. point of the compass you want to follow and you will be carried by th. proper electric force in that direction. To descend, set th. indicator to the word 'down.. Do you understand?""Perfectly!" cried Rob, taking the machine from the Demon wit. unfeigned delight. "This is really wonderful, and I'm awfully oblige. to you!""Don't mention it," returned the Demon, dryly. "These three gifts yo. may amuse yourself with for the next week. It seems hard to entrus. such great scientific discoveries to the discretion of a mere boy; bu. they are quite harmless, so if you exercise proper care you can no. get into trouble through their possession. And who knows wha. benefits to humanity may result. One week from to-day, at this hour. I will again appear to you, at which time you shall receive the secon. series of electrical gifts.""I'm not sure," said Rob, "that I shall be able again to make th. connections that will strike the Master Key.""Probably not," answered the Demon. "Could you accomplish that, yo. might command my services forever. But, having once succeeded, yo. are entitled to the nine gifts--three each week for three weeks--s. you have no need to call me to do my duty. I shall appear of m. own accord.""Thank you," murmured the boy.
The Demon bowed and spread his hands in the form of a semi-circle. A. instant later there was a blinding flash, and when Rob recovered fro. it and opened his eyes the Demon of Electricity had disappeared.
