Caltraps of Time

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Book: Read Caltraps of Time for Free Online
Authors: David I. Masson
Tags: Fiction, Science-Fiction, Collections & Anthologies
some thing ty’d at the Neck. The fashion of his Hair was mighty strange. He look’d on me, open’d his Mouth, and spoke, what I took to be some forren Tongue, for I cou’d make nothing of it. And here was all our Discourse.
     
    He: Lowgh. Naugh dwenthing foyoo? (With a kind of Questioning voice.)
     
    Myself: Prithee, Sir, do you converse in English?
     
    At this he frown’d, and turn’d back thro’ his Door, but left it open, for I heard him in speech with another, as follows.
     
    He: Chappea lux lau ikthtauon crauea. Now enthing bau ootim? Caun honstan zaklay wottee sez.
     
    The Other: Nowoulman. Nopmaugh pidgen enwaya. Prap-seez thatfla caimea mon thcow. Breezdin breezdaught. Weo tav moce curetay.
     
    Now I thought, I must not stay, for I cannot explain my purpose or my being here, and these do not speak English (I suppose). I ran back to the Door number’d Thirteen, but making as little sound, as I cou’d, open’d it, clos’d it again, got me into my Machine, slid the Rod to rightwards, and, to make the least and safest change I cou’d think of; turn’d the Pointer for the Months to one less (that for March, as I suppos’d) and push’d on the Red Knob. After a short Faint-ness, in which the Chamber turn’d Clowdy in the middle parts, and darker, I found my self and the Machine in the same Chamber, slid the Rod to lock it, and came out to look to the Calendar. This indeed show’d the month of March, and I stole out of the Door (observing first, that the Papers were not in the same state in which I had seen ‘em), and came down the Hall. Before I turn’d the Angle there comes past it another Body, cloath’d something like the first. I was thankful that I wear my own Hair, for neither of these Fellows had a Wig, and as I found, all Men in this People wear their own Hair. He turns his Head and looks at me. I bow’d to him, came towards the Tables on the Wall, star’d on them, turn’d round, and stept slowly back to the Room from which I was come. At the Door I turn’d me round, but the Fellow was not to be seen. Back in I went and once more into my Machine, slid the Rod back, and debated within my self; where shou’d I go now. At length I resolv’d, to try a Time a few months ahead, and so I set the Months Dial to August, and shortly found my self there.
     
    Now I still heard the Clamour, but less lowd, and when I got me out of the Chamber I found no Persons without, tho’ I waited for the space of above half an hour. When I try’d the great Door to the Road I found it fast, and ‘twou’d not by any means be open’d. I concluded, I must have lit upon some Holiday. When I came to look more closely upon one of these Tables of Calendars, I found that the Day of the Machine was a Sunday that month of that year. I thought, I had brought my self into some Golledge, tho’ the matters discours’d upon in the Books therein, must have puzzled the very Virtuosi of our Royal Society. I found in some Chambers a number of Books writ in High-Dutch, and two in French, but never a one in Latin, and the tongue of nearly every one was, English. I had a clowdy notion, that the strange speech of the Men that I had met with heretofore, might be a kind of English, not-withstanding it’s sounding so uncouth, and these Discoverys made me encline the more to that supposition. But this but made me fear the more, for my chances of coming alive out of such a Predicament, when I cou’d not even play a false part, such as to be some Traveller, that I might be let alone. If I cou’d but find some of the simpler sort of Books, I might learn some news from ‘em, but how was I to Interpret their Outlandish expressions?
     
    ‘Twas while I ponder’d on these matters, that I came upon a great mass of Broad-sheets, folded together, in one of the Chambers. I fell to perusing them and soon saw, that I had a manner of Courant before me, wherein was printed all News, that might concern this People. The Print was shut up in

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