The New Accelerator by H.G. Wells
Section [1 | 2]
the new accelerator

by H .G .Wells

certainly, if ever a man found a guinea when he_was looking for a pin, it_is my good friend professor Gibberne . I_have heard before of investigators overshooting the mark, but never quite to_the extent that he has_done . he has really, this_time at any rate, without any touch of exaggeration in_the phrase, found something to revolutionise human life . and_that when he_was simply seeking an all- round nervous stimulant to bring languid people up_to_the stresses of_these pushful days . I_have tasted the stuff now several_times, and I_cannot do better than describe the effect the thing had on me . that_there_are astonishing experiences in store for all in search of new sensations will become apparent enough .

professor Gibberne, as_many people know, is my neighbour in Folkestone . unless my memory plays me a trick, his portrait at various ages has already appeared in_the strand Magazine_-- think late in 1899 but I_am unable to look it up because I_have lent that volume to someone who has never sent it back . the reader may, perhaps, recall the high forehead and_the singularly long black eyebrows that give such aMephistophelean touch to_his face . he occupies one of_those pleasant little detached houses in_the mixed style that make_the western end of_the upper Sandgate road so interesting . his is_the one with_the Flemish gables and_the Moorish portico, and it_is in_the little room with_the mullioned bay window that he works when he_is down here, and in_which of an evening we_have so often smoked and talked together . he_is a mighty jester, but, besides, he likes to_talk to_me about his work; he_is one of_those men who find a help and stimulus in talking, and so I_have_been_able to_follow the conception of_the new accelerator right up from a very early stage . of_course, the greater portion of_his experimental work is_not done in Folkestone, but in Gower street, in_the fine new laboratory next to_the hospital that he has_been the first to use .

as every_one knows, or at_least as all intelligent people know, the special department in_which Gibberne has gained so great and deserved a reputation among physiologists is_the action of drugs upon_the nervous system . upon soporifics, sedatives, and anaesthetics he_is, I_am told, unequalled . he_is also a chemist of considerable eminence, and I suppose in_the subtle and complex jungle of riddles that centres about_the ganglion cell and_the axis fibre there_are little cleared places of_his making, little glades of illumination, that, until he sees fit to_publish his results, are still inaccessible to every_other living man . and in_the last few years he has_been particularly assiduous upon_this question of nervous stimulants, and already, before_the discovery of_the new accelerator, very successful with_them . medical science has_to thank him for at_least three distinct and absolutely safe invigorators of unrivalled value to practising men . in cases of exhaustion the preparation known as Gibberne's B syrup has, I suppose, saved more lives already than any lifeboat round the coast .

" but none of_these little things begin to satisfy me yet," he_told me nearly a year ago ." either they increase the central energy without affecting the nerves, or they simply increase the available energy by lowering the nervous conductivity; and all of_them are unequal and local in their operation . one wakes up the heart and viscera and leaves the brain stupefied, one gets at_the brain champagne fashion, and does nothing good for_the solar plexus, and what i_want-- and what, if_it's an earthly possibility, I mean to_have-- is a stimulant that stimulates all round, that wakes you up for a time from_the crown of your head to_the tip of your great toe, and makes you go two-- or even three-- to everybody else's one .Eh ? that's the thing I'm after ."

" it would tire a man," I_said .

" not a doubt of it . and you'd eat double or treble-- and all that . but just think what the thing would mean . imagine yourself with a little phial like this"-- he held up a little bottle of green glass and marked his points with it--" and in_this precious phial is_the power to_think twice as fast, move twice as quickly, do twice_as_much work in a given time as you_could otherwise do ."

" but is such a thing possible ? "

"I believe so . if_it isn't, I've wasted my_time for a year . these various preparations of_the hypophosphites, for example, seem to show that something of_the sort .. . even if_it_was only_one and a half times as fast it would do ."

" it would do," I_said .

" if_you were a statesman in a corner, for example, time rushing up against you, something urgent to_be_done, eh ? "

" he_could dose his private secretary," I_said .

" and gain-- double time . and think if you_, for example, wanted to finish a book ."

" usually," I_said, " i_wish I'd never begun 'em ."

" or a doctor, driven to death, wants to sit down and think out a case . or a barrister-- or a man cramming for an examination ."

" worth a guinea a drop," said I, " and more-- to men like that ."

" and in a duel, again," said Gibberne, " where it all depends on_your quickness in pulling the trigger ."

" or in fencing," I echoed .

" you_see," said Gibberne, " if I get it as an all- round thing, it_will really do_you no harm at all-- except perhaps to an infinitesimal degree it brings you nearer old age . you_will just have lived twice to other people's once--"

"I suppose," I meditated, " in a duel-- it would_be fair ? "

" that's a question for_the seconds," said Gibberne .

I harked back further ." and you really think such a thing is_ possible ? " I_said .

" as possible," said Gibberne, and glanced at something that went throbbing by_the window, " as a motor- bus . as a matter of fact--"

he paused and smiled at me deeply, and tapped slowly on_the edge of_his desk with_the green phial ." i_think I_know the stuff .. . already I've got something coming ." the nervous smile upon his face betrayed the gravity of_his revelation . he rarely talked of_his actual experimental work unless things were very near the end ." and it may_be, it may_be--I shouldn't be surprised-- it may even do_the thing at a greater rate than twice ."

" it_will_be rather a big thing," I hazarded .

" it_will_be, i_think, rather a big thing ."

but I don't think he quite knew what a big thing it_was to_be, for all that .

I remember we had several talks about_the stuff after_that ." the new accelerator" he_called it, and_his tone about_it grew more confident on each occasion .Sometimes he talked nervously of unexpected physiological results its use might_have, and then he_would get a little unhappy; at others he_was frankly mercenary, and we debated long and anxiously how the preparation might_be turned to commercial account ." it's a good thing," said Gibberne, "a tremendous thing . I_know I'm giving the world something, and i_think it only reasonable we_should expect the world to_pay . the dignity of science is all very_well, but i_think somehow I_must_have the monopoly of_the stuff for, say, ten years .I don't see why all the fun in life should go to_the dealers in ham ."

my own interest in_the coming drug certainly did_not wane in_the time . I_have always had a queer little twist towards metaphysics in my mind . I_have always been given to paradoxes about space and time, and it seemed to_me that Gibberne was really preparing no less_than_the absolute acceleration of life . suppose a man repeatedly dosed with_such a preparation: he_would live an active and record life indeed, but he_would_be an adult at eleven, middle- aged at twenty-five, and by thirty well on_the road to senile decay . it seemed to_me that so_far Gibberne was only going to_do for any_one who took his drug exactly what nature has_done for_the Jews and Orientals, who_are men in their teens and aged by fifty, and quicker in thought and act than we_are all the time . the marvel of drugs has always been great to my mind; you_can madden a man, calm a man, make him incredibly strong and alert or a helpless log, quicken this passion and allay that, all by_means of drugs, and here was a new miracle to_be added to_this strange armoury of phials the doctors use ! but Gibberne was far too eager upon his technical points to enter very keenly into my aspect of_the question .

it was_the 7th or 8th of August when he_told me the distillation that_would decide his failure or success for a time was going forward as_we talked, and it_was on_the 10th that he_told me the thing was_done and_the new accelerator a tangible reality in_the_world .I met him as i_was going up the Sandgate hill towards Folkestone-- i_think i_was going to_get my hair cut, and he_came hurrying down to meet me--I suppose he_was coming to my house to_tell me at once of_his success .I remember that his eyes were unusually bright and_his face flushed, and I noted even then the swift alacrity of_his step .

" it's done," he cried, and gripped my hand, speaking very fast; " it's more than done . come up_to my house and_see ."

" really ? "

" really ! " he shouted ."Incredibly ! come up and_see ."

" and it does-- twice ? "

" it does more, much more . it scares me . come up and_see the stuff . taste it ! try it ! it's the most amazing stuff on earth ." he gripped my arm and; walking at such apace that he forced me into a trot, went shouting with me up the hill .a whole char--banc_-ful of people turned and stared at us in unison after_the manner of people in chars--banc . it_was one of_those hot, clear days that Folkestone sees so_much of, every colour incredibly bright and every outline hard . there_was a breeze, of_course, but not so_much breeze as sufficed under these conditions to_keep me cool and dry .I panted for mercy .

"I'm not walking fast, am I ? " cried Gibberne, and slackened his pace to a quick march .

" you've been taking some_of_this stuff," I puffed .

" no," he_said ." at_the utmost a drop of water that stood in a beaker from_which I had washed out the last traces of_the stuff . i_took some last night, you_know . but that_is ancient history now ."

" and it goes twice ? " I_said, nearing his doorway in a grateful perspiration .

" it goes a thousand times, many thousand times ! " cried Gibberne, with a dramatic gesture, flinging open his early English carved oak gate .

"Phew ! " said I, and followed him to_the door .

"I don't know how_many_times it goes," he_said, with_his latch- key in_his hand .

" and you----"

" it throws all sorts of light on nervous physiology, it kicks the theory of vision into a perfectly new shape ! .. . heaven knows how_many thousand times . we'll try all that after---- the thing is to_try the stuff now ."

" try the stuff ? " I_said, as_we went along the passage .

" rather," said Gibberne, turning on me in_his study ." there it_is in_that little green phial there ! unless you happen to_be afraid ? "

I_am a careful man by nature, and only theoretically adventurous .I _was afraid . but on_the other hand, there_is pride .

" well," I haggled ." you say you've tried it ? "

"I've tried it," he_said, " and I don't look hurt by_it, do I ? I don't even look livery, and I feel_----"

I sat down ." give_me the potion," I_said ." if_the worst comes to_the worst it_will save having my hair cut, and_that, i_think, is one_of_the_most hateful duties of acivilised man . how do_you take_the mixture ? "

" with water," said Gibberne, whacking down a carafe .

he stood up in front of_his desk and regarded me in_his easy- chair; his manner was suddenly affected by a touch of_the Harley street specialist ." it's rum stuff, you_know," he_said .

I_made a gesture with my hand .

" I_must warn you, in_the first place, as_soon_as you've got it down to shut your eyes, and open them very cautiously in a minute or so's time . one still sees . the sense of vision is a question of length of vibration, and not of multitude of impacts; but there's a kind of shock to_the retina, a nasty giddy confusion just at_the_time if_the eyes are open . keep 'em shut ."

" shut," I_said ." good ! "

" and_the next thing is, keep still .Don't begin to whack about . you_may fetch something a nasty rap if_you_do . remember you_will_be going several thousand times faster than you ever did before, heart, lungs, muscles, brain-- everything-- and you_will hit hard without knowing it . you won't know it, you_know . you'll feel just as_you_do now . only everything in_the_world will seem_to_be going ever so_many thousand times slower than it ever went before . that's what makes it so deuced queer ."

"Lor," I_said ." and you mean----"

" you'll see," said he, and took up a little measure . he glanced at_the material on_his desk ."Glasses," he_said, " water . all here .Mustn't take too_much for_the first attempt ."

the little phial glucked out its precious contents ."Don't forget what i_told you," he_said, turning the contents of_the measure into a glass in_the manner of an Italian waiter measuring whisky ." sit with_the eyes tightly shut and in absolute stillness for two minutes," he_said ." then you_will hear me speak ."

he added an inch or so of water to_the little dose in each glass .

" by- the- by," he_said, "don't put your glass down . keep it in your hand and rest your hand on_your knee . yes-- so . and now----"

he raised his glass .

" the new accelerator," I_said .

" the new accelerator," he answered, and we touched glasses and drank, and instantly I closed my eyes .

you_know that blank non- existence into which one drops when one has taken " gas ." for an indefinite interval it_was like that . then I heard Gibberne telling me to wake up, and I stirred and opened my eyes . there he stood as he had_been standing, glass still in hand . it_was empty, that was all the difference .

" well ? " said I .

" nothing out_of_the way ? "

" nothing .a slight feeling of exhilaration, perhaps . nothing more ."

"Sounds ? "

" things are still," I_said ." by Jove ! yes ! they_are still . except the sort of faint pat, patter, like rain falling on different things . what_is it ? "

"Analysed sounds," i_think he_said, but I_am not sure . he glanced at_the window ." have_you ever seen a curtain before a window fixed in_that way before ? "

I followed his eyes, and there_was the end of_the curtain, frozen, as it were, corner high, in_the act of flapping briskly in_the breeze .

" no," said I; " that's odd ."

" and here," he_said, and opened the hand that held the glass . naturally I winced, expecting the glass to smash . but so_far from smashing, it did_not even seem to stir; it hung in mid- air-- motionless ." roughly speaking," said Gibberne, " an object in_these latitudes falls 16 feet in_the first second . this glass is falling 16 feet in a second now . only, you_see, it hasn't been falling yet for_the hundredth part of a second . that gives you some idea of_the pace of_my accelerator ."

and he waved his hand round and round, over and under the

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