TARRANO
THE CONQUEROR
BY RAY CUMMINGS
COPYRIGHT, 1930, BY
A. C. McCLURG & CO.
CHICAGO
IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, THE BRITISH EMPIRE AND THE PAN AMERICAN UNION.
Printed in the United States of America
To Hugo Gernsback, scientist, author and publisher, whose constantefforts in behalf of scientific fiction have contributed so largelyto its present popularity, this tale is gratefully dedicated.
FOREWORD
In "Tarrano the Conqueror" is presented a tale of the year 2430 A.D.—atime somewhat farther beyond our present-day era than we are beyondColumbus' discovery of America. My desire has been to create for you theimpression that you have suddenly been plunged forward into thattime—to give you the feeling Columbus might have had could he have reada novel of our present-day life.
To this end I have conceived myself a writer of that future time,addressing his contemporary public. You are to imagine yourself readinga present day translation of my original text—a translation so freethat a thousand little colloquialisms will have crept into it that couldnot possibly have their counterparts in the year 2430.
Apart from the text, you will occasionally find brief explanatoryfootnotes. Conceive them as having been put there by the translator.
If you find parts of this tale unusual or bizarre, please remember thatwe are living now in a comparatively ignorant day. The tale is notintended to be fantastic or full of new and strange ideas. I have usednothing but those developments of our present-day civilization to whichwe are all looking forward as logical probabilities—woven them into apicture of what life in America very probably will be five hundred yearsfrom now. To that extent, the tale itself is intended to be only a lovestory of adventure and romance—written, not for you, but for thatfuture audience.
RAY CUMMINGS.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I. The New Murders
CHAPTER II. Warning
CHAPTER III. Spy in the House
CHAPTER IV. To the North Pole
CHAPTER V. Outlawed Flight
CHAPTER VI. Man of Destiny
CHAPTER VII. Prisoners
CHAPTER VIII. Unknown Friend
CHAPTER IX. Paralyzed!
CHAPTER X. Georg Escapes
CHAPTER XI. Recaptured
CHAPTER XII. Tara
CHAPTER XIII. Love—and Hate
CHAPTER XIV. Defying Worlds
CHAPTER XV. Escape
CHAPTER XVI. Playground of Venus
CHAPTER XVII. Violet Beam of Death
CHAPTER XVIII. Passing of a Friend
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