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At this point in their descent, the Guide and The Man in Etidorhpa
have below passed the point where the gravity-inducing charge exists
with full force. You see that the same physics which holds on the
surface is not present at their depth:
http://www.holloworbs.com/Etidorchapter_xxi.htm
CHAPTER XXI.
MY WEIGHT IS DISAPPEARING.
We halted suddenly, for we came unexpectedly to the edge of a
precipice, twenty feet at least in depth.
" Let us jump down," said my guide.
" That would be dangerous," I answered; " can not we descend at some
point where it is not so deep?"
" No; the chasm stretches for miles across our path, and at this
point we will meet with the least difficulty; besides, there is no
danger. The specific gravity of our bodies is now so little that we
could jump twice that distance with impunity."
" I can not comprehend you; we are in the flesh, our bodies are
possessed of weight, the concussion will be violent."
" You reason again from the condition of your former life, and, as
usual, are mistaken; there will be little shock, for, as I have said,
our bodies are comparatively light now. Have you forgotten that your
motion is continuously accelerated, and that without perceptible
exertion you move rapidly? This is partly because of the loss of
weight. Your weight would now be only about fifty pounds if tested by
a spring balance."
I stood incredulous.
" You trifle with me; I weigh over one hundred and fifty pounds; how
have I lost weight ? It is true that I have noticed the ease with
which we have recently progressed on our journey, especially the
latter part of it, but I attribute this, in part, to the fact that
our course is down an incline, and also to the vitalizing power of
this cavern air."
" This explains part of the matter," he said; " it answered at the
time, and I stated a fact; but were it not that you are really
consuming a comparatively small amount of energy, you
would long before this have been completely exhausted. You have been
gaining strength for some hours; have really been
growing younger. Your wrinkled face has become more smooth, and your
voice is again natural. You were prematurely aged by your brothers on
the surface of the earth, in order that when you pass the line of
gravity, you might be vigorous and enjoying manhood again. Had this
aging process not been accomplished you would now have become as a
child in many respects."
He halted before me. " Jump up," he said. I promptly obeyed the
unexpected command, and sprung upward with sufficient force to carry
me, as I supposed, six inches from the earth; however I bounded
upward fully six feet. My look of surprise as I gently alighted, for
there was no concussion on my return, seemed lost on my guide, and he