"
Mr. Fenshawe was skeptical. Mirage-phenomena were familiar to him, but
never had they dealt with natural objects beyond a range of a few
miles. For the most part, the mirage of the desert is a baseless
illusion, depending on the bending of light-rays by air strata of
differing densities. The rarer "looming," witnessed occasionally in
more northerly latitudes, shows scenes actually in existence, and the
best authenticated instance of a long-range view is that testified to
by the inhabitants of Hastings, who during three hours on July 26,
1798, saw the whole coastline of France, from Calais to Dieppe, with a
distinctness that was then regarded as miraculous.
But, whether Abdur Kad'r's figures were correct or not, there was no
gainsaying the evidence of the mirage itself. The collapse of the
undertaking was imminent, and the millionaire's tone was exceedingly
curt when he called von Kerber to conference.
"There are certain matters which must be cleared up, now that nature
has assumed the role of guide," he said dryly.
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