Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1897-05-03
Nj. Strangers SeQ|Gd Pocket
Or, A Voyage to the Planet Mars,
By HUGH MACCOLL.
CHAPTER ".


dangers it might portend, l Immediately
raised the electric pressure on my regu-
lator, and darted up like rocket to a
height from which could see into the in
terror of the wood, though not very dis
tinctly because of the widespreading
branches and thick foliage of the trees.
/ strained my eyes and listened attentive
~, but without result; l saw nothing, and
the sound was not repeated. l descended
again to about fifty feet from the tops of
the trees, and sailed again on my inspect
ing tour as before, but with the regulator
at a much higher electric pressure, and
with the machine consequently moving
at a much greater speed-precautions
which were soon justified. | had not pro-
ceeded far in this manner when | sud-
denly heard the same loud believing be-
hind me, and in startling proximity.
had the presence Of mind to make the
machine again shoot suddenly upwards.
l had hardly, however, given it this up
ward impulse when | felt a violent shock
at the bottom which almost pitched me
off my steering seat. The next moment
there flew past me and beneath me a
huge green monster, unlike anything L
had ever seen on earth. Its immense out
spread wings, extending at least thirty
feet from tip to tip, resembled those OF
bat; it's body was not unlike that OF
crocodile, while its head, it's two enOr-
nous tusks and it's long flexible proboscis
put me, in mind of an elephant. This pro-
boscis, which it was twisting and bran
dishing about furiously, appeared to be
formidable weapon of OffenSe; and 1T was
doubtless an upward blow from it which
| felt as the monster flew past me-for-
tunately too far below me to enable it to
L 4In hnffn of
the Shooting Star with the stroke.
Now, what l ought to have done after
my narrow escape was to give the brute
a wide berth, as | might very easily have
done; for swift as the monster flew, it's
speed was a snail's pace compared with
the speed which l could at will impart to
the Shooting Star. But its unprovoked
attack had made me angry, and l. de-
termined to make it repent 1T. Raising
the electric pressure, therefore, to four or
five times it's previous amount, darted
swiftly forward for the combat. The fy-
ing monster had not as yet been able to
recover from the impetus which it's head
long pursuit had given it, and had time
to shoot past it, turn round and face 1t,
while it was still flying forward, in spite
of itself, though with rapidly diminishing
speed. We both came to halt at a
distance from each other of about
200 yards. Poised upon it's huge wings,
the monster regarded my machine for
moment or two in apparently perplexlty,
then, uttering another loud below, and
curving up it's immense trunk into an arc,
it darted swiftly towards me. But swift
er still was the rate at which | impelled
the Shooting Star to meet it, and with SO
true an aim that with it's sharp Prov,
which / had brought into a horizontal
position, 1 sliced the monsters trunk
clean off at about six inches from the
root. AS the huge proboscis fell to the
ground, the brute set up another loud
and discordant believing of somewhat
different kind from the former, and no
doubt expressive of great pain. l felt
sorry for it, and thought l would now
leave it alone after administering this
severe lesson; but / had no sooner turned
round with the intention OF cOntlnu-
ing my course of inspection, than L was
startled by seeing another of the species,
and of a. still larger size, flying swiftly
towards me- Irritated at this determined
hostility on the part of these uncouth in
habitants of Mars, [ impelled the Shoot
ing Star towards this new foe at a ter
rife speed, and, directing it with the
same unerring aim as before, sliced OH,
not his proboscis this time, but his huge
left wing. The second encounter took
place right over the placid surface OF a
broad, smooth river, and at height OF
about 500 feet. The commOtiOn produced
in this river by the fail of such monster
from such q height may be imagined.
The sound of the terrific splash resem-
bled nothing that / had ever heard be-
FORE A hollow column of water, with
its cross section corresponding to the
shape of the monsters immense carcass,
rose many yards into the air, and sent
a far-reaching spray across both banks
of the river This was followed by two
huge separating waves, which made the
river overflow both banks for many
yards; and long after their return the
swell of the water was like that OF the
sea after storm.
This, my first experience of Mars, was
on the whole not reassuring; yet 1T had
two encouraging features; it gave strlk-
ing proof of the tremendous offensive ana
defensive capabilities of the Shooting
Star, and it also afforded evidence no less
convincing that animal life was perfect
" compatible with the Marsian atmos-
phere. Still it behooved me to be care
ful. This atmosphere might be admirably
suited to the leathery lungs of the huge
monsters which / had just vanqulshed,
but would it equally suit the delicate
lungs of a terrestrial biped like myself !!
This could only be ascertained by actual
experiment; and the experiment mlght
be instantly fatal. Sooner or later was
resolved to run the risk, but meanwhile
l.
the planet, keeping the Shooting Star
still tightly, closed, and sailing in a
northwesterly direction at height OF
about 200 feet from the tops of the trees
and at a rate which, while it's swiftness
protected me from sudden attack, was
yet not too rapid to prevent me obtaining
a fair view of objects as / passed.
/ saw no more of those huge ugly COM
pounds of bat, crocodile and elephant
that day, so that / hoped they were not
very numerous; but | saw an abundance
of other strange creatures of varying
forms I'd sizes, some flying in the air,
some creeping, walking or running along
the ground, and some cleaving for brief
space the surface of the broad, deep
rivers which l crossed, and then diving
from view The variety of forms was
bewilderng. In no single instance did
see form which exactly resembled any
animal that / had ever seen on EARTH
though frequently detected points of
likeness or analogy. I was particularly
struck by flying fsh-like creatures about
four feet long, of extremely curious for
nation When T had naSSed the danger