The herald., 1898-03-13


beneath us, and those who were awake
would not be likely to watch for unex-
pected appearances in the sky.
Besides, our height was so great that
Notwithstanding the numbers of the
squadron, we could not easily be seen
from the surface of the planet, and
if seen at ALL we might be mistaken for
high-fiying birds.
Here we remained then through an
entire rotation of Mars, which is but
little over twenty-tour hours.
We saw pass beneath us the curious,
half drowned continent known to as
tronomers as the Region of Deucalion,
then another sea, or gulf, until we were
floating, at a height of perhaps five
miles above great continental land,
at least three thousand miles broad
from east to west, and which 1 imme-
diately recognized as that to which
astronomers had given the various
names of "Aeria," "Edom," Arabia"
and Eden"
We could see at distance some of
these great red regions, and perceive
the curious network of canals by which
they were intersected.
The magnifcence of the panorama
surpassed belief. From the earth about
a dozen of the principal canals crossing
the continent beneath us had been per-
ceived, but we saw hundreds. nay,
thousands of them!
1t was a double system, intended
both both for irrigation and for protec-
ton, and far more marvellous in it's
completeness than the boldest specula-
tive minds among our astronomers had
ever dared to imagine.
''Ha! that's what 1 always said" ex-
claimed veteran from one of our
great observatories. Mars is red be-
cause it's soil and its vegetation are
red''
And certainly appearances indicated
that he was right.
But what trees! And what grass!
And what flowers!
Our telescopes showed that even the
smaller trees must be 200 or 300 feet in
height and there were forests of giants.
least 1000 feet.
thusast 1 have just quoted. Il knew
it would be so. Ihe trees are big. for
the same reason that the men are, be-
cause the planet is small and they can
grow big without becoming too heavy
to stand"
Flashing in the sun on all sides were
the roofs of metallic buildings, which
were evidently the only kind of edifices
that Mars possessed. AT any rate, if
stone or wood were employed in their
construction. both were completely COW
cred with metallic plates.
In succession as they passed from
night into day beneath our feet came
the land of Chryse, the great continent
of Tharsis, the curious region of inter-
secting canals which puzzled astrono-
mers on the earth had named the Cor
dian Knot" the continental lands of
Memnonia, Amazonia and Aeolia, the
mysterious centre where hundreds Of
vast canals came together from every
direction, called the Triviun Charontis;
the vast circle of Elysium. a thousand
miles across. and completely surround
ed by broad green canal the contin-
ent of Libya, which, as l remembered,
had been half covered by tremendous
inundation, whose effects were visible
from the earth in the year 1889, and
finally the long, dark sea of the Syrtis
Major, lying directly south Of the land
of Hellas.
The excitement and interes. which
we all experienced We're SO great that
not one of us took a wink of sleep dur
ing the entire twenty-four hours of our
marvellous watch.
There are one or two things of special
interest amid the multitude of wonder
full observations that we made which
must mention here on account of their
connection with the important events
that followed soon after.
Just west of the land of Chryse we
saw the smaller land of Ophir, in the
midst of which is singular spot
called the Juventae Fons, and this
Fountain of Youth, as our astronomers,
by sort of prophetic inspiration, had
named it, proved later to be one of the
most incredible marvels on the planet
Mars.
Further to the west. and north from
the great continent of Tharsis, we be-
held the immense oval-shaped land Of
Thaumasia containing in it's centre the
celebrated Lake of the Sum- a circu-
lar body of water not less than 500
miles in diameter, with dozens of great
canals running away from it like the
spokes of a wheel in every direction,
thus connecting it with the ocean
which surrounds it on the south and
east, and with the still larger canals
that encircle it toward the north and
west.
This Lake of tn" Sun came to play a
great part in our subsequent adven-
lures. 1t was evident to us from the
beginning that it was the chief centre
of population on the planet.
Having completed the circuit Of the
Martian globe, we were moved by the
same feeling that every discoverer Of
new lands experiences, and immediate
ly returned to our original place above
the land Of Hellas because since that
was the first part of Mars that we had
seen, we felt greater degree of fami- |
liarity with it than with any other
portion of the planet, and there, in
certain sense. we felt "at home"
But, as it proved. our enemies were
on the watch for us there. We ought. |
of course, to have been little more |
cautious in approaching the place |
where they first caught sight of us |
since we might have known that they |
would remain ON the watch near that |
spot.
We saw their ships assembling once
more far down in the atmosphere be-
meath US, and we thought we could de-