The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-04-03
copyright, 1898. by Garrett p. Serviss.
SYNOPSIS

ICopyright, 1898. by Garrett p. serviss ]
SYNOPSIS.
The inventive genius of Thomas A. Edi-
ron makes possible an attack of the eartn
upon Mars. This Is done to prevent see are
planet; the first having failed through the ds
tort. Edison son invents practical electrical
air ship, and an engine Of destruction
called the "Disintegrator;" which VI anv Will %hl
ject at which it may be directed TO- SO
vibrate that the object will be immediaa de =
y ana ar snps WIZ
manned by two thousand men, among
whom are many famous scienhtlsiis End Se Of
Hellas, on. Mars, and finds a host OF al; ar
ships on the watch. The Martiain IN FORM wmo
are of giant stature, human IN l tha,r.
planet with ap0s'S thick cloud Of smoke,
which the visitors piiercee, with ,,t their
their thunderbolts, and do much damage
to the Edison fleet, which finally drops ops
beneath the smoke curtain and engag age
the enemy in their ships, in close com
bat. The destruction Is awful; potn on
land and in the air, and the ships from ron,
!he earth withdraw but sixty IN 1 nIm nra.
posed by Colonel Smith, an army officer.
The majority of the ships are concen-
te nsea az Of M sGti R Is held While few
are sent to the other side of the planet to
effect landing and If possible for OBTAIN fbe
neet Colonel Smiths ship descends near
4 large building. The Colonel and the
Beautiful music mppic issuing from it. Enter,
ing. they are amazed to find a young girl
"a human being-playng on strange in,
Martians. The latter are quickly dis
patched with disintegrators. and the girl
Is taken back to the main squadron, to-
gether with large quantities of com
pressed food that are found in the build
Ing: Although none can understand the
Of human origin. The whole squadron re-
pairs to the farther moon of Mars, Del
mos, in order to give the linguists of the
party time to acquire the girls speech,
FOR Mr.. Edison believes that she can give
them information that will lead to a sue
st roHhg en- Oh D s9 n Of srb ef
Mars. the linguists are able to understand
Aina's story. Her ancestors were brought
the earth by the Martians about 5000
years ago. From the girls remarkable
narrative it would appear that the Mar
the Pyramids and the Sphinx. Alma S
forefathers were carried back to Mars,
kept in slavery until. with the exception
arrival of the fleet from the earth. Alma
discloses way by which the Martians
can be drowned out. This is to break
open the mighty sea gates that hold back
the water-used at another season for ir-
OF the SHOWS around the South pole. The
fleet leaves Deimos for Mars, keeping al
invaders arrive. without being detected,
above the power house that controls the
mechanism Of the gates, 1t is strongly
other devices that it would mean death
to tamper with, but the narrator. Mr..
lips, of whom these last two have become
rivals for the hand of Alma. and the girl
herself, descend safely from one of the
ships and make their way, disintegrators
in hand, toward the power house.
xxi.
We had one very great advantage
The Martians had evidently placed so
much confidence in the electric net
work which surrounded the power
house that they never dreamed of enc
mics being able to penetrate it-at
least without giving warning of their
coming.
But the hole which we had blown in
had been made noiselessly, and Mr.
Edison believed, since no enemies had
appeared, that our operations had not
been betrayed by any automatic sig
nal to watchers inside the building.
Consequently, we had every reason
to think that we now stood within the
line of defence. in which they reposed
having the least suspicion Of our
presence.
Alma assured us that on the occasion
of her former visit to the power house
there had been but two sentinels at the
entrance. At the inner end of a long
passage leading to the interior, she
said, there were two more. Besides
these there were three or four Martian
engineers watching the machinery in
the interior of the building. A number
of ali ships were supposed to be on
guard around the structure, but prob
ably their vigilance had been relaxed
because not long ago the Martians
sent an expedition against Ceres which
had been SO successful that the mower
of that planet to make an attack upon
Mars had for the present been de-
stroyed.
Surprising us to have been annihila-
ted in the recent battle among the
clouds, they would have no fear or
cause for vigilance on our account
The entrance to the great structure
was low-at least when measured bv
the stature of the Martians Evidently
the intention was that only one person
at time should find room to pass
through 1t. "
drawing cautiously near, we dis
cerned the outlines of two gigantic
forms standing in the darkness, one on
either side of the door. Colonel Smith
whispered to me:
IF you will take the fellow on the
right, 1 will attend to the other one." y
Adjusting our aim as carefully as
was possible in the gloom. Colonel
Smith and I simultaneously discharged
our disintegrators, sweeping them rap
idly up and down in the manner which
Nad become familiar to us when en-
SsAvoring to destroy one of the gigan-
tic Martians with single stroke. And
SO successful were we that the two
sentinels disappeared as if they had
been ghosts of the night.
Instantly we all hurried forward and
entered the door. Before us extended
a. long straight passage, brightly IL
Illuminated by number of electric can
dies. It's polished sides cleaned with
blood-red reflections, and the gallery
terminated. at distance of two or
three hundred feet, with an opening
Into large chamber beyond, on the
farther side of which we could see part
Of a gigantic and complicated mass of
machinery.