Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-12-22
CHAPTER NN.
The girl resumed her narrative:

The girl resumed hcr narrative:
Suddenly there dropped down cut
q tie sky strange gigantic enemies,
armed With mysterious weapons, and
besan - slay and burn and make desc.
late Our fcrofsthers could not with
stand them. They SEEMED like demons
who had toen sent faom the abodes Of
eVi! 10 destroy orr race
some Of the wise men said that this
thing hsd come upon our people because
they had been very wicked and TIE
gods IN heaven were angry. Some said
they came trom the moon, and some
from the s2raway stars Eut Of these
things my foTefathers knew nothing for
q certainty.
The desiroyers showed no mercy to
the inhabitants Of the beautiful valley.
Not content with making it desert,
they swept over other parts Of the earth
The tradition says that they carried
OF from the valley which was our IA.
rive land large n1;ater Of our people,
taxing them tsst into a strange coun-
try, where there We're oceans Of sand,
but where great river, flowing through
a
land II !o-illiIy. Here, after having
Slain and driven ont the native inhab-
i;aats, They remained for many years,
keeping or pocile whom they had car
T;sd into captivity, as slaves.
And IN this land Of sand, !. is said,
they dad many wonderful works.
They had besn astonished at tho
sight of the proat mountains which
surrounded our valley, for on Mars
there ais no mountains and after they
came into the land Of sand they built
there with huge blocks Of stone noun
t2'ns IL imitation Of what they had seen
and used them for purposes that our
people GiG net undo. stand.
Then, TOO, il Is said they left there
AZ the foot Of these mountains that thew
had made gigantic image Of the great
chief who lea them IN their conquest @.
oJ.- world"
AZ this point in the story the Heidel,
berg professor again broke in, fairly
trembling with excitement:
"Gentlen.en, gentlemen, he cried.
sis II that Won do not understand: This
land Ot sand and Of wonderful ferti-
lining riye--what can it be: Gentle.
men, it is Egypt. These mountains Of
rock that the Martians have erected.
what are they: Gentlemen, they are the
great mystery IF the land of the Nile.
the pyramids The gigantic statue of
their leader that they al the foot of
their ARTIFICIAL mountains have set up
gentlemen, what is that: 1t is the
sphinxr'
The professor s agitation was so great
that be could SO no further. And in
deed there Was not one of us who did
not tplly share has excitement To think
that we should have come to the planet
Mars 10 solve one Of the standing mys-
teries of the earth, which had puzzled
mankind and detieCl all their efforts al
solution for so many centuriesl Here
then, was The explanation Of how those
gigantic blocks that constitute the great
pyramid CT CbeoPs had been swung TO
their lofts elevation. 1t was not The
WORK OF pu,y man, as many al engineer
had declared that II conld not be, bu,
the work Of these giants of Mars.
Alma resumed her story.
At length, our traditions say.
great p~1s;ilence broke oct in the lana
al sand. and partial vengeance was
granted to Us in the destruction of tn,
large numter OF our enemies, At la,
the giants who remained, fleeing befor
this soourge Of the gods, used the nys
tsrious means at their command, and
carrying cur ancestors with them, re
turned 10 their own world. IN whici
we have ever since lived. "
Then there are more of your people
In Mars" said one O. the professors
Alas. nor replied Alma, her ewes
hli'ng with tears. Il alone am left"
For few minutes she was unable TO
speak- Then she continued:
~" lat fury possessed them do not