Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-11-24

ically for several wears at tialo then
is their opportunity.
with their projectilc cars sent forth
with the aid of the mysterious oxplo.
sives which they possess it is easy fer
them under such circumstances to make
visits to the as;crcid.
Having obtained all the gold they
need. ur all that they can cary, q com.
! paratively slight impulse given to their
car, the direction Of which is carefully
calculated, will carry them back again
to Mars "
If that's So" exclaimed voice,
1--WE had better lock out for ourselves
We have got into very hornets nest.
II this is the place where the Martians
come to dig gold and if this is the height
Of their season, as yuu say, they are not
likely to leave US here long undisturb.
ed -
These fellows must have been pi-
rates that they had the fight with, 1"
said another
"But what's become Of the regulars,
them
Gene back to Mars for help proba.
bly,, ami they II be here again pretty
quick, am afraid"
Considerable alarm was caused by
this view If the case, ana orders were
sent to several of the electrical ships
to cruise out tn a safo distance in The
direction Of Mars and Keep sharp out
look for the approach Of enemies.
Moan I'M la oNNAl-n In
turned his eyes upon those standing
about him without any appearance of
fear, but rather witl:a look of CONTEMPT,
like that which CULVER must have felt
for the Lilliputians who hsd bound him
under similar circumstances.
There Were both hatred AID defiance
i'll his glance. lie attempted to frc
himself, and tho ropes strained with
the tremendous pressure that be put
upon them, bu. liz could not break loose.
Satisfied that tie Marian WAS safely
bound, we left him where he lay, and
while awaiting news from the ships
which had been sent to recnnnoiter con.
timed the exploration of the little
planet
At point nearly opposite to that
whcro we had landed we came upon the
mine which the Mar,ians had been
working, They had removed the thin
coating of soil, laying bare the rich
stores Of geld beneath, and large quan,
titles of the latter had been removed
Some of it vas so solid!y packed that
the strokes of tho instruments by means
of which they had detached it were Wis
IDLE like the strUaks left by Enito cut
ting cheese.
The more we saw Of this golden plan
ct the greater became cur asyonishment.
What the Martiars had removed was
mere nothing in comparison with the
entire bull; of the asteroid. Had the &c.
lestial mine been easier to reach per.
haps they would have removed more, or
possibly their political economists per.
fectly understood the necessity of prop.
eriy controlling the amount of precious
metal IN circulation. Very likely, we
thought, the mining operations were
under government control in Mars, and
1t might be that tho majority of the
people there knew nothing Of this store
of wealth Heating in the armament
That would account for the battle
with the supposed pirates who no
doubt had organized secret expedition
to the asteroid and been caught red
handed at the mine
There were many detached masses of
gold scattered about, and some Of the
men, on picking them up exclaimed
with astonishmont at their lack of
weight, forgetting for moment that
the same law which caused their own
bodies to weigh so little must necessuri.
ly affect everything else in like degree
= mass Of gold that on the earth 10
man would have been able to lift could
here DO tossed about like Il hollow rub.
Der ball
While we were examining the mine
one of the men left to guard the Marian
came running to inform us that the lat.
ter evidently wished to make some com
munication. Mr.. Edison and others hur
ried to the side of the prisoner He still
lay on his back, from which position ht
was not able to move, notw ithstandinp
all his efforts But by the motion of hi.
eyes, aided by pantomime with hi
fingers, ho made us understand thai
there was something in metallic boA
fastened at his side which he wished Il
reach.
With some difficulty We succeeded IL
opening the box, and in it there appeared
a number of bright red pellets as lars,
as an ordinary egg,
When tho Marian saw these in or,
hands, he gavo us to understand by tn,
motion of his lips that he wished I,
swallow one of them. A pellet was nc
cordingly placed in his mouth. and b,
instantly and with great easerness swa!
lowed il.
While trying to communicate his
wishes to us the prisoner had seemed to
be in no little distress. He exhibited