The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1901-12-05

earth that are nearer to the sun than
Mars is. -
"This must be one of them"
"Manifestly so.
AS we drew nearer the mysterious
little planet revealed itself to us as
perfectly formed globe not more than
five miles in diameter.
"What is that upon it?' asked Lord
Kelvin, squirting intontly at the little
world through his glass. "As live, it
movesW
eyes, yes |" exclaimed several others.
"There are inhabitants upon it, but
what giantsP'
"What monstersl'
"Don't you see?" exclaimed an excit-
ed savant. "They are the Martiansl 70
The startling truth burst upon the
minds of all. Here upon this little
planetoid were several of the gigantic
inhabitants of the world that we were
going to attack. There was more than
one man in the flagship who recognized
them we'll, and who shuddered at the
recognition, instinctively recalling the
recent terrible experience of the earth.
Was this an outpost Of the warlike
Marsf
Around these monstrous enemies we
saw several Of their engines Of war.
Some of these appeared to have been
wrecked, bnt at least one, as far as we
could see, was still in proper condition
for use.
How had these creatures got there?
why, that is easy enough to ao-
count for, l." l said, as a sudden recollec-
ton flashed into my mind. Don't you
remember the report of the astronomers
more than six months ago, at the end
of the conference in Washington, that
something which seemed to indicate the
departure Of new expedition from
Mars had been noticed by them7 We
have heard nothing of that expedition
since. We know that it did not reach
the earth. 1t must have fallen foul of
this asteroid, run upon this rock in the
ocean of space and been wrecked here. +"
"We've got 'em, then" shouted our
electric steersman, who had been
workman in Mr.. Edison's laboratory
and had unlimited confidence in his
chief.
The electrical ships were immediate
ly instructed by signal to slow down,
an operation that was easily effected
through the electrical repulsion of the
asteroid.
The nearer we got the more terrifying
was the appearance Of the gigantic
creatures who were riding upon the lit
tie world before us like castaway sailors
upon block of ice. Like men, and yet
not like men, ombining the human and
the beast in their appearance, it requir-
ed steady nerve to look at them. If
we had not known their malignity and
their power to work evil, it would have
been different, but in our eyes their
moral character shone through their
physical aspect and thus rendered them
more terrible than they would otherwise
have been
When we first saw them, their ap-
pearance was most forlorn, and their at
titudes indicated only despair and des-
peTation, but as they caught sight of us
their malign power of intellect instant
ly penetrated the mystery, and they rec
ognized us for what we were.
Their despair Immediately gave place
to reawakened malevolence. On the in
slant they were astir, with such heart
chilling movements as those that char
acterize a venomous serpent preparing
to strike.
Not imagining that they would be in
condition to make serious resistance,
we had been somewhat inoautious in
approaching.
Suddenly there was quicker move
ment than usual among the Martians, a