The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1902-01-30

IN ~
1t aUds q panic of giants
and staring straight before him IInu
that terrible doomed creature who fas-
cinates the eyes of every beholder stand
ing in the Sistine chapel and gazing at
Michael Angeles dreadful painting of
1.-THE Last Judgment.
This wicked Marian also felt that he
was in the grasp of pitiless and irresisti-
BILE fate and that punishment too we'll
deserved and from which there was no
possible escape now confronted him.
There he remained, in hopelessnees
which almost compelled our sympathy,
until Alma had SO far recovered that she
was once more able to act as our inter
prefer. Then we made short work Of
the negotiations. Speaking through
Alma. the commander said:
"You know who we are. We have
come from the earth. which, by your
command, was laid waste. Our com
mission was not revenge, but self pro.
lection. What we have done has been
accomplished with that in view. You
have just witnessed an example Of our
power, the exercise Of which was not
dictated by our wish, but compelled by
the attack wantonly made upon help
less memb Der of our own race under our
protection.
1--WE have laid waste your planet,
but 1t is simply just retribution for
what you did with ours. We are pre-
pared to complete the destruction, leav-
ing not living being in this world of
yours, or to grant you peace, at your
choice. Our condition of peace is sim
| ply this, All resistance must cease alb
solutely.'
"Quite right" broke in Colonel
Smith. Let the scorpion pull out his
sting or we'll do it for him.
Nothing that we could now do, -
continued the commander, would in
my opinion save you from ultimate de-
struction. The forces of nature which
we have been compelled to let loose
upon you will complete their own VIC
tory. But we do not wish unnecessarily
to stain our hands further with your
blood. We shall leave you in possession
of your lives. Preserve them if you can.
But in case the flood reoedes before you
have all persisted from starvation re-
member that you here take an oath SOL
EMMY binding yourself and your de.
soendants forever never again to make
war upon the earth.
"That's really the best we can do, y
said Mr.. Edison, turning to us. "We
can't possibly murder these people in
cold blood. The probability is that the
flood has hopelessly ruined all their en-
gines of war. do not believe that
there Is one chance in ten that the wa
ters will drain off in time to enable
them to get at their stores of provisions
before they have persisted from starva-
ton"
1T is my opinion" said Lord Kel-
win, who had joined us, his pair of dis
integrators hanging by his side attached
to strap running over the back Of his
neck, very much as farmer sometimes
carries his big mittens, it is my opin-
ion that the food will recede more rap
iddly than you think and that the ma
jority of these people will survive. But
quite agree with your mereiful view
of the matter. We must be guilty of no
wanton destruction. Probably more than
nine-tenths of the inhabitants of Mars
have persisted in the deluge. Even if all
the others survived ages would elapse
before they could regain the power to
injure us. -
need not describe in detail how our
| ~
tian monarch. He knew, and his advis-
ers, some Of whom he had called in con-
sultation, also knew, that everything
was in our hands to do as we pleased.
They readily agreed, therefore, that
they would make no more resistance and
that we and our electrical ships should
be undisturbed while we remained upon
Mars. The monarch took the oath pre-
scribed after the manner of his race.
Thus tho business was completed. But
through it all there had been the shad
ow of sneer on the emperor's face
which l did not like. But said moth
ing.
And now we began to think of our
return home and of the pleasure we
should have in recounting our adven-
lures to our friends on the earth, who
were doubtless eagerly waiting for news
from us. We knew they had been
watching Mars with powerful tele-
scopes, and we were also eager to learn
how much they had seen and how much
they had been able to guess of our pro-
ceedings.
But day or two at least would be