The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-02-14
BY PAUL COOK.
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approaching fleet If 1t should prove hos
tile All the great chemical guns were
trained skyward and the Marian sol
diers were made ready for battle.
Nearer and nearer came the strange
fleet from space and the Marian astron-
omers were now satisfied that they were
gazing upon the aerial craft of beings
who at least resembled themselves in be-
ing very ingenious in the construction
of their vessels for traversing space.
No further time was given for specula-
ton. The fleet of alien craft swooped
down toward Mars with great speed and
settled down on the plain near Huilpi to
the great establishment of the Martians.
Their amazement was increased when
the ominous vessels opened as If signal
had been given and there issued out from
small doors in the sides strange crea-
lures who were not so hideous as the
Tellurians but were strangely dwarfed
and shrunhen when compared with the
sturdy Martians. They were clothed in
flowing garments which shone resplen-
dent and their huge heads, devoid of
hair, contrasted with their small frames,
while the remarkable wilderness of their
complications was In keeping with their
shining garments. The strangers wore
before their eyes peculiarly designed len
ses which were clearly used to protect
or increase the power of their vision.
The strangers were the Englanians who
then inhabited a number of doomed cities
about the equator of the earth. 1t was
radium searchlights operated by their
companions on earth after the fleet de-
parted for Mars that had so puzzled t
Marian philosophers. The Englanian ves-
sells were superior to the Marian craft
in size and workmanship. Nearly fifty
of these huge airships now lay on the
plain, while their occupants, undaunted
by the great crystal mode of Huipi.
which doomed up so near them, issued
forth and started toward the capital on
trip of exploration Not a Marian
showed himself. In Huilpi everything
was in readiness to withstand an at
tack and hundreds of powerful chemical
guns were trained on the unconscious
Englanians as they approached.
In order to discover the intentions of
the strangers, who bore strange instru-
ments in their hands and were evidently
well armed, several Marian chemical guns
were fired into space. When the thun-
derous noise smote their ears the Eng
lanians paused and in a brief space a
loud defamation resounded from their
ranks but was evidently intended for no
harm, since no damage was done to the
walls of Huilpi. The Englanians then
halted and sent several distinguished
looking persons forward who appeared
to be high in authority. These gesticu-
lated and SLAMMED In such a manner
as to convince the Martians that no at
tack was intended and inasmuch as the
Martians could have crushed the hand
full of Englanians at will, the visitors
were allowed to enter Huilpi unmolested
The Englanians soon made their peace
full intentions known. The Martians
straightway began preparations to en-
terrain their visitors on a lavish scale
and all former fears were forgotten
Xere gave command that the Englanians
should be shown every attention and
given every comfort possible to procure.
The Englanians had brought along suffi-
Client food in their ships or they would
have suffered greatly during their stay
with the Martians, since they could not
eat the chemical viands offered to them
at all, although they soon got into the
habit of snhaling the purple fumes as a
stimulant.
When the news spread abroad to the
twelve cities that a strange race of men
had arrived on Mars from a distant
planet there was great excitement and
the people came to Huilpi in large num-
bers to get a glimpse of the visitors.
Since the Englanians were marvelously
quick of intellect and in fact almost
equaled the Martians in that respect, they
soon learned to converse with their hosts.
After short time they had made great
progress in the favor of the Martians,
so that they were permitted to come and