Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-04-22

|
cede before me until IL had sunk into the
wall so feet, then IL stopped and slid
/ easily to the left. exposing a short, mar
| row corridor OF concrete, at the further
| end of which was another door similar
| in every respect to the one ] had Just
/ passed. No one was in sight. yet immedi-
| ately we passed the first door It slid gently
| into place behind us and receded rapidly
| to its original position in the front wall
| of the building. Gas the door had slipped
aside had noted its great thickness fully
| 20 feet. and as il reached its place once
more after closing behind us, great
cylinders of steel had dropped from the
ceiling behind it and fitted their lower
! ends into apertures countersunk in the
| floor.
A second and n third door receded be-
fore me and slipped to one side as the
first before I reached large inner
chamber where I found food and drink
set out upon great stone table
Your statements are most remark
able" said the voice ON concluding its
| questioning But you are evidently
speaking the truth, and it is equally evi-
dent that you are not of Barsoom 1 can
| tell that by the conformation of your
brain and the strange location of certain
OF your internal organs, as well as by the
shape and size of your heart"
"Of truth. but your vision is penetra-
| ting" L exclaimed in amused surprise.
les, L can see all nut your tnOugntS,
and were you a Barsoomian could read
those"
/ Then a door opened at the far side of
the chamber. and a strange, dried-up little
mummy of man came toward me.
He wore but single article of clothing
or adornment, small collar of gold,
from which depended upon his chest a
great ornament as large nS a dinner plate
set solid with huge diamonds, except for
the exact centre. which was occupied by
strange stone an inch in diameter. that
scintillate1 nine different and distinct
rays-the seven primary colors of our
earthly prism and two beautiful rays
which, to me- were new and nameless.
l cannot describe them any more than
you could describe red to a blind man. 1
only know that they were beautiful
The old man sat and talked with me
for hours. and the strangest part of our
intercourse was that l could read his
every thought, while he could not fathom
an iota from my mind unless 1 spoke
did not apprise .im of my ability to
sense his mental operations, and thus 1
learned great deal which proved of i'm
mense value to me later, and which l
should never have known had he sus-
pected my strange power, for the
Martians have such perfect control of
their mental machinery that they are
able to direct their thoughts with abso-
Lutte precision.
The building in which / found myself
contained the machinery which produces
the artificial atmosphere which sustains
ire ol. Mars. The secret of the entire
process hinges on the use of the ninth
ray ore of the beautiful scintillations
@whlch @ l had noted emanating from the
great stone in my host'~ ''-',..,
This ray is separated from the other
rays OF the sun by means of finely ad-
Justed instruments placed upon the roof
or the huge building, three-quarters of
which is used for reservoirs In which the
ninth ray is stored. This product is then
treated electrically-or rather certain
proportions of refined electric vibrations
are incorporated with it. The result is
then pumped to the five principal air
centres of the planet, where, as it is re-
leased, contact with the ether of space
transforms 1t into atmosphere.
There is always sufficient reserve of
the ninth ray stored in the great building
TO maintain the present Marian atmos-
phere for thousand years, and the only
fear, as my new friend told me- was that
some accident might befall the pumptr g
apparatus,
He led me to an inner chamber. where
l beheld battery of 30 radium plSnps,
any one of which was equal to the task
of furnishing all Mars with the at
mosphere compound. For 500 years, he
told me- he had watched these pumps
which are used alternately a day each at
stretch, or little over 241a earth hours
He had one assistant who divided the
watch with him. Half a Marian year
about 344 of our days, each of these men
spent alone in this huge, isolated plant
Every red Martian is taugh: during
earliest childhood the principles of the
manufacture of atmosphere but ly two
at one time ever hold the secret O. ingress
to the great building which, built as it
is with walls a hundred and fifty feet
thick, is absolutely unassailable, even
the roof being guarded from assault bv
aircraft by glass covering five feet
thick.
The only fear they entertain of attack
is from the green Martians or some de- |
mented red man, as all Barsoomians |
realize that the very existence of every
form OF life on Mars is dependent UPON |
the uninterrupted working of this plant
One curious fact / discovered as I |
watched his thoughts was that the outer |
doors are manipulated by telepathic |
means. The locks are so finely adjusted |
that the doors are released by the action |
of a certain combination of thought |
waves.
To experiment with my new-found toy |
i thought to surprise him into revealing |
this combination, and so asked him in a |
casual manner how he managed TO un- |
lock the massive doors for me from the |
inner cnanDef OF the building. AS quick |
as a flash there leaped to his mind nine /
Martian sounds, but as quickly faded |
as he answered that this was a secret |
he must not divulge.
From then on his manner toward me |
changed, as though he feared that he had |
been surprised into divulging his great |
secret; and l read suspicion and fear in |
his looks and thoughts. though his words
were still fair.
Before / retired for the night he prom.
ised to give me a letter 10 a nearby
agricultural officer who would help me |
on my way TO Zodanga, which, he said.
was the nearest Martian city
But be sure that you do not let them
know you are bound for Helium as they
are at war with that country. MY assist
ant and / are of no country; we belong
to all Barsoom, and this talisman which |
we wear protects US in all lands even
among the green men-though we do not
trust ourselves to their hands If we can
avoid it," he added.
And so good night my friend" he
continued. May you have long and
restful sleep-yes, long sleep"
And. though he smiled pleasantly, 1 saw
In his thoughts the wish that he had
never admitted me, and then a picture of
him standing over me in the night and
the swift thrust of a long dagger and
the half-formed words. II am sorry. but
1t Is for the best good OF Barsoom.'
Is he closed the door of my chamber
tfnna n i'm n sfu ehs..rua .I.a-