The Snyder signal. (Snyder, Tex.) 1887-????, 1921-02-11

cess Which Appalled, Me No Less
Than II Seemed to Surprise the Mar
tan Warrlors"
seemed TO surprise the Marian war
rlors, for Il carried me fully thirty
feet into the air and landed me a hun
bred feet from my pursuers and on
the opposite side OF the enclosure.
| alighted upon the soft moss easily
and without mshap, and turning saw
my enemies lined up along the further
wall. Some were surveying me with
expressions which afterward discov-
cred marked extreme establishment
and the others were evidently salts
Tying themselves that l had not mo-
Tested their young.
They were converslnG together in
low tones. and eesticulating and point
Ing toward me. Their discovery that
I had not harmed the little Martians
and that | was unframed must have
caused them 10 look upon me with less
ferocity: but, as | was TO learn later,
the thing which weighed most in my
favor was my exhibition OF hurdling.
While the Martians are immense,
their bones are very large and they
are muscled only In proportion to the
cravltatlon which they must overcome.
The result Is that they are infinitely
less agile aud less powerful, in pro
portion 20 their weight, than an Earth
man. and / doubt that were one OF
them suddenly TO DE transported TO
Earth be could lit his own weight
from the ground; To- fact l am con-
WINGED THAT hp could not 10 So.
Nv feat. then. was MS marvellous up
on Mars as lt would have been upon
Earth. and from desiring TO annihilate
me they suddenly looked upon me as
a wonderful discovery TO be captured
and exhibited among their fellows.
I noted that each was armed with
several other weapons In addition to
the huge spear which have described.
The weapon which caused me 10 de-
eide against an attempt at escape by
flight was what was evidently rifle
Of some description and which | felt,
for some reason, they were peculiarly
efficient In handling.
These rifles were Of white metal
stocked with wood which learned
later was very light and intensely
hard growth much priced on Mars,
and entirely unknown TO us denizens
OF Earth. The metal Of the barrel
rs an alloy composed principally OF
aluminium and steel which they have
learned TO temper TO hardness far
exceeding that OF the steel with which
we are familiar. Tie weight OF these
rifles is comparatively little, and with
the small calber, explosive, radium
proiectlles which they use and the
great length OF the barrel. they are
deadly IN the extreme and ut ranges
which would be unthinkable on Earth.
The theoretic effective radius OF this
rifle IS three hundred miles, but the
best they can DO in actual service
when equipped with their wireless
finders and sighters is but tribe
over two hundred miles.
The MartIans, after cOnyerslng for
n short time, turned and rode away
In the direction from which they had
come. leaving one OF their number
alone by the enclosure. When they
had covered perhaps two hundred
yards they halted and turning their
mounts toward us sat watching the
warrior by the enclosure.
When his force han come TO halt
he dismounted. threw down his spear
and small arms and came around the
end OF the incubator toward me, en-
tlrely unarmed and as naked as i.
except for che ornaments strapped up
on his head. limbs and breast.
When he was within about fifty feet
OF me he unclasped an enormous met
al armlet and holding II toward me In
the open palm ~ his hand, addressed
me I'm clear. resonant voice, but In
n language, Il is needless TO say.
could not understand. lie then stopped
AS though waiting FOR my reply
prIcking up his antennae-like ears anu
cooking his strengthening eyes stli'
further toward me.
As the silence became palnrul
concluded to hazard little conversa-
ton on my own part as had guesSeu