Boone paused and looked back at the shaggy figure in the gloom. He
could see Staang trudging a snowy path with a keg of brandy around his
neck. Almost instinctively he patted Staang on the head. "No, old boy,"
he said. "You stay here and put this in the record."
Braun whispered to Nance, "Evidently the Commander has a dog to whom
he's not so stern."
They left Staang to his food and sleep. There was nothing of much
interest on Mars except the old, old cities so long deserted.
So the great expedition departed, to go back to Earth to see the
invaders--the Martians they had traveled 38,000,000 miles to see on
another world. They wanted to tell Earth of the grim and incredible
joke that had been played on her ... and Nance meant to have a long
talk with Mimsy.