keenness of mind. You thought of what it was my business to have known
in the first place. With the _Sphere’s_ course automatically maintained
now, it remains but to wait until we are near enough Mars to establish
stability based on _its_ attraction. Then we can again control the
_Sphere_ at will. In the meantime we conserve all our power.”
“Just as simple as A-B-C,” broke in Taggert, who had been roused from
his sleep by their excited talking, and had been listening interestedly
for some time, unobserved.
“But,” interjected Robert, struck by a fresh disquieting thought, “if we
are now rushing directly toward Mars, won’t we be left far behind by the
time we reach its present location because of its rapid movement along
its orbit?”
“Oh, what’s a few million miles or so to us?” said Taggert with
extravagant nonchalance.
“Your deductions are partly correct, Robert,” answered Professor Palmer,
smiling at their guest’s sally. “There is a curious thing about moving
bodies in a void: they will continue in _one_ direction indefinitely
until attracted or propelled, by some other force. In the case of a
propelling force, unless it is in a directly opposite direction, it will
simply result in the body going off at a tangent, still maintaining its
original rate of velocity in the original direction in conjunction with
its new direction. For example: Mars and the Earth moving in virtually
parallel directions in their respective orbits at present, it was a
comparatively simple matter to lay a straight course for Mars, as the
Earth’s orbit velocity was imparted to the _Sphere_ when we left it. But
since the Earth moves somewhat faster along its orbit than Mars, we
would gradually forge _ahead_ of Mars if we had laid what at first
appeared to be a direct course toward it, and would only have arrived
finally by continually correcting our course, and having swung round in
a vast curve. Instead, by calculating the difference in the known orbit
velocities of the two planets, and accordingly laying a course which at
first appeared to be toward a point already passed by Mars, we promptly
found ourselves on very nearly a direct course toward the planet.”
Notwithstanding his comparative ignorance of astronomy, Taggert
unconsciously echoed Robert’s sigh of relief over this assurance that
they were on the correct course. It was clear, even to him, that with no
basis of stability they would be in a bad way should they pass Mars at a
distance too great to establish gravitational contact with it. With
their limited reserve of power and provisions they could not afford to
knock around the universe at random.
10
Thee thirteenth “day” saw them nearing Mars rapidly. The ruddy-hued
planet gleamed at them with magnificent brilliance, its cold glitter
thrilling them and filling them with vague misgivings.
At this distance it became apparent that Professor Palmer’s feverishly
corrected course would carry the _Sphere_ at least several thousand
miles ahead of the planet. This variation was to be expected, however;
the miracle of it was that he had been able to judge direction so
closely in those few nerve-racking and never-to-be-forgotten moments in
the reeling _Sphere_.
Fearing to disturb the steady course and velocity of the _Sphere_, and
content so long as they were still nearing the planet, they made no
effort to utilize the disk’s power yet. Professor Palmer estimated that
they were approaching Mars at a rate of 100,000 miles an hour. Already
they were within some 3,000,000 miles of it, compared with the original
distance of roughly 35,000,000 miles.
Brighter and brighter shone the mysterious planet with the passage of
each watch. With the rapid reduction of the intervening distance, a
faint restoration of gravitation began to be felt. Even in this
extremely weak form it proved a very welcome relief to the weary
Spherites. No longer did they float about like gas-filled balloons,
though walking was still a difficult feat.
The beginning of the fourteenth “day” found them within a few hundred
thousand miles of Mars. The _Sphere’s_ course had now mechanically
corrected itself as anticipated by the professor, and they were
“falling” directly toward the planet. All eyes were now kept eagerly
trained upon it through the observation well. Its spreading disk almost
entirely filled the glass-enclosed tube. The professor watched it with
boyish excitement, as feature after feature developed with their swift
approach.
Indeed, the planet presented an awe-inspiring and wonderful sight.
Its great, snow-white polar caps, and vast, rose, rich ocher and
purplish-bronze expanses between these caps surpassed in grandeur
anything their eyes had ever beheld. Crossing and recrossing these
expanses or plains was a curious network of straight and some slightly
curved, dark-hued lines. All of these lines appeared to originate at the
edges of the polar caps, or to connect indirectly with them by means of
juncture with other lines. The northern or smaller cap was surrounded by
a border of deep, bluish tint. This cap had shrunken noticeably even
during their recent observation. Professor Palmer attributed this
phenomenon to the advanced summer in the northern hemisphere,
accompanied by a melting of that polar cap and an accumulation of water
around it from which the “canals” were fed.
At numerous junctures dark spots occurred. The whole presented much the
appearance of a crude map, upon a globe, of some gigantic railroad
system, the dots representing the terminals or large cities. Several of
the lines were double, running parallel with startling regularity and
joining together again at the terminals. The northern extremities of the
“canals” were now plainly darker than elsewhere, and strengthened the
professor’s well-known theories regarding the purpose of the “canals.”
Another outstanding feature was certain large, bluish-green blotches
interrupting the general rose-and-ocher hue of the plains. Some of the
lines ended in these blotches. Wherever this occurred there was a
caret-shaped junction, the line connecting directly at the point of the
caret. At this point the color was deepest; from there it faded,
gradually changing in color, the blotch blending into the ocher plain.
All of these features stood out in increasing vividness as the strange
planet drew nearer, proving that the Martian atmosphere contained little
or no moisture in the form of clouds. With the further expansion of the
surface beneath them, new and fainter lines were discovered. The great
disk had by this time grown so large that its outer edges could be
viewed readily from the sloping ports.
The professor compared painstakingly the actual features of the planet
before him with his own maps of it, the result of years of faithful
observation and study at the lonely California observatory, that an
ever-skeptical world might be further enlightened. The sight of him
poring intently over his maps and notes, oblivious for the while of all
else, was not without a certain pathos. At last, he stood at the
threshold of vindication.
“Gosh,” ejaculated the redhead, breaking a long silence with startling
abruptness, “I hope we don’t drop into that snow on the north pole
there.”
“We can land at any point we prefer, old man,” Robert assured him.
“That happens to be the south pole, my friends,” said the professor,
referring to the large polar cap over the edge of which the _Sphere_
then hung. “See, the planet has been turning this way--toward what we
shall call the east, which makes this pole the south.”
“Give me the desert,” replied Taggert, indulging in the luxury of a
shiver.
“From the looks of things,” said Robert, “we shall have all the desert
we want. That ocher shade seems entirely too popular. It makes me
thirsty to look at it.”
The gyrostats had been started again for safety as they drew near the
planet, and the _Sphere’s_ comet-like velocity retarded by cautiously
focusing the disk in the opposite direction temporarily.
A deflection of the disk swung the _Sphere_ away from the pole and
nearer the Martian equator. With the possibility of landing within a few
hours, a keen watch was kept for the most promising region in which to
land.
“If our belief that Mars is inhabited be correct,” said Robert, “it may
be well to avoid the population centers. The Martians may fear that we
are seeking to do them harm with some machine of destruction, and
destroy us.”
“That’s a good suggestion,” exclaimed Taggert. “It would be just like
one of those dudes to take a crack at us with some kind of a howitzer
for luck.”
“Let us first fly over the surface at a safe height and examine it
carefully, then select a landing site,” suggested Professor Palmer. “If
it seems to be inhabited we had best land outside some smaller village
where we will have an opportunity to interview a few of the natives
without so much danger of being overpowered if they prove antagonistic.”
Sluggishly, the vast map slid westward before their gaze, in panoramic
review as the planet rotated in its axis. Thus its entire surface from
pole to pole was gradually presented to their view as they continued to
descend at a considerably reduced speed.
* * * * *
The fifteenth “day” found them within about 25,000 miles of the planet’s
surface. At this elevation Professor Palmer commenced a sharp lookout
for the two moons which were known to revolve about Mars at great speed.
These moons had been glimpsed on rare occasions by a few of the earth’s
astronomers through powerful telescopes, but only when conditions for
observation had been ideal. Professor Palmer had seen them more than
once, although they were each approximately but ten miles in diameter,
as he explained to Robert and Taggert.
“Ten miles?” repeated Taggert, doubtfully. “Why--dammit, these blamed
Martian moons aren’t much more than balls of mud! Say, I’d rather have
our moon than half a dozen like those. Ours is more than 2,000 miles in
diameter, isn’t it?”
“You must remember that the Earth’s moon is about 240,000 miles away
from it, while Mars’ nearest moon is only about 3,700 miles above its
surface.”
“How high is the other one?”
“Approximately 13,000 miles; but it is doubtful whether it would be
visible to the naked eye from Mars--certainly not plainly. The one
nearer Mars, however, should present an interesting spectacle from that
planet. It requires eleven hours to cross Mars’ heavens, by reason of
the moon’s own swift revolution and the slower rotation of Mars, going
through all its phases and half again during that time.”
“It’s odd that it doesn’t fall into the planet from that height,” said
Robert.
“Rapid revolution in its orbit round Mars produces sufficient
centrifugal force to balance the planet’s attraction,” said Professor
Palmer. “The same principle is involved as in the swinging of a pail of
water over one’s head without spilling it. Yet, some day one of these
moons may be drawn into the planet. Should that happen, the blow may be
great enough to change the planet’s own orbit.”
“How about landing on one of these moons?” said Robert.
“Ha! Novel thought, that,” exploded Taggert. “Say, if we’d play catchers
on it, we would be apt to run right off.”
“I don’t think catchers would be a very good game to play on these
moons,” chuckled Professor Palmer. “You see, a person wouldn’t weigh
much more than a feather on one of them, and if he took a real good leap
on the under side he might find himself on his way to Mars. Not only
that; there is no atmosphere on them, and you could not exist an instant
in the vacuum and intense cold prevailing there, even if you were
equipped with respiration tanks.”
“That’s enough for me,” Taggert decided with a grimace.
“How cold do you think it is out in space like that?” asked Robert.
“Absolute zero--the nadir of temperature--is said to be 459 degrees
below zero Fahrenheit.”
“Enough, enough,” shouted Taggert. “I said I was satisfied without
getting out on a moon.”
“There’s Deimos over there now,” cried the professor suddenly, pointing.
“Don’t know the lady,” commented the reporter. Nevertheless he looked
interestedly, and a trifle uneasily in the direction indicated.
“Deimos, or ‘Fear,’ is the moon farthest from Mars; Phobus, meaning
‘Panic,’ is the other,” the professor explained.
Off toward the northwest, just beyond the outer rim of the planet, a
small star was suspended. It appeared much like any ordinary star in
spite of its small bulk, for it was much closer than the vastly larger
stars which we are accustomed to see.
“Now we must keep clear of that one, and watch closely for the other,”
cautioned Professor Palmer.
At an elevation of about 3,000 miles nothing of the other moon had been
seen, and it was concluded that it was then on the opposite side of the
planet. But they were soon to find out their mistake--one that nearly
proved fatal.
It happened while all three were intent upon the nearing planet, which
presented a sight of such interest that even Professor Palmer had
temporarily forgotten his own recent warning.
Their sole warning was a sudden cessation of the sun’s rays. Darkness
reigned, except for the reflection from the Martian disk below. The
abruptness of it made them gasp in unreasoning terror.
Above and around them the blackness of space was unbroken. The sun
seemed simply to have gone out completely. Only the vivid sight of Mars
reassured them.
“The moon!” yelled Taggert, first to think of it.
Hard on the heels of the realization of what had caused the sudden
darkness came to Robert and Professor Palmer the knowledge that the
satellite must be dangerously close to them. Otherwise, its small
diameter would not have so completely hidden the sun from them. Passing
between them and the sun, there was no longer danger of its crashing
into them, but it was not entirely improbable that it might attract the
_Sphere_ toward it, with disastrous results.
Almost the next instant they were plunged again into the joyous rays of
the sun. All of this had happened in a few seconds’ time, but to their
startled minds it had seemed much longer. Looking up furtively they had
glimpsed, for just a moment, a slice of blackness slipping from the edge
of the sun. The miniature satellite had passed from their vision into
the sightless black background of space. But, no; there _was_ something
there!
The reflection from Mars produced a barely perceptible glow upon the
jagged face of the big ball above them. It reminded Robert exactly of
the faint, broken reflection of lantern light on the ceiling of a large
chamber in a cave which he had once explored. There was something
threatening and terrifying about the rapidly dissolving apparition.
“I’ve seen enough of that baby,” sighed Taggert. “Oy, let’s go down on
Mars and meet some nice, fresh cannibals before we hook up with another
one of those things.”
“As a matter of fact, my esteemed friend, we are still scurrying toward
yon cannibalistic region to the tune of some thousand miles an hour,”
volunteered Robert, adopting Taggert’s vernacular.
* * * * *
The curious lines and dots now stood out vividly on the ocher-tinted
background. So obviously of artificial origin did they appear that
neither Taggert nor Robert entertained any further doubts as to the
planet’s being inhabited. Soon they were all three engrossed in a
discussion concerning the probable appearance of these remarkable
people, who were engaged in a desperate struggle for life against the
waning of their world.
“I think they are a race of giants, because no people of ordinary
strength could succeed in constructing such a vast system of canals,”
Taggert suggested.
“I’ve heard it claimed that the Martians are probably a race of smaller
stature than ourselves, in proportion to the size of their planet,” said
Robert.
“On the other hand, I think it quite probable,” said the professor,
“that these people are much like ourselves, in size as well as
formation. That they possess extraordinary intelligence I feel certain,
for they are a far older race than our own, and their wits have
doubtless been sharpened by their ceaseless combat with nature.”
“Then you believe that their unusual skill, and not physical strength,
has enabled them to achieve these wonderful feats!”
“Not entirely. The force of gravity at the surface of Mars is
approximately but three-eighths of that on the Earth. The result is that
a being of our strength on Mars would be capable of about seven times as
much work as on Earth. For example, he could dig a trench on Mars seven
times as long as he could one of the same size on the Earth in the same
length of time. The weight of the soil, of his arms and body, would be
much less than on Earth, and the ratio of his strength over the reduced
task would be augmented greatly.
“Then again, haunted, century after century, by the specter of
extinction, the Martians would doubtless invent all manner of marvelous
contrivances for the accomplishment of their gigantic tasks. Necessity
has probably goaded them to a frenzy of invention and research.”
“Don’t you think it more likely that the ‘canals’ are really giant
underground ducts! I should think long, open waterways would allow most
of the water to evaporate before it had reached the ends,” said Taggert.
“I do. However, the popular conception of the word ‘canal,’ is that of
an open waterway, whereas any duct, passage or groove, may properly be
termed a canal.”
“But such canals or tubes would not be visible from the Earth, surely,”
reasoned Taggert.
“Certainly not; but the vegetation which they fed _would_ be. That is
evidently why, with the melting of the polar caps, the lines have been
observed to deepen in color with the season. I believe this indicates
the quickening of the growths in the strips of irrigated ground along
the ‘canals,’ the rate of progression observed being about fifty-one
miles a day.”
“How do you account for that? Gravity could scarcely be responsible, for
there would be no more reason to expect all water to run from the poles
to the equator on Mars than to expect the same thing to happen on
Earth.”
“Exactly. The Martians must have some unusual method of pumping the
water through these canals.”
Robert, who had often discussed these details with Professor Palmer
during the past months, was more interested right then in the probable
characteristics of animal life on the planet, and particularly the
people. Were they brown-skinned or white, hairy or smooth, with features
like our own, or different? He had not forgotten his curious vision of
the Martian desert, nor the spell cast over him by the maiden in his
dream. _She_ had been neither brown nor ugly. He wished earnestly that
the Martians would be like her. These were the thoughts that ran through
his mind as he watched the vast fairyland developing beneath him.
By this time the planet’s disk had spread until it formed a low horizon
on all sides. Although they were less than a thousand miles distant, the
planet’s surface still appeared to be quite level. No indication of
mountain ranges could they detect from this height. At an elevation of
about three hundred miles Robert checked the velocity of the _Sphere_
further for fear of excessive atmospheric friction. For they should soon
be entering the enter edge of the planet’s envelope of gases.
The poles were no longer visible, being lost beyond the rising horizon,
as the _Sphere_ was now almost directly over the equator. The planet
continued to revolve before their eyes. So long as the _Sphere_ remained
beyond the envelope of atmosphere, they were independent of Mars’
rotation.
“Better follow the spin of the planet now, Robert,” said Professor
Palmer.
A deflection of the disk soon gave them the desired easterly drift.
Gradually, the vast panorama beneath them came to rest.
As they continued to descend, a slight glow began to replace the
blackness of space. This indicated the presence of some atmosphere round
them. At this point they observed the first sign of vapor upon Mars. A
solitary patch of opalescence partly covered one edge of a large,
dull-green blotch a little to the northeast of them.
Here and there a certain roughness about the surface of the planet
seemed to represent slightly hilly regions, but such places were scarce.
The planet’s predominating characteristic appeared to be a monotonous
flatness.
The “canals” had now become broad, bluish-green bands, terminating in
large circular areas of a similar shade. Robert could almost imagine he
saw tree-tops.
Little was said as the _Sphere_ approached the planet’s surface. Each
was thrilled with his own imagination and excitement over the immediate
prospect of viewing, at close range, the mysterious planet which had so
long baffled the experts of the world. Robert retained perfect, skilful
control of the _Sphere_, aided by advice from Professor Palmer as the
latter studied the distant Martian landscape intently. Taggert busied
himself making notes.
The sky had now taken on a normal glow like that of the Earth’s, and for
the first time they felt that they were finally and definitely within
the boundaries of the Martian world. The character in detail of the
country below was now faintly visible. The earlier suggestion of some
moderately hilly regions was emphasised by the setting sun, a low, but
ragged, ridge appearing off toward the northwest. It was plain that if
they wished to land by daylight there was little time to lose.
There was no longer any doubt as to the artificial character of the
planet. One of the great “oases” extended toward the northeast to the
now restricted horizon. From this, and almost directly beneath them, ran
a broad belt of mottled green, continuing toward the southwest till lost
to view.
The altimeter now registered 60,000 feet. However, they were, no doubt,
much closer to the surface than this, as the atmospheric pressure on
Mars was certain to be considerably less than that on Earth; in fact,
their height did not appear half that great.
“Not much choice about a landing point,” commented Taggert. “This
country looks more like the Sahara every minute.”
Indeed, there was an uninviting monotony about the landscape. With
exception of the dark belt, and the oasis on the horizon, the entire
country seemed one vast desert. The _Sphere_ drifted slowly, as Robert
had now checked its descent almost entirely.
“I think we had best land about five miles beyond the canal belt,” said
Professor Palmer. “We ought to be safe there from any sudden attack,
should the inhabitants prove hostile. More likely we will there be
visited by a cautious few where both parties will have an opportunity to
look each other over carefully before making any overtures.”
This seeming a sound piece of advice, the _Sphere_ was steered several
miles to the north of the belt. Here Robert allowed it to settle slowly.
The sun was sinking into the horizon even as the _Sphere_ came to rest
in the loose, yellow sand of the desert, about two hundred miles south
of the equator. The trip to Mars was a reality!
11
“Hurrah we’re here!” shouted Taggert, executing a hand-spring, and
narrowly missing the incandescents in the ceiling because of his
unaccustomed light weight.
Robert and Professor Palmer accepted their triumph more quietly.
To Robert the remarkable trip already seemed as a nightmare. As he
looked out on the quiet, desolate scene in the deepening twilight, he
could scarcely realize that they were not still on the Earth. For
despite the desolation of the vast Martian desert stretching before his
eyes, and the fact that he had never before even seen a desert except in
pictures, his imagination balked when he tried to believe himself on a
strange planet, millions of miles from the Earth. The idea was
preposterous, absurd! Robert’s more deliberate self persisted in half
suspecting that they had simply miscalculated, and had actually returned
to the Earth at some remote spot.
“Boys, I’m going to try a whiff of our new atmosphere,” said the
professor, unlatching one of the small portholes.
Before either of the others could interfere, he had swung the heavy
glass slightly inward, and sniffed the Martian atmosphere speculatively.