WE NEAR MARS.
As the _Sirius_ sped on its journey from day to day, the apparent size
of Mars rapidly increased. We began to feel appalled at our nearness to
this new world, now gleaming in brilliant splendour below, instead of
above us. Our sensations cannot be expressed.
On the 2nd of June we were again alarmed at losing sight of the sun for
a short time, and expected another meteoric visitation.
We began now anxiously to discuss the possibilities of finding living
creatures on this planet. It would indeed be a disappointment almost
beyond human endurance, to find Mars a dead desolate world, after all!
But we took heart at its singularly beautiful appearance, and its
similarity in many respects to the world we had left.
We began to notice a considerable difference in the density of the
atmosphere. Nearer and nearer we came, awe-struck and dumbfounded
at our own temerity. Hour by hour, and day by day, we watched this
glorious world become larger and larger to our view. Still no sign
of life could be traced. Cold and still, and calm as the grave, this
new world appeared to us. The _Sirius_ absolutely seemed to creep
along, although the good machine was bearing us onward at a speed so
enormous, that the fastest express train of Earth was a snail's pace by
comparison.
Amid the terrible excitement, and the frightful tension of our nerves
which it entailed, the days sped by almost unnoticed, uncounted. But
the Doctor, ever cool and collected, through all this trying period,
kept a careful record of the distance travelled day by day.
As we approached yet nearer to this magnificent planet, we were able to
note most carefully the general distribution of land and water upon its
mighty surface.
Daily, nay hourly now, our hopes of finding the planet Mars a peopled
world increased.
It was three weeks from the time that the Doctor had last dwelt upon
the distance we had travelled, and the size of Mars was becoming
appallingly stupendous. On the evening of the 7th of June, we were all
seated in the chamber above the engine-room, admiring the glorious
splendours of the sunset on this heavenly orb, watching the last rays
of the Martial day expire, as we had so often done before. We were too
absorbed in the beauties of the scene before us to speak; each was too
overcome by the solemn grandeur of our surroundings, and our strange
position, to converse with his fellow-man; until the darkness reached
us at last, and broke the magic spell of our silence.
Temple was the first to speak. "Well, Doctor, things are rapidly
approaching a crisis now. What are your latest views on our position?"
"Briefly these, Temple. At the rate of speed we are still travelling,
in one week from to-day we shall reach our destination on that strange
world yonder. Roughly speaking, but little more than two hundred
thousand miles remain to be crossed, and, as far as I can determine at
present, we shall complete the last few thousands of miles under the
cover of darkness. This is well for us: it will enable us to descend
unnoticed and unseen by any intelligent, and perhaps hostile, beings
that may possibly dwell upon the surface of this planet. On the other
hand, the darkness may conceal perils we should have been able to
avoid, had we descended in daylight. Of the two evils, I strongly
counsel us to choose the former; that is, to drop quietly down at
night and await the dawn in concealment. Our future movements must be
controlled entirely by events."
The following six days were passed without anything unusual occurring.
At dawn on the seventh, we were only about 28,000 miles away from Mars,
and his vast size inspired our hearts with increasing awe.
Our last day in the _Sirius_, if all went well, had now arrived.
At five o'clock p.m., the planet began to assume a slightly concave
appearance; at six, this became even more pronounced; whilst an hour
later still, when we were only about six thousand miles above its
surface, the horizon seemed almost level with the _Sirius_. Mars now
looked like a huge deep saucer, into which we were rapidly falling.
At eight in the evening, as near as we in our terrible state of
excitement could judge, for not one of us referred to our watches, all
doubts respecting the presence of life on Mars were expelled; and to
our indescribable joy we noted dark belts of vegetation, in which the
glittering mountains and active volcanoes were set. Each minute the
scene below us became more grandly beautiful.
At a thousand miles above Mars we found we could dispense with our
condensers, and actually sustain life with the atmosphere admitted into
the _Sirius_. This was encouraging, more so than ever we had even dared
to hope; Mars already was beginning to supply every requirement of the
children of the Earth!
We now deemed it advisable to reduce our speed somewhat. At a quarter
to twelve we could not have been much more than a hundred miles above
this new world.
We now climbed out on to the balcony, and peering down into the dark
depths, it was apparent to us all that the _Sirius_ was over dry land,
although a large sheet of water was visible in the distance, shimmering
in the moonlight.
In a few minutes more the good air-ship was hovering a thousand
feet above the Martial planet, and we began making the few final
preparations for our descent upon its surface.