SOMETHING ABOUT MARS
"Are we really in motion?" asked Jack, after a moment's silence.
"It doesn't seem so."
"We are certainly in motion," declared Mr. Roumann. "See this
dial?"
He pointed to one near the steering wheel. The hand on it was
gently vibrating between some of the figures.
"We are traveling that many miles a second," went on the
scientist. "The atmospheric motor is not working as fast as I
hoped it would, but we are going fast enough. When we start the
Etherium machine we shall go much more speedily."
"And when will that be?" asked Mark.
"I can't tell exactly. It will not be until we have passed
through the atmosphere of the earth, and there is no way of
ascertaining in advance just how thick that stratum is."
"Then how will you know?" asked Jack.
"By means of my instruments. When the hand on this dial points
to zero I will know that we are beyond the atmosphere, and that
it is time to start the Etherium motor."
"How do you know in which direction to steer?" asked Mark. "Can
you see anything out of that window?"
"Not a thing," replied the German. "Look for yourself."
Jack and Mark peered through the plate glass. All they could see
was a sort of white, fleecy mass of clouds that surrounded the
great projectile.
"It's just like when we were above the clouds in the Electric
Monarch," said Jack.
"Exactly," agreed Mr. Henderson.
"But if you can't see anything, how can you tell where to steer?"
asked Mark.
"By means of this instrument," replied Mr. Roumann, indicating
another among the many on the wall of the projectile. "This is
automatically kept pointed at Mars, and by means of a hand and
dial I can tell how to keep the Annihilator aimed directly at the
red planet."
"Even when it is on the opposite side of the earth from us?"
asked Jack.
"We are now far above the earth," was the answer, "and the planet
on which we lived offers no obstruction to my telescope being
pointed at Mars, even though it is daytime, when Mars is on the
opposite side of the earth."
"Have we traveled as far as that?" asked Jack in awestruck tones.
"We have come just thirty thousand miles since leaving the
earth," replied Mr. Roumann.
"But we don't seem to be moving at all," objected Mark.
"That is because we are shooting through space so fast, and
because you can see no stationary objects with which to make a
comparison, as when you are traveling on a railroad train,"
continued the German. "And, as we are not dependent on tracks,
or roads, with their unevenness, there is no motion to our
projectile, save that of moving through space. That is why it
seems as if we were standing still."
"But thirty thousand miles!" cried Jack. "I thought the earth's
atmosphere was variously estimated at from only forty to two
hundred miles in thickness."
"The oxygen atmosphere may be," agreed Mr. Roumann. "As a matter
of fact, the atmosphere we are now in would not support life for
you and me a single instant. But it is atmosphere, nevertheless,
or my instruments would indicate something different, and my
atmospheric motor would not work. No, I expect to be traveling
through the atmosphere for several days yet. Then we shall reach
the true ether, and the Etherium motor will be put into
operation."
"Well," said Jack, "this trip isn't going to be very strong on
scenery, anyhow."
"No," agreed Mr. Roumann. "We shan't be able to observe anything
but this fleeciness until we get to Mars."
"We can see the stars and moon at night, can't we?" asked Mark.
"There isn't going to be any night," replied the German with a
smile. "We are now in the region of perpetual day."
"No night!" repeated Jack blankly.
"No. Just stop to think for a moment. We have left the earth,
and are many thousands of miles away from it. You know that
which causes night and day on the earth is the rotation of it on
its axis. Half the time the part we are living on is turned away
from the sun, and the other half of the time turned toward the
sun. Now, the sun is fixed in space. We are also in space, and
we are so comparatively small that there will never be any
shadows to cause night. We are like a small point in space, and
the sun is constantly shining on us. We do not revolve, so there
will no night, only day."
"Are we headed for the sun?" asked Mark
"No, for Mars. But as we will take good care not to head for any
other planet, so as to get it between us and the sun, we shall
never have any darkness."
"But it doesn't look like sunshine out there," objected Jack,
pointing out of the window.
"No, because we are surrounded by a mass of vapor. I think it
will presently pass and we shall see the sun. The difference in
temperature between the projectile and the surrounding atmosphere
causes us to be enveloped in a sort of cloud. When the outer
shell of the Annihilator is the same temperature as the
atmosphere through which we are flying, we shall emerge into
sunlight."
This happened a little later, and soon they could observe the
great ball of fire hanging in space.
"It seems to be smaller than when we were on the earth, doesn't it?"
asked Mark.
"It is seemingly smaller," replied Professor Henderson. "We are
going away from the sun you know. Mars is not as close to it as
we are on our planet--I mean the one we have just left--is
ninety-two millions of miles from the sun, while Mars is one
hundred and forty-one millions of miles away, though its orbit is
so eccentric that distance varies about thirteen millions of
miles. That is, it may be thirteen millions of miles more than
its mean, or average, distance, so that at times it is as far
away from the sun as one hundred and fifty-four millions of
miles."
"My! That's a good ways," observed Mark.
"Yes," went on Mr. Henderson, "and, in consequence, the light and
heat received by Mars from the sun is a little less than half of
that which our earth receives."
"Whew! We'll be mighty cold in winter--if we arrive in winter,"
said Jack with a shiver.
"Unless the Martians have a means of making up for this loss of
light and heat," said Mr. Roumann. "I believe they have."
"I shall be much interested in seeing how the great canals on the
planet are dug," said Professor Henderson. "I have seen a map of
Mars, made by a scientist named Schiaparelli, and he has drawn a
number of large bodies of water, among which are intermeshed
continents and islands. The surface of Mars must be a curious
one."
"I believe we shall find it so," spoke Mr. Roumann. "Astronomers
tell us that the water on it is never frozen, except near the
poles. There great ice caps are to be found."
"But what makes the planet so red?" asked Jack.
"That," said Mr. Roumann quickly, "is what hope to discover and
use for our benefit, but I not wish to discuss it now."
They talked of Mars for some time further, discussing the many
queer features, and during this time the Annihilator was shooting
through space at terrific speed. Inside the projectile the
adventurers moved about, living and breathing, comfortably as if
they were on earth, for the great tanks of stored air provided
all the oxygen they needed. Nor did they feel either heat or
cold thanks to the marvelous construction of the projectile.
"Isn't the year on Mars longer than the year on earth?" asked Jack
as he and Mark stood near the entrance to the pilot house,
interested in watching the various indicators record the speed
they acquired, the distance traveled, and the density the
atmosphere.
"Yes; it is about twice as long," answered Roumann. "But I shall
tell you more about Planet--"
"If you'll kindly promulgate yo'se'ves in dis disrection yo' will
find sufficient condiments an' disproportionate elements to
induciate a feelin' ob intense satisfactoriousness," exclaimed
Washington White, poking his head in from the sleeping room
compartment.
"That means dinner is ready," cried Jack. "That's the stuff!
Our first meal on the trip to Mars!"