THE ESCAPE--CONCLUSION
Nor was the professor mistaken. In less than an hour the
Martians returned, in larger numbers than before, and, while the
first throng had seemed to consist of only soldiers or police,
the next attack was made by thousands of men, women and children.
They all seemed anxious to destroy, the strangers.
Those who had been disabled by the electric guns revived, and
were able to crawl away, but they were too weak to resume the
attack.
"Well, we'll have to shoot at them again," observed Jack, as he
and the others noted that the attack was to be resumed.
"Let 'em have it!" cried Mr. Roumann.
Once more the electric cannons were fired, and thousands fell at
each discharge of the powerful current.
But, in their turn, the Martians brought into use new weapons.
First they hurled great rocks and chunks of lead at the
projectile, but, as the missiles weighed only a third as much as
they would have done on the earth, they only dented the heavy
steel sides.
Finding that this would not answer, the little people created
clouds of noxious gases, that swirled around the projectile like
a fog. But this was harmless, as the adventurers could shut
themselves in tightly, and breathe air of their own making. The
gases had no more effect on them than did the ether through which
they had traveled through space.
Meanwhile, the electric cannons were constantly being fired, and
the ranks of the attackers were constantly being thinned. But,
ever as the Martians fell, new ones arrived to take their places.
They seemed determined to drive the newcomers off the planet or
destroy them.
There was a lull in the fighting. The Martians seemed to be
waiting for something. At last a large crowd was observed coming
from the direction of the city. They carried great bundles of
wood and torches.
"They're going to try to burn us out!" cried Jack.
"Good land a' massy!" yelled Washington. "Let me go! I ain't
ready t' burn yet! No, indeedy!"
With shouts the Martians piled fuel all about the projectile.
Then they set fire to it, and tongues of flame leaped up.
"Don't be alarmed," said Mr. Roumann. "We have passed safely
through greater heat than they can produce. The gas in the
projectile will absorb all the heat."
And this was exactly what happened. The flames had no effect on
the Annihilator, whereas the electric cannons continued to mow
down the Martians.
The day was now well advanced, and the defenders were getting
tired and hungry, as well as apprehensive, for there seemed to be
no limit to the fury of the little people, and their scientific
knowledge was such that it was probably only a matter of time
before they would find a way to destroy the projectile.
During a lull in the fighting, when the fire that had been
kindled died away, Washington White came around with some food he
had prepared.
They felt better after the meal, but immediately there came a new
apprehension, for they saw that the Martians were digging a great
hole to one side of the projectile.
"What can they be doing that for?" asked Andy. "Maybe they're
going to roll us into it," said Mark.
"No," spoke Mr. Roumann, after watching the crowd at work, "I'm
inclined to think they're laying a mine, and are going to blow us
up."
"Blow us up?"
"Yes. They evidently have some explosive over there, to judge by
the manner in which they guard it."
"Can we stand being blown up?" asked Jack.
"I hardly think so. The projectile itself might not be harmed,
as it is very strong, but the machinery and motors would probably
be damaged."
"Then what can we do?"
"The only thing left for us to do is to escape."
"Escape? You mean leave the projectile?" asked Mr. Henderson.
"No, I mean escape in the Annihilator. There is no reason why we
should stay here any longer. We have what we came to seek, and
though I should like to make some further scientific observations,
we will have to forego them. We will start the atmospheric motor,
and leave Mars."
"That's the stuff!" cried Jack. "Back to earth for ours! It's
nice up here, when you don't do something they don't like, but
the earth is good enough for me!"
"That's what I say," added Mark.
The Martians were hurrying their preparations to blow up the
projectile. Perhaps they guessed that they must act promptly, or
they may have had an intimation that something was going to
happen, when the ports of the electric cannons were closed.
The shutter of the observation tower was sealed, all openings
were well fastened, and, just as the mine was completed and the
explosive was about to be put in, Mr. Roumann started the
atmospheric motor, and the projectile left Mars with a rush.
Of course, the travelers could not see the blank looks of
astonishment on the great faces of the Martians, but they could
imagine them, as they shot away from the queer little planet at
the rate of sixty miles a second.
"Well," remarked Mr. Roumann as he went to the pilot house, after
seeing that the motor was working well, "we got to the place we
set out for, and we secured some Cardite, which is what I wanted.
I am now able to repay you for building this projectile,
Professor Henderson, you need never worry about money again."
"I'm glad of it, as I shall devote the remainder of my life to
science, and I may write a book about Mars."
"Well, ob all de transmigatoriousness dat I eber seed," exclaimed
Washington, "de continual exteriorosity ob de inhabitants ob dat
planetary sphere am de mostest indisputatious!" Though what he
meant by that no one knew. But it seemed to give the colored man
great satisfaction.
In due time they passed beyond the limits of the atmosphere of
Mars, and again were sailing through space, the Etherium motor
doing good work. Mr. Roumann tried some Cardite in it, and their
speed was increased by half, so they reached the atmosphere of
the earth in much shorter time than they calculated.
They met with no mishaps, though they narrowly escaped collision
with a great meteorite that was rushing through space, white hot.
"Well, in a few days we will be at home," remarked Mr. Roumann
one night, as he set the atmospheric motor in operation. "And I
must say I have greatly enjoyed the trip."
"So have I," admitted Jack, and Mark agreed with him.
"Maybe mah Shanghai rooster won't be glad t' git on terra cotta
again," spoke Washington. "I'se glad I didn't let him out on
Mars. Dem funny fellers might 'a' eat him up."
The rooster crowed as if glad to be nearing the earth.
Three days later they came in sight of their own planet, but as
night came on, and they did not want to land in the dark, the
projectile was kept up above until daylight, and a day later a
landing was made near the machine shed where the Annihilator had
been built.
"Well, here we are, safe home again," said Mark.
"All but the crazy machinist," added Jack. "I hope he likes it
up there among the Martians."
"I wonder if we'll ever take another trip like this?" asked Andy.
"Perhaps, some day," replied Mr. Roumann.
"I have some other ideas regarding distant planets that I would
like to prove. But we'll take a rest, and see what use we can
make of the Cardite. I would also like to learn if my enemy,
Forker, sent that crazy machinist to bother me," but he never
found out.
As the German had predicted, the red material brought back was
enormously valuable, and the projectile was more than paid for by
a small part of it. The boys resumed their studies at school,
and Professor Henderson devoted much of his time to writing a
book describing some of the peculiar conditions on Mars, while
Mr. Roumann invented a new motor to run with Cardite, he having
revealed the secret of the Etherium one to Professor Henderson.
As for Washington White, he is learning new big words, while Andy
says he is glad to be back on a world where a bullet is a bullet
and a gun a gun.
THE END