ay the entire covering of smoke,
but all that we shall really be able to do will be to puncture it with
holes, which will, perhaps, enable us to catch glimpses of the surface
beneath. In that manner we may be able more effectually to concentrate
our fire upon the most vulnerable points."

The Blow--And Its Effect.

Everything being prepared, and the entire squadron having assembled
to watch the effect of the opening blow and be ready to follow it up,
Mr. Edison himself poised one of the new disintegrators, which was too
large to be carried in the hand, and, following the direction indicated
by the calculations of the astronomers, launched the vibratory discharge
into the ocean of blackness beneath.

A Terrible Encounter.

The Martians and Our Warriors Fight a Battle to the Death.

Instantly there opened beneath us a huge well-shaped hole, from which
the black clouds rolled violently back in every direction.

Through this opening we saw the gleam of brilliant lights beneath.

We had made a hit.

"It is the Lake of the Sun!" shouted the astronomer who furnished the
calculation by means of which its position had been discovered.

And, indeed, it was the Lake of the Sun. While the opening in the clouds
made by the discharge was not wide, yet it sufficed to give us a view
of a portion of the curving shore of the lake, which was ablaze with
electric lights.

Whether our shot had done any damage, beyond making the circular opening
in the cloud curtain, we could not tell, for almost immediately the
surrounding black smoke masses billowed in to fill up the hole.

But in the brief glimpse we had caught sight of two or three large air
ships hovering in space above that part of the Lake of the Sun and its
bordering city which we had beheld. It seemed to me in the brief glance
I had that one ship had been touched by the discharge and was wandering
in an erratic manner. But the clouds closed in so rapidly that I not
be certain.

Penetrating the Cloud.

Anyhow, we had demonstrated one thing, and that was that we could
penetrate the cloud shield and reach the Martians in their hiding place.

It had been prearranged that the first discharge from the flagship
should be a signal for the concentration of the fire of all the other
ships upon the same spot.

A little hesitation, however, occurred, and a half a minute had elapsed
before the disintegrators from the other members of the squadron were
got into play.