d without any risk to
ourselves after you had landed."

"My word," said M'Allister, "I'm right glad we did not come here as
enemies!"

"Yes," replied Merna; "it was just as well you did not. We do not make
war, but we have full means of protecting ourselves against attack if it
should ever be necessary to do so. So you will understand that no
invasion of Mars from outer space is possible."

I then turned to Merna and said, "There is one question I should like to
ask you before we part this evening: Can you tell me the meaning of the
word 'Tetarta,' which Soranho, your chief, told me was the name by which
your world is known to its inhabitants?"

"Oh yes, sir," he answered; "'Tetarta' means 'the fourth world,' and
thus indicates our position in the solar system. Sometimes, however, the
name 'Tetartoecumene' is used; but this does not find general
acceptance amongst us, as it means 'the fourth _inhabited_ world,' and
therefore assumes rather too much.

"We know the earth is inhabited, and have some reason to believe that
Venus is also; but with regard to Mercury we have no knowledge at all
upon this point. Mercury, as seen from Mars, is always too close to the
sun for us to learn much about it by optical investigation; and we have
never been certain that we have either received influences from there or
been able to transmit influences to the planet."

"Thank you, Merna," I replied, "that clears up the matter; and it seems
to me that your names are much more appropriate than the one by which
your world is known to us on the earth; for, on account of its red
colour, we have, as you are aware, named it 'Mars,' after our mythical
god of war. I gather from what you have told us that war is now quite
unknown upon your planet, so our name is quite inappropriate."

"Yes, that is so, sir," he answered; "and, later on, I hope you will
learn much more concerning our social conditions, and that you will find
we are a fairly developed and civilised people."

He then took leave of us, promising to see us again in the morning for
the purpose of showing us about our new world.

It was now rather late, so, after discussing for a while the events of
this most exciting day, we retired to rest. My thoughts, however, were
so many and so tumultuous that it is scarcely a matter of wonder that a
very long time elapsed before sleep came to me.

CHAPTER XVI

WE LEARN SOMETHING ABOUT THE POWERS OF THE MARTIANS

The next morni