hat else was there to fight about?"

At this instant one of our men came running from a considerable
distance, waving his arms excitedly, but unable to give voice to his
story, in the inappreciable atmosphere of the asteroid, until he had
come up and made telephonic connection with us.

"There are a lot of dead Martians over there," he said. "They've been
cleaning one another out."

"That's it," said Mr. Edison. "I knew it when I saw the condition of
those machines."

"Then this is not a wrecked expedition, directed against the earth?"

"Not at all."

"This must be the great gold mine of Mars," said the president of an
Australian mining company, opening both his eyes and his mouth as he
spoke.

"Yes, evidently that's it. Here's where they come to get their wealth."

"And this," I said, "must be their harvest time. You notice that this
asteroid, being several million miles nearer to the sun than Mars is,
must have an appreciably shorter period of revolution. When it is in
conjunction with Mars, or nearly so, as it is at present, the distance
between the two is not very great, whereas when it is in the opposite
part of its orbit they are separated by an enormous gap in space and the
sun is between them.

"Manifestly in the latter case it would be perilous if not entirely
impossible for the Martians to visit the golden asteroid, but when it is
near Mars, as it is at present, and as it must be periodically for
several years at a time, then is their opportunity.

"With their projectile cars sent forth with the aid of the mysterious
explosives which they possess, it is easy for them under such
circumstances, to make visits to the asteroid.

"Having obtained all the gold they need or all that they can carry, a
comparatively slight impulse given to their car, the direction of which
is carefully calculated, will carry them back again to Mars."

"If that's so," exclaimed a voice, "we had better look out for
ourselves! We have got into a very hornet's nest! If this is the place
where the Martians come to dig gold, and if this is the height of their
season, as you say, they are not likely to leave us here long
undisturbed."

"These fellows must have been pirates that they had the fight with,"
said another.

"But what's become of the regulars, then?"

"Gone back to Mars for help, probably, and they'll be here again pretty
quick, I am afraid!"

Considerable alarm was caused by this view of the case, and orders we