ylight. There was also an
astonishing variety in the colors of the broad expanses beneath us.
Activity, vivacity and beauty, such as we were utterly unprepared to
behold, expressed their presence on all sides.

The excitement on the flagship and among the other members of the
squadron was immense. It was certainly a thrilling scene. Here, right
under our feet, lay the world we had come to do battle with. Its
appearances, while recalling in some of their broader aspects those
which it had presented when viewed from our observatories, were far more
strange, complex and wonderful than any astronomer had ever dreamed.
Suppose all of our anticipations about Mars should prove to have been
wrong, after all?

There could be no longer any question that it was a world which, if not
absolutely teeming with inhabitants, like a gigantic ant-hill, at any
rate bore on every side the marks of their presence and of their
incredible undertakings and achievements.

Here and there clouds of smoke arose and spread slowly through the
atmosphere beneath us. Floating higher above the surface of the planet
were clouds of vapor, assuming the familiar forms of stratus and cumulus
with which we were acquainted upon the earth.

These clouds, however, seemed upon the whole to be much less dense than
those to which we were accustomed at home. They had, too, a peculiar
iridescent beauty as if there was something in their composition or
their texture which split up the chromatic elements of the sunlight and
thus produced internal rainbow effects that caused some of the heavier
cloud masses to resemble immense collections of opals, alive with the
play of ever-changing colors and magically suspended above the planet.

As we continued to study the phenomena that was gradually unfolded
beneath us we thought we could detect in many places evidences of the
existence of strong fortifications. The planet of war appeared to be
prepared for the attacks of enemies. Since, as our own experience had
shown, it sometimes waged war with distant planets, it was but natural
that it should be found prepared to resist foes who might be disposed to
revenge themselves for injuries suffered at its hands.

As had been expected, our prisoner now proved to be of very great
assistance to us. Apparently he took a certain pride in exhibiting to
strangers from a distant world the beauties and wonders of his own
planet.

We could not understand by any means all that he said,