net, where the population is
densest and a hard blow would have the most effect, and I am going to
pound away at them, through the smoke, and see whether we cannot draw
them out of their shell."

With his expert assistants Mr. Edison set to work at once to transform a
number of the disintegrators into still more formidable engines of the
same description. One of these new weapons having been distributed to
each of the members of the squadron, the next problem was to decide
where to strike.

When we first examined the surface of the planet it will be remembered
that we had regarded the Lake of the Sun and its environs as being the
very focus of the planet. While it might also be a strong point of
defence, yet an effective blow struck there would go to the enemy's
heart and be more likely to bring the Martians promptly to terms than
anything else.

The first thing, then, was to locate the Lake of the Sun on the smoke
hidden surface of the planet beneath us. This was a problem that the
astronomers could readily solve.

Fortunately, in the flagship itself there was one of the star-gazing
gentlemen who had made a specialty of the study of Mars. That planet, as
I have already explained, was now in opposition to the earth. The
astronomer had records in his pocket which enabled him, by a brief
calculation, to say just when the Lakes of the Sun would be on the
meridian of Mars as seen from the earth. Our chronometers still kept
terrestrial time; we knew the exact number of days and hours that had
elapsed since we had departed, and so it was possible by placing
ourselves in a line between the earth and Mars to be practically in the
situation of an astronomer in his observatory at home.

Then it was only necessary to wait for the hour when the Lake of the Sun
would be upon the meridian of Mars in order to be certain what was the
true direction of the latter from the flagship.

Having thus located the heart of our foe behind its shield of darkness,
we prepared to strike.

"I have ascertained," said Mr. Edison, "the vibration period of the
smoke, so that it will be easy for us to shatter it into invisible
atoms. You will see that every stroke of the disintegrators will open a
hole through the black curtain. If their field of destruction could be
made wide enough, we might in that manner clear away 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,