the principal points on
its surface must occupy at certain hours, we were able to tell what part
of the planet lay beneath us.

Having completed our semi-circuit we found ourselves on the night side
of Mars, and determined to lose no time in executing our coup. But it
was deemed best that an exploration should first be made by a single
electrical ship, and Colonel Smith naturally wished to undertake the
adventure with his own vessel.

We dropped rapidly through the black cloud curtain, which proved to be
at least half a mile in thickness, and then suddenly emerged, as if
suspended at the apex of an enormous dome, arching above the surface of
the planet a mile beneath us, which sparkled on all sides with
innumerable lights.

These lights were so numerous and so brilliant as to produce a faint
imitation of daylight, even at our immense height above the ground, and
the dome of cloud out of which we had emerged assumed a soft fawn color
which produced an indescribably beautiful effect.

For a moment we recoiled from our undertaking, and arrested the motion
of the electric ship.

But on closely examining the surface beneath us we found that there was
a broad region, where comparatively few bright lights were to be seen.
From my knowledge of the geography of Mars I knew that this was a part
of the Land of Ausonia, situated a few hundred miles northeast of
Hellas, where we had first seen the planet.

Evidently it was not so thickly populated as some of the other parts of
Mars, and its comparative darkness was an attraction to us. We
determined to approach within a few hundred feet of the ground with the
electric ship, and then, in case no enemies appeared, to visit the soil
itself.

"Perhaps we shall see or hear something that will be of use to us," said
Colonel Smith, "and for the purposes of this first reconnaissance it is
better that we should be few in number. The other ships will await our
return, and at any rate we shall not be gone long."

As our car approached the ground we found ourselves near the tops of
some lofty trees.

"This will do," said Colonel Smith to the electrical steersman, "Stay
right here."

He and I then lowered ourselves into the branches of the trees, each
carrying a small disintegrator, and cautiously clambered down to the
ground.

We believed we were the first of the descendants of Adam to set foot on
the planet of Mars.

At first we suffered somewhat from the effects of the rare a