assage.

At first the intention was to have twenty men, each armed with two
disintegrators (that being the largest number one person could carry to
advantage) descend from the electrical ship and make the venture. But,
after further discussion, this number was reduced; first to a dozen, and
finally, to only four. These four consisted of Mr. Edison, Colonel
Smith, Mr. Sydney Phillips and myself.

Both by her own request and because we could not help feeling that her
knowledge of the locality would be indispensable to us, Aina was also
included in our party, but not, of course, as a fighting member of it.

It was about an hour after midnight when the ship in which we were to
make the venture parted from the remainder of the squadron and dropped
cautiously down. The blaze of electric lights running away in various
directions indicated the lines of innumerable canals with habitations
crowded along their banks, which came to a focus at a point on the
continent of Aeria, westward from the Syrtis Major.

We stopped the electrical ship at an elevation of perhaps three hundred
feet above the vast roof of a structure which Aina assured us was the
building of which we were in search.

Here we remained for a few minutes, cautiously reconnoitering. On that
side of the power house which was opposite to the shore of the Syrtis
Major there was a thick grove of trees, lighted beneath, as was apparent
from the illumination which here and there streamed up through the cover
of leaves, but, nevertheless, dark and gloomy above the tree tops.

"The electric network extends over the grove as well as over the
building," said Aina.

This was lucky for us, because we wished to descend among the trees,
and, by destroying part of the network over the tree tops, we could
reach the shelter we desired and at the same time pass within the line
of electric defenses.

With increased caution, and almost holding our breath lest we should
make some noise that might reach the ears of the sentinels below, we
caused the car to settle gently down until we caught sight of a metallic
net stretched in the air between us and the trees.

After our first encounter with the Martians on the asteroid, where, as I
have related, some metal which was included in their dress resisted the
action of the disintegrators, Mr. Edison had readjusted the range of
vibrations covered by the instruments, and since then we had found
nothing that did not yield to them. Conseq