to hasten on with the flagship, and one or two others,
in advance of the waters, and to hover over the Lake of the Sun, in the
darkness, in order that we might watch the deluge perform its awful work
in the morning.

Thaumasia, as we have before remarked, was a broad, oval-shaped land,
about 1,800 miles across, having the Lake of the Sun exactly in its
center. From this lake, which was four or five hundred miles in
diameter, and circular in outline, many canals radiated, as straight as
the spokes of a wheel, in every direction, and connected it with the
surrounding seas.

Like all the other Martian continents, Thaumasia lay below the level of
the sea, except toward the south, where it fronted the ocean.

Completely surrounding the lake was a great ring of cities constituting
the capitol of Mars. Here the genius of the Martians had displayed
itself to the full. The surrounding country was irrigated until it
fairly bloomed with gigantic vegetation and flowers; the canals were
carefully regulated with locks so that the supply of water was under
complete control; the display of magnificent metallic buildings of all
kinds and sizes produced a most dazzling effect, and the protection
against enemies afforded by the innumerable fortifications surrounding
the ringed city, and guarding the neighboring lands, seemed complete.

Suspended at a height of perhaps two miles from the surface, near the
southern edge of the lake, we waited for the oncoming flood. With the
dawn of day we began to perceive more clearly the effects which the news
of the drowning of the planet had produced. It was evident that many of
the inhabitants of the cities had already fled. Airships on which the
fugitives hung as thick as swarms of bees were seen, elevated but a
short distance above the ground, and making their way rapidly toward the
south.

The Martians knew that their only hope of escape lay in reaching the
high southern border of the land before the floods were upon them. But
they must have known also that that narrow beach would not suffice to
contain one in ten of those who sought refuge there. The density of the
population around the Lake of the Sun seemed to us incredible. Again our
hearts sank within us at the sight of the fearful destruction of life
for which we were responsible. Yet we comforted ourselves with the
reflection that it was unavoidable. As Colonel Smith put it:

"You couldn't trust these coyotes. The only thing to do was