position toward the northeast, we hung above the city of Tokyo and
dropped down into the crowds which had assembled to watch us, the
prepared accounts of our journey, which, the moment they had been read
and comprehended, led to such an outburst of rejoicing as it would be
quite impossible to describe.

One of the ships containing the Japanese members of the expedition,
dropped to the ground, and we left them in the midst of their rejoicing
countrymen. Before we started--and we remained but a short time
suspended above the Japanese capitol--millions had assembled to greet us
with their cheers.

We now repeated what we had done during our first examination of the
surface of Mars. We simply remained suspended in the atmosphere,
allowing the earth to turn beneath us. As Japan receded in the distance
we found China beginning to appear. Shifting our position a little
toward the south, we again came to rest over the city of Pekin, where
once more we parted with some of our companions, and where the outburst
of universal rejoicing was repeated.

From Asia, crossing the Caspian Sea, we passed over Russia, visiting in
turn Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Still the great globe rolled steadily beneath, and still we kept the sun
with us. Now Germany appeared, and now Italy, and then France, and
England, as we shifted our position, first north then south, in order to
give all the world the opportunity to see that its warriors had returned
victorious from its far conquest. And in each country as it passed
beneath our feet, we left some of the comrades who had shared our perils
and our adventures.

At length the Atlantic had rolled away under us, and we saw the spires
of the new New York.

The news of our coming had been flashed ahead from Europe and our
countrymen were prepared to welcome us. We had originally started, it
will be remembered, at midnight, and now again as we approached the new
capitol of the world the curtain of night was just beginning to be drawn
over it. But our signal lights were ablaze, and through these they were
aware of our approach.

Again the air was filled with bursting rockets and shaken with the roar
of cannon, and with volleying cheers, poured from millions of throats,
as we came to rest directly above the city.

Three days after the landing of the fleet, and when the first enthusiasm
of our reception had a little passed, I received a beautifully engraved
card inviting me to be present in Trinity