e flying speed
of the ships. They had mapped the system they were approaching; there
were nine planets of varying sizes, some on the near and some on the
far side of the sun. There were but three on the near side; one that
seemed the outermost of the planets, about 35,000 miles in diameter, was
directly in their path, while there were two more much nearer the sun,
about 100,000,000 and 70,000,000 miles distant from it, each about seven
to eight thousand miles in diameter, but they were on opposite sides of
the sun. These more inviting and more accessible worlds were numbers two
and three of the planetary system. It was decided to split the
expedition into two parts; one part was to go to planet two, and the
other to three. Taj Lamor was to lead his group of a hundred ships to
the nearer planet at once.

In a very brief time the great ships slanted down over what seemed to be
a mighty globe of water. They were well in the northern hemisphere, and
they had come near the planet first over a vast stretch of rolling
ocean. The men had looked in wonder at such vast quantities of the
fluid. To them it was a precious liquid, that must be made artificially,
and was to be conserved, yet here they saw such vast quantities of
natural water as seemed impossible. Still, their ancient books had told
of such things, and of other strange things, things that must have been
wondrously beautiful, though they were so old now, these records, that
they were regarded largely as myths.

Yet here were the strange proofs! They saw great masses of fleecy water
vapor, huge billowy things that seemed solid, but were blown lightly in
the wind. And natural air! The atmosphere extended for hundreds of miles
off into space; and now, as they came closer to the surface of this
world the air was dense, and the sky above them was a beautiful blue,
not black, even where there were stars. The great sun, so brilliantly
incandescent when seen from space, and now a glowing globe of
reddish-yellow.

And as they came near land, they looked in wonder at mighty masses of
rock and soil that threw their shaggy heads high above the surrounding
terrain, huge masses that rose high, like waves in the water, till they
towered in solemn grandeur miles into the air! What a sight for these
men of a world so old that age long erosion had washed away the last
traces of hills, and filled in all of the valleys!

In awe they looked down at the mighty rock masses, as they swung