his. I know it very imperfectly.

"My examiners had little to do. My memory seemed of great power, and I
told them the story of our experiments, discoveries and our compact to
communicate with each other. This portion of my story was listened to
with admiration. Chapman, my guide, and the two Registeries leaped to
their feet, exclaimed with delight and embraced each other in ecstacy.
'At last! At last!' cried out all of them, while hastily calling
officers of the building to them they rapidly explained my singular
announcement. It seemed to run like fire through the throngs. A great
crowd was soon pressing in upon us on every side, while the Martian
ejaculation '_Hi mitla_' rang in all directions. I was astounded. What
was this strange excitement, and why had my simple tale awakened this
fierce commotion?

"My guide noting my dismay and alarm, laughingly explained the reason of
the confusion. 'For years and years,' he said, 'it has been hoped by the
Martians to send some message to the Earth. We understand wireless
telegraphy, we can bridge almost infinite distances with the monstrous
waves of magnetic disturbances, it is possible for us to generate. We
have bombarded the earth with magnetic waves, but no response, no single
indication has been returned to us that our messages were received. Our
knowledge of the earth language is complete, even our knowledge of the
telegraphic codes is partially so. But we have hopelessly repeated, are
even now repeating these efforts.

"'You, my friend, are the first man from Earth who tells us that
wireless telegraphy is understood upon Earth, that receivers have been
invented; but above all it amazes and transports us to know that you
have perfected means, before leaving the Earth, to have such messages as
you may deliver from Mars properly received. There is, though,' he
exclaimed, as he turned to the eager, shining faces about me, 'still a
grave doubt whether our good friend can assure us of the ability of the
_Earthlings_ to send us back any communication. They may be unable to
force through this enormous distance waves of sufficient magnitude to
reach us.'

"There was a loud murmur of disappointment, mingled with exclamations of
dissent and reproach. Once more I was plied with questions, and then, my
son, there came to me, singularly clouded in forgetfulness until that
instant, the memory of that fruitless message which we received about a
year before my death on Earth.

"I