ss outside, and by the
deathly quiet prevailing both without and within. There was not the
slightest whizzing or whistling now. We might be hanging perfectly
motionless in space for all I knew. The batteries made no sound either.
I could hear only the low, regular breathing of the doctor as he slept,
and the slight crunching of Two-spot on his bone. Presently I thought of
looking for the danger lights, but I looked through the telescope
instead, and saw the little red planet in his proper place.

What a vast distance we were from any planet! If anything were to happen
to us, no one on Earth or in the heavens would ever know of it. I had
never been homesick, but a very little would have made me Earthsick just
then. I did not like the upper end of the projectile because I could not
look back at the home planet. I wondered if it was all dark back that
way, or if those warning lights had begun to appear. That idea seemed to
haunt me. I touched the steering wheel just a little while I kept my
eyes on Mars. He moved slightly in the field at once. Then I turned the
wheel back until he took his former place. It was reassuring to know how
easily the projectile minded her great rudder, which was now fully
extended like an enormous wing. This made me feel that we were masters
of the situation, that all this vast space was as nothing to us, that
any planet in the heavens must mind us, and that though Earth was
driving us away, she must draw us back if we willed it. More than that,
she would warn us of all dangers. Perhaps she was sending that warning
now. I had promised to look out for it. I felt that I must go down. I
crept softly past the doctor and stooped over the port-hole. My eyes had
scarcely found the Earth in the darkness when I drew back quickly and
clapped my hand over my mouth to prevent a cry escaping me. Then I
looked again more closely. There was no small illuminated portion of the
surface this time, but a great smear of light just outside the edge of
the Earth. It was of a dull red colour, with rainbow tints around the
edges, and was much the shape of a great umbrella held just above one
quarter of her surface to westward.

I gave the steering wheel in my compartment a sharp turn in the
direction which should cause the light to disappear. Then I crouched and
looked again, but instead of being reduced in size the light broadened
and swelled. It was as if one edge of the umbrella were left against the
Earth's surface