Fifteen Hundred Miles An Hour 12

Fifteen Hundred Miles An Hour 12

"Well, now we are up so high it will certainly be best to do as much

surveying as possible, and then we can discuss our position and future

movements to-night. Put us up a few more thousand feet, Graham, so that

we may clear these mountains and see what the country is like beyond

them."

 

The scene from above the mountain range was indescribably beautiful.

We looked down upon lofty snow-capped peaks, romantic valleys,

leaping waterfalls, and slumbering lakes; upon wild and lonely

plateaux, glaciers, and snow-fields; upon steep cliffs, gentle slopes,

cone-shaped summits, and others like unto pyramids, pinnacles, or

spires. We went right over the yawning crater, and looked down into

the smoke and fire which rose gently from its hidden depths, now calm

and peaceful as a sleeping child. We saw the birthplace of rivers,

high up the hillsides, and could trace them from their source to the

distant ocean; we noticed the various belts of vegetation growing on

the mountain slopes from the lake to the snow-line--but we saw no trace

of anything shaped and fashioned as ourselves! Higher and higher we

rose, and at last the country to the westward, or behind the mountains,

gradually came into view. It was even more charmingly beautiful than

the country we had just left behind us--more level, more wooded, better

watered, and parts of it apparently under cultivation! Our hearts beat

fast within us as we saw what looked like vast enclosures, with long,

winding canals running through them; and even more excited still did we

become when we distinctly made out a colossal bridge which spanned a

deep valley between two hills.

 

"There! there are the signs of a higher intelligence at last; the brute

creation does not reign supreme, as we feared," said Temple, bursting

into tears, and unable to control his feelings longer.

 

Graham waxed eloquent over the engineering qualities of the bridge, the

enormous width of its span making the mightiest bridges of Earth seem

but as toys in comparison.

 

We were too far away (quite thirty miles) to see much detail, but we

could distinguish, as Temple spoke, two vast cities, one on either

hill, joined together by the bridge, with palaces and halls and lofty

towers, apparently of white marble, glistening in the rays of the

setting sun. Upon seeing this wonderful city, Doctor Hermann very

wisely gave the word to descend as quickly as possible, in case we

might be observed. In five minutes we were safe on the ground again,

the _Sirius_ snugly hidden in a beautiful grove of trees and underwood

on the banks of a stream, in a spot where we should at all events be

able to retreat and readily conceal ourselves in case of emergency.

 

"Yes, Temple, your fears were all unfounded," answered the Doctor.

"Mars is inhabited by reasoning beings. I assure you it is most

gratifying to find the speculations of my early days of study, and

the conclusions of more matured years of experience, turning out to

be absolute facts. When on Earth, I used to dream of a new race of

intellectual beings, far away out here; to ponder over their pursuits

and their appearance; to wonder if they were more highly developed,

physically and mentally, than we. Now these strangers are but a few

hours' walk away from us; and, if I mistake not, those beings that made

and dwell in that fair city yonder are of a higher development even

than ourselves. I prophesy their intellect is greater, their beauty

fairer, their talents more numerous, their civilization more advanced,

or not so much decayed as our own! To-morrow we will seek their

acquaintance, and make ourselves known unto them!"

 

To-morrow! How can we spend the hours that divide us from then! But

darkness is settling fast around us, and we must wait in patience the

coming of a new day.

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER IX.

 

 

THE MORROW--AND WHAT CAME OF IT!

 

 

Never did four human beings await the coming of daylight with such

feelings as ours. Not one of us slept for a moment, the livelong

night; our excitement was too intense, and the result of our doings

on the morrow too momentous. We were up and out of the _Sirius_ by

sunrise, looking westwards across the undulating expanse of country,

to obtain a glimpse of the fair city we saw yesterday; but vain were

our endeavours; a group of low hills hid all from view. On a hill

about twenty miles to the north of where we stood, however, we saw

three mighty domes, the central one being more than twice the size of

the others. From the way in which they glistened in the sunlight, we

concluded that they were roofed with gold, or some metal unknown to

us of the same colour and brilliancy. A large wood that surrounded

them hid the remainder of the buildings from sight, but their size

appeared to be enormous, dwarfing all earthly structures into utter

insignificance.

 

We started off in the yet early morning, fully armed and equipped for

our walk across country to the distant city, to make the acquaintance

of its yet unknown inhabitants. That they were beings of noble stature

we had not the slightest doubt; for only a race of giants could have

reared such a colossal city; besides, the very physical conditions

of Mars point to the existence of larger types of life than any now

prevailing on earth.

 

We had not walked more than four miles on our way before we reached

country evidently in a high state of cultivation. We passed large

enclosures of red "grass," divided by hedges of a cactus-like plant,

similar to the one we noticed growing in the swamp. These fields were

evidently crops, the herbage being finer and longer than that growing

wild on the mountain slopes. There were other enclosures full of a

creeping plant, something like convolvulus, but bearing a long narrow

pod, full of small bean-like seeds; and in others were bushes laden

with fruit as big as melons, and very similar in appearance.

 

We were walking steadily along a broad kind of pathway between these

enclosures, when an exclamation from Sandy caused us to halt, and

immediately confine our attention to something which the cautious Scot

was looking at on the ground before him.

 

It was the imprint of feet in the soft, bare ground, and evidently the

impressions of a being shod with moccasins, and of mighty stature.

As we were all stooping down, intently examining the first absolute

traces of the intellectual inhabitants of Mars, we did not notice the

approach of the being who had doubtless left these tracks behind. He

came slowly along the path we were following--a being--shall we say a

human being? for in all his outward frame he resembled ourselves, save

that in stature he was a giant, quite nine feet in height. His features

were noble-looking, almost like the Egyptians of old, and his skin was

wonderfully fair and beautiful. His black beard swept downwards to his

breast, and his long bushy hair, of the same tint, was confined simply

by a ring of some metal which just encircled the crown of his shapely

head. He was clothed in a loosely flowing robe of some soft material,

almost like silk, which draped from his neck to his knees, girded

at the waist with a broad strap, from which dangled several curious

articles of which we knew not the use. His legs and feet were covered

with the skins of some beast, curiously ornamented. Slowly but without

a sign of fear he advanced towards us, carrying in his hands a long rod

made of some metal. His __EXPRESSION__ was warlike; we had evidently to

deal with no coward; but we could plainly see that his curiosity was

most intense.

 

With the exception, perhaps, of the Doctor, all of us were visibly

alarmed at this strange bold and haughty man, and had we not been

assured by the calm confidence of our friend we should most certainly

have felt inclined either to fight our visitor at once, or make the

best of our way out of his presence. There was something uncanny about

him. Had he even spoken, the awe and mystery surrounding him would not

have been so terrible. But he came towards us in absolute silence;

and when about a dozen paces away from where we stood, he paused and

watched us intently.

 

Doctor Hermann, foolishly we thought, hailed him successively in

German, in English, and in Latin, but he made no sound in reply.

He was examining us minutely, evidently full of confidence in the

superiority of his size and strength. He must have looked upon us

with much the same contemptuous wonder as the old travellers viewed

the race of dwarfs that they assure us inhabit the vast forests of

Central Africa. Sandy at last hurled at him a perfect torrent of

honest Gaelic, which only seemed to rouse his anger, and he uttered

several sounds which were evidently meant for words of warning, in a

loud, imperious, but not unpleasant voice. His arm was raised as if in

threat towards us, and all of us felt thoroughly alarmed, except the

Doctor, who advanced a step towards him with both hands held out as if

in greeting. At this he pointed the long rod he was carrying towards

one of the curious animals we had previously met with near the lake,

which happened to be grazing quietly half-a-mile away, and within a

second of time we saw the poor creature leap into the air and drop

dead! We heard no report, we saw no flash! This was too much for Sandy,

and before we could prevent him his revolver was drawn, pointed at the

unknown stranger, and fired once, twice, three times into his stalwart

body! At the first shot he screamed with pain, and tried to level his

rod at us; at the second he fell to the ground; the result of the

third we never learned, for we all turned and fled as if for our lives

towards the friendly cover which sheltered the _Sirius_. As we ran

behind the welcome shelter of the low hills we noticed several more of

these strange beings, hastening from various directions to their fallen

comrade; and as we had every reason to dread the deadly weapons with

which they were most probably armed, we were glad to reach the wooded

country and seek our refuge under the cover of the trees.

 

With thankful hearts we reached the _Sirius_, finding everything as we

had left it. Doctor Hermann was angry beyond all measure with Sandy for

his foolishness in shooting without just provocation, and threatened

that if he did not keep more command over himself in future, he should

not carry firearms at all.

 

"This, Temple, is a most unfortunate occurrence--most unfortunate for

us all," continued the Doctor, after he had finished lecturing Sandy,

who was now all contrition, and cursing himself for his stupid blunder.

"There is no telling what may happen now; it is impossible to estimate

the amount of misfortune this unwarranted attack on a harmless being

may bring upon us. It is folly now to think of visiting that fair city

yonder, on foot, as I so much desired."

 

"I quite agree with you, Doctor; yet, after all, there is some little