CHAPTER I
Why Mars gives a Red Light
Our telescope was now pointed exactly at Mars, and we were observingevery feature as we approached him. Compared with the illuminatedcrescent of the Earth, which we had studied when we were observing theAndes, our present view was infinitely vaster and more comprehensive. Wewere approaching the illuminated side of a planet, whereas we had thenbeen rapidly receding from the dark side of one partly lighted at itsedge. In our new vista there were remarkably few clouds. There were afew pale mists here and there over the seas, but no such heavy, blackmasses as had frequently obscured the Earth.
On Mars there were fewer large bodies of water, and a very much greaterproportion of land. In fact, about the Equator, whither we weresteering, there seemed to be a broad, uninterrupted zone of land, withoccasional bays or inlets cutting into it, but never crossing it. Anopen sea of considerable proportions surrounded the great ice-cap ateach pole, and it was apparently thus possible to travel entirelyaround the globe, either by sea or by land, as one might choose.
"Behold again the infinite wisdom of the Creator!" cried the doctor."Although Mars is a much smaller planet than our own, it is fitted foralmost as large a population. The land is nearly all grouped about theEquator, where it is warm enough to live comfortably. On the contrary,on Earth there is no important civilization under the Equator, and mostof the land is favourably located in the north temperate zone. On Earththe intervention of great oceans between the continents kept thepopulation restricted to Asia and Egypt for centuries, and to the OldWorld for a still longer time. But here, this band of continuous landhas made it easy and natural to explore the whole globe, and itsinhabitants have had ample time and opportunity to distributethemselves."
But by far the most wonderful thing that we had been observing for along time, and which became more remarkable as we approached, was thatthe entire planet, seas and continents alike, gave off a reddish light.This tinge of red had been visible ever since we had left the Earth.Much further back we had observed that it seemed to extend a littlebeyond the outline of Mars, and we now saw that even the white lightfrom the snow-caps had a faint tinge of red.
"For centuries the ruddy light of this planet has been remarked," saidthe doctor. "His very name was given him because of his gory, warlikeappearance. Scientists have attempted to explain it by supposing thathis vegetation is uniformly red, instead of green like ours. Stillothers, objecting that his vegetation could not possibly be rank orplentiful, or continue the same colour through all seasons, havesupposed that his soil or primaeval rock is of a deep red colour. Butneither of these suppositions explain why his seas should give off areddish light mixed with their green, or why the pure white of polarsnows should be tinged with crimson."
We must have been still two hundred miles above the surface when thebarometer began to rise feebly, indicating that we were already enteringthe Martian atmosphere; and, as we proceeded, the reddish glow spreadall around us, and was even dimly visible behind as well as in front. Wewere still travelling too rapidly to plunge into the denser atmosphereor attempt a landing. Besides, we wished to explore the planet, and findlife and civilization before choosing a landing place. And as we drewnearer, in a constantly narrowing circle, that red haze was all about useverywhere.
"There can be but one explanation of it," said the doctor at last. "Thisred is a colour in the Martian atmosphere. It seems very strange andalmost impossible to us; but we must prepare ourselves for extremelyunusual and even apparently impossible things."
But this seemed to disturb the doctor greatly, as also did the fact thatwe could no longer breathe with comfort the rare air which we had notfound objectionable far back in space. Our returning weight madephysical effort again necessary, and we were able to exert ourselves butlittle without panting and gasping. The rarest air we had used had showna pressure of fourteen, and we were now compelled to increase this toeighteen in order to be comfortable.
"This Martian air is sure to give us trouble," the doctor said to meafter considerable reflection. "In the first place, its red colour makesme fear it is not composed of the same gases that our air is. If itshould turn out to be a mixture of oxygen and nitrogen, like ours, thereis the possibility that this red matter which gives it colour will bepoisonous to us. And even if it is not harmful, I do not think the airwill have a pressure above ten or eleven, and we seem to need eighteenor twenty for comfort. I shall be very sorry if we have to return atonce; but our supply of air is limited, you know."
"You keep a close watch through your telescope for those flying men youpromised to show me," I answered. "If they can live in this air, I thinkwe can manage it somehow. I will not go back while there is a breathleft in me."
But as we drew nearer and nearer to the surface we did not discover theslightest sign of habitation. As far as we could see there was a greatdesert, barren of all vegetation, and apparently unwatered sincecreation. Our telescope did not detect the existence even of animals orcreeping things.
"The wisdom of the Creator is probably quite as profound, but certainlynot as apparent just here as it was somewhat farther back," I ventured.
"We must search over the whole surface of the globe until we find smokerising," said the doctor. "That is the sure sign of intelligent life onEarth. There has hardly been a tribe of the lowest savages there whichdid not know how to light a fire, and this knowledge would be far moreessential on a cold planet like this. Wherever we find smoke we shallfind those intellectual creatures, corresponding to men on our planet."
Presently, far ahead of us, we discerned a small black cloud rapidlycrossing our path. As we approached we examined it through thetelescope, and soon saw that it was nothing less than an enormous flockof swiftly-flying small grey birds. This was our first acquaintance withwhat we afterwards found to be the predominating form of animal life onthe planet. But the swift-winged cloud bore away from us, as if fleeingfrom the desert, and was soon lost to view.
It was not long after this that we perceived a broad stripe ofbrilliant green extending down into the dull expanse of the desert. Inthe middle of this verdant zone there was a weaving silver ribbon, whichcould be nothing else than a great river, along whose banks we coulddiscern hundreds of hovering or wading birds, hopping lugubriously, orspreading their broad wings in a low flight.
As we now lowered rapidly to examine the soil more closely, we saw thatwe were approaching some great geometrical masses of hewn rock, whoseregularity of design indicated that they were buildings of some sort. Weat once decided to land and investigate these, even if we had to take upour search for intelligent life later.
We remarked that none of these enormous structures were square, or withright-angled corners, such as we were used to. They all seemed to be acombination or multiplication of a single design, which was nothing morethan a massive triangular wall, with its right angle on the ground andits acute angle at the top. Sometimes two were built together, withtheir perpendicular surfaces joining; again, four were joined in thesame manner, and one very large one was composed of twelve of these,radiating from a common centre, which, if they had quite joined eachother, would have formed a gigantic cone.
I took another look at the tall, slender birds down the river, andremarked to the doctor,--
"These great structures are no birds' nests! You can't make me believewinged men would build with stone. These look more like giants'playthings than anything else."
"They appear to me like the gnomons of enormous sundials," remarked thedoctor; "and, indeed, their uses must certainly be astronomical. Withthese one can not only tell the time, but the ascension and meridian ofthe sun and stars, and therefore the months and seasons."
We lowered and circled about above the largest one, which had twelve ofthe triangular walls built in circular form, with their commonperpendicular line in the centre and their acute angles at thecircumference. On closer observation, the twelve slanting sides, whichradiated from the common peak, had a tubular appearance, and
we weresoon able to look down through almost a hundred great cylindricalchambers, which ran from a common opening at the top, slanting at everydifferent angle down to the surface.
"These are nothing more than great, immovable masonry telescopes, forwatching the stars in their courses!" cried the doctor. "Look, there isone perpendicular cylinder for observing just when a star or planetcomes directly overhead, and these scores of other cylinders, atdifferent angles, successively afford a view of a given constellation asit rises and then declines."
"Then they have built a separate masonry telescope, pointing in almostevery conceivable direction, instead of having one movable telescope totake any direction," said I.
The wonderful size and massive construction of these was very striking,rivalling the pyramids of Egypt in their ponderous and enduringcharacter. They were located on a raised plateau, whence the view in alldirections was quite unobstructed. We came gently to land in the midstof them. To the rear, whence we had come, I could see the desolate wasteof the desert. From the forward window we observed that the peacefulriver kept a straight course from the cataract where it plunged over theplateau, through the green valley, between level banks, as far as wecould see; and just at the foot of our plateau restfully nestled a city,whose massive and towering structures reached almost to our level. Withthe aid of the telescope we saw beings moving slowly about. Their formwas upright and unwinged, but more than this we could not see. Thedeliberation and stately dignity of their movements comported perfectlywith the majestic city wherein they dwelt.
"At last we have arrived at the boundaries of Martian civilization,"exclaimed the doctor. "We will rest here and test the atmosphere; and ifit permits us, we will then venture forth to measure our skill andknowledge against this race of builders. I hazard a guess that we willexcel them in many things, for they are apparently only at theperfection of their Stone Age, while we finished that long ago, and havesince passed through the Ages of Iron and of Steam, and are now at thedawn of the Era of Magnetism and Gravitation. Our minds are more fertileand elastic, for with this little movable telescope we probably obtainbetter results than they have done with their years of toilingcalculation and patient building."
"You will be sadly disappointed if they so far excel us that they eat usup at two mouthfuls," said I. "As they move about yonder, they impressme as being full of power."
"They are as sluggish as elephants," he replied. "We are certainly morerapid in thought and action, and it is highly probable that we shallexcel them in physical strength, as we have been built for three timesas heavy muscular tasks as they."
"Still, if we cannot make them understand that we come peaceably asfriends, they may attempt to kill us as the quickest solution of thequestion. And they are a whole race against two of us," said I, justbeginning to realize all the difficulties that were yet ahead of us.
"Unless they are a very intelligent and magnanimous race, they willprobably attempt to take us prisoners," he answered. "It is the mark ofan enlightened nation to welcome strangers whose powers are unknown. Aprimitive race fears everything it does not understand, and force isits only argument against a superior intelligence."
Thereupon I immediately began a thorough overhauling of all the arms andammunition, while the doctor prepared to test the air. There was a toneof confident exultation in his voice when he spoke again.
"This redness of the air will not trouble us a whit. Look! you can seeno tinge of red between here and that huge wall yonder, nor anywherealong the ground as far as you can see. It is so slight a colouring thatit is only noticeable in vast reaches of atmosphere, like the bluecolour in our own air. See here, where a small cloud obscures the skythere is no ruddy tinge. There is no more colouring-matter in this thanthere is indigo in our own air. The amount of it is so infinitely smallthat it will never trouble us. Now, if it only contains oxygen enough,we are sure of life in it."
"Yes, if they will leave us alive to breathe it," I added, counting outseventeen cartridges for each rifle.
"The air outside shows a pressure of only eleven, while we have eighteeninside," he said. "I will bring in the discharging cylinder full of theouter air, and by keeping it upside down the lighter air will remain init. Then, if a candle flame will burn steadily in it, the oxygen we needis there."
Suiting the action to the word, he carefully drew in the invertedcylinder, and cautiously brought a lighted candle into it. To our greatdelight the flame burned for a moment with a brighter, stronger lightthan it did in the air of the compartment.
"Hurrah!" cried the doctor, as happily as if he had just earned theright to live. "It seems to have more oxygen than our own air, whichwill make up for the lesser density."
Then he put the lighted candle in the cylinder, and quickly dischargedit outside upon the ground where we could see it. The flame had almosttwice the brilliancy that it had had inside.
"Our scientists who have sneered at the possibility of life on Mars,because of its rare atmosphere, have overlooked the simplicity of theproblem. They delight in propounding posers for Omnipotence. If aCreator dilutes oxygen with three parts of nitrogen on one planet whereconditions make a dense atmosphere, why should He not dilute oxygen withan equal part of nitrogen on a planet where the air is rare? Air is nota chemical compound, but a simple mixture. When a stronger, morelife-giving atmosphere is needed, let there be less of the diluting gas.The nitrogen is of no known use, except to weaken the oxygen."
"Let me out into it, if you say it is all right," I cried. "I am tiredof this bird-cage."
"Put on the diver's suit and helmet, and I will weaken the pressure ofthe air gradually, to prevent bleeding at the nose and ears which asudden change might cause. When you are used to the low pressure, youcan throw off the helmet and try the Martian double-oxygenated air."
I hurriedly donned the queer, baggy suit and the enormous helmet withthe bulging glass eyes, and then connected the two long rubber tubeswhich sprang from the top with the air pipes which led to the doctor'scompartment. He put in the bulkhead, and I went to the port-hole tounseal it. As I glanced out the little window, I thought I saw a lightvery near the mica. Was it our candle flame that something had lifted?The thick glass of the helmet blinded me a little, and I approached thewindow and peered out, coming face to face with a Martian, whose nosewas pressed against the mica! What a rounded, smooth, and expressionlessface! But what large, deep, luminous eyes!
I sprang back from the window in surprise, but not more quickly than hedid. Just then the projectile rolled over slightly with a crunchingnoise, and I hear the thud of a heavy muffled blow on the doctor's end.Suddenly he pulled away the bulkhead and whispered to me excitedly:--
"They are all about us outside--dozens of them! They are examining theprojectile and trying to break it open. If they strike the windows, itwill be too easy."
The projectile tottered a little again. There was a heaving noise, andone end rose a little from the ground.
"They are trying to carry us off, Doctor," I cried. "You must turn inthe currents and fly away from them."
The projectile was just then lifted awkwardly, and wavered a little andpitched, as if it were being carried by a throng struggling clumsily allabout it. The doctor sprang to his apparatus and turned in fourbatteries at once. We shot up swiftly in a long curve, and from mywindow I could see the circle of amazed Martians, standing dumbly withtheir hands still held up in front of them, as they had been when theprojectile left them, while they gazed open-mouthed into the sky at us.
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