Through Space to Mars Part 31

Sure enough, there suddenly appeared on a broad river or ca.n.a.l, along which they were being moved by that mysterious force, a large open boat, in which were several Martians.

"Well, I wonder how that moves?" said Jack. "They're not rowing, they have no sail, and I can't see any engine."

"Maybe thought power moves the boat, too," suggested Mark.

"It certainly seems so," rejoined Mr. Henderson.

The travelers found themselves stopping, and their leader, turning, said something to the persons in the boat. There was a brief conversation in the strange language, and the adventurers found themselves moving into the craft, which stopped close to the bank of the ca.n.a.l. When they were seated the boat started off again, and though Jack and Mark, as well as the two men, looked closely to ascertain what was the motive power, they could not discover it.

"Unless it's in that small box," said Jack, pointing to one made of some s.h.i.+ning metal, in the stern of the boat.

"Perhaps it is," a.s.sented Mr. Roumann. Then he made some motions to the guide, asking whether or not the substance in the box contained the motive power.

The man with the squared triangle on his head seemed to hesitate a moment, and then, with a motion to the Martian in charge of the boat, he said something, and the latter opened the box. Mr.

Roumann looked eagerly into it, as did the others, and the German uttered a cry of surprise.

And well he might, for all the box contained was a lump of what seemed to be red clay. There were no wheels, no machinery of any kind, and there appeared to be no propeller on the boat with which the box was connected. Nevertheless, the craft continued to move along swiftly, and the Martian had indicated that the object in the box made it go.

"The red substance!" exclaimed Mr. Roumann in a low voice. "I wonder if this can be what I seek?"

Once more he looked at the crimson ma.s.s in the metal box. He reached forward his finger as if to touch it, but the chief Martian, with a warning cry, suddenly dosed down the lid.

"Humph! I guess they're afraid we'll steal it," exclaimed Jack.

"Maybe it's dangerous to touch," added Mark.

The Martians conversed among themselves in low voices, and from the glances they cast at the travelers every now and then, from their great, protruding eyes, it was evident that the little men were discussing the strangers.

"Has yo' folks any adequate perceptionability ob de exteriorness in de inverse ratio ob de objectiveness ob de transportation projection ob our destination?" asked Was.h.i.+ngton White, breaking a rather lengthy silence.

"Do you mean where are we going?" inquired jack.

"Dat's what I done axed yo'."

"Well, we don't know," went on the lad. "But we seem to be approaching some big city."

Off in the distance, on the side of a hill, which rose from the midst of a great lake or ca.n.a.l, were many glittering buildings.

It was a city of large size.

"The question is, what are they going to do with us when they get us there?" spoke Mark. "Maybe they're cannibals."

"They are too highly an educated race for that," replied Mr.

Roumann. "No, I fancy they will treat us well. They will want to know about the planet we came from, as well as we want to know about them. I think they will treat us with respect."

"They certainly have, so far," remarked Mr. Henderson. "I only hope none of them meddle with our projectile."

"I'm a little apprehensive about that myself," added Mr. Roumann.

"And I trust that crazy man does not get loose. But we can't help ourselves, and we'll hope for the best."

They were now close to the water-front of the city, and they saw the sh.o.r.e lined with a great throng. Evidently their approach had been heralded, and they were being eagerly awaited.

"Looks as if we were going to have quite a reception," remarked Jack. "I hope it's a pleasant one."

"If it isn't, we can't help ourselves," went on Andy. "I can't use my gun in a land where the bullet has about as much force as a pea in a putty shooter. But if they attack us we can pick up stones and fire at them."

"Stones won't be much more effective than the bullets," said Mr.

Roumann.

"Why not?"

"Because they'll be light, too. Things here will weigh only about a third as much as they do on earth. In fact, that is one reason why we are moved about so easily by their thought power.

We are only a third as heavy as we were on earth, though we weigh more than the Martians, for all that."

By this time they were at the dock, and they found themselves being moved out of the boat, and up to the pier, through the crowd of people.

Their guide--the Martian with the squared triangle--called out an order, and the crowd opened up a living lane, through which the adventurers pa.s.sed. They could not help noticing how polite the Martian inhabitants were, for there were no idle remarks on the appearance of the strangers, such as would have taken place under similar circ.u.mstances on earth. But the Martians made up for it by staring with their great eyes, listening with their great ears, and sniffing, the air with their long noses, though they kept a profound silence.

At the end of the pier the travelers found some queer carriages waiting for them. They were boxes, fitted up with soft cus.h.i.+ons, and were on runners, like those of a sled. Jack looked and saw that the street was paved with a substance like gla.s.s, very slippery.

"We're going to have a sleigh ride!" he exclaimed; "but I don't see any horses to pull us."

"Maybe these are automobile sleds," suggested Mark.

"If they are, there's no motor in them," declared Jack, making a careful examination.

"Then they move by the same power as do the boats," was his chum's opinion. "Yes, see the metal box?" and he pointed to one in each vehicle.

The leading Martian motioned for Jack and Mark to get in one sled, Mr. Roumann and Professor Henderson were a.s.signed to another, and Was.h.i.+ngton and Andy to a third. The leading Martian took his place in the vehicle with the two men, while two others of the queer people got in the remaining two sleds, which the boys dubbed the vehicles. No sooner had they done so than they started off as if by magic, sliding over the smooth, gla.s.s-like streets.

"Well, they certainly have the transportation problem down to a science," remarked Jack. "This beats a taxicab all to pieces."

"That's right," agreed Mark. "But say, this is a mighty fine city."

The boys looked on either side of them. The street, which was thronged with the queer feather and fur covered inhabitants, led between rows of stately buildings, all built of some light-colored substance. The designs were like those usually seen in fantastic fairy pictures--beautiful in the extreme.

The street led to a great public square, and as the vehicles swung into it, the boys could not repress a murmur of delight.

For, at the head of the square was a great palace of gla.s.s, its walls so transparent that everything going on within could be seen from without.

"This must be their city hall, the palace of justice, the main administration building, or whatever they call it," said Jack.

"Evidently the Martians don't believe in conducting politics in the dark."

"Well, it's going to be dark pretty soon," observed Mark, "for the sun is setting."

"And look at what a small sun it is," added Jack.

For the first time they noticed that the great luminary was much smaller than it appeared to them on the earth. It was about half the size, but, though Mars must have received considerably less heat from it than did the earth, it was not at all chilly, but, on the contrary, warmer than on the earth at the same time of year.

The little sun slowly sank down behind the distant hills, and when the sleds came to a stop in front of the gla.s.s palace, the boys and others found themselves being moved up the broad steps.