Mars (Planet) -- Fiction; Martians -- Fiction; Science fiction; Space travelers -- Fiction
When we had arrived within about a hundred miles of our destination
we found ourselves floating directly over the so-called Harbinger
Mountains. The serrated peaks of Aristarchus then appeared ahead of us,
fairly blazing in the sunshine.
A Gigantic String Of Diamonds.
It seemed as if a gigantic string of diamonds, every one as great as
a mountain peak, had been cast down upon the barren surface of the
moon and left to waste their brilliance upon the desert air of this
abandoned world.
As we rapidly approached, the dazzling splendor of the mountain became
almost unbearable to our eyes, and we were compelled to resort to the
device, practiced by all climbers of lofty mountains, where the glare
of sunlight upon snow surfaces is liable to cause temporary blindness,
of protecting our eyes with neutral-tinted glasses.
Professor Moissan, the great French chemist and maker of artificial
diamonds, fairly danced with delight.
"Voila! Voila! Voila!" was all that he could say.
A Mountain of Crystals.
When we were comparatively near, the mountain no longer seemed to glow
with a uniform radiance, evenly distributed over its entire surface,
but now innumerable points of light, all as bright as so many little
suns, blazed away at us. It was evident that we had before us a mountain
composed of, or at least covered with, crystals.
Without stopping to alight on the outer slopes of the great ring-shaped
range of peaks which composed Aristarchus, we sailed over their rim and
looked down into the interior. Here the splendor of the crystals was
greater than on the outer slopes, and the broad floor of the crater,
thousands of feet beneath us, shone and sparkled with overwhelming
radiance, as if it were an immense bin of diamonds, while a peak in the
centre flamed like a stupendous tiara incrusted with selected gems.
Eager to see what these crystals were, the car was now allowed rapidly
to drop into the interior of the crater. With great caution we brought
it to rest upon the blazing ground, for the sharp edges of the crystals
would certainly have torn the metallic sides of the car if it had come
into violent contact with them.
Donning our air-tight suits and stepping carefully out upon this
wonderful footing we attempted to detach some of the crystals. Many of
them were firmly fastened, but a few--some of astonishing size--were
readily loosened.
A Wealth of Gems.
A moment's inspection showed that we had stumbled upon the most
marvellous work of the forces of crystallization that human eyes had
ever rested upon. Some time in the past history of the moon there had
been an enormous outflow of molten material from the crater. This had
overspread the walls and partially filled up the interior, and later its
surface had flowered into gems, as thick as blossoms in a bed of pansies.
The whole mass flashed prismatic rays of indescribable beauty and
intensity. We gazed at first speechless with amazement.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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