After a good night's sleep, we awoke, eager to see what the new day would bring. The attendant brought in the clothes allotted to us, pressed and ready for wear. A hot and cold, scented, sterilized water shower gave us an exhilarating body cleansing. We dressed and were led into a breakfast room, where it was ready for us. Afterward, we were taken on a tour of their ship. Some of us took the opportunity of looking out through space, admiring the grand sights of the universe and pointing out many known stars, even a tiny one far away, our own former home, the Earth. I went, notebook in hand, with their leader, to look over the intricate instruments and machinery, and the general construction of their immense airship. The ship was now falling fast, attracted by the gravitational pull of the planet Mars. It seemed to me motionless. Her pilot told me that when we were about a million miles away from Mars, he would put a brake on her speed and come to a dead stop before he slowly entered her stratosphere. "Then I will put our motors to work when we travel in our atmosphere, you will feel nearly the same motion that you do in your own planes." When I asked him what kind of gas he used, he answered, "We use atomic energy; some machines and motors use ocean-wave electric energy, others use concentrated sun-ray energy. We use no gas, oil, or coal, even though we have them in great abundance. Their fumes, gases, and smoke would pollute our fresh air. Furthermore, coal mining is hazardous and we do not want to endanger the lives of our potential miners." * * * * * This is only the beginning, the first chapter of my strange story which I wrote on my return. There are a great many details I would like to give you; but since I want to finish as quickly as possible, I am omitting description and details of minor matters. Tomorrow I will give you my second chapter, a bird's-eye view of a city on Mars. FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 1: Nevada State Journal, Editorial, January 26, 1946.] [Footnote 2: LIFE ON OTHER WORLDS, H. Spencer Jones, Macmillan Co., 1940, N.Y., p. 200.] [Footnote 3: Ibid., p. 200.] [Footnote 4: Ibid., p. 200.] [Footnote 5: Ibid., p. 200.] [Footnote 6: Ibid., p. 204.] [Footnote 7: Ibid., p. 213.] [Footnote 8: Ibid., p. 207.] [Footnote 9: Ibid., p. 208.] [Footnote 10: Ibid., p. 208.] [Footnote 11: Ibid., pp. 208-9.] [Footnote 12: Ibid., p. 210.] [Footnote 13: Ibid., pp. 217-18.] [Footnote 14: Ibid., p. 218.] CHAPTER II _The Landing_ The next day, at the same hour, I found the Lieutenant sitting in the hot sun on the same bench. I asked him if he would like to walk a couple of blocks further, where it was not so sunny.