"There is no cost. This service is rendered for the good of the Supreme
Intelligence's children, in honor of the Supreme Intelligence," was
the astounding reply. "As to the length of time necessary for such a
trip, that depends upon how many places you would be permitted to visit
and how long you want to stay, for we know no time but eternity within
which is nothing but service."
During our conversation their ship was being loaded with materials
of the Moon. This is now completed, so we shook hands with the pilot
and members of the crew and they have departed. They were not a bit
inquisitive in reference to our ship. Really it is very crude alongside
of theirs.
From the airport we are being taken to the city. The vehicle in which
we are riding has no wheels but glides just above the ground. It makes
no noise and has no vibration whatever. What the power of motivation
is, we have no idea, but it certainly is a pleasure to ride in. Today
the top of the vehicle has been slipped back that we might enjoy our
surroundings unobstructed and to the fullest.
All the buildings in this city are built of coral-like stone and of
very artistic design.
We have left our vehicle and are strolling through a part of the trade
center of the city. The people we have encountered here seem to have
been well schooled, very much after the Martonian style, courteous,
kind, ready to serve anywhere and everywhere. And they are very
intelligent.
Their writing, as we have observed it on picturesque cards in their
shop windows, resembles in a large degree our Oriental type of Earth.
Food seems to be very plentiful everywhere. We passed one bakery, we
call it a bakery although it had other things, because we saw a person
walk in to buy bread. It was baked for him right there while he waited.
They didn't use fire to bake it. They seemed to utilize light as
energy, for dough was placed in a case of glass before our eyes and we
watched it bake. It took about three minutes. The bread was somewhat of
a brown color.
When we had our feast during a reception which they had arranged
for us, we ate some of this same kind of bread, yet it didn't taste
like any bread we have known. The flavor was between an oatmeal and
cornbread. We never did find out what grain it was made of. There was
a considerable amount of different kinds of meat, yet nothing like we
had on Earth. We have been told that some of this meat and part of the
food as a whole came from planet Mars on freighters such as we have
recently flown in and described; that the Moon produces enough food to
take care of its own, but that the people here like to have different
varieties than they can get on the Moon, so they get much from Mars.
Thus far on this trip we have seen nothing to indicate what medium of
exchange is used for services rendered, so we ask.
They make us understand that they have none, except good will exchange.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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