“Then again, haunted, century after century, by the specter of extinction, the Martians would doubtless invent all manner of marvelous contrivances for the accomplishment of their gigantic tasks. Necessity has probably goaded them to a frenzy of invention and research.” “Don’t you think it more likely that the ‘canals’ are really giant underground ducts! I should think long, open waterways would allow most of the water to evaporate before it had reached the ends,” said Taggert. “I do. However, the popular conception of the word ‘canal,’ is that of an open waterway, whereas any duct, passage or groove, may properly be termed a canal.” “But such canals or tubes would not be visible from the Earth, surely,” reasoned Taggert. “Certainly not; but the vegetation which they fed _would_ be. That is evidently why, with the melting of the polar caps, the lines have been observed to deepen in color with the season. I believe this indicates the quickening of the growths in the strips of irrigated ground along the ‘canals,’ the rate of progression observed being about fifty-one miles a day.” “How do you account for that? Gravity could scarcely be responsible, for there would be no more reason to expect all water to run from the poles to the equator on Mars than to expect the same thing to happen on Earth.” “Exactly. The Martians must have some unusual method of pumping the water through these canals.” Robert, who had often discussed these details with Professor Palmer during the past months, was more interested right then in the probable characteristics of animal life on the planet, and particularly the people. Were they brown-skinned or white, hairy or smooth, with features like our own, or different? He had not forgotten his curious vision of the Martian desert, nor the spell cast over him by the maiden in his dream. _She_ had been neither brown nor ugly. He wished earnestly that the Martians would be like her. These were the thoughts that ran through his mind as he watched the vast fairyland developing beneath him. By this time the planet’s disk had spread until it formed a low horizon on all sides. Although they were less than a thousand miles distant, the planet’s surface still appeared to be quite level. No indication of mountain ranges could they detect from this height. At an elevation of about three hundred miles Robert checked the velocity of the _Sphere_ further for fear of excessive atmospheric friction. For they should soon be entering the enter edge of the planet’s envelope of gases. The poles were no longer visible, being lost beyond the rising horizon, as the _Sphere_ was now almost directly over the equator. The planet continued to revolve before their eyes. So long as the _Sphere_ remained beyond the envelope of atmosphere, they were independent of Mars’ rotation. “Better follow the spin of the planet now, Robert,” said Professor Palmer.