"We are now far above the earth," was the answer, "and the planet on which we lived offers no obstruction to my telescope being pointed at Mars, even though it is daytime, when Mars is on the opposite side of the earth." "Have we traveled as far as that?" asked Jack in awestruck tones. "We have come just thirty thousand miles since leaving the earth," replied Mr. Roumann. "But we don't seem to be moving at all," objected Mark. "That is because we are shooting through space so fast, and because you can see no stationary objects with which to make a comparison, as when you are traveling on a railroad train," continued the German. "And, as we are not dependent on tracks, or roads, with their unevenness, there is no motion to our projectile, save that of moving through space. That is why it seems as if we were standing still." "But thirty thousand miles!" cried Jack. "I thought the earth's atmosphere was variously estimated at from only forty to two hundred miles in thickness." "The oxygen atmosphere may be," agreed Mr. Roumann. "As a matter of fact, the atmosphere we are now in would not support life for you and me a single instant. But it is atmosphere, nevertheless, or my instruments would indicate something different, and my atmospheric motor would not work. No, I expect to be traveling through the atmosphere for several days yet. Then we shall reach the true ether, and the Etherium motor will be put into operation." "Well," said Jack, "this trip isn't going to be very strong on scenery, anyhow." "No," agreed Mr. Roumann. "We shan't be able to observe anything but this fleeciness until we get to Mars." "We can see the stars and moon at night, can't we?" asked Mark. "There isn't going to be any night," replied the German with a smile. "We are now in the region of perpetual day." "No night!" repeated Jack blankly. "No. Just stop to think for a moment. We have left the earth, and are many thousands of miles away from it. You know that which causes night and day on the earth is the rotation of it on its axis. Half the time the part we are living on is turned away from the sun, and the other half of the time turned toward the sun. Now, the sun is fixed in space. We are also in space, and we are so comparatively small that there will never be any shadows to cause night. We are like a small point in space, and the sun is constantly shining on us. We do not revolve, so there will no night, only day." "Are we headed for the sun?" asked Mark "No, for Mars. But as we will take good care not to head for any other planet, so as to get it between us and the sun, we shall never have any darkness." "But it doesn't look like sunshine out there," objected Jack, pointing out of the window.