There was nothing that could be done. There was no place to go--no place to run to--no place in which to hide. They could only stand there and wait for total annihilation, which they expected every moment. The roaring grew louder. It was like the howling of a mighty mind. The projectile seemed to tremble. Then there came a brilliant light, rivaling even that of the sun, in the rays of which they constantly were. The light streamed in through the plate-glass ports in the engine-room. It showed violet rays, purple, orange, green, yellow--all the colors of the rainbow. "We'll be consumed in a moment!" murmured Mr. Roumann. "We are in the midst of the comet!" Several seconds passed. There was no increase in temperature. After all, would the wonderful gas in the space between the two shells of the projectile absorb the terrific heat? The light faded away. Only the glow of the sun remained. The Annihilator shot onward. Mr. Roumann rushed to the pilot house. He uttered a cry. "We have escaped the comet!" he called to the boys and Professor Henderson, who followed him. "We went right through a small section of the tail. And I was mistaken in thinking it was composed of flaming gases. It is only nebulous light. There is no harm in a comet, after all!" "Dat's what I said all along," remarked Washington White, as he went back to his kitchen. "All a comet is good fer is t' bring bad luck. Look at mah ten dollars. I wish we'd batted dis one inter pieces!" CHAPTER XX THE MOTOR STOPS They were hardly able to realize their escape. That is, all but Washington. He took it as a matter of course. "How did it come about?" asked Jack. "It's hard to say," replied Mr. Roumann. "I couldn't steer away from the comet, but it's probably just as well that I could not. It seems that the mass of queer light attracted us to it, but to a certain section where we came to no harm. And we must have gone through it at an angle, or we would have been much longer within its influence." "Can we see the comet?" asked Mark. "There it is," replied the German. "Only it doesn't look as a comet does when you view it from the earth. We are too close to it." They looked from the side window of the projectile. Far off appeared to be a great mass of clouds, except that instead of being white, the mass was colored with many hues, It was so vast in extent that they could see neither the beginning nor the ending of it. "Our first comet," remarked Jack. "And I hope our last," added Mark. "Yes, indeed," interjected Mr. Roumann. "Now I think we will slow down the motor somewhat. We must save some of the energy for our return trip, though I have a large surplus. Still, we cannot be too careful." "Are we once more headed for Mars?" asked Mark.