Opening the door of the aerenoid to obtain a fresh supply of air, I was at once struck with the remarkable appearance of the sky, which was intensely blue in color, but of such a dark shade as to appear almost black. It presented all the appearance of night, so many stars were visible and so brightly did they shine, while the sun blazed forth with such brilliancy from the surrounding blackness, that it was impossible to look westward without shading the eyes. I now appreciated the enormous advantage of having an atmosphere as dense as Earth's, which diffused the light to a much more comfortable extent. But the appearance of the Martian sky was magnificent, and I stood lost in admiration until, with a hardly perceptible shock, I discovered that we had come to rest upon a ledge which projected from the circular balcony of a most palatial building. Jumping out, I moored the aerenoid by means of ropes that were attached to the balcony for that purpose. I was aware that this was my duty upon landing, and when I had made everything secure, Reon left his place at the levers and joined me. There were numerous other aerenoids moored to the balcony, some of the high-speed class similar to ours, and a few of the lighter class resembling rowboats. The balcony was entirely deserted, however, and it was evident that all were inside listening to the recital of the lumaharp. As we proceeded across the broad balcony, I was astonished to discover that the outside walls of this building were entirely covered with beautifully carved reliefs, representing the inventions of Sarraccus. Had it been daylight at the observatory, I would have noticed that it, too, was decorated with the wonders of other worlds discovered by Almos. The mountains on Earth, the seas, clouds, volcanoes, and ships; these and many other objects that do not exist on Mars, were carved with remarkable faithfulness upon the walls of the observatory, and were looked upon by Martians as the wonders of a strange world. As at the observatory, the doorway was hung with heavy portières, and, passing through these, we found ourselves in what appeared to be an immense palm garden, in which Martians were to be seen sitting in groups, or walking about admiring the plants and flowers. Sunlight streamed in through the roof, the covering of which had been rolled back, and I became aware that it was in such places as this that the Martians were to be found during the heat of the day. Rain being unknown, it was necessary to grow the more delicate plants where they might be watered regularly and sheltered from the heat of the midday sun, and also from the hot winds that often came at this season. I now realized that the trees that I had noticed were to be found only upon the banks of streams and lakes, and that, with the exception of the green these afforded, Mars was entirely covered with a small and hardy pink flower of the antennaria family, which flourishes in a dry and sandy soil.