Air Wonder Stories, May 1930 — page 73: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

flotsam and jetsam in a-cosmic sea, and the outcome of their brave adventure on it-was-at best uncertain, Alicia’s presence proved a veritable godsend as: the days passed. For there was a monotony that would have been intoler- able but for her bright. presence: and her gay, light humor. She had taken charge of the elaboraté and beautifully appointed kitchen, and had been: much amused to see the world’s foremost scientist washing dishes-and a-muitimillionaire peeling. potatoes or doing whatever she asked. She <called them her kitchen police. But the days passed slowly for all, it seemed, so eager were - they to reach their destination. Mars increased in brilliancy-as the-distance between it and the projectile. was shortened and the Earth, from which they were speeding, became but a disc, shining like a jewel against its background of. black sky. Dr, Fry took careful observations from time to time, He-was glad to see at frequent intervals-that they were holding on their plotted course. “T don’t see how we can possibly miss it,” he told his com- panions, “Well, P've been betting from the first we’d-get there,” said Randolph. “And I too,” said Alicia, with enthusiasm. “And I’m wonder- ing if the Martians have good roads and motor cars, and, oh, yes, a decent café! T-admit-I’m a-little tired of my own dishes,” Dr, Fry, although he confessed no misgivings, was less con- fident than they. “T have hoped for the best, you may be sure,” he-told ‘hei “but we can't possibly foresee what may await us there—pro- vided always, of course, that we hit the target at which we aimed, And the Martians, even if intelligent creatures, may not be human beings at all, and, therefore,” he warned, “they might be terribly unreasonable.” “And I’m. betting on: that, too,” declared: Randolph. “LT still insist, as I used to, that we shall find human beings like our- selves,” “That's right,” agreed ‘he scientist, turning to Alicia. “He has had a bug on that since he was.a boy at school.” Again and again Dr. Fry took observations and checked his figures for direction. The projectile had been wholly under gyroscopic control, and the-calculations of the scientist showed the craft was definitely nearing the planet for which it had been aimed, Mars, however, was:still:a long way. off,,some twelve to fifteen uillion miles, and-a miss of a few thousand miles would be as fatal as if the distance were multiplied by itself. Henceforth Dr. Fry planned to keep a more constant watch of the planet and to take more frequent observations. If there were errors, the sooner he discovered them the better. With painstaking care, Fry also kept track of the time. He was going now by what might be called dead. reckoning so far as the distance covered in a. given time was concerned. He fad every. reason to believe that the projectile was moving through space with a velocity of eleven hundred miles a minute, more than one and: one-half million--miles every twenty-four hours, The scientist’ seemed to the-others to be on watch almost con- stantly, Rarely was he anywhere but-in the observatory, busy with his instruments. He was forever making calculations in the higher mathematics which they. did not understand. Larger and larger, as they swept through space, appeared the mass they were studying, It also became more distinct to the naked eye. Its outline conld now. be seen, Long since, how- ever, they had trained a powerful telescope upon it, bring into strong relief the familiar markings. on its surface, Both. Alicia’ and Randolph felt sure that the projectile’s arrival on the planet was now only a matter of a few days. But Fry was not so sure. Again and again he took observa- tions-and worked out‘his calculations. At length, when the mass THE BAT-MEN OF MARS toward which they were rushing loomed large to the naked cye, he discovered: for the first time that the projectile seemed des- tined to. pass the planet's orbit too-soon. Accordingly, he decided that the time had come-to gradually reduce their speed until they could depend wholly-upon the planet's gravitational’ pull, On sped the projectile with the planet looming larger hour by hour. And now, the-scientist was tense and expectant-as he devoted himself +6 his observations, At last he sighed with rélief as the others watched, He had determined beyond a doubt that the nose of the great shell was bearing gradually to the right. A few days more and-Dr. Fry was.as a man transformed. Now he knew that. gravitational pull had changed the course of the projectile and that it was headed straight for the planet, Tt was an. excited trio that’ now gazed at Mars and awaited the ‘time when the projectile should enter the planet’s atmos- phere, All. thought of food and rest had passed from their minds. Side by side the adventurers watched, The crucial mo- ment was near at hand, Dr. Fry had known that the atmospheric pressure on Mars was not so great as that on Earth, so he had perfected and em- ployed a plan whereby those on-board the projectile could be- come accustomed gradually to the change. Day after day for three weeks the pressure of atmosphere within the shell had been gradually lessened until now it was believed to approxi- mate that of the planet they were about to enter, Swiftly the mass of the red planet Mars grew in size, It seemed rushing to meet them, Gravitational pull-had obviously increased the velocity of the projectile, Now the. planet's pull was so great that the plane-of their flight became perceptibly changed, That is to say, it was ‘approaching the perpendicular. They realized this when the deck of the craft began to-incline, They were shooting downward more and: more, Meanwhile Fry was tensely watching his instruments. A gatige now indicated atmospheric pressure from outside the projectile. Then the scientist released forward rockets of atomic power to decelerate the velocity. of the shell. It responded gratifyingly, and now the controls were brought into- use with the craft leveled out and slowing to a cruising speed in the upper air strata, The projectile passed over extensive areas far below, but the details could not -yet be brought into view with even: their strongest glasses. The craft was dropping-gently to a lower devel. Dr. Fry, naturally daring in most things, was determined now to proceed with the greatest caution, Once more he theorized in explanation of his plan, “Tt is generally believed,” he told his companions, ‘‘that animate life on Mars is older than. that on the Earth. It is therefore reasonable to suppose that if the planet is inhabited by intelligent creatures they are far in advance of ourselves, Eventually, of course, our presence on-thée planet will be dis- covered, Indeed, we should desire that, but it should be under circumstances favorable to us if passible.” They were still at a high-level. and were using their power- ful glasses for observations. ‘They discovered there was. water, but Jess-of it in proportion to-the land-areas than was the case on the Earth. What appeared-to be vast dry ocean’ beds were seen stretching for great distances far beneath them. Also there were Jines criss crossing wide expanses of terrain, and Dr. Fry was delighted to find his theory regarding ‘hem was proved;’ They were, after all, canals. Alicia and Randolph were impatient to land, but Pry did not share-thetr eagerness. He felt that, so far as the unknown element in their adventure was concerned, the greatest perils ‘for himself and his companions might. still-lie ahead. At length, however, they picked out a landing place and slowly descended: to the surface of Mars. Ecomicbooks:c com