"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 s.p.a.ce 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 s.p.a.ce. 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 s.p.a.ce. We are also in s.p.a.ce, and we are so comparatively small that there will never be any shadows to cause night. We are like a small point in s.p.a.ce, 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.

"No, because we are surrounded by a ma.s.s of vapor. I think it will presently pa.s.s and we shall see the sun. The difference in temperature between the projectile and the surrounding atmosphere causes us to be enveloped in a sort of cloud. When the outer sh.e.l.l of the Annihilator is the same temperature as the atmosphere through which we are flying, we shall emerge into sunlight."

This happened a little later, and soon they could observe the great ball of fire hanging in s.p.a.ce.

"It seems to be smaller than when we were on the earth, doesn't it?"

asked Mark.

"It is seemingly smaller," replied Professor Henderson. "We are going away from the sun you know. Mars is not as close to it as we are on our planet--I mean the one we have just left--is ninety-two millions of miles from the sun, while Mars is one hundred and forty-one millions of miles away, though its...o...b..t is so eccentric that distance varies about thirteen millions of miles. That is, it may be thirteen millions of miles more than its mean, or average, distance, so that at times it is as far away from the sun as one hundred and fifty-four millions of miles."

"My! That's a good ways," observed Mark.

"Yes," went on Mr. Henderson, "and, in consequence, the light and heat received by Mars from the sun is a little less than half of that which our earth receives."

"Whew! We'll be mighty cold in winter--if we arrive in winter,"

said Jack with a shiver.

"Unless the Martians have a means of making up for this loss of light and heat," said Mr. Roumann. "I believe they have."

"I shall be much interested in seeing how the great ca.n.a.ls on the planet are dug," said Professor Henderson. "I have seen a map of Mars, made by a scientist named Schiaparelli, and he has drawn a number of large bodies of water, among which are intermeshed continents and islands. The surface of Mars must be a curious one."

"I believe we shall find it so," spoke Mr. Roumann. "Astronomers tell us that the water on it is never frozen, except near the poles. There great ice caps are to be found."

"But what makes the planet so red?" asked Jack.

"That," said Mr. Roumann quickly, "is what hope to discover and use for our benefit, but I not wish to discuss it now."

They talked of Mars for some time further, discussing the many queer features, and during this time the Annihilator was shooting through s.p.a.ce at terrific speed. Inside the projectile the adventurers moved about, living and breathing, comfortably as if they were on earth, for the great tanks of stored air provided all the oxygen they needed. Nor did they feel either heat or cold thanks to the marvelous construction of the projectile.

"Isn't the year on Mars longer than the year on earth?" asked Jack as he and Mark stood near the entrance to the pilot house, interested in watching the various indicators record the speed they acquired, the distance traveled, and the density the atmosphere.

"Yes; it is about twice as long," answered Roumann. "But I shall tell you more about Planet--"

"If you'll kindly promulgate yo'se'ves in dis disrection yo' will find sufficient condiments an' disproportionate elements to induciate a feelin' ob intense satisfactoriousness," exclaimed Washington White, poking his head in from the sleeping room compartment.

"That means dinner is ready," cried Jack. "That's the stuff!

Our first meal on the trip to Mars!"

CHAPTER XVI

THROUGH THE ETHER

"What's that, Washington?" asked Mark, as the colored cook put something on the lad's plate. "It looks like chicken."

"It tastes like chicken," added Jack, after making a test.

"It am chicken," declared Washington. "I roasted some ob mah fowls, an' put 'em in de cold storage room. I was purty suah dere warn't any chickens on dat red planet where we're goin'."

"Probably not," answered Professor Henderson. "It was a good idea, Washington. Pa.s.s me some, please."

"Ain't Mr. Roumann comin' to dinnah?"

"Not now," answered the scientist. "He will stay in the pilot house until I relieve him."

"It seems mighty queer to be sitting down to a meal, and all the while we're shooting along at fifty miles a second," remarked Jack.

"Yes; it doesn't seem as if we were moving at all," agreed Mark.

Indeed, the dining-room of the Annihilator was a very comfortable place, though the s.p.a.ce was rather contracted, due to the shape of the projectile and the necessity for carrying a great quant.i.ty of stores. The living-room served as the place for serving the meals, which were prepared in a sort of galley or kitchen off the engine-room.

"It's like eating in a dining-car on a railroad train," observed Andy Sudds, "only it is more steady. No curves, and nothing like that."

"Do you like it?" inquired Mr. Henderson.

"Well, it's nice, of course, and there isn't any better cook than Washington, but, to tell the honest truth, I've eaten with more satisfaction when I made a fire in the woods and boiled coffee and fried bacon. I'm sort of hampered for elbow room."