to say, half in terror.

With an ugly grin distorting his face as if he enjoyed our discomfiture,
the Martian repeated the motion and the sound.

"R-r-r-r-r-r-h!"

It was not articulate to our ears, and not to be represented by any
combination of letters.

"Faith," exclaimed a Dublin University professor, "if that's what they
call themselves, how shall we ever translate their names when we come
to write the history of the conquest?"

"Whist, mon," replied a professor from the University of Aberdeen,
"let us whip the gillravaging villains first, and then we can describe
than by any intitulation that may suit our deesposition."

The beginning of our linguistic conquest was certainly not promising,
at least if measured by our acquirement of words, but from another point
of view it was very gratifying, inasmuch as it was plain that the Martian
understood what we were trying to do, and was, for the present, at least,
disposed to aid us.

These efforts to learn the language of Mars were renewed and repeated
every few hours, all the experience, learning and genius of the squadron
being concentrated upon the work, and the result was that in the course
of a few days we had actually succeeded in learning a dozen or more
of the Martian's words and were able to make him understand us when we
pronounced them, as well as to understand him when our ears had become
accustomed to the growling of his voice.

Finally, one day the prisoner, who seemed to be in an unusually cheerful
frame of mind, indicated that he carried in his breast some object which
he wished us to see.

The Martian's Book.

With our assistance he pulled out a book!

Actually, it was a book, not very unlike the books which we have upon
the earth, but printed, of course, in characters that were entirely
strange and unknown to us. Yet these characters evidently gave expression
to a highly intellectual language. All those who were standing by at
the moment uttered a shout of wonder and of delight, and the cry of
"A book! a book!" ran around the circle, and the good news was even
promptly communicated to some of the neighboring electric ships of the
squadron. Several other learned men were summoned in haste from them to
examine our new treasure.

The Martian, whose good nature had manifestly been growing day after day,
watched our inspection of his book with evidences of great interest, not
unmingled with amusement. Finally he beckoned the holder of the bo