s one of the
members of the flagship's company.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Mr. Edison sharply, turning to him.

"Well, sir, you see," said the commissary, stammering, "our provisions
wouldn't hold out."

"Wouldn't hold out?" exclaimed Mr. Edison, in astonishment, "why, we
have compressed and prepared provisions enough to last this squadron
for three years."

"We had, sir, when we left the earth," said the commissary, in apparent
distress, "but I am sorry to say that something has happened."

"Something has happened! Explain yourself!"

Accident to the Stores.

"I don't know what it is, but on inspecting some of the compressed stores,
a short time ago, I found that a large number of them were destroyed,
whether through leakage of air, or what, I am unable to say. I sent
to inquire as to the condition of the stores in the other ships in the
squadron and I found that a similar condition of things prevailed there."

"The fact is," continued the commissary, "we have only provisions enough,
in proper condition, for about ten days' consumption."

"After that we shall have to forage on the country, then," said the
army officer.

"Why did you not report this before?" demanded Mr. Edison.

"Because, sir," was the reply, "the discovery was not made until after we
arrived close to Mars, and since then there has been so much excitement
that I have hardly had time to make an investigation and find out what
the precise condition of affairs is; besides, I thought we should land
upon the planet and then we would be able to renew our supplies."

I closely watched Mr. Edison's expression in order to see how this
most alarming news would affect him. Although he fully comprehended its
fearful significance, he did not lose his self-command.

We Must Act Quickly.

"Well, well," he said, "then it will become necessary for us to act
quickly. Evidently we cannot wait for the smoke to clear off, even
if there were any hope of its clearing. We must get down on Mars now,
having conquered it first if possible, but anyway we must get down there,
in order to avoid starvation."

"It is very lucky," he continued, "that we have ten days' supply left. A
great deal can be done in ten days."

A few hours after this the commander called me aside, and said:

"I have thought it all out. I am going to reconstruct some of our
disintegrators, so as to increase their range and their power. Then I
am going to have some of the astron