The Martians' Artificial Day.

Then, suddenly we saw an immense commotion in the cloud beneath us. It
seemed to be beaten and hurled in every direction and punctured like
a sieve with nearly a hundred great circular holes. Through these gaps
we could see clearly a large region of the planet's surface, with many
airships floating above it, and the blaze of innumerable electric lights
illuminating it. The Martians had created an artificial day under the
curtain.

This time there was no question that the blow had been effective. Four
or five of the airships, partially destroyed, tumbled headlong toward
the ground, while even from our great distance there was unmistakable
evidence that fearful execution had been done among the crowded structures
along the shore of the Lake.

As each of our ships possessed but one of the new disintegrators, and
since a minute or so was required to adjust them for a fresh discharge, we
remained for a little while inactive after delivering the blow. Meanwhile
the cloud curtain, though rent to shreds by the concentrated discharge
of the disintegrators, quickly became a uniform black sheet again,
hiding everything.

We had just had time to congratulate ourselves on the successful opening
of our bombardment, and the disintegrator of the flagship was poised
for another discharge, when suddenly out of the black expanse beneath,
quivered immense electric beams, clear cut and straight as bars of steel,
but dazzling our eyes with unendurable brilliance.

It was the reply of the Martians to our attack.

Devastating Our Army.

Three or four of the electrical ships were seriously damaged, and one,
close beside the flagship, changed color, withered and collapsed, with the
same sickening phenomena that had made our hearts shudder when the first
disaster of this kind occurred during our brief battle over the asteroid.

Another score of our comrades were gone, and yet we had hardly begun
the fight.

Glancing at the other ships, which had been injured, I saw that the
damage to them was not so serious, although they were evidently hors de
combat for the present.

Our fighting blood was now boiling and we did not stop long to count
our losses.

"Into the smoke!" was the signal, and the ninety and more electric ships
which still remained in condition for action immediately shot downward.

Chapter XI.

A Dash Into the Smoke.

It was a wild plunge. We kept off the decks while rushing t