was coming. We in the flagship had all learned to speak her language with
more or less ease, but it was deemed best that the Heidelberg Professor,
assisted by one of his colleagues, should act as interpreter.

The girl, flushed with excitement of the novel situation, fully
appreciating the importance of what was about to occur, and looking
more charming than before, stood at one side of the principal
apartment. Directly facing her were the interpreters, and the rest of
us, all with ears intent and eyes focused upon Aina, stood in a double
row behind them.

As heretofore, I am setting down her words translated into our own tongue,
having taken only so much liberty as to connect the sentences into a
stricter sequence than they had when falling from her lips in reply to
the questions that were showered upon her.

She Has a Plan.

"You will never be victorious," she said, "if you attack them openly as
you have been doing. They are too strong and too numerous. They are well
prepared for such attacks, because they have had to resist them before."

"They have waged war with the inhabitants of the asteroid Ceres, whose
people are giants greater than themselves. Their enemies from Ceres have
attacked them here. Hence these fortifications, with weapons pointing
skyward, and the great air fleets which you have encountered."

"But there must be some point," said Mr. Edison, "where we can."

"Yes, yes," interrupted the girl quickly, "there is one blow you can
deal them which they could not withstand."

"What is that?" eagerly inquired the commander.

"You can drown them out."

"How? With the canals?"

We Must Drown Them Out.

"Yes, I will explain to you. I have already told you, and, in fact,
you must have seen it for yourselves, that there are almost no mountains
on Mars. A very learned man of my race used to say that the reason was
because Mars is so very old a world that the mountains it once had have
been almost completely levelled, and the entire surface of the planet had
become a great plain. There are depressions, however, most of which are
occupied by the seas. The greater part of the land lies below the level
of the oceans. In order at the same time to irrigate the soil and make it
fruitful, and to protect themselves from overflows by the ocean breaking
in upon them, the Martians have constructed the immense and innumerable
canals which you see running in all directions over the continents."

"There is on