hese coyotes. The only thing to do was to drown
them out. I am sorry for them, but I guess there will be as many left
as will be good for us, anyhow."

The Crest of the Waters.

We had not long to wait for the flood. As the dawn began to streak the
east we saw its awful crest moving out of the darkness, bursting across
the canals and plowing its way in the direction of the crowded shores of
the Lake of the Sun. The supply of water behind that great wave seemed
inexhaustible. Five thousand miles it had travelled, and yet its power
was as great as when it started from the Syrtis Major.

We caught sight of the oncoming water before it was visible to the
Martians beneath us. But while it was yet many miles away, the roar of it
reached them, and then arose a chorus of terrified cries, the effect of
which, coming to our ears out of the half gloom of the morning, was most
uncanny and horrible. Thousands upon thousands of the Martians still
remained here to become the victims of the deluge. Some, perhaps, had
doubted the truth of the reports that the banks were down and the floods
were out; others, for one reason or another had been unable to get away;
others, like the inhabitants of Pompeii, had lingered too long, or had
returned after beginning their flight to secure abandoned treasures,
and now it was too late to get away.

Engulfing the City.

With a roar that shook the planet the white wall rushed upon the great
city beneath our feet, and in an instant it had been engulfed. On went
the flood, swallowing up the Lake of the Sun itself, and in a little
while, as far as our eyes could range, the land of Thaumasia had been
turned into a raging sea.

We now turned our ships toward the southern border of the land, following
the direction of the airships carrying the fugitives, a few of which were
still navigating the atmosphere a mile beneath us. In their excitement and
terror the Martians paid little attention to us, although, as the morning
brightened, they must have been aware of our presence over their heads.
But, apparently, they no longer thought of resistance; their only object
was escape from the immediate and appalling danger.

When we had progressed to a point about half way from the Lake of the Sun
to the border of the sea, having dropped down within a few hundred feet of
the surface, there suddenly appeared, in the midst of the raging waters,
a sight so remarkable that at first I rubbed my eyes in astonishm