d that night in the market-place of Seth,
and the sweet white stuff had melted into my corporal essence, it
seemed, without any gross intermediate process of digestion. And here
I was again, hungry, sniffing the fragrant breath of a full meal and
not a soul in sight--I should have been a fool not to have eaten. So
thinking, down I sat, taking the pot from its place, and when it was a
little cool plunging my hands into it and feasting with as good an
appetite as ever a man had before.

It was gloriously ambrosial, and deeper and deeper I went, with the
tall stalk of the smoke in front growing from the hearth-stones like
some strange new plant, the pleasant sunshine on my back, and never a
thought for anything but the task in hand. Deeper and deeper,
oblivious of all else, until to get the very last drops I lifted the
pipkin up and putting back my head drank in that fashion.

It was only when with a sigh of pleasure I lowered it slowly again that
over the rim as it sank there dawned upon me the vision of a Martian
standing by an empty canoe on the edge of the water and regarding me
with calm amazement. I was, in fact, so astonished that for a minute
the empty pot stood still before my face, and over its edge we stared
at each other in mute surprise, then with all the dignity that might be
I laid the vessel down between my feet and waited for the newcomer to
speak. She was a girl by her yellow garb, a fisherwoman, it seemed,
for in the prow of her craft was piled a net upon which the scales of
fishes were twinkling--a Martian, obviously, but something more robust
than most of them, a savour of honest work about her sunburnt face
which my pallid friends away yonder were lacking in, and when we had
stared at each other for a few moments in silence she came forward a
step or two and said without a trace of fear or shyness, "Are you a
spirit, sir?

"Why," I answered, "about as much, no more and no less, than most of
us."

"Aye," she said. "I thought you were, for none but spirits live here
upon this island; are you for good or evil?"

"Far better for the breakfast of which I fear I have robbed you, but
wandering along the shore and finding this pot boiling with no owner, I
ventured to sample it, and it was so good my appetite got the better of
manners."

The girl bowed, and standing at a respectful distance asked if I would
like some fish as well; she had some, but not many, and if I would eat
she would cook them