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!"

"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.

"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 was 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 astronomers of the expedition locate for me
the most vulnerable points upon the pla