our fate had been. From that point of vantage with their
exceedingly powerful glasses, we feared that they might be able to
detect anything unusual upon or in the neighborhood of Deimos.

Accordingly strict orders were given, not only that the ships should be
moored on that side of the satellite which is perpetually turned away
from Mars, but that, without orders, no one should venture around on the
other side of the little globe or even on the edge of it, where he might
be seen in profile against the sky.

Still, of course, it was essential that we, on our part, should keep a
close watch, and so a number of sentinels were selected, whose duty it
was to place themselves at the edge of Deimos, where they could peep
over the horizon, so to speak, and catch sight of the globe of our
enemies.

The distance of Mars from us was only about three times its own
diameter, consequently it shut off a large part of the sky, as viewed
from our position.

But in order to see its whole surface it was necessary to go a little
beyond the edge of the satellite, on that side which faced Mars. At the
suggestion of Colonel Smith, who had so frequently stalked Indians that
devices of this kind readily occurred to his mind, the sentinels all
wore garments corresponding in color to that of the soil of the
asteroid, which was of a dark, reddish brown hue. This would tend to
conceal them from the prying eyes of the Martians.

The commander himself frequently went around the edge of the planet in
order to take a look at Mars, and I often accompanied him.

I shall never forget one occasion, when, lying flat on the ground, and
cautiously worming our way around on the side toward Mars, we had just
begun to observe it with our telescopes, when I perceived, against the
vast curtain of smoke, a small, glinting object, which I instantly
suspected to be an airship.

I called Mr. Edison's attention to it, and we both agreed that it was,
undoubtedly, one of the Martian's aerial vessels, probably on the
lookout for us.

A short time afterward a large number of airships made their appearance
at the upper surface of the clouds, moving to and fro, and although,
with our glasses, we could only make out the general form of the ships,
without being able to discern the Martians upon them, yet we had not the
least doubt but they were sweeping the sky in every direction in order
to determine whether we had been completely destroyed or had retreated
to a dis