r species, veritable
salamanders, some grotesquely hideous, others surpassingly beautiful in
form and hue.

On this sphere man is extraordinarily intelligent. He is almost totally
ignorant of anything akin to astronomy, although some of the greater
scholars have ventured the theory that there might be other worlds
containing human life, providing there be fire enough to sustain them.

In some other particulars, these star-creatures have made astonishing
progress. They believe that the time is coming when the fires of their
world will be blown out and all life become extinct. This they would
call, in our language, the coming Judgment when every human being that
ever lived will receive his just recompense of reward.

With interest I studied the manner of government, and the admirable
system of education which is the secret of their progress.

I made a special effort to ascertain whence this sun receives its
continued supply of fuel. The question had often perplexed my mind when
I gazed toward our Sun from the shores of our world. None of the
theories advanced by our scientists and astronomers fully satisfied my
mind. And now I looked and studied in vain. Although the awful burnings
had been in progress for thousands of years, I could see no fuel that
was added to the flames. Hence I was driven to believe that Alpha
Centaurus was on fire and was gradually being consumed; this must be
true of all the stars that bedeck the canopy of Heaven.

The inconstancy of this star's surface is the greatest menace to its
inhabitants. At times the solid crusts break in the contracting of the
surface. All this makes terrible havoc, but the new generations take
fresh courage and pluckily restore the fallen habitations.

One of the luxuries enjoyed by these fire beings at certain times is to
get where the chemical action of heat is at a low ebb. That has a
similar effect upon them as calming our nerves has upon us.

One of the great inventions consists in an instrument that neutralizes
this chemical action of heat even where it is most intense. It is a
common sight to see creatures basking under one of these instruments in
a somewhat comatose state. The inventor of this instrument is worshiped
almost as a god.

One of the most startling inventions of all is a machine that
counteracts gravity. This, to my mind, is the greatest invention I had
yet seen, and, strange to say, these fire creatures know nothing about
means of propulsion