* *

"This the Martians told us, and said they would set up a
matter-transmitter and receiver on Mars and would aid and instruct us
so that we could set up a similar transmitter and receiver here. Then
part of us could be flashed out to Mars as radio vibrations by the
transmitter, and in moments would have flashed across the gulf to the
red planet and would be transformed back from radio vibrations to
matter-vibrations by the receiver awaiting us there!

"Naturally we agreed enthusiastically to build such a
matter-transmitter and receiver, and then, with their instructions
signalled to us constantly, started the work. Weeks it took, but at
last, only yesterday, we finished it. The thing's two cubical chambers
are one for the transmitting of matter and the other for its
reception. At a time agreed on yesterday we tested the thing, placing
a guinea pig in the transmitting chamber and turning on the actuating
force. Instantly the animal vanished, and in moments came a signal
from the Martians saying that they had received it unharmed in their
receiving chamber.

"Then we tested it the other way, they sending the same guinea pig to
us, and in moments it flashed into being in our receiving chamber. Of
course the step-down force in the receiving chamber had to be in
operation, since had it not been at that moment the radio-vibrations
of the animal would have simply flashed on endlessly in endless space.
And the same would happen to any of us were we flashed forth and no
receiving chamber turned on to receive us.

"We signalled the Martians that all tests were satisfactory, and told
them that on the next night at exactly midnight by our time we would
flash out ourselves on our first visit to them. They have promised to
have their receiving chamber operating to receive us at that moment,
of course, and it is my plan to stay there twenty-four hours,
gathering ample proofs of our visit, and then flash back to earth.

"Nelson must stay here, not only to flash us forth to-night, but above
all to have the receiving chamber operating to receive us at the
destined moment twenty-four hours later. The force required to
operate it is too great to use for more than a few minutes at a time,
so it is necessary above all that that force be turned on and the
receiving chamber ready for us at the moment we flash back. And since
Nelson must stay, and Lanier and I wanted another, we wired you,
Randall, in the hope that you would wa