CHAPTER XIV.
PROCTOR SHOWS US THE EARTH.
We discovered at once that the Mars dwellers understand what genuinehospitality is, for we found ourselves at perfect liberty to do whatbest pleased us without restraint from our hosts. With so much to tellus of their own high civilization and with so many questions still toask about the earth, there was no haste nor undue curiosity. Much lesswas there any attempt yet by Thorwald to resume the argument about thehabitability of other worlds.
But at the same time we were aware that our friends were at our service,and early in the afternoon Thorwald asked us if we could think ofanything we should like to see.
"Yes," I answered, "I should like to see the earth."
"No doubt, my friend, but I don't see exactly how I am going to take youthere."
"I did not expect that," said I; "but, after all you have hinted aboutyour advance in astronomical science, I thought you might give us apretty good view of the earth without going any nearer to it than we arenow."
"Oh, that's what you mean, is it? Excuse me for being so dull. Is it notsingular that I should wait to be asked to show you the wonders of ourtelescopes? Zenith, let us all go with them to see their home, aboutwhich we have so often speculated.
"We have many good observatories," continued Thorwald, speaking to thedoctor and me, "some of which are noted for one line of study and somefor another. The one that has given the most attention to observing theearth and that has the best instruments for that work is situated on theother side of our planet."
"Then, of course," said I, "we will choose one nearer home for ourvisit."
"Why so?" asked Thorwald. "It is always wise to get the best when youcan."
"Yes, but we do not want you to take the time and trouble to make ajourney half around your world just because I said I would like to seethe earth."
"Oh, our time is yours, and we will not make trouble of it; we will callit a pleasure trip. We may as well take the children, Zenith; they willenjoy it. How soon can you all be ready?"
"In five minutes," answered Zenith.
"Then we had better get off at once," said Thorwald.
And without further words this remarkable family scattered to differentparts of the house and in five minutes were ready to begin a journey offive or six thousand miles, and the only reason they did not start atonce was that the doctor and I were not quite so expeditious. We weresoon on our way, however, having locked no doors behind us and leavingeverything just as if we were to return in an hour.
We took an electric carriage to the station, and from there went by thetubular road to the metropolis. This was a great city whence there wasdirect communication to all the principal centers of population on theplanet. As we had not been in any haste in making the changes necessaryto reach this stage of our journey, it was now late in the day, and Ibegan to wonder how we were to continue the trip without being outin the night. When I mentioned my thought to Thorwald, he removed thedifficulty in a moment by saying:
"We simply travel west and leave the night behind us. You know thesurface of Mars, even at the equator, goes east at the rate of only fivehundred miles an hour, and as our modern cars take us much faster thanthat, it is easy for us to keep ahead of the night by going in the rightdirection. So in making long trips we try to travel west."
"But suppose you want to go east?"
"Then we go west to get east, and we arrange the speed so as to get toour destination in the day-time."
We left our car and found another just ready to start for the distantcity in which our observatory was situated. It was a small carcomparatively, and we had it all to ourselves. There were all sorts ofconveniences in it, and we composed ourselves for a good rest. After aride of several hours we reached our destination. It was now about noon,so that we had actually made nearly half a day, besides the time spentin sleep while riding. I know some of my friends on the earth, who saythe day is too short for them, would appreciate such an improvement asthat if they could have it.
We passed part of the afternoon in riding about the city. The samelanguage was spoken here as was used on Thorwald's side of the globe;but, although communication was so easy, we found enough difference inthe architecture and in the general appearance of the people to maketravel interesting.
Toward night we all alighted at the door of the observatory, and thedoctor and I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of a man ofMars who had spent many years in studying the surface of the earth. Itmay be imagined that he was glad to meet us and to get our answers tomany questions which had long perplexed him, some of which he had neverhoped to have solved.
Proctor, for this was the name by which he was introduced, was one ofthe oldest men we had seen, and impressed us as one possessed of greatwisdom. His manner was so dignified, also, that it seemed quite asinappropriate to address him without a title as it was to call ourhostess plain Zenith. But when I asked Thorwald aside what I should callhim, he said:
"Call him by his name, just as you do the rest of us. We have but onename each."
"I should think that would be confusing," said I. "For example, how areyou to be distinguished from any other Thorwald?"
"There is no other that I ever heard of. There are names enough to goall around."
As night came on we were brought face to face with the great instrumentwhose work of observing the earth was known far and wide.
Proctor was occupied a short time in adjusting it, and then asked us ifwe could recognize what was in the field. I motioned to the doctor, butas he insisted that I should take the first view I put my eye to theglass with much trepidation. Instead of the magnified disk of the earth,which I expected to behold, I saw but a small portion of the surface,and that a familiar stretch of coast line. I never knew whether Proctorthought by our accent or by the cut of our clothes that we were NewEnglanders, but he had so pointed the telescope that our first sightof the earth showed us dear old Massachusetts Bay, with its islands andboundaries. I did not speak till the doctor had looked, and then we toldthe others of our pleasant surprise.
Proctor made another adjustment, saying he would bring the globe stillnearer to us, and we looked and saw a patch of beautiful green country.It appeared to be but a few miles away, and we thought we ought todistinguish large objects. But the appearance was deceptive in thisrespect, and Proctor told us they had not been able to determinedefinitely whether the earth was inhabited. They could see importantchanges going on from time to time; they believed they could tellcultivated from wild land; certain peculiar spots they called largecities; and there were many such indications of inhabitants. But theyhad not yet beheld man nor his unquestioned footsteps. As to theirbelief on the subject, they had the strongest faith that the earth waspeopled by an intelligent race, and Proctor added that he rejoiced tosee that faith so happily justified by our presence. To which the doctorpleasantly replied that he should be sorry to have him judge of theintelligence of the race at large from two such inferior specimens.
One question which Proctor asked was, whether we had ever made anyattempt to communicate with the other planets. We told him we had not,but that if we should ever try such a thing it would probably be withMars; but that it would be useless to think of it with our presentastronomical attainments, for if we should succeed in attracting theattention of another world we would not know it, because we could notsee the answer.
Proctor said they had sometimes seen moving masses which were notclouds, but which they took for smoke and were not sure but they mightbe intended for signals. We replied that if it were smoke that they sawit was probably caused by forest fires, but if we ever reached the earthagain we would organize a company and try to make some electric signalswhich they could see.