6 THE ACORN TO MARS AND RETURN "We will start tomorrow morning at 10." "Very well, I will be ready." The two brothers stood side by side watching the preparations for a balloon trip. "It's late now, Jim," said the older, "and I guess we'd better turn in." At a signal from Jim Carson the men released the balloon, and as it shot upward into the growing darkness, he could hear the cheers of the people on the ground, but the sounds soon died away in the distance. As he rose higher and higher the lights of the city blended into a single bright spot, which dwindled and gradually disappeared. The air became colder and he pulled his coat tighter about him to keep warm. He pulled on the rope which should have made the balloon descend, but for some reason it refused to work. He became alarmed and jerked it frantically, but it broke far beyond his reach. As the balloon went higher, Jim found it more and more difficult to breathe. His mouth hung open and in order to get enough air he was compelled to breathe deeply and quickly. But even this soon began to fail, his breath came quick and short, his throat was dry. Finally after a struggle he sank to the bottom of the basket unconscious. The balloon ever increasing its speed, continued its upward flight. When he regained consciousness it was light, and the balloon was descending. His breathing was still labored and his throat seemed parched. "At any rate." he thought, "I'll be all right when 1 get to the ground." Below he saw what was evidently a farming country. There were many trees, especially around the houses. The whole country was a great plain. The people moving about looked no larger than ants at first; but as he drew nearer he could see that several had dropped their work and were gazing up at him. Carson landed in the midst of a grain field and at once a large crowd gathered around him. Breathing was still very hard for him. Alighting from the basket, he dropped to the ground exhausted. Two of the men carried him to a shady spot under a tree. He was given a small capsule, which he swallowed with the aid of some water, and almost immediately felt relieved. THE ACORN 7 Jim could not imagine where he was. The place was very different from what it was at home. The people, and even the air, seemed different. The crowd did a great deal of talking, but he could not understand a word of it. They were dark-skinned, not unlike Mexicans: they were tall and had well-developed chests. Carson tried to raise himself, but he was picked up bodily by two men and carried to a car, similar in shape to an automobile. In this they proceeded along a well-paved road lined on each side with tall shade trees. After traveling about three miles they came to a canal, where th aronaut was transferred to a boat. The huge waterway was lined with cement. After a short time he noticed that they were entering a city, the buildings of which were made of the same white cement. At last the boat stopped before a large stairway. This time Carson was allowed to walk. Up the stairs they went and into a large building which stood close to the banks of the canal. The people crowded up eager to get one look at this seemingly strange person. Finally he was taken into the presence of a dignified looking individual, with whom his escorts held a long consultation. After a time the distinguished looking gentleman, who Jim afterward learned was the chief, beckoned to him. He went to the table, where an attendant had placed a large chart of the solar system. Carson knew very little about astronomy, but he knew the positions and names of the most important planets. In the center was the sun, although it was labeled with unknown characters. In fact there was not a character on the whole chart that was familiar. Presently one of the four (he with a long white beard) pointed to a planet that was undoubtedly Mars, and then to himself and his companion, folded his arms and awaited the effect on Carson. It was some time before Jim caught the meaning. "He can't mean that we are on the planet Mars," thought he. "They must be a bunch of lunatics." He pointed to the earth and then to himself, at which his friends went into another consultation. He was taken by a servant to another room and given a complete change of clothing. When he returned he was clad like a Martian, and was surprised to note how much cooler the clothing was. He found his acquaintances out on a balcony. They seemed to have arrived at some definite decision as to his fate. He of the white beard began to talk to him and, pointing to a chair, pronounced a word and Jim did his best to say it after him. He did the same with other objects. They intended to teach him to talk.