he rattle of the dishes and the clatter of knives and forks. Washington was a

was that of rather an aged man, who walked with soft, cat–like tread, and who leaned forward, as

ed Jack. "I was wonde

k, if it isn't Jack D

for he knew the old ma

didn't have any luck-that is, what you could call luck. There's been a wea

istah Sudds?" asked

ickens will be safe now, Wash. But I'm hungry. I've been hiding out there by t

are going to take a trip

u folks go next?" exclaimed Andy. "

o get there, Mr. Roumann," said Jack, who was

g been interested in the planet Mars, for several reasons. Some reason

t, computing their positions in distance f

nus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranu

ty–seven millions of miles, while, as I told you, Mars is now but thirty–five millions of miles away, a difference in favor of Mars of twenty–two millions of miles, quite a dist

ndred and eight million

hat out?" asked Ja

s the distance from the earth to the sun, from the nu

Mr. Henderson. "You're ve

id Jack. "Maybe Andy can find

iles away from here," answered the old hunter, lookin

Roumann with a smile. "I expect

ere," added M

e reason is that I want to prove that there is life on it-that it is inhabited by a superior race of beings.

nn stoppe

ioningly, for there was an odd ma

resent," said Mr. Roumann quickly. "I will tell you

le, which, though it will not be very large in diameter, will be long enough to contain all our machinery and ourselves, with a sufficien

wonderful power, more wonderful than man ever dreamed of before. I have called it Etherium, for the reason that I ex

k you and your assistants ca

we had the Flying Mermaid, in which we went to the center of the earth," said Mr. Henderson. "I think we can bu

ld the projectile I will do the rest. I will give you the plans for the machinery at once,

means at our command,"

. "No one must know about it until we are ready to leave

t no one but ourselves, and one or two trusty mechani

g to move away from us at the rate of twenty–eight millions of miles a

Jack and Mark decide they want to go. I will let them choose.

ried Jack. "I want to

ever Jack goe

secret of a power that will project a heavy object through space to Mars-thirty–five millions of miles away. I do not say it ca

rove it to you by mathematics, and by illustrating some of th

room, a bundle of papers. Then, followed by the professor and t

cted noise at one of the windows. They looked qui

t, there came the soun

now, or I'll prognostigate yo' inter mo

window, and the sound of foots