falling stars."

_I_. "Certainly they would be burnt up in passing through the atmosphere
of a planet and do no harm to its inhabitants."

_G_. "Well, now, granting that you could propel the car, and that
although your gun was badly aimed you could steer towards a planet, how
long would the journey take?"

_I_. "The self-movement of the car would enable us to save time, which
is a matter of the first importance on such a trip. In the plan of Jules
Verne, the bullet derives all its motion from the initial effort, and
consequently slows down as it rises against the earth's attraction,
until it begins again to quicken under the gravitation of the moon.
Hence his voyage to our satellite occupied four days. As we could
maintain the velocity of the car, however, we should accomplish the
distance in thirteen hours at a speed of five miles a second, and more
or less in proportion."

_G_. "About as long as the journey from London to Aberdeen by rail. What
about Mars or Venus?"

_I_. "At the same speed we should cover the 36,000,000 miles to these
planets in 2,000 hours, or 84 days, that is, about three months. With a
speed of ten miles a second, which is not impossible, we could reach
them in six weeks."

_G_. "One could scarcely go round the world in the same time. But,
having got to a planet, how are you going to land on it? Are you not
afraid you will be dissipated like a meteorite by the intense heat of