of rugged peaks, though, but rather scattered pinnacles and deep
hollows, great craters adjoining immense, towering steeples of rocks,
with comparatively level ground in between.

The life-torches worked to perfection. As our friends carried them,
there arose about their bodies a cloud of invisible vapor, which,
however, was as great a protection from the poisonous gases as a coat
of mail would have been.

"This is great!" exclaimed Jack. "It's much better than to have to put
on a diving-suit and carry a cylinder of oxygen or compressed air about
on our shoulders."

They strolled away from the projectile and gazed back at it. Nothing
moved--not a sound broke the stillness. There was only the blazing
sunlight, which, however, did not seem to warm the atmosphere much, for
it was very chilly. On every side were great rocks, rugged and broken,
with here and there immense fissures in the surface of the moon,
fissures that seemed miles and miles long.

"Well, here's where I look for diamonds," called Jack, as he stepped
boldly out, followed by Mark. "Let's see who'll find the first
sparkler."

"All right," agreed his chum, and they strolled away together, slightly
in advance of the two professors and Andy, who remained together, the
scientist discussing the phenomena on every side and the hunter looking
in vain for something to shoot. But he had come to a dead world.

Almost before they knew it Jack and Mark had gone on quite some