and as it drew near I could see that it was manned by beings
proportionately large. I now began to fear I should be run down, but soon
I noticed one of the passengers or crew who seemed to be looking at me
through a glass. In a little while the vessel slowed up, and a boat was
put off in which a number of giants, including the man with the glass,
rowed toward me. When they had nearly reached me I heard the latter say to
the others:

"Yes, this is surely the little fellow we are searching for."

I could not imagine what he meant by this, although it occurred to me that
it was a pleasant thing to have him speak good, plain English; but the
other circumstances were so entirely novel that, instead of opening the
conversation with some conventional remark, like a sensible person, I
burst out with:

"But Proctor says Mars has passed its life-bearing period."

I hardly knew what I said, but it proved that they were just the words to
commend me to my new friend, for as he reached over and lifted me into the
boat he said:

"Why, how did you know Proctor? You must have misunderstood him, for he
would never say such a thing as that."

While I was puzzling over this strange speech he continued:

"I think we have some one in the ship whom you will be glad to see."

I began to fear I should not get on very well in Mars if all the