they get it from some other similar community. But I think it likely that
we shall come upon some signs of the work hereabouts."

"Maybe they import it from Pittsburg," was the remark that fun-loving
Jack could not refrain from making.

"Well, you'll see," said Edmund.

And, as I have already told you, he was right. We did find the smithy,
with several stout fellows pounding out rude tools with equally rude
hammers of iron. Of course we could ask them no questions, for their
language was only a kind of squeak, and they seemed to converse mostly by
means of expressive signs. But Edmund was not long in drawing his
conclusions.

"This," he said, after closely examining the metal, "is native iron.
There's nothing remarkable in the fact that it should be here. All the
solid planets, as you know" (turning to me), "are very largely composed
of iron, and Venus, being nearer the center of the system, may have
proportionally more of it than the earth. And these fellows have found
out its usefulness, and how to work it. There's nothing surprising in
that, either, for some of our savages have done as much on the earth. Now
I'll make another prediction--we are going to find coal here. That is
inevitable, since we know that they burn it in the caverns. I shouldn't
wonder if it were close at hand, from the look of these rocks."

He approached the wall of the cavern containing the smithy, and
immediately exclaimed:

"Look here! Here it is!"