Amazing Stories, Vol. 3, No. 2 — page 56: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

BARON MUNCHHAUSEN were perfectly familiar to us, not in words which would have had no meaning for us! When there was a lull, we opened our eyes in astonishment and blinked be- wildered into the smiling eyes of our august host. He seemed highly amused at our amazement and once more he motioned to us to close our eyes. “For the next hour or more we had our first lesson in ‘Martian.’ In easy stages our host first flashed sim- ple pictures into our minds, which were then followed by scenes with various actions and explanations just as in a moving picture scene, where the mind must infer what the actors are saying to each other by the expres- sion of their faces and their obvious actions. “There was a short pause, after which our host launched into the ‘Evolution of Mars.’ We were first shown how the planet, millions of years ago, was but a nebula floating in space and how the nebula slowly became a solid sphere. ‘The early life of Mars was then pictured, which must have been exactly like the evolution of our own Earth. We saw the prehistorical Martians with their clubs and stones, then we saw for a long period the slow evolution of Mars down through the ages till a civilization similar to that of present ter- restrial conditions was reached. ‘There were the wars, the barbarism and the thousand other evils exactly as those experienced by man on Earth. Evolution, after all, is the same throughout the Universe, given like conditions. “As the story of the evolution went on we could see how the Martian’s small head and his small chest both kept on increasing with each subsequent generation. We were shown how big oceans and inland seas, as well as vast rivers, dried up gradually, and how the whole population turned into mechanics, electricians and chemists. No true happiness and contentment, however, seemed to exist on Mars until thought trans- ference was established, till gravity was conquered and money was abolished. There had been wars and dis- orders up to that period, but it seems that these three achievements, apparently inyented and originated at -about the same time, emancipated the race completely. As we found out later, this period was reached some 14,600 years ago. “Beginning with that period only did the Martians really become great. We saw how in less than five generations speech had been entirely abolished, it being possible to ‘converse’ over considerable distance by thought transference. We were shown the evils of too many languages and the race hatreds produced thereby, and how finally one universal language was adopted by all races and nations. We saw the abolition of presi- dents and rules of small and big nations, and the inau- guration of a Universal Council and a Planet Ruler, both elected by popular votes. “We witnessed how the once dense air became thinner and thinner and how fertile valleys turned into deserts ~ on account of lack of water.. We saw the transmutation of the metals, as well as the transmutation of all other matter. Thus we were shown how iron or lead was turned into gold or copper, or into any other metal. Or else how marbel or stone was turned into steel or gold or other metals, the same as clay can already be turned . nto Soran on Earth to-day. xs ‘perspiration running down my forehead from the un- 151 “Simultaneously with these discoveries, we witnessed the unlocking of atomic forces, which was the last great Martian discovery in the final mastery of the Planet. “Where extermination-had stared the Martians in the face on account of their constantly decreasing water supply, the new atomic engines, combined with the con- quering of gravity, dispelled all fears for the future. During the next few generations we were made to see the creation of the monstrous waterways which not alone were to bring water from the two poles, but also were to irrigate existing agricultural districts as well as barren deserts. We saw how the Martians finally harnessed the Sun and how the latter was now moving the waters in the vast waterways, which you know as ‘canals.’ “In quick succession we were then shown all the progress and evolution on Mars during the last thou- sand years. I do not attempt to go into details here, as you would surely not grasp the meaning. Neither do I attempt at this time to explain all the wonders that took place on Mars during the past 10,000 years, be- cause you would not understand most of it, precisely as we did not-grasp everything during our first ‘lecture.’ It therefore becomes necessary to explain the wonders to you by means of examples and comparisons with existing terrestrial terms. This I will do during our stay on this Planet. “After our host had concluded his first ‘lecture’ he watched our utter amazement with the benevolent smile a fond mother will bestow on her four-year-old child, after she had finished telling him a particularly interest- ing fairy story, “After a short time we could understand him quite well by his motions as well as by mere picture talk without closing our eyes. He then made us understand that he desired us to transfer our thoughts to him. We tried the experiment, Flitternix first. He failed utterly, for our host shook his head smilingly, Then I tried it. But as the metallic-like cap, which one of the Martians had placed on my head, made me too warm, I foolishly proceeded to take it off. Of course our host smilingly made me put it back again, and only then did I re-_ member that he had shown us during our lecture that thought transference was impossible without the medi- um of the complex ‘cap,’ which T shall later describe to you. “T then proceeded to concentrate my mind and began a thinking real hard of Flitternix and how he appeared just ce For some seconds I did not seem to be suc- cessful, for our host looked blank. Finally, with the accustomed effort, he Ruler’s face lit up and he pointed smilingly at Flitternix! I was much elated over this success, my first transmission of thoughts, or rather one thought! For a few minutes our host tried to make us understand that it would take some days of prac- tise before we could hope to ‘talk’ even by pictures, and perhaps months before we could begin to actually ‘talk in words without using our tongues or ears. He then recommended that Flitternix and myself should prac-| tise as much as possible and should forget speech en- tirely. He also cautioned us that as all thought-trans COMMGECIOOXS.COn Pn ese