His next clear vision, which came about week first, the interval having yielded nothing but tantalising glimpses and some useful experience, showed him the view down the length valley The view was different, but he had curious persuasion, which his subsequent observations abundantly confirmed, that regarding the strange world from exactly the same spot, although looking in different direction The long faade great building, whose roof he had looked down upon before, was now receding in perspective He recognised the roof front faade was terrace of massive proportions and extraordinary length, and down the middle terrace, at certain intervals, stood huge but very graceful masts, bearing small shiny objects which reflected the setting sun The import small objects occur to Mr Cave until after, as describing the scene to Mr Wace The terrace overhung thicket most luxuriant and graceful vegetation, and beyond wide grassy lawn certain broad creatures, in form like beetles but enormously larger, reposed Beyond this again was richly decorated causeway of pinkish stone; and beyond that, and lined with dense red weeds, and passing up the valley exactly parallel distant cliffs, was broad and mirror-like expanse of water The air seemed full of squadrons of great birds, manoeuvring in stately curves; and across the river was multitude of splendid buildings, richly coloured and glittering with metallic tracery and facets, among forest of moss-like and lichenous trees And suddenly something flapped repeatedly across the vision, like the fluttering of jewelled fan or the beating of wing, and face, or rather the upper part of face with very large eyes, came as it were close own and other side crystal Mr Cave was so startled and so impressed absolute reality eyes that he drew his head back crystal to look behind it He had become so absorbed in watching that quite surprised himself cool darkness little shop, with its familiar odour of methyl, mustiness, and decay And as he blinked about him, the glowing crystal faded and went out

Such were the first general impressions of Mr Cave The story is curiously direct and circumstantial outset, valley first flashed momentarily senses, his imagination was strangely affected, and as he began to appreciate the details scene , his wonder rose point of passion He went about his business listless and distraught, thinking only time when to return watching And then few weeks after his first sight valley came the two customers, the stress and excitement offer, narrow escape crystal from sale, as already told

Now, while the thing was Mr Cave's secret, it remained mere wonder, thing to creep to covertly and peep at, as child might peep upon forbidden garden But Mr Wace has, for young scientific investigator, particularly lucid and consecutive habit of mind Directly the crystal and its story came to him, and he had satisfied himself, by seeing the phosphorescence own eyes, that there really was certain evidence Cave's statements, he proceeded to develop the matter systematically Mr Cave was only too eager and feast his eyes wonderland , and every night from half-past eight until half-past ten, and sometimes, in Mr Wace's absence, during the day On Sunday afternoons, also, outset Mr Wace made copious notes, and due scientific method relation direction the initiating ray entered the crystal orientation picture were proved And, by covering the crystal in box perforated only with small aperture to admit the exciting ray, and by substituting black holland buff blinds, he greatly improved the conditions observations; in little while they were able to survey the valley in any direction they desired

So having cleared the way, give brief account visionary world crystal The things were in all cases seen Cave, method of working was invariably for him to watch the crystal and report what , while Mr Wace (who as science student had learnt the trick of writing dark) wrote brief note report crystal faded, put into its box proper position electric light turned on Mr Wace asked questions, and suggested observations to clear up difficult points Nothing, indeed, less visionary and more matter-of-fact

The attention of Mr Cave speedily directed bird-like creatures he had seen so abundantly present in each earlier visions His first impression was soon corrected, and he considered for time that represent diurnal species of bat Then he thought, grotesquely enough, that cherubs Their heads were round and curiously human, and it eyes of that had so startled him second observation They had broad, silvery wings, not feathered, but glistening almost as brilliantly as new-killed fish and same subtle play of colour, and these wings built plan of bird-wing or bat, Mr Wace learned, but supported by curved ribs radiating body (A sort of butterfly wing with curved ribs seems best to express their appearance ) The body was small, but fitted with two bunches of prehensile organs, like long tentacles, immediately under the mouth Incredible as it appeared to Mr Wace, the persuasion at last became irresistible these creatures which owned the great quasi-human buildings magnificent garden that made the broad valley so splendid And Mr Cave perceived buildings, with other peculiarities, had no doors, but great circular windows, which opened freely, gave the creatures egress and entrance alight upon their tentacles, fold their wings to smallness almost rod-like, and hop interior But among them was multitude of smaller-winged creatures, like great dragon-flies and moths and flying beetles, and across the greensward brilliantly-coloured gigantic ground-beetles crawled lazily to and fro Moreover, causeways and terraces, large-headed creatures similar greater winged flies, but wingless, were visible, hopping busily upon their hand-like tangle of tentacles

Allusion has already been made glittering objects upon masts that stood terrace nearer building It dawned upon Mr Cave, after regarding masts very fixedly on one particularly vivid day glittering object crystal exactly like that into which he peered And still more careful scrutiny convinced him that in vista of nearly twenty carried similar object

Occasionally large flying creatures would flutter one, and folding its wings and coiling number tentacles mast, would regard the crystal fixedly for space,--sometimes for as long as fifteen minutes And series of observations, made suggestion of Mr Wace, convinced both watchers that, visionary world was concerned, the crystal into which they peered actually stood summit end-most mast terrace, on one occasion inhabitants other world had looked into Mr Cave's face while making these observations

essential facts very singular story Unless we dismiss it all ingenious fabrication of Mr Wace, one of two things: either that Mr Cave's crystal was in two worlds at once, while carried about in one, it remained stationary other, which seems altogether absurd; or else had some peculiar relation of sympathy with another and exactly similar crystal other world, seen interior one world was, under suitable conditions, visible to an observer corresponding crystal other world; and vice versa At present, indeed, know of two crystals could so come en rapport_, but nowadays enough to understand thing altogether impossible This view crystals as en rapport supposition that occurred to Mr Wace, and it seems extremely plausible .

And where other world ? , also, the alert intelligence of Mr Wace speedily threw light After sunset, the sky darkened rapidly-- very brief twilight interval indeed-- stars shone out They were recognisably the same we see, arranged same constellations Mr Cave recognised the Bear, the Pleiades, Aldebaran, and Sirius; so other world somewhere solar system, and, utmost, only few hundreds of millions of miles own Following up this clue, Mr Wace learned midnight sky was darker blue even than our midwinter sky, and sun seemed little smaller And there were two small moons ! "like our moon but smaller, and quite differently marked," one moved so rapidly that its motion was clearly visible as one regarded it These moons were never high sky, but vanished rose: , every time they revolved they were eclipsed because they were so near their primary planet And all this answers quite completely, although Mr Cave know it, to what the condition of things on Mars

Indeed, it seems an exceedingly plausible conclusion that peering crystal Mr Cave did actually see the planet Mars and its inhabitants And be the case, then the evening star that shone so brilliantly sky distant vision was neither more nor our own familiar earth