Page:A thousand years hence. Being personal experiences (IA thousandyearshen00gree).djvu/348

 pace of seven hours and a half around Mars. This curious little moon used to be one of the chief dangers of early Marsian navigation; for as we mostly steered for equatorial landing-places, we were thus just in the way of the Phobos orbit, and liable to his suddenly rounding upon us. To-day, indeed, the pilotage hereabouts is all that can be desired for precision and safety; but this was not quite the case for some years at first; and the danger was aggravated to such excursions as were other than of a strictly business character, seeing that, as the party drew near to Mars, they were apt repeatedly to pull up, in order to watch more leisurely both the revolving principal and his two very close little fly-round moons. In this way, on one occasion, a large school party, on holiday, made a narrow escape of being crashed into by Phobos, of course to their utter destruction.

There was, as we quite expected, no small attempt at demonstration at our arrival, with banners flying and drums beating. All this was at the instance, mainly, of the New Party, for our visit had been fully anticipated, as I must now proceed to explain. Our earth having charge of Mars during his upward progress towards the higher life, any notable personage from amongst us, who happens to be going to that planet, is usually endowed with an official and representative character, for the time being, in the Marsian relationship. I being an ex vice-president of the great society which has had Marsian matters more directly in hand, and being also, as I may, perhaps,