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194 into one planet; by degrees the great sun regained his glory.

We had long passed the orbit of Jupiter, when suddenly we perceived the force of gravitation drawing us toward a strange-shaped planet, or world rather, which suddenly appeared near us.

"It is one of the planetoids," said Arauniel. "They are not all spheres like the other planets. They are probably fragments of some great ancient world destroyed in primæval time, or else broken pieces of a huge ring that once circled our sun, like the rings we have just seen around Saturn."

We drew near to it. I cannot well describe it. More desolate than your moon, more terrible in its desolation. Vast mountains, waterless, treeless, huge masses of rock, coagulated blocks of star-forming matter—nothing living or moving. We rested on it some days and wandered on its strange cliffs, and then plunged off again into the orbit of the gorgeous planet Mars.

"Shall we not visit the earth?" said Arauniel. "You have seen it, but we have not. Perhaps we may find on it some things which you have not seen."

"If you so resolve," I said, "you must indeed beware that men do not find out who