The Venus folks had concluded that our cold earth could not possibly be inhabited.—Author, chap. xix.
Having now given to the reader my thousand years' retrospect, I return from its long, but, as I hope, not uninstructive digression, to the business tour in which I was engaged on behalf of my friend, young Brown. I don't mean to assert that I had finished my history when, on the fifth day, by the slacking of speed, and other well-understood indications, I was made aware that we were nearing Mars; for, in fact, I was busy over the work pretty well all the rest of the time of our tour; and a very pleasant occupation for super-abundant leisure it proved to be, to say nothing of the prospects of publishing profits. Regarding this last, we earth folks, as I have repeated occasion to mention, have always, at bottom, an eye to business. But now I bundle up my papers, and pass at once into the main cabin to see what is going on.
There I found all the passengers gazing after little Phobos, who had just whisked past us in his rapid
