inner lining was a layer of cells, into which the men now pumped several
pints of liquid oxygen. The terrific cold of this chemical made the
heavy flannel of the inner lining very welcome; while the oxygen itself,
as fast as it evaporated, revitalized the air within the big, glass-
faced helmet.

Once safely locked within the clumsy suits, Jackson, Van Emmon, and
Smith took their places within the vestibule; while the doctor, who had
volunteered to stay behind, watched them open the outer door. With a
hiss all the air in the vestibule rushed out; and the doctor earnestly
thanked his stars that the inner door had been built very strongly.

The men stepped out on to the ground. At first they moved with great
care, being uncertain that their feet were weighted heavily enough to
counteract the reduced gravitation of the tiny planet. But they had been
living in a very peculiar condition, gravitationally speaking, for the
past three days; and they quickly adapted themselves. After a little
shifting about, the three artificial monsters gave their telephone wires
another scrutiny; then, keeping always within ten feet of each other, so
as not to throw any strain on the connections, they strode in a matter-
of-fact way toward the nearest doorway.

For a moment or two they stood outside the queer, peaked archway, their
glimmering suits standing out oddly in the blinding sunlight. Then they
advanced boldly into the opening; in a flash they vanished from the
doctor's sight, and the inklike blackness of the opening again stared at
him from that dazzling wall.