"I think so. I'll try it, anyhow."
Mr. Roumann made some adjustments to the levers and wheels controlling the motor, and, by turning on a little more power on one side of the projectile, caused it to swerve to one side. A few minutes later he called out:
"Look from the window!"
The boys gazed out. They saw that they were rushing past a dark mass, that looked as if it was composed of heaped up, black rocks, piled in fantastic masses, with great chasms here, and towering peaks there. It seemed to be several miles in diameter, and looked like a great ball.
"A small, dead world," remarked Mr. Henderson. "I suppose our planet will be like that some time."
"I hope not by the time we get back to it," commented Jack. "I wonder if we will ever get back to earth again?"
It was the first time he had expressed any doubt on this score.
"There's the last of the dead planet!" Mark cried.
They looked to see the black mass vanish into space.
"Yes, and we have reached the end of the atmosphere!" suddenly cried Mr. Roumann as he glanced at a dial. "Now we will begin to travel through ether."