"What is it?" asked Jack. "It looks like a bright ball of fire."
"One of the moons of Mars," was the answer. "That is Deimos, and we are now but ten thousand miles from the planet, for that is the moon distance from Mars."
"How small it is!" commented Mark.
"Yes, it isn't much like our moon, but I suppose it answers for the Martians."
"But if we're only ten thousand miles away from Mars, and are traveling at two hundred miles a second, we'll be there in less than a minute!" cried Jack.
"We would, only I have shut down the motor. We are now approaching only from the force of the attraction of gravitation, and that, I find, is much less than on our earth. At the proper time I will reverse the motor, to make our landing easy."
The indicators showed that the Annihilator was now traveling along at about the rate of a fast automobile.
"We're almost there!" cried Mark.
Mr. Roumann adjusted the machinery. Sometimes he speeded it up, and again he slowed it down. He found he had the projectile under perfect control. Once again he set the motor in motion, approaching Mars at a fast rate.
They shot past another shining body.