The Martian stood still for a moment. Then he spoke again, more earnestly than before, and waved the strangers away from the red hill.
"We're not going," said Mr. Roumann, and he added a few of the Martian words he had learned, endeavoring to state that they were going to take only a little of the Cardite.
The officer, with a last warning shake of his big head, suddenly turned and ran away.
"I guess he's gone for reinforcements," said Jack.
"No matter," spoke Mr. Roumann. "We'll soon have all we can carry, and then we'll hurry back to the projectile. When we get there we can defy them."
They continued to fill the boxes with the Cardite, and soon had a good supply. Then, taking a look to see if the Martian had summoned any guards, but finding that none was in sight, the adventurers made their way back to their boat, and set it in motion.
"How are we going to escape the whirlpool?" asked Mark.
"I think if we skirt down the shores of the lake for some distance, and then strike across to the city, we'll avoid it," replied Professor Henderson. "The pool is not very large, and seems to be only, directly in front of the red hill."
This they found to be the case, and they were soon safely beyond the swirling waters, and on their way back to Martopolis.
"We had better not land at a public dock," suggested Professor Henderson.