Just below them at a distance of about five
earth-miles lay an irregularly triangular island, a detached portion of
the Continent of Huygens almost equally divided by the Martian Equator,
and lying with another almost similarly shaped island between the
fortieth and the fiftieth meridians of west longitude. The two islands
were divided by a broad, straight stretch of water about the width of
the English Channel between Folkestone and Boulogne. Instead of the
bright blue-green of terrestrial seas, this connecting link between the
great Northern and Southern Martian oceans had an orange tinge.
The land immediately beneath them was of a gently undulating character,
something like the Downs of South-Eastern England. No mountains were
visible in any direction. The lower portions, particularly along the
borders of the canals and the sea, were thickly dotted with towns and
cities, apparently of enormous extent. To the north of the Island
Continent there was a peninsula, which was covered with a vast
collection of buildings, which, with the broad streets and spacious
squares which divided them, must have covered an area of something like
two hundred square miles.
"There's the London of Mars!" said Redgrave, pointing down towards it;
"where the London of Earth will be in a few thousand years, close to the
Equator.
Pages:
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119