“A Martian city!” Ted echoed. “Wouldn’t Dad like to be in on this!”
 
“I don’t care about an old city!” Jill complained. “I just want to get out of here!”
 
“Maybe we can find a way to the top from in there,” Ted proposed. “There’s no other place we can go.”
 
The three walked up to the towering gates and began tugging on them. At first the gates would not budge, but after much struggling, the children got one open wide enough on its creaking hinges so that they could squeeze through. Once inside, they began walking along a rocky avenue lined with small buildings and statues. The high dome of the city gleamed with a light of its own, illuminating the entire grand underground area like brilliant moonlight.
 
235
“The glow has probably been burning for thousands of years,” Randy remarked, “ever since the first Martians built the city.”
 
“It’ll probably be thousands of years more before it’ll go out,” Ted added. “It seems to have the natural light that Mr. Garland said some of the Martian caves have.”
 
They paused before a statue, and all three of them felt chills race up their backs as they realized they were the first Earth humans ever to gaze on the true likeness of a Martian. The man was not very different from Earthmen. He had the usual number of arms and legs, but he was short and spindly and his head was bald. If the color of the statue was correct, the extinct Martians had light-green skins.
 
“Dad and the other scientists will sure have the time of their lives with this place!” Ted said. “It may even hold the answer to the biggest riddle about what caused the Martians to disappear.”
 
236
“Father won’t find out anything about it if we don’t get out of here!” Jill said anxiously.
 
“There must be a way to the top of the ground somewhere,” Randy answered. “I don’t see how the Martians could have walked up that steep incline we slid down.”
 
“Maybe the dirt has covered it over during the years,” Ted said. “Maybe there are steps underneath. But I don’t see how we could expect to uncover them. Let’s go on.”
 
(uncaptioned)
237
They moved along, searching the uneven rocky streets. It was not a large city, and the three had no trouble keeping their bearings. A check on their air supply showed only an hour and a half of oxygen left in each of their suits. There would be even less were they to hurry and so breathe faster. This time they had no spare cartridges. If they did not find their way topside by that time, they were surely doomed.
 
After covering part of the city, the children found that the end of it fanned out into five separate narrow streets.
 
“One of these streets may lead to ground level,” Ted said.
 
238
“The only thing to do is try them,” Randy came back.
 
“We’ll save time if each of us takes a different way,” Ted suggested.
 
But Jill would have none of this plan. She had no desire to follow a lonely underground avenue by herself. They finally decided that Ted and Jill would go together and Randy agreed to go alone.
 
“We’ve got to watch out that we don’t get lost,” Ted cautioned. “Don’t go off down any alleyways, Randy. We won’t either.”
 
“We ought to set a time when we both meet back here,” Randy said.
 
“I’ve got it,” Ted said. “We’ll count off ten minutes and then start heading back whether we’ve found anything or not. If neither of us has found anything, we’ll try the other streets the same way.”
 
239
Ted and Jill took their leave of Randy and set off down the thorofare. They had to hurry because of their dwindling time, and yet they dared not go so fast that they were breathing heavily. The way they followed carried them quite a distance down the deserted street, on both sides of which were crumbling buildings of plaster set close together. By the time the ten minutes was up, Ted and Jill had come to a dead end against a stone wall.
 
“This way certainly can’t help us,” Ted muttered. “Let’s go back to Randy.”
 
When they got back and Randy had not returned, Ted became worried. Time was fleeting steadily, and they still were no better off than they had been before. Finally Ted heard a scuffling along the street and saw Randy hurrying his way.
 
“No luck!” he gasped. “I got sidetracked on the way back. Then I had to run to get here in time.”
 
“You shouldn’t have done that,” Ted told him. “Now you’ve got less air than we have. What does your gauge show?”
 
“Fifty-six minutes,” Randy answered, after checking.
 
Ted examined his own and asked Jill about hers. “We’ve got an hour and five,” Ted said.
 
240
“We’ll have to hurry if we’re going to search the other three streets,” Randy pointed out.
 
This time Jill agreed to help by going alone so as to save time. They agreed to cut the search period to five minutes, at which time they would come back to their meeting place. Ted had been gone about a minute when he heard someone calling. His heart stirred with hope, and he hustled back at moderate speed to the place from where they had started.
 
“I think I’ve found a way out!” Jill was crying excitedly.
 
Fortunately they were able to catch Randy before he got very far, and the two boys followed Jill down the street where she had made her discovery. After a hundred feet or so they came into a big open area and at one side of it there rose a huge stone staircase leading upward.
 
“There!” Jill cried happily.
 
“Let’s go up!” Ted urged.
 
241
They started up the steps that slowly turned in a half spiral as they ascended. After a long climb, the children found themselves in a large gallery. In spite of their hurry, the three became as hypnotized by the sight of many stone tables or altars arranged in orderly fashion throughout the place. Lying on top of the altars were long oblong cases, fancily decorated.
 
“These must be coffins!” Randy burst out.
 
“Let’s get out of here!” J............