"I don't know just
what to do."
Mr. Roumann hurried into the pilot house, gave a quick glance at
the indicator, and exclaimed:
"We are nearing a planetoid, or, as some call them, an asteroid!"
"Is there any danger?" asked Mark.
"No. Fortunately the instrument gave us timely warning. I shall
simply steer to avoid it. It is a small, unnamed planet flying
around in space. There are many of them."
"Can we go close enough to it to see it?" asked Jack, who was a
curious lad.
"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.
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