" He fingered one of the diminutive volumes. "There
is one planet in particular whose name I have forgotten, where all
animal life has disappeared entirely. There are none but vegetable forms
on the land, and all of them are the rankest sort of weeds. They have
literally choked off everything else!
"And the highest form of life there is a weed; a hideous monstrosity,
shaped something like an octopus, and capable of the most horrible--" He
stopped abruptly, remembering that one of his hearers was a woman.
"Never mind about that now."
He indicated another of the little books. "I think we will do well to
investigate a planet which the Venusians call 'Sanus.' It belongs to the
tremendous planetary family of the giant star Arcturus. I haven't read
any details at all; I didn't want to know more than you. We can proceed
with our discoveries on an equal footing."
"But," objected Smith, recalling the previous methods, "how are we to
put our minds in touch with any of theirs, unless we know enough about
them to imagine their view-points?"
"Our knowledge of their planet's name and location," replied the doctor,
"makes it easier for us. All we have to do is to go into the telepathic
state, via the Venusian formula; then, at the same time, each must
concentrate upon some definite mental quality, some particular
characteristic of his own mind, which he or she wishes to find on Sanus.
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