The voluntary nerve action is distinguished from the involuntary, and there is no escape from the conclusions formed by an expert observer.  The parts of the brain at work must of necessity determine the nature of the thought, and amplified experiments have been made to prove the correctness of these processes.

This scientific mind reading impressed me as the highest expression of inventive skill that had come to my attention in any world of space, and gave me new light on some of the old mysteries of mind and matter.

I tarried as long as possible on this instructive planet and have not yet forgotten many of the valuable hints of inventions that can be reproduced in my own world.  Surely we are far enough away from Ploid to escape any charge of infringement, should we proceed to patent some of their inventions.

CHAPTER XVI.

A Singular Planet.

I visited the other seventy worlds that revolve around Sirius.  Among them is one of note, called Zik, which is forty-two hundred millions of miles from its sun, and is slightly smaller than our world.  It is inhabited by a race of pigmies which I will call Zikites.  Wonderful indeed is the intelligence of these creatures, although their form is out of symmetry according to our standards.  I will therefore avoid a description of their physical features, lest it might mar the picture of their accomplishments.

The air of Zik is heavy and the sky is opal in its effects.  The chemists have thus far found in nature ninety elementary substances, and it is partly due to this large variety that the Zikites have surpassed their fellow men in thousands of worlds.

As you study the past events of this unusual planet, you are reminded of our own history.  On Zik there are heathen tribes and all grades of conflicting civilized nations.

War has reddened this distant world for several thousand years, and as yet there is no peace.  Notwithstanding all this unceasing upheaval, the tide of human progress has steadily risen.  It does appear that the highest light of intellect is generated like electric light through sharp friction.

The Zikites have had their Men of War, vessels of mighty strength and death-dealing in their action.  But all such defense has been abandoned over five hundred years ago, and it came about in a natural manner.  One of the many illustrious inventors perfected the submarine boat and the flying-machine at about the same time.  Their flying-machine might appropriately be called in our language, the Flying Devil, for such it is if you consider its destroying power.  One of these ominous looking machines is capable of destroying a whole navy as fast as it can move high in the air from one vessel to another.