midday
I was not asleep , no need for pinching here ; my inner consciousness told me as plainly that I was upon Mars as your conscious mind tells you that you are upon Earth . You do not question the fact ; neither did I. I found myself lying prone upon a bed of yellowish , mosslike vegetation which stretched around me in all directions for interminable miles . I seemed to be lying in a deep , circular basin , along the outer verge of which I could distinguish the irregularities of low hills . It was midday , the sun was shining full upon me and the heat of it was rather intense upon my naked body , yet no greater than would have been true under similar conditions on an Arizona desert . Here and there were slight outcroppings of quartz-bearing rock which glistened in the sunlight ; and a little to my left , perhaps a hundred yards , appeared a low , walled enclosure about four feet in height . No water , and no other vegetation than the moss was in evidence , and as I was somewhat thirsty I determined to do a little exploring . Springing to my feet I received my first Martian surprise , for the effort , which on Earth would have brought me standing upright , carried me into the Martian air to the height of about three yards .