about 8:40 A.M.
We were lodged in a room upon the south side of the temple , overlooking the Avenue of Ancestors down which we could see the full length to the Gate of Jeddaks , five miles away . The people in the temple plaza and in the streets for a distance of a full mile were standing as close packed as it was possible for them to get . They were very orderly -- there were neither scoffs nor plaudits , and when they saw us at the window above them there were many who buried their faces in their arms and wept . Late in the afternoon a messenger arrived from Zat Arrras to inform us that we would be tried by an impartial body of nobles in the great hall of the temple at the 1st zode * on the following day , or about 8:40 A.M. Earth time . * Wherever Captain Carter has used Martian measurements of time , distance , weight , and the like I have translated them into as nearly their equivalent in earthly values as is possible . His notes contain many Martian tables , and a great volume of scientific data , but since the International Astronomic Society is at present engaged in classifying , investigating , and verifying this vast fund of remarkable and valuable information , I have felt that it will add nothing to the interest of Captain Carter 's story or to the sum total of human knowledge to maintain a strict adherence to the original manuscript in these matters , while it might readily confuse the reader and detract from the interest of the history . For those who may be interested , however , I will explain that the Martian day is a trifle over 24 hours 37 minutes duration -LRB- Earth time -RRB- .