The Martian Slave Race

"Their undeniable preference for men as their source of nourishment is partly
explained by the nature of the remains of the victims they had brought with
them as provisions from Mars. These creatures, to judge from the shrivelled
remains that have fallen into human hands, were bipeds with flimsy, siliceous
skeletons (almost like those of the siliceous sponges) and feeble musculature,
standing about six feet high and having round, erect heads, and large eyes in
flinty sockets. Two or three of these seem to have been brought in each
cylinder, and all were killed before earth was reached. It was just as well for
them, for the mere attempt to stand upright upon our planet would have broken
every bone in their bodies." 

At this point it might be appropriate to describe the creatures which the
Martians brought with them for food on their long journey. Essentially hominid
in appearance, the specimens recovered from the cylinders measured well over
six feet in height, but due to the gentler gravity of Mars their muscular and
skeletal structure is relatively weak compared to those of humans. In fact
their body weight is approximately the same as that of a human, only their tall
frames mean that they appear to be thin, spindly creatures, almost flimsy. They
walk erect, and have two arms and two legs, each limb having four digits -
three dextrous fingers and an opposable thumb on each hand, four long,
evenly-sized toes on each foot. The chest cavity is relatively oversized,
giving the bipeds' physique a passing resemblance to that of a greyhound. Most
of its volume is occupied by the large lungs with which the biped breaths the
thin atmosphere of Mars. There is a single eardrum situated at the base of the
skull, and the eyes are large with pronounced brow ridges. The iris is a deep
red, almost maroon, coloured so by the blood vessels within. It is curious to
note that the Martian bipeds possess almost no pigmentation at all. The skin is
extremely pale, almost translucent, hairless and very smooth. The bipeds, like
the Martians, lack visible olfactory apparatus, the organs governing their
sense of smell being located at the back of the throat. The size of the cranial
cavity indicates that these creatures possess an intellect comparable with that
of a human. 

There were few if any specimens of this creature left alive at the time of the
Martians arrival on Earth, and it has been concluded that, even were one of
these creatures to survive any length of time on Earth, the unfortunate wretch
would be incapable of anything beyond the feeblest of movement.
