Ere long, one after another of these bodies passed rapidly before my sight, at distances varying probably from five yards to five thousand miles.
Where to test the distance was impossible, anything like accurate measurement was equally out of the question; but my opinion is, that the diameters of the nearest ranged from ten inches to two hundred feet.

One only passed so near that its absolute size could be judged by the marks upon its face.

This was a rock-like mass, presenting at many places on the surface distinct traces of metallic veins or blotches, rudely ovoid in form, but with a number of broken surfaces, one or two of which reflected the light much more brilliantly than others.

The weight of this one meteoroid was too insignificant as compared with that of the Astronaut seriously to disturb my course.
Fortunately for me, I passed so nearly through the centre of the aggregation that its attraction as a whole was nearly inoperative.

So far as I could judge, the meteors in that part of the ring through which I passed were pretty evenly distributed; and as from the appearance of the first which passed my window to the disappearance of the last four hours elapsed, I conceived that the diameter of the congeries, measured in the direction of my path, which seemed to be nearly in the diameter of their orbit, was about 180,000 miles, and probably the perpendicular depth was about the same.
I may mention here, though somewhat out of place, to avoid interrupting the narrative of my descent upon Mars, the only interesting incident that occurred during the latter days of my journey--the gradual passage of the Earth off the face of the Sun.