Война миров
Dead London
Ifeltnofear,onlyawild,tremblingexultation,asIranupthehilltowardsthemotionlessmonster. Outofthehoodhunglankshredsofbrown,atwhichthehungrybirdspeckedandtore.
InanothermomentIhadscrambleduptheearthenrampartandstooduponitscrest,andtheinterioroftheredoubtwasbelowme. Amightyspaceitwas,withgiganticmachineshereandtherewithinit,hugemoundsofmaterialandstrangeshelterplaces. Andscatteredaboutit,someintheiroverturnedwar-machines,someinthenowrigidhandling-machines,andadozenofthemstarkandsilentandlaidinarow,weretheMartians—dead! —slainbytheputrefactiveanddiseasebacteriaagainstwhichtheirsystemswereunprepared;slainastheredweedwasbeingslain; slain,afterallman’sdeviceshadfailed,bythehumblestthingsthatGod,inhiswisdom,hasputuponthisearth.
Forsoithadcomeabout,asindeedIandmanymenmighthaveforeseenhadnotterroranddisasterblindedourminds. Thesegermsofdiseasehavetakentollofhumanitysincethebeginningofthings—takentollofourprehumanancestorssincelifebeganhere. Butbyvirtueofthisnaturalselectionofourkindwehavedevelopedresistingpower; tonogermsdowesuccumbwithoutastruggle,andtomany—thosethatcauseputrefactionindeadmatter,forinstance—ourlivingframesarealtogetherimmune. ButtherearenobacteriainMars,anddirectlytheseinvadersarrived,directlytheydrankandfed,ourmicroscopicalliesbegantoworktheiroverthrow. AlreadywhenIwatchedthemtheywereirrevocablydoomed,dyingandrottingevenastheywenttoandfro. Itwasinevitable. Bythetollofabilliondeathsmanhasboughthisbirthrightoftheearth,anditishisagainstallcomers; itwouldstillbehisweretheMartianstentimesasmightyastheyare. Forneitherdomenlivenordieinvain.
