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What Had Happened in Surrey
Thesecontinuedintermittentlyforthespaceofaquarterofanhour,sendingchanceshotsattheinvisibleMartiansatHamptonandDitton, andthenthepalebeamsoftheelectriclightvanished,andwerereplacedbyabrightredglow.
Thenthefourthcylinderfell—abrilliantgreenmeteor—asIlearnedafterwards,inBusheyPark. BeforethegunsontheRichmondandKingstonlineofhillsbegan,therewasafitfulcannonadefarawayinthesouthwest,due,Ibelieve,togunsbeingfiredhaphazardbeforetheblackvapourcouldoverwhelmthegunners.
So,settingaboutitasmethodicallyasmenmightsmokeoutawasps’nest,theMartiansspreadthisstrangestiflingvapourovertheLondonwardcountry. Thehornsofthecrescentslowlymovedapart,untilatlasttheyformedalinefromHanwelltoCoombeandMalden. Allnightthroughtheirdestructivetubesadvanced. Neveronce,aftertheMartianatSt.George’sHillwasbroughtdown,didtheygivetheartillerytheghostofachanceagainstthem. Wherevertherewasapossibilityofgunsbeinglaidforthemunseen,afreshcanisteroftheblackvapourwasdischarged,andwherethegunswereopenlydisplayedtheHeat-Raywasbroughttobear.
BymidnighttheblazingtreesalongtheslopesofRichmondParkandtheglareofKingstonHillthrewtheirlightuponanetworkofblacksmoke,blottingoutthewholevalleyoftheThamesandextendingasfarastheeyecouldreach. AndthroughthistwoMartiansslowlywaded,andturnedtheirhissingsteamjetsthiswayandthat.
TheyweresparingoftheHeat-Raythatnight,eitherbecausetheyhadbutalimitedsupplyofmaterialforitsproductionorbecausetheydidnotwishtodestroythecountrybutonlytocrushandoverawetheoppositiontheyhadaroused.
