Війна світів
The “Thunder Child”
Closeinshorewasamultitudeoffishingsmacks—English,Scotch,French,Dutch,andSwedish; steamlaunchesfromtheThames,yachts,electricboats; andbeyondwereshipsoflargeburden,amultitudeoffilthycolliers,trimmerchantmen,cattleships,passengerboats,petroleumtanks,oceantramps,anoldwhitetransporteven,neatwhiteandgreylinersfromSouthamptonandHamburg; andalongthebluecoastacrosstheBlackwatermybrothercouldmakeoutdimlyadenseswarmofboatschafferingwiththepeopleonthebeach,aswarmwhichalsoextendeduptheBlackwateralmosttoMaldon.
Aboutacoupleofmilesoutlayanironclad,verylowinthewater,almost,tomybrother’sperception,likeawater-loggedship. ThiswastheramThunderChild. Itwastheonlywarshipinsight,butfarawaytotherightoverthesmoothsurfaceofthesea—forthatdaytherewasadeadcalm—layaserpentofblacksmoketomarkthenextironcladsoftheChannelFleet, whichhoveredinanextendedline,steamupandreadyforaction,acrosstheThamesestuaryduringthecourseoftheMartianconquest,vigilantandyetpowerlesstopreventit.
Atthesightofthesea,Mrs.Elphinstone,inspiteoftheassurancesofhersister-in-law,gavewaytopanic. ShehadneverbeenoutofEnglandbefore,shewouldratherdiethantrustherselffriendlessinaforeigncountry,andsoforth. Sheseemed,poorwoman,toimaginethattheFrenchandtheMartiansmightproveverysimilar. Shehadbeengrowingincreasinglyhysterical,fearful,anddepressedduringthetwodays’journeyings. HergreatideawastoreturntoStanmore. ThingshadbeenalwayswellandsafeatStanmore. TheywouldfindGeorgeatStanmore.
