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What We Saw From the Ruined House
Withthatrealisationmyinterestshiftedtothoseothercreatures,therealMartians. AlreadyIhadhadatransientimpressionofthese,andthefirstnauseanolongerobscuredmyobservation.Moreover,Iwasconcealedandmotionless,andundernourgencyofaction.
Theywere,Inowsaw,themostunearthlycreaturesitispossibletoconceive. Theywerehugeroundbodies—or,rather,heads—aboutfourfeetindiameter,eachbodyhavinginfrontofitaface. Thisfacehadnonostrils—indeed,theMartiansdonotseemtohavehadanysenseofsmell,butithadapairofverylargedark-colouredeyes,andjustbeneaththisakindoffleshybeak. Inthebackofthisheadorbody—Iscarcelyknowhowtospeakofit—wasthesingletighttympanicsurface,sinceknowntobeanatomicallyanear,thoughitmusthavebeenalmostuselessinourdenseair. Inagrouproundthemouthweresixteenslender,almostwhipliketentacles,arrangedintwobunchesofeighteach. Thesebuncheshavesincebeennamedratheraptly,bythatdistinguishedanatomist,ProfessorHowes,thehands. EvenasIsawtheseMartiansforthefirsttimetheyseemedtobeendeavouringtoraisethemselvesonthesehands,butofcourse,withtheincreasedweightofterrestrialconditions,thiswasimpossible. ThereisreasontosupposethatonMarstheymayhaveprogresseduponthemwithsomefacility.
Theinternalanatomy,Imayremarkhere,asdissectionhassinceshown,wasalmostequallysimple. Thegreaterpartofthestructurewasthebrain,sendingenormousnervestotheeyes,ear,andtactiletentacles. Besidesthiswerethebulkylungs,intowhichthemouthopened,andtheheartanditsvessels. Thepulmonarydistresscausedbythedenseratmosphereandgreatergravitationalattractionwasonlytooevidentintheconvulsivemovementsoftheouterskin.
