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What We Saw From the Ruined House
Withoutthebodythebrainwould,ofcourse,becomeamereselfishintelligence,withoutanyoftheemotionalsubstratumofthehumanbeing.
Thelastsalientpointinwhichthesystemsofthesecreaturesdifferedfromourswasinwhatonemighthavethoughtaverytrivialparticular. Micro-organisms,whichcausesomuchdiseaseandpainonearth,haveeitherneverappeareduponMarsorMartiansanitaryscienceeliminatedthemagesago. Ahundreddiseases,allthefeversandcontagionsofhumanlife,consumption,cancers,tumoursandsuchmorbidities,neverentertheschemeoftheirlife. AndspeakingofthedifferencesbetweenthelifeonMarsandterrestriallife,Imayalludeheretothecurioussuggestionsoftheredweed.
ApparentlythevegetablekingdominMars,insteadofhavinggreenforadominantcolour,isofavividblood-redtint. Atanyrate,theseedswhichtheMartians(intentionallyoraccidentally)broughtwiththemgaveriseinallcasestored-colouredgrowths. Onlythatknownpopularlyastheredweed,however,gainedanyfootingincompetitionwithterrestrialforms. Theredcreeperwasquiteatransitorygrowth,andfewpeoplehaveseenitgrowing. Foratime,however,theredweedgrewwithastonishingvigourandluxuriance. Itspreadupthesidesofthepitbythethirdorfourthdayofourimprisonment,anditscactus-likebranchesformedacarminefringetotheedgesofourtriangularwindow. AndafterwardsIfounditbroadcastthroughoutthecountry,andespeciallywherevertherewasastreamofwater.
TheMartianshadwhatappearstohavebeenanauditoryorgan,asinglerounddrumatthebackofthehead-body,andeyeswithavisualrangenotverydifferentfromoursexceptthat,accordingtoPhilips,blueandvioletwereasblacktothem.
