Війна світів
What We Saw From the Ruined House
Theyhavebecomepracticallymerebrains,wearingdifferentbodiesaccordingtotheirneedsjustasmenwearsuitsofclothesandtakeabicycleinahurryoranumbrellainthewet. Andoftheirappliances,perhapsnothingismorewonderfultoamanthanthecuriousfactthatwhatisthedominantfeatureofalmostallhumandevicesinmechanismisabsent—thewheelisabsent; amongallthethingstheybroughttoearththereisnotraceorsuggestionoftheiruseofwheels. Onewouldhaveatleastexpecteditinlocomotion. AndinthisconnectionitiscurioustoremarkthatevenonthisearthNaturehasneverhituponthewheel,orhaspreferredotherexpedientstoitsdevelopment. AndnotonlydidtheMartianseithernotknowof(whichisincredible),orabstainfrom,thewheel,butintheirapparatussingularlylittleuseismadeofthefixedpivotorrelativelyfixedpivot,withcircularmotionsthereaboutconfinedtooneplane. Almostallthejointsofthemachinerypresentacomplicatedsystemofslidingpartsmovingoversmallbutbeautifullycurvedfrictionbearings. Andwhileuponthismatterofdetail,itisremarkablethatthelongleveragesoftheirmachinesareinmostcasesactuatedbyasortofshammusculatureofthedisksinanelasticsheath; thesedisksbecomepolarisedanddrawncloselyandpowerfullytogetherwhentraversedbyacurrentofelectricity. Inthiswaythecuriousparallelismtoanimalmotions,whichwassostrikinganddisturbingtothehumanbeholder,wasattained. Suchquasi-musclesaboundedinthecrablikehandling-machinewhich,onmyfirstpeepingoutoftheslit,Iwatchedunpackingthecylinder. ItseemedinfinitelymorealivethantheactualMartianslyingbeyonditinthesunsetlight,panting,stirringineffectualtentacles,andmovingfeeblyaftertheirvastjourneyacrossspace.
WhileIwasstillwatchingtheirsluggishmotionsinthesunlight,andnotingeachstrangedetailoftheirform,thecurateremindedmeofhispresencebypullingviolentlyatmyarm.
