Війна світів
The Days of Imprisonment
Itwasonthethirdday,ifmymemoryservesmeright,thatIsawtheladkilled. ItwastheonlyoccasiononwhichIactuallysawtheMartiansfeed. AfterthatexperienceIavoidedtheholeinthewallforthebetterpartofaday. Iwentintothescullery,removedthedoor,andspentsomehoursdiggingwithmyhatchetassilentlyaspossible; butwhenIhadmadeaholeaboutacoupleoffeetdeepthelooseearthcollapsednoisily,andIdidnotdarecontinue. Ilostheart,andlaydownonthesculleryfloorforalongtime,havingnospiriteventomove. AndafterthatIabandonedaltogethertheideaofescapingbyexcavation.
ItsaysmuchfortheimpressiontheMartianshadmadeuponmethatatfirstIentertainedlittleornohopeofourescapebeingbroughtaboutbytheiroverthrowthroughanyhumaneffort. ButonthefourthorfifthnightIheardasoundlikeheavyguns.
Itwasverylateinthenight,andthemoonwasshiningbrightly. TheMartianshadtakenawaytheexcavating-machine,and,saveforafighting-machinethatstoodintheremoterbankofthepitandahandling-machinethatwasburiedoutofmysightinacornerofthepitimmediatelybeneathmypeephole,theplacewasdesertedbythem. Exceptforthepaleglowfromthehandling-machineandthebarsandpatchesofwhitemoonlightthepitwasindarkness,and,exceptfortheclinkingofthehandling-machine,quitestill. Thatnightwasabeautifulserenity; saveforoneplanet,themoonseemedtohavetheskytoherself. Iheardadoghowling,andthatfamiliarsounditwasthatmademelisten. ThenIheardquitedistinctlyaboomingexactlylikethesoundofgreatguns. SixdistinctreportsIcounted,andafteralongintervalsixagain. Andthatwasall.
