Війна світів
The Work of Fifteen Days
HereIfoundsomeyoungonions,acoupleofgladiolusbulbs,andaquantityofimmaturecarrots, allofwhichIsecured,and,scramblingoveraruinedwall,wentonmywaythroughscarletandcrimsontreestowardsKew—itwaslikewalkingthroughanavenueofgiganticblooddrops—possessedwithtwoideas: togetmorefood,andtolimp,assoonandasfarasmystrengthpermitted,outofthisaccursedunearthlyregionofthepit.
Somewayfarther,inagrassyplace,wasagroupofmushroomswhichalsoIdevoured,andthenIcameuponabrownsheetofflowingshallowwater,wheremeadowsusedtobe. Thesefragmentsofnourishmentservedonlytowhetmyhunger. AtfirstIwassurprisedatthisfloodinahot,drysummer,butafterwardsIdiscoveredthatitwascausedbythetropicalexuberanceoftheredweed. Directlythisextraordinarygrowthencounteredwateritstraightwaybecamegiganticandofunparalleledfecundity. ItsseedsweresimplypoureddownintothewateroftheWeyandThames,anditsswiftlygrowingandTitanicwaterfrondsspeedilychokedboththoserivers.
AtPutney,asIafterwardssaw,thebridgewasalmostlostinatangleofthisweed,andatRichmond,too,theThameswaterpouredinabroadandshallowstreamacrossthemeadowsofHamptonandTwickenham. Asthewaterspreadtheweedfollowedthem,untiltheruinedvillasoftheThamesvalleywereforatimelostinthisredswamp,whosemarginIexplored,andmuchofthedesolationtheMartianshadcausedwasconcealed.
Intheendtheredweedsuccumbedalmostasquicklyasithadspread. Acankeringdisease,due,itisbelieved,totheactionofcertainbacteria,presentlyseizeduponit. Nowbytheactionofnaturalselection,allterrestrialplantshaveacquiredaresistingpoweragainstbacterialdiseases—theyneversuccumbwithoutaseverestruggle,buttheredweedrottedlikeathingalreadydead.
