The Epilogue

           Icannotbutregret,nowthatIamconcludingmystory,howlittleIamabletocontributetothediscussionofthemanydebatablequestionswhicharestillunsettled. InonerespectIshallcertainlyprovokecriticism. Myparticularprovinceisspeculativephilosophy. Myknowledgeofcomparativephysiologyisconfinedtoabookortwo,butitseemstomethatCarver’ssuggestionsastothereasonoftherapiddeathoftheMartiansissoprobableastoberegardedalmostasaprovenconclusion. Ihaveassumedthatinthebodyofmynarrative. 

           Atanyrate,inallthebodiesoftheMartiansthatwereexaminedafterthewar,nobacteriaexceptthosealreadyknownasterrestrialspecieswerefound. Thattheydidnotburyanyoftheirdead,andtherecklessslaughtertheyperpetrated,pointalsotoanentireignoranceoftheputrefactiveprocess. Butprobableasthisseems,itisbynomeansaprovenconclusion. 

           NeitheristhecompositionoftheBlackSmokeknown,whichtheMartiansusedwithsuchdeadlyeffect,andthegeneratoroftheHeat-Raysremainsapuzzle. TheterribledisastersattheEalingandSouthKensingtonlaboratorieshavedisinclinedanalystsforfurtherinvestigationsuponthelatter. Spectrumanalysisoftheblackpowderpointsunmistakablytothepresenceofanunknownelementwithabrilliantgroupofthreelinesinthegreen,anditispossiblethatitcombineswithargontoformacompoundwhichactsatoncewithdeadlyeffectuponsomeconstituentintheblood. Butsuchunprovenspeculationswillscarcelybeofinteresttothegeneralreader,towhomthisstoryisaddressed. NoneofthebrownscumthatdrifteddowntheThamesafterthedestructionofSheppertonwasexaminedatthetime,andnownoneisforthcoming.