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How I Reached Home
"PoorOgilvy!"Isaid. "Tothinkhemaybelyingdeadthere!"
Mywifeatleastdidnotfindmyexperienceincredible. WhenIsawhowdeadlywhiteherfacewas,Iceasedabruptly.
"Theymaycomehere,"shesaidagainandagain.
Ipressedhertotakewine,andtriedtoreassureher.
"Theycanscarcelymove,"Isaid.
IbegantocomfortherandmyselfbyrepeatingallthatOgilvyhadtoldmeoftheimpossibilityoftheMartiansestablishingthemselvesontheearth. InparticularIlaidstressonthegravitationaldifficulty. OnthesurfaceoftheearththeforceofgravityisthreetimeswhatitisonthesurfaceofMars. AMartian,therefore,wouldweighthreetimesmorethanonMars,albeithismuscularstrengthwouldbethesame. Hisownbodywouldbeacopeofleadtohim. That,indeed,wasthegeneralopinion. BothTheTimesandtheDailyTelegraph,forinstance,insistedonitthenextmorning,andbothoverlooked,justasIdid,twoobviousmodifyinginfluences.
Theatmosphereoftheearth,wenowknow,containsfarmoreoxygenorfarlessargon(whicheverwayonelikestoputit)thandoesMars. TheinvigoratinginfluencesofthisexcessofoxygenupontheMartiansindisputablydidmuchtocounterbalancetheincreasedweightoftheirbodies. And,inthesecondplace,wealloverlookedthefactthatsuchmechanicalintelligenceastheMartianpossessedwasquiteabletodispensewithmuscularexertionatapinch.
ButIdidnotconsiderthesepointsatthetime,andsomyreasoningwasdeadagainstthechancesoftheinvaders.
