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The Eve of the War

           Duringtheoppositionof1894agreatlightwasseenontheilluminatedpartofthedisk,firstattheLickObservatory,thenbyPerrotinofNice,andthenbyotherobservers. EnglishreadersheardofitfirstintheissueofNATUREdatedAugust2. Iaminclinedtothinkthatthisblazemayhavebeenthecastingofthehugegun,inthevastpitsunkintotheirplanet,fromwhichtheirshotswerefiredatus. Peculiarmarkings,asyetunexplained,wereseennearthesiteofthatoutbreakduringthenexttwooppositions. 

           Thestormburstuponussixyearsagonow. AsMarsapproachedopposition,LavelleofJavasetthewiresoftheastronomicalexchangepalpitatingwiththeamazingintelligenceofahugeoutbreakofincandescentgasupontheplanet. Ithadoccurredtowardsmidnightofthetwelfth; andthespectroscope,towhichhehadatonceresorted,indicatedamassofflaminggas,chieflyhydrogen,movingwithanenormousvelocitytowardsthisearth. Thisjetoffirehadbecomeinvisibleaboutaquarterpasttwelve. Hecomparedittoacolossalpuffofflamesuddenlyandviolentlysquirtedoutoftheplanet,‘asflaminggasesrushedoutofagun.’ 

           Asingularlyappropriatephraseitproved. YetthenextdaytherewasnothingofthisinthepapersexceptalittlenoteintheDAILYTELEGRAPH,andtheworldwentinignoranceofoneofthegravestdangersthateverthreatenedthehumanrace. ImightnothaveheardoftheeruptionatallhadInotmetOgilvy,thewell-knownastronomer,atOttershaw. Hewasimmenselyexcitedatthenews,andintheexcessofhisfeelingsinvitedmeuptotakeaturnwithhimthatnightinascrutinyoftheredplanet. 

           Inspiteofallthathashappenedsince,Istillrememberthatvigilverydistinctly: 

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Roboto Lora
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