Війна світів
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:
