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The Fighting Begins

           AbouthalfpastfourIwentuptotherailwaystationtogetaneveningpaper,forthemorningpapershadcontainedonlyaveryinaccuratedescriptionofthekillingofStent,Henderson,Ogilvy,andtheothers. ButtherewaslittleIdidn’tknow. TheMartiansdidnotshowaninchofthemselves. Theyseemedbusyintheirpit,andtherewasasoundofhammeringandanalmostcontinuousstreamerofsmoke. Apparentlytheywerebusygettingreadyforastruggle. "Freshattemptshavebeenmadetosignal,butwithoutsuccess,"wasthestereotypedformulaofthepapers. Asappertoldmeitwasdonebyamaninaditchwithaflagonalongpole. TheMartianstookasmuchnoticeofsuchadvancesasweshouldofthelowingofacow. 

           Imustconfessthesightofallthisarmament,allthispreparation,greatlyexcitedme. Myimaginationbecamebelligerent,anddefeatedtheinvadersinadozenstrikingways; somethingofmyschoolboydreamsofbattleandheroismcameback. Ithardlyseemedafairfighttomeatthattime. Theyseemedveryhelplessinthatpitoftheirs. 

           Aboutthreeo’clocktherebeganthethudofagunatmeasuredintervalsfromChertseyorAddlestone.Ilearnedthatthesmoulderingpinewoodintowhichthesecondcylinderhadfallenwasbeingshelled,inthehopeofdestroyingthatobjectbeforeitopened. Itwasonlyaboutfive,however,thatafieldgunreachedChobhamforuseagainstthefirstbodyofMartians. 

           Aboutsixintheevening,asIsatatteawithmywifeinthesummerhousetalkingvigorouslyaboutthebattlethatwasloweringuponus,Iheardamuffleddetonationfromthecommon,andimmediatelyafteragustoffiring. Closeontheheelsofthatcameaviolentrattlingcrash,quiteclosetous,thatshooktheground; and,startingoutuponthelawn,IsawthetopsofthetreesabouttheOrientalCollegeburstintosmokyredflame,andthetowerofthelittlechurchbesideitslidedownintoruin. 

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Roboto Lora
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