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How I Fell in with the Curate
Itwouldseemthatthesegiantsspenttheearlierpartoftheafternooningoingtoandfro,transferringeverythingfromthesecondandthirdcylinders—thesecondinAddlestoneGolfLinksandthethirdatPyrford—totheiroriginalpitonHorsellCommon. Overthat,abovetheblackenedheatherandruinedbuildingsthatstretchedfarandwide,stoodoneassentinel,whiletherestabandonedtheirvastfighting-machinesanddescendedintothepit. Theywerehardatworktherefarintothenight,andthetoweringpillarofdensegreensmokethatrosetherefromcouldbeseenfromthehillsaboutMerrow,andeven,itissaid,fromBansteadandEpsomDowns.
AndwhiletheMartiansbehindmewerethuspreparingfortheirnextsally,andinfrontofmeHumanitygatheredforthebattle,ImademywaywithinfinitepainsandlabourfromthefireandsmokeofburningWeybridgetowardsLondon.
Isawanabandonedboat,verysmallandremote,driftingdown-stream;andthrowingoffthemostofmysoddenclothes,Iwentafterit,gainedit,andsoescapedoutofthatdestruction. Therewerenooarsintheboat,butIcontrivedtopaddle,aswellasmyparboiledhandswouldallow,downtherivertowardsHallifordandWalton,goingverytediouslyandcontinuallylookingbehindme,asyoumaywellunderstand. Ifollowedtheriver,becauseIconsideredthatthewatergavememybestchanceofescapeshouldthesegiantsreturn.
ThehotwaterfromtheMartian’soverthrowdrifteddownstreamwithme,sothatforthebestpartofamileIcouldseelittleofeitherbank. Once,however,ImadeoutastringofblackfigureshurryingacrossthemeadowsfromthedirectionofWeybridge.
