Війна світів
In London
Therewastalkofafloatingbody. Oneofthementhere,areservisthesaidhewas,toldmybrotherhehadseentheheliographflickeringinthewest.
InWellingtonStreetmybrothermetacoupleofsturdyroughswhohadjustbeenrushedoutofFleetStreetwithstill-wetnewspapersandstaringplacards. "Dreadfulcatastrophe!"theybawledonetotheotherdownWellingtonStreet. "FightingatWeybridge!Fulldescription!RepulseoftheMartians!LondoninDanger!" Hehadtogivethreepenceforacopyofthatpaper.
Thenitwas,andthenonly,thatherealisedsomethingofthefullpowerandterrorofthesemonsters. Helearnedthattheywerenotmerelyahandfulofsmallsluggishcreatures,butthattheyweremindsswayingvastmechanicalbodies; andthattheycouldmoveswiftlyandsmitewithsuchpowerthateventhemightiestgunscouldnotstandagainstthem.
Theyweredescribedas"vastspiderlikemachines,nearlyahundredfeethigh,capableofthespeedofanexpresstrain,andabletoshootoutabeamofintenseheat." Maskedbatteries,chieflyoffieldguns,hadbeenplantedinthecountryaboutHorsellCommon,andespeciallybetweentheWokingdistrictandLondon. FiveofthemachineshadbeenseenmovingtowardstheThames,andone,byahappychance,hadbeendestroyed. Intheothercasestheshellshadmissed,andthebatterieshadbeenatonceannihilatedbytheHeat-Rays. Heavylossesofsoldierswerementioned,butthetoneofthedispatchwasoptimistic.
TheMartianshadbeenrepulsed; theywerenotinvulnerable. Theyhadretreatedtotheirtriangleofcylindersagain,inthecircleaboutWoking. Signallerswithheliographswerepushingforwarduponthemfromallsides.
