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What Had Happened in Surrey
Theshellsflashedallroundhim,andhewasseentoadvanceafewpaces,stagger,andgodown. Everybodyyelledtogether,andthegunswerereloadedinfrantichaste. TheoverthrownMartiansetupaprolongedululation,andimmediatelyasecondglitteringgiant,answeringhim,appearedoverthetreestothesouth. Itwouldseemthatalegofthetripodhadbeensmashedbyoneoftheshells. ThewholeofthesecondvolleyflewwideoftheMartianontheground,and,simultaneously,bothhiscompanionsbroughttheirHeat-Raystobearonthebattery. Theammunitionblewup,thepinetreesallaboutthegunsflashedintofire,andonlyoneortwoofthemenwhowerealreadyrunningoverthecrestofthehillescaped.
Afterthisitwouldseemthatthethreetookcounseltogetherandhalted,andthescoutswhowerewatchingthemreportthattheyremainedabsolutelystationaryforthenexthalfhour. TheMartianwhohadbeenoverthrowncrawledtediouslyoutofhishood,asmallbrownfigure,oddlysuggestivefromthatdistanceofaspeckofblight,andapparentlyengagedintherepairofhissupport. Aboutninehehadfinished,forhiscowlwasthenseenabovethetreesagain.
ItwasafewminutespastninethatnightwhenthesethreesentinelswerejoinedbyfourotherMartians,eachcarryingathickblacktube. Asimilartubewashandedtoeachofthethree,andthesevenproceededtodistributethemselvesatequaldistancesalongacurvedlinebetweenSt.George’sHill,Weybridge,andthevillageofSend,southwestofRipley.
Adozenrocketssprangoutofthehillsbeforethemsosoonastheybegantomove,andwarnedthewaitingbatteriesaboutDittonandEsher.
