Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-11-24
pented their haste; they did not live to

repent.
Unknown 30 us the Martians carried
hand engines capable of launching
bolts of death of the same character as
those which emanated from the knobs
Oh their larger machines With these
shey fred, so to speak, through tho
breach i'll their car, and four of our men
WHO were rushing upon them fell in
heaps of cinders, The effect Of the ter.
flblo fire was like that which tho most
powerful strokes of lightning occasion.
ally produce on the earth.
The destruction of tho threatening
Knob had instautaneously relieved tho
pressure upon tho terror stricken nerves
Oh our company and they had MI regain.
ed their composuro and self command
Lut this new and unexpected disaster
following so close upon the fear which
mad recently overpuwcred them, pro.
ducod second panic, the effect of
which was not to stiifon them in their
tracks as before, but to send them sour.
rying in every direction in search of
hiding places.
And now most curious effect of tho
smallness of the planet we were on be.
gan to play Conspicuous part in our
adventure. Standing on globe only
1lVe miles in diameter was like being
ON the summit of mountain whose
s'des slorcd rapidly Off in every direc-
/ tion, disappearing in the black sky on
| all sides rs II it were some stupendous
peak rising out of an unfathomablo
/ abyss.
In consequence Of the quick rounding
off Of the sides of this globe the line of
| tho horizon was close at hand, and by
running distance of less than ESQ yards
/ the fugitives disappeared down the sides
of the asteroid and behind the horizon,
even from tho elevation of about / ) feet
/ from which the Martians were able to
watch them. From our sight they dis
| appeared much sooner.
Tho slight attraction of the planet
and their consequent almost entire lack
of weight enabled tho men to run with
Immense speed. The result, as subse-
quently learned, was that after they
had disappeared from our view they
Quilted the planet entirely, the force
being sufficient to partially free them
from its gravitation, so that they sailed
out into space, whirling helplessly end
over end until the elliptical orbits in
which thy Travelled eventually brought
them back again to the planet on the
side nearly opposite to that from which
they had departed.
But several of us, with Mr.. Edison,
CT la,
To get tho Martians within range of the
disintegrators Luckily we were en-.
abled, by shifting our position little
to the left, 10 get out of the line of sight
Of our enemies concealed in the car.
If we cannot catch sight of them"
said Mr.. Edison, 1--WE shall have to rid.
die the Car on the chance of hitting
them"
1T will DO like firing into bush to
kill a hidden BEAR" said one of the
party.
But help came from quarter which
was unexpected to us. although it should
not have been So Several of the electric
ships had been lowering above US dur.
ing tho fight. their commanders being
apparently uncertain how to act, fear
full perhaps of injuring us in the at
tempt to smitc our enemy.
But now the situation apparently
lightened for them. They saw that we
were at an immense disadvantage, and
several cf them Immediately turned
their batteries upon the car of tho Mar
tians.
They riddled il far more quickly and
effectively than we could have done.
Every stroke of the vibratory emanation
made q gap il the side of the car, and
We could perceive from the commotion
within that our enemies were being
rapidly massacred in their fortification.
So overwhelming were tho force and
the advantage of the ships that in lit
tie while it was all over. Mr.. Edison
signaled them to stop firing, because it
was plain that all resistance had ceased
and probably not one of the Martians
remained alive.
We now approached the car, which
had been transported in every direc.
ton and whose remaining portions
were glowing with heat in consequence
of the spreading Of the atomic vibra,
tions. Immediately we discovered that
all our anticipations were correct and
that all Of our enemies had persisted.
The effect OF the disintegrators upon
them had been awful-too repulsive.
indeed, to be described in detail Some
of the bodies had evidently entirely
vanished, only certain metal articles
which they had worn remaining, as in
the case Of tho first Marian killed, to
indicate that such beings had ever exist
ed. The nature of the metal composing
these articles was unknown to us. Evil
IDENTIFY its vibratory rhythm did not cor
respond with any inclpded in tho ordi-
nary range of the disintegrators.
Some Of tho giants had been only
partially destroyed, the vibratory cur
rent having gra2ed them in such u
manner that the SCATTERING undulations
had not acted upon the entire body.
One thing that lends peculiar hor-
ror to terrestrial battle field was alb
sent. There was no bloodshed The Vi
bratory energy not only completely de-
stroyed whatever it fell upon, but it
scared the veins and arteries of the dis
membered bodies so that there was no
sanguinary exhibition connected with
its murderous work,
All this time tho sbackled Marian
had lain on his back where we had left
him bound. What his feelings must
have been may be imagined. At times
| caught n rlimpse of his ewes, wildly