The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1901-12-26


and half minute had elapsed before
the disintegrators from the other men,
bers of the squadron were got into play.
Then suddenly we saw an immense
commotion in the cloud beneath us. 1t
seemed to be beaten and hurled in every
direction and punctured like sieve
with nearly 100 great, circular holes.
Through these gaps we could see clearly
a large region of the planets surface,
with many airships floating above it
and the blaze of innumerable electric
lights illuminating it. The Martians
had created an artificial day under the
curtain.
This time there was no question that
the blow had been effective. Four or
five of the airships, partially destroyed,
tumbled headlong toward the ground,
while even from our great distance there
was unmistakable evidence that fearful
execution had been done among the
crowded structures along the shore of
the lake.
AS each Of our ships possessed but one
of the new disintegrators, and since
minute or so was required to adjust
them for fresh discharge, we remained
for little while inactive after deliver
ing the blow. Meanwhile the cloud cur
tain, though rent to shreds by the con-
centrated discharge of the disintegra-
tors, quickly became a uniform black
sheet again, hiding everything.
We had just had time to congratulate
ourselves on the successful opening of
our commandment, and the disintegrator
of the flagship was poised for another
discharge, when suddenly out of the
black expanse beneath quivered i'm
mense electric beams, clear cut and
straight as bars of Steel but dazzling
our eyes with uncomfortable brillianoe.
1t was the reply of the Martians to
our attack.
Three or four of the electrical ships
were seriously damaged, and one, close
beside the flagship, changed color, with
cred and collapsed with the same sick
ening phenomena that had made our
hearts shudder when the first disaster
of this kind occurred during our brief
battle over the asteroid.
Another score OF our comrades were
gone, and yet we had hardly begun the
fight.
CHANGING at the other ships which had
been injured, I saw that the damage to
them was not SO serious, although they
were evidently hors de combat for the
present.
Our lighting blood was now boiling,
and we did not stop long to count our
losses.
Unto the smoke 70 was the signal,
and the 80 and more electric ships
which still remained in condition for
action Immediately shot downward.
It was wild plunge. We kept off
the decks while rushing through the
binding smoke, but the instant we
emerged below, where we found our
selves still mile above the ground, we
were out again, ready to strike
have simply confused recollection
of flashing lights beneath and great,
dark arch of clouds above, out of which
our ships seemed dropping on all sides,
and then the fray burst upon and around
us, and no man could see or notice any
thing except by half oomprehended
chances.
Almost in an instant, it seemed, a
swarm Of airships surrounded us, while
from what for lack of a more descrip-
tive name shall call the forts about
the Lake of the Sun leaped tongues of
electric fire, before which some of our
ships were driven like bits Of flaming
paper in a high wind, cleaning for a
moment, then curling up and gone for
ever.
1t was an awful sight, but the battle
fever was raging in us, and we, on our
part, were not idle.
Every man carried disintegrator,
and these hand instruments together
with those Of heavier caliber on the
ships, poured their resistless vibrations
in every direction through the culver
ing air.
The airships of the Martians were de-
stroyed by the score, but yet they flock
ed upon us thicker and faster.
We dropped lower and our blows fell
upon the forts and upon the widespread
city bordering the Lake of the Sun. We
almost entirely silenced the fire of one
of the forts, but there were 40 more in
full action within reach OF our eyes.
Some Of the metallic buildings were
partly unroofed by the disintegrators
and some had their walls riddled and
fell with laundering crashes, whose
sound rose to our ears above the hellish
din of battle. Icaught gimpses of giant
forms struggling in the ruins and rush
ing wildly through the streets, but
there was no time to see anything
clearly.
Our flagship seemed charmed A
crowd of airships hung upon it like
swarm OF angry bees, and at times one
could not see for the lightning strokes,
yet we escaped destruction, while our
selves dealing death on every hand.
1t was glorious fight, butit was not
war; no, it was not war We really had
no more chance of ultimate success