The state herald., 1920-05-07

dawn, beheld an abominable desola'
| green and fair. struck out for Lon
| don and for miles saw not living be-
ing. l had reached the Thames when
| saw the Things coming, five of them.
ran for the water. Straight toward
/ me sped one, but l might have been
an ant in n mans path. 1t strobe
| through the river and lowered above
Shepperton. Then six hidden guns
belched together. One shell struck
the hood and there was a horrible
confusion of flesh and blood and me-
tai. Something drove the uncontrollc!
machine on, crashing through the vii
lage, toppling over the churcl-'owtr.
collapslng In the river The others
rushed to the spot and the air was
allied with kissing of Heat Rays and
cracking of fires. Shepperton leapcd
into flame. l staggered TO the shore
/ and when / looked up, the Things
were bearing away the smashed ma.
chine.
| stumbled on, panic-stricken, dazcd
The world was doomed. These mon
sters could slay with Heat Rays be
yond the ranges of our biggest guns.
Not again could we kill one of them
by surprise. Terror stalked through
London. To the horror of Heat Rays
had been added the Black Smoke, q
cloud OF poison that blighted all liv-
ing things. So London streamed In
flight, 100000 people roaring out
, along the highways until they were
rivers in flood.
7 fell into doze under n hedge and
there the curate Joined me. He was
half-mad with fright and clung to me.
We plodded on TO suburb where we
sought refuge in deserted house. ~
midnight came hllndlng flash. When
day broke, we pecred through n peep
hole and In the garden was a Martian.
Embedded in the earth was another
glowing cylinder.
For fifteen days I wns penned there,
so l saw more of the monsters than
any other man now living. watched
their intricate machincs-the auto
matte digger. the sensitive handling
machine like a metallic spider,-so
flexible and so swiftly sure that the.
seemed centuries In advance OF our
rigid machinery. l could study too
the Marian habits. ] learned that
evolution had made them all brain,
cold, remorseless intelligences un.
swayed by emotion. They neither
/ slept nor ate; they were sexless and
their young were budded OF. like the
Young Of corals. Most horrible to me
was the fact that they injected mems
blood into their veins for nourishment.
II was this that drove me to act
as did when the curate went rayinG
mad. l knew that his shouts would
and tried TO silence him. He broke
away and caught him In she kitchen
where / felled him with n meat-chop-
per He dropped stunned and then
| saw two dark eyes nt the window.
| fled 10 the coal-cellar and above me
| heard n tapping, tapping, and then
the noise OF heavy body being drag.
ged across the floor.
piled wood and coal over me when
I heard that tapping at the cellar
door. Through creyices could see
the terrible arm Of O hnudilnr.u
chine waving, feeling evum'rrr
once 1t run across The heel OF my
boot and ! nearly screamed Then II
went away.
A week passed before / dared look
out About the pecp-holc wns mnssed
quantities of the red wood That The
MartIaus had hrourht--eyIdcntly ycge,
intlon on Mars Is rcd. / pushed it
aside aud guzed out. The gurlon was
deserted.
! crcpt Into desolntc world. About
me was q smashed village. I struggled
IN through the outskirts Of London and
not until / reached Wimbledon Com.
mon aid I meet man. lie had food
aud drink and plans for the future
visions ~ people living 10 the great
drains until thcy hnd science enough
fo conquer their conquerorA stayed
with him until ] had rcgnlnod my
strength and then walled Into dead
london.
Tho metropolis WAS stlllcd Of oll itr
mmm'Hs llfo Hero and there wcr,
heaps ot dead, wlthorcd by Bl0cN
Smoke; here and there were signs OF
destruction bui lt wua little chanGtH
except f0r tho horrible uuIct. I Io
1ur South KensIur,on when ] heard
.be mournful bowling, "ulln, ulla %
Not until the next day dld ! see ih,
hood of The giant that wns maxim
thig sobbng wall. lie dld not mov,
nor ana three others TINT saw. stand
Ing strangely stlll. Driven by fonr,
resolved to end II all, walked town,
me Thing nearest mo and saw bird
c.rcllng about the hood, tearing OF
something within.
I scrambled hngtlly M great rnt
part md below me was the Martin
camp, They were all dcnd, nearly u