The daily Alaskan., 1920-08-12

Looking out rom my windows at dawn, beheld an abOminable desOla- ton, a hlackened world that had been green and fair. struck out for LOn- don and for miles saw not living be- ing. l had reached the Thames when I saw the Things coming, five Of them, I ran for the water. Straight toward me sped one, but I might have been an ant in a mans path. It strode 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 uncontrolled machine on, crashing through the vil- lage. toppllng over the church-tower, collapsing in the river. The others rushed to the spot and the air was filled with hiSsing of Heat Rays and cracking of fires. Shepperton leaped into flame. l staggered to the shore and when I looked up, the Things were bearing away the smashed ma chine.
 l stumbled on, panlc-striCken, dazed, The world was doomed. These mon sters could slay with Heat Rays be- yond the range. 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, a cloud of poison that blighted all liv- ing things. So London Streamed in flight. 6.OOO.OOO people roaring out along the highways until they were rivers In flood.
 I fell into a dOze under a hedge and thrre the curate joined me. He was half-mad with fright and Clung to me. We plodded on to suburb where we sought refuge in a deserted house. At midnight came a binding flash. When day broke, we peered through a.peep- hole and in the garden was Marttan. Embedded In the earth was another glowing cylinder.
 For fifteen days I was penned there so I saw more of the monsters than my other man now living. l watched their intricate machlnes--the auto- matic digger. the sensitive handling machine like q metallic spider,-So flexible and so swiftly sure that they seemed centuries in advance of our rigid machinery. I could study too the NIurtiun habits. I learned that evolution had made them all brain, cold. remorseleSs intelligenCes un- SwQyed by emotion. They neither slept nor ate; they were ScNlesS and their young were budded or, like the young of corals. Most horrible to me was the fact that they injected mems blood into their veins for nOurishment.
 It was this that drove me to act as did when the curate went raving mad. knew that his shouts would warn the MartianS of our prcsehce and tried to silence him. Hgs shrobA away and I caught him in rhe kitcneu where I fclled him with a meat-chop- per. He dropped stunned and then I saw two dark eyes at the window. 1 fled to the coal-celIur and above me heard tapping, tapping, and then the noise of a heavy body being drag ged across the floor.
 piled wood and coal over me when ! heard that tapping at the cellar. door. Through creviceS I could see the terrible arm of a handliugma- chine. waving. feeling. examining. Once it ran across the heel of my boot and l nearly screamed. Then # went away.
 A week passed before I dared look out. About the peep-hUle was massrd quantities of the red weed that the Murtians had broUght-eyideutly Vege- tation on Mars is red. I pushed it aside and gazed out. The garden was deserted.
 I crept into a desolate world. About me was a smashed village. I struggled in through the outskirts of London and not until l reached Wimbledon Com mon did meet a man. He had food and drink and plans for the future, visions of a people living in the great drains until they had science enough to conquer 5hcir conquerors. stayed with him until I had regained my strength and then walked into dead London.
 The metropolis was stilled of all its hurnming life. Here and there were heaps of dead. withered ny Black Smoke: here and there were signs of destruction but 1t was little changed except for the horrible quiet. l was near South KcnSington when l heard the mournGuI bowling. 'ulla, ulla l" Not until the next day did l see the hood of the giant that was making this SObbing wall. He dld not move nor did three others that l saw, stand ing strangely still. Driven by fear, ! resolved to end it all walked toward the Thing nearest me and saw birds circIing about .the hood, tearing at something within.
 I scrambled hastily up a great ram part and below me was the Martlan camp. They were all dead. nearly 30 of them, some in their machines and