Война миров
The Work of Fifteen Days
Thefrondsbecamebleached,andthenshrivelledandbrittle. Theybrokeoffattheleasttouch,andthewatersthathadstimulatedtheirearlygrowthcarriedtheirlastvestigesouttosea.
Myfirstactoncomingtothiswaterwas,ofcourse,toslakemythirst. Idrankagreatdealofitand,movedbyanimpulse,gnawedsomefrondsofredweed;buttheywerewatery,andhadasickly,metallictaste. Ifoundthewaterwassufficientlyshallowformetowadesecurely,althoughtheredweedimpededmyfeetalittle; butthefloodevidentlygotdeepertowardstheriver,andIturnedbacktoMortlake. Imanagedtomakeouttheroadbymeansofoccasionalruinsofitsvillasandfencesandlamps,andsopresentlyIgotoutofthisspateandmademywaytothehillgoinguptowardsRoehamptonandcameoutonPutneyCommon.
Herethescenerychangedfromthestrangeandunfamiliartothewreckageofthefamiliar: patchesofgroundexhibitedthedevastationofacyclone,andinafewscoreyardsIwouldcomeuponperfectlyundisturbedspaces,houseswiththeirblindstrimlydrawnanddoorsclosed,asiftheyhadbeenleftforadaybytheowners,orasiftheirinhabitantssleptwithin. Theredweedwaslessabundant; thetalltreesalongthelanewerefreefromtheredcreeper. Ihuntedforfoodamongthetrees,findingnothing,andIalsoraidedacoupleofsilenthouses,buttheyhadalreadybeenbrokenintoandransacked. Irestedfortheremainderofthedaylightinashrubbery,being,inmyenfeebledcondition,toofatiguedtopushon.
AllthistimeIsawnohumanbeings,andnosignsoftheMartians. Iencounteredacoupleofhungry-lookingdogs,butbothhurriedcircuitouslyawayfromtheadvancesImadethem.
