Война миров
The Epilogue
TheresultsofananatomicalexaminationoftheMartians,sofarastheprowlingdogshadleftsuchanexaminationpossible,Ihavealreadygiven. ButeveryoneisfamiliarwiththemagnificentandalmostcompletespecimeninspiritsattheNaturalHistoryMuseum,andthecountlessdrawingsthathavebeenmadefromit; andbeyondthattheinterestoftheirphysiologyandstructureispurelyscientific.
AquestionofgraveranduniversalinterestisthepossibilityofanotherattackfromtheMartians. Idonotthinkthatnearlyenoughattentionisbeinggiventothisaspectofthematter. AtpresenttheplanetMarsisinconjunction,butwitheveryreturntooppositionI,forone,anticipatearenewaloftheiradventure. Inanycase,weshouldbeprepared. Itseemstomethatitshouldbepossibletodefinethepositionofthegunfromwhichtheshotsaredischarged,tokeepasustainedwatchuponthispartoftheplanet,andtoanticipatethearrivalofthenextattack.
InthatcasethecylindermightbedestroyedwithdynamiteorartillerybeforeitwassufficientlycoolfortheMartianstoemerge,ortheymightbebutcheredbymeansofgunssosoonasthescrewopened. Itseemstomethattheyhavelostavastadvantageinthefailureoftheirfirstsurprise. Possiblytheyseeitinthesamelight.
LessinghasadvancedexcellentreasonsforsupposingthattheMartianshaveactuallysucceededineffectingalandingontheplanetVenus. Sevenmonthsagonow,VenusandMarswereinalignmentwiththesun; thatistosay,MarswasinoppositionfromthepointofviewofanobserveronVenus. Subsequentlyapeculiarluminousandsinuousmarkingappearedontheunilluminedhalfoftheinnerplanet,andalmostsimultaneouslyafaintdarkmarkofasimilarsinuouscharacterwasdetecteduponaphotographoftheMartiandisk.
