Война миров
The Heat-Ray
Thislittlegrouphadinitsadvancedraggedinward,sotospeak,thecircumferenceofthenowalmostcompletecircleofpeople,andanumberofdimblackfiguresfolloweditatdiscreetdistances.
Suddenlytherewasaflashoflight,andaquantityofluminousgreenishsmokecameoutofthepitinthreedistinctpuffs,whichdroveup,oneaftertheother,straightintothestillair.
Thissmoke(orflame,perhaps,wouldbethebetterwordforit)wassobrightthatthedeepblueskyoverheadandthehazystretchesofbrowncommontowardsChertsey,setwithblackpinetrees,seemedtodarkenabruptlyasthesepuffsarose,andtoremainthedarkeraftertheirdispersal. Atthesametimeafainthissingsoundbecameaudible.
Beyondthepitstoodthelittlewedgeofpeoplewiththewhiteflagatitsapex,arrestedbythesephenomena,alittleknotofsmallverticalblackshapesupontheblackground. Asthegreensmokearose,theirfacesflashedoutpallidgreen,andfadedagainasitvanished. Thenslowlythehissingpassedintoahumming,intoalong,loud,droningnoise. Slowlyahumpedshaperoseoutofthepit,andtheghostofabeamoflightseemedtoflickeroutfromit.
Forthwithflashesofactualflame,abrightglareleapingfromonetoanother,sprangfromthescatteredgroupofmen. Itwasasifsomeinvisiblejetimpingeduponthemandflashedintowhiteflame. Itwasasifeachmanweresuddenlyandmomentarilyturnedtofire.
Then,bythelightoftheirowndestruction,Isawthemstaggeringandfalling,andtheirsupportersturningtorun.
