Железный человек
The Return of the Iron Man
Hedroveon,fasterandfaster. Andbehindhim,ontheroad,aclangingclatteringboomwentup,asifanironskyscraperhadcollapsed. Theirongiant,withhisfootknockedfromunderhim,hadtoppledover.
AndsoHogarth’sfathergothomesafely.
BUT
Nextmorningallthefarmerswereshoutingwithanger. Whereweretheirtractors?Theirearth-diggers?Theirploughs?Theirharrows? Fromeveryfarmintheregion,allthesteelandironfarmmachineryhadgone. Whereto?Whohadstolenitall?
Therewasaclue. Hereandtherelayhalfawheel,orhalfanaxle,orhalfamudguard,carvedwithgianttoothmarkswhereithadbeenbittenoff. Howhaditbeenbittenoff?Steelbittenoff?
Whathadhappened?
Therewasanotherclue.
Fromfarmtofarm,overthesoftsoilofthefields,wentgiantfootprints,eachonethesizeofasinglebed.
Thefarmers,inafrightened,silent,amazedcrowd,followedthefootprints. Andateveryfarmthefootprintsvisited,allthemetalmachineryhaddisappeared.
Finally,thefootprintsledbackuptothetopofthecliff,wherethelittleboyhadseentheIronManappearthenightbefore,whenhewasfishing. Thefootprintsledrighttothecliff-top.
Andallthewaydownthecliffweretornmarksontherocks,whereahugeironbodyhadsliddown. Below,thetidewasin.Thegrey,empty,movingtide. TheIronManhadgonebackintothesea.
SO
Thefuriousfarmersbegantoshout. TheIronManhadstolenalltheirmachinery.Hadheeatenit? Anyway,hehadtakenit.Ithadgone.
