День триффидов
The Coming of the Triffids
Asaruletheywereinaccurateaboveabouttwelveyards,thoughcapableofslicingatriffidsternneatlyattwenty-fiveiftheyhitit.Theirinventionpleasedboththeauthorities—whohadanalmostunanimousdistastefortheindiscriminatetotingofrifles—andtheusers,whofoundthemissilesofrazor-bladesteelfatcheaperandlighterthancartridges,andadmirablyadaptabletosilentbanditry.
Elsewhere,immenseresearchintothenature,habits,andconstitutionofthetriffidwenton.Earnestexperimenterssetouttodetermine,intheinterestsofscience,howfarandforhowlongitcouldwalk;whetheritcouldbesaidtohaveafront,orcouldperformitsmarchinanydirectionwithequalclumsiness;whatproportionofitsrimeitmustspendwithitsrootsintheground;whatreactionsitshowedtothepresenceofvariouschemicalsinthesoil;andavastquantityofotherquestions,bothusefulanduseless.
Thelargestspecimeneverobservedinthetropicsstoodnearlytenfeethigh.NoEuropeanspecimenovereightfeethadbeenseen,andtheaveragewaslittleoverseven.Theyappearedtoadapteasilytoawiderangeofclimateandsoils.Theyhad,itseemed,nonaturalenemies—otherthanman.
Buttherewereanumberofnotunobviouscharacteristicswhichescapedcommentforsomelittletime.Itwas,forinstance,quiteawhilebeforeanyonedrewattentiontotheuncannyaccuracywithwhichtheyaimedtheirstings,andthattheyalmostinvariablystruckforthehead.Nordidanyoneatfirsttakenoticeoftheirhabitoflurkingneartheirfallenvictims.
