The War of the Worlds

ALLIN

seen it, and taken it for an ordinary falling star. Albin described it as leaving a greenish streak behind it that glowed for some seconds. Denning, our greatest authority on

l things that ever came to earth from outer space must have fallen while I was sitting there, visible to me had I only looked up as it passed. Some of those who saw its flight say it travelled with a hissing sound. I myself heard

early with the idea of finding it. Find it he did, soon after dawn, and not far from the sand pits. An enormous hole had been made by the impact of the projectile, and the sand and grave

ed by a thick scaly dun-coloured incrustation. It had a diameter of about thirty yards. He approached the mass, surprised at the size and more so at the shape, since most meteorites are rounded more or less completely. It was, however

g even then some evidence of design in its arrival. The early morning was wonderfully still, and the sun, just clearing the pine trees towards Weybridge, was already warm. He did not rem

meteorite, was falling off the circular edge of the end. It was dropping off in flakes and raining down upon

e pit close to the bulk to see the Thing more clearly. He fancied even then that the cooling of the body might acc

at had been near him five minutes ago was now at the other side of the circumference. Even then he scarcely understood what this indicated, until he heard a muffled grating sound and saw the blac

e's a man in it--men in it! Half r

al leap, he linked the Thi

set off running wildly into Woking. The time then must have been somewhere about six o'clock. He met a waggoner and tried to make him understand, but the tale he told and his appearance were so wild--his hat had fallen off in the pit--that the man simply drove on. He was equally unsuccessful with the potman who was

d, "you saw that shoo

said H

n Horsell C

nderson. "Fallen met

te. It's a cylinder--an artificial cyli

up with his sp

he said. He was

oad. The two men hurried back at once to the common, and found the cylinder still lying in the same position. But now the sounds inside had ceased, and a t

stick, and, meeting with no response, they both conc

and, excited and disordered, running up the little street in the bright sunlight just as the shop folks were taking down their shutters and people were opening their bedroom wi

at was the form the story took. I heard of it first from my newspaper boy about a quarter to nine when I went out to get my