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ForsometimeIstoodtotteringonthemoundregardlessofmysafety.
WithinthatnoisomedenfromwhichIhademergedIhadthoughtwithanarrowintensityonlyofourimmediatesecurity.
Ihadnotrealisedwhathadbeenhappeningtotheworld,hadnotanticipatedthisstartlingvisionofunfamiliarthings.
IhadexpectedtoseeSheeninruins—Ifoundaboutmethelandscape,weirdandlurid,ofanotherplanet.
ForthatmomentItouchedanemotionbeyondthecommonrangeofmen,yetonethatthepoorbruteswedominateknowonlytoowell.
Ifeltasarabbitmightfeelreturningtohisburrowandsuddenlyconfrontedbytheworkofadozenbusynavviesdiggingthefoundationsofahouse.
Ifeltthefirstinklingofathingthatpresentlygrewquiteclearinmymind,thatoppressedmeformanydays,asenseofdethronement,apersuasionthatIwasnolongeramaster,butananimalamongtheanimals,undertheMartianheel.
Withusitwouldbeaswiththem,tolurkandwatch,torunandhide;thefearandempireofmanhadpassedaway.
Butsosoonasthisstrangenesshadbeenrealiseditpassed,andmydominantmotivebecamethehungerofmylonganddismalfast.
InthedirectionawayfromthepitIsaw,beyondared–coveredwall,apatchofgardengroundunburied.
Thisgavemeahint,andIwentknee–deep,andsometimesneck–deep,intheredweed.
Thedensityoftheweedgavemeareassuringsenseofhiding.
Thewallwassomesixfeethigh,andwhenIattemptedtoclamberitIfoundIcouldnotliftmyfeettothecrest.
SoIwentalongbythesideofit,andcametoacornerandarockworkthatenabledmetogettothetop,andtumbleintothegardenIcoveted.
HereIfoundsomeyoungonions,acoupleofgladiolusbulbs,andaquantityofimmaturecarrots,allofwhichIsecured,and,scramblingoveraruinedwall,wentonmywaythroughscarletandcrimsontreestowardsKew—itwaslikewalkingthroughanavenueofgiganticblooddrops—possessedwithtwoideas:togetmorefood,andtolimp,assoonandasfarasmystrengthpermitted,outofthisaccursedunearthlyregionofthepit.
Somewayfarther,inagrassyplace,wasagroupofmushroomswhichalsoIdevoured,andthenIcameuponabrownsheetofflowingshallowwater,wheremeadowsusedtobe.
Thesefragmentsofnourishmentservedonlytowhetmyhunger.
AtfirstIwassurprisedatthisfloodinahot,drysummer,butafterwardsIdiscoveredthatitwascausedbythetropicalexuberanceoftheredweed.
Directlythisextraordinarygrowthencounteredwateritstraightwaybecamegiganticandofunparalleledfecundity.
ItsseedsweresimplypoureddownintothewateroftheWeyandThames,anditsswiftlygrowingandTitanicwaterfrondsspeedilychokedboththoserivers.
AtPutney,asIafterwardssaw,thebridgewasalmostlostinatangleofthisweed,andatRichmond,too,theThameswaterpouredinabroadandshallowstreamacrossthemeadowsofHamptonandTwickenham.
Asthewaterspreadtheweedfollowedthem,untiltheruinedvillasoftheThamesvalleywereforatimelostinthisredswamp,whosemarginIexplored,andmuchofthedesolationtheMartianshadcausedwasconcealed.
Intheendtheredweedsuccumbedalmostasquicklyasithadspread.
Acankeringdisease,due,itisbelieved,totheactionofcertainbacteria,presentlyseizeduponit.
Nowbytheactionofnaturalselection,allterrestrialplantshaveacquiredaresistingpoweragainstbacterialdiseases—theyneversuccumbwithoutaseverestruggle,buttheredweedrottedlikeathingalreadydead.
Thefrondsbecamebleached,andthenshrivelledandbrittle.
Theybrokeoffattheleasttouch,andthewatersthathadstimulatedtheirearlygrowthcarriedtheirlastvestigesouttosea.
Myfirstactoncomingtothiswaterwas,ofcourse,toslakemythirst.
Idrankagreatdealofitand,movedbyanimpulse,gnawedsomefrondsofredweed;buttheywerewatery,andhadasickly,metallictaste.
Ifoundthewaterwassufficientlyshallowformetowadesecurely,althoughtheredweedimpededmyfeetalittle;butthefloodevidentlygotdeepertowardstheriver,andIturnedbacktoMortlake.
Imanagedtomakeouttheroadbymeansofoccasionalruinsofitsvillasandfencesandlamps,andsopresentlyIgotoutofthisspateandmademywaytothehillgoinguptowardsRoehamptonandcameoutonPutneyCommon.
Herethescenerychangedfromthestrangeandunfamiliartothewreckageofthefamiliar:patchesofgroundexhibitedthedevastationofacyclone,andinafewscoreyardsIwouldcomeuponperfectlyundisturbedspaces,houseswiththeirblindstrimlydrawnanddoorsclosed,asiftheyhadbeenleftforadaybytheowners,orasiftheirinhabitantssleptwithin.
Theredweedwaslessabundant;thetalltreesalongthelanewerefreefromtheredcreeper.
Ihuntedforfoodamongthetrees,findingnothing,andIalsoraidedacoupleofsilenthouses,buttheyhadalreadybeenbrokenintoandransacked.
Irestedfortheremainderofthedaylightinashrubbery,being,inmyenfeebledcondition,toofatiguedtopushon.
AllthistimeIsawnohumanbeings,andnosignsoftheMartians.
Iencounteredacoupleofhungry–lookingdogs,butbothhurriedcircuitouslyawayfromtheadvancesImadethem.
NearRoehamptonIhadseentwohumanskeletons—notbodies,butskeletons,pickedclean—andinthewoodbymeIfoundthecrushedandscatteredbonesofseveralcatsandrabbitsandtheskullofasheep.
ButthoughIgnawedpartsoftheseinmymouth,therewasnothingtobegotfromthem.
AftersunsetIstruggledonalongtheroadtowardsPutney,whereIthinktheHeat–Raymusthavebeenusedforsomereason.
AndinthegardenbeyondRoehamptonIgotaquantityofimmaturepotatoes,sufficienttostaymyhunger.
FromthisgardenonelookeddownuponPutneyandtheriver.
Theaspectoftheplaceintheduskwassingularlydesolate:blackenedtrees,blackened,desolateruins,anddownthehillthesheetsofthefloodedriver,red–tingedwiththeweed.Andoverall—silence.
Itfilledmewithindescribableterrortothinkhowswiftlythatdesolatingchangehadcome.
ForatimeIbelievedthatmankindhadbeensweptoutofexistence,andthatIstoodtherealone,thelastmanleftalive.
HardbythetopofPutneyHillIcameuponanotherskeleton,withthearmsdislocatedandremovedseveralyardsfromtherestofthebody.
AsIproceededIbecamemoreandmoreconvincedthattheexterminationofmankindwas,saveforsuchstragglersasmyself,alreadyaccomplishedinthispartoftheworld.
TheMartians,Ithought,hadgoneonandleftthecountrydesolated,seekingfoodelsewhere.
PerhapsevennowtheyweredestroyingBerlinorParis,oritmightbetheyhadgonenorthward.
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