Sola and I had entered a building upon the front of the city, in fact, the same one in which I had had my encounter with the apes, and, wishing to see what had caused the sudden retreat, I mounted to an upper floor and peered from the window out over the valley and the hills beyond; and there I saw the cause of their sudden scurrying8 to cover. A huge craft, long, low, and gray-painted, swung slowly over the crest9 of the nearest hill. Following it came another, and another, and another, until twenty of them, swinging low above the ground, sailed slowly and majestically10 toward us.
Each carried a strange banner swung from stem to stern above the upper works, and upon the prow11 of each was painted some odd device that gleamed in the sunlight and showed plainly even at the distance at which we were from the vessels13. I could see figures crowding the forward decks and upper works of the air craft. Whether they had discovered us or simply were looking at the deserted14 city I could not say, but in any event they received a rude reception, for suddenly and without warning the green Martian warriors fired a terrific volley from the windows of the buildings facing the little valley across which the great ships were so peacefully advancing.
Instantly the scene changed as by magic; the foremost vessel12 swung broadside toward us, and bringing her guns into play returned our fire, at the same time moving parallel to our front for a short distance and then turning back with the evident intention of completing a great circle which would bring her up to position once more opposite our firing line; the other vessels followed in her wake, each one opening upon us as she swung into position. Our own fire never diminished, and I doubt if twenty-five per cent of our shots went wild. It had never been given me to see such deadly accuracy of aim, and it seemed as though a little figure on one of the craft dropped at the explosion of each bullet, while the banners and upper works dissolved in spurts16 of flame as the irresistible17 projectiles18 of our warriors mowed19 through them.
The fire from the vessels was most ineffectual, owing, as I afterward20 learned, to the unexpected suddenness of the first volley, which caught the ship's crews entirely21 unprepared and the sighting apparatus22 of the guns unprotected from the deadly aim of our warriors.
It seems that each green warrior6 has certain objective points for his fire under relatively23 identical circumstances of warfare24. For example, a proportion of them, always the best marksmen, direct their fire entirely upon the wireless25 finding and sighting apparatus of the big guns of an attacking naval26 force; another detail attends to the smaller guns in the same way; others pick off the gunners; still others the officers; while certain other quotas27 concentrate their attention upon the other members of the crew, upon the upper works, and upon the steering28 gear and propellers29.
Twenty minutes after the first volley the great fleet swung trailing off in the direction from which it had first appeared. Several of the craft were limping perceptibly, and seemed but barely under the control of their depleted30 crews. Their fire had ceased entirely and all their energies seemed focused upon escape. Our warriors then rushed up to the roofs of the buildings which we occupied and followed the retreating armada with a continuous fusillade of deadly fire.
One by one, however, the ships managed to dip below the crests31 of the outlying hills until only one barely moving craft was in sight. This had received the brunt of our fire and seemed to be entirely unmanned, as not a moving figure was visible upon her decks. Slowly she swung from her course, circling back toward us in an erratic32 and pitiful manner. Instantly the warriors ceased firing, for it was quite apparent that the vessel was entirely helpless, and, far from being in a position to inflict33 harm upon us, she could not even control herself sufficiently34 to escape.
As she neared the city the warriors rushed out upon the plain to meet her, but it was evident that she still was too high for them to hope to reach her decks. From my vantage point in the window I could see the bodies of her crew strewn about, although I could not make out what manner of creatures they might be. Not a sign of life was manifest upon her as she drifted slowly with the light breeze in a southeasterly direction.
She was drifting some fifty feet above the ground, followed by all but some hundred of the warriors who had been ordered back to the roofs to cover the possibility of a return of the fleet, or of reinforcements. It soon became evident that she would strike the face of the buildings about a mile south of our position, and as I watched the progress of the chase I saw a number of warriors gallop35 ahead, dismount and enter the building she seemed destined36 to touch.
As the craft neared the building, and just before she struck, the Martian warriors swarmed37 upon her from the windows, and with their great spears eased the shock of the collision, and in a few moments they had thrown out grappling hooks and the big boat was being hauled to ground by their fellows below.
After making her fast, they swarmed the sides and searched the vessel from stem to stern. I could see them examining the dead sailors, evidently for signs of life, and presently a party of them appeared from below dragging a little figure among them. The creature was considerably38 less than half as tall as the green Martian warriors, and from my balcony I could see that it walked erect39 upon two legs and surmised40 that it was some new and strange Martian monstrosity with which I had not as yet become acquainted.
They removed their prisoner to the ground and then commenced a systematic41 rifling of the vessel. This operation required several hours, during which time a number of the chariots were requisitioned to transport the loot, which consisted in arms, ammunition42, silks, furs, jewels, strangely carved stone vessels, and a quantity of solid foods and liquids, including many casks of water, the first I had seen since my advent43 upon Mars.
After the last load had been removed the warriors made lines fast to the craft and towed her far out into the valley in a southwesterly direction. A few of them then boarded her and were busily engaged in what appeared, from my distant position, as the emptying of the contents of various carboys upon the dead bodies of the sailors and over the decks and works of the vessel.
This operation concluded, they hastily clambered over her sides, sliding down the guy ropes to the ground. The last warrior to leave the deck turned and threw something back upon the vessel, waiting an instant to note the outcome of his act. As a faint spurt15 of flame rose from the point where the missile struck he swung over the side and was quickly upon the ground. Scarcely had he alighted than the guy ropes were simultaneously44 released, and the great warship45, lightened by the removal of the loot, soared majestically into the air, her decks and upper works a mass of roaring flames.
Slowly she drifted to the southeast, rising higher and higher as the flames ate away her wooden parts and diminished the weight upon her. Ascending46 to the roof of the building I watched her for hours, until finally she was lost in the dim vistas47 of the distance. The sight was awe-inspiring in the extreme as one contemplated48 this mighty49 floating funeral pyre, drifting unguided and unmanned through the lonely wastes of the Martian heavens; a derelict of death and destruction, typifying the life story of these strange and ferocious50 creatures into whose unfriendly hands fate had carried it.
Much depressed51, and, to me, unaccountably so, I slowly descended52 to the street. The scene I had witnessed seemed to mark the defeat and annihilation of the forces of a kindred people, rather than the routing by our green warriors of a horde53 of similar, though unfriendly, creatures. I could not fathom54 the seeming hallucination, nor could I free myself from it; but somewhere in the innermost recesses55 of my soul I felt a strange yearning56 toward these unknown foemen, and a mighty hope surged through me that the fleet would return and demand a reckoning from the green warriors who had so ruthlessly and wantonly attacked it.
Close at my heel, in his now accustomed place, followed Woola, the hound, and as I emerged upon the street Sola rushed up to me as though I had been the object of some search on her part. The cavalcade was returning to the plaza57, the homeward march having been given up for that day; nor, in fact, was it recommenced for more than a week, owing to the fear of a return attack by the air craft.
Lorquas Ptomel was too astute58 an old warrior to be caught upon the open plains with a caravan59 of chariots and children, and so we remained at the deserted city until the danger seemed passed.
As Sola and I entered the plaza a sight met my eyes which filled my whole being with a great surge of mingled60 hope, fear, exultation61, and depression, and yet most dominant62 was a subtle sense of relief and happiness; for just as we neared the throng63 of Martians I caught a glimpse of the prisoner from the battle craft who was being roughly dragged into a nearby building by a couple of green Martian females.
And the sight which met my eyes was that of a slender, girlish figure, similar in every detail to the earthly women of my past life. She did not see me at first, but just as she was disappearing through the portal of the building which was to be her prison she turned, and her eyes met mine. Her face was oval and beautiful in the extreme, her every feature was finely chiseled64 and exquisite65, her eyes large and lustrous66 and her head surmounted67 by a mass of coal black, waving hair, caught loosely into a strange yet becoming coiffure. Her skin was of a light reddish copper68 color, against which the crimson69 glow of her cheeks and the ruby70 of her beautifully molded lips shone with a strangely enhancing effect.
She was as destitute71 of clothes as the green Martians who accompanied her; indeed, save for her highly wrought72 ornaments73 she was entirely naked, nor could any apparel have enhanced the beauty of her perfect and symmetrical figure.
As her gaze rested on me her eyes opened wide in astonishment74, and she made a little sign with her free hand; a sign which I did not, of course, understand. Just a moment we gazed upon each other, and then the look of hope and renewed courage which had glorified75 her face as she discovered me, faded into one of utter dejection, mingled with loathing76 and contempt. I realized I had not answered her signal, and ignorant as I was of Martian customs, I intuitively felt that she had made an appeal for succor77 and protection which my unfortunate ignorance had prevented me from answering. And then she was dragged out of my sight into the depths of the deserted edifice78.
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1
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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4
doorways
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| n.门口，门道( doorway的名词复数 ) | |
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5
cavalcade
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| n.车队等的行列 | |
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warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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8
scurrying
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| v.急匆匆地走( scurry的现在分词 ) | |
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crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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10
majestically
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| 雄伟地； 庄重地； 威严地； 崇高地 | |
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11
prow
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| n.(飞机)机头，船头 | |
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12
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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14
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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15
spurt
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| v.喷出；突然进发；突然兴隆 | |
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16
spurts
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| 短暂而突然的活动或努力( spurt的名词复数 )； 突然奋起 | |
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17
irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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18
projectiles
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| n.抛射体( projectile的名词复数 )；（炮弹、子弹等）射弹，（火箭等）自动推进的武器 | |
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19
mowed
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| v.刈，割( mow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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20
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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21
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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22
apparatus
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| n.装置，器械；器具，设备 | |
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23
relatively
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| adv.比较...地，相对地 | |
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24
warfare
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| n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突 | |
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25
wireless
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| adj.无线的；n.无线电 | |
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26
naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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27
quotas
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| （正式限定的）定量( quota的名词复数 )； 定额； 指标； 摊派 | |
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28
steering
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| n.操舵装置 | |
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29
propellers
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| n.螺旋桨，推进器( propeller的名词复数 ) | |
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30
depleted
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| adj. 枯竭的, 废弃的 动词deplete的过去式和过去分词 | |
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31
crests
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| v.到达山顶（或浪峰）( crest的第三人称单数 )；到达洪峰，达到顶点 | |
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32
erratic
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| adj.古怪的，反复无常的，不稳定的 | |
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33
inflict
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| vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担 | |
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34
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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35
gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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36
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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37
swarmed
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| 密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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38
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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39
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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40
surmised
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| v.臆测，推断( surmise的过去式和过去分词 )；揣测；猜想 | |
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41
systematic
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| adj.有系统的，有计划的，有方法的 | |
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42
ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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43
advent
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| n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临 | |
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44
simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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45
warship
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| n.军舰，战舰 | |
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46
ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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47
vistas
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| 长条形景色( vista的名词复数 )； 回顾； 展望； （未来可能发生的）一系列情景 | |
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48
contemplated
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| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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49
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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50
ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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51
depressed
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| adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的 | |
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52
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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53
horde
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| n.群众，一大群 | |
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54
fathom
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| v.领悟，彻底了解 | |
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55
recesses
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| n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭 | |
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56
yearning
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| a.渴望的；向往的；怀念的 | |
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57
plaza
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| n.广场，市场 | |
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58
astute
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| adj.机敏的，精明的 | |
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59
caravan
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| n.大蓬车；活动房屋 | |
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60
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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61
exultation
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| n.狂喜，得意 | |
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62
dominant
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| adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因 | |
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63
throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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64
chiseled
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| adj.凿刻的，轮廓分明的v.凿，雕，镌( chisel的过去式 ) | |
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65
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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66
lustrous
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| adj.有光泽的；光辉的 | |
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67
surmounted
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| 战胜( surmount的过去式和过去分词 )； 克服（困难）； 居于…之上； 在…顶上 | |
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68
copper
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| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
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69
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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70
ruby
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| n.红宝石，红宝石色 | |
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71
destitute
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| adj.缺乏的；穷困的 | |
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72
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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73
ornaments
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| n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 ) | |
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74
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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75
glorified
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| 美其名的，变荣耀的 | |
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76
loathing
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| n.厌恶，憎恨v.憎恨，厌恶( loathe的现在分词)；极不喜欢 | |
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77
succor
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| n.援助，帮助；v.给予帮助 | |
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78
edifice
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| n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿，教室) | |
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