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peer at London from the steeple of St. Martin's Church for stretches, at
longest, of four minutes at a time. Mr. Cave was unable to ascertain if
the winged Martians were the same as the Martians who hopped about the
causeways and terraces, and if the latter could put on wings at will. He
several times saw certain clumsy bipeds, dimly suggestive of apes, white
and partially translucent, feeding among certain of the lichenous trees,
and once some of these fled before one of the hopping, round-headed
Martians. The latter caught one in its tentacles, and then the picture
faded suddenly and left Mr. Cave most tantalisingly in the dark. On
another occasion a vast thing, that Mr. Cave thought at first was some
gigantic insect, appeared advancing along the causeway beside the canal
with extraordinary rapidity. As this drew nearer Mr. Cave perceived that
it was a mechanism of shining metals and of extraordinary complexity.
And then, when he looked again, it had passed out of sight.
After a time Mr. Wace aspired to attract the attention of the Martians,
and the next time that the strange eyes of one of them appeared close to
the crystal Mr. Cave cried out and sprang away, and they immediately
turned on the light and began to gesticulate in a manner suggestive of
signalling. But when at last Mr. Cave examined the crystal again the
Martian had departed.
Thus far these observations had progressed in early November, and then
Mr. Cave, feeling that the suspicions of his family about the crystal
were allayed, began to take it to and fro with him in order that, as
occasion arose in the daytime or night, he might comfort himself with
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