eloquent of indecision. I had the moral advantage of a mad bull in a

street. But for all that, there seemed a tremendous crowd of them. Very

probably there was. Those Selenites down the cleft had certainly some

infernally long spears. It might be they had other surprises for us....

But, confound it! if we charged up the cave we should let them up behind

us, and if we didn't those little brutes up the cave would probably get

reinforced. Heaven alone knew what tremendous engines of warfare--guns,

bombs, terrestrial torpedoes--this unknown world below our feet, this

vaster world of which we had only pricked the outer cuticle, might not

presently send up to our destruction. It became clear the only thing to do

was to charge! It became clearer as the legs of a number of fresh

Selenites appeared running down the cavern towards us.

Bedford!" cried Cavor, and behold! he was halfway between me and the

grating.

Go back!" I cried. "What are you doing--"

They've got--it's like a gun!"

And struggling in the grating between those defensive spears appeared the

head and shoulders of a singularly lean and angular Selenite, bearing some

complicated apparatus.

I realised Cavor's utter incapacity for the fight we had in hand. For a

moment I hesitated. Then I rushed past him whirling my crowbars, and

184

The First Men In The Moon