The-War-of-the-Worlds.pdf
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1、ProjectGutenbergsTheWaroftheWorlds,byH.G.WellsThiseBookisfortheuseofanyoneanywhereintheUnitedStatesandmostotherpartsoftheworldatnocostandwithalmostnorestrictionswhatsoever.Youmaycopyit,giveitawayorre-useitunderthetermsoftheProjectGutenbergLicenseincludedwiththiseBookoronlineatwww.gutenberg.org.Ifyou
2、arenotlocatedintheUnitedStates,youllhavetocheckthelawsofthecountrywhereyouarelocatedbeforeusingthisebook.Title:TheWaroftheWorldsAuthor:H.G.WellsReleaseDate:July1992EBook#36LastUpdated:September20,2019Language:English*STARTOFTHISPROJECTGUTENBERGEBOOKTHEWAROFTHEWORLDS*The War of the WorldsbyH.G.WellsB
3、utwhoshalldwellintheseworldsiftheybeinhabited?.AreweortheyLordsoftheWorld?.Andhowareallthingsmadeforman?KEPLER(quotedinTheAnatomyofMelancholy)ContentsBOOKONE.THECOMINGOFTHEMARTIANSI.THEEVEOFTHEWAR.II.THEFALLINGSTAR.III.ONHORSELLCOMMON.IV.THECYLINDEROPENS.V.THEHEAT-RAY.VI.THEHEAT-RAYINTHECHOBHAMROAD.
4、VII.HOWIREACHEDHOME.VIII.FRIDAYNIGHT.IX.THEFIGHTINGBEGINS.X.INTHESTORM.XI.ATTHEWINDOW.XII.WHATISAWOFTHEDESTRUCTIONOFWEYBRIDGEANDSHEPPERTON.XIII.HOWIFELLINWITHTHECURATE.XIV.INLONDON.XV.WHATHADHAPPENEDINSURREY.XVI.THEEXODUSFROMLONDON.XVII.THE“THUNDERCHILD”.BOOKTWO.THEEARTHUNDERTHEMARTIANSI.UNDERFOOT.I
5、I.WHATWESAWFROMTHERUINEDHOUSE.III.THEDAYSOFIMPRISONMENT.IV.THEDEATHOFTHECURATE.V.THESTILLNESS.VI.THEWORKOFFIFTEENDAYS.VII.THEMANONPUTNEYHILL.VIII.DEADLONDON.IX.WRECKAGE.X.THEEPILOGUE.BOOKONETHECOMINGOFTHEMARTIANSI.THEEVEOFTHEWAR.Noonewouldhavebelievedinthelastyearsofthenineteenthcenturythatthisworld
6、wasbeingwatchedkeenlyandcloselybyintelligencesgreaterthanmansandyetasmortalashisown;thatasmenbusiedthemselvesabouttheirvariousconcernstheywerescrutinisedandstudied,perhapsalmostasnarrowlyasamanwithamicroscopemightscrutinisethetransientcreaturesthatswarmandmultiplyinadropofwater.Withinfinitecomplacen
7、cymenwenttoandfrooverthisglobeabouttheirlittleaffairs,sereneintheirassuranceoftheirempireovermatter.Itispossiblethattheinfusoriaunderthemicroscopedothesame.Noonegaveathoughttotheolderworldsofspaceassourcesofhumandanger,orthoughtofthemonlytodismisstheideaoflifeuponthemasimpossibleorimprobable.Itiscur
8、ioustorecallsomeofthementalhabitsofthosedeparteddays. At most terrestrial men fancied there might be other men upon Mars,perhapsinferiortothemselvesandreadytowelcomeamissionaryenterprise.Yetacrossthegulfofspace,mindsthataretoourmindsasoursaretothoseofthebeaststhatperish,intellectsvastandcoolandunsym
9、pathetic,regardedthisearthwithenviouseyes,andslowlyandsurelydrewtheirplansagainstus.Andearlyinthetwentiethcenturycamethegreatdisillusionment.TheplanetMars,Iscarcelyneedremindthereader,revolvesaboutthesunatameandistanceof140,000,000miles,andthelightandheatitreceivesfromthesun is barely half of that r
10、eceived by this world. It must be, if the nebularhypothesishasanytruth,olderthanourworld;andlongbeforethisearthceasedtobemolten,lifeuponitssurfacemusthavebegunitscourse.Thefactthatitisscarcelyoneseventhofthevolumeoftheearthmusthaveaccelerateditscoolingtothetemperatureatwhichlifecouldbegin.Ithasairan
11、dwaterandallthatisnecessaryforthesupportofanimatedexistence.Yetsovainisman,andsoblindedbyhisvanity,thatnowriter,uptotheveryendofthenineteenthcentury,expressedanyideathatintelligentlifemighthavedeveloped there far, or indeed at all, beyond its earthly level. Nor was itgenerallyunderstoodthatsinceMars
12、isolderthanourearth,withscarcelyaquarterofthesuperficialareaandremoterfromthesun,itnecessarilyfollowsthatitisnotonlymoredistantfromtimesbeginningbutneareritsend.Thesecularcoolingthatmustsomedayovertakeourplanethasalreadygonefarindeedwithourneighbour.Itsphysicalconditionisstilllargelyamystery,but we
13、know now that even in its equatorial region the midday temperaturebarelyapproachesthatofourcoldestwinter.Itsairismuchmoreattenuatedthanours,itsoceanshaveshrunkuntiltheycoverbutathirdofitssurface,andasitsslow seasons change huge snowcaps gather and melt about either pole andperiodicallyinundateitstem
14、peratezones.Thatlaststageofexhaustion,whichtous is still incredibly remote, has become a present-day problem for theinhabitantsofMars.Theimmediatepressureofnecessityhasbrightenedtheirintellects,enlargedtheirpowers,andhardenedtheirhearts.Andlookingacrossspacewithinstruments,andintelligencessuchasweha
15、vescarcelydreamedof,theysee,atitsnearestdistanceonly35,000,000ofmilessunwardofthem,amorningstarofhope,ourownwarmerplanet,greenwithvegetationandgreywithwater,withacloudyatmosphereeloquentoffertility,withglimpsesthroughitsdriftingcloudwispsofbroadstretchesofpopulouscountryandnarrow,navy-crowdedseas.An
16、dwemen,thecreatureswhoinhabitthisearth,mustbetothematleastasalienandlowlyasarethemonkeysandlemurstous.Theintellectualsideofmanalreadyadmitsthatlifeisanincessantstruggleforexistence,anditwouldseemthatthistooisthebeliefofthemindsuponMars.Theirworldisfargoneinitscoolingandthisworldisstillcrowdedwithlif
17、e,butcrowdedonlywithwhattheyregardasinferioranimals.Tocarrywarfaresunwardis,indeed,theironlyescapefromthedestructionthat,generationaftergeneration,creepsuponthem.Andbeforewejudgeofthemtooharshlywemustrememberwhatruthlessandutterdestructionourownspecieshaswrought,notonlyuponanimals,suchasthevanishedb
18、isonandthedodo,butuponitsinferiorraces.TheTasmanians,inspiteoftheirhumanlikeness,wereentirelysweptoutofexistenceinawarofexterminationwagedbyEuropeanimmigrants,inthespaceoffiftyyears.ArewesuchapostlesofmercyastocomplainiftheMartianswarredinthesamespirit?TheMartiansseemtohavecalculatedtheirdescentwith
19、amazingsubtletytheir mathematical learning is evidently far in excess of oursand to havecarried out their preparations with a well-nigh perfect unanimity. Had ourinstrumentspermittedit,wemighthaveseenthegatheringtroublefarbackinthenineteenthcentury.MenlikeSchiaparelliwatchedtheredplanetitisodd,by-th
20、e-bye,thatforcountlesscenturiesMarshasbeenthestarofwarbutfailedtointerpretthefluctuatingappearancesofthemarkingstheymappedsowell.AllthattimetheMartiansmusthavebeengettingready.Duringtheoppositionof1894agreatlightwasseenontheilluminatedpartofthedisk,firstattheLickObservatory,thenbyPerrotinofNice,andt
21、henbyotherobservers.EnglishreadersheardofitfirstintheissueofNaturedatedAugust2.Iaminclinedtothinkthatthisblazemayhavebeenthecastingofthehugegun,inthevastpitsunkintotheirplanet,fromwhichtheirshotswerefiredatus.Peculiarmarkings,asyetunexplained,wereseennearthesiteofthatoutbreakduringthenexttwooppositi
22、ons.Thestormburstuponussixyearsagonow.AsMarsapproachedopposition,LavelleofJavasetthewiresoftheastronomicalexchangepalpitatingwiththeamazingintelligenceofahugeoutbreakofincandescentgasupontheplanet.Ithadoccurredtowardsmidnightofthetwelfth;andthespectroscope,towhichhehadatonceresorted,indicatedamassof
23、flaminggas,chieflyhydrogen,movingwith an enormous velocity towards this earth. This jet of fire had becomeinvisibleaboutaquarterpasttwelve.Hecomparedittoacolossalpuffofflamesuddenlyandviolentlysquirtedoutoftheplanet,“asflaminggasesrushedoutofagun.”Asingularlyappropriatephraseitproved.Yetthenextdayth
24、erewasnothingofthisinthepapersexceptalittlenoteintheDailyTelegraph,andtheworldwentinignoranceofoneofthegravestdangersthateverthreatenedthehumanrace.ImightnothaveheardoftheeruptionatallhadInotmetOgilvy,thewell-knownastronomer,atOttershaw.Hewasimmenselyexcitedatthenews,andintheexcessofhisfeelingsinvit
25、edmeuptotakeaturnwithhimthatnightinascrutinyoftheredplanet.In spite of all that has happened since, I still remember that vigil verydistinctly: the black and silent observatory, the shadowed lantern throwing afeebleglowuponthefloorinthecorner,thesteadytickingoftheclockworkofthetelescope,thelittlesli
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