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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..71d5be4 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #64797 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/64797) diff --git a/old/64797-0.txt b/old/64797-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 8f325da..0000000 --- a/old/64797-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1252 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Oversight, by Miles J. Breuer - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Oversight - -Author: Miles J. Breuer - -Release Date: March 12, 2021 [eBook #64797] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE OVERSIGHT *** - - - - - THE OVERSIGHT - - by MILES J. BREUER - - _Time Accomplishes Progress On Earth._ - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Comet December 40. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -John C. Hastings, senior medical student in the Nebraska State -University Medical School at Omaha, looked out of the window of the -Packard sedan he was driving down the road along the top of the bluff, -and out in the middle of the Missouri River he saw a Roman galley, -sweeping down midstream with three tiers of huge oars. - -A pang of alarm shot through him. The study of medicine is a terrible -grind; he had been working hard. In a recent psychiatry class they -had touched upon hysterical delusions and illusions. Was his mind -slipping? Or was this some sort of optical delusion? He had stolen away -from Omaha with Celestine Newbury to enjoy the green and open freshness -of the country like a couple of stifled city folks. Perhaps the nearest -he had come to foolishness had been when the stars had looked like her -eyes and he had pointed out Mars and talked of flying with her to visit -that mysterious red planet. - -"Do you see it too?" he gasped at Celestine. - -She saw it, too, and heard the creak of oars and the thumping of -a drum; there floated up to them a hoarse chant, rhythmic but not -musical, broken into by rough voices that might have been cursing. - -It was a clumsy vessel, built of heavy timbers, with a high-beaked -prow. There was a short mast and a red-and-yellow sail that bulged in -the breeze. The long oars looked tremendously heavy and unwieldy, and -swung in long, slow strokes, swirling up the muddy water and throwing -up a yellow bow-wave. The decks were crowded with men, from whom came -the gleam of metal shields, swords, and helmets. - -"Some advertising scheme I suppose," muttered John cynically. - -"Or some traveling show, trying to be original," Celestine suggested. - -But the thing looked too grim and clumsy for either of these things. -There was a total lack of modern touch about it. Nor was there a -word or sign of advertising anywhere on it. They stopped the car and -watched. As it slowly drew nearer they could see that the men were -coarse, rowdy, specimens; and that the straining of human muscles at -the oars was too real to be any kind of play. - -Then there were shots below them. Someone at the foot of the bluff was -blazing away steadily at the galley. On board the latter, a commotion -arose. Men fell. Then voices out on the road in front of them became -more pressing than either of these things. - -"A young fellow and a girl," someone said; "big, fast car. Omaha -license number. They'll do." - -"Hey!" a voice hailed them. - -In front, on the road, were a dozen men. Some were farmers, some were -Indians. One or two might have been bank clerks or insurance salesmen. -All were heavily armed, with shotguns, rifles, and pistols. They looked -haggard and sullen. - -"Take us to Rosalie, and then beat it for Omaha and tell them what you -saw," one of the men ordered gruffly. "The newspapers and the commander -at Fort Crook." - -This was strange on a peaceful country road, but John could see no -other course than to comply with their request. He turned the car back -to Rosalie, the Indian Reservation town, and the men were crowded -within it and hung all over the outside. Even the powerful Packard -found it a heavy burden. In the direction of Rosalie, the strangest -sight of all awaited them. - -Before they saw the town, they found a huge wall stretching across the -road. Beyond it rose blunt shapes, the tops of vast low buildings. What -a tremendous amount of building! the thought struck John at once. For, -they had driven this way just three days before, and there had been -no sign of it; only the wide green fields and the slumbering little -village. - -The armed men became excited and furious when they saw the wall. They -broke out into exclamations which were half imprecations and half -explanatory. - -"They put these things down on our land. Ruined our farms. God knows -what's become of the town. Squeezed us out. Must be a good many dead. -We have telephoned Lincoln and Washington, but they are slow. They -can't wake up. Maybe they don't believe us." There were curses. - -John could see great numbers of armed men gathering from all -directions. There was no order or discipline about them, except the -one uniting cause of their fury against this huge thing that had so -suddenly arisen. Far in the distance, countless little groups were -emerging from behind trees and around bends in the road or driving -up in cars; and nearby there were hundreds more arriving with every -conceivable firearm. The last man in the countryside must have been -aroused. - -The men climbed out of John's car and repeated their order that he -drive to Omaha and tell what he saw. - -A ragged skirmish line was closing in rapidly toward the big gray -wall, that stretched for a mile from north to south. Along the top of -it, after the manner of sentries, paced little dark figures. John and -Celestine were amazed to see that they, too, were Roman soldiers. The -sunlight glinted from their armor; the plumes on their helmets stood -out against the sky; their shield and short swords were picturesque, -but, against the rifles below, out of place. - -There came a shot, and another from the approaching attackers, and a -figure on top of the wall toppled and fell sprawling to its foot and -lay still on the ground. Hoarse shouts arose. A dense knot of Roman -soldiers gathered on top of the wall. A fusillade of shots broke out -from below, men running frantically to get within close range. The -group on the wall melted away, many crashing down on the outside, and -a heap remaining on top. The wall was completely deserted. The wind -wafted a sulphurous odor to the nostrils of the two young people in the -Packard. - -Then followed a horrible spectacle. John, hardened to gruesome sights -in the course of his medical work, came away from it trembling, -wondering how Celestine would react. - -A huge gate swung wide in the wall, and a massed army of Roman soldiers -marched out. Bare thighs and bronze greaves, and strips of armor over -their shoulders, plumed helmets, small, heavy shields; one company -with short swords, the next with long spears; one solid company after -another poured out of the gates and marched forth against their -attackers. - -The Farmers and Indians and other dispossessed citizens opened fire on -the massed troops with deadly effect. Soldiers fell by the hundreds; -huge gaps appeared in the ranks; whole companies were wiped out. But, -with precise and steady discipline, others marched in their places. -Blood soaked the ground and smeared the trees and shrubbery. Piles -of dead were heaped up in long windrows, with twitching and crawling -places in them. New ranks climbed over them and marched into the blaze -of lead, only to fall and be replaced by others. The peaceful Nebraska -prairie was strewn with thousands of armed corpses. - -Terror gripped the hearts of the couple in the Packard. The firing -began to halt. It became scattered here and there as ammunition became -scarce. As the troops poured out in unlimited numbers, men in overalls, -sweaters, and collars and shirt sleeves began to retreat. The grim -ranks closed upon the nearest ones. Swords rose and fell, spears -thrust, clubbed rifles were borne down. There was more blood, and the -bodies of American citizens littered the ground that they themselves -had owned and tried to defend. - -John and Celestine, paralyzed by the spectacle, came to with a jerk. - -"It's time to move," John said. - -He swung the car around just as, with a rattle and a roar, a score of -chariots dashed out of the great gates and the horses came galloping -down the road. The ranks of the infantry opened to permit pursuit of -the retreating skirmishers. The clumsy vehicles rattled and bumped -behind flying hoofs at a rapid clip, the men in them hanging on to -the reins and keeping their footing by a miracle. Gay cloaks streamed -backward in the wind, and gold gleamed on the horses' harness. - -[Illustration: _Roman soldiers, armor glistening in the sun! Chariots! -Galleys! They came in endless columns, fearless...._] - -John bore down on the accelerator pedal, and the car leaped ahead with -a roar, a scattered string of chariots swinging in behind it. He headed -down the road and, once the Packard got a proper start, it left its -pursuers ridiculously behind. Celestine shrieked and pointed ahead. - -"Look!" - -A group of Roman soldiers with drawn swords were formed on the road -ahead, and more were swarming out of the shrubbery. - -An officer waved a sword and shouted a sharp word. - -"Stop, nothing!" John said through gritted teeth, remembering bloody -overalls and sprawling limbs gripping battered rifles. - -He put his full weight on the accelerator pedal and the huge machine -throbbed and rumbled into life, a gleaming, roaring gray streak. - -"Duck down below the windshield, dear," he said to Celestine. Never -before had he used that word, though he had often felt like it. - -The Roman soldiers quailed as they saw the big car hurtling toward -them, but they had no time to retreat. The bumper struck the mass of -men with a thud and a crash of metal. Dark spatters appeared on the -windshield and things crunched sickeningly. The car swerved and swung, -dizzily, and John's forehead bumped against the glass ahead of him, but -his hands hung to the wheel. The fenders crumpled and the wheels bumped -over soft things. Just as he thought the car would overturn, he found -himself flying smoothly down a clear road; in his windshield mirror a -squirming mass on the road was becoming rapidly too small to see. - -He laughed a hard laugh. - -"They didn't know enough to jab a sword into a tire," he said grimly. - -And, there to their left, was the tiresome galley, sliding down the -river. The countryside was green and peaceful; in a moment even -the galley was out of sight. Except for the crumpled fenders and -the leaking radiator it seemed that they had just awakened from an -unpleasant dream and found that it had not been true. - -They talked little on the way to Omaha; but they could not help talking -some. Who were these men? Where did they come from? What did it mean, -the piles of dead, the sickening river of blood? - -They must hurry with the news, so that help would be sent to the -stricken area. - -The hum of the motor became a song that ate up miles. John worried -about tires. A blowout before he reached the army post at Fort Crook -might cost many lives. There was no time to waste. - -Just as the roof-covered hills of Omaha appeared in the distance, two -motorcycles dashed forward to meet the car and signalled a stop. The -khaki clad police riders eyed the bloody radiator and nodded their -heads together. - -"You've been there?" they asked. John nodded. - -"You've been there?" he queried in return. - -"The telephone and telegraph wires are hot." - -"They need help--," John began. - -"Are you good for a trip back there in a plane, to guide an observer?" -the officer asked. "We'll see the lady home." - -So John found himself dashing to the landing field on a motorcycle, -and then in an Army plane, a telephone on his ears connected with the -lieutenant in front of him. It was all a mad, dizzy, confused dream. He -had never been up in a plane before, and the novelty and anxiety of it -fought with his tense observation of the sliding landscape below. But -there was the galley on the river, and three more following it in the -distance. There was an army marching along the top of the bluffs down -the river, a countless string of densely packed companies with horsemen -and chariots swarming around. There were the huge flat buildings in the -walled enclosure where Rosalie had stood. Out of the buildings and out -of the enclosures, marched more and more massed troops, all heading -toward Omaha. - -Then they were back in the City Hall, he and the lieutenant, and facing -them were the chief of police and an Army colonel. There was talk of -the Governor and General Paul of the State Militia due to arrive from -Lincoln any moment in an airplane; and the National Guard mobilizing -all over the state, and trucks and caissons and field guns already en -route from Ashland with skeletonized personnel. Secretaries dashed out -with scribbled messages and in with yellow telegrams. A terrific war -was brewing, and what was it all about? - -The lieutenant stepped up to the colonel and saluted. - -"If you please, sir, the galleys on the river--" - -"Yes?" asked the worried colonel. - -"They've got to be sunk." - -"We have no bombs," the colonel answered. "We're just a toy army here, -in the middle of the continent." - -"No bombs!" The lieutenant was nonplussed for a moment, and hung his -head in study. "Will you leave it to me, sir? Somehow--" - -"Good fellow. Thank you," said the colonel, very much relieved. "Your -orders are, then, to sink the galleys." - -"Come!" The lieutenant said to John. - -"Me?" gasped John. - -"Don't you want to?" the lieutenant asked. "Men are scarce. I need -help. You're the closest. And you've got a level head." - -"Just give me a chance," John said eagerly. - -The lieutenant spent fifteen minutes in a telephone booth. Then they -dashed in a motorcycle to the city landing field where the plane lay. -They made the short hop to the Army flying field. This all took time; -but when they taxied towards the Army hangars, there stood men ready -to load things into the plane. A stack of kegs labeled "Dynamite" and -white lengths of fuse did not look very military, and their source was -indicated by the departing delivery truck of a hardware firm. The men -knocked the stoppers out of the kegs and wadded the fuses into the -bungholes with paper. - -"Bombs!" The lieutenant spread his hands in a proud gesture. "The -Q.M.G. in Washington ought to see this. Maybe he'd trust us with real -ones some day." - -He turned to John. - -"We'll use a cigarette-lighter down in the cockpit, and heave them over -the side." - -Out over the city they flew, and up the river. The trireme was steadily -approaching, and the lieutenant flew his plane a hundred feet above the -ship. They could see gaping mouths and goggling whites of eyes turned -up at them. The decks were a mass of coarse looking faces. - -"Hate to do it," remarked the lieutenant, looking down on the decks -packed with living men. "But, Lord, it seems to be the game, so light -up!" he ordered sharply. - -As John applied the cigarette-lighter and the fuse began to fizzle, the -lieutenant circled about and again flew over the creeping galley. - -"Now!" He shouted, and John rolled the keg over the side. It turned -over and over endwise as it fell, and left a sputtering trail of smoke -in the air. - -It fell on the deck and knocked over several men. The lieutenant was -putting height and distance between themselves and the galley as -rapidly as possible, and rightly. In another moment there was a burst -of flame and black smoke. Blotches of things flew out sidewards from -it, and a dull roar came up to them. For a few minutes a mangled -mass of wreckage continued the galley's course down the river. Then -it slowed and drifted sidewise, and flames licked over it. Struggling -figures stirred the water momentarily and sank. Not a swimmer was left; -bronze armor does not float on muddy Missouri River water. - -Above the second galley they were met by a flight of arrows, and the -lieutenant hurriedly performed some dizzy gyrations with the plane to -get out of bowshot, but not before several barbed shafts struck through -the wings and thumped against the bottom. So they lit their fuse and -passed low over the galley at full speed. There was less regret and -more thrill as they rolled the keg with its sputtering tail over -the side; the humming arrows made the game less one-sided. The high -speed of the plane spoiled the aim, and the keg of dynamite plumped -harmlessly into the water just ahead of the galley. The second time -they figured a little more closely, and before very long, all four of -the galleys were a mass of scattered, blackened wreckage. - -John leaned back in the seat. - -"Terrible way to squander human beings," he said. - -The lieutenant's teeth were set. - -"You haven't seen anything yet," he said to John. "We've got two more -kegs of dynamite and no orders to the contrary. Let's go back to the -front lines." - -"Front lines!" exclaimed John. - -The lieutenant smiled. - -"You've studied medicine; I've studied war. It is two and a half hours -since we left the meeting. The Roman--or whatever the blank they -are--infantry has made ten miles south and west. Our troops from the -Fort have easily made thirty or forty in their trucks, and started -digging trenches and emplacing guns. That would mean that there must be -fighting north and west of here. Isn't that so?" - -"I hadn't thought of it," John admitted. - -"Also by this time there must be two or three regiments of State -militia on trucks and bound in this direction; and the artillery and -machine-guns from Ashland ought to be ready any minute. We've got two -more kegs. Are you game?" - -As if in answer, a dull boom sounded from the northwest, followed by -another; and in five minutes the banging was almost continuous. - -John nodded his head. The lieutenant swung the plane around, and it was -less than ten minutes before they saw the trenches of the Fort Crook -troops spread below them; and from far into the north there poured -column upon column of densely formed Roman troops, with the gleam of -the afternoon sun upon the metal of their armor and swords. On the -eastern end of the line the Roman infantry had reached the trenches and -a sickening carnage was taking place. As they advanced steadily toward -the trenches, the Roman troops were mowed down by the machine-guns of -the Federal soldiers and the Omaha police, in swaths like meadow-grass -laid flat by the blade of the scythe. During the period of a few -minutes as they looked down they saw thousands of men fall; great heaps -of twitching and bloody dead in armor and plumes were piled before the -thin line of khaki. - -"They don't need us much, but here goes!" - -Far back over the enemy's lines, where the troops were massed the -densest, they sailed, and dropped their black and smoking blasts and -scattered several companies of bewildered soldiers. But others took -their places and pressed steadily on. - -"If we only had a few fighting planes and some ammunition for -them--wouldn't we clean up the place!" gloated the lieutenant. "But -there isn't a plane with a machine-gun on it in this division, and not -an aerial bomb except some dummies for practice. The War Department -isn't ever so very fast, and this certainly came suddenly. However, -I'm sure that they must be getting busy sending things over by now. -Let's look westward." - -The line was flung a dozen miles west of the Missouri River, and -gradually was crawling still further west. The artillery from Ashland -had stopped ten miles southwest of the place where fighting first -began, and by now had set up their pieces and gotten the range with the -aid of a commandeered, tri-motored, passenger plane; they were banging -shells at the rate of one every three seconds into the thickest of -the troops. Even at the height of three thousand feet, the sight was -horrible; there were red areas against the green of the landscape, and -red areas on the piled up heaps that twitched and gleamed with spots of -metal; the heaps piled up and grew into hills, between the gaping holes -that the shells dug into the wheatfields. - -"Ha! Look!" - -The lieutenant pointed near the line at the middle. - -"An artillery captain is looking for prisoners." - -The barrage of one of the batteries was laying flat a wide area, but -preserving a little circle intact in the middle of it. On this island, -among a sea of smoky holes, stood a huddled group of Roman soldiers. -One by one they fell, for flying fragments of high-explosive shell -traveled far, and they did not know enough to fall flat on their faces. -Then the barrage stopped and a platoon of men in khaki with rifles -crept toward them. - -The lieutenant looked like a man on the side-lines of a football game. -He flew his plane low and gazed breathlessly at the combat below. For -it was an exciting one. - -The khaki-clad soldiers wanted prisoners alive. But the Roman soldiers -understood nothing of the threat of the gun. Rifles and pistols were -leveled, but served in no wise to stop them from making a fierce attack -on the Americans with swords and spears. To save their own lives, the -latter had to stop and shoot the Romans down. - -All but a half a dozen armored men now lay flat on the ground. These -gathered together for a moment's council, adjusted their shields, and -balanced their swords and spears. They were preparing a charge. - -The lieutenant on the ground obviously had orders to get live -prisoners. He also knew his battle psychology well. - -He formed his men in line; bayonets flashed out of scabbards and in -a moment a serried line of them bristled forward on the ends of the -rifles. The khaki-clad line started first. The men on the flanks ran -as fast as they could go and dodged through shell-holes. The Romans -started slowly toward the thin looking center of the American line. - -The aviation lieutenant rose in his seat and dropped the stick of the -plane for a moment in his excitement. The plane veered and the fight -below was lost to view for a moment. By the time he had swung the -plane back, the circle of khaki had almost closed around the Romans. -The latter stood back to back, spears straight out in front of them. -It must have taken nerve to face that circle of advancing bayonets, -outnumbering them six to one. They held, stolid as a rock wall, and -John was almost beginning to think that they would fight to the death -and kill a few American soldiers. But, just as the ring of bayonets was -within a foot of the ends of their spears, they suddenly dropped their -weapons on the ground, and held their hands in the age-old gesture, -straight above their heads. - -The men in khaki pushed them apart with their bayonets, and two to a -prisoner, marched them back to the line; others stopping to pick up -weapons. For the first time John noted that these men were all giants; -even from the altered perspective of the aeroplane it was clear that -they were six and a half to seven feet tall, and burly. - -"We'll go back and report, then get a rest," the aviation lieutenant -said, heading the plane toward the Army field. There he shook hands -with John, and arranged to meet in the morning for further work. - -After a telephone conversation with Celestine, and a meal, John settled -down in his room and turned on the radio. Program material had been -crowded off all stations by the news of the war. - -"The front lines are now fully equipped with portable searchlights and -flares. But the Roman soldiers have quit coming. Apparently there will -be no fighting during the night." - -There followed a resume of happenings with which John was already -familiar, and he shut the instrument off. Just as he was beginning to -doze, his telephone rang. It was the pathologist at the Medical School. - -"Hello, Hastings," he said. "You have been in on this from the start, -and I thought you would be interested in our prisoners." - -John hurried over to the hospital, where in one of the wards there -was a squad of soldiers with fixed bayonets, and two of the giants -on the beds. One had a shoulder wound and one a thigh wound from -high-explosive fragments. Both wounds were very slight. - -"Mr. Hastings," said the pathologist, presenting him to a man bending -over one of the prisoners, "Professor Haven is from Creighton -University, and is the head of the Latin Department. He is trying to -talk to these men." - -Professor Haven shook his head. - -"These men speak Latin but I don't," he sighed. "I've studied it a -lifetime, but I can't speak it. And they speak a very impure, corrupted -Latin. But, I'm making out, somehow." - -He spoke slowly, in ponderous syllables to the prisoner. The man -grumbled surlily. In the meantime, the pathologist called John away. - -"One of the prisoners died," he said, "and we are doing a post-mortem. -Just a slight flesh-wound; no reason under the sun why it shouldn't -heal easily. He seemed to have no vitality, no staying power." - -The post-mortem failed to make clear what had been the cause of death; -the slight bullet wound in the shoulder could not have caused it. No -other abnormality was found. They went back to the ward, and found -another of the prisoners dead. - -"Strange," the pathologist muttered. "They can't resist anything. And -there is some odd quality about their tissues, both anatomical and -physiological, that I can't put my finger on. But they're different." - -"They're certainly stupid," the Latin professor said. "I have succeeded -in making myself understood to this man. I asked him, who are they, -what they wanted, why they were fighting us, where they come from. He -does not know. '_Non scio, non scio, non scio!_' That's all I got out -of either one of them, except that they are hungry and would prefer to -lie on the floor rather than on the bed. They give me the impression of -being feeble-minded." - -"Good fighting machines," John remarked. - -When he got back to his room, the radio was urging everybody to go -to sleep and rest. There were guards detailed for necessary night -work, and there was no danger. Freshness and strength would be needed -tomorrow. But John was too excited following his strenuous day, and -knew that sleep would be impossible. He kept on listening to the news -from the radio, which was trying to solve the mystery of these Roman -hordes. - -"Who are they?" the announcer asked rhetorically. "Where are they -from? What do they want?" His questions were asked but not answered. -He reported that during the afternoon the entire world had been -searched by cable and radio, and nowhere was there any trace of the -departure of such vast numbers of men. Italy and Russia were especially -suspected; but it was out of the question that such hundreds of -thousands could have been transported without leaving some evidence. -How had they reached the middle of the North American continent? No -railroad knew anything about them; there had been no unusual number -of airships observed in any direction. One was tempted to think that -they came out of the ground. Someone proposed the idea, based on the -popularity of Einstein's recent conceptions, that these men had somehow -crossed the time dimension from Julius Caesar's time; a fold in the -continuum might readily bring the period of the Roman Senate in contact -with the period of radio and automobiles. - -A few minutes later the announcer stated that he had received a dozen -contemptuous and scornful messages about the idea from scientists and -historians. If these troops had come from Caesar's time, their sudden -disappearance would certainly have caused enough sensation to be -recorded; and no such record existed. If they came from such a period, -they must have disappeared from the sight of the people who lived then; -otherwise one must assume that they went on existing in their own time -as well as the present day. The idea was rent to bits. The announcer -went on with rhetorical questions: - -How many more men were there? What would happen tomorrow? At least -there were comforting reports that in the morning the sky would be -crowded with planes bearing tons of high-explosive bombs. It could not -last long. - -Suddenly John slapped his thigh. He went to the telephone and called up -the aviation lieutenant. - -"Hello!" he said. "Did I get you out of bed? Well, it looks as though -neither one of us is so bright about war." - -"Now what?" the lieutenant asked. - -"Those last two kegs of dynamite that you dropped on Caesar's army--" - -"Yes?" the lieutenant asked. - -"They ought to have been dumped on the buildings on the Indian -Reservation, what?" - -A faint oath came over the phone. - -"Say, Hastings, I feel like resigning my commission and getting a job -selling bananas. But, what do you say to correcting the oversight? At -once?" - -"I'm there. But wait. I'm getting positively brilliant tonight. Why not -get the Latin prof to go with us and see what we can find out?" - -"If I could slap you on the back by phone, I'd do it. I'm waiting for -you with the ship. Hurry." - -Professor Haven was delighted at the opportunity; the wizened little -fellow seemed oblivious to the dangers of the undertaking. They put -rifles in the plane, and two forty-fives apiece in their belts. - -The walled enclosure was visible to the plane from a distance, because -of a strange reddish glow that came up from it. The glow enabled -the lieutenant to note that a long, flat-roofed building offered a -far better opportunity for a landing than did the ground, which was -systematically spaced with guards. He shut off his motor several miles -away, and managed his landing with marvelous skill and silence. Only -the landing-wheels, bumping over the rough places on the roof, made any -sound. They waited for thirty minutes in silence, and as no further -sounds came from the camp, they crept out of the cockpit and stole -along the roof. - -The guards pacing about below seemed not to have noticed their landing. -Ahead of them was a large, square affair like a chimney, with a red -glow coming out of it. But, it was not a chimney, for no heat came from -it. It might have been a ventilator; in fact as they approached they -found that a strong current of air drew _downward_ into it. They could -lean over the edge and see a large, bright room immediately below them. - -It was certainly no crude Roman room. It was a scientific laboratory, -crowded with strange and delicate apparatus. Most of it was quite -unfamiliar to John in use or nature, despite the fact that he was well -posted on modern scientific matters, and could make intelligent guesses -about scientific things or equipment even out of his own line. He could -make nothing out of the things he saw below. - -Just beneath them stood a huge Roman officer; the numerous gold -insignia on his chest indicated high rank. He stood in front of a glass -jar about four feet high, from which numerous cords led to a table full -of intricate apparatus. Inside the jar there was something that looked -like a piece of seaweed. It was hard, tough, leathery. In the bright -light, it might have been a sort of a branching cactus. But it moved -about within its jar. It gestured with one of its branches. It pointed -at the Roman soldier, and nodded a large, head-like portion. A rapid -rattle of words in a foreign tongue came up to them, and Haven, the -Latin professor, craned his neck. John recognized a Latin word here and -there, but could make out no meaning. Haven later translated what he -had heard. The first words he distinguished were those of the big Roman -general. - -"We need fifty more legions of men by morning," he said apologetically. - -"Why not?" a metallic voice replied. It continued monotonously, with -scant intonation. "I'll start them at once and have them ready by -daylight." There was a quick gesture of the leathery thing in the jar. -Little groups of long, red thorns scattered over it. - -The general went on. - -"These people are good fighters. They may conquer us. We haven't a -thousand soldiers left." - -The metallic voice that replied conveyed no emotion, but the gesture of -the cactus-like thing in the jar was eloquent of deprecation. - -"To our science they are but a puff of wind," the droning voice said. -"I can destroy them all by pressing a button. Do you think I have -studied the earth and its beast-like men for ages in vain? But, I want -sport. I've been bored for too many centuries. So, to entertain me you -shall have your five hundred companies of soldiers tomorrow morning. -Now go. I must be alone." - -The general saluted with an arm straight forward and upward, turned -about, and walked out of the field of view, muttering something -dubiously under his breath. For a long time, all was silent. Then the -metallic voice spoke: - -"Earth men, I perceive you up on the roof about the ventilator." The -leathery thing in the jar stirred and the machinery on the table -clicked. - -The group on the roof started in alarm, but the wizened little Haven -regained his composure first. - -"Who and what are you?" he exclaimed. - -"You ask as though you had a right to demand," the metallic voice -droned. "But it pleases me to inform you, earth men, that I am a being -of the planet Mars. Tired of the monotony of life in our dull world, I -decided to emigrate. I came peacefully." - -"_Peacefully!_" exclaimed the lieutenant, but the metallic voice went -on as though he had not spoken: - -"I harmed no one until your people attacked my walled enclosure and -destroyed my defenders. They have suffered. I am sorry. Let me alone, -and I shall not molest you. I wish you no harm." - -"But!" exclaimed Haven, "you cannot take possession of a hundred acres -of land that belongs to other people, and lay waste to thousands more. -That is their land. They will fight for it. How can they let you alone?" - -"It is better for you not to bother me. The science of Mars is still -millions of years ahead of yours--" - -There arose a shouting and a clatter among the guards below. Their -suspicions had been aroused by sounds on the roof. A trampling of -feet toward the building increased in volume. The trio hurried to -their plane, swung it about by the tail, and jumping in, took off with -a roar, leaving a band of gaping legionnaires below. John eventually -found himself in his bed at about three o'clock in the morning, and -even then too exhausted to sleep. Questions kept running through his -mind. - -The creature's claim that it was a Martian, made things more mysterious -instead of less so. It was not possible to transport these hundreds of -thousands of men from Mars. And the buildings and chariots and horses. -It would have taken an enormous tonnage of vessels, whose arrival -certainly would have been noticed. And to think that Mars was inhabited -by Roman soldiers was a most preposterous and childish notion. And if -the Martians were as far advanced in science as they claimed, why did -they use the military methods of ancient Rome? Certainly there was -still plenty about this that had not been explained. - -John slept late and awoke exhausted by his previous day's unwonted -stress. But the thundering of guns would let him sleep no longer. -The radio told him that fighting was going on up around Sioux City -and westward toward Fremont and Norfolk. Always the reports carried -the same statements of the incredible slaughter of innumerable Roman -soldiers by the modern engines of war against which their swords and -shields meant nothing. It was an unbelievable nightmare, creepy, -horrible destruction of life and a soaking of the earth with blood, and -piling up of mounds of dead bodies scores of feet high on the green and -peaceful prairies. The reports ended up with an optimistic note that -aeroplanes with high-explosive bombs were due to arrive from the East -at any moment. - -Then his telephone rang. It was his dean calling him to a conference -with the Commanding Officer of the area. The smiling aviation -lieutenant was also present. They were discussing the advisability of -destroying the Martian in his building, and thus stamping out the rest -of the trouble. - -"It might not necessarily stop all trouble, you know," the medical dean -said; "those curious men are still loose in large numbers. I think that -the creature, instead of being destroyed, ought to be captured and -studied." - -The dean's view finally prevailed, and it was decided to avoid -destroying the spot on which the Martian stood. The adjutant was -already busy directing. Army and Navy planes were now arriving in -swarms from East and West. Arrangements were made to bomb all around -the Martian's retreat, and then raid it with a small party when -everything was clear. - -Grimly, methodically, the Army and Navy fliers went about their tasks. -They systematically covered the entire contested territory with -high-explosive bombs. In three hours, a Nebraska county was a field -plowed by a giant, in which persisted one little island, the long house -in the walled enclosure, with its red-glowing chimney. Airplanes landed -a platoon of the National Guard on the river, and these marched to the -surviving building and searched it thoroughly. With them was John and -his friend the aviation lieutenant; and also the dean and the Latin -professor. They found nothing anywhere, except in the room below the -ventilator, where the Martian was still sealed in his glass jar. - -"Earth men!" the metallic voice said suddenly, and the leathery body -jerked in surprise. "_Homines terrae!_" - -Professor Haven spoke in Latin. He was imbued with the educated -person's ideal of courtesy in the victor. - -"We regret to inform you that we have destroyed all of your men--" - -"I have been watching you," the metallic voice said. Its tones conveyed -no feeling, but the attitude of the branched body was weary. "I am -surprised I must have missed something." - -"Eh? What's that?" - -"I must have missed something in my observations. After all, your -fighting machines are very simple. I could have destroyed them in a -breath, only, I did not know you had such things. I cannot understand -why I did not find them before." - -The men stood in silence, looking at the dry, hard looking thing, not -knowing what to say. Finally the metallic speaking began again. John -noted that the voice came from a metal diaphragm among the apparatus on -the table, to which the cords led from the creature in the jar. - -"I cannot understand it. When I planned to migrate to the Earth, I came -here and remained many years, studying many men, their bodies, their -language, their methods of fighting--fighting was something new to me, -and I enjoyed it; we do not have fighting on Mars. I took all necessary -observations so that I might prepare to live among them. - -"Then I went back home and spent sufficient time in research to make -everything perfect. Of course it took a long time. I devised a suit in -which I could stand in your atmospheric pressure, heat, and moisture; -methods of transporting the nuclei of my apparatus to the Earth and -growing them into proper bulk when I arrived, so that I might carry -only very little with me. I was especially interested in devising -methods of growing human beings on suitable culture media. I developed -men who were just a little larger and a little stronger than yours; yet -not too much so, because I wanted to see good sport, though remaining -sure of winning you over in the end--" - -"Cultured these men!" Professor Haven exclaimed. He lagged a little in -using his Latin words. "You mean you grow them like we grow bacteria in -test-tubes?" He got his meaning across by many words and much effort. - -"I grew these soldiers on culture media," the metallic voice answered, -and a shriveled arm gestured in a circle. "With a forced supply of air -for carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen, and water for hydrogen, I can grow a -man in a few hours; or as many men at once as I have culture medium and -containers for. They grow by simultaneous fission of all somatic cells." - -"So they are not really human?" Haven seemed much relieved at the idea -that the destruction might not have been that of human life. - -"That depends on what you mean by human," the dried-up Martian said, by -means of his machine. "To me, it means nothing." - -"That accounts for the queer differences our pathologist found," the -dean observed when the fact had been translated to him that these -hordes of men were cultured in a laboratory. - -"Now that you have me in your power," the Martian continued, "please -explain to me how you kept all your destructive engines hidden when I -was here on my preparatory observation trip." - -The dean of the Medical School touched Haven on the shoulder. - -"Ask him how long ago he was here." - -"It took me," the machine said, "just about a thousand years (our year -is twice as long as yours) to work out my methods of transportation, -maintenance, and culture, and to make a voice instrument with which to -talk to these culture-soldiers." - -The dean turned toward the Commanding Officer. - -"Two thousand years ago," he said. "The Romans were just about at the -height of their military glory. Explain that to him, and how the world -and its people have changed since." - -The queer, seaweed-like creature nodded in comprehension and settled -itself down in its jar in resignation. - -"That is the point I overlooked. For millions of years, the Martians, -at the zenith of scientific knowledge, have remained stable. The idea -of human change, of progress in civilization, had slipped my mind. Our -race has forgotten it. Your race progressed, and left me behind." - -A little discussion arose among them. All agreed that it would be most -interesting and valuable to preserve the Martian carefully in some -museum. A great deal of useful information could be obtained from him. -Many benefits would accrue to humanity from his knowledge. - -"Only," reminded the Commanding Officer, "how much power does he still -have left for doing harm?" - -The dean was interested, and bent close to the jar to have a better -look. He put his hand on the glass. - -There was a quick rush and a crash of furniture. The big Roman general -leaped up from beneath a couch, where he had been concealed. With sword -upraised he dashed at the dean. - -"Look out!" shouted John. - -The Roman general gave a hoarse cry. Fortunately it took a goodly -number of seconds for him to cross the room. The Commanding Officer was -tugging at his pistol holder. His automatic came out fairly quickly and -banged twice. The Roman came rushing on almost to within a foot of the -muzzle. - -Then his sword dropped with a clatter on the floor, his helmet rolling -several feet away. The case tipped. It toppled. It looked almost as -though it would go over. - -Then it settled back; but a crackling sound came from it. A crack -appeared in the glass, and wound spirally around it. There was a sizzle -of air going into the jar. Machinery clicked and sparks crackled. - -The creature inside jerked convulsively, and then was still. 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Breuer</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The Oversight</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Miles J. Breuer</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: March 12, 2021 [eBook #64797]</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Character set encoding: UTF-8</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net</div> - -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE OVERSIGHT ***</div> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>THE OVERSIGHT</h1> - -<h2>by MILES J. BREUER</h2> - -<p><i>Time Accomplishes Progress On Earth.</i></p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Comet December 40.<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>John C. Hastings, senior medical student in the Nebraska State -University Medical School at Omaha, looked out of the window of the -Packard sedan he was driving down the road along the top of the bluff, -and out in the middle of the Missouri River he saw a Roman galley, -sweeping down midstream with three tiers of huge oars.</p> - -<p>A pang of alarm shot through him. The study of medicine is a terrible -grind; he had been working hard. In a recent psychiatry class they -had touched upon hysterical delusions and illusions. Was his mind -slipping? Or was this some sort of optical delusion? He had stolen away -from Omaha with Celestine Newbury to enjoy the green and open freshness -of the country like a couple of stifled city folks. Perhaps the nearest -he had come to foolishness had been when the stars had looked like her -eyes and he had pointed out Mars and talked of flying with her to visit -that mysterious red planet.</p> - -<p>"Do you see it too?" he gasped at Celestine.</p> - -<p>She saw it, too, and heard the creak of oars and the thumping of -a drum; there floated up to them a hoarse chant, rhythmic but not -musical, broken into by rough voices that might have been cursing.</p> - -<p>It was a clumsy vessel, built of heavy timbers, with a high-beaked -prow. There was a short mast and a red-and-yellow sail that bulged in -the breeze. The long oars looked tremendously heavy and unwieldy, and -swung in long, slow strokes, swirling up the muddy water and throwing -up a yellow bow-wave. The decks were crowded with men, from whom came -the gleam of metal shields, swords, and helmets.</p> - -<p>"Some advertising scheme I suppose," muttered John cynically.</p> - -<p>"Or some traveling show, trying to be original," Celestine suggested.</p> - -<p>But the thing looked too grim and clumsy for either of these things. -There was a total lack of modern touch about it. Nor was there a -word or sign of advertising anywhere on it. They stopped the car and -watched. As it slowly drew nearer they could see that the men were -coarse, rowdy, specimens; and that the straining of human muscles at -the oars was too real to be any kind of play.</p> - -<p>Then there were shots below them. Someone at the foot of the bluff was -blazing away steadily at the galley. On board the latter, a commotion -arose. Men fell. Then voices out on the road in front of them became -more pressing than either of these things.</p> - -<p>"A young fellow and a girl," someone said; "big, fast car. Omaha -license number. They'll do."</p> - -<p>"Hey!" a voice hailed them.</p> - -<p>In front, on the road, were a dozen men. Some were farmers, some were -Indians. One or two might have been bank clerks or insurance salesmen. -All were heavily armed, with shotguns, rifles, and pistols. They looked -haggard and sullen.</p> - -<p>"Take us to Rosalie, and then beat it for Omaha and tell them what you -saw," one of the men ordered gruffly. "The newspapers and the commander -at Fort Crook."</p> - -<p>This was strange on a peaceful country road, but John could see no -other course than to comply with their request. He turned the car back -to Rosalie, the Indian Reservation town, and the men were crowded -within it and hung all over the outside. Even the powerful Packard -found it a heavy burden. In the direction of Rosalie, the strangest -sight of all awaited them.</p> - -<p>Before they saw the town, they found a huge wall stretching across the -road. Beyond it rose blunt shapes, the tops of vast low buildings. What -a tremendous amount of building! the thought struck John at once. For, -they had driven this way just three days before, and there had been -no sign of it; only the wide green fields and the slumbering little -village.</p> - -<p>The armed men became excited and furious when they saw the wall. They -broke out into exclamations which were half imprecations and half -explanatory.</p> - -<p>"They put these things down on our land. Ruined our farms. God knows -what's become of the town. Squeezed us out. Must be a good many dead. -We have telephoned Lincoln and Washington, but they are slow. They -can't wake up. Maybe they don't believe us." There were curses.</p> - -<p>John could see great numbers of armed men gathering from all -directions. There was no order or discipline about them, except the -one uniting cause of their fury against this huge thing that had so -suddenly arisen. Far in the distance, countless little groups were -emerging from behind trees and around bends in the road or driving -up in cars; and nearby there were hundreds more arriving with every -conceivable firearm. The last man in the countryside must have been -aroused.</p> - -<p>The men climbed out of John's car and repeated their order that he -drive to Omaha and tell what he saw.</p> - -<p>A ragged skirmish line was closing in rapidly toward the big gray -wall, that stretched for a mile from north to south. Along the top of -it, after the manner of sentries, paced little dark figures. John and -Celestine were amazed to see that they, too, were Roman soldiers. The -sunlight glinted from their armor; the plumes on their helmets stood -out against the sky; their shield and short swords were picturesque, -but, against the rifles below, out of place.</p> - -<p>There came a shot, and another from the approaching attackers, and a -figure on top of the wall toppled and fell sprawling to its foot and -lay still on the ground. Hoarse shouts arose. A dense knot of Roman -soldiers gathered on top of the wall. A fusillade of shots broke out -from below, men running frantically to get within close range. The -group on the wall melted away, many crashing down on the outside, and -a heap remaining on top. The wall was completely deserted. The wind -wafted a sulphurous odor to the nostrils of the two young people in the -Packard.</p> - -<p>Then followed a horrible spectacle. John, hardened to gruesome sights -in the course of his medical work, came away from it trembling, -wondering how Celestine would react.</p> - -<p>A huge gate swung wide in the wall, and a massed army of Roman soldiers -marched out. Bare thighs and bronze greaves, and strips of armor over -their shoulders, plumed helmets, small, heavy shields; one company -with short swords, the next with long spears; one solid company after -another poured out of the gates and marched forth against their -attackers.</p> - -<p>The Farmers and Indians and other dispossessed citizens opened fire on -the massed troops with deadly effect. Soldiers fell by the hundreds; -huge gaps appeared in the ranks; whole companies were wiped out. But, -with precise and steady discipline, others marched in their places. -Blood soaked the ground and smeared the trees and shrubbery. Piles -of dead were heaped up in long windrows, with twitching and crawling -places in them. New ranks climbed over them and marched into the blaze -of lead, only to fall and be replaced by others. The peaceful Nebraska -prairie was strewn with thousands of armed corpses.</p> - -<p>Terror gripped the hearts of the couple in the Packard. The firing -began to halt. It became scattered here and there as ammunition became -scarce. As the troops poured out in unlimited numbers, men in overalls, -sweaters, and collars and shirt sleeves began to retreat. The grim -ranks closed upon the nearest ones. Swords rose and fell, spears -thrust, clubbed rifles were borne down. There was more blood, and the -bodies of American citizens littered the ground that they themselves -had owned and tried to defend.</p> - -<p>John and Celestine, paralyzed by the spectacle, came to with a jerk.</p> - -<p>"It's time to move," John said.</p> - -<p>He swung the car around just as, with a rattle and a roar, a score of -chariots dashed out of the great gates and the horses came galloping -down the road. The ranks of the infantry opened to permit pursuit of -the retreating skirmishers. The clumsy vehicles rattled and bumped -behind flying hoofs at a rapid clip, the men in them hanging on to -the reins and keeping their footing by a miracle. Gay cloaks streamed -backward in the wind, and gold gleamed on the horses' harness.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus.jpg" alt=""/> - <div class="caption"> - <p><i>Roman soldiers, armor glistening in the sun! Chariots! Galleys! They came in endless columns, fearless....</i></p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>John bore down on the accelerator pedal, and the car leaped ahead with -a roar, a scattered string of chariots swinging in behind it. He headed -down the road and, once the Packard got a proper start, it left its -pursuers ridiculously behind. Celestine shrieked and pointed ahead.</p> - -<p>"Look!"</p> - -<p>A group of Roman soldiers with drawn swords were formed on the road -ahead, and more were swarming out of the shrubbery.</p> - -<p>An officer waved a sword and shouted a sharp word.</p> - -<p>"Stop, nothing!" John said through gritted teeth, remembering bloody -overalls and sprawling limbs gripping battered rifles.</p> - -<p>He put his full weight on the accelerator pedal and the huge machine -throbbed and rumbled into life, a gleaming, roaring gray streak.</p> - -<p>"Duck down below the windshield, dear," he said to Celestine. Never -before had he used that word, though he had often felt like it.</p> - -<p>The Roman soldiers quailed as they saw the big car hurtling toward -them, but they had no time to retreat. The bumper struck the mass of -men with a thud and a crash of metal. Dark spatters appeared on the -windshield and things crunched sickeningly. The car swerved and swung, -dizzily, and John's forehead bumped against the glass ahead of him, but -his hands hung to the wheel. The fenders crumpled and the wheels bumped -over soft things. Just as he thought the car would overturn, he found -himself flying smoothly down a clear road; in his windshield mirror a -squirming mass on the road was becoming rapidly too small to see.</p> - -<p>He laughed a hard laugh.</p> - -<p>"They didn't know enough to jab a sword into a tire," he said grimly.</p> - -<p>And, there to their left, was the tiresome galley, sliding down the -river. The countryside was green and peaceful; in a moment even -the galley was out of sight. Except for the crumpled fenders and -the leaking radiator it seemed that they had just awakened from an -unpleasant dream and found that it had not been true.</p> - -<p>They talked little on the way to Omaha; but they could not help talking -some. Who were these men? Where did they come from? What did it mean, -the piles of dead, the sickening river of blood?</p> - -<p>They must hurry with the news, so that help would be sent to the -stricken area.</p> - -<p>The hum of the motor became a song that ate up miles. John worried -about tires. A blowout before he reached the army post at Fort Crook -might cost many lives. There was no time to waste.</p> - -<p>Just as the roof-covered hills of Omaha appeared in the distance, two -motorcycles dashed forward to meet the car and signalled a stop. The -khaki clad police riders eyed the bloody radiator and nodded their -heads together.</p> - -<p>"You've been there?" they asked. John nodded.</p> - -<p>"You've been there?" he queried in return.</p> - -<p>"The telephone and telegraph wires are hot."</p> - -<p>"They need help—," John began.</p> - -<p>"Are you good for a trip back there in a plane, to guide an observer?" -the officer asked. "We'll see the lady home."</p> - -<p>So John found himself dashing to the landing field on a motorcycle, -and then in an Army plane, a telephone on his ears connected with the -lieutenant in front of him. It was all a mad, dizzy, confused dream. He -had never been up in a plane before, and the novelty and anxiety of it -fought with his tense observation of the sliding landscape below. But -there was the galley on the river, and three more following it in the -distance. There was an army marching along the top of the bluffs down -the river, a countless string of densely packed companies with horsemen -and chariots swarming around. There were the huge flat buildings in the -walled enclosure where Rosalie had stood. Out of the buildings and out -of the enclosures, marched more and more massed troops, all heading -toward Omaha.</p> - -<p>Then they were back in the City Hall, he and the lieutenant, and facing -them were the chief of police and an Army colonel. There was talk of -the Governor and General Paul of the State Militia due to arrive from -Lincoln any moment in an airplane; and the National Guard mobilizing -all over the state, and trucks and caissons and field guns already en -route from Ashland with skeletonized personnel. Secretaries dashed out -with scribbled messages and in with yellow telegrams. A terrific war -was brewing, and what was it all about?</p> - -<p>The lieutenant stepped up to the colonel and saluted.</p> - -<p>"If you please, sir, the galleys on the river—"</p> - -<p>"Yes?" asked the worried colonel.</p> - -<p>"They've got to be sunk."</p> - -<p>"We have no bombs," the colonel answered. "We're just a toy army here, -in the middle of the continent."</p> - -<p>"No bombs!" The lieutenant was nonplussed for a moment, and hung his -head in study. "Will you leave it to me, sir? Somehow—"</p> - -<p>"Good fellow. Thank you," said the colonel, very much relieved. "Your -orders are, then, to sink the galleys."</p> - -<p>"Come!" The lieutenant said to John.</p> - -<p>"Me?" gasped John.</p> - -<p>"Don't you want to?" the lieutenant asked. "Men are scarce. I need -help. You're the closest. And you've got a level head."</p> - -<p>"Just give me a chance," John said eagerly.</p> - -<p>The lieutenant spent fifteen minutes in a telephone booth. Then they -dashed in a motorcycle to the city landing field where the plane lay. -They made the short hop to the Army flying field. This all took time; -but when they taxied towards the Army hangars, there stood men ready -to load things into the plane. A stack of kegs labeled "Dynamite" and -white lengths of fuse did not look very military, and their source was -indicated by the departing delivery truck of a hardware firm. The men -knocked the stoppers out of the kegs and wadded the fuses into the -bungholes with paper.</p> - -<p>"Bombs!" The lieutenant spread his hands in a proud gesture. "The -Q.M.G. in Washington ought to see this. Maybe he'd trust us with real -ones some day."</p> - -<p>He turned to John.</p> - -<p>"We'll use a cigarette-lighter down in the cockpit, and heave them over -the side."</p> - -<p>Out over the city they flew, and up the river. The trireme was steadily -approaching, and the lieutenant flew his plane a hundred feet above the -ship. They could see gaping mouths and goggling whites of eyes turned -up at them. The decks were a mass of coarse looking faces.</p> - -<p>"Hate to do it," remarked the lieutenant, looking down on the decks -packed with living men. "But, Lord, it seems to be the game, so light -up!" he ordered sharply.</p> - -<p>As John applied the cigarette-lighter and the fuse began to fizzle, the -lieutenant circled about and again flew over the creeping galley.</p> - -<p>"Now!" He shouted, and John rolled the keg over the side. It turned -over and over endwise as it fell, and left a sputtering trail of smoke -in the air.</p> - -<p>It fell on the deck and knocked over several men. The lieutenant was -putting height and distance between themselves and the galley as -rapidly as possible, and rightly. In another moment there was a burst -of flame and black smoke. Blotches of things flew out sidewards from -it, and a dull roar came up to them. For a few minutes a mangled -mass of wreckage continued the galley's course down the river. Then -it slowed and drifted sidewise, and flames licked over it. Struggling -figures stirred the water momentarily and sank. Not a swimmer was left; -bronze armor does not float on muddy Missouri River water.</p> - -<p>Above the second galley they were met by a flight of arrows, and the -lieutenant hurriedly performed some dizzy gyrations with the plane to -get out of bowshot, but not before several barbed shafts struck through -the wings and thumped against the bottom. So they lit their fuse and -passed low over the galley at full speed. There was less regret and -more thrill as they rolled the keg with its sputtering tail over -the side; the humming arrows made the game less one-sided. The high -speed of the plane spoiled the aim, and the keg of dynamite plumped -harmlessly into the water just ahead of the galley. The second time -they figured a little more closely, and before very long, all four of -the galleys were a mass of scattered, blackened wreckage.</p> - -<p>John leaned back in the seat.</p> - -<p>"Terrible way to squander human beings," he said.</p> - -<p>The lieutenant's teeth were set.</p> - -<p>"You haven't seen anything yet," he said to John. "We've got two more -kegs of dynamite and no orders to the contrary. Let's go back to the -front lines."</p> - -<p>"Front lines!" exclaimed John.</p> - -<p>The lieutenant smiled.</p> - -<p>"You've studied medicine; I've studied war. It is two and a half hours -since we left the meeting. The Roman—or whatever the blank they -are—infantry has made ten miles south and west. Our troops from the -Fort have easily made thirty or forty in their trucks, and started -digging trenches and emplacing guns. That would mean that there must be -fighting north and west of here. Isn't that so?"</p> - -<p>"I hadn't thought of it," John admitted.</p> - -<p>"Also by this time there must be two or three regiments of State -militia on trucks and bound in this direction; and the artillery and -machine-guns from Ashland ought to be ready any minute. We've got two -more kegs. Are you game?"</p> - -<p>As if in answer, a dull boom sounded from the northwest, followed by -another; and in five minutes the banging was almost continuous.</p> - -<p>John nodded his head. The lieutenant swung the plane around, and it was -less than ten minutes before they saw the trenches of the Fort Crook -troops spread below them; and from far into the north there poured -column upon column of densely formed Roman troops, with the gleam of -the afternoon sun upon the metal of their armor and swords. On the -eastern end of the line the Roman infantry had reached the trenches and -a sickening carnage was taking place. As they advanced steadily toward -the trenches, the Roman troops were mowed down by the machine-guns of -the Federal soldiers and the Omaha police, in swaths like meadow-grass -laid flat by the blade of the scythe. During the period of a few -minutes as they looked down they saw thousands of men fall; great heaps -of twitching and bloody dead in armor and plumes were piled before the -thin line of khaki.</p> - -<p>"They don't need us much, but here goes!"</p> - -<p>Far back over the enemy's lines, where the troops were massed the -densest, they sailed, and dropped their black and smoking blasts and -scattered several companies of bewildered soldiers. But others took -their places and pressed steadily on.</p> - -<p>"If we only had a few fighting planes and some ammunition for -them—wouldn't we clean up the place!" gloated the lieutenant. "But -there isn't a plane with a machine-gun on it in this division, and not -an aerial bomb except some dummies for practice. The War Department -isn't ever so very fast, and this certainly came suddenly. However, -I'm sure that they must be getting busy sending things over by now. -Let's look westward."</p> - -<p>The line was flung a dozen miles west of the Missouri River, and -gradually was crawling still further west. The artillery from Ashland -had stopped ten miles southwest of the place where fighting first -began, and by now had set up their pieces and gotten the range with the -aid of a commandeered, tri-motored, passenger plane; they were banging -shells at the rate of one every three seconds into the thickest of -the troops. Even at the height of three thousand feet, the sight was -horrible; there were red areas against the green of the landscape, and -red areas on the piled up heaps that twitched and gleamed with spots of -metal; the heaps piled up and grew into hills, between the gaping holes -that the shells dug into the wheatfields.</p> - -<p>"Ha! Look!"</p> - -<p>The lieutenant pointed near the line at the middle.</p> - -<p>"An artillery captain is looking for prisoners."</p> - -<p>The barrage of one of the batteries was laying flat a wide area, but -preserving a little circle intact in the middle of it. On this island, -among a sea of smoky holes, stood a huddled group of Roman soldiers. -One by one they fell, for flying fragments of high-explosive shell -traveled far, and they did not know enough to fall flat on their faces. -Then the barrage stopped and a platoon of men in khaki with rifles -crept toward them.</p> - -<p>The lieutenant looked like a man on the side-lines of a football game. -He flew his plane low and gazed breathlessly at the combat below. For -it was an exciting one.</p> - -<p>The khaki-clad soldiers wanted prisoners alive. But the Roman soldiers -understood nothing of the threat of the gun. Rifles and pistols were -leveled, but served in no wise to stop them from making a fierce attack -on the Americans with swords and spears. To save their own lives, the -latter had to stop and shoot the Romans down.</p> - -<p>All but a half a dozen armored men now lay flat on the ground. These -gathered together for a moment's council, adjusted their shields, and -balanced their swords and spears. They were preparing a charge.</p> - -<p>The lieutenant on the ground obviously had orders to get live -prisoners. He also knew his battle psychology well.</p> - -<p>He formed his men in line; bayonets flashed out of scabbards and in -a moment a serried line of them bristled forward on the ends of the -rifles. The khaki-clad line started first. The men on the flanks ran -as fast as they could go and dodged through shell-holes. The Romans -started slowly toward the thin looking center of the American line.</p> - -<p>The aviation lieutenant rose in his seat and dropped the stick of the -plane for a moment in his excitement. The plane veered and the fight -below was lost to view for a moment. By the time he had swung the -plane back, the circle of khaki had almost closed around the Romans. -The latter stood back to back, spears straight out in front of them. -It must have taken nerve to face that circle of advancing bayonets, -outnumbering them six to one. They held, stolid as a rock wall, and -John was almost beginning to think that they would fight to the death -and kill a few American soldiers. But, just as the ring of bayonets was -within a foot of the ends of their spears, they suddenly dropped their -weapons on the ground, and held their hands in the age-old gesture, -straight above their heads.</p> - -<p>The men in khaki pushed them apart with their bayonets, and two to a -prisoner, marched them back to the line; others stopping to pick up -weapons. For the first time John noted that these men were all giants; -even from the altered perspective of the aeroplane it was clear that -they were six and a half to seven feet tall, and burly.</p> - -<p>"We'll go back and report, then get a rest," the aviation lieutenant -said, heading the plane toward the Army field. There he shook hands -with John, and arranged to meet in the morning for further work.</p> - -<p>After a telephone conversation with Celestine, and a meal, John settled -down in his room and turned on the radio. Program material had been -crowded off all stations by the news of the war.</p> - -<p>"The front lines are now fully equipped with portable searchlights and -flares. But the Roman soldiers have quit coming. Apparently there will -be no fighting during the night."</p> - -<p>There followed a resume of happenings with which John was already -familiar, and he shut the instrument off. Just as he was beginning to -doze, his telephone rang. It was the pathologist at the Medical School.</p> - -<p>"Hello, Hastings," he said. "You have been in on this from the start, -and I thought you would be interested in our prisoners."</p> - -<p>John hurried over to the hospital, where in one of the wards there -was a squad of soldiers with fixed bayonets, and two of the giants -on the beds. One had a shoulder wound and one a thigh wound from -high-explosive fragments. Both wounds were very slight.</p> - -<p>"Mr. Hastings," said the pathologist, presenting him to a man bending -over one of the prisoners, "Professor Haven is from Creighton -University, and is the head of the Latin Department. He is trying to -talk to these men."</p> - -<p>Professor Haven shook his head.</p> - -<p>"These men speak Latin but I don't," he sighed. "I've studied it a -lifetime, but I can't speak it. And they speak a very impure, corrupted -Latin. But, I'm making out, somehow."</p> - -<p>He spoke slowly, in ponderous syllables to the prisoner. The man -grumbled surlily. In the meantime, the pathologist called John away.</p> - -<p>"One of the prisoners died," he said, "and we are doing a post-mortem. -Just a slight flesh-wound; no reason under the sun why it shouldn't -heal easily. He seemed to have no vitality, no staying power."</p> - -<p>The post-mortem failed to make clear what had been the cause of death; -the slight bullet wound in the shoulder could not have caused it. No -other abnormality was found. They went back to the ward, and found -another of the prisoners dead.</p> - -<p>"Strange," the pathologist muttered. "They can't resist anything. And -there is some odd quality about their tissues, both anatomical and -physiological, that I can't put my finger on. But they're different."</p> - -<p>"They're certainly stupid," the Latin professor said. "I have succeeded -in making myself understood to this man. I asked him, who are they, -what they wanted, why they were fighting us, where they come from. He -does not know. '<i>Non scio, non scio, non scio!</i>' That's all I got out -of either one of them, except that they are hungry and would prefer to -lie on the floor rather than on the bed. They give me the impression of -being feeble-minded."</p> - -<p>"Good fighting machines," John remarked.</p> - -<p>When he got back to his room, the radio was urging everybody to go -to sleep and rest. There were guards detailed for necessary night -work, and there was no danger. Freshness and strength would be needed -tomorrow. But John was too excited following his strenuous day, and -knew that sleep would be impossible. He kept on listening to the news -from the radio, which was trying to solve the mystery of these Roman -hordes.</p> - -<p>"Who are they?" the announcer asked rhetorically. "Where are they -from? What do they want?" His questions were asked but not answered. -He reported that during the afternoon the entire world had been -searched by cable and radio, and nowhere was there any trace of the -departure of such vast numbers of men. Italy and Russia were especially -suspected; but it was out of the question that such hundreds of -thousands could have been transported without leaving some evidence. -How had they reached the middle of the North American continent? No -railroad knew anything about them; there had been no unusual number -of airships observed in any direction. One was tempted to think that -they came out of the ground. Someone proposed the idea, based on the -popularity of Einstein's recent conceptions, that these men had somehow -crossed the time dimension from Julius Caesar's time; a fold in the -continuum might readily bring the period of the Roman Senate in contact -with the period of radio and automobiles.</p> - -<p>A few minutes later the announcer stated that he had received a dozen -contemptuous and scornful messages about the idea from scientists and -historians. If these troops had come from Caesar's time, their sudden -disappearance would certainly have caused enough sensation to be -recorded; and no such record existed. If they came from such a period, -they must have disappeared from the sight of the people who lived then; -otherwise one must assume that they went on existing in their own time -as well as the present day. The idea was rent to bits. The announcer -went on with rhetorical questions:</p> - -<p>How many more men were there? What would happen tomorrow? At least -there were comforting reports that in the morning the sky would be -crowded with planes bearing tons of high-explosive bombs. It could not -last long.</p> - -<p>Suddenly John slapped his thigh. He went to the telephone and called up -the aviation lieutenant.</p> - -<p>"Hello!" he said. "Did I get you out of bed? Well, it looks as though -neither one of us is so bright about war."</p> - -<p>"Now what?" the lieutenant asked.</p> - -<p>"Those last two kegs of dynamite that you dropped on Caesar's army—"</p> - -<p>"Yes?" the lieutenant asked.</p> - -<p>"They ought to have been dumped on the buildings on the Indian -Reservation, what?"</p> - -<p>A faint oath came over the phone.</p> - -<p>"Say, Hastings, I feel like resigning my commission and getting a job -selling bananas. But, what do you say to correcting the oversight? At -once?"</p> - -<p>"I'm there. But wait. I'm getting positively brilliant tonight. Why not -get the Latin prof to go with us and see what we can find out?"</p> - -<p>"If I could slap you on the back by phone, I'd do it. I'm waiting for -you with the ship. Hurry."</p> - -<p>Professor Haven was delighted at the opportunity; the wizened little -fellow seemed oblivious to the dangers of the undertaking. They put -rifles in the plane, and two forty-fives apiece in their belts.</p> - -<p>The walled enclosure was visible to the plane from a distance, because -of a strange reddish glow that came up from it. The glow enabled -the lieutenant to note that a long, flat-roofed building offered a -far better opportunity for a landing than did the ground, which was -systematically spaced with guards. He shut off his motor several miles -away, and managed his landing with marvelous skill and silence. Only -the landing-wheels, bumping over the rough places on the roof, made any -sound. They waited for thirty minutes in silence, and as no further -sounds came from the camp, they crept out of the cockpit and stole -along the roof.</p> - -<p>The guards pacing about below seemed not to have noticed their landing. -Ahead of them was a large, square affair like a chimney, with a red -glow coming out of it. But, it was not a chimney, for no heat came from -it. It might have been a ventilator; in fact as they approached they -found that a strong current of air drew <i>downward</i> into it. They could -lean over the edge and see a large, bright room immediately below them.</p> - -<p>It was certainly no crude Roman room. It was a scientific laboratory, -crowded with strange and delicate apparatus. Most of it was quite -unfamiliar to John in use or nature, despite the fact that he was well -posted on modern scientific matters, and could make intelligent guesses -about scientific things or equipment even out of his own line. He could -make nothing out of the things he saw below.</p> - -<p>Just beneath them stood a huge Roman officer; the numerous gold -insignia on his chest indicated high rank. He stood in front of a glass -jar about four feet high, from which numerous cords led to a table full -of intricate apparatus. Inside the jar there was something that looked -like a piece of seaweed. It was hard, tough, leathery. In the bright -light, it might have been a sort of a branching cactus. But it moved -about within its jar. It gestured with one of its branches. It pointed -at the Roman soldier, and nodded a large, head-like portion. A rapid -rattle of words in a foreign tongue came up to them, and Haven, the -Latin professor, craned his neck. John recognized a Latin word here and -there, but could make out no meaning. Haven later translated what he -had heard. The first words he distinguished were those of the big Roman -general.</p> - -<p>"We need fifty more legions of men by morning," he said apologetically.</p> - -<p>"Why not?" a metallic voice replied. It continued monotonously, with -scant intonation. "I'll start them at once and have them ready by -daylight." There was a quick gesture of the leathery thing in the jar. -Little groups of long, red thorns scattered over it.</p> - -<p>The general went on.</p> - -<p>"These people are good fighters. They may conquer us. We haven't a -thousand soldiers left."</p> - -<p>The metallic voice that replied conveyed no emotion, but the gesture of -the cactus-like thing in the jar was eloquent of deprecation.</p> - -<p>"To our science they are but a puff of wind," the droning voice said. -"I can destroy them all by pressing a button. Do you think I have -studied the earth and its beast-like men for ages in vain? But, I want -sport. I've been bored for too many centuries. So, to entertain me you -shall have your five hundred companies of soldiers tomorrow morning. -Now go. I must be alone."</p> - -<p>The general saluted with an arm straight forward and upward, turned -about, and walked out of the field of view, muttering something -dubiously under his breath. For a long time, all was silent. Then the -metallic voice spoke:</p> - -<p>"Earth men, I perceive you up on the roof about the ventilator." The -leathery thing in the jar stirred and the machinery on the table -clicked.</p> - -<p>The group on the roof started in alarm, but the wizened little Haven -regained his composure first.</p> - -<p>"Who and what are you?" he exclaimed.</p> - -<p>"You ask as though you had a right to demand," the metallic voice -droned. "But it pleases me to inform you, earth men, that I am a being -of the planet Mars. Tired of the monotony of life in our dull world, I -decided to emigrate. I came peacefully."</p> - -<p>"<i>Peacefully!</i>" exclaimed the lieutenant, but the metallic voice went -on as though he had not spoken:</p> - -<p>"I harmed no one until your people attacked my walled enclosure and -destroyed my defenders. They have suffered. I am sorry. Let me alone, -and I shall not molest you. I wish you no harm."</p> - -<p>"But!" exclaimed Haven, "you cannot take possession of a hundred acres -of land that belongs to other people, and lay waste to thousands more. -That is their land. They will fight for it. How can they let you alone?"</p> - -<p>"It is better for you not to bother me. The science of Mars is still -millions of years ahead of yours—"</p> - -<p>There arose a shouting and a clatter among the guards below. Their -suspicions had been aroused by sounds on the roof. A trampling of -feet toward the building increased in volume. The trio hurried to -their plane, swung it about by the tail, and jumping in, took off with -a roar, leaving a band of gaping legionnaires below. John eventually -found himself in his bed at about three o'clock in the morning, and -even then too exhausted to sleep. Questions kept running through his -mind.</p> - -<p>The creature's claim that it was a Martian, made things more mysterious -instead of less so. It was not possible to transport these hundreds of -thousands of men from Mars. And the buildings and chariots and horses. -It would have taken an enormous tonnage of vessels, whose arrival -certainly would have been noticed. And to think that Mars was inhabited -by Roman soldiers was a most preposterous and childish notion. And if -the Martians were as far advanced in science as they claimed, why did -they use the military methods of ancient Rome? Certainly there was -still plenty about this that had not been explained.</p> - -<p>John slept late and awoke exhausted by his previous day's unwonted -stress. But the thundering of guns would let him sleep no longer. -The radio told him that fighting was going on up around Sioux City -and westward toward Fremont and Norfolk. Always the reports carried -the same statements of the incredible slaughter of innumerable Roman -soldiers by the modern engines of war against which their swords and -shields meant nothing. It was an unbelievable nightmare, creepy, -horrible destruction of life and a soaking of the earth with blood, and -piling up of mounds of dead bodies scores of feet high on the green and -peaceful prairies. The reports ended up with an optimistic note that -aeroplanes with high-explosive bombs were due to arrive from the East -at any moment.</p> - -<p>Then his telephone rang. It was his dean calling him to a conference -with the Commanding Officer of the area. The smiling aviation -lieutenant was also present. They were discussing the advisability of -destroying the Martian in his building, and thus stamping out the rest -of the trouble.</p> - -<p>"It might not necessarily stop all trouble, you know," the medical dean -said; "those curious men are still loose in large numbers. I think that -the creature, instead of being destroyed, ought to be captured and -studied."</p> - -<p>The dean's view finally prevailed, and it was decided to avoid -destroying the spot on which the Martian stood. The adjutant was -already busy directing. Army and Navy planes were now arriving in -swarms from East and West. Arrangements were made to bomb all around -the Martian's retreat, and then raid it with a small party when -everything was clear.</p> - -<p>Grimly, methodically, the Army and Navy fliers went about their tasks. -They systematically covered the entire contested territory with -high-explosive bombs. In three hours, a Nebraska county was a field -plowed by a giant, in which persisted one little island, the long house -in the walled enclosure, with its red-glowing chimney. Airplanes landed -a platoon of the National Guard on the river, and these marched to the -surviving building and searched it thoroughly. With them was John and -his friend the aviation lieutenant; and also the dean and the Latin -professor. They found nothing anywhere, except in the room below the -ventilator, where the Martian was still sealed in his glass jar.</p> - -<p>"Earth men!" the metallic voice said suddenly, and the leathery body -jerked in surprise. "<i>Homines terrae!</i>"</p> - -<p>Professor Haven spoke in Latin. He was imbued with the educated -person's ideal of courtesy in the victor.</p> - -<p>"We regret to inform you that we have destroyed all of your men—"</p> - -<p>"I have been watching you," the metallic voice said. Its tones conveyed -no feeling, but the attitude of the branched body was weary. "I am -surprised I must have missed something."</p> - -<p>"Eh? What's that?"</p> - -<p>"I must have missed something in my observations. After all, your -fighting machines are very simple. I could have destroyed them in a -breath, only, I did not know you had such things. I cannot understand -why I did not find them before."</p> - -<p>The men stood in silence, looking at the dry, hard looking thing, not -knowing what to say. Finally the metallic speaking began again. John -noted that the voice came from a metal diaphragm among the apparatus on -the table, to which the cords led from the creature in the jar.</p> - -<p>"I cannot understand it. When I planned to migrate to the Earth, I came -here and remained many years, studying many men, their bodies, their -language, their methods of fighting—fighting was something new to me, -and I enjoyed it; we do not have fighting on Mars. I took all necessary -observations so that I might prepare to live among them.</p> - -<p>"Then I went back home and spent sufficient time in research to make -everything perfect. Of course it took a long time. I devised a suit in -which I could stand in your atmospheric pressure, heat, and moisture; -methods of transporting the nuclei of my apparatus to the Earth and -growing them into proper bulk when I arrived, so that I might carry -only very little with me. I was especially interested in devising -methods of growing human beings on suitable culture media. I developed -men who were just a little larger and a little stronger than yours; yet -not too much so, because I wanted to see good sport, though remaining -sure of winning you over in the end—"</p> - -<p>"Cultured these men!" Professor Haven exclaimed. He lagged a little in -using his Latin words. "You mean you grow them like we grow bacteria in -test-tubes?" He got his meaning across by many words and much effort.</p> - -<p>"I grew these soldiers on culture media," the metallic voice answered, -and a shriveled arm gestured in a circle. "With a forced supply of air -for carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen, and water for hydrogen, I can grow a -man in a few hours; or as many men at once as I have culture medium and -containers for. They grow by simultaneous fission of all somatic cells."</p> - -<p>"So they are not really human?" Haven seemed much relieved at the idea -that the destruction might not have been that of human life.</p> - -<p>"That depends on what you mean by human," the dried-up Martian said, by -means of his machine. "To me, it means nothing."</p> - -<p>"That accounts for the queer differences our pathologist found," the -dean observed when the fact had been translated to him that these -hordes of men were cultured in a laboratory.</p> - -<p>"Now that you have me in your power," the Martian continued, "please -explain to me how you kept all your destructive engines hidden when I -was here on my preparatory observation trip."</p> - -<p>The dean of the Medical School touched Haven on the shoulder.</p> - -<p>"Ask him how long ago he was here."</p> - -<p>"It took me," the machine said, "just about a thousand years (our year -is twice as long as yours) to work out my methods of transportation, -maintenance, and culture, and to make a voice instrument with which to -talk to these culture-soldiers."</p> - -<p>The dean turned toward the Commanding Officer.</p> - -<p>"Two thousand years ago," he said. "The Romans were just about at the -height of their military glory. Explain that to him, and how the world -and its people have changed since."</p> - -<p>The queer, seaweed-like creature nodded in comprehension and settled -itself down in its jar in resignation.</p> - -<p>"That is the point I overlooked. For millions of years, the Martians, -at the zenith of scientific knowledge, have remained stable. The idea -of human change, of progress in civilization, had slipped my mind. Our -race has forgotten it. Your race progressed, and left me behind."</p> - -<p>A little discussion arose among them. All agreed that it would be most -interesting and valuable to preserve the Martian carefully in some -museum. A great deal of useful information could be obtained from him. -Many benefits would accrue to humanity from his knowledge.</p> - -<p>"Only," reminded the Commanding Officer, "how much power does he still -have left for doing harm?"</p> - -<p>The dean was interested, and bent close to the jar to have a better -look. He put his hand on the glass.</p> - -<p>There was a quick rush and a crash of furniture. The big Roman general -leaped up from beneath a couch, where he had been concealed. With sword -upraised he dashed at the dean.</p> - -<p>"Look out!" shouted John.</p> - -<p>The Roman general gave a hoarse cry. Fortunately it took a goodly -number of seconds for him to cross the room. The Commanding Officer was -tugging at his pistol holder. His automatic came out fairly quickly and -banged twice. The Roman came rushing on almost to within a foot of the -muzzle.</p> - -<p>Then his sword dropped with a clatter on the floor, his helmet rolling -several feet away. The case tipped. It toppled. It looked almost as -though it would go over.</p> - -<p>Then it settled back; but a crackling sound came from it. A crack -appeared in the glass, and wound spirally around it. There was a sizzle -of air going into the jar. Machinery clicked and sparks crackled.</p> - -<p>The creature inside jerked convulsively, and then was still. In a few -minutes it began to bloat, and a red mold spread rapidly over it.</p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE OVERSIGHT ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ -concept and trademark. 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