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"This light I conceive to be the chief weapon of warfare of the Mercutians," the professor went on. "There has been some talk of those two meteors being signals. That's all nonsense. They were not signals they were missiles. It was an act of aggression." I tried to get him to give some idea of what the inhabitants of Mercury might be like, for that was what my editor chiefly desired.
Even with their guns, what could a handful of Earthmen do against the resistless, ever-coming tide of Mercutians, thousands of them? It was raining now, slowly at first, large scattered drops, then heavier and heavier, until the fogged air was a driving sheet of water. What of it? thought Hilary bitterly as he fought and slipped and stumbled in the slimy, bloody muck that was now the ground.
Her hand went softly over his features, as though to assure herself that it was really he. "Oh, my dear," she whispered brokenly. "I had almost given up all hope. Everyone was certain you were lost long ago." Whirrings sounded outside. "Sorry to break up your reunion," Grim interrupted in his bass rumble, "but the Mercutians have landed on the lawn. They'll be in here right away."
There were howls of pain as the spreading beam cut a burning swath through the packed Mercutians. Thereafter no more tubes were raised. The quarters were too close. It was to be hand-to-hand fighting; thousands of giant Mercutians against a handful of puny Earthmen. Hilary swung his red-dripping ax in ever-widening circles. At every swing a Mercutian tumbled.
It carried a party of Mercutians on a friendly exploration, so they said, once communication could be established between Earth linguists and themselves. They were welcomed, made much of. They seemed friendly enough. At their own request they were whirled over the Earth in Earth planes on a tour of inspection.
I found myself now almost exhausted from my exertions of the day. I decided to go possibly a mile farther to be well away from the Mercutians and then to lie down and sleep until daylight. In about fifteen minutes more I concluded I had gone far enough, and, lying down on the sand, was soon fast asleep. When I awoke it was daylight, with the sun just rising.
Wat answered, gallantly. "Sorry to annoy you, miss, but they're after us. My partner here's wounded." "Oh, you poor man." There was quick sympathy in the clear tones. "But who is after you?" A splintering crash resounded outside. "The Mercutians, as you no doubt hear," the little man responded with faint irony. The girl gasped again. "Oh my God!" There was silence.
The heat from it scorched his face. The Mercutians were stealthily crawling nearer, pushing heavy, tables in front of them as shields. He was almost outflanked now. In another minute he would be exposed. Hilary thought rapidly. His position was untenable. He would have to run for it. A sudden dash to the door might possibly win through. But the machine! He set his teeth hard.
Hilary snapped out of his sorrow. He could not help Joan by having himself captured or killed, nor was it fair to Grim and Wat. They had placed themselves unquestioningly under his leadership. Something else too was growing into burning life in his mind. This was his Earth, his and Grim's and Wat's, and of millions of other normal human beings. The Mercutians were interlopers, brutal conquerors.
"Mercutians may have the sense of smell developed to the point of a dog; the instinct of direction of the homing pigeon; the eyes of a cat in the dark, or an owl in the light; but I cannot conceive of them being so different that similar illustrations would not apply. "I believe the Creator intends intercourse of some kind, friendly or unfriendly, to take place between the worlds.
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