Eachcarriedastrangebannerswungfromstemtosternabovetheupperworks，andupontheprowofeachwaspaintedsomeodddevicethatgleamedinthesunlightandshowedplainlyevenatthedistanceatwhichwewerefromthevessels。Icouldseefigurescrowdingtheforwarddecksandupperworksoftheaircraft。WhethertheyhaddiscoveredusorsimplywerelookingatthedesertedcityIcouldnotsay，butinanyeventtheyreceivedarudereception，forsuddenlyandwithoutwarningthegreenMartianwarriorsfiredaterrificvolleyfromthewindowsofthebuildingsfacingthelittlevalleyacrosswhichthegreatshipsweresopeacefullyadvancing。
Instantlythescenechangedasbymagic；theforemostvesselswungbroadsidetowardus，andbringinghergunsintoplayreturnedourfire，atthesametimemovingparalleltoourfrontforashortdistanceandthenturningbackwiththeevidentintentionofcompletingagreatcirclewhichwouldbringheruptopositiononcemoreoppositeourfiringline；
theothervesselsfollowedinherwake，eachoneopeninguponusassheswungintoposition。Ourownfireneverdiminished，andIdoubtiftwenty-fivepercentofourshotswentwild。Ithadneverbeengivenmetoseesuchdeadlyaccuracyofaim，anditseemedasthoughalittlefigureononeofthecraftdroppedattheexplosionofeachbullet，whilethebannersandupperworksdissolvedinspurtsofflameastheirresistibleprojectilesofourwarriorsmowedthroughthem。
Thefirefromthevesselswasmostineffectual，owing，asI
afterwardlearned，totheunexpectedsuddennessofthefirstvolley，whichcaughttheship\'screwsentirelyunpreparedandthesightingapparatusofthegunsunprotectedfromthedeadlyaimofourwarriors。