ThenewsofthemassacreprobablyreachedChobham，Woking，andOttershawaboutthesametime。InWokingtheshopshadclosedwhenthetragedyhappened，andanumberofpeople，shoppeopleandsoforth，attractedbythestoriestheyhadheard，werewalkingovertheHorsellBridgeandalongtheroadbetweenthehedgesthatrunsoutatlastuponthecommon。Youmayimaginetheyoungpeoplebrushedupafterthelaboursoftheday，andmakingthisnovelty，astheywouldmakeanynovelty，theexcuseforwalkingtogetherandenjoyingatrivialflirtation。Youmayfiguretoyourselfthehumofvoicesalongtheroadinthegloaming……
Asyet，ofcourse，fewpeopleinWokingevenknewthatthecylinderhadopened，thoughpoorHendersonhadsentamessengeronabicycletothepostofficewithaspecialwiretoaneveningpaper。
Asthesefolkscameoutbytwosandthreesupontheopen，theyfoundlittleknotsofpeopletalkingexcitedlyandpeeringatthespinningmirroroverthesandpits，andthenew-comerswere，nodoubt，sooninfectedbytheexcitementoftheoc-casion。
Byhalfpasteight，whentheDeputationwasdestroyed，theremayhavebeenacrowdofthreehundredpeopleormoreatthisplace，besidesthosewhohadlefttheroadtoapproachtheMartiansnearer。Therewerethreepolicementoo，oneofwhomwasmounted，doingtheirbest，underinstructionsfromStent，tokeepthepeoplebackanddeterthemfromapproachingthecylinder。Therewassomebooingfromthosemorethoughtlessandexcitablesoulstowhomacrowdisalwaysanoccasionfornoiseandhorse-play。
StentandOgilvy，anticipatingsomepossibilitiesofacollision，hadtelegraphedfromHorselltothebarracksassoonastheMartiansemerged，forthehelpofacompanyofsoldierstoprotectthesestrangecreaturesfromviolence。Afterthattheyreturnedtoleadthatill-fatedadvance。