A second fighting-machine arrived at the pit. The Curate (a man who works in a church) and I were very afraid. We ran away from the hole in the wall. We hid in the scullery (a small room near the kitchen for washing). We feared the Martian could see us from above.
Later, we felt a little safer. The light outside was very bright, but the kitchen was dark. It was hard for the Martians to see inside. But the Curate and I still felt a lot of fear. Every time a Martian moved, we ran back to the scullery.
We both wanted to look through the hole. We argued and fought over the small opening. We pushed and kicked each other. We were very close to the Martians, but we still acted like children. It was a very dangerous way to behave.
The Curate and I were very different. I hated the way the Curate talked. The Curate said the same things again and again. He cried for many hours every day. He did not try to help or think of a plan.
The Curate was very selfish. He ate more food than I did. I told him to save the food. I said we needed to wait for a long time. But the Curate did not listen. He ate large meals and then he slept.
I became very angry with the Curate. Sometimes, I had to hit the Curate. I wanted the Curate to be quiet and follow the rules. The Curate was weak and very afraid. He did not have any pride.
I do not like to write about these things. I was very angry and sometimes I was mean. But I was in a terrible situation. Men can act strangely when they are in danger. I want the reader to understand my stress.
I went back to the hole in the wall. Now there were three more fighting-machines in the pit. They brought new machines from the cylinder (a large metal object from space). A second handling-machine (a machine with many arms) was now working.
This machine worked with a large container. It looked like a big milk can. The machine made a white powder from the clay. Then it turned the powder into bars of aluminium (a light, silver-colored metal). These bars were very bright and shiny.
The machine was very fast. It made more than a hundred bars in one night. The machines were very busy and smart. But the Martians were slow and heavy. I watched this for many days.
One day, the Martians brought some humans to the pit. The Curate saw them first and he was terrified. He crawled into the darkness. I took his place at the hole. It was evening and the stars were out.
The pit was full of green light from the machines. I heard human voices. I looked at a fighting-machine. I saw a cage on the back of the machine. A Martian reached into the cage with a tentacle (a long, thin arm).
The Martian picked up a man. The man was middle-aged and wore nice clothes. He looked very important. The Martian carried the man behind a mound of dirt. Then I heard a terrible scream.
The Martians began to hoot in a happy way. I was horrified. I covered my ears and ran to the scullery. The Curate followed me. We stayed in the dark and felt very sick.
I tried to think of a plan to escape. I hoped the Martians would leave the pit soon. I thought about digging a hole through the wall. But the Curate could not help me. The Curate was too afraid to think.
On the third day, I saw a boy die. The Martians used the boy for food. I was so sad that I did not look out for a whole day. I tried to dig a hole with a hatchet (a small tool for cutting wood).
I dug a small hole, but the dirt fell down. It made a loud noise. I was afraid the Martians would hear me. I stopped digging and lay on the floor. I felt very hopeless and tired.
I did not think humans could win the war. But on the fifth night, I heard a new sound. It was very late and the moon was bright. Most of the Martians were quiet.
Suddenly, I heard a loud boom. It sounded like a large gun. I counted six shots in the distance. Then there was silence again. This sound gave me a little bit of hope.