-
Главная
-
- Книги
-
- Авторы
-
- Герберт Уеллс
-
- Первые люди на Луне
-
- Стр. 59/157
Для того чтобы воспользоваться озвучкой предложений, необходимо
Войти или зарегистрироваться
Озвучка предложений доступна при наличии PRO-доступа
Купить PRO-доступ
A
crackling
and
smashing
of
the
scrub
appeared
to
be
advancing
directly
upon
us
,
and
then
,
as
we
squatted
close
and
endeavoured
to
judge
of
the
nearness
and
direction
of
this
noise
,
there
came
a
terrific
bellow
behind
us
,
so
close
and
vehement
that
the
tops
of
the
bayonet
scrub
bent
before
it
,
and
one
felt
the
breath
of
it
hot
and
moist
.
And
,
turning
about
,
we
saw
indistinctly
through
a
crowd
of
swaying
stems
the
mooncalf
's
shining
sides
,
and
the
long
line
of
its
back
loomed
out
against
the
sky
.
Of
course
it
is
hard
for
me
now
to
say
how
much
I
saw
at
that
time
,
because
my
impressions
were
corrected
by
subsequent
observation
.
First
of
all
impressions
was
its
enormous
size
;
the
girth
of
its
body
was
some
fourscore
feet
,
its
length
perhaps
two
hundred
.
Its
sides
rose
and
fell
with
its
laboured
breathing
.
I
perceived
that
its
gigantic
,
flabby
body
lay
along
the
ground
,
and
that
its
skin
was
of
a
corrugated
white
,
dappling
into
blackness
along
the
backbone
.
But
of
its
feet
we
saw
nothing
.
I
think
also
that
we
saw
then
the
profile
at
least
of
the
almost
brainless
head
,
with
its
fat-encumbered
neck
,
its
slobbering
omnivorous
mouth
,
its
little
nostrils
,
and
tight
shut
eyes
.
(
For
the
mooncalf
invariably
shuts
its
eyes
in
the
presence
of
the
sun
.
)
We
had
a
glimpse
of
a
vast
red
pit
as
it
opened
its
mouth
to
bleat
and
bellow
again
;
we
had
a
breath
from
the
pit
,
and
then
the
monster
heeled
over
like
a
ship
,
dragged
forward
along
the
ground
,
creasing
all
its
leathery
skin
,
rolled
again
,
and
so
wallowed
past
us
,
smashing
a
path
amidst
the
scrub
,
and
was
speedily
hidden
from
our
eyes
by
the
dense
interlacings
beyond
.
Another
appeared
more
distantly
,
and
then
another
,
and
then
,
as
though
he
was
guiding
these
animated
lumps
of
provender
to
their
pasture
,
a
Selenite
came
momentarily
into
ken
.
My
grip
upon
Cavor
's
foot
became
convulsive
at
the
sight
of
him
,
and
we
remained
motionless
and
peering
long
after
he
had
passed
out
of
our
range
.
By
contrast
with
the
mooncalves
he
seemed
a
trivial
being
,
a
mere
ant
,
scarcely
five
feet
high
.
He
was
wearing
garments
of
some
leathery
substance
,
so
that
no
portion
of
his
actual
body
appeared
,
but
of
this
,
of
course
,
we
were
entirely
ignorant
.
He
presented
himself
,
therefore
,
as
a
compact
,
bristling
creature
,
having
much
of
the
quality
of
a
complicated
insect
,
with
whip-like
tentacles
and
a
clanging
arm
projecting
from
his
shining
cylindrical
body
case
.
The
form
of
his
head
was
hidden
by
his
enormous
many-spiked
helmet
--
we
discovered
afterwards
that
he
used
the
spikes
for
prodding
refractory
mooncalves
--
and
a
pair
of
goggles
of
darkened
glass
,
set
very
much
at
the
side
,
gave
a
bird-like
quality
to
the
metallic
apparatus
that
covered
his
face
.
His
arms
did
not
project
beyond
his
body
case
,
and
he
carried
himself
upon
short
legs
that
,
wrapped
though
they
were
in
warm
coverings
,
seemed
to
our
terrestrial
eyes
inordinately
flimsy
.
They
had
very
short
thighs
,
very
long
shanks
,
and
little
feet
.
In
spite
of
his
heavy-looking
clothing
,
he
was
progressing
with
what
would
be
,
from
the
terrestrial
point
of
view
,
very
considerable
strides
,
and
his
clanging
arm
was
busy
.
The
quality
of
his
motion
during
the
instant
of
his
passing
suggested
haste
and
a
certain
anger
,
and
soon
after
we
had
lost
sight
of
him
we
heard
the
bellow
of
a
mooncalf
change
abruptly
into
a
short
,
sharp
squeal
followed
by
the
scuffle
of
its
acceleration
.
And
gradually
that
bellowing
receded
,
and
then
came
to
an
end
,
as
if
the
pastures
sought
had
been
attained
.
We
listened
.
For
a
space
the
moon
world
was
still
.
But
it
was
some
time
before
we
resumed
our
crawling
search
for
the
vanished
sphere
.
When
next
we
saw
mooncalves
they
were
some
little
distance
away
from
us
in
a
place
of
tumbled
rocks
.
The
less
vertical
surfaces
of
the
rocks
were
thick
with
a
speckled
green
plant
growing
in
dense
mossy
clumps
,
upon
which
these
creatures
were
browsing
.
We
stopped
at
the
edge
of
the
reeds
amidst
which
we
were
crawling
at
the
sight
of
them
,
peering
out
at
then
and
looking
round
for
a
second
glimpse
of
a
Selenite
.
They
lay
against
their
food
like
stupendous
slugs
,
huge
,
greasy
hulls
,
eating
greedily
and
noisily
,
with
a
sort
of
sobbing
avidity
.
They
seemed
monsters
of
mere
fatness
,
clumsy
and
overwhelmed
to
a
degree
that
would
make
a
Smithfield
ox
seem
a
model
of
agility
.
Their
busy
,
writhing
,
chewing
mouths
,
and
eyes
closed
,
together
with
the
appetising
sound
of
their
munching
,
made
up
an
effect
of
animal
enjoyment
that
was
singularly
stimulating
to
our
empty
frames
.
"
Hogs
!
"
said
Cavor
,
with
unusual
passion
.
"
Disgusting
hogs
!
"
and
after
one
glare
of
angry
envy
crawled
off
through
the
bushes
to
our
right
.
I
stayed
long
enough
to
see
that
the
speckled
plant
was
quite
hopeless
for
human
nourishment
,
then
crawled
after
him
,
nibbling
a
quill
of
it
between
my
teeth
.
Presently
we
were
arrested
again
by
the
proximity
of
a
Selenite
,
and
this
time
we
were
able
to
observe
him
more
exactly
.
Now
we
could
see
that
the
Selenite
covering
was
indeed
clothing
,
and
not
a
sort
of
crustacean
integument
.
He
was
quite
similar
in
his
costume
to
the
former
one
we
had
glimpsed
,
except
that
ends
of
something
like
wadding
were
protruding
from
his
neck
,
and
he
stood
on
a
promontory
of
rock
and
moved
his
head
this
way
and
that
,
as
though
he
was
surveying
the
crater
.
We
lay
quite
still
,
fearing
to
attract
his
attention
if
we
moved
,
and
after
a
time
he
turned
about
and
disappeared
.
