The War of the worlds by H. G. Wells

its unusual shape and colour and dimly perceiving even then some evidence of plan in its arrival. The early morning was wonderfully still and the sun just clearing the trees was already warm. He did not remember hearing any birds that morning there was certainly no breeze and the only sounds were the faint movements from within the cylinder. He was all alone on the common.
Then suddenly he noticed with a start that some of the grey crust that covered the meteorite was falling off the circular edge of the end. It was dropping off in flakes and raining down upon the sand. A large piece suddenly came off and fell with a sharp noise that brought his heart to his mouth.
For a minute he scarcely realized what this meant and although the heat was excessive he clambered down into the pit to see more clearly. He fancied even then that the cooling of the body might account for this but what disturbed that idea was the fact that the ash was falling only from the end of the cylinder.
And then he perceived that very slowly the circular top of the cylinder was rotating. It was such a gradual movement that he discovered it only through noticing that a black mark that had been near him five minutes ago was now at the other side of the circumference
. Even then he scarcely understood what this indicated until he heard a muffled sound and saw the black mark jerk forward an inch or so. Then the explanation came upon him in a flash. The cylinder was artificial hollow with an end that screwed out! Something
within the cylinder was unscrewing the top! Good heavens ! said Ogilvy. Theres a man in itmen in it! Half roasted to death! Trying to escape!
At once with a quick mental leap he linked the Thing with the flash upon Mars. The thought of the confined creature was so dreadful
to him that he forgot the heat and went forward to the cylinder to help turn. But luckily the heat stopped him before he could burn his hands on the still glowing metal. He stood irresolute for a moment then turned scrambled out of the pit and set off running wildly into Woking. The time then must have been somewhere about six oclock. He met a carter and tried to make him understand but the tale he told