Posted by Pete Gerrard on April 11, 2001 at 13:08:22 from 213.122.47.15:
In Reply to: Re: Electricity at Beckfoot posted by Mike F. on April 11, 2001 at 05:34:30:
We are never actually told how the 'Martians' signalled back to Dick and Dorothea. The narrative simply mentions 'flashes'. This could have been done by showing and hiding a lantern, as the D's were doing, but this would surely have been a slower process than 'flashing'. When the Martians were trying out morse code on the D's they made a 'series of quick, short flashes at the window'. Possibly by swinging a lantern across a half-curtained window? The 'other light' (downstairs) is described as 'steadily burning' which sounds like an oil lamp. It is difficult to move a lit oil lamp (or a candle) quickly about. So presumably they had a lantern upstairs. I wonder why AR wasn't more specific?