Book 1: Chapter 13, How I Fell in with the Curate Summary

Every night a new cylinder fell from Mars. The author sees a small empty boat and climbs into it. He paddles through the boiling water with his hands. He arrives on a bank and falls asleep, in exhaustion. When he woke a curate, or clergyman, is sitting over him. He is in great distress. He is asking the author why God was doing this, and why the Martians are killing everyone. He does not see the point in going on.

The author calms him down and gives him hope by telling him that one of the Martians has already killed. They are not indestructible. Just then they hear the sound of gunfire. The two begin traveling north together. The curate does not react well in a crisis...