.

Strange encounter! They say that the Robot tried to talk to it. At
last, exasperated, it stepped backward, gathered itself and pounced on
it again. Stooping, it put one of its great arms down under the
wheels, the other over the hood, and with prodigious strength heaved
the cab into the air. It crashed on its side across the street, and in
a moment was covered with flames.

It was about this time that Patrolman McGuire came back to the scene.
He shot at the monster a few times; hit it, he was sure. But the Robot
did not heed him.

The block was now in chaos. People stood at most of the windows,
crowds gathered at the distant street corners, while the blazing
taxicab lighted the block with a lurid glare. No one dared approach
within a hundred feet or so of the monster. But when, after a time, it
showed no disposition to attack, throngs at every distinct point of
vantage tried to gather where they could see it. Those nearest
reported back that its face was iron; that it had a nose, a wide,
yawning mouth, and holes for eyes. There were certainly little lights
in the eye-holes.

A small, fluffy white dog went dashing up to the monster and barked
bravely at its heels. It leaped nimbly away when the Robot stooped to
seize it. Then, from the Robot's chest, the dull-red torch beam leaped
out and down. It caught the little dog, and clung to it for an
instant. The dog stood transfixed; its bark turned to a yelp; then a
gurgle. In a moment it fell on its side; then lay motionless with
stiffened legs sticking out.

* * * * *

All this happened within five minutes. McGuire's riot squad arrived,
discreetly ranged itself at the end of the block and fired. The Robot
by then had retreated to the entryway of the Tugh house, where it
stood peering as though with curiosity at all this commotion. There
came a clanging from the distance: someone had turned in a fire alarm.
Through the gathered crowds and vehicles the engines came tearing up.

Presently there was not one Robot, but three: a dozen! More than that,
many reports said. But certain it is that within half an hour of the
first alarm, the block in front of Tugh's home held many of the iron
monsters. And there were many human bodies lying strewn there, by
then. A few policemen had made a stand at the corner, to protect the
crowd against one of the Robots. The thing had made an unexpected
infuriated rush....

There was a panic in the next bl