From the Earth to the Moon
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Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 Next page "Not in the mountains, at all events," returned the unknown, unwilling to give in. "No! but at the bottom of the valleys, and not exceeding a few hundred feet in height." "In any case you will do well to take every precaution, for the air will be terribly rarified." "My good sir, there will always be enough for a solitary individual; besides, once arrived up there, I shall do my best to economize, and not to breathe except on grand occasions!" A tremendous roar of laughter rang in the ears of the mysterious interlocutor, who glared fiercely round upon the assembly. "Then," continued Ardan, with a careless air, "since we are in accord regarding the presence of a certain atmosphere, we are forced to admit the presence of a certain quantity of water. This is a happy consequence for me. Moreover, my amiable contradictor, permit me to submit to you one further observation. We only know _one_ side of the moon's disc; and if there is but little air on the face presented to us, it is possible that there is plenty on the one turned away from us." "And for what reason?" "Because the moon, under the action of the earth's attraction, has assumed the form of an egg, which we look at from the smaller end. Hence it follows, by Hausen's calculations, that its center of gravity is situated in the other hemisphere. Hence it results that the great mass of air and water must have been drawn away to the other face of our satellite during the first days of its creation." "Pure fancies!" cried the unknown. "No! Pure theories! which are based upon the laws of mechanics, and it seems difficult to me to refute them. I appeal then to this meeting, and I put it to them whether life, such as exists upon the earth, is possible on the surface of the moon?" Three hundred thousand auditors at once applauded the proposition. Ardan's opponent tried to get in another word, but he could not obtain a hearing. Cries and menaces fell upon him like hail. "Enough! enough!" cried some. "Drive the intruder off!" shouted others. "Turn him out!" roared the exasperated crowd. But he, holding firmly on to the platform, did not budge an inch, and let the storm pass on, which would soon have assumed formidable proportions, if Michel Ardan had not quieted it by a gesture. He was too chivalrous to abandon his opponent in an apparent extremity. "You wished to say a few more words?" he asked, in a pleasant voice. "Yes, a thousand; or rather, no, only one! If you persevere in your enterprise, you must be a----" "Very rash person! How can you treat me as such? me, who have demanded a cylindro-conical projectile, in order to prevent turning round and round on my way like a squirrel?" "But, unhappy man, the dreadful recoil will smash you to pieces at your starting." "My dear contradictor, you have just put your finger upon the true and only difficulty; nevertheless, I have too good an opinion of the industrial genius of the Americans not to believe that they will succeed in overcoming it." "But the heat developed by the rapidity of the projectile in crossing the strata of air?" "Oh! the walls are thick, and I shall soon have crossed the atmosphere." "But victuals and water?" "I have calculated for a twelvemonth's supply, and I shall be only four days on the journey." "But for air to breathe on the road?" "I shall make it by a chemical process." "But your fall on the moon, supposing you ever reach it?" "It will be six times less dangerous than a sudden fall upon the earth, because the weight will be only one-sixth as great on the surface of the moon." "Still it will be enough to smash you like glass!" "What is to prevent my retarding the shock by means of rockets conveniently placed, and lighted at the right moment?" "But after all, supposing all difficulties surmounted, all obstacles removed, supposing everything combined to favor you, and granting that you may arrive safe and sound in the moon, how will you come back?" "I am not coming back!" At this reply, almost sublime in its very simplicity, the assembly became silent. But its silence was more eloquent than could have been its cries of enthusiasm. The unknown profited by the opportunity and once more protested: "You will inevitably kill yourself!" he cried; "and your death will be that of a madman, useless even to science!" "Go on, my dear unknown, for truly your prophecies are most agreeable!" "It really is too much!" cried Michel Ardan's adversary. "I do not know why I should continue so frivolous a discussion! Please yourself about this insane expedition! We need not trouble ourselves about you!" "Pray don't stand upon ceremony!" "No! another person is responsible for your act." "Who, may I ask?" demanded Michel Ardan in an imperious tone. "The ignoramus who organized this equally absurd and impossible experiment!" The attack was direct. Barbicane, ever since the interference of the unknown, had been making fearful efforts of self-control; now, however, seeing himself directly attacked, he could restrain himself no longer. He rose suddenly, and was rushing upon the enemy who thus braved him to the face, when all at once he found himself separated from him. The platform was lifted by a hundred strong arms, and the president of the Gun Club shared with Michel Ardan triumphal honors. The shield was heavy, but the bearers came in continuous relays, disputing, struggling, even fighting among themselves in their eagerness to lend their shoulders to this demonstration. However, the unknown had not profited by the tumult to quit his post. Besides he could not have done it in the midst of that compact crowd. There he held on in the front row with crossed arms, glaring at President Barbicane. The shouts of the immense crowd continued at their highest pitch throughout this triumphant march. Michel Ardan took it all with evident pleasure. His face gleamed with delight. Several times the platform seemed seized with pitching and rolling like a weatherbeaten ship. But the two heros of the meeting had good sea-legs. They never stumbled; and their vessel arrived without dues at the port of Tampa Town. Michel Ardan managed fortunately to escape from the last embraces of his vigorous admirers. He made for the Hotel Franklin, quickly gained his chamber, and slid under the bedclothes, while an army of a hundred thousand men kept watch under his windows. During this time a scene, short, grave, and decisive, took place between the mysterious personage and the president of the Gun Club. Barbicane, free at last, had gone straight at his adversary. "Come!" he said shortly. The other followed him on the quay; and the two presently found themselves alone at the entrance of an open wharf on Jones' Fall. The two enemies, still mutually unknown, gazed at each other. "Who are you?" asked Barbicane. "Captain Nicholl!" "So I suspected. Hitherto chance has never thrown you in my way." "I am come for that purpose." "You have insulted me." "Publicly!" "And you will answer to me for this insult?" "At this very moment." "No! I desire that all that passes between us shall be secret. Their is a wood situated three miles from Tampa, the wood of Skersnaw. Do you know it?" "I know it." "Will you be so good as to enter it to-morrow morning at five |
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