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第12章

round the moon-第12章

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same length; and as heat is restored by radiation; their
temperature can only be that of the planetary space。〃

〃A pretty country; that!〃 exclaimed Michel。  〃Never mind!
I wish I was there!  Ah! my dear comrades; it will be rather
curious to have the earth for our moon; to see it rise on the
horizon; to recognize the shape of its continents; and to say
to oneself; ‘There is America; there is Europe;' then to follow
it when it is about to lose itself in the sun's rays!  By the
bye; Barbicane; have the Selenites eclipses?〃

〃Yes; eclipses of the sun;〃 replied Barbicane; 〃when the centers
of the three orbs are on a line; the earth being in the middle。
But they are only partial; during which the earth; cast like a
screen upon the solar disc; allows the greater portion to be seen。〃

〃And why;〃 asked Nicholl; 〃is there no total eclipse?  Does not
the cone of the shadow cast by the earth extend beyond the moon?〃

〃Yes; if we do not take into consideration the refraction
produced by the terrestrial atmosphere。  No; if we take that
refraction into consideration。  Thus let  be
the horizontal parallel; and _p_ the apparent semidiameter〃

〃Oh!〃 said Michel。  〃Do speak plainly; you man of algebra!〃

〃Very well; replied Barbicane; 〃in popular language the mean
distance from the moon to the earth being sixty terrestrial
radii; the length of the cone of the shadow; on account of
refraction; is reduced to less than forty…two radii。
The result is that when there are eclipses; the moon finds
itself beyond the cone of pure shadow; and that the sun sends
her its rays; not only from its edges; but also from its center。〃

〃Then;〃 said Michel; in a merry tone; 〃why are there eclipses;
when there ought not to be any?〃

〃Simply because the solar rays are weakened by this refraction;
and the atmosphere through which they pass extinguished the
greater part of them!〃

〃That reason satisfies me;〃 replied Michel。  〃Besides we shall
see when we get there。  Now; tell me; Barbicane; do you believe
that the moon is an old comet?〃

〃There's an idea!〃

〃Yes;〃 replied Michel; with an amiable swagger; 〃I have a few
ideas of that sort。〃

〃But that idea does not spring from Michel;〃 answered Nicholl。

〃Well; then; I am a plagiarist。〃

〃No doubt about it。  According to the ancients; the Arcadians
pretend that their ancestors inhabited the earth before the moon
became her satellite。  Starting from this fact; some scientific
men have seen in the moon a comet whose orbit will one day bring
it so near to the earth that it will be held there by its attraction。〃

〃Is there any truth in this hypothesis?〃 asked Michel。

〃None whatever;〃 said Barbicane; 〃and the proof is; that the
moon has preserved no trace of the gaseous envelope which always
accompanies comets。〃

〃But;〃 continued Nicholl; 〃Before becoming the earth's satellite;
could not the moon; when in her perihelion; pass so near the sun
as by evaporation to get rid of all those gaseous substances?〃

〃It is possible; friend Nicholl; but not probable。〃

〃Why not?〃

〃Because Faith I do not know。〃

〃Ah!〃 exclaimed Michel; 〃what hundred of volumes we might make
of all that we do not know!〃

〃Ah! indeed。  What time is it?〃 asked Barbicane。

〃Three o'clock;〃 answered Nicholl。

〃How time goes;〃 said Michel; 〃in the conversation of scientific
men such as we are!  Certainly; I feel I know too much!  I feel
that I am becoming a well!〃

Saying which; Michel hoisted himself to the roof of the projectile;
〃to observe the moon better;〃 he pretended。  During this time his
companions were watching through the lower glass。  Nothing new to note!

When Michel Ardan came down; he went to the side scuttle; and
suddenly they heard an exclamation of surprise!

〃What is it?〃 asked Barbicane。

The president approached the window; and saw a sort of flattened
sack floating some yards from the projectile。  This object
seemed as motionless as the projectile; and was consequently
animated with the same ascending movement。

〃What is that machine?〃 continued Michel Ardan。  〃Is it one of
the bodies which our projectile keeps within its attraction; and
which will accompany it to the moon?〃

〃What astonishes me;〃 said Nicholl; 〃is that the specific weight
of the body; which is certainly less than that of the
projectile; allows it to keep so perfectly on a level with it。〃

〃Nicholl;〃 replied Barbicane; after a moment's reflection; 〃I do
not know what the object it; but I do know why it maintains our level。〃

〃And why?〃

〃Because we are floating in space; my dear captain; and in space
bodies fall or move (which is the same thing) with equal speed
whatever be their weight or form; it is the air; which by its
resistance creates these differences in weight。  When you create
a vacuum in a tube; the objects you send through it; grains of
dust or grains of lead; fall with the same rapidity。  Here in
space is the same cause and the same effect。〃

〃Just so;〃 said Nicholl; 〃and everything we throw out of the
projectile will accompany it until it reaches the moon。〃

〃Ah! fools that we are!〃 exclaimed Michel。

〃Why that expletive?〃 asked Barbicane。

〃Because we might have filled the projectile with useful objects;
books; instruments; tools; etc。  We could have thrown them all
out; and all would have followed in our train。  But happy thought!
Why cannot we walk outside like the meteor?  Why cannot we launch
into space through the scuttle?  What enjoyment it would be to
feel oneself thus suspended in ether; more favored than the birds
who must use their wings to keep themselves up!〃

〃Granted;〃 said Barbicane; 〃but how to breathe?〃

〃Hang the air; to fail so inopportunely!〃

〃But if it did not fail; Michel; your density being less than
that of the projectile; you would soon be left behind。〃

〃Then we must remain in our car?〃

〃We must!〃

〃Ah!〃 exclaimed Michel; in a load voice。

〃What is the matter;〃 asked Nicholl。

〃I know; I guess; what this pretended meteor is!  It is no
asteroid which is accompanying us!  It is not a piece of a planet。〃

〃What is it then?〃 asked Barbicane。

〃It is our unfortunate dog!  It is Diana's husband!〃

Indeed; this deformed; unrecognizable object; reduced to
nothing; was the body of Satellite; flattened like a bagpipe
without wind; and ever mounting; mounting!





CHAPTER VII


A MOMENT OF INTOXICATION


Thus a phenomenon; curious but explicable; was happening under
these strange conditions。

Every object thrown from the projectile would follow the same
course and never stop until it did。  There was a subject for
conversation which the whole evening could not exhaust。

Besides; the excitement of the three travelers increased as they
drew near the end of their journey。  They expected unforseen
incidents; and new phenomena; and nothing would have astonished
them in the frame of mind they then were in。  Their overexcited
imagination went faster than the projectile; whose speed was
evidently diminishing; though insensibly to themselves。  But the
moon grew larger to their eyes; and they fancied if they
stretched out their hands they could seize it。

The next day; the 5th of November; at five in the morning;
all three were on foot。  That day was to be the last of their
journey; if all calculations were true。  That very night; at
twelve o'clock; in eighteen hours; exactly at the full moon;
they would reach its brilliant disc。  The next midnight would
see that journey ended; the most extraordinary of ancient or
modern times。  Thus from the first of the morning; through the
scuttles silvered by its rays; they saluted the orb of night
with a confident and joyous hurrah。

The moon was advancing majestically along the starry firmament。
A few more degrees; and she would reach the exact point where
her meeting with the projectile was to take place。

According to his own observations; Barbicane reckoned that they
would land on her northern hemisphere; where stretch immense plains;
and where mountains are rare。  A favorable circumstance if; as
they thought; the lunar atmosphere was stored only in its depths。

〃Besides;〃 observed Michel Ardan

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