round the moon-第30章

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creatures　differently　organized　from　ourselves？〃

〃That　question　is　more　difficult　to　answer；　but　I　will　try；　and
I　ask　Nicholl　if　_motion_　appears　to　him　to　be　a　necessary
result　of　_life_；　whatever　be　its　organization？〃

〃Without　a　doubt！〃　answered　Nicholl。

〃Then；　my　worthy　companion；　I　would　answer　that　we　have　observed
the　lunar　continent　at　a　distance　of　500　yards　at　most；　and　that
nothing　seemed　to　us　to　move　on　the　moon's　surface。　　The　presence
of　any　kind　of　life　would　have　been　betrayed　by　its　attendant　marks；
such　as　divers　buildings；　and　even　by　ruins。　　And　what　have
we　seen？　　Everywhere　and　always　the　geological　works　of　nature；
never　the　work　of　man。　　If；　then；　there　exist　representatives
of　the　animal　kingdom　on　the　moon；　they　must　have　fled　to　those
unfathomable　cavities　which　the　eye　cannot　reach；　which　I　cannot
admit；　for　they　must　have　left　traces　of　their　passage　on　those
plains　which　the　atmosphere　must　cover；　however　slightly　raised
it　may　be。　　These　traces　are　nowhere　visible。　　There　remains　but
one　hypothesis；　that　of　a　living　race　to　which　motion；　which　is
life；　is　foreign。〃

〃One　might　as　well　say；　living　creatures　which　do　not　live；〃
replied　Michel。

〃Just　so；〃　said　Barbicane；　〃which　for　us　has　no　meaning。〃

〃Then　we　may　form　our　opinion？〃　said　Michel。

〃Yes；〃　replied　Nicholl。

〃Very　well；〃　continued　Michel　Ardan；　〃the　Scientific　Commission
assembled　in　the　projectile　of　the　Gun　Club；　after　having
founded　their　argument　on　facts　recently　observed；　decide
unanimously　upon　the　question　of　the　habitability　of　the　moon
‘_No！_　the　moon　is　not　habitable。'〃

This　decision　was　consigned　by　President　Barbicane　to　his
notebook；　where　the　process　of　the　sitting　of　the　6th　of
December　may　be　seen。

〃Now；〃　said　Nicholl；　〃let　us　attack　the　second　question；　an
indispensable　complement　of　the　first。　　I　ask　the　honorable
commission；　if　the　moon　is　not　habitable；　has　she　ever　been
inhabited；　Citizen　Barbicane？〃

〃My　friends；〃　replied　Barbicane；　〃I　did　not　undertake　this
journey　in　order　to　form　an　opinion　on　the　past　habitability　of
our　satellite；　but　I　will　add　that　our　personal　observations
only　confirm　me　in　this　opinion。　　I　believe；　indeed　I　affirm；
that　the　moon　has　been　inhabited　by　a　human　race　organized　like
our　own；　that　she　has　produced　animals　anatomically　formed　like
the　terrestrial　animals：　　but　I　add　that　these　races；　human　and
animal；　have　had　their　day；　and　are　now　forever　extinct！〃

〃Then；〃　asked　Michel；　〃the　moon　must　be　older　than　the　earth？〃

〃No！〃　said　Barbicane　decidedly；　〃but　a　world　which　has　grown　old
quicker；　and　whose　formation　and　deformation　have　been　more　rapid。
Relatively；　the　organizing　force　of　matter　has　been　much　more
violent　in　the　interior　of　the　moon　than　in　the　interior　of　the
terrestrial　globe。　　The　actual　state　of　this　cracked；　twisted；
and　burst　disc　abundantly　proves　this。　　The　moon　and　the　earth
were　nothing　but　gaseous　masses　originally。　　These　gases　have
passed　into　a　liquid　state　under　different　influences；　and　the
solid　masses　have　been　formed　later。　But　most　certainly　our
sphere　was　still　gaseous　or　liquid；　when　the　moon　was　solidified
by　cooling；　and　had　become　habitable。〃

〃I　believe　it；〃　said　Nicholl。

〃Then；〃　continued　Barbicane；　〃an　atmosphere　surrounded　it；　the
waters　contained　within　this　gaseous　envelope　could　not　evaporate。
Under　the　influence　of　air；　water；　light；　solar　heat；　and　central
heat；　vegetation　took　possession　of　the　continents　prepared　to
receive　it；　and　certainly　life　showed　itself　about　this　period；
for　nature　does　not　expend　herself　in　vain；　and　a　world　so
wonderfully　formed　for　habitation　must　necessarily　be　inhabited。〃

〃But；〃　said　Nicholl；　〃many　phenomena　inherent　in　our　satellite
might　cramp　the　expansion　of　the　animal　and　vegetable　kingdom。
For　example；　its　days　and　nights　of　354　hours？〃

〃At　the　terrestrial　poles　they　last　six　months；〃　said　Michel。

〃An　argument　of　little　value；　since　the　poles　are　not　inhabited。〃

〃Let　us　observe；　my　friends；〃　continued　Barbicane；　〃that　if　in
the　actual　state　of　the　moon　its　long　nights　and　long　days
created　differences　of　temperature　insupportable　to
organization；　it　was　not　so　at　the　historical　period　of　time。
The　atmosphere　enveloped　the　disc　with　a　fluid　mantle；　vapor
deposited　itself　in　the　shape　of　clouds；　this　natural　screen
tempered　the　ardor　of　the　solar　rays；　and　retained　the
nocturnal　radiation。　　Light；　like　heat；　can　diffuse　itself　in
the　air；　hence　an　equality　between　the　influences　which　no　longer
exists；　now　that　atmosphere　has　almost　entirely　disappeared。
And　now　I　am　going　to　astonish　you。〃

〃Astonish　us？〃　said　Michel　Ardan。

〃I　firmly　believe　that　at　the　period　when　the　moon　was　inhabited；
the　nights　and　days　did　not　last　354　hours！〃

〃And　why？〃　asked　Nicholl　quickly。

〃Because　most　probably　then　the　rotary　motion　of　the　moon　upon
her　axis　was　not　equal　to　her　revolution；　an　equality　which
presents　each　part　of　her　disc　during　fifteen　days　to　the　action
of　the　solar　rays。〃

〃Granted；〃　replied　Nicholl；　〃but　why　should　not　these　two
motions　have　been　equal；　as　they　are　really　so？〃

〃Because　that　equality　has　only　been　determined　by
terrestrial　attraction。　　And　who　can　say　that　this　attraction
was　powerful　enough　to　alter　the　motion　of　the　moon　at　that
period　when　the　earth　was　still　fluid？〃

〃Just　so；〃　replied　Nicholl；　〃and　who　can　say　that　the　moon　has
always　been　a　satellite　of　the　earth？〃

〃And　who　can　say；〃　exclaimed　Michel　Ardan；　〃that　the　moon　did
not　exist　before　the　earth？〃

Their　imaginations　carried　them　away　into　an　indefinite　field
of　hypothesis。　　Barbicane　sought　to　restrain　them。

〃Those　speculations　are　too　high；〃　said　he；　〃problems
utterly　insoluble。　　Do　not　let　us　enter　upon　them。　　Let　us　only
admit　the　insufficiency　of　the　primordial　attraction；　and　then
by　the　inequality　of　the　two　motions　of　rotation　and　revolution；
the　days　and　nights　could　have　succeeded　each　other　on　the　moon
as　they　succeed　each　other　on　the　earth。　　Besides；　even　without
these　conditions；　life　was　possible。〃

〃And　so；〃　asked　Michel　Ardan；　〃humanity　has　disappeared　from
the　moon？〃

〃Yes；〃　replied　Barbicane；　〃after　having　doubtless　remained
persistently　for　millions　of　centuries；　by　degrees　the
atmosphere　becoming　rarefied；　the　disc　became　uninhabitable；　as
the　terrestrial　globe　will　one　day　become　by　cooling。〃

〃By　cooling？〃

〃Certainly；〃　replied　Barbicane；　〃as　the　internal　fires　became
extinguished；　and　the　incandescent　matter　concentrated　itself；
the　lunar　crust　cooled。　　By　degrees　the　consequences　of　these
phenomena　showed　themselves　in　the　disappearance　of　organized
beings；　and　by　the　disappearance　of　vegetation。　　Soon　the
atmosphere　was　rarefied；　probably　withdrawn　by　terrestrial
attraction；　then　aerial　departure　of　respirable　air；　and
disappearance　of　water　by　means　of　evaporation。　　At　this　period
the　moon　becoming　uninhabitable；　was　no　longer　inhabited。
It　was　a　dead　world；　such　as　we　see　it　to…day。〃

〃And　you　say　that　the　same　fate　is　in　store　for　the　earth？〃

〃Most　probably。〃

〃But　when？〃

〃When　the　cooling　of　its　crust　shall　have　made　it　uninhabitable。〃

〃And　have　they　calculated　the　time　which　our　unfortunate　sphere
will　take　to　cool？〃

〃Certainly。〃

〃And　you　know　these　calculations？〃

〃Perfectly。〃

〃But　speak；　then；　my　clumsy　savant；〃　exclaimed　Michel　Ardan；
〃for　you　make　me　boil　with　impatience！〃

〃Very　well；　my　good　Michel；〃　replied　Barbicane　quietly；　〃we　know
what　diminution　of　temperature　the　earth　undergoes　in　the　lapse
of　a　century。　　And　according　to　certain　calculations；　this　mean
temperature　will　after　a　period　of　400；000　years；　be　brought
down　to　zero！〃

〃Four　hundred　thousand　years！〃　exclaimed　Michel。　　〃Ah！　　I
breathe　again。　　Really　I　was　frightened　to　hear　you；　I　imagined
that　we　had　not　more　than　50；000　years　to　live。〃

Barbicane　and　Nicholl　could　not　help　laughing　at　their
companion's　uneasiness。　　Then　Nicholl；　who　wished　to　end　the
discussion；　put　the　second　question；　which　had　just　been
considered　again。

〃Has　the　moon　been　inhabited？〃　he　asked。

The　answer　was　unanimously　in　the　affirmative