Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Attack and Defense

This episode seemed like it should end the debate.It's hard to find a better "closing statement".However, just as the venue calmed down, a loud and serious voice uttered the following words: Now that the orator has given full play to his fancies, will he wish to return to the business, and speak less of theory, and more of the practical part of his expedition? " All eyes turned to the speaker.He was a tall, thin, dry man with a strong face and an American goatee under his chin.He took advantage of several times of chaos in the venue and slowly squeezed into the first row.There, with his arms folded, his bold, glowing eyes stared intently at the hero of the convention.After he asked the question, he remained silent, seemingly unaffected by the thousands of eyes that were fixed on him, and by the murmur of reproaches his words evoked.His question was still unanswered, so he repeated it in the same distinct tone, and added:

"We're here to talk about the moon, not the earth." "You are quite right, sir," replied Michel Ardan, "our discussion has strayed from the point. Let us return to the moon." "Sir," said the stranger again, "you say there are people on the moon. All right. But if there are people on the moon, it is certain that these people do not live by breathing, because there are no molecules of air on the surface of the moon." .It will be to your advantage that I inform you in this way." Hearing this assertion, Adam bristled his red hair. He understood that his struggle with this man was about to start on this crucial issue.Now it was his turn to stare at each other, and he said:

"Ah: there is no air on the moon! Excuse me, who said that?," said the scientist. " "real?" "real." "Sir," Michel continued, "let's not joke. I have great respect for learned scientists, but I have a deep respect for uneducated scientists." "Are you familiar with scientists who fall into the second category?" "I'm very familiar with it. In France, one person insisted that, strictly speaking, birds cannot fly, and another one used the theory to prove that fish are not born to live in water." "I don't mean scientists like that, sir, and I can name a few scientists who support my claims that you can't deny."

"So, sir, you've stumped a poor ignorant man, but he's always fond of learning!" "If you haven't worked on these scientific problems, why are you talking about them?" demanded the stranger rather roughly. "Why!" Adam replied, "because the bravest man is the one who never knows what danger is! I don't know anything, it's true, but it's because of this weakness that I have strength." "Your weakness is insane!" exclaimed the stranger angrily. "Well said!" countered the Frenchman, "if my madness can take me to the moon!"

The eyes of Barbicane and his companions were eager to swallow this ignorant fellow who dared to thwart their plans.No one knew him.Barbicane looked anxiously at his new friend, wondering what the consequences of such a free-flowing argument would lead to.The whole assembly listened with great anxiety, for the results of the war of words had brought to their attention the possible dangers, if not the impossibility, of the expedition. "Sir," continued Michel Ardan's opponent, "there are many indisputable reasons for the absolute absence of air around the moon. I would even go so far as to say that if there was any air, it would have been exhausted by the earth. But I would rather I hope to refute you with undeniable facts."

"Please, sir," replied Michel Ardan politely, "speak as much as you can!" "You know," said the stranger, "that when light passes through a medium such as air, it departs from its original straight line, or in other words, refraction occurs. But when the moon covers the stars, when the stars are near the moon At the edge of the disk, the starlight does not depart from the original straight line, and there is no trace of refraction, so we can draw an obvious conclusion that there is no air around the moon." Everyone looked at the Frenchman, because once this observation was admitted, the consequences would be serious.

"To tell the truth," replied Michel Ardan, "if not to say that this is your main evidence, if not your only one, it would be difficult for a scientist to answer; It is said that this evidence is defective, because it already determines the diameter and angle of the moon, which is not the case. However, we will leave this question for the moment, and please tell me, dear sir, whether you admit that the surface of the moon has volcano?" "There are extinct volcanoes, there are no living ones." "But, allow me, it is not beyond the bounds of logic to believe that these volcanoes burned at some time!"

"That's true, but they supply the oxygen needed for combustion, so the phenomenon of volcanic eruptions does not at all prove the existence of a lunar atmosphere." "Well, let's not talk about it," replied Michel Ardan, "let's put aside arguments of this kind and talk about direct observations. But before we talk about it, I will give a few examples. " "Lift it." "I'll start now. In 1715 the astronomers Rouwell and Halley, observing the lunar eclipse of May 3rd, noticed a very strange flash of light on the moon. These fleeting sparks that appeared from time to time , they thought it was a storm in the moon's atmosphere."

"In 1715," retorted the stranger, "the astronomers Rouwell and Halley took for lunar phenomena purely terrestrial phenomena, such as meteors. After they had published this fact , that was the answer of the scientists at the time, and so was my answer." "Let's not talk about that," Adam replied calmly after hearing the other party's rebuttal. "Didn't Herschel see many luminous spots on the surface of the moon in 1787?" "True: but without explaining the cause of these luminous points, Herschel himself did not draw the conclusion that an atmosphere must be present on the moon for the luminous points to appear."

"Your answer is excellent," said Michel Ardan, applauding his opponent, "I see that you have a good study of lunar science." "Excellent research, sir, and I will add that the most talented astronomers, Mr. Bill and Madrell, have studied the celestial bodies in the dark night. They both think that there is no air at all on the surface of the moon." There was a commotion in the crowd, which seemed to be moved by the arguments presented by the eccentric. "Let's not talk about that," replied Michel Ardan, very calmly; "we now come to an important fact. A talented French astronomer, M. Rosetta, observed the eighteenth day of July, 1861. The solar eclipse proves that the crescent-shaped sun's two cusps are round and have been cut off. However, this phenomenon can only be caused by the refraction of sunlight by the moon's atmosphere, and no other explanation is possible. "

"But is this fact reliable?" asked the stranger hastily. "Absolutely dependable!" The crowd turned again to their beloved hero, and his opponent remained silent.Adam continued to speak, and did not show any complacency because of his victory this time, he simply said: "You can also see, my dear sir, that we should not affirm that there is absolutely no air on the surface of the moon. The air there may be very thin, but today's scientific community has recognized its existence." "Forgive me, there is no air on the mountain," the stranger continued without admitting defeat. "No, but there is in the valley, and it's only a few hundred feet thick." "Well, you've got to be careful, because the air is terribly thin." "Ah! Honest sir, there is always enough for one man: besides, when I get there, I try to save air, and breathe only when I really need it!" A terrible laugh rang in the ears of the enigmatic interlocutor.Like a challenge, he looked proudly at the crowd in the venue. "Then," continued Michel Ardan leisurely, "since we agree that the Moon has an atmosphere, we must admit that there is also a little water there. Personally, I'm very happy with this conclusion.Besides, my lovely naysayers, allow me to mention one more fact.What we see is only one side of the moon. If there is a little air on the lunar disk facing us, there may be a lot of air on the other side. " "why?" "Because, due to the gravitational relationship of the earth, the shape of the moon is like an egg, and what we see is only the small end. According to Hansen's calculation results, its center of gravity is on the other hemisphere, so it can be concluded that, From the very beginning of our moon's formation, most of the air and water were drawn to the other side by its center of gravity." "Pure fantasy!" cried the stranger. "No! These are purely theories based on the laws of mechanics. In my opinion, it is very difficult to refute them. I ask the General Assembly to vote whether the living things that live on the earth can live on the moon?" The 300,000 audience applauded simultaneously.Michel Ardan's opponent wanted to say something more, but no one could hear him.Shouts and threats hit him like hail. "Enough! Enough!" said some. "Get the bastard out!" the others kept saying. "Get him out! Get him out!" cried the enraged crowd. But he, clinging to the platform, stood there immobile, waiting for the storm to pass, which would have been fatal if Michel Ardan had not made a gesture to silence the assembly.But he is a very loyal person, and he will not abandon his opponent at such a critical juncture. Would you like to say a few words? "Yes, I'd like to say a hundred more, a thousand more!" replied the stranger angrily. "Better, no! Just one! If you stick to your plan, unless you're a..." "A disregard for the future! How can you think of me as a man who I have asked my friend Barbicane to construct a cannonball conical and round, so that I should not roll about in the road like a squirrel? " "But, poor bastard, the sitting force at first will crush you to a pulp!" "Look dear, you're only now pointing to the only and real difficulty: but I have enough faith in the creative genius of the Americans not to believe they can't solve it!" "But what about the high heat generated by the velocity of the shell as it travels through the atmosphere?" "Ah! The walls are thick, and I'm going through the atmosphere in just a blink of an eye." But what about food? Water?" "I've calculated that I can bring enough stuff for a year, but my journey is only four days!" "But what about the air you breathe on the road?" "I can make it chemically." "If you could reach the moon, how would you descend?" "The descent there is six times slower than on Earth, because the weight is six times less on the lunar surface." "That will break you like a glass too!" "Who is to prevent me, if necessary, from slowing down the rate of descent, using pre-installed rockets?" "But in the end, suppose all difficulties are solved, all obstacles overcome, all luck befalls you alone, suppose you reach the moon safely, but how do you get back?" "I'm not coming back!" Hearing this answer which made his simplicity extremely heroic, the meeting hall fell silent.But this silence was more touching than the exclamation of excitement. The stranger took advantage of this opportunity to make a final protest. "Yes, you will die there," he exclaimed, "but it's only the death of a madman, and doesn't even contribute anything to science!" "Go on, generous stranger, because, in truth, your diagnosis is very flattering." "Ah! too much!" exclaimed Michel Ardan's enemy, "I I don't know why I go on with such half-hearted arguments! Go ahead and enjoy this foolish thing! We don't blame you!" "Ah! You're welcome!" "No! Someone else will be responsible for your actions!" "Excuse me, who is that?" asked Michel Ardan in an imperative tone. "It's the idiot who initiated this ridiculous and impossible experiment!" This is a direct attack.Ever since the stranger began to interfere, Barbicane, who had been trying to restrain himself, was, as it were, "burning its own steam" like certain boilers, but, seeing himself so insulted, he rose hastily, and The enemy looked at him challengingly as he walked away. At this moment, he suddenly found himself getting farther and farther away from him. It turned out that a hundred strong arms raised the platform at once, and the chairman of the Gun Club and Michel Ardan enjoyed the glory of the triumphal procession. The platform is very heavy, but the people who carry it are constantly changing shifts, everyone is fighting for the ground, ready to use their shoulders to support the triumphal shield~At this time, the stranger did not take advantage of the chaos to get out of the place. place. But then again, was he able to do it in the middle of a crowded, immobile crowd?Of course not.In any case, he remained among the people in the first row, his eyes eager to swallow Chairman Barbicane. This one was also looking at him all the time, and the eyes of the two intersected like two cold swords. During the victory parade, the roar of the endless crowd was kept up. with maximum intensity.Michelle Ardan let them do this with obvious smugness, a gleam of joy on his face.The platform swayed from side to side for a while, and bumped back and forth for a while, as if it was a ship hit by waves.But these two heroes of the Congress were as hard on their feet as sailors, and they stood motionless, and their ship sailed into the port of Dhampa without loss. Michel Ardan had the good fortune to escape the last embraces of his ardent admirers; he fled to the Franklin Hotel, went nimbly to his room, and jumped into bed, while the crowd of a hundred thousand Stay under his window. At this moment a brief, earnest, and decisive negotiation was taking place between this mysterious figure and the chairman of the Cannon Club. It turned out that Barbicane, having withdrawn from the procession, walked straight up to his enemy. "Come with me, please!" he said simply. This one followed him on the pier, and after a while came to a port entrance facing Jon's slope.Now there are only two of them left. The two enemies who did not know each other looked at each other face to face. "Are you promoting Barbicane?" "Captain Nicholl." "I have guessed that until now fate has not thrown you in my path..." "I'm here myself!" "You just insulted me!" public insult. " "You should apologize to me." "Do it right away." "No. I want it all to be done privately between us. There's a grove three miles from Tampa called Skisnow Woods, you know?" Know. "Would you like to walk in the J. Woods side at five o'clock in the morning? . . . " "Yes, as long as you enter from the other side at the same time." "You didn't forget your rifle, did you?" "Just as you don't forget yours," Nicholl replied. After these cold exchange of words, the Chairman of the Cannon Club and Captain Nicholl parted.Chairman Barbicane returned (to his own residence, but instead of resting, he went to find ways to avoid the recoil of the shells, and to answer the difficult questions raised by Michel Ardan during the discussion of the General Assembly. All night. passed.