Chapter 8 Chapter 7 The Moment of Intoxication

So under such strange conditions, a bizarre yet logical, absurd yet understandable phenomenon occurred.Whatever is thrown out of the projectile follows its orbit, goes with it, and stops with it.This is what they can't finish talking about all night.Moreover, as the journey drew closer to its end, the three passengers became more and more excited.In their state of mind at that time, they were so accustomed to all accidents and novelties that nothing could surprise them any more.Their overexcited imaginations had already raced ahead of the projectile, and they did not even notice that the velocity of the projectile had slowed considerably.At this time, the moon seemed bigger and bigger in their eyes, as if they could grasp it with their hands.The next day, December 5th, the three got up at five o'clock in the morning.If no miscalculations occurred, it was the last day of their journey.At midnight, that is to say, eighteen hours later, when the moon was just full, they would reach the luminous surface of the moon.Therefore, when they got up in the morning, they immediately shouted confidently to the celestial body of the night: Hurrah!

The moon marches majestically in the starry sky.Turn around a few more degrees.It is about to meet the projectile at a certain point in space.Based on his own observations, Barbicane estimated that they would land in the northern hemisphere, where there are few mountains and vast plains everywhere.It would be a good thing if, as some people imagine, the atmosphere of the moon is accumulated in the low places. "Besides," Michelle said.Adam said, "It is better to land on a plain than on a high mountain] If you put a moonman on the top of Mont Blanc in Europe or the Himalayas, it is difficult to say that he has reached the earth!"

"Not only that," added Captain Nicholl, "if it is on a flat surface, the projectile will land in a smooth and even manner. On the contrary, if it is a slope, it will roll and roll like an avalanche, except No one but the squirrel will ever get out safely. Now, everything is all right." In fact, this daring attempt is clearly in sight.At this moment.One thought was always haunting Barbicane, but he did not want to worry his two companions, and kept silent. It turns out that the direction of the projectile has been biased towards the northern part of the moon.This proves that its orbit has been changed slightly, and according to the mathematics, the shell should be fired into the center of the lunar disk.If it cannot achieve this goal, it means that its direction has been deviated.What caused this? Barbicane could neither curse nor determine the magnitude of the deviation, since he could not find a bearing.However, he hoped that the deviation would not be too great, but would only yaw the projectile to a place on the upper half of the moon where it would be convenient for landing.

Barbicane did not tell his friends about his preoccupations, and he had to survey the moon from time to time to see if there were any new changes in the direction of the projectile.Because, if the shell misses the target, slides to the side of the moon disk, and rushes into the interstellar space, it will be unimaginable. At this time, the moon is no longer like a disc, but a sphere that can be felt by people.If the sun shines obliquely, the outline of the mountain can be clearly highlighted, and we can also measure the height of the mountain from the shadow.Our eyes can also flow into the huge "volcanic crater" and distinguish the countless ravines that spread vertically and horizontally on the vast plain. But) it is now under the dazzling sunlight. The ups and downs of the terrain can't be seen clearly. Even the one on the moon seems to be human The pattern of the face is also unclear.

"Human face? Let it be so," said Michel Ardan, "but the pockmarked face of Apollo's beloved sister really makes me feel sorry for her!,, At this moment, the three travelers were so close to their destination, they kept observing this new world. , their imagination guides them in roaming these unknown lands.They climbed to the top of the high mountain for a while, and then descended into the depths of the vast crater.Here and there they seemed to see vast oceans beneath the thin atmosphere and rivers winding down deep mountains.They stooped over the abyss to listen to the voice of the celestial body, but in the silence of the vacuum the celestial body remained eternally silent. , The journey on the last day left them with countless exciting memories.They recorded even the smallest details of the day.But: 'The closer they get to the finish line, the more anxious they get.If they notice that their speed has slowed down, they will be anxious: this speed is obviously not able to send them to their destination.The projectile now "loses weight" almost completely.Its weight is constantly decreasing, and it will completely disappear when it reaches the boundary line where the attraction of the moon and the attraction of the earth cancel each other, and many surprising phenomena will occur at this time.

In spite of all these worries, "Michelle Adam still did not forget to prepare breakfast on time as usual. Everyone's appetite was good. Nothing tastes better than this gas-fired thick soup, nothing better than This kind of canned meat is more delicious. Finally, a few glasses of rich French wine ended the early rebellion. When it comes to wine, Michel Ardan said that under the hot sun, the moon grape Of course, if there are grapes—the most mellow wine will be produced. This far-sighted Frenchman will never forget to put a few precious Médoc and Côte d’Or grapes in his parcel.” Narrow, he believes in these two kinds of grapes the most.

The Raytheon and Leonio devices have been working accurately.The air has been kept absolutely fresh.All the molecules of carbonic acid gas cannot resist the caustic potash, and the oxygen must be "first-class", as Captain Nicholl said.A little water vapor mixed in the air is enough to relieve the dryness inside the projectile, and many apartments and theaters in Paris, London, and New York would never have such air conditioning conditions. "However, the device must be in perfect condition to work properly. So every morning Michel Ardan checks the air flow regulator, tries the taps, adjusts the gas fire with the pyrometer. Until then, everything was It went well, so the three passengers, like the honorable Maston, began to gain weight. If this continued for a few months, they would be so fat that no one would know them. In a word, they would be like being locked in a cage. like a chicken

Through the porthole Barbicane watched the ghost of the dog and all the objects thrown out of the projectile, which followed the projectile invariably.Looking at the satellite's corpse, Diana let out mournful cries from time to time.These floating objects did not move at all, as if they were placed on solid ground. "Do you know, my friends," said Michel Ardan, that if one of us were to die under the impact of the departure, we could not bury him, what less?We had to hold an 'ether burial' for him, because here, ether replaced the land!You see, this corpse will follow us in space, like a heart disease, always condemning us! "

"That would be tragic," Nicholl said. "Unfortunately," continued Michele, "you can't go outside for a walk...if you can just float in this radiant ether, take a bath and roll in this pure light , how comfortable it would be:. If Barbicane had thought of getting a diving suit and a pump, I could now venture outside and climb the projectile spire to perform Heyra and Ipogriff ! "My old Michel," replied Barbicane, "nor your Ipogriff: it may last too long, for the air in your body will swell like a star despite the diving suit." The bomb, or rather, blows up like a balloon that rises too high. So you don't have to regret it, but remember: as long as we float in a vacuum, we can't allow you to go outside the projectile at your leisure. go for a walk!"

To some extent Michel Ardan was persuaded by Barbicane.He admits that there are difficulties, but he disagrees, and it cannot be done.” He never said the word “impossible”. They passed from one subject to another, and went on endlessly.Under these conditions, to these three friends, many ideas seemed to emerge from the brain of their own accord, like young leaves newly plucked in the warmth of spring.They feel that their brain is like a leafy bush. For a whole morning, they asked me questions and answered them, talking with eloquence.At this time, Uchar suddenly raised a question that could not be solved for a while.

"I say," he said, "it's all very well to go to the moon, but how do we get back?" "His two interlocutors looked at me and I looked at you, and found it very strange. It can almost be said that this possibility has appeared before them for the first time. "What do you mean by that, Nicholl?" asked Barbicane gravely. "To ask how to get back before we're here," put in Michele, "I think it's inappropriate." "I say this not to back down," Nicholl replied. "I repeat, I'm just asking: how do we get back?" "I don't know," said Barbicane. "Me," said Michelle, if I knew how to get back, I wouldn't have come. ". "Look at what he said," Nicholl said aloud. "I agree with Michel," said Barbicane, "but, I add, the question is worthless for the moment. We shall consider it later when we think it appropriate. We have no Columbian guns, But the projectile is always there." "What a prospect: a bullet without a gun!" "Guns, we can make," replied Barbicane. "Gunpowder, we can make it too! The moon will not be without metal, saltpeter, and charcoal. Besides, if we want to come back, we can only rely on the law of gravity if we can overcome the attraction of the moon and reach an altitude of 8,000 leagues." landed on Earth." "Enough," Michelle said, getting excited. "Don't talk about going back any more: we've already talked a lot. About connecting with our old colleagues on Earth, I don't think it's difficult." "what to do?"" "Shoot meteors from a lunar volcano." "Couple! Michel," replied Barbicane, in a resolute tone. "Laplace once calculated that it would be possible to send a meteor from the moon to the earth with five times the force of our ordinary cannon. In fact, all volcanoes have a force much greater than this force. " "Ulla!" Michelle yelled. "These shooting stars are our good postmen, and they don't cost a cent! We must be satisfied with the Lunar Post! Oh! I remembered..." "What do you remember?" "A bright idea came to me: why don't we attach a wire to our shells? Then we'd be able to telegraph Earth!" "Damn you!" Nicholl retorted him. "Eighty-six thousand leagues of wire, do you think there is no weight at all?"; "What does that matter! We only need to triple the powder of the Colombian guns! We can even triple, quadruple!" cried Michel, his voice growing louder. "The plan, with one small objection, is untenable. For as the earth rotates, our wires will be entangled in the earth like chains on a capstan, and will eventually inevitably take us to the earth." "I swear by the thirty-nine stars of the United States!" said Michelle. "I've come up with bad ideas to-day! They're as good as Maston's! But I think if we don't go back, Maston may be coming here for us!" "Well! he will come here," agreed Barbicane; "he is a respectable and courageous friend. Besides, what could be easier? Aren't the Colombian guns buried under Florida?" ? Will there still be a shortage of cotton and nitric acid for making guncotton? Will the moon stop passing through the Florida zenith? In another eighteen years, won’t the moon return to its current position?” "Yes!" said Michel, "yes, Maston will be here, and our friends Alphiston, Bloomsbury, and all the members of the Cannon Club will be with him." Come together, they'll be well received! We'll be making lots of 'Earth-Moon projectile trains' in the future! Hurrah! Meston!" The venerable Maston, though he could not hear the cheers raised to him, might at least warm his ears.What is he doing now?No doubt he may be stationed at Langfeng Observatory in the Rocky Mountains, trying to find this almost invisible cannonball orbiting in space.If he is thinking of his dear companions, we should say that they are also worthy of him, for they, too, in this particularly excited state of mind, are constantly wishing him well. But why should the projectile travelers sink into this increasingly pronounced state of excitement?There can be no doubt that they have always drank in moderation.So, could this strange excitement in their brains be attributed to the special environment they are in now?Is it because they are so close to the moon, only a few hours away, that the nervous system has been affected by some secret of the moon?Their faces were flushed as if they had just been roasted in front of a furnace, their breathing was quickened, their lungs were like the bellows of a blacksmith's furnace, their eyes were particularly bright, and their voices were terrifyingly loud; their words seemed to be pushed out one by one by charcoal gas. Like the corks of champagne bottles, they are disturbing, as if the size of the place cannot move their arms.Another striking detail is that they did not notice their overwrought mental state at all. "Now," said Nicholl in a stiff tone, "since I don't know whether we can come from the moon, I should ask what we are going to do there." "What to do there!" answered Barbicane, stamping his foot as if in a training hall. "I don't know!" "You don't know!" Michel yelled, his cry echoing loudly in the projectile. "I don't know, I haven't even thought about it!" retorted Barbicane, who also began to quarrel with his interlocutor. "Hmph! I know, I," Michelle replied. "Just say it," cried Nicholl, who could not restrain a tone of reproach. "I'll speak out when I think it's right!" cried Michel, grabbing his companion by the arm. "You ought to think now is the time," said Barbicane, with a threatening gesture, his eyes blazing. "It was you who made us take this dreadful trip, and we shall ask why!", "Yes!" said the captain, "since I don't know where I'm going, I'll ask why I'm going there!" ""why? cried Michelle, jumping half a foot high. "Why?"In order to occupy the moon in the name of the United States!To add a fortieth star to the United States!To colonize the moon, cultivate the land there, breed there, spread art, science and industry!If the lunar people are not as civilized as we are, we will civilize them, and if they have not yet established a republic, we will establish one for them! " "Haha: if there were no moonmen!" retorted Nicholl, who, under the sway of this inexplicable intoxication, had become a quarrelsome man. "Who says there are no moonmen?" Michelle exclaimed in a threatening tone. "Me!" cried Nicholl. "Captain," said Michele, "you must stop saying such goddamn words, or I'll pry open your two big teeth and stab you in the throat!" When the two enemies were about to rush together, and this vexatious quarrel threatened to develop into a fight, Barbicane jumped up and intervened. "Stop it, bloody fellow," he said, and parted his two companions as well, "we can get by without the Moonmen!" "Of course!" exclaimed Michele, who was no longer assertive. "We can get by too. We'll just have to create Moonmen! Destroy Moonmen!" "The Moon Empire is ours," Nicholl said. "It belongs to the three of us, and we want to establish a republic!" "I am the House," Michelle said aloud. "I am the Senate," Nicholl said. "Barbicane is the President," cried Michel. "Not a president elected by the people of the whole country," answered Barbicane. "But there is also a president elected by the parliament!" Michelle said loudly. "Since I am the House of Representatives, the House of Representatives unanimously elects you as president!" "President Barbicane, Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!" cried Nicholl. "Ulla! Ulla! Ulla!" Michel Ardan exclaimed. Then the President and the Senate sang "Yankee Doodle" in terrible voices, while the House of Representatives also sang "La Marseillaise" in tenor. So the three began to dance wildly, with their hair disheveled, their hands dancing, and somersaults like clowns whose joints were out of step.Diana joined in, screaming, jumping, and leaping up to the projectile vault.Suddenly they heard an unexplainable sound of poultry couch wings and a particularly loud crowing of a rooster!Five or six hens crashed against the wall like crazy weaving... At last the three traveling companions, under the influence of an incomprehensible force, as if drunk, the air burning their respiratory organs, the lungs beginning to be destroyed, suddenly fell unconscious at the bottom of the projectile.