CHAPTERXVI
THESOUTHERNHEMISPHERE
Theprojectilehadjustescapedaterribledanger,andaveryunforseenone。Whowouldhavethoughtofsuchanencounterwithmeteors?Theseerringbodiesmightcreateseriousperilsforthetravelers。Theyweretothemsomanysandbanksuponthatseaofetherwhich,lessfortunatethansailors,theycouldnotescape。Butdidtheseadventurerscomplainofspace?No,notsincenaturehadgiventhemthesplendidsightofacosmicalmeteorburstingfromexpansion,sincethisinimitablefirework,whichnoRuggiericouldimitate,hadlitupforsomesecondstheinvisiblegloryofthemoon。Inthatflash,continents,seas,andforestshadbecomevisibletothem。Didanatmosphere,then,bringtothisunknownfaceitslife—givingatoms?
Questionsstillinsoluble,andforeverclosedagainsthumancuriousity!
Itwasthenhalf—pastthreeintheafternoon。Theprojectilewasfollowingitscurvilineardirectionroundthemoon。Haditscourseagainbeenalteredbythemeteor?Itwastobefearedso。
Buttheprojectilemustdescribeacurveunalterablydeterminedbythelawsofmechanicalreasoning。Barbicanewasinclinedtobelievethatthiscurvewouldberatheraparabolathanahyperbola。
Butadmittingtheparabola,theprojectilemustquicklyhavepassedthroughtheconeofshadowprojectedintospaceoppositethesun。Thiscone,indeed,isverynarrow,theangulardiameterofthemoonbeingsolittlewhencomparedwiththediameteroftheorbofday;anduptothistimetheprojectilehadbeenfloatinginthisdeepshadow。Whateverhadbeenitsspeed(anditcouldnothavebeeninsignificant),itsperiodofoccultationcontinued。Thatwasevident,butperhapsthatwouldnothavebeenthecaseinasupposedlyrigidlyparabolicaltrajectory——anewproblemwhichtormentedBarbicane’sbrain,imprisonedashewasinacircleofunknownswhichhecouldnotunravel。
Neitherofthetravelersthoughtoftakinganinstant’srepose。
Eachonewatchedforanunexpectedfact,whichmightthrowsomenewlightontheiruranographicstudies。Aboutfiveo’clock,MichelArdandistributed,underthenameofdinner,somepiecesofbreadandcoldmeat,whichwerequicklyswallowedwithouteitherofthemabandoningtheirscuttle,theglassofwhichwasincessantlyencrustedbythecondensationofvapor。
Aboutforty—fiveminutespastfiveintheevening,Nicholl,armedwithhisglass,sightedtowardthesouthernborderofthemoon,andinthedirectionfollowedbytheprojectile,somebrightpointscutuponthedarkshieldofthesky。Theylookedlikeasuccessionofsharppointslengthenedintoatremulousline。
Theywereverybright。Suchappearedtheterminallineofthemoonwheninoneofheroctants。
Theycouldnotbemistaken。Itwasnolongerasimplemeteor。
Thisluminousridgehadneithercolornormotion。Norwasitavolcanoineruption。AndBarbicanedidnothesitatetopronounceuponit。
"Thesun!"heexclaimed。
"What!thesun?"answeredNichollandMichelArdan。
"Yes,myfriends,itistheradiantorbitselflightingupthesummitofthemountainssituatedonthesouthernbordersofthemoon。Weareevidentlynearingthesouthpole。"
"Afterhavingpassedthenorthpole,"repliedMichel。"Wehavemadethecircuitofoursatellite,then?"
"Yes,mygoodMichel。"
"Then,nomorehyperbolas,nomoreparabolas,nomoreopencurvestofear?"
"No,butaclosedcurve。"
"Whichiscalled————"
"Anellipse。Insteadoflosingitselfininterplanetaryspace,itisprobablethattheprojectilewilldescribeanellipticalorbitaroundthemoon。"
"Indeed!"
"Andthatitwillbecome_her_satellite。"
"Moonofthemoon!"criedMichelArdan。
"Only,Iwouldhaveyouobserve,myworthyfriend,"repliedBarbicane,"thatwearenonethelesslostforthat。"
"Yes,inanothermanner,andmuchmorepleasantly,"answeredthecarelessFrenchmanwithhismostamiablesmile。
CHAPTERXVII
TYCHO
Atsixintheeveningtheprojectilepassedthesouthpoleatlessthanfortymilesoff,adistanceequaltothatalreadyreachedatthenorthpole。Theellipticalcurvewasbeingrigidlycarriedout。
Atthismomentthetravelersoncemoreenteredtheblessedraysofthesun。Theysawoncemorethosestarswhichmoveslowlyfromeasttowest。Theradiantorbwassalutedbyatriplehurrah。
Withitslightitalsosentheat,whichsoonpiercedthemetalwalls。
Theglassresumeditsaccustomedappearance。Thelayersoficemeltedasifbyenchantment;andimmediately,foreconomy’ssake,thegaswasputout,theairapparatusaloneconsumingitsusualquantity。
"Ah!"saidNicholl,"theseraysofheataregood。WithwhatimpatiencemusttheSeleniteswaitthereappearanceoftheorbofday。"
"Yes,"repliedMichelArdan,"imbibingasitwerethebrilliantether,lightandheat,alllifeiscontainedinthem。"
Atthismomentthebottomoftheprojectiledeviatedsomewhatfromthelunarsurface,inordertofollowtheslightlylengthenedellipticalorbit。Fromthispoint,hadtheearthbeenatthefull,Barbicaneandhiscompanionscouldhaveseenit,butimmersedinthesun’sirradiationshewasquiteinvisible。Anotherspectacleattractedtheirattention,thatofthesouthernpartofthemoon,broughtbytheglassestowithin450yards。Theydidnotagainleavethescuttles,andnotedeverydetailofthisfantasticalcontinent。
MountsDoerfulandLeibnitzformedtwoseparategroupsverynearthesouthpole。Thefirstgroupextendedfromthepoletotheeighty—fourthparallel,ontheeasternpartoftheorb;thesecondoccupiedtheeasternborder,extendingfromthe65@oflatitudetothepole。
Ontheircapriciouslyformedridgeappeareddazzlingsheets,asmentionedbyPereSecchi。WithmorecertaintythantheillustriousRomanastronomer,Barbicanewasenabledtorecognizetheirnature。
"Theyaresnow,"heexclaimed。
"Snow?"repeatedNicholl。
"Yes,Nicholl,snow;thesurfaceofwhichisdeeplyfrozen。
Seehowtheyreflecttheluminousrays。Cooledlavawouldnevergiveoutsuchintensereflection。Theremustthenbewater,theremustbeaironthemoon。Aslittleasyouplease,butthefactcannolongerbecontested。"No,itcouldnotbe。AndifeverBarbicaneshouldseetheearthagain,hisnoteswillbearwitnesstothisgreatfactinhisselenographicobservations。
ThesemountainsofDoerfulandLeibnitzroseinthemidstofplainsofamediumextent,whichwereboundedbyanindefinitesuccessionofcirclesandannularramparts。Thesetwochainsaretheonlyonesmetwithinthisregionofcircles。
Comparativelybutslightlymarked,theythrowuphereandtheresomesharppoints,thehighestsummitofwhichattainsanaltitudeof24,600feet。
Buttheprojectilewashighaboveallthislandscape,andtheprojectionsdisappearedintheintensebrilliancyofthedisc。
Andtotheeyesofthetravelerstherereappearedthatoriginalaspectofthelunarlandscapes,rawintone,withoutgradationofcolors,andwithoutdegreesofshadow,roughlyblackandwhite,fromthewantofdiffusionoflight。
Butthesightofthisdesolateworlddidnotfailtocaptivatethembyitsverystrangeness。Theyweremovingoverthisregionasiftheyhadbeenborneonthebreathofsomestorm,watchingheightsdefileundertheirfeet,piercingthecavitieswiththeireyes,goingdownintotherifts,climbingtheramparts,soundingthesemysteriousholes,andlevelingallcracks。Butnotraceofvegetation,noappearanceofcities;nothingbutstratification,bedsoflava,overflowingspolishedlikeimmensemirrors,reflectingthesun’srayswithoverpoweringbrilliancy。
Nothingbelongingtoa_living_world——everythingtoadeadworld,whereavalanches,rollingfromthesummitsofthemountains,woulddispersenoiselesslyatthebottomoftheabyss,retainingthemotion,butwantingthesound。Inanycaseitwastheimageofdeath,withoutitsbeingpossibleeventosaythatlifehadeverexistedthere。
MichelArdan,however,thoughtherecognizedaheapofruins,towhichhedrewBarbicane’sattention。Itwasaboutthe80thparallel,in30@longitude。Thisheapofstones,ratherregularlyplaced,representedavastfortress,overlookingalongrift,whichinformerdayshadservedasabedtotheriversofprehistoricaltimes。Notfarfromthat,rosetoaheightof17,400feettheannularmountainofShort,equaltotheAsiaticCaucasus。MichelArdan,withhisaccustomedardor,maintained"theevidences"ofhisfortress。Beneathithediscernedthedismantledrampartsofatown;herethestillintactarchofaportico,theretwoorthreecolumnslyingundertheirbase;fartheron,asuccessionofarcheswhichmusthavesupportedtheconduitofanaqueduct;inanotherpartthesunkenpillarsofagiganticbridge,runintothethickestpartsoftherift。Hedistinguishedallthis,butwithsomuchimaginationinhisglance,andthroughglassessofantastical,thatwemustmistrusthisobservation。Butwhocouldaffirm,whowoulddaretosay,thattheamiablefellowdidnotreallyseethatwhichhistwocompanionswouldnotsee?
Momentsweretooprecioustobesacrificedinidlediscussion。
Theselenitecity,whetherimaginaryornot,hadalreadydisappearedafaroff。Thedistanceoftheprojectilefromthelunardiscwasontheincrease,andthedetailsofthesoilwerebeinglostinaconfusedjumble。Thereliefs,thecircles,thecraters,andtheplainsaloneremained,andstillshowedtheirboundarylinesdistinctly。Atthismoment,totheleft,layextendedoneofthefinestcirclesoflunarorography,oneofthecuriositiesofthiscontinent。ItwasNewton,whichBarbicanerecognizedwithouttrouble,byreferringtothe_MappaSelenographica_。
Newtonissituatedinexactly77@southlatitude,and16@
eastlongitude。Itformsanannularcrater,therampartsofwhich,risingtoaheightof21,300feet,seemedtobeimpassable。
Barbicanemadehiscompanionsobservethattheheightofthismountainabovethesurroundingplainwasfarfromequalingthedepthofitscrater。Thisenormousholewasbeyondallmeasurement,andformedagloomyabyss,thebottomofwhichthesun’srayscouldneverreach。There,accordingtoHumboldt,reignsutterdarkness,whichthelightofthesunandtheearthcannotbreak。Mythologistscouldwellhavemadeitthemouthofhell。
"Newton,"saidBarbicane,"isthemostperfecttypeoftheseannularmountains,ofwhichtheearthpossessesnosample。
Theyprovethatthemoon’sformation,bymeansofcooling,isduetoviolentcauses;forwhile,underthepressureofinternalfiresthereliefsrisetoconsiderableheight,thedepthswithdrawfarbelowthelunarlevel。"
"Idonotdisputethefact,"repliedMichelArdan。
SomeminutesafterpassingNewton,theprojectiledirectlyoverlookedtheannularmountainsofMoret。ItskirtedatsomedistancethesummitsofBlancanus,andatabouthalf—pastsevenintheeveningreachedthecircleofClavius。
Thiscircle,oneofthemostremarkableofthedisc,issituatedin58@southlatitude,and15@eastlongitude。Itsheightisestimatedat22,950feet。Thetravelers,atadistanceoftwenty—fourmiles(reducedtofourbytheirglasses)couldadmirethisvastcraterinitsentirety。
"Terrestrialvolcanoes,"saidBarbicane,"arebutmole—hillscomparedwiththoseofthemoon。MeasuringtheoldcratersformedbythefirsteruptionsofVesuviusandEtna,wefindthemlittlemorethanthreemilesinbreadth。InFrancethecircleofCantalmeasuressixmilesacross;atCeylandthecircleoftheislandisfortymiles,whichisconsideredthelargestontheglobe。WhatarethesediametersagainstthatofClavius,whichweoverlookatthismoment?"
"Whatisitsbreadth?"askedNicholl。
"Itis150miles,"repliedBarbicane。"Thiscircleiscertainlythemostimportantonthemoon,butmanyothersmeasure150,100,or75miles。"
"Ah!myfriends,"exclaimedMichel,"canyoupicturetoyourselveswhatthisnowpeacefulorbofnightmusthavebeenwhenitscraters,filledwiththunderings,vomitedatthesametimesmokeandtonguesofflame。Whatawonderfulspectaclethen,andnowwhatdecay!Thismoonisnothingmorethanathincarcaseoffireworks,whosesquibs,rockets,serpents,andsuns,afterasuperbbrilliancy,haveleftbutsadlybrokencases。
Whocansaythecause,thereason,themotiveforceofthesecataclysms?"
BarbicanewasnotlisteningtoMichelArdan;hewascontemplatingtheserampartsofClavius,formedbylargemountainsspreadoverseveralmiles。Atthebottomoftheimmensecavityburrowedhundredsofsmallextinguishedcraters,riddlingthesoillikeacolander,andoverlookedbyapeak15,000feethigh。
Aroundtheplainappeareddesolate。Nothingsoaridasthesereliefs,nothingsosadastheseruinsofmountains,and(ifwemaysoexpressourselves)thesefragmentsofpeaksandmountainswhichstrewedthesoil。Thesatelliteseemedtohaveburstatthisspot。
Theprojectilewasstilladvancing,andthismovementdidnotsubside。Circles,craters,anduprootedmountainssucceededeachotherincessantly。Nomoreplains;nomoreseas。AneverendingSwitzerlandandNorway。Andlastly,inthecanterofthisregionofcrevasses,themostsplendidmountainonthelunardisc,thedazzlingTycho,inwhichposteritywilleverpreservethenameoftheillustriousDanishastronomer。
Inobservingthefullmooninacloudlessskynoonehasfailedtoremarkthisbrilliantpointofthesouthernhemisphere。
MichelArdanusedeverymetaphorthathisimaginationcouldsupplytodesignateitby。TohimthisTychowasafocusoflight,acenterofirradiation,acratervomitingrays。Itwasthetireofabrilliantwheel,an_asteria_enclosingthediscwithitssilvertentacles,anenormouseyefilledwithflames,aglorycarvedforPluto’shead,astarlaunchedbytheCreator’shand,andcrushedagainstthefaceofthemoon!
Tychoformssuchaconcentrationoflightthattheinhabitantsoftheearthcanseeitwithoutglasses,thoughatadistanceof240,000miles!Imagine,then,itsintensitytotheeyeofobserversplacedatadistanceofonlyfiftymiles!Seenthroughthispureether,itsbrilliancywassointolerablethatBarbicaneandhisfriendswereobligedtoblackentheirglasseswiththegassmokebeforetheycouldbearthesplendor。Thensilent,scarcelyutteringaninterjectionofadmiration,theygazed,theycontemplated。
Alltheirfeelings,alltheirimpressions,wereconcentratedinthatlook,asunderanyviolentemotionalllifeisconcentratedattheheart。
Tychobelongstothesystemofradiatingmountains,likeAristarchusandCopernicus;butitisofallthemostcompleteanddecided,showingunquestionablythefrightfulvolcanicactiontowhichtheformationofthemoonisdue。Tychoissituatedin43@southlatitude,and12@eastlongitude。Itscenterisoccupiedbyacraterfiftymilesbroad。Itassumesaslightlyellipticalform,andissurroundedbyanenclosureofannularramparts,whichontheeastandwestoverlooktheouterplainfromaheightof15,000feet。ItisagroupofMontBlancs,placedroundonecommoncenterandcrownedbyradiatingbeams。
Whatthisincomparablemountainreallyis,withalltheprojectionsconvergingtowardit,andtheinteriorexcrescencesofitscrater,photographyitselfcouldneverrepresent。
Indeed,itisduringthefullmoonthatTychoisseeninallitssplendor。Thenallshadowsdisappear,theforeshorteningofperspectivedisappears,andallproofsbecomewhite——adisagreeablefact:forthisstrangeregionwouldhavebeenmarvelousifreproducedwithphotographicexactness。Itisbutagroupofhollows,craters,circles,anetworkofcrests;
then,asfarastheeyecouldsee,awholevolcanicnetworkcastuponthisencrustedsoil。Onecanthenunderstandthatthebubblesofthiscentraleruptionhavekepttheirfirstform。
Crystallizedbycooling,theyhavestereotypedthataspectwhichthemoonformerlypresentedwhenunderthePlutonianforces。
ThedistancewhichseparatedthetravelersfromtheannularsummitsofTychowasnotsogreatbutthattheycouldcatchtheprincipaldetails。EvenonthecausewayformingthefortificationsofTycho,themountainshangingontotheinteriorandexteriorslopingflanksroseinstorieslikegiganticterraces。Theyappearedtobehigherby300or400
feettothewestthantotheeast。Nosystemofterrestrialencampmentcouldequalthesenaturalfortifications。Atownbuiltatthebottomofthiscircularcavitywouldhavebeenutterlyinaccessible。
Inaccessibleandwonderfullyextendedoverthissoilcoveredwithpicturesqueprojections!Indeed,naturehadnotleftthebottomofthiscraterflatandempty。Itpossesseditsownpeculiarorography,amountainoussystem,makingitaworldinitself。Thetravelerscoulddistinguishclearlycones,centralhills,remarkablepositionsofthesoil,naturallyplacedtoreceivethe_chefs—d’oeuvre_ofSelenitearchitecture。
Therewasmarkedouttheplaceforatemple,herethegroundofaforum,onthisspottheplanofapalace,inanothertheplateauforacitadel;thewholeoverlookedbyacentralmountainof1,500feet。Avastcircle,inwhichancientRomecouldhavebeenheldinitsentiretytentimesover。
"Ah!"exclaimedMichelArdan,enthusiasticatthesight;"whatagrandtownmightbeconstructedwithinthatringofmountains!
Aquietcity,apeacefulrefuge,beyondallhumanmisery。Howcalmandisolatedthosemisanthropes,thosehatersofhumanitymightlivethere,andallwhohaveadistasteforsociallife!"
"All!Itwouldbetoosmallforthem,"repliedBarbicanesimply。
CHAPTERXVIII
GRAVEQUESTIONS
Buttheprojectilehadpassedthe_enceinte_ofTycho,andBarbicaneandhistwocompanionswatchedwithscrupulousattentionthebrilliantrayswhichthecelebratedmountainshedsocuriouslyoverthehorizon。
Whatwasthisradiantglory?Whatgeologicalphenomenonhaddesignedtheseardentbeams?ThisquestionoccupiedBarbicane’smind。
Underhiseyesraninalldirectionsluminousfurrows,raisedattheedgesandconcaveinthecenter,sometwelvemiles,othersthirtymilesbroad。Thesebrillianttrainsextendedinsomeplacestowithin600milesofTycho,andseemedtocover,particularlytowardtheeast,thenortheastandthenorth,thehalfofthesouthernhemisphere。OneofthesejetsextendedasfarasthecircleofNeander,situatedonthe40thmeridian。
Another,byaslightcurve,furrowedthe"SeaofNectar,"breakingagainstthechainofPyrenees,afteracircuitof800miles。
Others,towardthewest,coveredthe"SeaofClouds"andthe"SeaofHumors"withaluminousnetwork。Whatwastheoriginofthesesparklingrays,whichshoneontheplainsaswellasonthereliefs,atwhateverheighttheymightbe?
Allstartedfromacommoncenter,thecraterofTycho。
Theysprangfromhim。Herschelattributedtheirbrilliancytocurrentsoflavacongealedbythecold;anopinion,however,whichhasnotbeengenerallyadopted。Otherastronomershaveseenintheseinexplicableraysakindofmoraines,rowsoferraticblocks,whichhadbeenthrownupattheperiodofTycho’sformation。
"Andwhynot?"askedNichollofBarbicane,whowasrelatingandrejectingthesedifferentopinions。
"Becausetheregularityoftheseluminouslines,andtheviolencenecessarytocarryvolcanicmattertosuchdistances,isinexplicable。"
"Eh!byJove!"repliedMichelArdan,"itseemseasyenoughtometoexplaintheoriginoftheserays。"
"Indeed?"saidBarbicane。
"Indeed,"continuedMichel。"Itisenoughtosaythatitisavaststar,similartothatproducedbyaballorastonethrownatasquareofglass!"
"Well!"repliedBarbicane,smiling。"Andwhathandwouldbepowerfulenoughtothrowaballtogivesuchashockasthat?"
"Thehandisnotnecessary,"answeredNicholl,notatallconfounded;"andastothestone,letussupposeittobeacomet。"
"Ah!thosemuch—abusedcomets!"exclaimedBarbicane。"MybraveMichel,yourexplanationisnotbad;butyourcometisuseless。
Theshockwhichproducedthatrentmusthavesomefromtheinsideofthestar。Aviolentcontractionofthelunarcrust,whilecooling,mightsufficetoimprintthisgiganticstar。"
"Acontraction!somethinglikealunarstomach—ache。"saidMichelArdan。
"Besides,"addedBarbicane,"thisopinionisthatofanEnglishsavant,Nasmyth,anditseemstometosufficientlyexplaintheradiationofthesemountains。"
"ThatNasmythwasnofool!"repliedMichel。
Longdidthetravelers,whomsuchasightcouldneverweary,admirethesplendorsofTycho。Theirprojectile,saturatedwithluminousgleamsinthedoubleirradiationofsunandmoon,musthaveappearedlikeanincandescentglobe。Theyhadpassedsuddenlyfromexcessivecoldtointenseheat。NaturewasthuspreparingthemtobecomeSelenites。BecomeSelenites!Thatideabroughtuponcemorethequestionofthehabitabilityofthemoon。
Afterwhattheyhadseen,couldthetravelerssolveit?Wouldtheydecidefororagainstit?MichelArdanpersuadedhistwofriendstoformanopinion,andaskedthemdirectlyiftheythoughtthatmenandanimalswererepresentedinthelunarworld。
"Ithinkthatwecananswer,"saidBarbicane;"butaccordingtomyideathequestionoughtnottobeputinthatform。Iaskittobeputdifferently。"
"Putityourownway,"repliedMichel。
"Hereitis,"continuedBarbicane。"Theproblemisadoubleone,andrequiresadoublesolution。Isthemoon_habitable_?Hasthemooneverbeen_inhabitable_?"
"Good!"repliedNicholl。"Firstletusseewhetherthemoonishabitable。"
"Totellthetruth,Iknownothingaboutit,"answeredMichel。
"AndIanswerinthenegative,"continuedBarbicane。"Inheractualstate,withhersurroundingatmospherecertainlyverymuchreduced,herseasforthemostpartdriedup,herinsufficientsupplyofwaterrestricted,vegetation,suddenalternationsofcoldandheat,herdaysandnightsof354
hours——themoondoesnotseemhabitabletome,nordoessheseempropitioustoanimaldevelopment,norsufficientforthewantsofexistenceasweunderstandit。"
"Agreed,"repliedNicholl。"Butisnotthemoonhabitableforcreaturesdifferentlyorganizedfromourselves?"
"Thatquestionismoredifficulttoanswer,butIwilltry;andIaskNichollif_motion_appearstohimtobeanecessaryresultof_life_,whateverbeitsorganization?"
"Withoutadoubt!"answeredNicholl。
"Then,myworthycompanion,Iwouldanswerthatwehaveobservedthelunarcontinentatadistanceof500yardsatmost,andthatnothingseemedtoustomoveonthemoon’ssurface。Thepresenceofanykindoflifewouldhavebeenbetrayedbyitsattendantmarks,suchasdiversbuildings,andevenbyruins。Andwhathaveweseen?Everywhereandalwaysthegeologicalworksofnature,nevertheworkofman。If,then,thereexistrepresentativesoftheanimalkingdomonthemoon,theymusthavefledtothoseunfathomablecavitieswhichtheeyecannotreach;whichIcannotadmit,fortheymusthavelefttracesoftheirpassageonthoseplainswhichtheatmospheremustcover,howeverslightlyraiseditmaybe。Thesetracesarenowherevisible。Thereremainsbutonehypothesis,thatofalivingracetowhichmotion,whichislife,isforeign。"
"Onemightaswellsay,livingcreatureswhichdonotlive,"
repliedMichel。
"Justso,"saidBarbicane,"whichforushasnomeaning。"
"Thenwemayformouropinion?"saidMichel。
第5章