首页 >出版文学> ROUND THE MOON>第5章

第5章

  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。