CHAPTER II.
A FALLEN SATELLITE.
I promised, and then settled myself more comfortably into my steamerchair to await Margaret's return. The three minutes passed, and she didnot come. Evidently it was hard to find the professor, or perhaps hewas holding her, against her will, for a discussion of the book. At anyrate, I could do nothing but sit there, in that easy, half-recliningposition, and watch the full moon, which had just risen, and was shiningsquare in my face, if that could be said of an object that looked soround.
I fell into a deep reverie. My mind was filled with contending emotions,and such opposing objects as rolling worlds and lovely maidens flittedin dim images across my mental vision. I loved the best woman on theearth, and I wondered if any of those other globes contained her equal.If so, then perhaps some other man was as fortunate as myself. I wasdrowsy, but determined to keep awake and pursue this fancy. I rememberfeeling confident that I could not sleep if I only kept my eyes open,and so I said I would keep them fixed on the bright face of the moon.But how large it looked. Surely something must be wrong with it, or wasit my memory that was at fault? I thought the moon generally appearedsmaller as it rose further above the horizon, but now it was growingbigger every minute. It was coming nearer, too. Nearer, larger--why, itwas monstrous. I could not turn my eyes away now, and everything elsewas forgotten, swallowed up in that one awful sight. How fast it grew.Now it fills half the sky and makes me tremble with fear. Part of it isstill lighted by the sun, and part is in dark, threatening shadow. Isee pale faces around me. Others are gazing, awe-stricken, at the sameobject. We are in the open street, and some have glasses, peering intothe deep craters and caverns of the surface.
I seemed to be a new-comer on the scene, and could not help remarking tomy nearest neighbor:
"This is a strange sight. Do you think it is real, or are we all bereftof our senses?"
"Strange indeed, but true," he answered.
"But what does it mean?" And then, assuming a gayety I did not feel,I asked further: "Does the moon, too, want to be annexed to the UnitedStates?"
"You speak lightly, young man," my neighbor said, "and do not appear torealize the seriousness of our situation. Where have you been, that youhave not heard this matter discussed, and do not understand that themoon is certain to come into collision with the earth in a very shorttime?"
He seemed thoroughly alarmed, and I soon found that all the peopleshared his feeling. The movement of the earth carried us out of sightof the moon in a few hours, but after a brief rest everybody was on thewatch again at the next revolution. The excitement over the behavior ofour once despised moon increased rapidly from this time. Nothing elsewas talked of, business was well-nigh suspended, and the newspapersneglected everything else to tell about the unparalleled naturalphenomenon. Speculation was rife as to what would be the end, and whateffect would follow a union of the earth with its satellite.
While this discussion was going on, the unwelcome visitor wasapproaching with noticeable rapidity at every revolution of the earth,and the immense dark shadow which it now made, as it passed beneath thesun, seemed ominous of an ill fate to our world and its inhabitants. Itwas a time to try the stoutest hearts, and, of course, the multitude ofthe people were overwhelmed with alarm. As no one could do anything toward off what seemed a certain catastrophe, the situation was all themore dreadful. Men could only watch the monster, speculate as to theresult, and wait, with horrible suspense, for the inevitable. The circleof revolution was now becoming so small that the crisis was hourlyexpected. Men everywhere left their houses and sought the shelterlessfields, and it was well they did so, for there came a day when the earthreceived a sudden and awful shock. After it had passed, people lookedat each other wonderingly to find themselves alive, and begancongratulating each other, thinking the worst was over. But the dreadfulanxiety returned when, after some hours, the moon again appeared, alittle tardy this time, but nearer and more threatening than ever. Thenews was afterwards brought that it had struck the high mountain peaksof Central Asia, tearing down their sides with the power of a thousandglaciers and filling the valleys below with ruin.
It was now felt that the end must soon come, and this was true, for atthe earth's very next revolution the tired and feeble satellite, oncethe queen of the sky and the poet's glory, scraped across the continentof South America, received the death blow in collision with the Andes,careened, and fell at last into the South Pacific Ocean. The shock givento the earth was tremendous, but no other result was manifest exceptthat the huge mass displaced water enough to submerge many islands andto reconstruct the shore lines of every continent. There was untold lossof life and property, of course, but it is astonishing how easily thosewho were left alive accepted the new state of things, when it was foundthat the staid earth, in spite of the enormous wart on her side, wasmaking her daily revolution almost with her accustomed regularity.
The lovers of science, however, were by no means indifferent tothe new-comer. To be able at last to solve all the problems of theconstitution and geography of the moon was enough to fill them with thegreatest enthusiasm. But, while thousands were ready to investigatethe mysterious visitor, one great difficulty stood in the way of allprogress. It seemed impossible to get a foothold on the surface. Thegreat globe rose from the waves on all sides at such an angle on accountof its shape that a lodgment could not easily be made. Ships sailedunder the overhanging sides, and in a calm sea they would send out theirboats, which approached near enough to secure huge specimens. These werebroken into fragments and were soon sold on the streets of every city.
The first to really set foot on the dead satellite were some adventurousadvertisers, who shot an arrow and cord over a projecting crag, pulled arope after it, and finally drew themselves up, and soon the lunar cliffswere put to some practical use, blazoning forth a few staring words.These men could not go beyond their narrow standing place, for thegeneral curve of the surface, although broken up by many irregularities,presented no opportunities for the most skillful climbing.
But it was impossible that, with the moon so near, the problem ofreaching it could long remain unsolved. Dr. Schwartz, an eminentscientist, was the first to suggest that it must be approached in aballoon, and at the same time he announced that he would be one of twomen, if another could be found, to undertake to effect a landing in thatway. Here, I saw, was my opportunity. I had often dreamed of visitingthe moon and other heavenly bodies, and now here was a chance to goin reality. I had some acquaintance with Dr. Schwartz, and my promptapplication for the vacant place in the proposed expedition wassuccessful. The doctor kindly wrote me that my enthusiasm in the causewas just what he was looking for, and he was sure I would prove a pluckyand reliable companion. The matter attracted so much attention that theUnited States Government, moved to action by the public nature ofthe enterprise, took it up and offered to bear all the expense ofthe equipment and carrying out of the expedition. Encouraged by thisassistance, the doctor began his plans at once. All recognized that onegreat object was to settle the question as to the existence of life onthe other side of the moon; for, in spite of its rude collisions withmountains and continents before it rested as near the heart of the earthas it could get, it had insisted, with an almost knowing perversity, inkeeping its old, familiar face next to us. To solve this problem mighttake much time, and so we determined to go so well prepared that, if weonce reached the upper surface of the moon, we could stay as long as ourerrand demanded.
It was decided to make the ascent from a town near the coast of thesouthern part of Chile, and thither we went with our balloon, somescientific apparatus, and a large quantity of dried provisions. Wetook with us also papers from the State Department showing that we wereaccredited agents from our Government to the inhabitants of the moon, ifwe should find any. Our arrangements were speedily made, and on a still,bright morning we bade adieu to our friends who had accompanied us thusfar, mounted our car, and set sail.
We left the earth with light heart
s, excited with the novel andinteresting character of the enterprise, and but little realizing itsdifficulty and danger. Ordinary balloon journeys had become frequent,and the evolution of the air ship had almost passed beyond theexperimental stage, but nothing like our present undertaking had everbeen attempted.
Our starting place was far enough from the resting point of the moonto enable us to clear the rounded side, but in order to reach theequatorial line of the fallen globe we would be obliged to ascend over athousand miles.
The fact that we were not appalled by the mere thought of rising to sucha height shows how thoroughly we were carried away with the excitement.But we were better prepared for a lofty flight than might be supposed.For among the recent wonders of science had been the invention of anair-condensing machine, by which the rarefied atmosphere of the upperregions could be converted into good food for the lungs. These machineshad been successfully tested more than once by voyagers of the air, butthe present occasion promised to give them a much more severe trial thanthey had yet received. And, indeed, it is impossible to imagine howwe could have survived without them. Another important aid to sciencerendered by this air-condensing apparatus is that in the process ofcondensation water is produced in sufficient quantities to drink. Ourlittle car was tightly inclosed, and we took enough surplus gas with usto keep it comfortably warm. So, with plenty of food, air, water, andfuel, we were pretty well prepared for a long journey.
Our instruments, placed just outside the glass sides of the car, toldus how fast we were rising and what height we had reached from timeto time, and as we left the denser atmosphere of the earth we weregratified to find that we continued to rise rapidly. On one side ofus we could see the rugged surface of the moon, now, on account of itsrounded form, drawing nearer to us every hour as we approached the pointwhere we hoped to land. We thought it best to try to pass the center andland, if possible, somewhere on the upper hemisphere, which was thepart of the monstrous object that we wanted to investigate. But whenat length we thought we were about to fly past the moon's equatorsuccessfully, an unexpected thing happened.
If we suppose the moon was resting, at the bottom of the ocean, on oneof its poles, we were going toward the equatorial line, and we thoughtwe should not be able to retain a foothold anywhere below that linecertainly. But now, what was our surprise to find ourselves under somemysterious influence. Our balloon refused to obey us as heretofore, andin spite of rudder and sail we were drifting about, and appeared to begoing toward the moon's surface sooner than we had intended.
In scientific emergencies I deferred to my companion, and now askedfor an explanation of this erratic behavior of our balloon. Instead ofreplying at once, the doctor stooped and cut a fine wire, which releasedone of the sand bags suspended for ballast from the bottom of our car,and told me to watch it. We both watched it, and instead of startingwith rapidity for the center of the earth, as all well-conducted sandbags have done from the beginning of the world, it seemed to hesitateand float around a minute, as though it were no more than a handful offeathers. And then, slowly at first, but soon more and more swiftly,forgetting its birthplace and its old mother earth, it fell unblushinglytoward the moon.
Intent on watching the fickle sand bag, we did not at first notice thatour whole conveyance was practicing the same unhandsome maneuver. Butwe soon became aware that we had changed allegiance also. We had startedwith the earth at our feet and the moon looming up on one side of us,but here we were now riding with the moon under us and the earth awayoff at our side.
My fellow in this strange experience now found his voice.
"You doubtless realize," said he, "what has taken place. We are now sofar from the earth that its attraction is very weak and the nearer massof the moon is drawing us."
"That is quite evident," I said, "but you seem as unconcerned about itas if such a trip as this were an everyday affair with you."
"I am not at all indifferent to the wonderful character of thisjourney," he replied, "but its scientific value swallows up all personalconsiderations."
I believed this to be true, and I will say right here that in all ourfuture experiences the doctor showed the same indifference to everythinglike fear, and seemed content to go to any length in the interest ofscience.
We were now able to govern our movements by the ordinary methods ofballooning, and after sailing over the surface of the moon a few hours,studying its rugged outlines, we began to think of selecting a placefor landing. There was no water to be seen and no forests nor othervegetation, but everywhere were huge mountains and deep valleys, all asbare and uninviting as it is possible to imagine.
But it would not do to turn a cold shoulder to her now, and so wedescended gracefully to make her close acquaintance, cast out ouranchor, and were soon on the moon in reality.