It ended with the following double hypothesis:—Either
the attraction of the moon would end by carrying the
day, and the travellers would reach their goal; or
the projectile, fixed in an immutable orbit, would
gravitate around the lunar disc to the end of time.
In either of these alternatives what would be the
travellers’ fate? It is true they had provisions
enough for some time. But even supposing that
their bold enterprise were crowned with success, how
would they return? Could they ever return?
Would news of them ever reach the earth? These
questions, debated upon by the most learned writers
of the time, intensely interested the public.
A remark may here be made which ought to be meditated
upon by too impatient observers. When a savant
announces a purely speculative discovery to the public
he cannot act with too much prudence. No one is
obliged to discover either a comet or a satellite,
and those who make a mistake in such a case expose
themselves justly to public ridicule. Therefore
it is better to wait; and that is what impatient J.T.
Maston ought to have done before sending to the world
the telegram which, according to him, contained the
last communication about this enterprise.
In fact, the telegram contained errors of two sorts,
verified later:—1. Errors of observation
concerning the distance of the projectile from the
surface of the moon, for upon the date of the 11th
of December it was impossible to perceive it, and
that which J.T. Maston had seen, or thought he
saw, could not be the bullet from the Columbiad. 2.
A theoretic error as to the fate of the said projectile,
for making it a satellite of the moon was an absolute
contradiction of the laws of rational mechanics.
One hypothesis only made by the astronomers of Long’s
Peak might be realised, the one that foresaw the case
when the travellers—if any yet existed—should
unite their efforts with the lunar attraction so as
to reach the surface of the disc.
Now these men, as intelligent as they were bold, had
survived the terrible shock at departure, and their
journey in their bullet-carriage will be related in
its most dramatic as well as in its most singular
details. This account will put an end to many
illusions and previsions, but it will give a just
idea of the various circumstances incidental to such
an enterprise, and will set in relief Barbicane’s
scientific instincts, Nicholl’s industrial resources,
and the humorous audacity of Michel Ardan.
Besides, it will prove that their worthy friend J.T.
Maston was losing his time when, bending over the
gigantic telescope, he watched the course of the moon
across the planetary regions.
FROM 10.20 P.M. TO 10.47 P.M.
When ten o’clock struck, Michel Ardan, Barbicane,
and Nicholl said good-bye to the numerous friends
they left upon the earth. The two dogs, destined
to acclimatise the canine race upon the lunar continents,
were already imprisoned in the projectile. The
three travellers approached the orifice of the enormous
iron tube, and a crane lowered them to the conical
covering of the bullet.
