Fortunately Barbicane, not content with employing water, had furnished the movable disc with strong spring buffers, destined to lessen the shock against the bottom, after breaking the horizontal partitions.  These buffers were still in existence; they had only to be fitted on and the movable disc put in its place.  All these pieces, easy to handle, as they weighed scarcely anything, could be rapidly mounted.

This was done.  The different pieces were adjusted without difficulty.  It was only a matter of bolts and screws.  There were plenty of tools.  The disc was soon fixed on its steel buffers like a table on its legs.  One inconvenience resulted from this arrangement.  The lower port-hole was covered, and it would be impossible for the travellers to observe the moon through that opening whilst they were being precipitated perpendicularly upon her.  But they were obliged to give it up.  Besides, through the lateral openings they could still perceive the vast lunar regions, like the earth is seen from the car of a balloon.

This placing of the disc took an hour’s work.  It was more than noon when the preparations were completed.  Barbicane made fresh observations on the inclination of the projectile, but to his great vexation it had not turned sufficiently for a fall; it appeared to be describing a curve parallel with the lunar disc.  The Queen of Night was shining splendidly in space, whilst opposite the orb of day was setting her on fire with his rays.

This situation soon became an anxious one.

“Shall we get there?” said Nicholl.

“We must act as though we should,” answered Barbicane.

“You are faint-hearted fellows,” replied Michel Ardan.  “We shall get there, and quicker than we want.”

This answer recalled Barbicane to his preparations, and he occupied himself with placing the contrivances destined to retard the fall.

It will be remembered that, at the meeting held in Tampa Town, Florida, Captain Nicholl appeared as Barbicane’s enemy, and Michel Ardan’s adversary.  When Captain Nicholl said that the projectile would be broken like glass, Michel answered that he would retard the fall by means of fusees properly arranged.

In fact, powerful fusees, resting upon the bottom, and being fired outside, might, by producing a recoil action, lessen the speed of the bullet.  These fusees were to burn in the void it is true, but oxygen would not fail them, for they would furnish that themselves like the lunar volcanoes, the deflagration of which has never been prevented by the want of atmosphere around the moon.

Barbicane had therefore provided himself with fireworks shut up in little cannons of bored steel, which could be screwed on to the bottom of the projectile.  Inside these cannons were level with the bottom; outside they went half a foot beyond it.  There were twenty of them.  An opening in the disc allowed them to light the match with which each was provided.  All the effect took place outside.  The exploding mixture had been already rammed into each gun.  All they had to do, therefore, was to take up the metallic buffers fixed in the base, and to put these cannons in their place, where they fitted exactly.