The instruments of personal defence were accompanied by pickaxes, spades, saws, and other indispensable tools, without mentioning garments suitable to every temperature, from the cold of the polar regions to the heat of the torrid zone.

Michel Ardan would have liked to take a certain number of animals of different sorts, not male and female of every species, as he did not see the necessity of acclimatising serpents, tigers, alligators, or any other noxious beasts in the moon.

“No,” said he to Barbicane, “but some useful animals, ox or cow, ass or horse, would look well in the landscape and be of great use.”

“I agree with you, my dear Ardan,” answered the president of the Gun Club; “but our projectile is not Noah’s Ark.  It differs both in dimensions and object, so let us remain in the bounds of possibility.”

At last after long discussions it was agreed that the travellers should be content to take with them an excellent sporting dog belonging to Nicholl and a vigorous Newfoundland of prodigious strength.  Several cases of the most useful seeds were included amongst the indispensable objects.  If they had allowed him, Michel Ardan would have taken several sacks of earth to sow them in.  Any way he took a dozen little trees, which were carefully enveloped in straw and placed in a corner of the projectile.

Then remained the important question of provisions, for they were obliged to provide against finding the moon absolutely barren.  Barbicane managed so well that he took enough for a year.  But it must be added, to prevent astonishment, that these provisions consisted of meat and vegetable compressed to their smallest volume by hydraulic pressure, and included a great quantity of nutritive elements; there was not much variety, but it would not do to be too particular in such an expedition.  There was also about fifty gallons of brandy and water for two months only, for, according to the latest observations of astronomers, no one doubted the presence of a large quantity of water in the moon.  As to provisions, it would have been insane to believe that the inhabitants of the earth would not find food up there.  Michel Ardan had no doubt about it.  If he had he would not have gone.

“Besides,” said he one day to his friends, “we shall not be completely abandoned by our friends on earth, and they will take care not to forget us.”

“No, certainly,” answered J.T.  Maston.

“What do you mean?” asked Nicholl.

“Nothing more simple,” answered Ardan.  “Will not our Columbiad be still there?  Well, then, every time that the moon is in favourable conditions of zenith, if not of perigee—­that is to say, about once a year—­could they not send us a projectile loaded with provisions which we should expect by a fixed date?”

“Hurrah!” cried J.T.  Maston.  “That is not at all a bad idea.  Certainly we will not forget you.”

“I depend upon you.  Thus you see we shall have news regularly from the globe, and for our part we shall be very awkward if we do not find means to communicate with our good friends on earth.”