On the 5th of October, at eight p.m., a dense1 crowd pressed toward the saloons of the Gun Club at No. 21 Union Square. All the members of the association resident in Baltimore attended the invitation of their president. As regards the corresponding members, notices were delivered by hundreds throughout the streets of the city, and, large as was the great hall, it was quite inadequate2 to accommodate the crowd of savants. They overflowed3 into the adjoining rooms, down the narrow passages, into the outer courtyards. There they ran against the vulgar herd4 who pressed up to the doors, each struggling to reach the front ranks, all eager to learn the nature of the important communication of President Barbicane; all pushing, squeezing, crushing with that perfect freedom of action which is so peculiar5 to the masses when educated in ideas of “self-government.”
On that evening a stranger who might have chanced to be in Baltimore could not have gained admission for love or money into the great hall. That was reserved exclusively for resident or corresponding members; no one else could possibly have obtained a place; and the city magnates, municipal councilors, and “select men” were compelled to mingle6 with the mere7 townspeople in order to catch stray bits of news from the interior.
Nevertheless the vast hall presented a curious spectacle. Its immense area was singularly adapted to the purpose. Lofty pillars formed of cannon8, superposed upon huge mortars10 as a base, supported the fine ironwork of the arches, a perfect piece of cast-iron lacework. Trophies11 of blunderbuses, matchlocks, arquebuses, carbines, all kinds of firearms, ancient and modern, were picturesquely12 interlaced against the walls. The gas lit up in full glare myriads13 of revolvers grouped in the form of lustres, while groups of pistols, and candelabra formed of muskets14 bound together, completed this magnificent display of brilliance15. Models of cannon, bronze castings, sights covered with dents16, plates battered17 by the shots of the Gun Club, assortments18 of rammers and sponges, chaplets of shells, wreaths of projectiles20, garlands of howitzers — in short, all the apparatus21 of the artillerist22, enchanted23 the eye by this wonderful arrangement and induced a kind of belief that their real purpose was ornamental24 rather than deadly.
At the further end of the saloon the president, assisted by four secretaries, occupied a large platform. His chair, supported by a carved gun-carriage, was modeled upon the ponderous25 proportions of a 32-inch mortar9. It was pointed26 at an angle of ninety degrees, and suspended upon truncheons, so that the president could balance himself upon it as upon a rocking-chair, a very agreeable fact in the very hot weather. Upon the table (a huge iron plate supported upon six carronades) stood an inkstand of exquisite27 elegance28, made of a beautifully chased Spanish piece, and a sonnette, which, when required, could give forth30 a report equal to that of a revolver. During violent debates this novel kind of bell scarcely sufficed to drown the clamor of these excitable artillerists.
In front of the table benches arranged in zigzag31 form, like the circumvallations of a retrenchment32, formed a succession of bastions and curtains set apart for the use of the members of the club; and on this especial evening one might say, “All the world was on the ramparts.” The president was sufficiently33 well known, however, for all to be assured that he would not put his colleagues to discomfort34 without some very strong motive35.
Impey Barbicane was a man of forty years of age, calm, cold, austere36; of a singularly serious and self-contained demeanor37, punctual as a chronometer38, of imperturbable39 temper and immovable character; by no means chivalrous40, yet adventurous41 withal, and always bringing practical ideas to bear upon the very rashest enterprises; an essentially42 New Englander, a Northern colonist43, a descendant of the old anti-Stuart Roundheads, and the implacable enemy of the gentlemen of the South, those ancient cavaliers of the mother country. In a word, he was a Yankee to the backbone44.
Barbicane had made a large fortune as a timber merchant. Being nominated director of artillery45 during the war, he proved himself fertile in invention. Bold in his conceptions, he contributed powerfully to the progress of that arm and gave an immense impetus46 to experimental researches.
He was personage of the middle height, having, by a rare exception in the Gun Club, all his limbs complete. His strongly marked features seemed drawn47 by square and rule; and if it be true that, in order to judge a man’s character one must look at his profile, Barbicane, so examined, exhibited the most certain indications of energy, audacity48, and sang-froid.
At this moment he was sitting in his armchair, silent, absorbed, lost in reflection, sheltered under his high-crowned hat — a kind of black cylinder49 which always seems firmly screwed upon the head of an American.
Just when the deep-toned clock in the great hall struck eight, Barbicane, as if he had been set in motion by a spring, raised himself up. A profound silence ensued, and the speaker, in a somewhat emphatic50 tone of voice, commenced as follows:
“My brave, colleagues, too long already a paralyzing peace has plunged51 the members of the Gun Club in deplorable inactivity. After a period of years full of incidents we have been compelled to abandon our labors52, and to stop short on the road of progress. I do not hesitate to state, baldly, that any war which would recall us to arms would be welcome!” (Tremendous applause!) “But war, gentlemen, is impossible under existing circumstances; and, however we may desire it, many years may elapse before our cannon shall again thunder in the field of battle. We must make up our minds, then, to seek in another train of ideas some field for the activity which we all pine for.”
The meeting felt that the president was now approaching the critical point, and redoubled their attention accordingly.
“For some months past, my brave colleagues,” continued Barbicane, “I have been asking myself whether, while confining ourselves to our own particular objects, we could not enter upon some grand experiment worthy53 of the nineteenth century; and whether the progress of artillery science would not enable us to carry it out to a successful issue. I have been considering, working, calculating; and the result of my studies is the conviction that we are safe to succeed in an enterprise which to any other country would appear wholly impracticable. This project, the result of long elaboration, is the object of my present communication. It is worthy of yourselves, worthy of the antecedents of the Gun Club; and it cannot fail to make some noise in the world.”
A thrill of excitement ran through the meeting.
Barbicane, having by a rapid movement firmly fixed54 his hat upon his head, calmly continued his harangue55:
“There is no one among you, my brave colleagues, who has not seen the Moon, or, at least, heard speak of it. Don’t be surprised if I am about to discourse56 to you regarding the Queen of the Night. It is perhaps reserved for us to become the Columbuses of this unknown world. Only enter into my plans, and second me with all your power, and I will lead you to its conquest, and its name shall be added to those of the thirty-six states which compose this Great Union.”
“Three cheers for the Moon!” roared the Gun Club, with one voice.
“The moon, gentlemen, has been carefully studied,” continued Barbicane; “her mass, density57, and weight; her constitution, motions, distance, as well as her place in the solar system, have all been exactly determined58. Selenographic charts have been constructed with a perfection which equals, if it does not even surpass, that of our terrestrial maps. Photography has given us proofs of the incomparable beauty of our satellite; all is known regarding the moon which mathematical science, astronomy, geology, and optics can learn about her. But up to the present moment no direct communication has been established with her.”
A violent movement of interest and surprise here greeted this remark of the speaker.
“Permit me,” he continued, “to recount to you briefly59 how certain ardent60 spirits, starting on imaginary journeys, have penetrated61 the secrets of our satellite. In the seventeenth century a certain David Fabricius boasted of having seen with his own eyes the inhabitants of the moon. In 1649 a Frenchman, one Jean Baudoin, published a ‘Journey performed from the Earth to the Moon by Domingo Gonzalez,’ a Spanish adventurer. At the same period Cyrano de Bergerac published that celebrated62 ‘Journeys in the Moon’ which met with such success in France. Somewhat later another Frenchman, named Fontenelle, wrote ‘The Plurality of Worlds,’ a chef-d’oeuvre of its time. About 1835 a small treatise63, translated from the New York American, related how Sir John Herschel, having been despatched to the Cape64 of Good Hope for the purpose of making there some astronomical65 calculations, had, by means of a telescope brought to perfection by means of internal lighting66, reduced the apparent distance of the moon to eighty yards! He then distinctly perceived caverns67 frequented by hippopotami, green mountains bordered by golden lace-work, sheep with horns of ivory, a white species of deer and inhabitants with membranous68 wings, like bats. This brochure, the work of an American named Locke, had a great sale. But, to bring this rapid sketch69 to a close, I will only add that a certain Hans Pfaal, of Rotterdam, launching himself in a balloon filled with a gas extracted from nitrogen, thirty-seven times lighter70 than hydrogen, reached the moon after a passage of nineteen hours. This journey, like all previous ones, was purely71 imaginary; still, it was the work of a popular American author — I mean Edgar Poe!”
“Cheers for Edgar Poe!” roared the assemblage, electrified72 by their president’s words.
“I have now enumerated,” said Barbicane, “the experiments which I call purely paper ones, and wholly insufficient73 to establish serious relations with the Queen of the Night. Nevertheless, I am bound to add that some practical geniuses have attempted to establish actual communication with her. Thus, a few days ago, a German geometrician proposed to send a scientific expedition to the steppes of Siberia. There, on those vast plains, they were to describe enormous geometric figures, drawn in characters of reflecting luminosity, among which was the proposition regarding the ‘square of the hypothenuse,’ commonly called the ‘Ass’s Bridge’ by the French. ‘Every intelligent being,’ said the geometrician, ‘must understand the scientific meaning of that figure. The Selenites, do they exist, will respond by a similar figure; and, a communication being thus once established, it will be easy to form an alphabet which shall enable us to converse74 with the inhabitants of the moon.’ So spoke75 the German geometrician; but his project was never put into practice, and up to the present day there is no bond in existence between the Earth and her satellite. It is reserved for the practical genius of Americans to establish a communication with the sidereal76 world. The means of arriving thither77 are simple, easy, certain, infallible — and that is the purpose of my present proposal.”
A storm of acclamations greeted these words. There was not a single person in the whole audience who was not overcome, carried away, lifted out of himself by the speaker’s words!
Long-continued applause resounded78 from all sides.
As soon as the excitement had partially79 subsided80, Barbicane resumed his speech in a somewhat graver voice.
“You know,” said he, “what progress artillery science has made during the last few years, and what a degree of perfection firearms of every kind have reached. Moreover, you are well aware that, in general terms, the resisting power of cannon and the expansive force of gunpowder81 are practically unlimited82. Well! starting from this principle, I ask myself whether, supposing sufficient apparatus could be obtained constructed upon the conditions of ascertained83 resistance, it might not be possible to project a shot up to the moon?”
At these words a murmur84 of amazement85 escaped from a thousand panting chests; then succeeded a moment of perfect silence, resembling that profound stillness which precedes the bursting of a thunderstorm. In point of fact, a thunderstorm did peal86 forth, but it was the thunder of applause, or cries, and of uproar87 which made the very hall tremble. The president attempted to speak, but could not. It was fully29 ten minutes before he could make himself heard.
“Suffer me to finish,” he calmly continued. “I have looked at the question in all its bearings, I have resolutely88 attacked it, and by incontrovertible calculations I find that a projectile19 endowed with an initial velocity89 of 12,000 yards per second, and aimed at the moon, must necessarily reach it. I have the honor, my brave colleagues, to propose a trial of this little experiment.”
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1
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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inadequate
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| adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的 | |
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overflowed
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| 溢出的 | |
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herd
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| n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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mingle
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| vt.使混合，使相混；vi.混合起来；相交往 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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mortar
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| n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合 | |
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mortars
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| n.迫击炮( mortar的名词复数 )；砂浆；房产；研钵 | |
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trophies
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| n.（为竞赛获胜者颁发的）奖品( trophy的名词复数 )；奖杯；（尤指狩猎或战争中获得的）纪念品；（用于比赛或赛跑名称）奖 | |
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picturesquely
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myriads
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| n.无数，极大数量( myriad的名词复数 ) | |
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muskets
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| n.火枪，（尤指）滑膛枪( musket的名词复数 ) | |
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brilliance
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| n.光辉，辉煌，壮丽，（卓越的）才华，才智 | |
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dents
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| n.花边边饰；凹痕( dent的名词复数 )；凹部；减少；削弱v.使产生凹痕( dent的第三人称单数 )；损害；伤害；挫伤（信心、名誉等） | |
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battered
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| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
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assortments
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| 分类，各类物品或同类各种物品的聚集，混合物( assortment的名词复数 ) | |
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projectile
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| n.投射物，发射体；adj.向前开进的；推进的；抛掷的 | |
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projectiles
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| n.抛射体( projectile的名词复数 )；（炮弹、子弹等）射弹，（火箭等）自动推进的武器 | |
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apparatus
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| n.装置，器械；器具，设备 | |
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artillerist
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| 炮手，炮兵，炮术家 | |
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enchanted
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| adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词 | |
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ornamental
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| adj.装饰的；作装饰用的；n.装饰品；观赏植物 | |
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ponderous
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| adj.沉重的，笨重的，(文章)冗长的 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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elegance
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| n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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zigzag
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| n.曲折，之字形；adj.曲折的，锯齿形的；adv.曲折地，成锯齿形地；vt.使曲折；vi.曲折前行 | |
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retrenchment
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| n.节省，删除 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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discomfort
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| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
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motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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austere
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| adj.艰苦的；朴素的，朴实无华的；严峻的 | |
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demeanor
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| n.行为；风度 | |
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chronometer
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| n.精密的计时器 | |
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imperturbable
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| adj.镇静的 | |
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chivalrous
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| adj.武士精神的；对女人彬彬有礼的 | |
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adventurous
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| adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的 | |
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essentially
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| adv.本质上，实质上，基本上 | |
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colonist
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| n.殖民者，移民 | |
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backbone
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| n.脊骨，脊柱，骨干；刚毅，骨气 | |
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artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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impetus
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| n.推动，促进，刺激；推动力 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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audacity
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| n.大胆，卤莽，无礼 | |
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cylinder
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| n.圆筒，柱(面)，汽缸 | |
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emphatic
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| adj.强调的，着重的；无可置疑的，明显的 | |
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plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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labors
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| v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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harangue
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| n.慷慨冗长的训话，言辞激烈的讲话 | |
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discourse
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| n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述 | |
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density
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| n.密集，密度，浓度 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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treatise
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| n.专著；(专题)论文 | |
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cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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astronomical
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| adj.天文学的，（数字）极大的 | |
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lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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caverns
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| 大山洞，大洞穴( cavern的名词复数 ) | |
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membranous
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| adj.膜的，膜状的 | |
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sketch
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| n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述 | |
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lighter
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| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
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purely
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| adv.纯粹地，完全地 | |
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electrified
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| v.使电气化( electrify的过去式和过去分词 )；使兴奋 | |
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insufficient
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| adj.(for，of)不足的，不够的 | |
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converse
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| vi.谈话，谈天，闲聊；adv.相反的，相反 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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sidereal
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| adj.恒星的 | |
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thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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resounded
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| v.（指声音等）回荡于某处( resound的过去式和过去分词 )；产生回响；（指某处）回荡着声音 | |
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partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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subsided
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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81
gunpowder
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| n.火药 | |
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82
unlimited
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| adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的 | |
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83
ascertained
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| v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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84
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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85
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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86
peal
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| n.钟声；v.鸣响 | |
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87
uproar
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| n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸 | |
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88
resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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89
velocity
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| n.速度，速率 | |
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