If this astounding1 news, instead of flying through the electric wires, had simply arrived by post in the ordinary sealed envelope, Barbicane would not have hesitated a moment. He would have held his tongue about it, both as a measure of prudence2, and in order not to have to reconsider his plans. This telegram might be a cover for some jest, especially as it came from a Frenchman. What human being would ever have conceived the idea of such a journey? and, if such a person really existed, he must be an idiot, whom one would shut up in a lunatic ward3, rather than within the walls of the projectile4.
The contents of the dispatch, however, speedily became known; for the telegraphic officials possessed5 but little discretion6, and Michel Ardan’s proposition ran at once throughout the several States of the Union. Barbicane, had, therefore, no further motives7 for keeping silence. Consequently, he called together such of his colleagues as were at the moment in Tampa Town, and without any expression of his own opinions simply read to them the laconic8 text itself. It was received with every possible variety of expressions of doubt, incredulity, and derision from every one, with the exception of J. T. Maston, who exclaimed, “It is a grand idea, however!”
When Barbicane originally proposed to send a shot to the moon every one looked upon the enterprise as simple and practicable enough — a mere9 question of gunnery; but when a person, professing10 to be a reasonable being, offered to take passage within the projectile, the whole thing became a farce11, or, in plainer language a humbug12.
One question, however, remained. Did such a being exist? This telegram flashed across the depths of the Atlantic, the designation of the vessel13 on board which he was to take his passage, the date assigned for his speedy arrival, all combined to impart a certain character of reality to the proposal. They must get some clearer notion of the matter. Scattered14 groups of inquirers at length condensed themselves into a compact crowd, which made straight for the residence of President Barbicane. That worthy15 individual was keeping quiet with the intention of watching events as they arose. But he had forgotten to take into account the public impatience16; and it was with no pleasant countenance17 that he watched the population of Tampa Town gathering18 under his windows. The murmurs19 and vociferations below presently obliged him to appear. He came forward, therefore, and on silence being procured20, a citizen put point-blank to him the following question: “Is the person mentioned in the telegram, under the name of Michel Ardan, on his way here? Yes or no.”
“Gentlemen,” replied Barbicane, “I know no more than you do.”
“We must know,” roared the impatient voices.
“Time will show,” calmly replied the president.
“Time has no business to keep a whole country in suspense,” replied the orator21. “Have you altered the plans of the projectile according to the request of the telegram?”
“Not yet, gentlemen; but you are right! we must have better information to go by. The telegraph must complete its information.”
“To the telegraph!” roared the crowd.
Barbicane descended22; and heading the immense assemblage, led the way to the telegraph office. A few minutes later a telegram was dispatched to the secretary of the underwriters at Liverpool, requesting answers to the following queries23:
“About the ship Atlanta — when did she leave Europe? Had she on board a Frenchman named Michel Ardan?”
Two hours afterward24 Barbicane received information too exact to leave room for the smallest remaining doubt.
“The steamer Atlanta from Liverpool put to sea on the 2nd of October, bound for Tampa Town, having on board a Frenchman borne on the list of passengers by the name of Michel Ardan.”
That very evening he wrote to the house of Breadwill and Co., requesting them to suspend the casting of the projectile until the receipt of further orders. On the 10th of October, at nine A.M., the semaphores of the Bahama Canal signaled a thick smoke on the horizon. Two hours later a large steamer exchanged signals with them. the name of the Atlanta flew at once over Tampa Town. At four o’clock the English vessel entered the Bay of Espiritu Santo. At five it crossed the passage of Hillisborough Bay at full steam. At six she cast anchor at Port Tampa. The anchor had scarcely caught the sandy bottom when five hundred boats surrounded the Atlanta, and the steamer was taken by assault. Barbicane was the first to set foot on deck, and in a voice of which he vainly tried to conceal25 the emotion, called “Michel Ardan.”
“Here!” replied an individual perched on the poop.
Barbicane, with arms crossed, looked fixedly26 at the passenger of the Atlanta.
He was a man of about forty-two years of age, of large build, but slightly round-shouldered. His massive head momentarily shook a shock of reddish hair, which resembled a lion’s mane. His face was short with a broad forehead, and furnished with a moustache as bristly as a cat’s, and little patches of yellowish whiskers upon full cheeks. Round, wildish eyes, slightly near-sighted, completed a physiognomy essentially28 feline29. His nose was firmly shaped, his mouth particularly sweet in expression, high forehead, intelligent and furrowed30 with wrinkles like a newly-plowed field. The body was powerfully developed and firmly fixed27 upon long legs. Muscular arms, and a general air of decision gave him the appearance of a hardy31, jolly, companion. He was dressed in a suit of ample dimensions, loose neckerchief, open shirtcollar, disclosing a robust32 neck; his cuffs33 were invariably unbuttoned, through which appeared a pair of red hands.
On the bridge of the steamer, in the midst of the crowd, he bustled34 to and fro, never still for a moment, “dragging his anchors,” as the sailors say, gesticulating, making free with everybody, biting his nails with nervous avidity. He was one of those originals which nature sometimes invents in the freak of a moment, and of which she then breaks the mould.
Among other peculiarities35, this curiosity gave himself out for a sublime36 ignoramus, “like Shakespeare,” and professed37 supreme38 contempt for all scientific men. Those “fellows,” as he called them, “are only fit to mark the points, while we play the game.” He was, in fact, a thorough Bohemian, adventurous39, but not an adventurer; a hare-brained fellow, a kind of Icarus, only possessing relays of wings. For the rest, he was ever in scrapes, ending invariably by falling on his feet, like those little figures which they sell for children’s toys. In a few words, his motto was “I have my opinions,” and the love of the impossible constituted his ruling passion.
Such was the passenger of the Atlanta, always excitable, as if boiling under the action of some internal fire by the character of his physical organization. If ever two individuals offered a striking contrast to each other, these were certainly Michel Ardan and the Yankee Barbicane; both, moreover, being equally enterprising and daring, each in his own way.
The scrutiny40 which the president of the Gun Club had instituted regarding this new rival was quickly interrupted by the shouts and hurrahs of the crowd. The cries became at last so uproarious, and the popular enthusiasm assumed so personal a form, that Michel Ardan, after having shaken hands some thousands of times, at the imminent41 risk of leaving his fingers behind him, was fain at last to make a bolt for his cabin.
Barbicane followed him without uttering a word.
“You are Barbicane, I suppose?” said Michel Ardan, in a tone of voice in which he would have addressed a friend of twenty years’ standing42.
“Yes,” replied the president of the Gun Club.
“All right! how d’ye do, Barbicane? how are you getting on — pretty well? that’s right.”
“So,” said Barbicane without further preliminary, “you are quite determined43 to go.”
“Nothing will stop you?”
“Nothing. Have you modified your projectile according to my telegram.”
“I waited for your arrival. But,” asked Barbicane again, “have you carefully reflected?”
“Reflected? have I any time to spare? I find an opportunity of making a tour in the moon, and I mean to profit by it. There is the whole gist45 of the matter.”
Barbicane looked hard at this man who spoke46 so lightly of his project with such complete absence of anxiety. “But, at least,” said he, “you have some plans, some means of carrying your project into execution?”
“Excellent, my dear Barbicane; only permit me to offer one remark: My wish is to tell my story once for all, to everybody, and then have done with it; then there will be no need for recapitulation. So, if you have no objection, assemble your friends, colleagues, the whole town, all Florida, all America if you like, and to-morrow I shall be ready to explain my plans and answer any objections whatever that may be advanced. You may rest assured I shall wait without stirring. Will that suit you?”
“All right,” replied Barbicane.
So saying, the president left the cabin and informed the crowd of the proposal of Michel Ardan. His words were received with clappings of hands and shouts of joy. They had removed all difficulties. To-morrow every one would contemplate47 at his ease this European hero. However, some of the spectators, more infatuated than the rest, would not leave the deck of the Atlanta. They passed the night on board. Among others J. T. Maston got his hook fixed in the combing of the poop, and it pretty nearly required the capstan to get it out again.
“He is a hero! a hero!” he cried, a theme of which he was never tired of ringing the changes; “and we are only like weak, silly women, compared with this European!”
As to the president, after having suggested to the visitors it was time to retire, he re-entered the passenger’s cabin, and remained there till the bell of the steamer made it midnight.
But then the two rivals in popularity shook hands heartily48 and parted on terms of intimate friendship.
1 astounding | |
adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊,使大吃一惊astound的现在分词) | |
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2 prudence | |
n.谨慎,精明,节俭 | |
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3 ward | |
n.守卫,监护,病房,行政区,由监护人或法院保护的人(尤指儿童);vt.守护,躲开 | |
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4 projectile | |
n.投射物,发射体;adj.向前开进的;推进的;抛掷的 | |
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5 possessed | |
adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的 | |
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6 discretion | |
n.谨慎;随意处理 | |
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7 motives | |
n.动机,目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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8 laconic | |
adj.简洁的;精练的 | |
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9 mere | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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10 professing | |
声称( profess的现在分词 ); 宣称; 公开表明; 信奉 | |
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11 farce | |
n.闹剧,笑剧,滑稽戏;胡闹 | |
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12 humbug | |
n.花招,谎话,欺骗 | |
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13 vessel | |
n.船舶;容器,器皿;管,导管,血管 | |
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14 scattered | |
adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的 | |
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15 worthy | |
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 | |
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16 impatience | |
n.不耐烦,急躁 | |
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17 countenance | |
n.脸色,面容;面部表情;vt.支持,赞同 | |
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18 gathering | |
n.集会,聚会,聚集 | |
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19 murmurs | |
n.低沉、连续而不清的声音( murmur的名词复数 );低语声;怨言;嘀咕 | |
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20 procured | |
v.(努力)取得, (设法)获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 );拉皮条 | |
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21 orator | |
n.演说者,演讲者,雄辩家 | |
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22 descended | |
a.为...后裔的,出身于...的 | |
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23 queries | |
n.问题( query的名词复数 );疑问;询问;问号v.质疑,对…表示疑问( query的第三人称单数 );询问 | |
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24 afterward | |
adv.后来;以后 | |
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25 conceal | |
v.隐藏,隐瞒,隐蔽 | |
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26 fixedly | |
adv.固定地;不屈地,坚定不移地 | |
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27 fixed | |
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的 | |
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28 essentially | |
adv.本质上,实质上,基本上 | |
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29 feline | |
adj.猫科的 | |
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30 furrowed | |
v.犁田,开沟( furrow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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31 hardy | |
adj.勇敢的,果断的,吃苦的;耐寒的 | |
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32 robust | |
adj.强壮的,强健的,粗野的,需要体力的,浓的 | |
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33 cuffs | |
n.袖口( cuff的名词复数 )v.掌打,拳打( cuff的第三人称单数 ) | |
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34 bustled | |
闹哄哄地忙乱,奔忙( bustle的过去式和过去分词 ); 催促 | |
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35 peculiarities | |
n. 特质, 特性, 怪癖, 古怪 | |
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36 sublime | |
adj.崇高的,伟大的;极度的,不顾后果的 | |
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37 professed | |
公开声称的,伪称的,已立誓信教的 | |
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38 supreme | |
adj.极度的,最重要的;至高的,最高的 | |
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39 adventurous | |
adj.爱冒险的;惊心动魄的,惊险的,刺激的 | |
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40 scrutiny | |
n.详细检查,仔细观察 | |
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41 imminent | |
adj.即将发生的,临近的,逼近的 | |
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42 standing | |
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
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43 determined | |
adj.坚定的;有决心的 | |
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44 decided | |
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
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45 gist | |
n.要旨;梗概 | |
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46 spoke | |
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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47 contemplate | |
vt.盘算,计议;周密考虑;注视,凝视 | |
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48 heartily | |
adv.衷心地,诚恳地,十分,很 | |
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