The Argosy, Vol. XXIV No. 2 — page 138: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

330 A MONTH IN THE MOON. the protuberances on the surface were now more clearly visible to the naked eye than they were even through the telescope in the observatories of the earth. This was a joyful discovery to‘Norbert, who was an ardent astronomical student. It was to be explained by the extreme tenuity of the atmosphere, which accounted also for the appearance at’ midday of countless starry con: stellations. The earthly atmosphere is like a veil between our glasses and the stars ; but the lunar atmosphere leaves free passage to the rays of light or of feat. and unlike that of the earth it lends no azure hue to the sky, which, viewed from the moon, is black as ink. Not only did our two explorers find themselves in a furnace-like heat, but they also discovered that they were now of an extraordinary li ghtness. They scarcely felt their feet as they tripped along rather than walked. Every moment they were making extraordinary bounds, sometimes of four or five yards, while meaning to step aside from some little obstacle, such-as a stone or piece of rock. _ These gymnastics were so involuntary that each looked at his companiowi in astonishment. Norbert stared at seeing the baronet gamboling along in this way, leaping lightly like a hare, and bounding aloft every now and then as if he were a rubber ball. 4 ‘There is something marvelous about this,’? he thought. ‘He will break his neck if he goes on in that extravagant fashion !’’ At this moment he himself made a slight backward movement to avoid a precipice, and was to his surprise taken six or seven yards up in the air, fall- ing gently down again on the ground. The baronet, his own gymnastic exercise scarcely over, looked at Norbert with displeased surprise at such undignified pranks. ‘‘I have it!’’ suddenly thought Norbert. ‘‘ Gravity is playing ‘us these tricks. It is six times less on the moon than on the earth. It follows that our muscular power is sixfold greater, and hence we have become regular acrobats.’’ He could not resist the pleasure of communicating the interesting fact to the baronet, and untied his mask for that purpose. ‘ ‘‘ Well, my dear fellow,’’ said he, ‘‘do you.at last believe you are in the moon?’ | 3 To his great surprise, there was no reply. The baronet did not pay the least attention to him, but gave a tremendous leap over a little rivulet that the rains had left in the road. Norbert thought at first from his silence and the expression of indifference on his countenance that Sir Bucephalus was in the sulks. But what had he done to offend him? He could not conceive what his offense had been. ‘“ What an odd idea !’? thought Norbert. ‘‘Such a strange time, too, to choose for the sulks. What can he be savage with me about? Perhaps he is mad because I laughed at his gambols. No matter, I shan’t trouble my © head about it !”’ But in the midst of these reflections he suddenly went off into a fit of ehghter—a fit of silent laughter, though. He had just disc overed that he a : | : GComicbooks (E(0) Mm