The Argosy, Vol. XXV, No. 1 — page 189: what you’re looking at

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

A MONTH IN THE MOON. 189 ‘‘ If you had asked me,’’ said Gertrude, pouting a little, ‘‘I would have preferred descending at Khartoum.” ‘‘ Believe me, I should: have been only too delighted to please you in this respect,’’? nuurmured Norbert, ‘‘ but there was one great difficulty in the way.”’ | ‘“What was that ?’’ 7 ‘‘We should have had to wait seventeen years longer !”’ Hvery one laughed on hearing this, not excepting Gertrude herself. ‘‘ And if some accident,’’ pursued Norbert, ‘‘ should have prevented our departure at the precise minute, the long delay would have been perfectly useless.”’ Life in the observatory went on the same as before, and it was difficult to believe that they were on the move. Only their implicit reliance on the cal- culations of the young astronomer led them to place faith in his assurances ! that they had really started. Before retiring to rest, however, they per- ceived a sensible difference in the diameter of the earth, now in her last quarter, and Norbert confirmed by micrometical measurement the fact of her increased size. The descent proceeded rapidly. Seventy hours after starting, the earth visibly increased in diameter, appearing like a large ball of a uniform color, on which the continents stood out distinctly, and were of a yellow hue, while the seas were steel gray. The rotation was so plainly evident that the different regions of the globe made each their separate entry at the eastern side of the disc, passed like light clouds over its face, and disappeared on the other side. ‘“It reminds one of the figures in a magic lantern,’’ said Gertrude, ‘“ making their appearance to the right and their exit at the left corner.’’ It was in truth a fairy-like scene: Through the telescope they could plainly discern mountain and forest, snow tipping the summits and clothing the polar regions, while a line no thicker than a hair was guessed to be the Mississippi or the Amazon, and a black speck here and there was evidently some large town. Towards the hundred and twentieth hour, which corresponds to the fifth day, the interposition of the earth between the sun and the moon was suffi- ciently marked to bring ona night of seven hours. It could not be called an eclipse, for it was not a partial nor an instantaneous occultation of the solar disc, but its total disappearance behind a gigantic screen across all one side of the horizon. _ When the sun reappeared, the clouds obscuring the earth parted for an instant, and Norbert distinctly saw. through the telescope a sea dotted with vessels. It was the Mediterranean. The waters were so limpid that they did not hide the conformation of the ground intervening between Sicily, Sardinia, and Tripoli. Then the clouds closed again. The final moment was approaching, and it was time to put the last touches to their preparations. Aided by the doctor, Virgil, and Kaddour, Norbert began by fitting the parachute on a large frame that had stood ready for the past eighteen days in the middle of the esplanade. Comicoookxs (S@)