From the Earth to the Moon, Direct in Ninety-Seven Hours and Twenty Minutes: and a Trip Round It

by Jules Verne

  CHAPTER XXV.

  FINAL DETAILS.

  It was the 22nd of November; the departure was to take place in ten days.One operation alone remained to be accomplished to bring all to a happytermination; an operation delicate and perilous, requiring infiniteprecautions, and against the success of which Captain Nicholl had laidhis third bet. It was, in fact, nothing less than the loading of theColumbiad, and the introduction into it of 400,000 pounds of gun-cotton.Nicholl had thought, not perhaps without reason, that the handling ofsuch formidable quantities of pyroxyle would, in all probability, involvea grave catastrophe; and at any rate, that this immense mass of eminentlyinflammable matter would inevitably ignite when submitted to the pressureof the projectile.

  There were indeed dangers accruing as before from the carelessness ofthe Americans, but Barbicane had set his heart on success, and took allpossible precautions. In the first place, he was very careful as to thetransportation of the gun-cotton to Stones Hill. He had it conveyed insmall quantities, carefully packed in sealed cases. These were broughtby rail from Tampa Town to the camp, and from thence were taken to theColumbiad by barefooted workmen, who deposited them in their places bymeans of cranes placed at the orifice of the cannon. No steam-engine waspermitted to work, and every fire was extinguished within two miles ofthe works.

  Even in November they feared to work by day, lest the sun's rays actingon the gun-cotton might lead to unhappy results. This led to theirworking at night, by light produced in a vacuum by means of Ruehmkorff'sapparatus, which threw an artificial brightness into the depths of theColumbiad. There the cartridges were arranged with the utmost regularity,connected by a metallic thread, destined to communicate to them allsimultaneously the electric spark, by which means this mass of gun-cottonwas eventually to be ignited.

  By the 28th of November 800 cartridges had been placed in the bottomof the Columbiad. So far the operation had been successful! But whatconfusion, what anxieties, what struggles were undergone by PresidentBarbicane! In vain had he refused admission to Stones Hill; every daythe inquisitive neighbours scaled the palisades, some even carryingtheir imprudence to the point of smoking while surrounded by bales ofgun-cotton. Barbicane was in a perpetual state of alarm. J. T. Mastonseconded him to the best of his ability, by giving vigorous chase to theintruders, and carefully picking up the still lighted cigar ends whichthe Yankees threw about. A somewhat difficult task! seeing that morethan 300,000 persons were gathered round the enclosure. Michel Ardanhad volunteered to superintend the transport of the cartridges to themouth of the Columbiad; but the president, having surprised him with anenormous cigar in his mouth, while he was hunting out the rash spectatorsto whom he himself offered so dangerous an example, saw that he could nottrust this fearless smoker, and was therefore obliged to mount a specialguard over him.

  At last, Providence being propitious, this wonderful loading came toa happy termination, Captain Nicholl's third bet being thus lost. Itremained now to introduce the projectile into the Columbiad, and to placeit on its soft bed of gun-cotton.

  But before doing this, all those things necessary for the journey had tobe carefully arranged in the projectile-vehicle. These necessaries werenumerous; and had Ardan been allowed to follow his own wishes, therewould have been no space remaining for the travellers. It is impossibleto conceive of half the things this charming Frenchman wished to convey tothe moon. A veritable stock of useless trifles! But Barbicane interferedand refused admission to anything not absolutely needed. Severalthermometers, barometers, and telescopes were packed in the instrumentcase.

  The travellers being desirous of examining the moon carefully duringtheir voyage, in order to facilitate their studies, they took with themBoeer and Moedler's excellent _Mappa Selenographica_, a masterpiece ofpatience and observation, which they hoped would enable them to identifythose physical features in the moon, with which they were acquainted.This map reproduced with scrupulous fidelity the smallest details of thelunar surface which faces the earth; the mountains, valleys, craters,peaks, and ridges were all represented, with their exact dimensions,relative positions, and names; from the mountains Doerfel and Leibnitzon the eastern side of the disc, to the _Mare frigoris_ of the NorthPole.

  They took also three rifles and three fowling-pieces, and a large quantityof balls, shot, and powder.

  "We cannot tell whom we shall have to deal with," said Michel Ardan. "Menor beasts may possibly object to our visit. It is only wise to take allprecautions."

  These defensive weapons were accompanied by pickaxes, crowbars, saws,and other useful implements, not to mention clothing adapted to everytemperature, from that of the polar regions to that of the torrid zone.

  Ardan wished to convey a number of animals of different sorts (notindeed a pair of every known species), as he could not see the necessityof acclimatizing serpents, tigers, alligators, or any other noxiousbeasts in the moon. "Nevertheless," he said to Barbicane, "some valuableand useful beasts, bullocks, cows, horses, and donkeys, would bear thejourney very well, and would also be very useful to us."

  "I dare say, my dear Ardan," replied the president, "but ourprojectile-vehicle is no Noah's ark, from which it differs both indimensions and object. Let us confine ourselves to possibilities."

  Illustration: THE INTERIOR OF THE PROJECTILE.

  After a prolonged discussion, it was agreed that the travellers shouldrestrict themselves to a sporting-dog belonging to Nicholl, and to alarge Newfoundland. Several packets of seeds were also included among thenecessaries. Michel Ardan, indeed, was anxious to add some sacks full ofearth to sow them in; as it was, he took a dozen shrubs carefully wrappedup in straw to plant in the moon.

  The important question of provisions still remained; it being necessaryto provide against the possibility of their finding the moon absolutelybarren. Barbicane managed so successfully, that he supplied them withsufficient rations for a year. These consisted of preserved meats andvegetables, reduced by strong hydraulic pressure to the smallest possibledimensions. They were also supplied with brandy, and took water enoughfor two months, being confident, from astronomical observations, thatthere was no lack of water on the moon's surface. As to provisions,doubtless the inhabitants of the _earth_ would find nourishment somewherein the _moon_. Ardan never questioned this; indeed, had he done so, hewould never have undertaken the journey.

  "Besides," he said one day to his friends, "we shall not be completelyabandoned by our terrestrial friends; they will take care not to forgetus."

  "No, indeed!" replied J. T. Maston.

  "What do you mean?" asked Nicholl.

  "Nothing would be simpler," replied Ardan; "the Columbiad will be alwaysthere. Well! whenever the moon is in a favourable condition as to thezenith, if not to the perigee, that is to say about once a year, couldyou not send us a shell packed with provisions, which we might expect onsome appointed day?"

  "Hurrah! hurrah!" cried J. T. Maston; "what an ingenious fellow! what asplendid idea! Indeed, my good friends, we shall not forget you!"

  "I shall reckon upon you! Then, you see, we shall receive news regularlyfrom the earth, and we shall indeed be stupid if we hit upon no plan forcommunicating with our good friends here!"

  These words inspired such confidence, that Michel Ardan carried all theGun Club with him in his enthusiasm. What he said seemed so simple andso easy, so sure of success, that none could be so sordidly attached tothis earth as to hesitate to follow the three travellers on their lunarexpedition.

  All being ready at last, it remained to place the projectile in theColumbiad, an operation abundantly accompanied by dangers and difficulties.

  The enormous shell was conveyed to the summit of Stones Hill. There,powerful cranes raised it, and held it suspended over the mouth of thecylinder.

  It was a fearful moment! What if the chains should break under itsenormous weight? The sudden fall of such a body would inevitably causethe gun-cotton to explode!

  Fortunately this did not happen; and some hours later
theprojectile-vehicle descended gently into the heart of the cannon andrested on its couch of pyroxyle, a veritable bed of explosive eider-down.Its pressure had no result, other than the more effectual ramming downof the charge of the Columbiad.

  "I have lost," said the Captain, who forthwith paid President Barbicanethe sum of 3000 dollars.

  Barbicane did not wish to accept the money from one of hisfellow-travellers, but gave way at last before the determination ofNicholl, who wished before leaving the earth to fulfil all hisengagements.

  "Now," said Michel Ardan, "I have only one thing more to wish for you,my brave Captain."

  "What is that?" asked Nicholl.

  "It is that you may lose your two other bets! Then we shall be sure notto be stopped on our journey!"

  Illustration: AN INNUMERABLE MULTITUDE COVERED THE PRAIRIE ROUND STONE'SHILL.