The First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells
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completion was in sight . in January had come a team of horses, a huge packing- case; we had our thick glass sphere now ready, and in position under the crane we had rigged to sling it into_the steel shell . all the bars and blinds of_the steel shell - it_was not really a spherical shell, but polyhedral, with a roller blind to each facet - had arrived by February, and_the lower half was bolted together . the Cavorite was half made by march, the metallic paste had gone through two of_the stages in its manufacture, and we had plastered quite half of it on to_the steel bars ad .blinds . it_was astonishing how closely we kept to_the lines of Cavor's first inspiration in working out the scheme . when_the bolting together of_the sphere was finished, he proposed to remove the rough roof of_the temporary laboratory in_which_the work was_done, and build a furnace about_it . so the last stage of Cavorite making, in_which_the paste is heated to a dull red glow in a stream of helium, would_be accomplished then it_was already on_the sphere .

and then we had to discuss and decide what provisions we were to_take - compressed foods, concentrated essences, steel cylinders containing reserve oxygen, an arrangement for removing carbonic acid and waste from_the air and restoring oxygen by_means of sodium peroxide, water condensers, and so forth .I remember the little heap they made in_the corner - tins, and rolls, and boxes - convincingly matter- of- fact .

it_was a strenuous time, with little chance of thinking . but one day, when we were drawing near the end, an odd mood came over me .I had_been bricking up the furnace all the morning, and I sat down by_these possessions dead beat . everything seemed dull and incredible .

" but look here, Cavor," I_said ." after all ! what's it all for ? "

he smiled ." the thing now is to_go ."

" the moon," I reflected . but what do_you expect ? i_thought the moon was a dead world ."

he shrugged his shoulders .

" we're going to_see ."

" are we ? " I_said, and stared before me .

" you_are tired," he remarked ." you'd better take a walk this afternoon ."

" no," I_said obstinately; "I'm going to finish this brickwork ."

and I_did, and insured myself a night of insomnia .I don't think I_have ever had such a night .I had some bad times before my business collapse, but the very worst of_those was sweet slumber compared to_this infinity of aching wakefulness . i_was suddenly in_the most enormous funk at_the thing we were going to_do .

I_do_not remember before_that night thinking at all of_the risks we were running . now they came like that array of spectres that once beleaguered Prague, and camped around me . the strangeness of what we were about to_do, the unearthliness of it, overwhelmed me . i_was like a man awakened out of pleasant dreams to_the most horrible surroundings .I lay, eyes wide open, and_the sphere seemed to_get more flimsy and feeble, and Cavor more unreal and fantastic, and_the whole enterprise madder and madder every moment .

I got out of bed and wandered about .I sat at_the window and stared at_the immensity of space . between_the stars was_the void, the unfathomable darkness ! I tried to recall the fragmentary knowledge of astronomy I had gained in my irregular reading, but it_was all too vague to_furnish any idea of_the things we_might expect . at last I got back to bed and snatched some moments of sleep - moments of nightmare rather - in_which I fell and fell and fell for evermore into_the abyss of_the sky .

I astonished Cavor at breakfast . i_told him shortly, "I'm not coming with_you in_the sphere ."

I met all his protests with a sullen persistence ." the thing's too mad," I_said, " and I won't come . the thing's too mad ."

i_would_not go with_him to_the laboratory .I fretted bout my bungalow for a time, and then took hat and stick and set out alone, I_knew not whither . it chanced to_be a glorious morning: a warm wind and deep blue sky, the first green of spring abroad, and multitudes of birds singing .I lunched on beef and beer in a little public- house near Elham, and startled the landlord by remarking apropos of_the weather, "A man who leaves the world when days of_this sort are about is a fool ! "

" that's what I says when I heerd on_it ! " said the landlord, and I_found that for_one poor soul at_least this world had proved excessive, and there had_been a throat-cutting .I went on with a new twist to my thoughts .

in_the afternoon I had a pleasant sleep in a sunny place, and went on my way refreshed . I_came to a comfortable - looking inn near Canterbury . it_was bright with creepers, and_the landlady was a clean old woman and took my eye . I_found I had just enough money to_pay for_my lodging with her .I decided to stop the night there . she was a talkative body, and among many_other particulars learnt she had never been to London ."Canterbury's as far as ever I been," she said ."I'm not one of your gad- about sort ."

" how would you like a trip to_the moon ? " I cried .

"I never did hold with_them ballooneys," she said evidently under the impression that_this was a common excursion enough ."I wouldn't go up in one - not for ever so ."

this struck me as being funny . after I had supped I sat on a bench by_the door of_the inn and gossiped with two labourers about brickmaking, and motor cars, and_the cricket of last year . and in_the sky a faint new crescent, blue and vague as a distant Alp, sank westward over the sun .

the next_day I returned to Cavor ." I_am coming," I_said ."I've been a little out of order, that's all ."

that was_the only time I_felt any serious doubt our enterprise .Nerves purely ! alter that I worked a little more carefully, and took a trudge for an hour every day . and at last, save for_the heating in_the furnace, our labours were at an end .

chapter 4

inside the sphere

" go on," said Cavor, as I sat across the edge of_the manhole, and looked down into_the black interior of_the sphere . we two were alone . it_was evening, the sun had set, and_the stillness of_the twilight was upon everything .

I drew my other leg inside and slid down the smooth glass to_the bottom of_the sphere, then turned to take_the cans of food and other impedimenta from Cavor . the interior was warm, the thermometer stood at eighty, and as we_should lose little or none of_this by radiation, we were dressed in shoes and thin flannels . we had, however, a bundle of thick woollen clothing and several thick blankets to guard against mischance .

by Cavor's direction I placed the packages, the cylinders of oxygen, and so forth, loosely about_my feet, and soon we had everything in . he walked about_the roofless shed for a time seeking anything we had overlooked, and then crawled in after me .I noted something in_his hand .

" what have_you got there ? " I asked .

" haven't you brought anything to read ? "

" good lord ! no ."

"I forgot to_tell you . there_are uncertainties - the voyage may last - we_may_be weeks ! "

" but - "

" we_shall_be floating in_this sphere with absolutely no occupation ."

" i_wish I'd known"

he peered out_of_the manhole ." look ! " he_said ." there's something there ! "

" is_there time ? "

" we_shall_be an hour ."

I looked out . it_was an old number of Tit-Bits that one_of_the men must_have brought . farther away in_the corner I_saw atorn Lloyd's News .I scrambled back into_the sphere with_these things ." what have_you got ? " I_said .

i_took the book from_his hand and read, " the Works of William Shakespeare" .

he coloured slightly ." my education has_been so purely scientific -" he_said apologetically .

" never read him ? "

" never ."

" he_knew a little, you_know - in an irregular sort of way ."

" precisely what I_am told," said Cavor .

I assisted him to screw in_the glass cover of_the manhole, and then he pressed a stud to close the corresponding blind in_the outer case . the little oblong of twilight vanished . we were in darkness . for a time neither of us spoke . although our case would_not_be impervious to sound, everything was very still .I perceived there_was nothing to grip when_the shock of_our start should come, and I realised that i_should_be uncomfortable for want of a chair .

" why have we no chairs ? " I asked .

"I've settled all that," said Cavor ." we won't need them ."

" why_not ? "

" you_will_see," he_said, in_the tone of a man who refuses to_talk .

I became silent . suddenly it had come to_me clear and vivid that i_was a fool to_be inside that sphere . even now, I asked myself, is to too late to withdraw ? the world outside the sphere, I_knew, would_be cold and inhospitable enough for_me - for weeks I had_been living on subsidies from Cavor - but after all, would it be as cold as_the infinite zero, as inhospitable as empty space ? if_it had_not_been for_the appearance of cowardice, I believe that even then i_should_have made him let me out . but I hesitated on_that score, and hesitated, and grew fretful and angry, and_the time passed .

there came a little jerk, a noise like champagne being uncorked in another room, and a faint whistling sound . for just one instant I had a sense of enormous tension, a transient conviction that my feet were pressing downward with a force of countless tons . it lasted for an infinitesimal time .

but it stirred me to action ."Cavor ! " I_said into_the darkness, " my nerve's in rags .I don't think - "

I stopped . he_made no answer .

" confound it ! " I cried; "I'm a fool ! what business have I here ? I'm not coming, Cavor . the thing's too risky .I'm getting out ."

" you_can't," he_said .

" can't ! we'll soon see about_that ! "

he_made no answer for ten seconds ." it's too late for_us to quarrel now, Bedford," he_said ." that little jerk was_the start . already we_are flying as swiftly as a bullet up into_the gulf of space ."

"I -" I_said, and then it didn't seem to matter what happened . for a time i_was, as it were, stunned; I had nothing to_say . it_was just as_if I had never heard of_this idea of leaving the world before . then I perceived an unaccountable change in my bodily sensations . it_was afeeling of lightness, of unreality .Coupled with_that was a queer sensation in_the head, an apoplectic effect almost, and athumping of blood vessels at_the ears . neither of_these feelings diminished as time went on, but at last I got so used to_them that I experienced no inconvenience .

I heard a click, and a little glow lamp came, into being .

I_saw Cavor's face, as white as I_felt my own to_be . we regarded one another in silence . the transparent blackness of_the glass behind him made him seem as_though he floated in a void .

" well, we're committed," I_said at last .

" yes," he_said, " we're committed ."

"Don't move," he exclaimed, at some suggestion of a gesture ." let your muscles keep quite lax - as if_you were in bed . we_are in a little universe of_our own . look at those things ! "

he pointed to_the loose cases and bundles that had_been lying on_the blankets in_the bottom of_the sphere . i_was astonished to_see that_they were floating now nearly a foot from_the spherical wall . then I_saw from_his shadow that Cavor was no longer leaning against the glass .I thrust out my hand behind me, and found that I too was suspended in space, clear of_the glass .

I_did_not cry out nor gesticulate, but fear came upon me . it_was like being held and lilted by something - you_know not what . the mere touch of_my hand against the glass moved me rapidly .I understood what had happened, but that did_not prevent my being afraid . we were cut off from all exterior gravitation, only the attraction of objects within our sphere had effect . consequently everything that was not fixed to_the glass was falling - slowly because of_the slightness of_our masses - towards the centre of gravity of_our little world, which seemed to_be somewhere about_the middle of_the sphere, but rather nearer to myself than Cavor, on account of_my greater weight .

" we_must turn round," said Cavor, " and float back to back, with_the things between_us ."

it was_the strangest sensation conceivable, floating thus loosely in space, at first indeed horribly strange, and when_the horror passed, not disagreeable at all, exceeding restful; indeed, the nearest thing in earthly experience to_it that I_know is lying on a very thick, soft feather bed . but the quality of utter detachment and independence ! I had_not reckoned on things like this .I had expected a violent jerk at starting, a giddy sense of speed . instead I_felt - as_if I were disembodied . it_was not like the beginning of a journey; it_was like the beginning of a dream .

chapter 5

the journey to_the moon

presently Cavor extinguished the light . he_said we had_not overmuch energy stored, and_that what we had we_must economise for reading . for a time, whether it_was long or short I_do_not know, there_was nothing but blank darkness .

a question floated up out_of_the void ." how are we pointing ? "

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