The First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells
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these gestures ." me look ' im," he_said, " me think ' im very_much . yes ."

his behaviour seemed to_check the Selenites in their desire for_our progress for a moment . they faced one another, their queer heads moved, the twittering voices came quick and liquid . then one_of_them, a lean, tall creature, with a sort of mantle added to_the puttee in_which_the others were dressed, twisted his elephant trunk of a hand about Cavor's waist, and pulled him gently to_follow our guide, who again went on ahead .Cavor resisted ." we_may just as_well begin explaining ourselves now . they_may think we_are new animals, a new sort of mooncalf perhaps ! it_is most important that we_should show an intelligent interest from_the outset ."

he began to shake his head violently ." no, no," he_said, " me not come on one minute . me look at ' im ."

" Isn't there some geometrical point you_might bring in apropos of_that affair ? " I suggested, as_the Selenites conferred again .

" possibly a parabolic -" be began .

he yelled loudly, and leaped six feet or more !

one_of_the four armed moon- men had pricked him with a goad !

I turned on_the goad- bearer behind me with a swift threatening gesture, and he started back . this and Cavor's sudden shout and leap clearly astonished all the Selenites . they receded hastily, facing us . for_one of_those moments that seem to last for ever, we stood in angry protest, with a scattered semicircle of_these inhuman beings about us .

" he pricked me ! " said Cavor, with acatching of_the voice .

" I_saw him," I answered .

" confound it ! " I_said to_the Selenites; " we're not going to stand that ! what on earth do_you take us for ? "

I glanced quickly right and left . far away across the blue wilderness of cavern I_saw a number of other Selenites running towards us; broad and slender they were, and one with a larger head than_the others . the cavern spread wide and low, and receded in every direction into darkness . its roof, I remember, seemed to bulge down as_if with_the weight of_the vast thickness of rocks that prisoned us . there_was no way out of it - no way out of it . above, below, in every direction, was_the unknown, and these inhuman creatures, with goads and gestures, confronting us, and we two unsupported men !

chapter 15

the giddy bridge

just for a moment that hostile pause endured .I suppose that both we and_the Selenites did some very rapid thinking . my clearest impression was_that there_was nothing to_put my back against, and_that we were bound to_be surrounded and killed . the overwhelming folly of_our presence there loomed over me in black, enormous reproach . why had I ever launched my self on_this mad, inhuman expedition ?

Cavor came to my side and laid his hand on my arm . his pale and terrified face was ghastly in_the blue light .

" we_can't do anything," he_said ." it's a mistake . they don't understand . we_must go . as they_want us to_go ."

I looked down at him, and then at_the fresh Selenites who were coming to help their fellows ." if I had my hands free - "

" it's no use," he panted .

" no ."

" we'll go ."

and he turned about and led the way in_the direction that had_been indicated for_us .

I followed, trying to look as subdued as possible, and feeling at_the chains about_my wrists . my blood was boiling .I noted nothing more of_that cavern, though it seemed to_take a long_time before we had marched across it, or if I noted anything I forgot it as I_saw it . my thoughts were concentrated, i_think, upon my chains and_the Selenites, and particularly upon_the helmeted ones with_the goads . at first they marched parallel with_us, and at a respectful distance, but presently they were overtaken by three others, and then they drew nearer, until they were within arms length again .I winced like a beaten horse as_they came near to_us . the shorter, thicker selenite marched at first on_our right flank, but presently came in front of us again .

how well the picture of_that grouping has bitten into my brain; the back of Cavor's downcast head just in front of me, and_the dejected droop of_his shoulders, and_our guide's gaping visage, perpetually jerking about him, and_the goad-bearers on either side, watchful, yet open- mouthed - a blue monochrome . and after all, I_do remember one other thing besides the purely personal affair, which_is, that a sort of gutter came presently across the floor of_the cavern, and then ran along by_the side of_the path of rock we followed . and it_was full of_that same bright blue luminous stuff that flowed out_of_the great machine .I walked close beside it, and I_can testify it radiated not a particle of heat . it_was brightly shining, and yet it_was neither warmer nor colder than anything else in_the cavern .

clang, clang, clang, we passed right under the thumping levers of another vast machine, and so came at last to a wide tunnel, in_which we_could even hear the pad, pad, of_our shoeless feet, and which, save for_the trickling thread of blue to_the right of us, was quite unlit . the shadows made gigantic travesties of_our shapes and those of_the Selenites on_the irregular wall and roof of_the tunnel . ever and again crystals in_the walls of_the tunnel scintillated like gems, ever and again the tunnel expanded into astalactitic cavern, or gave off branches that vanished into darkness .

we seemed to_be marching down that tunnel for_a_long_time ." trickle, trickle," went the flowing light very softly, and_our footfalls and their echoes made an irregular paddle, paddle . my mind settled down to_the question of_my chains . if I were to slip off one turn so, and then to twist it so .. .

if I tried to_do_it very gradually, would they see i_was slipping my wrist out_of_the looser turn ? if they_did, what would they_do ?

" Bedford," said Cavor, " it goes down . it keeps on going down ."

his remark roused me from my sullen pre- occupation .

" if_they wanted to kill us," he_said, dropping back to_come level with me, " there_is no reason why they should_not have_done it ."

" no," I admitted, " that's true ."

" they don't understand us," he_said, " they_think we_are merely strange animals, some wild sort of mooncalf birth, perhaps . it_will_be only when they_have observed us better that they_will begin to_think we_have minds"

" when_you trace those geometrical problems," said I .

" it may_be that ."

we tramped on for a space .

" you_see," said Cavor, " these may_be Selenites of a lower class ."

" the infernal fools ! " said I viciously, glancing at their exasperating faces .

" if_we endure what they_do to_us"

" we've got to endure it," said I .

" there_may_be others less stupid . this_is_the mere outer fringe of_their world . it must go down and down, cavern, passage, tunnel, down at last to_the sea - hundreds of miles below ."

his words made me think of_the mile or so of rock and tunnel that might_be over our heads already . it_was like a weight dropping, on my shoulders ." away from_the sun and air," I_said ." even a mine half a mile deep is stuffy ." remarked .

" this_is_not, anyhow . it's probable - ventilation ! the air would blow from_the dark side of_the moon to_the sunlit, and all the carbonic acid would well out there and feed those plants . up this tunnel, for example, there_is quite a breeze . and what a world it must_be . the earnest we_have in_that shaft, and those machines"

" and_the goad," I_said ."Don't forget the goad ! "

he walked a little in front of me for a time .

" even that goad - " he_said .

" well ? "

" i_was angry at_the_time . but it_was perhaps necessary we_should get on . they_have different skins, and probably different nerves . they_may not understand our objection - just as a being from Mars might_not like our earthly habit of nudging"

" they'd better be careful how they nudge me ."

" and about_that geometry . after all, their way is a way of understanding, too . they begin with_the elements of life and not of thought . food . compulsion . pain . they strike at fundamentals ."

" there's no_doubt about_that," I_said .

he went on to_talk of_the enormous and wonderful world into which we were being taken .I realised slowly from_his tone, that even now he_was not absolutely in despair at_the prospect of going ever deeper into_this inhuman planet- burrow . his mind ran on machines and invention, to_the exclusion of a thousand dark things that beset me . it wasn't that he intended to_make any use of_these things, he simply wanted to_know them .

" after all," he_said, " this_is a tremendous occasion . it_is_the meeting of two worlds ! what_are we going to_see ? think of what_is below us here ."

" we shan't see much if_the light isn't better," I remarked .

" this_is only the outer crust . down below - on_this scale - there_will_be everything . do_you notice how different they seem one from another ? the story we_shall take back ! "

" some rare sort of animal," I_said, " might comfort himself in_that way while they were bringing him to_the zoo .. .. it doesn't follow that we_are going to_be shown all these things ."

" when_they find we_have reasonable minds," said Cavor, " they_will want to learn about_the earth . even if they_have no generous emotions, they_will teach in_order to learn .. .. and_the things they_must know ! the unanticipated things ! "

he went on to speculate on_the possibility of_their knowing things he had never hoped to learn on earth, speculating in_that way, with a raw wound from_that goad already in_his skin ! much that he_said I forget, for_my attention was drawn to_the fact that_the tunnel along which we had_been marching was opening out wider and wider . we seemed, from_the feeling of_the air, to_be going out into a huge space . but how big the space might really be we_could_not tell, because it_was unlit . our little stream of light ran in adwindling thread and vanished far ahead . presently the rocky walls had vanished altogether on either hand . there_was nothing to_be seen but the path in front of us and_the trickling hurrying rivulet of blue phosphorescence . the figures of Cavor and_the guiding selenite marched before me, the sides of_their legs and heads that were towards the rivulet were clear and bright blue, their darkened sides, now that_the reflection of_the tunnel wall no longer lit them, merged indistinguishably in_the darkness beyond .

and soon I perceived that we were approaching a declivity of some sort, because the little blue stream dipped suddenly out of sight .

in another moment, as it seemed, we had reached the edge . the shining stream gave one meander of hesitation and then rushed over . it fell to a depth at which the sound of_its descent was absolutely lost to_us . far below was abluish glow, a sort of blue mist - at an infinite distance below . and_the darkness the stream dropped out of became utterly void and black, save that a thing like a plank projected from_the edge of_the cliff and stretched out and faded and vanished altogether . there_was a warm air blowing up out_of_the gulf .

for a moment I and Cavor stood as near the edge as_we dared, peering into a blue- tinged profundity . and then our guide was pulling at my arm .

then he left me, and walked to_the end of_that plank and stepped upon it, looking back . then when he perceived we watched him, he turned about and went on along it, walking as surely as_though he_was on firm earth . for a moment his form was distinct, then he became a blue blur, and then vanished into_the obscurity .I became aware of some vague shape looming darkly out_of_the black .

there_was a pause ." surely ! -" said Cavor .

one_of_the other Selenites walked a few paces out upon_the plank, and turned and looked back at us unconcernedly . the others stood ready to_follow after us . our guide's expectant figure reappeared . he_was returning to_see why we had_not advanced .

" what_is that beyond there ? " I asked .

" I_can't see ."

" we_can't cross this at any price," said I .

" I_could_not go three steps on_it," said Cavor, " even with my hands free ."

we looked at each_other's drawn faces in blank consternation .

" they_can't know what it is_to_be giddy ! " said Cavor .

" it's quite impossible for_us to walk that plank ."

"I don't believe they see as we_do .I've been watching them .I wonder if_they know this_is simply blackness for_us . how can we_make them understand ? "

"Anyhow, we_must make them understand ."

i_think we said these things with a vague half hope the Selenites might somehow understand . I_knew quite clearly that all that was needed was an explanation . then as I_saw their faces, I realised that an explanation was impossible . just here it was_that our resemblances were_not going to bridge our differences . well, I wasn't going to walk the plank, anyhow .I slipped my wrist very quickly out_of_the coil of chain that was loose, and then began to twist my wrists in opposite directions . i_was standing nearest to_the bridge, and as I_did this two of_the Selenites laid hold of me, and pulled me gently towards it .

I shook my head violently ." no go," I_said, " no use . you don't understand ."

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