The First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells
Section [1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29]
."

another selenite added his compulsion . i_was forced to step forward .

"I've got an idea," said Cavor; but I_knew his ideas .

" look here ! " I exclaimed to_the Selenites ." steady on ! it's all very_well for_you - "

I sprang round upon my heel .I burst out into curses . for one_of_the armed Selenites had stabbed me behind with_his goad .

I wrenched my wrists free from_the little tentacles that held them .I turned on_the goad- bearer ." confound you ! " I cried ."I've warned you of_that . what on earth do_you_think I'm made of, to stick that into me ? if_you touch me again - "

by way of answer he pricked me forthwith .

I heard Cavor's voice in alarm and entreaty . even then i_think he_wanted to compromise with_these creatures ." I_say, Bedford," he cried, " I_know a way ! " but the sting of_that second stab seemed to set free some pent- up reserve of energy in my being . instantly the link of_the wrist- chain snapped, and with it snapped all considerations that had held us unresisting in_the hands of_these moon creatures . for_that second, at_least, i_was mad with fear and anger . i_took no thought of consequences .I hit straight out at_the face of_the thing with_the goad . the chain was twisted round my fist .

there came another of_these beastly surprises of_which the moon world is full .

my mailed hand seemed to_go clean through him . he smashed like - like some softish sort of sweet with liquid in_it ! he broke right in ! he squelched and splashed . it_was like hitting a damp toadstool . the flimsy body went spinning a dozen yards, and fell with a flabby impact . i_was astonished . i_was incredulous that any living thing could_be so flimsy . for an instant I_could_have believed the whole thing a dream .

then it had become real and imminent again . neither Cavor nor the other Selenites seemed to have_done anything from_the time when I had turned about to_the time when_the dead selenite hit the ground . every_one stood back from_us two, every_one alert . that arrest seemed to last at_least a second after_the selenite was down . every_one must_have been taking the thing in .I seem to remember myself standing with my arm half retracted, trying also to_take it in ." what next ? " clamoured my brain; " what next ? " then in a moment every_one was moving !

I perceived we_must get our chains loose, and_that before we_could do_this these Selenites had to_be beaten off .I faced towards the group of_the three goad-bearers . instantly one threw his goad at me . it swished over my head, and I suppose went flying into_the abyss behind .

I leaped right at him with all my might as_the goad flew over me . he turned to run as I jumped, and I bore him to_the ground, came down right upon him, and slipped upon his smashed body and fell . he_seemed to wriggle under my foot .

I_came into asitting position, and on every hand the blue backs of_the Selenites were receding into_the darkness .I bent a link by main force and untwisted the chain that had hampered me about_the ankles, and sprang to my feet, with_the chain in my hand . another goad, flung javelin- wise, whistled by me, and I_made a rush towards the darkness out of_which it had come . then I turned back towards Cavor, who was still standing in_the light of_the rivulet near the gulf convulsively busy with_his wrists, and at_the same time jabbering nonsense about his idea .

" come on ! " I cried .

" my hands ! " he answered .

then, realising that I dared not run back to him, because my ill- calculated steps might carry me over the edge, he_came shuffling towards me, with_his hands held out before him .

I gripped his chains at once to unfasten them .

" where are they ? " he panted .

" run away . they'll come back . they're throwing things ! which_way shall we go ? "

" by_the light . to_that tunnel .Eh ? "

" yes," said I, and_his hands were free .

I dropped on my knees and fell to work on_his ankle bonds . whack came something - I_know not what - and splashed the livid streamlet into drops about us . far away on_our right apiping and whistling began .

I whipped the chain off his feet, and put it in_his hand ." hit with_that ! " I_said, and without waiting for an answer, set off in big bounds along the path by_which we had come .I had a nasty sort of feeling that_these things could jump out_of_the darkness on to my back .I heard the impact of_his leaps come following after me .

we ran in vast strides . but that running, you_must understand, was an altogether different thing from any running on earth . on earth one leaps and almost instantly hits the ground again, but on_the moon, because of_its weaker pull, one shot through_the air for several seconds before one came to earth . in_spite of_our violent hurry this gave an effect of long pauses, pauses in_which one might_have counted seven or eight ." step," and one soared off ! all sorts of questions ran through my mind: " where are the Selenites ? what_will they_do ? shall we ever get to_that tunnel ? is Cavor far behind ? are they likely to cut him off ? " then whack, stride, and off again for another step .

I_saw a selenite running in front of me, his legs going exactly as a man's would go on earth, saw him glance over his shoulder, and heard him shriek as he ran aside out of_my way into_the darkness . he_was, I i_think, our guide, but I_am not sure . then in another vast stride the walls of rock had come into view on either hand, and in two more strides i_was in_the tunnel, and tempering my pace to its low roof .I went on to a bend, then stopped and turned back, and plug, plug, plug, Cavor came into view, splashing into_the stream of blue light at every stride, and grew larger and blundered into me . we stood clutching each_other . for a moment, at_least, we had shaken off our captors and were alone .

we were both very_much out of breath . we spoke in panting, broken sentences .

" you've spoilt it all ! " panted Cavor ." nonsense," I cried ." it was_that or death ! "

" what_are we to_do ? "

" hide ."

" how can we ? "

" it's dark enough ."

" but where ? "

" up one_of_these side caverns ."

" and then ? "

" think ."

" right - come on ."

we strode on, and presently came to aradiating dark cavern .Cavor was in front . he hesitated, and chose a black mouth that seemed to promise good hiding . he went towards it and turned .

" its dark," he_said .

" your legs and feet will light us . you're wet with_that luminous stuff ."

" but - "

a tumult of sounds, and in_particular a sound like aclanging gong, advancing up the main tunnel, became audible . it_was horribly suggestive of a tumultuous pursuit . we_made a bolt for_the unlit side cavern forthwith . as_we ran along it our way was lit by_the irradiation of Cavor's legs ." it's lucky," I panted, " they took off our boots, or we_should fill this place with clatter ." on we rushed, taking as small steps as we_could to avoid striking the roof of_the cavern . after a time we seemed to_be gaining on_the uproar . it became muffled, it dwindled, it died away .

I stopped and looked back, and I heard the pad, pad of Cavor's feet receding . then he stopped also ." Bedford," he whispered; " there's a sort of light in front of us ."

I looked, and at first could_see nothing . then I perceived his head and shoulders dimly outlined against afainter darkness . I_saw, also, that_this mitigation of_the darkness was not blue, as all the other light within_the moon had_been, but a pallid gray, a very vague, faint white, the daylight colour .Cavor noted this difference as soon, or sooner, than I_did, and i_think, too, that_it filled him with much the same wild hope .

" Bedford," he whispered, and_his voice trembled ." that light - it_is possible -"

he_did_not dare to_say the thing he hoped . then came a pause . suddenly I_knew by_the sound of_his feet that he_was striding towards that pallor .I followed him with abeating heart .

chapter 16

Points of view

the light grew stronger as_we advanced . in a little time it_was nearly as strong as_the phosphorescence on Cavor's legs . our tunnel was expanding into a cavern, and this new light was at_the farther end of it .I perceived something that set my hopes leaping and bounding .

"Cavor," I_said, " it comes from above ! I_am certain it comes from above ! "

he_made no answer, but hurried on .

Indisputably it_was a gray light, a silvery light .

in another moment we were beneath it . it filtered down through a chink in_the walls of_the cavern, and as I stared up, drip, came a drop of water upon my face .I started and stood aside - drip, fell another drop quite audibly on_the rocky floor .

"Cavor," I_said, " if one of us lifts the other, he_can reach that crack ! "

"I'll lift you," he_said, and incontinently hoisted me as_though i_was a baby .

I thrust an arm into_the crack, and just at my finger tips found a little ledge by_which I_could hold .I could_see the white light was very_much brighter now .I pulled myself up by two fingers with scarcely an effort, though on earth I weigh twelve stone, reached to a still higher corner of rock, and so got my feet on_the narrow ledge .I stood up and searched up the rocks with my fingers; the cleft broadened out upwardly ." it's climbable," I_said to Cavor ." can_you jump up_to my hand if I hold it down to_you ? "

I wedged myself between_the sides of_the cleft, rested knee and foot on_the ledge, and extended a hand .I could_not_see Cavor, but I_could hear the rustle of_his movements as he crouched to spring . then whack and he_was hanging to my arm - and no heavier than a kitten ! I lugged him up until he had a hand on my ledge, and could release me .

" confound it ! " I_said, " any_one could_be a mountaineer on_the moon;" and so set myself in earnest to_the climbing . for_a_few_minutes I clambered steadily, and then I looked up again . the cleft opened out steadily, and_the light was brighter . only -

it_was not daylight after all .

in another moment I could_see what it_was, and at_the sight I_could_have beaten my head against the rocks with disappointment . for I beheld simply an irregularly sloping open space, and all over its slanting floor stood a forest of little club- shaped fungi, each shining gloriously with_that pinkish silvery light . for a moment I stared at their soft radiance, then sprang forward and upward among them .I plucked up half a dozen and flung them against the rocks, and then sat down, laughing bitterly, as Cavor's ruddy face came into view .

" it's phosphorescence again ! " I_said ." no need to hurry . sit down and make yourself at home ." and as he spluttered over our disappointment, I began to lob more of_these growths into_the cleft .

" i_thought it_was daylight," he_said .

" daylight ! " cried I ." daybreak, sunset, clouds, and windy skies ! shall we ever see such things again ? "

as I spoke, a little picture of_our world seemed to rise before me, bright and little and clear, like the background of some old Italian picture ." the sky that changes, and_the sea that changes, and_the hills and_the green trees and_the towns and cities shining in_the sun . think of a wet roof at sunset, Cavor ! think of_the windows of a westward house ! " he_made no answer .

" here we_are burrowing in_this beastly world that isn't a world, with its inky ocean hidden in some abominable blackness below, and outside that torrid day and_that death stillness of night . and all these things that_are chasing us now, beastly men of leather - insect men, that come out of a nightmare ! after all, they're right ! what business have we here smashing them and disturbing their world ! for all we_know the whole planet is up and after us already . in a minute we_may hear them whimpering, and their gongs going . what_are we to_do ? where are we to_go ? here we_are as comfortable as snakes from Jamrach's loose in aSurbiton villa ! "

" it_was your fault," said Cavor .

" my fault ! " I shouted ." good lord ! "

"I had an idea ! "

" curse your ideas ! "

" if_we had refused to budge"

" under those goads ? "

" yes . they_would_have carried us ! "

" over that bridge ? "

" yes . they_must_have carried us from outside ."

"I'd rather be carried by a fly across aceiling ."

" good Heavens ! "

I resumed my destruction of_the fungi . then suddenly I_saw something that struck me even then ."Cavor," I_said, " these chains are of gold ! "

he_was thinking intently, with_his hands gripping his cheeks . he turned his head slowly and stared at me, and when I had repeated my words, at_the twisted chain about his right hand ." so they_are," he_said, " so they_are ." his face lost its transitory interest even as he looked . he hesitated for a moment, then went on with_his interrupted meditation .I sat for a space puzzling over the fact that I had only just observed this, until I considered the blue light in_which we had_been, and which had taken all

Section [1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29]