The First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells
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all the colour out of tlie metal . and from_that discovery I also started upon a train of thought that carried me wide and far .I forgot that I had just been asking what business we had in_the moon . gold -

it_was Cavor who spoke first ." it seems to_me that_there_are two courses open to_us ."

" well"

" either we_can attempt to_make our way - fight our way if necessary - out to_the exterior again, and then hunt for_our sphere until we_find it, or the cold of_the night comes to kill us, or else -"

he paused ." yes ? " I_said, though I_knew what_was coming .

" we_might attempt once more to establish some sort of understanding with_the minds of_the people in_the moon ."

" so_far as I'm concerned - it's the first ."

" I_doubt ."

"I don't ."

" you_see," said Cavor, " I_do_not_think we_can judge the Selenites by what we_have seen of_them . their central world, their civilised world will_be far below in_the profounder caverns about their sea . this region of_the crust in which_we_are is an outlying district, a pastoral region . at any rate, that_is my interpretation . these Selenites we_have seen may_be only the equivalent of cowboys and engine-tenders . their use of goads - in all probability mooncalf goads - the lack of imagination they show in expecting us to_be_able to_do just what they_can do, their indisputable brutality, all seem to point to something of_that sort . but if_we endured -"

" neither of us could endure asix- inch plank across the bottomless pit for very long ."

" no," said Cavor; " but then -"

"I won't," I_said .

he discovered a new line of possibilities ." well, suppose we got ourselves into some corner, where we_could defend ourselves against these hinds and labourers . if, for example, we_could hold out for a week or so, it_is probable that_the news of_our appearance would filter down to_the more intelligent and populous parts -"

" if_they exist ."

" they_must exist, or whence came those tremendous machines ? "

" that's possible, but it's the worst of_the two chances ."

" we_might write up inscriptions on walls"

" how do we_know their eyes would see the sort of marks we_made ? "

" if_we cut them - "

" that's possible, of_course ."

i_took up a new thread of thought ." after all," - I_said, " I suppose you don't think these Selenites so infinitely wiser than men ."

" they_must know alot more - or at_least alot of different things ."

" yes, but -" I hesitated .

" i_think you'll quite admit, Cavor, that you're rather an exceptional man ."

" how ? "

" well, you - you're a rather lonely man - have_been, that_is . you haven't married ."

" never wanted to . but why - "

" and you never grew richer than you happened to_be ? "

" never wanted that either ."

" you've just rooted after knowledge ? "

" well, a certain curiosity is natural - "

" you_think so . that's just it . you_think every_other mind wants to_know .I remember once, when I asked you why you conducted all these researches, you said you_wanted your F .R .S ., and to_have the stuff called Cavorite, and things like that . you_know perfectly well you didn't do_it for_that; but at_the_time my question took you by surprise, and you felt you ought_to_have something to look like a motive . really you conducted researches because you had to . it's your twist ."

" perhaps it_is -"

" it isn't one man in a million has_that twist . most men want - well, various things, but very few want knowledge for its own sake .I don't, I_know perfectly well . now, these Selenites seem_to_be adriving, busy sort of being, but how do_you_know that even the most intelligent will take an interest in us or our world ? I don't believe they'll even know we_have a world . they never come out at night - they'd freeze if they_did . they've probably never seen any heavenly body at all except the blazing sun . how are they to_know there_is another world ? what does it matter to_them if they_do ? well, even if they_have had a glimpse of a few stars, or even of_the earth crescent, what of_that ? why should people living inside a planet trouble to observe that sort of thing ? men wouldn't have_done it except for_the seasons and sailing; why should the moon people ? .. .

" well, suppose there_are a few philosophers like yourself . they_are just the very Selenites who'll never have heard of_our existence . suppose a selenite had I dropped on_the earth when_you were at Lympne, you'd have_been the last man in_the_world to hear he had come . you never read a newspaper ! you_see the chances against you . well, it's for_these chances we're sitting here doing nothing while precious time is flying .I tell you we've got into a fix . we've come unarmed, we've lost our sphere, we've got no food, we've shown ourselves to_the Selenites, and made them think we're strange, strong, dangerous animals; and unless these Selenites are perfect fools, they'll set about now and hunt us till they find us, and when_they find us they'll try to_take us if_they_can, and kill us if_they_can't, and_that's the end of_the matter . if_they take us, they'll probably kill us, through some misunderstanding . after we're done for, they_may discuss us perhaps, but we shan't get much fun out of_that ."

" go on ."

" on_the other hand, here's gold knocking about like cast iron at home . if only we_can get some of it back, if only we_can find our sphere again before_they do, and get back, then -"

" yes ? "

" we_might put the thing on a sounder footing . come back in a bigger sphere with guns ."

" good lord ! " cried Cavor, as_though that was horrible .

I shied another luminous fungus down the cleft .

" look here, Cavor," I_said, "I've half the voting power anyhow in_this affair, and this_is a case for a practical man .I'm a practical man, and you_are_not .I'm not going to trust to Selenites and geometrical diagrams if I_can help it . that's all . get back . drop all this secrecy - or most of it . and come again ."

he reflected ." when I_came to_the moon," he_said, "I ought_to_have come alone ."

" the question before_the meeting," I_said, " is how to_get back to_the sphere ."

for a time we nursed our knees in silence . then he_seemed to decide for_my reasons .

" i_think," he_said, " one can get data . it_is clear that while the sun is on_this side of_the moon the air will_be blowing through_this planet sponge from_the dark side hither . on_this side, at any rate, the air will_be expanding and flowing out_of_the moon caverns into_the craters .. .. very_well, there's a draught here ."

" so there_is ."

" and_that means that_this_is not a dead end; somewhere behind us this cleft goes on and up . the draught is blowing up, and that_is_the way we_have to_go . if we_try to_get up any sort of chimney or gully there_is, we_shall_not only get out of_these passages where they_are hunting for_us - "

" but suppose the gully is too narrow ? "

" we'll come down again ."

"Ssh ! " I_said suddenly; " what's that ? "

we listened . at first it_was an indistinct murmur, and then one picked out the clang of a gong ." they_must think we_are mooncalves," said I, " to_be frightened at_that ."

" they're coming along that passage, said Cavor .

" they_must_be ."

" they'll not think of_the cleft . they'll go past ."

I listened again for a space ." this_time," I whispered, " they're likely to_have some sort of weapon ."

then suddenly I sprang to my feet ." good heavens, Cavor ! " I cried ." but they_will ! they'll see the fungi I_have_been pitching down . they'll - "

I didn't finish my sentence .I turned about and made a leap over the fungus tops towards the upper end of_the cavity . I_saw that_the space turned upward and became adraughty cleft again, ascending to impenetrable darkness . i_was about to clamber up into_this, and then with a happy inspiration turned back .

" what_are you doing ? " asked Cavor .

" go on ! said I, and went back and got two of_the shining fungi, and putting one into_the breast pocket of_my flannel jacket, so_that it stuck out to light our climbing, went back with_the other for Cavor . the noise of_the Selenites was now so loud that_it seemed they_must_be already beneath the cleft . but it might_be they_would_have difficulty in clambering in to_it, or might hesitate to ascend it against our possible resistance . at any rate, we had now the comforting knowledge of_the enormous muscular superiority our birth in another planet gave_us . in other minute i_was clambering with gigantic vigour after Cavor's blue-lit heels .

chapter 17

the fight in_the cave of_the moon Butchers

I_do_not know how far we clambered before we came to_the grating . it may_be we ascended only a few hundred feet, but at_the_time it seemed to_me we_might_have hauled and jammed and hopped and wedged ourselves through a mile or more of vertical ascent . whenever I recall that_time,, there comes into my head the heavy clank of_our golden chains that followed every movement . very_soon my knuckles and knees were raw, and I had a bruise on one cheek . after a time the first violence of_our efforts diminished, and_our movements became more deliberate and less painful . the noise of_the pursuing Selenites had died away altogether . it seemed almost as_though they had_not traced us up the crack after all, in_spite of_the tell- tale heap of broken fungi that must_have lain beneath it . at times the cleft narrowed so_much that we_could scarce squeeze up it; at others it expanded into great drusy cavities, studded with prickly crystals or thickly beset with dull, shining fungoid pimples .Sometimes it twisted spirally, and at other times slanted down nearly to_the horizontal direction . ever and again there_was the intermittent drip and trickle of water by_us . once_or_twice it seemed to_us that small living things had rustled out of_our reach, but what they were we never saw . they_may have_been venomous beasts for all I_know, but they_did us no harm, and we were now tuned to a pitch when a weird creeping thing more or less mattered little . and at last, far above, came the familiar bluish light again, and then we saw that_it filtered through agrating that barred our way .

we whispered as_we pointed this out to one another, and became more and more cautious in_our ascent . presently we were close under the grating, and by pressing my face against its bars I could_see a limited portion of_the cavern beyond . it_was clearly a large space, and lit no_doubt by some rivulet of_the same blue light that we had seen flow from_the beating machinery . an intermittent trickle of water dropped ever and again between_the bars near my face .

my first endeavour was naturally to_see what might_be upon_the floor of_the cavern, but our grating lay in a depression whose rim hid all this from_our eyes . our foiled attention then fell back upon_the suggestion of_the various sounds we heard, and presently my eye caught a number of faint shadows that played across the dim roof far overhead .

Indisputably there were several Selenites, perhaps a considerable number, in_this space, for we_could hear the noises of_their intercourse, and faint sounds that I identified as their footfalls . there_was also a succession of regularly repeated sounds - chid, chid, chid - which began and ceased, suggestive of a knife or spade hacking at some soft substance . then came a clank as_if of chains, a whistle and a rumble as of a truck running over a hollowed place, and then again that chid, chid, chid resumed . the shadows told of shapes that moved quickly and rhythmically, in agreement with_that regular sound, and rested when it ceased .

we put our heads close together, and began to discuss these things in noiseless whispers .

" they_are occupied," I_said, " they_are occupied in some way ."

" yes ."

" they're not seeking us, or thinking of us ."

" perhaps they_have not heard of us ."

" those others are hunting about below . if suddenly we appeared here - "

we looked at one another .

" there_might_be a chance to parley," said Cavor .

" no," I_said ." not as_we_are ."

for a space we remained, each occupied by his own thoughts .

Chid, chid, chid went the chopping, and_the shadows moved to and fro .

I looked at_the grating ." it's flimsy," I_said ." we_might bend two of_the bars and crawl through ."

we wasted a little time in vague discussion . then i_took one_of_the bars in both hands, and got my feet up against the rock until they were almost on a level with my head, and so thrust against the bar . it bent so suddenly that I almost slipped .I clambered about and bent the adjacent bar in_the opposite direction, and then took the luminous fungus from my pocket and dropped it down the fissure .

"Don't do anything hastily," whispered Cavor, as I twisted myself up through_the opening I had enlarged .I had a glimpse of busy figures as I_came through_the grating, and immediately bent down, so that_the rim of_the depression in_which_the grating lay hid me from their eyes, and so lay flat, signalling advice to Cavor as he also prepared to_come through . presently we were side by side in_the depression, peering over the edge at_the cavern and its occupants .

it_was a much larger cavern than we had supposed from_our first glimpse of it, and we looked up from_the lowest portion

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