"Looking up, the very fellow downward vision; it had, , the effect of looking into very steep cone wind was blowing down the shaft, and far above I fancy I heard, growing fainter and fainter, the bellowing mooncalves that were being driven down again from their evening pasturage exterior And up and down the spiral galleries were scattered numerous moon people, pallid, faintly luminous beings, regarding our appearance or busied on unknown errands

"Either I fancied it or flake of snow came drifting down icy breeze And then, falling like snowflake, little figure, little man-insect, clinging to parachute, drove down very swiftly towards the central places moon

"The big-headed Selenite sitting beside me, seeing me move my head gesture of one who saw, pointed trunk-like 'hand' and indicated sort of jetty coming into sight very far below: little landing-stage, as it were, hanging void As it swept up towards us our pace diminished very rapidly, and in , as it seemed, we were abreast of it, and at rest mooring-rope was flung and grasped, and myself pulled down to level with great crowd of Selenites, who jostled me

" an incredible crowd Suddenly and violently forced upon my attention the vast amount of difference amongst these beings moon

"Indeed, there seemed not two alike in all that jostling multitude They differed in shape, they differed in size, they rang all the horrible changes theme of Selenite form ! Some bulged and overhung, some ran about feet fellows All had grotesque and disquieting suggestion of an insect that has somehow contrived to mock humanity; but all seemed an incredible exaggeration of some particular feature: one had vast right fore-limb, an enormous antennal arm, as it were; one seemed all leg, poised, as it were, on stilts; another protruded the edge face mask into nose-like organ that made him startlingly human until one saw his expressionless gaping mouth The strange and (except want of mandibles and palps) most insect-like head mooncalf-minders underwent, indeed, the most incredible transformations: here broad and low, here high and narrow; here its leathery brow was drawn out into horns and strange features; here whiskered and divided, and there with grotesquely human profile One distortion was particularly conspicuous There were several brain cases distended like bladders to huge size, face mask reduced to quite small proportions There were several amazing forms, with heads reduced to microscopic proportions and blobby bodies; and fantastic, flimsy things that existed, it would seem, only as basis for vast, trumpet-like protrusions lower part mask And oddest of all, as it seemed moment, weird inhabitants of subterranean world, world sheltered by innumerable miles of rock from sun or rain, carried umbrellas in their tentaculate hands - real terrestrial looking umbrellas ! And then parachutist I had watched descend

"These moon people behaved exactly as human crowd done in similar circumstances: they jostled and thrust one another, they shoved one another aside, they even clambered upon one another glimpse of me Every moment they increased in numbers, and pressed more urgently discs ushers" - Cavor explain what he means - "every moment fresh shapes emerged shadows and forced themselves upon my astounded attention And presently signed and helped into sort of litter, and lifted up shoulders of strong-armed bearers, and so borne twilight over this seething multitude towards the apartments that were provided moon All about me were eyes, faces, masks, leathery noise like the rustling of beetle wings, and great bleating and cricket-like twittering of Selenite voices

We gather taken to "hexagonal apartment," and there for space confined Afterwards given much more considerable liberty; indeed, almost freedom as one has in civilised town on earth And it would appear mysterious being the ruler and master moon appointed two Selenites "with large heads" to guard and study him, and to establish whatever mental communications were possible And, amazing and incredible as it may seem, these two creatures, these fantastic men insects, these beings of other world, were presently communicating with Cavor of terrestrial speech

Cavor speaks as Phi-oo and Tsi-puff Phi-oo, , was about 5 ft high; he had small slender legs about 18 in long, and slight feet common lunar pattern balanced little body, throbbing pulsations heart He had long, soft, many-jointed arms ending in tentacled grip, neck was many-jointed usual way, but exceptionally short and thick His head, says Cavor - apparently alluding to some previous description that has gone astray in space - "is common lunar type, but strangely modified The mouth usual expressionless gape, but unusually small and pointing downward, mask is reduced size of large flat nose-flap On either side are the little eyes

"The rest head is distended into huge globe chitinous leathery cuticle mooncalf herds thins out to mere membrane, through which the pulsating brain movements are distinctly visible He in is creature, indeed, with tremendously hypertrophied brain, and rest organism both relatively and absolutely dwarfed "

In another passage Cavor compares the back view of him to Atlas supporting the world Tsi-puff it seems was very similar insect, but his "face" was drawn out to considerable length, brain hypertrophy being in different regions, his head was not round but pear-shaped, stalk downward There were also litter-carriers, lopsided beings, with enormous shoulders, very spidery ushers, and squat foot attendant in Cavor's retinue

The manner Phi-oo and Tsi-puff attacked the problem of speech was fairly obvious They came " hexagonal cell" Cavor was confined, and began imitating every sound , beginning with cough He seems grasped their intention with great quickness, and begun repeating words and pointing to indicate the application The procedure was probably always the same Phi-oo would attend to Cavor for space, then point also and say the word he had heard

The first word he mastered was "man," second "Mooney" - which Cavor spur moment seems used instead of "Selenite" moon race Phi-oo was assured meaning of word he repeated it to Tsi-puff, who remembered it infallibly They mastered over one hundred English nouns at their first session

Subsequently it seems they brought an artist to assist the work of explanation with sketches and diagrams - Cavor's drawings being rather crude , says Cavor, "a being with an active arm and an arresting eye," and to draw with incredible swiftness

The eleventh message is undoubtedly only fragment of longer communication After some broken sentences, the record of unintelligible, it goes on:

"But interest only linguists, and delay me too long, the details series of intent parleys these were the beginning, and, indeed, I doubt if give in anything like the proper order all the twistings and turnings that pursuit of mutual comprehension Verbs were soon plain sailing - , such active verbs as express by drawings; some adjectives were easy, but when it came to abstract nouns, to prepositions, sort of hackneyed figures of speech, is expressed on earth, like diving in cork-jackets Indeed, these difficulties were insurmountable until sixth lesson came fourth assistant, being with huge football-shaped head, whose forte was clearly the pursuit of intricate analogy He entered in preoccupied manner, stumbling against stool, difficulties that arose had presented to him with certain amount of clamour and hitting and pricking reached his apprehension But once involved his pentetration was amazing Whenever there came need of thinking beyond Phi-oo's by no means limited scope, this prolate-headed person was in request, but he invariably told the conclusion to Tsi-puff, it remembered; Tsi-puff was ever the arsenal for facts And so we advanced again

"It seemed long and yet brief - matter of days - before positively talking insects moon , at first an intercourse infinitely tedious and exasperating, but imperceptibly it has grown to comprehension And my patience has grown to meet its limitations, Phi-oo who does all the talking it with vast amount of meditative provisional 'M'm-M'm' and has caught up phrases, 'If say,' ' understand,' and beads all his speech

"Thus discourse Imagine him explaining his artist

"'M'm-M'm - he - if say - draw Eat little - drink little - draw Love draw No other thing Hate all who not draw like him Angry Hate all who draw like him better Hate most people Hate all who not think all world for to draw Angry M'm All things mean nothing to him - only draw He like you . understand . . New thing to draw Ugly - striking Eh ?

"'He' - turning to Tsi-puff - 'love remember words Remember wonderful more than any Think no, draw no - remember Say' - here he referred gifted assistant for word - 'histories - all things He hear once - say ever '