"When I had descended again to my proper place the Grand Lunar asked how we sheltered ourselves from heat and storms, and I expounded to him the arts of building and furnishing Here we wandered into misunderstandings and cross-purposes, due largely, admit, looseness expressions I had great difficulty in making him understand the nature of house To him attendant Selenites it seemed, , the most whimsical thing that men should build houses when descend into excavations, and an additional complication was introduced attempt to explain that men had originally begun their homes in caves, and were now taking their railways and many establishments beneath the surface Here desire for intellectual completeness betrayed me also considerable tangle due to an equally unwise attempt on my part to explain about mines Dismissing this topic at last in an incomplete state, the Grand Lunar inquired what interior globe

"A tide of twittering and piping swept remotest corners great assembly then last made clear that we men know absolutely nothing contents world the immemorial generations ancestors evolved Three times had I to repeat that of all the 4000 miles of distance earth and its centre men knew only depth of mile, very vaguely I understood the Grand Lunar to ask why had I come moon seeing we had scarcely touched our own planet yet, but trouble me to an explanation, being too anxious to pursue the details mad inversion of all his ideas

"He reverted question of weather, and I tried to describe the perpetually changing sky, and snow, and frost and hurricanes 'But night comes,' he ed, ' not cold ? '

" him colder than by day "'And your atmosphere freeze ? '

" him not; never cold enough , because our nights were so short

"'Not even liquefy ? '

" about 'No,' but then it occurred that one part atmosphere, the water vapour of it, does sometimes liquefy and form dew, and sometimes freeze and form frost - process perfectly analogous freezing of all the external atmosphere moon during its longer night myself clear point, and the Grand Lunar went on with me of sleep need of sleep that comes so regularly every twenty-four hours to all things is part also earthly inheritance moon they rest only at rare intervals, and after exceptional exertions Then I tried to describe to him the soft splendours of summer night, and I passed to description animals that prowl by night and sleep by day him of lions and tigers, and here it seemed we had come to deadlock For, save in their waters, no creatures moon not absolutely domestic and subject will, and so for immemorial years monstrous water creatures, but no evil beasts, idea of anything strong and large existing 'outside' night is very difficult . .

The record is here too broken to transcribe space of perhaps twenty words or more

"He talked attendants, as I suppose, strange superficiality and unreasonableness of (man) who lives mere surface of world, creature of waves and winds, and all the chances of space, even unite to overcome the beasts that prey upon his kind, and yet who dares to invade another planet During this aside I sat thinking, and then at his desire him different sorts of men He searched me with questions "And for all sorts of work the same sort of men But who thinks ? Who governs ? '

" him an outline democratic method

"When I had done he ordered cooling sprays upon his brow, and then requested me to repeat my explanation conceiving something had miscarried

"'Do they not do different things, then ? ' said Phi-oo

"Some, I admitted, were thinkers and some officials; some hunted, some were mechanics, some artists, some toilers 'But all rule,'

"' they not different shapes to fit them different duties ? '

"'None that you ,' , 'except perhaps, for clothes Their minds perhaps differ little,' I reflected

"'Their minds must differ great deal,' said the Grand Lunar, 'or all want same things '

" to bring myself into closer harmony preconceptions, that his surmise was right ' all hidden brain,' ; 'but the difference was there Perhaps if one the minds and souls of men as varied and unequal Selenites There were great men and small men, men reach out far and wide, men go swiftly; noisy, trumpet-minded men, and men remember without thinking . . The record is indistinct for three words

He interrupted me to recall me to my previous statements 'But you said all men rule ? ' he pressed

"To certain extent," , and made, , denser fog with my explanation

"He reached out to salient fact " ," asked, ' no Grand Earthly ? '

of several people, but assured him finally none I explained that such autocrats and emperors had tried upon earth had usually ended in drink, or vice, or violence, and large and influential section people earth I belonged, the Anglo-Saxons, mean that sort of thing again At which the Grand Lunar was even more amazed

"But how keep even such wisdom ? " he asked; and I explained to him the way we helped our limited [a word omitted here, probably "brains"] with libraries of books I explained to him how our science was growing united labours of innumerable little men, and no comment save evident we had mastered much social savagery, or have come moon Yet the contrast was very marked With knowledge the Selenites grew and changed; mankind stored their knowledge and remained brutes - equipped this . [Here short piece record indistinct ]

"He then caused me to describe how we went earth of ours, and I described to him our railways and ships For time understand that we had had the use of steam hundred years, but when clearly amazed ( mention as singular thing, Selenites use years to count by, just do on earth, though make nothing numeral system That, however, matter, because Phi-oo understands ours ) I went on him that mankind had dwelt in cities only for nine or ten thousand years, we were still not united in one brotherhood, but under many different forms of government This astonished the Grand Lunar , when it clear to him At first he thought we referred merely to administrative areas

"'Our States and Empires are still the rawest sketches of what order will some day be,' , and so him . . [ point length of record that probably represents thirty or forty words is totally illegible ]

"The Grand Lunar was greatly impressed folly of men in clinging inconvenience of diverse tongues ' to communicate, and yet not to communicate,' , and then he questioned me closely concerning war

" at first perplexed and incredulous 'You mean ,' he asked, seeking confirmation, 'that you run about over the surface of your world - this world, whose riches scarcely begun to scrape - killing one another for beasts to eat ? '

" him that was perfectly correct

"He asked for particulars to assist his imagination

"'But ships and your poor little cities get injured ? ' he asked, and the waste of property and conveniences seemed to impress him almost killing 'Tell me more,' said the Grand Lunar; 'make me see pictures conceive these things '

"And so, for space, though something loath, him the story of earthly War

" him first orders and ceremonies of war, of warnings and ultimatums, marshalling and marching of troops him an idea of manoeuvres and positions and battle joined him of sieges and assaults, of starvation and hardship in trenches, and of sentinels freezing snow him of routs and surprises, and desperate last stands and faint hopes, pitiless pursuit of fugitives dead field , too, past, of invasions and massacres, Huns and Tartars, wars of Mahomet Caliphs, and Crusades And as I went on, and Phi-oo translated, Selenites cooed and murmured in steadily intensified emotion

" them an ironclad could fire shot of ton twelve miles, and go through 20 ft of iron - and how steer torpedoes under water I went on to describe Maxim gun in action, and what imagine Battle of Colenso The Grand Lunar was so incredulous that he interrupted the translation of what I had said my verification account They particularly doubted my description men cheering and rejoicing went into ( ? battle)

"'But surely like it ! ' translated Phi-oo

"I assured them men race considered battle the most glorious experience of life, at which the whole assembly was stricken with amazement