"'But what good war ? ' asked the Grand Lunar, sticking theme

"'Oh ! as for good ! ' said I; 'it thins the population ! '

"'But why should there be need - ? ' .

"There came pause, the cooling sprays impigned upon his brow, and then he spoke again "

[ point series of undulations that apparent as perplexing complication as far back as Cavor's description silence that fell first speaking Grand Lunar become confusingly predominant record These undulations are evidently the result of radiations proceeding from lunar source, and their persistent approximation alternating signals of Cavor is curiously suggestive of some operator deliberately seeking to mix them in message and render it illegible At first small and regular, with little care loss of very few words to disentangle Cavor's message; then they become broad and larger, then suddenly irregular, with an irregularity that gives the effect at last of some one scribbling through line of writing nothing made madly zigzagging trace; then quite abruptly the interruption ceases, leaves few words clear, and then resumes and continues rest message, completely obliterating whatever Cavor was attempting to transmit Why, indeed deliberate intervention, the Selenites preferred to let Cavor go on transmitting his message in happy ignorance obliteration record, when clearly quite in their power and much more easy and convenient to stop his proceedings at , is problem contribute nothing The thing seems happened so, is all This last rag description Grand Lunar begins in mid-sentence ]

" . interrogated me very closely upon my secret able in little while to an understanding , and at last to elucidate puzzle I realised the vastness of there science, namely, how they themselves have never discovered 'Cavorite ' they know of it as theoretical substance, but always regarded it as practical impossibility, because for some reason no helium moon, and helium . "

[Across the last letters of helium slashes the resumption obliterating trace Note that word "secret," , alone, I base my interpretation message that follows, the last message, as both Mr Wendigee and myself now believe it , that ever likely to ]

Chapter 26

The Last Message Cavor sent Earth

unsatisfactory manner the penultimate message of Cavor dies out One seems him away there blue obscurity amidst his apparatus intently signalling us last, all unaware curtain of confusion that drops ; all unaware, too, final dangers that even then must creeping upon him His disastrous want of vulgar common sense had utterly betrayed him He had talked of war, he had talked of all the strength and irrational violence of men, insatiable aggressions, their tireless futility of conflict He had filled the whole moon world impression race, and then plain that the most fatal admission that upon himself alone hung the possibility - - of any further men reaching the moon The line the cold, inhuman reason moon would take seems plain enough , and suspicion of it, and then perhaps some sudden sharp realisation of it, come to him One imagines him moon remorse fatal indiscretion growing mind During certain time inclined to guess the Grand Lunar was deliberating the new situation, and for all Cavor may as free as ever he had gone But obstacles of some sort prevented his getting electromagnetic apparatus again message just given For some days we received nothing Perhaps having fresh audiences, and trying to evade his previous admissions hope to guess ?

And then suddenly, like cry night, like cry followed by stillness, came the last message briefest fragment, the broken beginnings of two sentences

The first was: " mad to let the Grand Lunar know "

an interval of perhaps minute One imagines some interruption from without departure instrument - dreadful hesitation looming masses of apparatus dim, blue-lit cavern - sudden rush back , full of resolve that came too late Then, it were hastily transmitted came: "Cavorite made as follows: take-"

There followed one word, quite unmeaning word as it stands: "uless "

is all

It hasty attempt to spell "useless" when his fate was close upon him Whatever it was happening apparatus tell Whatever never, , receive another message moon own part vivid dream to my help, and , almost as plainly I had seen it in actual fact, blue-lit shadowy dishevelled Cavor struggling grip insect Selenites, struggling ever more desperately and hopelessly press upon him, shouting, expostulating, perhaps even at last fighting, and being forced backwards step by step out of all speech or sign fellows, for evermore Unknown - dark, into that silence that has no end . .

The End