Путешествие на Луну
The New Citizen of the United States
Withinthisshellwereshutupalargecat,andasquirrelbelongingtoJ.T.Maston,andofwhichhewasparticularlyfond.Theyweredesirous,however,ofascertaininghowthislittleanimal,leastofallotherssubjecttogiddiness,wouldendurethisexperimentalvoyage.
Themortarwaschargedwith160poundsofpowder,andtheshellplacedinthechamber.Onbeingfired,theprojectilerosewithgreatvelocity,describedamajesticparabola,attainedaheightofaboutathousandfeet,andwithagracefulcurvedescendedinthemidstofthevesselsthatlaythereatanchor.
Withoutamoment’slossoftimeasmallboatputoffinthedirectionofitsfall;somediversplungedintothewaterandattachedropestothehandlesoftheshell,whichwasquicklydraggedonboard.Fiveminutesdidnotelapsebetweenthemomentofenclosingtheanimalsandthatofunscrewingthecoverlidoftheirprison.
Ardan,Barbicane,Maston,andNichollwerepresentonboardtheboat,andassistedattheoperationwithaninterestwhichmayreadilybecomprehended.Hardlyhadtheshellbeenopenedwhenthecatleapedout,slightlybruised,butfulloflife,andexhibitingnosignswhateverofhavingmadeanaerialexpedition.Notrace,however,ofthesquirrelcouldbediscovered.Thetruthatlastbecameapparent—thecathadeatenitsfellow-traveler!
J.T.Mastongrievedmuchforthelossofhispoorsquirrel,andproposedtoadditscasetothatofothermartyrstoscience.
Afterthisexperimentallhesitation,allfeardisappeared
