Первые люди на Луне

           Butweweresointentuponourleaping,thatforatimewegavenoheedtotheirunfalteringexpansion.

           Anextraordinaryelationhadtakenpossessionofus.Partly,Ithink,itwasoursenseofreleasefromtheconfinementofthesphere.Mainly,however,thethinsweetnessoftheair,whichIamcertaincontainedamuchlargerproportionofoxygenthanourterrestrialatmosphere.Inspiteofthestrangequalityofallaboutus,IfeltasadventurousandexperimentalasacockneywoulddoplacedforthefirsttimeamongmountainsandIdonotthinkitoccurredtoeitherofus,facetofacethoughwewerewiththeunknown,tobeverygreatlyafraid.

           Wewerebittenbyaspiritofenterprise.Weselectedalichenouskopjeperhapsfifteenyardsaway,andlandedneatlyonitssummitoneaftertheother.“Good!”wecriedtoeachother;“good!”andCavormadethreestepsandwentofftoatemptingslopeofsnowagoodtwentyyardsandmorebeyond.Istoodforamomentstruckbythegrotesqueeffectofhissoaringfigure—hisdirtycricketcap,andspikyhair,hislittleroundbody,hisarmsandhisknicker-bockeredlegstuckeduptightly—againsttheweirdspaciousnessofthelunarscene.Agustoflaughterseizedme,andthenIsteppedofftofollow.Plump!Idroppedbesidehim.

           Wemadeafewgargantuanstrides,leaptthreeorfourtimesmore,andsatdownatlastinalichenoushollow.Ourlungswerepainful.Wesatholdingoursidesandrecoveringourbreath,lookingappreciationtooneanother.Cavorpantedsomethingabout“amazingsensations.”Andthencameathoughtintomyhead