FINAL DETAILS
It was the 22nd of November; the departure was to take place in ten
days. One operation alone remained to be accomplished to bring all to a
happy termination; an operation delicate and perilous, requiring
infinite precautions, and against the success of which Captain Nicholl
had laid his third bet. It was, in fact, nothing less than the loading
of the Columbiad, and the introduction into it of 400,000 pounds of
gun-cotton. Nicholl had thought, not perhaps without reason, that the
handling of such formidable quantities of pyroxyle would, in all
probability, involve a grave catastrophe; and at any rate, that this
immense mass of eminently inflammable matter would inevitably ignite
when submitted to the pressure of the projectile.
There were indeed dangers accruing as before from the carelessness of
the Americans, but Barbicane had set his heart on success, and took all
possible precautions. In the first place, he was very careful as to the
transportation of the gun-cotton to Stones Hill. He had it conveyed in
small quantities, carefully packed in sealed cases. These were brought
by rail from Tampa Town to the camp, and from thence were taken to the
Columbiad by barefooted workmen, who deposited them in their places by
means of cranes placed at the orifice of the cannon. No steam-engine
was permitted to work, and every fire was extinguished within two miles
of the works.
Even in November they feared to work by day, lest the sun’s rays acting
on the gun-cotton might lead to unhappy results. This led to their
working at night, by light produced in a vacuum by means of Ruhmkorff’s
apparatus, which threw an artificial brightness into the depths of the
Columbiad. There the cartridges were arranged with the utmost
regularity, connected by a metallic thread, destined to communicate to
them all simultaneously the electric spark, by which means this mass of
gun-cotton was eventually to be ignited.
By the 28th of November eight hundred cartridges had been placed in the
bottom of the Columbiad. So far the operation had been successful! But
what confusion, what anxieties, what struggles were undergone by
President Barbicane! In vain had he refused admission to Stones Hill;
every day the inquisitive neighbors scaled the palisades, some even
carrying their imprudence to the point of smoking while surrounded by
bales of gun-cotton. Barbicane was in a perpetual state of alarm. J. T.
Maston seconded him to the best of his ability, by giving vigorous
chase to the intruders, and carefully picking up the still lighted
cigar ends which the Yankees threw about. A somewhat difficult task!
seeing that more than 300,000 persons were gathered round the
enclosure. Michel Ardan had volunteered to superintend the transport of
the cartridges to the mouth of the Columbiad; but the president, having
surprised him with an enormous cigar in his mouth, while he was hunting
out the rash spectators to whom he himself offered so dangerous an
example, saw that he could not trust this fearless smoker, and was
therefore obliged to mount a special guard over him.
At last, Providence being propitious, this wonderful loading came to a
happy termination, Captain Nicholl’s third bet being thus lost. It
remained now to introduce the projectile into the Columbiad, and to
place it on its soft bed of gun-cotton.
But before doing this, all those things necessary for the journey had
to be carefully arranged in the projectile vehicle. These necessaries
were numerous; and had Ardan been allowed to follow his own wishes,
there would have been no space remaining for the travelers. It is
impossible to conceive of half the things this charming Frenchman
wished to convey to the moon. A veritable stock of useless trifles! But
Barbicane interfered and refused admission to anything not absolutely
needed. Several thermometers, barometers, and telescopes were packed in
the instrument case.
The travelers being desirous of examing the moon carefully during their
voyage, in order to facilitate their studies, they took with them Boeer
and Moeller’s excellent _Mappa Selenographica_, a masterpiece of
patience and observation, which they hoped would enable them to
identify those physical features in the moon, with which they were
acquainted. This map reproduced with scrupulous fidelity the smallest
details of the lunar surface which faces the earth; the mountains,
valleys, craters, peaks, and ridges were all represented, with their
exact dimensions, relative positions, and names; from the mountains
Doerfel and Leibnitz on the eastern side of the disc, to the _Mare
frigoris_ of the North Pole.
They took also three rifles and three fowling-pieces, and a large
quantity of balls, shot, and powder.
“We cannot tell whom we shall have to deal with,” said Michel Ardan.
“Men or beasts may possibly object to our visit. It is only wise to
take all precautions.”
These defensive weapons were accompanied by pickaxes, crowbars, saws,
and other useful implements, not to mention clothing adapted to every
temperature, from that of polar regions to that of the torrid zone.
Ardan wished to convey a number of animals of different sorts, not
indeed a pair of every known species, as he could not see the necessity
of acclimatizing serpents, tigers, alligators, or any other noxious
beasts in the moon. “Nevertheless,” he said to Barbicane, “some
valuable and useful beasts, bullocks, cows, horses, and donkeys, would
bear the journey very well, and would also be very useful to us.”
“I dare say, my dear Ardan,” replied the president, “but our
projectile-vehicle is no Noah’s ark, from which it differs both in
dimensions and object. Let us confine ourselves to possibilities.”
After a prolonged discussion, it was agreed that the travelers should
restrict themselves to a sporting-dog belonging to Nicholl, and to a
large Newfoundland. Several packets of seeds were also included among
the necessaries. Michel Ardan, indeed, was anxious to add some sacks
full of earth to sow them in; as it was, he took a dozen shrubs
carefully wrapped up in straw to plant in the moon.
The important question of provisions still remained; it being necessary
to provide against the possibility of their finding the moon absolutely
barren. Barbicane managed so successfully, that he supplied them with
sufficient rations for a year. These consisted of preserved meats and
vegetables, reduced by strong hydraulic pressure to the smallest
possible dimensions. They were also supplied with brandy, and took
water enough for two months, being confident, from astronomical
observations, that there was no lack of water on the moon’s surface. As
to provisions, doubtless the inhabitants of the _earth_ would find
nourishment somewhere in the _moon_. Ardan never questioned this;
indeed, had he done so, he would never have undertaken the journey.
“Besides,” he said one day to his friends, “we shall not be completely
abandoned by our terrestrial friends; they will take care not to forget
us.”
“No, indeed!” replied J. T. Maston.
“Nothing would be simpler,” replied Ardan; “the Columbiad will be
always there. Well! whenever the moon is in a favorable condition as to
the zenith, if not to the perigee, that is to say about once a year,
could you not send us a shell packed with provisions, which we might
expect on some appointed day?”
“Hurrah! hurrah!” cried J. T. Matson; “what an ingenious fellow! what a
splendid idea! Indeed, my good friends, we shall not forget you!”
“I shall reckon upon you! Then, you see, we shall receive news
regularly from the earth, and we shall indeed be stupid if we hit upon
no plan for communicating with our good friends here!”
These words inspired such confidence, that Michel Ardan carried all the
Gun Club with him in his enthusiasm. What he said seemed so simple and
so easy, so sure of success, that none could be so sordidly attached to
this earth as to hesitate to follow the three travelers on their lunar
expedition.
All being ready at last, it remained to place the projectile in the
Columbiad, an operation abundantly accompanied by dangers and
difficulties.
The enormous shell was conveyed to the summit of Stones Hill. There,
powerful cranes raised it, and held it suspended over the mouth of the
cylinder.
It was a fearful moment! What if the chains should break under its
enormous weight? The sudden fall of such a body would inevitably cause
the gun-cotton to explode!
Fortunately this did not happen; and some hours later the
projectile-vehicle descended gently into the heart of the cannon and
rested on its couch of pyroxyle, a veritable bed of explosive
eider-down. Its pressure had no result, other than the more effectual
ramming down of the charge in the Columbiad.
“I have lost,” said the captain, who forthwith paid President Barbicane
the sum of three thousand dollars.
Barbicane did not wish to accept the money from one of his
fellow-travelers, but gave way at last before the determination of
Nicholl, who wished before leaving the earth to fulfill all his
engagements.
“Now,” said Michel Ardan, “I have only one thing more to wish for you,
my brave captain.”
“What is that?” asked Nicholl.
“It is that you may lose your two other bets! Then we shall be sure not
to be stopped on our journey!”