[page 1:] |
|||||
|
A Tale by Edgar A. Poe.
 BY late
accounts from
Rotterdam
that city seems to be in a singularly high state of philosophical
excitement.
Indeed
phenomena have there occurred of a nature so completely unexpected, so
entirely novel, so utterly at variance with pre-conceived opinions, as
to
leave no doubt on my mind that long ere this all Europe is in an
uproar,
all physics in a ferment, all Dynamics and Astronomy together by the
ears. It appears that on the —— day of ——
(I am not
positive
about the date) a vast crowd of people, for
purposes not specifically mentioned, were assembled in the great square
of the Exchange in the goodly and well-conditioned city of Rotterdam.
The day was
warm — unusually so for the season — there was hardly a breath of air
stirring,
and the multitude were in no bad humor at being now and then
besprinkled
with friendly showers of momentary duration. These occasionally fell
from
large white masses of cloud which chequered in a fitful manner the blue
vault of the firmament. Nevertheless about noon a slight but remarkable
agitation became apparent in the assembly; the clattering of ten
thousand
tongues succeeded; and in an instant afterwards ten thousand faces were
upturned towards the heavens, ten thousand pipes descended
simultaneously
from the corners of ten thousand mouths, and a shout which could be
compared to nothing but the roaring of Niagara resounded long, loud,
and
furiously,
through all the environs of Rotterdam. The origin of this hubbub soon became
sufficiently
evident. From behind the huge bulk of one of those sharply-defined
masses
of cloud already mentioned, was seen slowly to emerge into an open area
of blue space, a queer, heterogeneous, but apparently solid body or
substance,
so oddly shaped, so outré in appearance, so whimsically
put together, as not to be in any
manner
comprehended, and never to be sufficiently admired by the host of
sturdy
burghers who stood open-mouthed and thunderstruck below. What could it
be? In the name of
all the vrows and [page 2:] devils in Rotterdam, what could it
possibly portend?
No one knew — no one could imagine — no
one, not even the burgomaster Mynheer Superbus Von Underduk, had the
slightest
clue by which to unravel the mystery; so, as nothing more reasonable
could
be done, every one to a man replaced his pipe carefully in the left
corner
of his mouth, and, cocking up his right eye towards the phenomenon,
puffed,
paused, waddled about, and grunted significantly — then waddled back,
grunted,
paused, and finally — puffed again. In the meantime, however, lower and
still lower
towards
the goodly city, came the object of so much curiosity, and the cause of
so much smoke. In a very few minutes it arrived near enough to be
accurately
discerned. It appeared to be — yes! it was undoubtedly a
species
of balloon; but surely no such balloon had ever been seen in
Rotterdam
before. For who, let me ask, ever heard of a balloon entirely
manufactured
of dirty newspapers? No man in Holland certainly — yet here under the
very
noses of the people, or rather, so to speak, at some distance above
their noses, was the identical thing in question, and composed, I have
it on the best authority, of the precise material which no one had ever
known to be used for a similar purpose. It was too bad — it was not to
be borne: it was an insult — an egregious insult to
the
good sense of the burghers of Rotterdam. As to the shape of the
phenomenon
it was even still more reprehensible, being little or nothing better
than
a huge foolscap turned upside down. And this similitude was by no means
lessened, when, upon nearer inspection, there was perceived a large
tassel
depending from its apex, and around the upper rim
or base of the cone a circle of little instruments, resembling
sheep-bells,
which kept up a continual tinkling to the tune of Betty Martin. But
still
worse. Suspended by blue ribbands to the end of this fantastic machine,
there hung by way of car an enormous drab beaver hat, with a brim
superlatively
broad, and a hemispherical crown with a black band and a silver buckle.
It is, however, somewhat remarkable, that many citizens of Rotterdam
swore
to having seen the same hat repeatedly before; and indeed the whole
assembly
seemed to regard it with eyes of familiarity, while the vrow Grettel
Phaall,
upon sight of it, uttered an exclamation of joyful surprise, and
declared
it to be the identical hat of her good man himself. Now this was a
circumstance
the more to be observed, as Phaall, with three companions, had actually
disappeared from Rotterdam about five years before, in a very sudden
and
unaccountable manner, and up to the date of this narrative all attempts
had failed of obtaining any intelligence concerning them whatsoever. To
be sure, some bones which were thought to be human, and mixed up with a
quantity of odd-looking rubbish, had been lately discovered in a
retired
situation to the east of Rotterdam; and some people went so far as to
imagine
that in this spot a foul murder had been committed, and that the
sufferers
were in all probability Hans Phaall and his associates. But to return. The balloon, for such no doubt it
was, had now
descended
to within a hundred feet of the Earth, allowing the crowd below a
sufficiently
distinct view of the person of its
occupant.
This was in truth a very droll little somebody. He could not have been
more than two feet in height — but this altitude, little as it was,
would
have been enough to destroy his equilibrium, and tilt him over the edge
of his tiny car, but for the intervention of a circular rim reaching as
high as the breast, and rigged on to the cords of the balloon. The body
of the little man was more than proportionally broad, giving to his
entire
figure a rotundity highly grotesque. His feet, of course, could not be
seen
at all, although a horny substance of suspicious nature was
occasionally
protruded through a rent in the bottom of the car, or, to speak more
properly,
in the top of the hat. His hands were enormously [page 3:]
large. His hair was
extremely
gray, and collected into a cue behind. His nose was prodigiously long,
crooked and inflammatory — his eyes full, brilliant, and acute — his
chin
and cheeks, although wrinkled with age, were broad, puffy, and double —
but of ears of any kind or character, there was not a semblance to be
discovered
upon any portion of his head. This odd little gentleman was dressed in
a loose surtout of sky-blue satin, with tight breeches to match,
fastened
with silver buckles at the knees. His vest was of some bright yellow
material;
a white taffety cap was set jauntily on one side of his head; and, to
complete
his equipment, a blood-red silk handkerchief enveloped his throat, and
fell down, in a dainty manner, upon his bosom in a fantastic bow-knot
of super-eminent dimensions. [to be continued]Having descended, as I said before,
to about one hundred feet from the
surface of the Earth,
the little old gentleman was suddenly seized with a fit of trepidation,
and appeared altogether disinclined to make any nearer approach to terra
firma. Throwing out, therefore, a quantity of sand from a canvass
bag,
which he lifted with great difficulty, he became stationary in an
instant.
He then proceeded, in a hurried and agitated manner, to extract from a
side pocket of his surtout a large morocco pocket-book. This he poised
suspiciously
in his hand — then eyed it with an air of extreme surprise, and was
evidently
astonished at its weight. He at length opened it, and, drawing
therefrom
a huge letter sealed with red sealing-wax, and tied carefully with red
tape,
let it fall precisely at the feet of the burgomaster Superbus Von
Underduk.
His Excellency stooped to take it up. But the aeronaut, still greatly
discomposed,
and having apparently no farther business to detain him in Rotterdam,
began
at this moment to make busy preparations for departure; and, it being
necessary
to discharge a portion of ballast to enable him to re-ascend, the half
dozen
bags of sand which he threw out, one after another, without taking the
trouble to empty their contents, tumbled every one of them, most
unfortunately,
upon the back of the burgomaster, and rolled him over and over no less
than one[[-]]and[[-]]twenty times, in the face of every man in
Rotterdam. It is
not to be supposed, however, that the great Underduk suffered this
impertinence
on the part of the little old man to pass off with impunity. It is
said,
on the contrary, that, during the period of each
and every one of his one-and-twenty circumvolutions, he emitted no less
than one[[-]]and[[-]]twenty distinct and furious whiffs from his pipe,
to which
he held fast the whole time with all his might, and to which he intends
holding fast until the day of his death. In the meantime the balloon arose
like a lark,
and,
soaring far away above the city, at length drifted quietly behind a
cloud
similar to that from which it had so oddly emerged, and was thus lost
forever
to the wondering eyes of the good citizens of Rotterdam. All attention
was now directed to the letter, whose descent and the consequences
attending
thereupon had proved so fatally subversive of both person and personal
dignity, to his Excellency the illustrious burgomaster Mynheer Superbus
Von Underduk. That functionary, however, had not failed, during his
circumgyratory
movement, to bestow a thought upon the important object of securing the
packet in question, which was seen, upon inspection, to have fallen
into
the most proper hands, being actually directed to himself and Professor
Rub-a-dub, in their official capacities of President and Vice-President
of the Rotterdam College of Astronomy. [page 4:] It was
accordingly opened by
those
dignitaries upon the spot, and found to contain the following
extraordinary
and indeed very serious communication. To their Excellencies Von Underduk and Rub-a-dub,
President, and
Vice President
of the States' College of Astronomers in the city of Rotterdam. Your Excellencies may perhaps be able to remember
an humble artizan by name Hans Phaall, and by occupation a mender of
bellows,
who, with three others, disappeared from Rotterdam, about five years
ago,
in a manner which must have been considered by all parties at once
sudden,
and extremely unaccountable. If, however, it so please your
Excellencies,
I, the writer of this communication, am the identical Hans Phaall
himself.
It is well known to most of my fellow citizens, that for the period of
forty years, I continued to occupy the little square brick building at
the head of the alley called Sauerkraut, and in which I resided at the
time of my disappearance. My ancestors have also resided therein time
out
of mind, they, as well as myself, steadily following the respectable
and
indeed lucrative profession of mending of bellows. For, to speak the
truth,
until of late years that the heads of all the people have been set agog
with the troubles and politics, no better business than my own could an
honest citizen of Rotterdam either desire or deserve. Credit was good,
employment was never wanting, and on all hands there was no lack of
either
money or good will. But, as I was saying, we soon began to feel the
terrible
effects of liberty, and long speeches, and radicalism, and all that
sort
of thing. People who were formerly the very best customers in the world
had now not a moment of time to think of us at all. They had, so they
said,
as much as they could do to read about the revolutions, and keep up
with
the march of intellect, and the spirit of the age. If a fire wanted
fanning
it could readily be fanned with a
newspaper;
and, as the government grew weaker, I have no doubt that leather and
iron
acquired durability in proportion, for in a very short time there was
not
a pair of bellows in all Rotterdam that ever stood in need of a stitch
or required the assistance of a hammer. This was a state of things
not
to be endured. I soon grew as poor as a rat, and, having a wife and
children
to provide for, my burdens at length became intolerable, and I spent
hour
after hour in reflecting upon the speediest and most convenient method
of putting an end to my life. Duns, in the meantime, left me little
leisure
for contemplation. My house was literally besieged from morning till
night,
so that I began to rave, and foam, and fret like a caged tiger against
the bars of his enclosure. There were three fellows in particular, who
worried me beyond endurance, keeping watch continually about my door,
and
threatening me with the utmost severity of the law. Upon these three I
internally vowed the bitterest revenge, if ever I should be so happy as
to get them within my clutches, and I believe nothing in the world but
the pleasure of this anticipation prevented me from putting my plan of
suicide into immediate execution, by blowing my brains out with a
blunderbuss.
I thought it best, however, to dissemble my wrath, and to treat them
with
promises and fair words, until, by some good turn of fate, an
opportunity
of vengeance should be afforded me. One day, having given my creditors
the slip, and
feeling more than usually dejected, I continued for a
long time to wander about the most obscure streets without any object
whatever,
until at length I chanced to stumble against the corner of a
bookseller's
stall. Seeing a chair close at hand, for the use of customers, I threw
myself doggedly into it, and hardly knowing why, opened the pages of
the
first volume which came within my reach. It proved to be a small
pamphlet
treatise on Speculative Astronomy, written either by Professor Encke of
Berlin, or by a Frenchman of somewhat similar name. I had some little
tincture
of information on matters of this nature, and soon became more and more
absorbed in the contents of the book, reading it actually through twice
before I awoke, as it were, to a recollection of what was passing
around
me. By this time it began to grow dark, [page 5:] and I
directed my steps towards
home. But the treatise had made an indelible impression on my mind, and
as I sauntered along the dusky streets, I revolved carefully over in my
memory the wild and sometimes unintelligible reasonings of the writer.
There were some particular passages which affected my imagination in a
powerful and extraordinary manner. The longer I meditated upon these,
the
more intense grew the interest which had been excited within me. The
limited
nature of my education in general, and more especially my ignorance on
subjects connected with Natural Philosophy, so far from rendering me
diffident
of my own ability to comprehend what I had read, or inducing me to
mistrust
the many vague notions which had arisen in consequence, merely served
as
a farther stimulus to imagination; and
I
was vain enough, or perhaps reasonable enough, to doubt whether those
crude
ideas which, arising in ill-regulated minds, have all the appearance,
may
not often in effect possess also the force — the reality — and other
inherent
properties of instinct or intuition; and whether, to proceed a step
farther,
profundity itself might not, in matters of a purely speculative nature,
be detected as a legitimate source of falsity and error. In other
words,
I believed, and still do believe, that truth is frequently, of its own
essence, superficial, and that, in many cases, the depth lies more in
the
abysses where we seek her, than in the actual situations wherein she
may
be found. Nature herself seemed to afford me corroboration of these
ideas.
In the contemplation of the heavenly bodies it struck me very forcibly
that
I could not distinguish a star with nearly as much precision, when I
gazed
upon it with earnest, direct, and undeviating attention, as when I
suffered
my eye only to glance in its vicinity alone. I was not, of course, at
that
time aware that this apparent paradox was occasioned by the centre of
the
visual area being less susceptible of feeble impressions of light than
the exterior portions of the retina. This knowledge, and some of
another
kind, came afterwards in the course of an eventful period of five
years,
during which I have dropped the prejudices of my former humble
situation
in life, and forgotten the bellows-mender in far different occupations.
But at the epoch of which I speak, the analogy which the casual
observation
of a star offered to the conclusions I had already drawn, struck me
with the force of positive confirmation, and I then
finally made up my mind to the course which I afterwards pursued. It was late when I reached home, and
I went
immediately
to bed. My mind, however, was too much occupied to sleep, and I lay the
whole night buried in meditation. Arising early in the morning, and
contriving
again to escape the vigilance of my creditors, I repaired eagerly to
the
bookseller's stall, and laid out what little ready money I possessed,
in
the purchase of some volumes of Mechanics and Practical Astronomy.
Having
arrived at home safely with these, I devoted every spare moment to
their
perusal, and soon made such proficiency in studies of this nature as I
thought sufficient for the execution of my plan. In the intervals of
this
period I made every endeavor to conciliate the three creditors who had
given me so much annoyance. In this I finally succeeded — partly by
selling
enough of my household furniture to satisfy a moiety of their claim,
and
partly by a promise of paying the balance upon completion of a little
project
which I told them I had in view, and for assistance in which I
solicited
their services. By these means — for they were ignorant men — I found
little
difficulty in gaining them over to my purpose. Matters being thus arranged, I
contrived, by the
aid of my wife, and with the greatest secrecy and caution, to dispose
of
what property I had remaining, and to borrow, in small sums, under
various
pretences, and without paying any attention to my
future means of repayment, no inconsiderable quantity of ready money.
With
the means thus accruing I proceeded to purchase at intervals, cambric
muslin,
very fine, in pieces of twelve yards each — twine — a lot of the
varnish
of caoutchouc — a large and deep basket of wicker-work, made to order —
and several other articles necessary in the construction and equipment
of a balloon of extraordinary dimensions. This [page 6:] I
directed my wife to
make
up as soon as possible, and gave her all requisite information as to
the
particular method of proceeding. In the meantime I worked up the twine
into a net-work of sufficient dimensions; rigged it with a hoop and the
necessary cords, bought a quadrant, a compass, a spy-glass, a common
barometer
with some important modifications, and two astronomical instruments not
so generally known. I then took opportunities of conveying by night, to
a retired situation east of Rotterdam, five iron-bound casks, to
contain
about fifty gallons each, and one of a larger size — six tinned ware
tubes,
three inches in diameter, properly shaped, and ten feet in length — a
quantity of a particular metallic substance or semi-metal which
I
shall
not name — and a dozen demi-johns of a very common acid. The
gas
to be formed from these latter materials is a gas never yet generated
by
any other person than myself — or at least never applied to any similar
purpose. The secret I would make no difficulty in disclosing, but that
it of right belongs to a citizen of Nantz in France, by whom it was
conditionally
communicated to myself. The same individual
submitted to me, without being at all aware of my intentions, a method
of constructing balloons from the membrane of a certain animal, through
which substance any escape of gas was nearly an impossibility. I found
it however altogether too expensive, and was not sure, upon the whole,
whether cambric muslin with a coating of gum caoutchouc was not equally
as good. I mention this circumstance, because I think it probable that
hereafter the individual in question may attempt a balloon ascension
with the novel gas and material I have spoken of, and I do not wish to
deprive him of the honor of a very singular invention. On the spot which I intended each of
the smaller
casks to occupy respectively during the inflation of the balloon, I
privately
dug a hole two feet deep — the holes forming in this manner a circle of
twenty-five feet in diameter. In the centre of this circle, being the
station
designed for the large cask, I also dug a hole three feet in depth. In
each of the five smaller holes, I deposited a canister containing fifty
pounds, and in the larger one a keg holding one hundred and fifty
pounds
of cannon powder. These — the keg and the canisters — I connected in a
proper manner with covered trains; and having let into one of the
canisters
the end of about four feet of slow-match, I covered up the hole, and
placed
the cask over it, leaving the other end of the match protruding about
an
inch, and barely visible beyond the
cask.
I then filled up the remaining holes, and placed the barrels over them
in their destined situation. Besides the articles above
enumerated, I conveyed
to the depôt, and there secreted, one of M. Grimm's improvements
upon the apparatus for condensation of the atmospheric air. I found
this
machine, however, to require considerable alteration before it could be
adapted to the purposes to which I intended making it applicable. But
with
severe labor, and unremitting perseverance, I at length met with entire
success in all my preparations. My balloon was soon completed. It would
contain more than forty thousand cubic feet of gas; would take me up, I
calculated, easily with all my implements, and, if I managed rightly
with one hundred and seventy-five pounds of ballast into the bargain.
It
had received three coats of varnish, and I found the cambric muslin to
answer all the purposes of silk itself — quite as strong and a good
deal
less expensive. Every thing being now ready, I exacted
from my
wife
an oath of secrecy in relation to all my actions from the day of my
first
visit to the bookseller's stall, and, promising, on my part, to return
as soon as circumstances would admit, I gave her all the money I had
left,
and bade her farewell. Indeed I had little fear on her account. She was
what people call a notable woman, and could manage matters in the world
without my assistance. I believe, to tell the truth, she always looked
upon me as an idle body, a mere make-weight, good for nothing but
building castles in the air, and was rather glad to get
rid of me. It was a dark night when I bade her good bye, and, taking
with
me, as aids-de-camp, the three creditors who had given me so
much
trouble, we carried the balloon, with the car and accoutrements, by a
roundabout
way, to the station where the other articles were deposited. We there
found
them all unmolested, and I proceeded immediately to business. [page
7:][[ ]] It
was the first of April. The night,
as I said
before,
was dark — there was not a star to be seen, and a drizzling rain
falling
at intervals, rendered us very uncomfortable. But my chief anxiety was
concerning my balloon, which in spite of the varnish with which it was
defended, began to grow rather heavy with the moisture: my powder also
was liable to damage. I therefore kept my three duns working with great
diligence, pounding down ice around the central cask, and stirring the
acid in the others. They did not cease, however, importuning me with
questions
as to what I intended to do with all this apparatus, and expressed much
dissatisfaction at the terrible labor I made them undergo. They could
not
perceive, so they said, what good was likely to result from their
getting
wet to the skin merely to take a part in such horrible incantations. I
began to get uneasy, and worked away with all my might — for I verily
believe
the idiots supposed that I had entered into a compact with the devil,
and
that, in short, what I was now doing was nothing better than it should
be. I was, therefore, in great fear of
their
leaving me altogether. I contrived, however, to pacify them by promises
of immediate payment as soon as I could bring the present business to a
termination. To these speeches they gave of course their own
interpretation
— fancying, no doubt, that at all events I should come into possession
of vast quantities of ready money; and provided I paid them all I owed,
and a trifle more, in consideration of their services, I dare say they
cared very little what became of either my soul or my carcass. In about four hours and a half I
found the
balloon
sufficiently inflated. I attached the car, therefore, and put all my
implements
in it — not forgetting the condensing apparatus, a copious supply of
water,
and a large quantity of provisions, such as pemmican, in which much
nutriment
is contained in comparatively little bulk. I also secured in the car a
pair of pigeons and a cat. It was now nearly daybreak, and I thought it
high time to take my departure. Dropping a lighted cigar on the ground,
as if by accident, I took the opportunity, in stooping to pick it up,
of
igniting privately the piece of slow match, whose end, as I said
before,
protruded a very little beyond the lower rim of one of the smaller
casks.
This manœuvre was totally unperceived on the part of the three duns,
and,
jumping into the car, I immediately cut the single cord which held me
to
the Earth, and was pleased to find that I shot upwards, rapidly
carrying
with all ease one hundred and seventy-five pounds of leaden ballast,
and
able to have carried up as many more. Scarcely, however, had I attained the
height of
fifty
yards, when, roaring and rumbling up after me in the most horrible and
tumultuous manner, came so dense a hurricane of fire, and smoke, and
sulphur,
and legs and arms, and gravel, and burning wood, and blazing metal,
that
my very heart sunk within me, and I fell down in the bottom of the car,
trembling with unmitigated terror. Indeed I now perceived that I had
entirely
overdone the business, and that the main consequences of the shock were
yet to be experienced. Accordingly, in less than a second, I felt all
the
blood in my body rushing to my temples, and, immediately thereupon, a
concussion,
which I shall never forget, burst abruptly through the night, and
seemed
to rip the very firmament asunder. When I afterwards had time for
reflection,
I did not fail to attribute the extreme violence of the explosion, as
regarded
myself, to its proper cause — my situation directly above it, and in
the
exact line of its greatest power. But at the time I thought only of
preserving
my life. The balloon at first collapsed — then furiously expanded —
then
whirled round and round with horrible velocity — and finally, reeling
and
staggering like a drunken man, hurled me with great force over the rim
of the car, and left me dangling, at a terrific height, with my head
downwards,
and my face outwards from the balloon, by a piece of slender cord about
three feet in length, which hung accidentally through a crevice near
the
bottom of the wicker-work, and in which, as I fell, my left foot became
most providentially entangled. It is
impossible
— utterly impossible — to form any adequate idea of the horror of my
situation.
I gasped convulsively for breath — a shudder resembling a fit of the
ague
agitated every nerve and muscle in my frame — I felt my eyes starting
from
their sockets — a horrible nausea overwhelmed me — my brain reeled —
and I
fainted
away. [page 8:][[ ]] How
long I remained in this state, it
is
impossible
to say. It must, however, have been no inconsiderable time, for when,
at length, I
partially recovered the sense of existence, I found the day breaking,
and
the balloon at a prodigious height over a wilderness of ocean, and not
a trace of land to be discovered far and wide within the limits of the
vast horizon. My sensations, however, upon thus recovering, were by no
means so rife with agony as might have been anticipated. Indeed there
was
much of incipient madness in the calm survey which I began to take of
my
situation. I drew up to my eyes each of my hands, one after the other,
and wondered what occurrence could have given rise to the swelling of
the
veins, and the horrible blackness of the finger nails. I afterwards
carefully
examined my head, shaking it repeatedly, and feeling it with minute
attention,
until I succeeded in satisfying myself that it was not — as I had more
than half suspected — larger than my balloon. Then, in a knowing
manner,
I felt in both my breeches pockets, and missing therefrom a set of
tablets
and a tooth-pick case, I endeavored to account for their disappearance,
and, not being able to do so, felt inexpressibly chagrined. It now
occurred to me that I suffered great
uneasiness
in
the joint of my left ankle, and a dim consciousness of my situation
began
to glimmer through my mind. But, strange to say! I was neither
astonished
nor horror-stricken. If I felt any emotion at all, it was a kind of
chuckling
satisfaction at the cleverness I was about to display in extricating
myself
from this dilemma; and I never, for a moment, looked upon my ultimate
safety
as a question susceptible of doubt. For a few minutes I remained
wrapped
in the profoundest meditation. I have a distinct recollection of
frequently
compressing my lips, putting my forefinger to the side of my nose, and
making use of other gesticulations and grimaces common to men who, at
ease
in their arm-chairs, meditate upon matters of intricacy or importance.
Having, as I thought, sufficiently collected my ideas, I now, with
great
caution and deliberation, put my hands behind my back, and unfastened
the
large iron buckle which belonged to the waistband of my inexpressibles.
This buckle had three teeth, which, being somewhat rusty, turned with
great
difficulty upon their axis. I brought them however, after some trouble,
at right angles to the body of the buckle, and was glad to find them
remain
firm in that position. Holding the instrument thus obtained within my
teeth,
I now proceeded to untie the knot of my cravat. I had to rest several
times
before I could accomplish this manœuvre — but it was at length
accomplished.
To one end of the cravat I then made fast the buckle, and the other end
I tied, for greater security, tightly
around
my wrist. Drawing, now, my body upwards, with a prodigious exertion of
muscular
force, I succeeded, at the very first trial, in throwing the buckle
over
the car, and entangling it, as I had anticipated, in the circular rim
of
the wicker-work. My body was now inclined towards the
side of the
car, at an angle of about forty-five degrees — but it must not be
understood
that I was therefore only forty-five degrees below the perpendicular.
So
far from it, I still lay nearly level with the plane of the horizon —
for
the change of situation which I had acquired, had forced the bottom of
the car considerably outwards from my position, which was accordingly
one
of the most imminent and deadly peril. It should be remembered,
however,
that when I fell, in the first instance, from the car, if I had fallen
with my face turned towards the balloon, instead of turned outwardly
from
it as it actually was — or if, in the second place, the cord by which I
was suspended had chanced to hang over the upper edge, instead of
through
a crevice near the bottom of the car, — I say it may readily be
conceived
that, in either of these supposed cases, I should have been unable to
accomplish
even as much as I had now accomplished, and the wonderful adventures of
Hans Phaal [[Phaall]] would have been utterly lost to posterity. I had
therefore every reason to be grateful — although, in point of fact, I
was
still too stupid to be anything at all, and hung for, I suppose, a
quarter
of an hour, in that extraordinary manner, without making the slightest
farther exertion whatsoever, and in a
singularly
tranquil state of idiotic enjoyment. But this feeling did not fail to
die
rapidly away, and thereunto succeeded horror, and dismay, and a
chilling
sense of utter helplessness and ruin. In fact, the blood so long
accumulating
in the vessels of my head and throat, and which had hitherto buoyed [page
9:] up
my spirits with madness and delirium, had now begun to retire within
their
proper channels, and the distinctness which was thus added to my
perception
of the danger, merely served to deprive me of the self-possession and
courage
to encounter it. But this weakness was, luckily for me, of no very long
duration. In good time came to my rescue the spirit of despair, and
amind horrible curses and convulsive struggles, I jerked my way bodily
upwards,
till at length, clutching with a vice-like grip the long-desired rim,
I writhed my person over it, and fell headlong and shuddering within
the
car. It was not until sometime afterwards
that I
recovered
myself sufficiently to attend to the ordinary cares of the balloon. I
then,
however, examined it with attention, and found it, to my great relief,
uninjured. My implements were all safe, and I had fortunately lost
neither
ballast nor provisions. Indeed, I had so well secured them in their
places,
that such an accident was entirely out of the question. Looking at my
watch,
I found it six o'clock. I was still rapidly ascending, and my barometer
showed a present altitude of three and three-quarter miles. Immediately
beneath me in the ocean, lay a small
black
object, slightly oblong in shape, seemingly about the size, and in
every
way bearing a great resemblance to one of those childish toys called a
domino. Bringing my spy-glass to bear upon it, I plainly discerned it
to
be a British ninety-four gun ship, close-hauled, and pitching heavily
in
the sea with her head to the W.S.W. Besides this ship, I saw nothing
but
the ocean and the sky, and the sun, which had long arisen. It is now high time that I should
explain to your
Excellencies the object of my perilous voyage. Your Excellencies will
bear
in mind, that distressed circumstances in Rotterdam had at length
driven
me to the resolution of committing suicide. It was not, however, that
to
life itself I had any positive disgust — but that I was harassed beyond
endurance by the adventitious miseries attending my situation. In this
state of mind — wishing to live, yet wearied with life — the treatise
at
the stall of the bookseller opened a resource to my imagination. I then
finally made up my mind. I determined to depart, yet live — to leave
the
world, yet continue to exist — in short, to drop enigmas, I resolved,
let
what would ensue, to force a passage, if I could — to the moon. Now,
lest
I should be supposed more of a madman than I actually am, I will
detail,
as well as I am able, the considerations which led me to believe that
an
achievement of this nature, although without doubt difficult, and
incontestably
full of danger, was not absolutely, to a bold spirit, beyond the
confines
of the possible.The moon's actual distance from the Earth was the
first thing to be attended to. Now the mean or average interval
between
the centres of the two planets is 59.9643 of the Earth's
equatorial
radii, or only about 237000 miles. I say the mean or average interval.
But it must be borne in mind, that the form of the moon's orbit being
an ellipse of eccentricity amounting to no less than 0.05484 of the
major
semi-axis
of the ellipse itself, and the Earth's centre being situated in its
focus,
if I could, in any manner, contrive to meet the moon, as it were, in
its
perigee, the above-mentioned distance would be materially diminished.
But
to say nothing, at present, of this possibility, it was very certain,
that
at all events, from the 237000 miles I should have to deduct the radius
of the Earth, say 4000, and the radius of the moon, say 1080, in all
5080,
leaving an actual interval to be traversed, under average
circumstances,
of 231920 miles. Now this, I reflected, was no very extraordinary
distance.
Travelling on land has been repeatedly accomplished at the rate of
thirty
miles per hour, and indeed a much greater speed may be anticipated. But
even at this velocity, it would take me no more than 322 days to reach
the surface of the moon. There were, however, many particulars inducing
me to believe that my average rate of travelling might possibly very
much
exceed that of thirty miles per hour, and, as these considerations did
not fail to make a deep impression upon my mind, I will mention them
more fully hereafter.The next point to be regarded was a
matter of far
greater importance. From indications afforded by the barometer, we find
that, in ascensions from the surface of the Earth, we have, at the
height
of 1000 feet, left below us about one-thirtieth of the entire mass of
atmospheric
air — that at 10600, we have ascended through nearly one-third — and
that
at 18000, which is not far from the elevation of Cotopaxi, we have
surmounted
one-half of the material, or, at all events, one[[-]]half the ponderable
body of air incumbent upon our globe. It is also calculated, that at an
altitude not exceeding the hundredth part of the Earth's diameter —
that
is, not exceeding eighty miles — the rarefaction would be so excessive,
[page 10:] that animal life could, in no manner, be
sustained, and moreover, that
the most delicate means we possess of ascertaining the presence of the
atmosphere, would be inadequate to assure us of its existence. But I
did
not fail to perceive that these latter calculations are founded
altogether
on our experimental knowledge of the properties of air, and the
mechanical
laws regulating its dilation and compression in what may be called,
comparatively
speaking, the immediate vicinity of the Earth itself; and, at
the
same time, it is taken for granted, that animal life is, and must be,
essentially incapable of modification at any given unattainable
distance
from
the surface. Now all such reasoning, and from such data, must of
course
be simply analogical. The greatest height ever reached by man, was that
of 25000 feet, attained in the aeronautic expedition of Messieurs
Gay-Lussac and Biot. This is a moderate
altitude,
even when compared with the eighty miles in question; and I could not
help
thinking that the subject admitted room for doubt, and great latitude
for
speculation. But, in point of fact, an ascension
being made to
any stated altitude, the ponderable quantity of air surmounted in any farther
ascension, is by no means in proportion to the additional height
ascended
(as may be plainly seen from what has been stated before) but in a
ratio
constantly decreasing. It is therefore evident that, ascend as high as
we may, we cannot, literally speaking, arrive at a limit beyond which
no
atmosphere is to be found. It must exist, I argued, it may
exist in a state of infinite rarefaction. On the other hand, I was aware that
arguments
have
not been wanting to prove the existence of a real and definite limit to
the atmosphere, beyond which there is absolutely no air whatsoever. But
a circumstance which has been left out of view by those who contend for
such a limit, seemed to me, although no positive refutation of their
creed,
still a point worthy very serious investigation. On comparing the
intervals
between the successive arrivals of Encke's comet at its perihelion,
after
giving credit, in the most exact manner, for all the disturbances or
perturbations
due to the attractions of the planets, it appears that the periods are
gradually diminishing — that is to say — the major axis of the comet's
ellipse is growing shorter, in a slow but perfectly regular decrease.
Now this is precisely what ought to be the
case,
if we suppose a resistance experienced by the comet from an extremely rare
ethereal medium pervading the regions of its orbit. For it is
evident
that such a medium must, in retarding its velocity, increase its
centripetal,
by weakening its centrifugal force. In other words, the sun's
attraction
would be constantly attaining greater power, and the comet would be
drawn
nearer at every revolution. Indeed, there is no other way of accounting
for the variation in question. But again. The real diameter of the same
comet's nebulosity, is observed to contract rapidly as it approaches
the
sun, and dilate with equal rapidity in its departure towards its
aphelion.
Was I not justifiable in supposing, with M. Valz, that this apparent
condensation
of volume has its origin in the compression of the same ethereal medium
I have spoken of before, and which is only denser in proportion to its
solar vicinity? [[insertion mark here, probably for: The
lenticular-shaped phenomenon, also, called the
zodiacal
light, was a matter worthy of attention. This radiance, so apparent in
the tropics, and which cannot be mistaken for any meteoric lustre,
extends
from the horizon obliquely upwards, and follows generally the direction
of the sun's equator. It appeared to me evidently, in the nature of a
rare
atmosphere extending from the sun outwards, beyond the orbit of Venus
at
least, and I believed indefinitely farther.]]
Indeed, this medium I could not suppose confined to the path of the
comet's ellipse, or the immediate neighborhood of the sun. It was easy,
on the contrary, to imagine it pervading the entire regions of our
planetary
system, condensed into what we call atmosphere at the planets
themselves,
and in some of them modified by considerations, so to speak, purely
geological. Having adopted this view of the
subject, I had
little
farther hesitation. Granting that on my passage I should meet with
atmosphere essentially the same as at the surface of the Earth,
I conceived
that, by means of the very ingenious apparatus of M. Grimm, I should
readily
be enabled to condense it in sufficient quantities for the purpose of
respiration.
This would remove the chief [page 11:] obstacle in a journey to
the moon. I had
indeed
spent some money and great labor in adapting the apparatus to the
purposes
intended, and I confidently looked forward to its successful
application,
if I could manage to complete the voyage within any reasonable period.
This brings me back to the rate at which it might be possible
to
travel. It is true that balloons, in the
first stage of
their
ascensions from the Earth, are known to rise with a velocity
comparatively
moderate. Now the power of elevation lies altogether in the superior
lightness
of the gas in the balloon, compared with the atmospheric air; and, at
first
sight, it does not appear probable that, as the balloon acquires
altitude,
and consequently arrives successively in atmospheric strata of
densities
rapidly diminishing — I say it does not appear at all reasonable that,
in this its progress upwards, the
original
velocity should be accelerated. On the other hand, I was not aware
that,
in any recorded ascension, a diminution was apparent in the absolute
rate
of ascent — although such should have been the case, if on account of
nothing
else, on account of the escape of gas through balloons ill-constructed,
and varnished with no better material than the ordinary varnish. It
seemed,
therefore, that the effect of such an escape was only sufficient to
counterbalance
the effect of some accelerating power. I now considered, that provided
in my passage I found the medium I had imagined, and provided it should
prove to be actually and essentially what we denominate
atmospheric
air, it could make comparatively little difference at what extreme
state
of rarefaction I should discover it — that is to say, in regard to my
power
of ascending — for the gas in the balloon would not only be itself
subject
to a rarefaction partially similar, but, being what it was,
would still, at all events,
continue specifically lighter than any compound whatever of mere
nitrogen
and oxygen. In the meantime the force of gravitation would be
constantly
diminishing, in proportion to the squares of the distances, and thus,
with
a velocity prodigiously accelerating, I should at length arrive in
those
distant regions where the power of the Earth's attraction would be
superseded
by the moon's. In accordance with these ideas, I did not think it worth
while to encumber myself with more
provisions
than would be sufficient for a period of forty days.There was still, however, another
difficulty
which
occasioned me some little disquietude. It has been observed, that in
balloon
ascensions to any considerable height, besides the pain attending
respiration,
great uneasiness is invariably experienced about the head and body,
often
accompanied
with bleeding at the nose, and other symptoms of an alarming kind, and
growing more and more inconvenient in proportion to the altitude
attained.
This was a reflection of a nature somewhat startling. Was it not
probable
that these symptoms would increase indefinitely, or at least until
terminated
by death itself? I finally thought not. Their origin was to be looked
for
in the progressive removal of the customary atmospheric
pressure
upon the surface of the body, and consequent distention of the
superficial
blood-vessels — not in any positive disorganization of the animal
system,
as in the case of difficulty in breathing, where the atmospheric
density
is chemically insufficient for the purpose of a due renovation
of
blood in a ventricle of the heart. Unless for default of this
renovation,
I could see no reason, therefore, why life could not be sustained even
in a vacuum — for the expansion and compression of chest,
commonly
called breathing, is action purely
muscular,
and the cause, not the effect, of respiration. In a
word,
I conceived that, as the body should become habituated to the want of
atmospheric
pressure, these sensations of pain would gradually diminish, and to
endure
them while they continued, I relied strongly upon the iron hardihood of
my constitution. Thus, may it please your
Excellencies, I have
detailed
some, though by no means all the considerations which led me to form
the
project of a lunar voyage. I shall now proceed to lay before you the
result
of an attempt so apparently audacious in conception, and, at all
events,
so utterly unparalleled in the annals of human kind. Having attained the altitude before
mentioned,
that
is to say, three miles and three[[-]]quarters, I threw out from the car
a
quantity
of feathers, and found that I still ascended with sufficient rapidity —
there was, therefore, no necessity for discharging any ballast. I was
glad
of this, for I wished to retain with me as much weight as I could
carry,
for reasons which will be explained in the sequel. I as yet suffered no
bodily inconvenience, breathing with great freedom, and feeling no pain
whatever in the head. The cat was lying very demurely upon my coat,
which
I had taken off, and eyeing the pigeons with an air of non chalance.
These latter [page 12:] being tied by the leg, to prevent their
escape, were
busily
employed in picking up some grains of rice scattered for them in the
bottom
of the car. At twenty minutes past six o'clock,
the barometer
showed an elevation of 26,400 feet, or five miles to a
fraction. The prospect seemed unbounded. Indeed, it is very easily
calculated
by means of spherical geometry, what a great extent of the Earth's area
I beheld. The convex surface of any segment of a sphere is, to the
entire
surface of the sphere itself, as the versed sine of the segment is to
the
diameter of the sphere. Now in my case, the versed sine — that is to
say,
the thickness of the segment beneath me, was about equal to my
elevation,
or the elevation of the point of sight above the surface. "As five
miles,
then, to eight thousand," would express the proportion of the Earth's
area
seen by me. In other words, I beheld as much as a sixteen-hundredth
part
of the whole surface of the globe. The sea appeared unruffled as a
mirror,
although, by means of the spy-glass, I could perceive it to be in a
state
of violent agitation. The ship was no longer visible, having drifted
away,
apparently, to the eastward. I now began to experience, at intervals,
severe
pain in the head, especially about the ears — still, however, breathing
with tolerable freedom. The cat and pigeons seemed to suffer no
inconvenience
whatsoever. At twenty minutes before seven, the
balloon
entered
within a long series of dense cloud, which put me to great trouble, by
damaging my condensing apparatus, and wetting me to the skin. This was,
to be sure, a singular rencontre, for I had not believed it
possible
that a cloud of this nature could be sustained at so great an
elevation.
I thought it best, however, to throw out two five[[-]]pound pieces of
ballast,
reserving still a weight of one hundred and sixty-five pounds. Upon so
doing, I soon rose above the difficulty, and
perceived
immediately, that I had obtained a great increase in my rate of ascent.
In a few seconds after my leaving the cloud, a flash of vivid lightning
shot from one end of it to the other, and caused it to kindle up,
throughout
its vast extent, like a mass of ignited and glowing charcoal. This, it
must be remembered, was in the broad light of day. No fancy may picture
the sublimity which might have been exhibited by a similar phenomenon
taking
place amid the darkness of the night. Hell itself might then have found
a fitting image. Even as it was, my hair stood on end, while I gazed
afar
down within the yawning abysses, letting imagination descend, as it
were,
and stalk about in the strange vaulted halls, and ruddy gulfs, and red
ghastly chasms of the hideous, and unfathomable fire. I had indeed made
a narrow escape. Had the balloon remained a very short while longer
within
the cloud — that is to say — had not the inconvenience of getting wet
determined
me to discharge the ballast, inevitable ruin would have been the
consequence.
Such perils, although little considered, are perhaps the greatest which
must be encountered in balloons. I had by this time, however, attained
too great an elevation to be any longer uneasy on this head. I was now rising rapidly, and by
seven o'clock
the
barometer indicated an altitude of no less than nine miles and a half.
I began to find great difficulty in drawing my breath. My head too was
excessively painful; and, having felt for some time a moisture about my
cheeks, I at length discovered it to be blood,
which was oozing quite fast from the drums of my ears. My eyes, also,
gave
me great uneasiness. Upon passing the hand over them they seemed to
have
protruded from their sockets in no inconsiderable degree, and all
objects
in the car, and even the balloon itself, appeared distorted to my
vision.
These symptoms were more than I had expected, and occasioned me some
alarm.
At this juncture, very imprudently, and without consideration, I threw
out from the car three five[[-]]pound pieces of ballast. The
accelerated
rate
of ascent thus obtained carried me too rapidly, and without sufficient
gradation, into a highly rarefied stratum of the atmosphere, and the
result
had nearly proved fatal to my expedition and to myself. I was suddenly
seized with a spasm which lasted for better than five minutes, and even
when this, in a measure, ceased, I could catch my breath only at long
intervals,
and in a gasping manner — bleeding all the while copiously at the nose
and ears, and even slightly at the eyes. The pigeons appeared
distressed
in the extreme, and struggled to escape; while the cat mewed piteously,
and, with her tongue hanging out of her mouth, staggered to and fro in
the car as if under the influence of poison. I now too late discovered
the great rashness I had been guilty of in discharging the ballast, and
my agitation was excessive. I anticipated nothing less than death, and
death in a few minutes. The physical suffering I underwent contributed
also to render me nearly incapable [page 13:] of making any
exertion for the
preservation of my life. I had indeed, little power of
reflection left, and the violence of the pain in my head seemed to be
greatly
on the increase. Thus I found that my senses would shortly give way
altogether,
and I had already clutched one of the valve ropes with the view of
attempting
a descent, when the recollection of the trick I had played the three
creditors,
and the inevitable consequences to myself, should I return to
Rotterdam,
operated to deter me for the moment. I lay down in the bottom of the
car,
and endeavored to collect my faculties. In this I so far succeeded as
to
determine upon the experiment of losing blood. Having no lancet,
however,
I was constrained to perform the operation in the best manner I was
able,
and finally succeeded in opening a vein in my right arm, with the blade
of my penknife. The blood had hardly commenced flowing when I
experienced
a sensible relief, and by the time I had lost about half a moderate
basin
full, most of the worst symptoms had abandoned me entirely. I
nevertheless
did not think it expedient to attempt getting on my feet immediately;
but,
having tied up my arm as well as I could, I lay still for about a
quarter
of an hour. At the end of this time I arose, and found myself freer
from
absolute pain of any kind than I had been during the last hour
and
a quarter of my ascension. The difficulty of breathing, however, was
diminished
in a very slight degree, and I found that it would soon be positively
necessary
to make use of my condenser. In the meantime looking towards the cat,
who
was again snugly stowed away upon my
coat,
I discovered, to my infinite surprise, that she had taken the
opportunity
of my indisposition to bring into light a litter of three little
kittens.
This was an addition to the number of passengers on my part altogether
unexpected; but I was pleased at the occurrence. It would afford me a
chance
of bringing to a kind of test the truth of a surmise, which, more than
anything else, had influenced me in attempting this ascension. I had
imagined
that the habitual endurance of the atmospheric pressure at the
surface
of the Earth was the cause, or nearly so, of the pain attending animal
existence at a distance above the surface. Should the kittens be found
to suffer uneasiness in an equal degree with their mother, I
must
consider my theory in fault, but a failure to do so I should look upon
as a strong confirmation of my idea. By eight o'clock I had actually
attained an
elevation
of seventeen miles above the surface of the Earth. Thus it seemed to me
evident that my rate of ascent was not only on the increase, but that
the
progression would have been apparent in a slight degree even had I not
discharged the ballast which I did. The pains in my head and ears
returned,
at intervals, with violence, and I still continued to bleed
occasionally
at the nose: but, upon the whole, I suffered much less than might have
been expected. I breathed, however, at every moment, with more and more
difficulty, and each inhalation was attended with a troublesome
spasmodic
action of the chest. I now unpacked the condensing apparatus, and got
it
ready for immediate use. The view of
the Earth, at this period of my ascension, was beautiful indeed. To the
westward,
the northward, and the southward, as far as I could see, lay a
boundless
sheet of apparently unruffled ocean, which every moment gained a deeper
and a deeper tint of blue, and began already to assume a slight
appearance
of convexity. At a vast distance to the eastward, although perfectly
discernible, extended the islands of Great Britain, the entire Atlantic
coasts
of France and Spain, with a small portion of the northern part of the
continent
of Africa. Of individual edifices not a trace could be discovered, and
the proudest cities of mankind had utterly faded away from the face of
the Earth. From the rock of Gibraltar, now dwindled into a dim speck,
the
dark Mediterranean sea, dotted with shining islands as the heaven is
dotted
with stars, spread itself out to the eastward as far as my vision
extended,
until its entire mass of waters seemed at length to tumble headlong
over
the abyss of the horizon, and I found myself listening on tiptoe for
the
echoes of the mighty cataract.The pigeons about this time seeming
to undergo
much
suffering, I determined upon giving them their liberty. I first untied
one of them — a beautiful gray-mottled pigeon — and placed him upon the
rim of the wicker-work. He appeared extremely uneasy, looking anxiously
around him, fluttering his wings, and making a loud cooing noise — but
could not be persuaded to trust himself from off the car. I took him up
at last, and threw him to about half a dozen
yards
from the balloon. He made, however, no [page 14:] attempt to
descend as I had
expected,
but struggled with great vehemence to get back, uttering at the same
time
very shrill and piercing cries. He at length succeeded in regaining his
former station on the rim — but had hardly done so when his head
dropped
upon his breast, and he fell dead within the car. The other one did not
prove so unfortunate. To prevent his following the example of his
companion, and accomplishing a return, I threw him downwards with all
my
force,
and was pleased to find him continue his descent, with great velocity,
making use of his wings with ease, and in a perfectly natural manner.
In
a very short time he was out of sight, and I have no doubt he reached
home
in safety. Puss, who seemed in a great measure recovered from her
illness,
now made a hearty meal of the dead bird, and then went to sleep with
much
apparent satisfaction. Her kittens were quite lively, and so far
evinced
not the slightest sign of any uneasiness whatever. At a quarter past eight, being able
no longer to
draw breath at all without the most intolerable pain, I proceeded,
forthwith,
to adjust around the car the apparatus belonging to the condenser. This
apparatus will require some little explanation, and your Excellencies
will
please to bear in mind that my object, in the first place, was to
surround
myself and car entirely with a barricade against the highly rarefied
atmosphere
in which I was existing — with the intention of introducing within this
barricade, by means of my condenser, a
quantity
of this same atmosphere sufficiently condensed for the purposes of
respiration.
With this object in view I had prepared a very strong, perfectly
air-tight,
but flexible gum-elastic bag. In this bag, which was of sufficient
dimensions,
the entire car was in a manner placed. That is to say, it (the bag) was
drawn over the whole bottom of the car — up its sides — and so on,
along
the outside of the ropes, to the upper rim or hoop where the net-work
is
attached. Having pulled the bag up in this way, and formed a complete
enclosure
on all sides, and at bottom, it was now necessary to fasten up its top
or mouth, by passing its material over the hoop of the net-work — in
other
words between the net-work and the hoop. But if the net-work was
separated
from the hoop to admit this passage, what was to sustain the car in the
meantime? Now the net-work was not permanently fastened to the hoop,
but
attached by a series of running loops or nooses. I therefore undid only
a few of these loops at one time, leaving the car suspended by the
remainder.
Having thus inserted a portion of the cloth forming the upper part of
the
bag, I re-fastened the loops — not to the hoop, for that would have
been
impossible, since the cloth now intervened, — but to a series of large
buttons, affixed to the cloth itself, about three feet below the mouth
of the bag — the intervals between the buttons having been made to
correspond
to the intervals between the loops. This done, a few more of the loops
were unfastened from the rim, a farther portion
of the cloth introduced, and the disengaged loops then connected with
their
proper buttons. In this way it was possible to insert the whole upper
part
of the bag between the net-work and the hoop. It is evident that the
hoop
would now drop down within the car, while the whole weight of the car
itself,
with all its contents, would be held up merely by the strength of the
buttons.
This, at first sight, would seem an inadequate dependence, but it was
by
no means so, for the buttons were not only very strong in themselves,
but
so close together that a very slight portion of the whole weight was
supported
by any one of them. Indeed had the car and contents been three times
heavier
than they were, I should not have been at all uneasy. I now raised up
the
hoop again within the covering of gum-elastic, and propped it at nearly
its former height by means of three light poles prepared for the
occasion.
This was done, of course, to keep the bag distended at the top, and to
preserve the lower part of the net-work in its proper situation. All
that
now remained was to fasten up the mouth of the enclosure; and this was
readily accomplished by gathering the folds of the material together,
and
twisting them up very tightly on the inside by means of a kind of
stationary
tourniquet. In the sides of the covering thus
adjusted round
the car, had been inserted three circular panes of thick but clear
glass,
through which I could see without difficulty around me in every
horizontal
direction. In that portion of the cloth forming the
bottom, was likewise a fourth window, of the same kind, and
corresponding
with a small aperture in the floor of the car itself. This enabled me
to
see perpendicularly down, but having found it impossible to place any
similar
contrivance overhead, on account of the peculiar manner of closing up
the
opening there, and the consequent wrinkles in the cloth, I could expect
to see no objects situated directly in my zenith. This, of course, was
a matter of little consequence — for, had I even been able to place a
window
at top, the balloon itself would have prevented my making any use of
it. About a foot below one of the side
windows was a
circular opening eight inches in diameter, and fitted with a brass rim
adapted in its inner edge to the windings of a screw. In this rim was
screwed
the large [page 15:] tube of the condenser, the body of the
machine being, of
course,
within the chamber of gum-elastic. Through this tube a quantity of the
rare atmosphere circumjacent being drawn by means of a vacuum created
in
the body of the machine, was thence discharged in a state of
condensation
to mingle with the thin air already in the chamber. This operation,
being
repeated several times, at length filled the chamber with atmosphere
proper
for all the purposes of respiration. But in so confined a space it
would
in a short time necessarily become foul, and unfit for use from
frequent
contact with the lungs. It was then ejected by a small valve at the
bottom
of the car — the dense air readily sinking into the thinner atmosphere
below. To avoid the inconvenience of
making
a total vacuum at any moment within the chamber this
purification was
never accomplished all at once, but in a gradual manner, — the valve
being
opened only for a few seconds, then closed again, until one or two
strokes
from the pump of the condenser had supplied the place of the atmosphere
ejected. For the sake of experiment I had put the cat and kittens in a
small basket, and suspended it outside the car to a button at the
bottom,
close by the valve, through which I could feed them at any moment when
necessary. I did this at some little risk, and before closing the mouth
of the chamber, by reaching under the car with one of the poles
before-mentioned
to which a hook had been attached. By the time I had fully completed
these
arrangements
and filled the chamber as explained, it wanted only ten minutes of nine
o'clock. During the whole period of my being thus employed I endured
the
most terrible distress from difficulty of respiration, and bitterly did
I repent the negligence, or rather fool-hardiness, of which I had been
guilty in putting off to the very last moment a matter of so much
importance.
But having at length accomplished it, I soon began to reap the benefit
of my invention. Once again I breathed with perfect freedom and ease —
and indeed why should I not? I was also agreeably surprised to find
myself,
in a great measure, relieved from the violent pains which had hitherto
tormented me. A slight headache, accompanied with a sensation of
fulness
or distention about the wrists, the
ancles [[ankles]],
and the throat, was nearly all of which I had now to complain. Thus it
seemed evident that a greater part of the uneasiness attending the
removal
of atmospheric pressure had actually worn off, as I had
expected,
and that much of the pain endured for the last two hours should have
been
attributed altogether to the effects of a deficient respiration. At twenty minutes before nine o'clock
— that is
to
say — a short time prior to my closing up the mouth of the chamber, the
mercury attained its limit, or ran down, in the barometer, which, as I
mentioned before, was one of an extended construction. It then
indicated
an altitude on my part of 132000 feet, or five and twenty miles, and I
consequently surveyed at that time an extent of the Earth's area
amounting
to no less than the three-hundred[[-]]and-twentieth part of its entire
superficies.
At nine o'clock I had again entirely lost sight of land to the
eastward,
but not before I became fully aware that the balloon was drifting
rapidly
to the N.N.W. The convexity of the ocean beneath me was very evident
indeed
— although my view was often interrupted by the masses of cloud which
floated
to and fro. I observed now that even the lightest vapors never rose to
more than ten miles above the level of the sea. At half past nine I tried the
experiment of
throwing
out a handful of feathers through the valve. They did not float as I
had
expected — but dropped down perpendicularly, like a bullet, en masse,
and with the greatest velocity — being
out
of sight in a very few seconds. I did not at first know what to make of
this extraordinary phenomenon: not being able to believe that my rate
of
ascent had, of a sudden, met with so prodigious an acceleration. But it
soon occurred to me that the atmosphere was now far too rare to sustain
even the feathers — that they actually fell, as they appeared to do,
with
great rapidity — and that I had been surprised by the united velocities
of their descent and my own elevation. By ten o'clock I found that I had
very little to
occupy my immediate attention. Affairs went on swimmingly, and I
believed
the balloon to be going upwards with a speed increasing momentarily,
although
I had no longer any means of ascertaining the progression of the
increase.
I suffered no pain or uneasiness of any kind, and enjoyed better
spirits
than I had at any period since my departure from Rotterdam, busying
myself
now in examining the state of my various apparatus, and now in
regenerating the atmosphere [page 16:] within the chamber. This
latter point I
determined
to attend to at regular intervals of forty minutes, more on account of
the preservation of my health, than from so frequent a renovation being
absolutely necessary. In the meanwhile I could not help making
anticipations.
Fancy revelled in the wild and dreamy regions of the moon. Imagination,
feeling herself for once unshackled, roamed at will among the
ever-changing
wonders of a shadowy and unstable land. Now there were
hoary and time-honored forests, and craggy precipices, and waterfalls
tumbling
with a loud noise into abysses without a bottom. Then I came suddenly
into
still noon-day solitudes where no wind of heaven ever intruded, and
where
vast meadows of poppies, and slender, lily-looking flowers spread
themselves
out a weary distance, all silent and motionless forever. Then again I
journeyed
far down away into another country where it was all one dim and vague
lake,
with a boundary-line of clouds. And out of this melancholy water arose
a forest of tall eastern trees, like a wilderness of dreams. And I bore
in mind that the shadows of the trees which fell upon the lake remained
not on the surface where they fell — but sunk slowly and steadily down,
and commingled with the waves, while from the trunks of the trees other
shadows were continually coming out, and taking the place of their
brothers
thus entombed. "This then," I said thoughtfully, "is the very reason
why
the waters of this lake grow blacker with age, and more melancholy as
the
hours run on." But fancies such as these were not the sole possessors
of
my brain. Horrors of a nature most stern and most appalling would too
frequently
obtrude themselves upon my mind, and shake the innermost depths of my
soul
with the bare supposition of their possibility. Yet I would not suffer
my thoughts for any length of time to dwell upon these latter
speculations,
rightly judging the real and palpable dangers of the voyage sufficient
for my undivided attention.At five o'clock P.M.,
being
engaged in regenerating the atmosphere within the chamber, I took that
opportunity of observing the cat and kittens through the valve. The cat
herself appeared to suffer again very much, and I had no hesitation in
attributing her uneasiness chiefly to a difficulty in breathing — but
my
experiment with the kittens had resulted very strangely. I had expected
of course to see them betray a sense of pain, although in a less degree
than their mother; and this would have been sufficient to confirm my
opinion
concerning the habitual endurance of atmospheric pressure. But I was
not
prepared to find them, upon close examination, evidently enjoying a
high
degree of health, breathing with the greatest ease and perfect
regularity,
and evincing not the slightest sign of any uneasiness whatever. I could
only account for all this by extending my theory, and supposing that
the
highly rarefied atmosphere around might perhaps not be, as I had taken
for granted, chemically insufficient for the purposes of life, and that
a person born in such a medium might possibly be unaware of any
inconvenience
attending its inhalation, while, upon removal to the denser strata near
the Earth, he might endure tortures of a similar nature to those I had
so lately experienced. It has since been to me a matter of deep regret
that an awkward accident at this time occasioned me the loss of my
little
family of cats, and deprived me of the insight into this matter which a
continued experiment might have afforded. In passing my hand through
the
valve with a cup of water for the old puss, the sleeve of my shirt
became entangled in the loop which sustained the
basket, and thus, in a moment, loosened it from the button. Had the
whole
actually vanished into air it could not have shot from my sight in a
more
abrupt and instantaneous manner. Positively there could not have
intervened
the tenth part of a second between the disengagement of the basket and
its absolute and total disappearance with all that it contained. My
good
wishes followed it to the Earth, but, of course, I had no hope that
either
cat or kittens would ever live to tell the tale of their misfortune. At six o'clock I perceived a great
portion of the Earth's visible area to the eastward involved in thick
shadow, which
continued
to advance with great rapidity until, at five minutes before seven, the
whole surface in view was enveloped in the darkness of night. It was
not,
however, until long after this time that the rays of the setting sun
ceased
to illumine the balloon; and this circumstance, although of course
fully
anticipated, did not fail to give me an infinite deal of pleasure. It
was
evident that, in the morning, I should behold the rising luminary many
hours at least before the citizens of Rotterdam, in spite of [page
17:] [[. . .]] At ten o'clock, feeling sleepy, I
determined to
lie down for the rest of the
night — but
here
a difficulty presented itself, which, obvious as it may appear, had
totally
escaped my attention up to the very moment of which I am now speaking.
If I went to sleep as I proposed, how could the atmosphere in the
chamber
be regenerated in the interim? To breathe it for more than an hour, at
the farthest, would be a matter of impossibility; or if even this term
could be extended to an hour and a quarter, the most ruinous
consequences
might ensue. The consideration of this dilemma gave me no little
disquietude,
and it will hardly be believed that, after the dangers I had undergone,
I should look upon this business in so serious a light, as to give up
all
hope of accomplishing my ultimate design, and finally make up my mind
to
the necessity of a descent. But this hesitation was only momentary. I
reflected
that man is the veriest slave of custom — and that many points in the
routine
of his existence are deemed essentially important, which are
only
so at all by his having rendered them habitual. It was very
certain
that I could not do without sleep — but I might easily bring myself to
feel no inconvenience from being awakened at regular intervals of an
hour
during the whole period of my repose. It would require but five minutes
at most, to regenerate the atmosphere in the fullest manner, and the
only
real difficulty was to contrive a method of arousing myself at the
proper
moment for so doing. But this was a question which, I am willing to
confess,
occasioned me no little trouble in its solution. To be sure, I had
heard
of the student who, to prevent his
falling
asleep over his books, held in one hand a ball of copper, the din of
whose
descent into a basin of the same metal on the floor beside his chair,
served
effectually to startle him up, if, at any moment, he should be overcome
with drowsiness. My own case, however, was very different indeed, and
left
me no room for any similar idea — for I did not wish to keep awake, but
to be aroused from slumber at regular intervals of time. I at length
hit
upon the following expedient, which, simple as it may seem, was hailed
by me, at the moment of discovery, as an invention fully equal to that
of the telescope, the steam-engine, or the art of printing itself. It is necessary to premise that the
balloon, at
the
elevation now attained, continued its course upwards with an even and
undeviating
ascent, and the car consequently followed with a steadiness so perfect
that it would have been impossible to detect in it the slightest
vacillation
whatever. This circumstance favored me greatly in the project I now
determined
to adopt. My supply of water had been put on board in kegs containing
five
gallons each, and ranged very securely around the interior of the car.
I unfastened one of these — took two ropes, and tied them tightly
across
the rim of the wicker-work from one side to the other, placing them
about
a foot apart and parallel, so as to form a kind of shelf, upon which I
placed the keg and steadied it in a horizontal position. About eight
inches immediately below these ropes, and four feet from the bottom of
the car, I fastened another shelf — but made of thin plank, being the
only similar piece of wood I had. Upon this
latter
shelf, and exactly beneath one of the rims of the keg a small Earthen
pitcher
was deposited. I now bored a hole in the end of the keg over the
pitcher,
and fitted in a plug of soft wood, cut in a tapering or conical shape.
This plug I pushed in or pulled out, as might happen, until, after a
few
experiments it arrived at that exact degree of tightness, at which the
water oozing from the hole, and falling into the pitcher below, should
fill the latter to the brim in the period of sixty minutes. This, of
course,
was a matter briefly and easily ascertained by noticing the proportion
of the pitcher filled in any given time. Having arranged all this, the
rest of the plan is obvious. My bed was so contrived upon the floor of
the car, as to bring my head, in lying down, immediately below the
mouth
of the pitcher. It was evident that, at the expiration of an hour, the
pitcher, getting full, would be forced to run over, and to run over at
the mouth, which was somewhat lower than the rim. It was also evident,
that the water, thus falling from a height of better than four feet,
could
not do otherwise than fall upon my face, and that the sure consequence
would be, to waken me up instantaneously, even from the soundest
slumber
in the world. It was fully eleven by the time I had
completed
these
arrangements, and I immediately betook myself to bed with full
confidence
in the efficiency of my invention. Nor in this matter was I
disappointed.
Punctually every sixty minutes was I aroused by my
trusty chronometer, when, having emptied the pitcher into the bung-hole
of the keg, and performed the duties of the condenser, I retired again
to bed. These regular interruptions [page
18:] [[to my slumber caused me even less
discomfort
than I had anticipated, and when I finally arose for the day it was
seven
o'clock, and the sun had attained many degrees above the line of my
horizon. April 3d. I found the
balloon at
an
immense height indeed, and the Earth's apparent convexity increased]]
in
a material degree. [[Below me in the ocean lay a cluster of black
specks,
which undoubtedly were islands.]] Far away to the northward I perceived
a
thin, white, and exceedingly brilliant line or streak on the edge of
the
horizon, and I had no hesitation in supposing it to be the southern
disk
of the ices of the Polar sea. My curiosity was greatly excited, for I
had
hopes of passing on much farther to the north, and might possibly, at
some
period, find myself placed directly above the Pole itself. I now
lamented
that my great elevation would, in this case, prevent my taking as
accurate
a survey as I could wish. Much however might be ascertained. Nothing
else
of an extraordinary nature occurred during the day. My apparatus all
continued
in good order, and the balloon still ascended without any perceptible
vacillation.
The cold was intense, and obliged me to wrap up closely in an overcoat.
When darkness came over the Earth, I betook myself to bed, although it
was for many hours afterwards broad daylight all around my immediate
situation.
The water-clock was punctual in its
duty,
and I slept until next morning soundly — with the exception of the
periodical
interruption. April 4th. Arose in
good health
and
spirits, and was astonished at the singular change which had taken
place
in the appearance of the sea. It had lost, in a great measure, the deep
tint of blue it had hitherto worn, being now of a greyish white, and of
a lustre dazzling to the eye. The islands were no longer visible —
whether
they had passed down the horizon to the south-east, or whether my
increasing
elevation had left them out of sight, it is impossible to say. I was
inclined
however, to the latter opinion. The rim of ice to the northward, was
growing
more and more apparent. Cold by no means so intense. Nothing of
importance
occurred, and I passed the day in reading — having taken care to supply
myself with books. April 5th. Beheld the
singular
phenomenon
of the sun rising while nearly the whole visible surface of the Earth
continued
to be involved in darkness. In time, however, the light spread itself
over
all, and I again saw the line of ice to the northward. It was now very
distinct, and appeared of a much darker hue than the waters of the
ocean.
I was evidently aproaching it, and with great rapidity. Fancied I could
again distinguish a strip of land to the eastward — and one also to the
westward — but could not be certain. Weather moderate. Nothing of any
consequence
happened during the day. Went early to bed.April 6th. Was
surprised at
finding
the rim of ice at a very moderate distance, and an immense field of the
same material stretching away off to the horizon in the north. It was
evident
that if the balloon held its present course, it would soon arrive above
the Frozen Ocean, and I had now little doubt of ultimately seeing the
Pole.
During the whole of the day I continued to near the ice. Towards night
the limits of my horizon very suddenly and materially increased, owing
undoubtedly to the Earth's form being that of an oblate spheroid, and
my
arriving above the flattened regions in the vicinity of the Arctic
circle.
When darkness at length overtook me I went to bed in great anxiety,
fearing
to pass over the object of so much curiosity when I should have no
opportunity
of observing it. April 7th. Arose
early, and, to
my
great joy, at length beheld what there could be no hesitation in
supposing
the northern Pole itself. It was there, beyond a doubt, and immediately
beneath my feet — but, alas! I had now ascended to so vast a distance
that
nothing could with accuracy be discerned. Indeed, to judge from the
progression
of the numbers indicating my various altitudes respectively at
different
periods, between six A.M. on the second of
April,
and twenty minutes before nine A.M. of the same
day,
(at which time the barometer ran down,) it might be fairly inferred
that
the balloon had now, at four o'clock in the morning of April the
seventh,
reached a height of not less certainly than 7254 miles above
the
surface of the sea. This elevation may appear
immense, but the estimate upon which it is calculated gave a result in
all probability far inferior to the truth. At all events I undoubtedly
beheld the whole of the Earth's major diameter — the entire northern
hemisphere lay beneath me like a chart orthographically projected — and
the
great circle of the equator itself formed the boundary line of my
horizon.
Your Excellencies may, however, readily imagine that the confined
regions
hitherto unexplored within the limits of the Arctic circle, although
situated
directly beneath me, and therefore seen without any appearance of being
foreshortened, were still, in themselves, comparatively too diminutive,
and at too great a distance from the point of sight to admit of any
very
accurate examination. Nevertheless what could be seen was of a nature
singular
and exciting. Northwardly from that huge rim before mentioned, and
which,
with slight qualification, may be called the limit of human discovery
in
these regions, one unbroken, or nearly unbroken [page 18a
& 18b??:] [[sheet of ice continues
to extend. In the first few degrees of this its progress, its surface
is
very sensibly flattened — farther on depressed into a plane — and
finally,
becoming not a little concave, it terminates at the Pole itself
in a circular centre, sharply defined, whose apparent diameter
subtended
at the balloon an angle of about sixty-five seconds, and whose dusky
hue,
varying in intensity, was, at all times darker than any other spot upon
the visible hemisphere, and occasionally deepened into the most
absolute
and impenetrable blackness. Farther than this little could be
ascertained.
By twelve o'clock the circular centre
had
materially decreased in circumference, and by seven P.M.
I lost sight of it entirely — the balloon passing over the western limb
of the ice, and floating away rapidly in the direction of the equator. April 8th. Found a
sensible
diminution
in the Earth's apparent diameter, besides a material alteration in its
general color and appearance. The whole visible area partook in
different
degrees of a tint of pale yellow, and in some portions had acquired a
brilliancy
even painful to the eye. My view downwards was also considerably
impeded
by the dense atmosphere in the vicinity of the surface being loaded
with
clouds, between whose masses I could only now and then obtain a glimpse
of the Earth itself. This difficulty of direct vision had troubled me
more
or less for the last forty-eight hours — but my present enormous
elevation
brought closer together, as it were, the floating bodies of vapor, and
the inconvenience became, of course, more and more palpable in
proportion
to my ascent. Nevertheless I could easily perceive that the balloon now
hovered above the range of great lakes in the continent of North
America,
and was holding a course due south which would soon bring me to the
tropics.
This circumstance did not fail to give me the most heartfelt
satisfaction,
and I hailed it as a happy omen of ultimate success. Indeed the
direction
I had hitherto taken had filled me with uneasiness; for it was evident
that, had I continued it much longer, there would have been no
possibility
of my arriving at the moon at all,
whose
orbit is inclined to the ecliptic at only the small angle of 5o
8' 48". April 9th. To-day,
the Earth's
diameter
was greatly diminished, and the color of the surface assumed hourly a
deeper
tint of yellow. The balloon kept steadily on her course to the
southward,
and arrived at nine P.M. over the
northern edge of the Mexican Gulf. April 10th. I was
suddenly
aroused
from slumber, about five o'clock this morning, by a loud, crackling,
and
terrific sound, for which I could in no manner account. It was of very
brief duration, but, while it lasted, resembled nothing in the world of
which I had any previous experience. It is needless to say that I
became
excessively alarmed, having, in the first instance, attributed the
noise
to the bursting of the balloon. I examined all my apparatus, however,
with
great attention, and could discover nothing out of order. Spent a great
part of the day in meditating upon an occurrence so extraordinary, but
could find no means whatever of accounting for it. Went to bed
dissatisfied,
and in a state of great anxiety and agitation. April 11th. Found a
startling
diminution
in the apparent diameter of the Earth, and a considerable increase, now
observable for the first time, in that of the moon itself, which wanted
only a few days of being full. It now required long and excessive labor
to condense within the chamber sufficient atmospheric air for the
sustenance
of life. April 12th. A
singular alteration
took
place in regard to the direction of the
balloon, and although fully anticipated, afforded me the most
unequivocal
delight. Having reached, in its former course, about the twentieth
parallel
of southern latitude, it turned off suddenly at an acute angle to the
eastward,
and thus proceeded throughout the day, keeping nearly, if not
altogether, in the exact plane of the lunar ellipse. What was
worthy of
remark,
a very perceptible vacillation in the car was a consequence of this
change
of route — a vacillation which prevailed, in a more or less degree, for
a period of many hours. April 13th. Was again
very much
alarmed
by a repetition of the loud crackling noise which terrified me on the
tenth.
Thought long upon the subject, but was unable to form any satisfactory
conclusion. Great decrease in the Earth's apparent diameter, which now
subtended from the balloon an angle of very little more than
twenty-five
degrees. The moon could not be seen at all, being nearly in my zenith.
I still continued in the plane of the ellipse, but made little progress
to the eastward. April 14th. Extremely
rapid
decrease
in the diameter of the Earth. To-day I became strongly impressed with
the
idea, that the balloon was now actually running up the line of apsides
to the point of perigee — in other words, holding the direct course
which
would bring it immediately to the moon in that part of its orbit the
nearest
to the Earth. The moon itself was directly over-head, and consequently
hidden from my view. Great and long continued
labor necessary for the condensation of the atmosphere. April 15th. Not even
the outlines
of
continents and seas could now be traced upon the Earth with anything
approaching
to distinctness. About twelve o'clock I became aware, for the third
time,
of that unEarthly and appalling sound which had so astonished me
before.
It now, however, continued for some moments and gathered horrible
intensity
as it continued. At length, while stupified and terror-stricken I stood
in expectation of I know not what hideous destruction, the car vibrated
with excessive violence, and a gigantic and flaming mass of some
material
which I could not distinguish, came with a voice of a thousand
thunders,
roaring and booming by the balloon. When my fears and astonishment had
in some degree subsided, I had little difficulty in supposing it to be
some mighty volcanic fragment ejected from that world to which I was so
rapidly approaching, and, in all probability, one of that singular
class
of substances occasionally picked up on the Earth and termed meteoric
stones
for want of a better appellation. April 16th. To-day,
looking
upwards
as well I could, through each of the side windows alternately, I
beheld,
to my great delight, a very small portion of the moon's disk
protruding,
as it were, on all sides beyond the huge circumference of the balloon.
My agitation was extreme — for I had now little doubt of soon reaching
the end of my perilous voyage. Indeed the labor now required by the
condenser
had increased to a most oppressive
degree,
and allowed me scarcely any respite from exertion. Sleep was a matter
nearly
out of the question. I became quite ill, and my frame trembled with
exhaustion.
It was impossible that human nature could endure this state of intense
suffering much longer. During the now brief interval of darkness a
meteoric
stone again passed in my vicinity, and the frequency of these phenomena
began to occasion me much anxiety and apprehension. April 17th. This
morning proved
an
epoch in my voyage. It will be remembered that, on the thirteenth, the
Earth subtended an angular breadth of twenty-five degrees. On the
fourteenth,
this had greatly diminished — on the fifteenth, a still more rapid
decrease
was observable — and on retiring for the night of the sixteenth I had
noticed
an angle of no more than about seven degrees and fifteen minutes. What,
therefore, must have been my amazement on awakening from a brief and
disturbed
slumber on the morning of this day, the seventeenth, at finding the
surface
beneath me so suddenly and wonderfully augmented in volume as
to
subtend no less than thirty-nine degrees in apparent angular diameter!
I was thunderstruck. No words — no Earthly expression can give any
adequate
idea of the extreme — the absolute horror and astonishment with which I
was seized, possessed, and altogether overwhelmed. My knees tottered
beneath
me — my teeth chattered — my hair started up on end. "The balloon then
had actually burst" — these were the first tumultuous ideas
which hurried through my mind — "the balloon had positively
burst.
I was falling — falling — falling — with the most intense, the most
impetuous,
the most unparalleled velocity. To judge from the immense distance
already
so quickly passed over, it could not be more than ten minutes, at the
farthest,
before I should meet the surface of the Earth, and be hurled into
annihilation."
But at length reflection came to my relief. I paused — I considered —
and
I began to doubt. The matter was impossible. I could not in any reason
have so rapidly come down. Besides, although I was evidently
approaching
the surface below me, it was with a speed by no means commensurate with
the velocity I had at first so horribly conceived. This consideration
served
to calm the perturbation of my mind, and I finally succeeded in
regarding
the phenomenon in its proper point of view. In fact amazement must have
fairly deprived me of my senses when I could not see the vast
difference,
in appearance, between the surface below me, and the surface of my
mother Earth. The latter was indeed over my head, and completely hidden
by the
balloon, while the moon — the moon itself in all its glory — lay
beneath
me, and at my feet. The stupor and surprise produced in
my mind by
this
extraordinary change in the posture of affairs was perhaps, after all,
that part of the adventure least susceptible of explanation. For the bouleversement
in itself was not only natural and inevitable, but had been long
actually
anticipated as a circumstance to be expected whenever I should arrive
at
that exact point of my voyage where the
attraction of the planet should be superseded by the attraction of the
satellite — or, more precisely, where the gravitation of the balloon
towards
the Earth should be less powerful than its gravitation towards the
moon.
To be sure I arose from a sound slumber, with all my senses in
confusion,
to the contemplation of a very startling phenomenon, and one which,
although
expected, was not expected at the moment. The revolution itself must,
of
course, have taken place in an easy and gradual manner, and it is by no
means clear that, had I even been awake at the time of the occurrence,
I should have been made aware of it by any internal evidence of
an inversion — that is to say by any inconvenience or disarrangement
either
about my person or about my apparatus. It is almost needless to say that
upon coming to
a due sense of my situation, and emerging from the terror which had
absorbed
every faculty of my soul, my attention was, in the first place, wholly
directed to the contemplation of the general physical appearance of the
moon. It lay beneath me like a chart, and although I judged it to be
still]] [page 19:]
at no inconsiderable distance, the indentures of its surface were
defined
to my vision with a most striking and altogether unaccountable
distinctness.
The entire absence of ocean or sea, and indeed of any lake or river, or
body of water whatsoever, struck me, at the first glance, as the most
extraordinary
feature in its geological condition. Yet, strange to say! I beheld vast
level regions of a character decidedly alluvial
— although by far the greater portion of the hemisphere in sight was
covered
with innumerable volcanic mountains, conical in shape, and having more
the appearance of artificial than of natural protuberances. The highest
among them does not exceed three and three-quarter miles in
perpendicular
elevation — but a map of the volcanic districts of the Campi
Phlegræi
would afford to your Excellencies a better idea of their general
surface
than any unworthy description I might think proper to attempt. The
greater
part of them were in a state of evident eruption, and gave me fearfully
to understand their fury and their power by the repeated thunders of
the
miscalled meteoric stones which now rushed upwards by the balloon with
a frequency more and more appalling. April 18th. To-day I
found an
enormous
increase in the moon's apparent bulk, and the evidently accelerated
velocity
of my descent began to fill me with alarm. It will be remembered that,
in the earliest stage of my speculations upon the possibility of a
passage
to the moon, the existence in its vicinity of an atmosphere dense in
proportion
to the bulk of the planet had entered largely into my calculations —
this
too in spite of many theories to the contrary, and, it may be added, in
spite of the positive evidence of our senses. Upon the resistance, or
more
properly, upon the
support
of this atmosphere, existing in the state of density imagined, I had,
of
course, entirely depended for the safety of my ultimate descent. Should
I then, after all, prove to have been mistaken, I had in consequence
nothing
better to expect as a finale to my adventure than being dashed
into
atoms
against the rugged surface of the satellite. And indeed I had now every
reason to be terrified. My distance from the moon was comparatively
trifling,
while the labor required by the condenser was diminished not at all,
and
I could discover no indication whatever of a decreasing rarity in the
air. April 19th. This
morning, to my
great
joy, about nine o'clock, the surface of the moon being frightfully
near,
and my apprehensions excited to the utmost, the pump of my condenser at
length gave evident tokens of an alteration in the atmosphere. By ten I
had reason to believe its density considerably increased. By eleven
very
little labor was necessary at the apparatus — and at twelve o'clock,
with
some hesitation, I ventured to unscrew the tourniquet,
when, finding no inconvenience from having done so, I finally threw
open
the gum-elastic chamber, and unrigged it from around the car. As might
have been expected, spasms and violent headache were the immediate
consequence
of an experiment so precipitate and full of danger. But these and other
difficulties attending respiration, as they were by no means so great
as
to put me in peril of my life, I determined to endure as I best could,
in consideration of my leaving them behind me momentarily in my
approach
to
the denser strata near the moon. This approach, however, was still
impetuous
in the extreme; and it soon became alarmingly certain that, although I
had probably not been deceived in the expectation of an atmosphere
dense
in proportion to the mass of the satellite, still I had been wrong in
supposing
this density, even at the surface, at all adequate to the support of
the
great weight contained in the car of my balloon. Yet this should
have been the case, and in an equal degree as at the surface of the
Earth,
the actual gravity of bodies at either planet being in the
exact ratio
of their atmospheric condensation. That it was not the case
however my
precipitous downfall gave testimony enough — why it was not so, can
only
be explained by a reference to those possible geological disturbances
to
which I have formerly alluded. At all events I was now close upon the
planet,
and coming down with the most terrible impetuosity. I lost not a moment
accordingly in throwing overboard first my ballast, then my water-kegs,
then my condensing apparatus and
gum-elastic
chamber, and finally every individual article within the car. But it
was
all to no purpose. I still fell with horrible rapidity, and was now not
more than half a mile at farthest from the surface. As a last resource,
therefore, having got rid of my coat, hat, and boots, I cut loose from
the balloon the car itself, which was of no inconsiderable
weight,
and thus, clinging with both hands to the hoop of the net-work, I had
barely
time to observe that the whole country as far as the eye could reach
was
thickly interspersed with diminutive habitations, ere I tumbled
headlong
into the very heart of a fantastical-looking city, and into the middle
of a vast crowd of ugly little people, who none of them uttered a
single
syllable, or gave themselves the least trouble to render me assistance,
but stood, like a parcel of idiots, grinning in a ludicrous manner, and
eyeing me and my balloon askant with their arms set a-kimbo. I turned
from
them in contempt, and gazing upwards at the Earth so lately left, and
left
perhaps forever, beheld it like a huge, dull, copper shield, about two
degrees in diameter, fixed immoveably in the heavens overhead, and
tipped
on one of its edges with a crescent border of the most brilliant gold.
No traces of land or water could be discovered, and the whole was
clouded
with variable spots, and belted with tropical and equatorial zones. Thus, may it please your
Excellencies, after a
series
of great anxieties, unheard of dangers, and unparalleled escapes, I
had,
at length, on the nineteenth day of my departure from Rotterdam,
arrived in safety at the conclusion
of a voyage
undoubtedly the most extraordinary, and the most momentous, ever
accomplished,
undertaken, or conceived [page 20:] by any denizen of Earth.
But my adventures yet
remain to be related. And indeed your Excellencies may well imagine
that
after a residence of five years upon a planet not only deeply
interesting
in its own peculiar character, but rendered doubly so by its intimate
connection,
in capacity of satellite, with the world inhabited by man, I may have
intelligence
for the private ear of the States' College of Astronomers of far more
importance
than the details, however wonderful, of the mere voyage which
so
happily concluded. This is, in fact, the case. I have much — very much
which it would give me the greatest pleasure to communicate. I have
much
to say of the climate of the planet — of its wonderful alternations of
heat and cold — of unmitigated and burning sunshine for one fortnight,
and more than polar severity of winter for the next — of a constant
transfer of
moisture, by distillation in vacuo, from the point
beneath
the sun to the point the farthest from it — of a variable zone of
running
water — of the people themselves — of their manners, customs, and
political
institutions — of their peculiar physical construction — of their
ugliness
— of their want of ears, those useless appendages in an atmosphere so
peculiarly
modified as to be insufficient for the conveyance of any but the
loudest sounds — of their consequent ignorance of the use and
properties of
speech
— of their substitute for speech in a singular method of
inter-communication — of the
incomprehensible
connection
between
each particular individual in the moon, with some particular individual
on the Earth — a connection analogous with, and depending upon that of
the orbs of the planet and the satellite, and by means of which the
lives
and destinies of the inhabitants of the one are interwoven with the
lives
and destinies of the inhabitants of the other — and above all, if it so
please your Excellencies, above all of those dark and hideous mysteries
which lie in the outer regions of the moon — regions which, owing to
the
almost miraculous accordance of the satellite's rotation on its own
axis
with its sidereal revolution about the Earth, have never yet been
turned,
and, by God's mercy, never shall be turned, to the scrutiny of the
telescopes
of man. All this, and more — much more — would I most willingly detail.
But to be brief, I must have my reward. I am pining for a return to my
family and to my home: and as the price of any farther communications
on
my part — in consideration of the light which I have it in my power to
throw upon many very important branches of physical and metaphysical
science
— I must solicit, through the influence of your honorable body, a
pardon
for the crime of which I have been guilty in the death of the creditors
upon my departure from Rotterdam. This, then, is the object of the
present
paper. Its bearer, an inhabitant of the moon, whom I have prevailed
upon,
and properly instructed, to be my messenger to the Earth, will await
your
Excellencies pleasure, and return to me
with the pardon in question, if it can, in any manner, be obtained. I
have the honour to be, &c.
your
Excellencies
very humble servant,
Hans Phaall. Upon finishing the perusal of this
very
extraordinary
document, Professor Rub-a-dub, it is said, dropped his pipe upon the
ground
in the extremity of his surprise, and Mynheer Superbus Von Underduk
having
taken off his spectacles, wiped them, and deposited them in his pocket,
so far forgot both himself and his dignity, as to turn round three
times
upon his heel in the quintessence of astonishment and admiration. There
was no doubt about the matter — the pardon should be obtained. So at
least
swore, with a round oath, Professor Rub-a-dub, and so finally thought
the
illustrious Von Underduk, as he took the arm of his brother in science,
and without saying a word, began to make the best of his way home to
deliberate
upon the measures to be adopted. Having reached the door, however, of
the
burgomaster's dwelling, the Professor ventured to suggest that as the
messenger
had thought proper to disappear — no doubt frightened to death by the
savage
appearance of the burghers of Rotterdam — the pardon would be of little
use, as no one but a man of the moon would undertake a voyage to so
horrible
a distance. To the truth of this observation the burgomaster assented,
and the matter was therefore at an end. Not so, however, rumors and
speculations.
The letter, having been published, gave rise
to a variety of gossip and opinion. Some of the overwise even made
themselves
ridiculous by decrying the whole business as nothing better than a
hoax.
But hoax, with these sort of people, is, I believe, a general term for
all matters above their comprehension. For my part I cannot conceive
upon
what data they have founded such an accusation. Let us see what they
say: Imprimis. That certain wags in
Rotterdam have
certain
especial antipathies to certain burgomasters and astronomers. Don't understand at all. Secondly. That an odd little dwarf
and bottle
conjurer,
both of whose ears, for some misdemeanor, have been [[. . .]] |
|||||