 Prologue to the Moon Maid. This is LibriVox Recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Thomas Copeland. The Moon Maid by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Prologue. I met him in the blue room of the trans-oceanic liner Harding the night of Mars Day, June 10, 1967. I had been wondering about the city for several hours prior to the sailing of the flyer, watching the celebration, dropping in at various places that I might see as much as possible of scenes that doubtless will never again be paralleled, a world gone mad with joy. There was only one vacant chair in the blue room, and that had a small table at which he was already seated alone. I asked his permission, and he graciously invited me to join him, rising as he did so, his face lighting with a smile that compelled my liking from the first. I had thought that Victory Day, which we had celebrated two months before, could never be eclipsed in point of mad national enthusiasm, but the announcement that had been made this day appeared to have had even a greater effect upon the minds and imaginations of the people. The more than half century of war that had continued almost uninterruptedly since 1914 had at last terminated in the absolute domination of the Anglo-Saxon race over all the other races of the world, and practically for the first time since the activities of the human race were preserved for posterity in any enduring form, no civilized or even semi-civilized nation maintained a battle line upon any portion of the globe. War was at an end, definitely and forever. Arms and ammunition were being dumped into the five oceans. The vast armadas of the air were being scrapped or converted into carriers for purposes of peace and commerce. The peoples of all nations had celebrated, victors and vanquished alike, for they were tired of war. At least they thought that they were tired of war, but were they? What else did they know? Only the oldest of men could recall even a semblance of world peace. The others knew nothing but war. Men had been born and lived their lives and died with their grandchildren clustered about them, all with the alarms of war ringing constantly in their ears. For chance the little area of their activities was never actually encroached upon by the iron-shod roof of battle, but always somewhere war endured, now receding like the salt tide only to return again, until there arose that great tidal wave of human emotion in 1959 that swept the entire world for eight bloody years, and receding left peace upon a spent and devastated world. Two months had passed. Two months during which the world appeared to stand still, to mark time to hold its breath. What now? We have peace, but what shall we do with it? The leaders of thought and of action are trained for but one condition, war. The reaction brought despondency. Our nerves, accustomed to the constant stimulus of excitement, cried out against the monotony of peace. And yet no one wanted war again. We did not know what we wanted. And then came the announcement that I think saved a world from madness, for it directed our minds along a new line to the contemplation of a fact far more engrossing than prosaic wars, and equally as stimulating to the imagination and the nerves, intelligible communication had at last been established with Mars. Generations of wars had done their part to stimulate scientific research to the end that we might kill one another more expeditiously, that we might transport our youth more quickly to their shallow graves in alien soil, that we might transmit more secretly and with greater celerity our orders to slay our fellow men. And always generation after generation there had been those few who could detach their minds from the contemplation of massacre and, looking forward to a happier era, concentrate their talents and their energies upon the utilization of scientific achievement for the betterment of mankind and the rebuilding of civilization. Among these was that much ridiculed but devoted coterie, who had clung tenaciously to the idea that communication could be established with Mars. The hope that had been growing for a hundred years had never been permitted to die, but had been transmitted from teacher to pupil with ever-growing enthusiasm, while the people scoffed, as a hundred years before we are told, they scoffed at the experiments with flying machines, as they chose to call them. About 1940 had come the first reward of long years of toil and hope, following the perfection of an instrument which accurately indicated the direction and distance of the focus of any radioactivity with which it might be attuned. For several years prior to this, all the more highly sensitive receiving instruments had recorded a series of three dots and three dashes, which began at precise intervals of 24 hours and 37 minutes, and continued for approximately 15 minutes. The new instrument indicated conclusively that these signals, if they were signals, originated always at the same distance from the earth and in the same direction as the point in the universe occupied by the planet Mars. It was five years later before a sending apparatus was evolved that bad fare to transmit its waves from earth to Mars. At first their own message was repeated, three dots and three dashes. Although the usual interval of time had not elapsed since we had received their daily signal, hours was immediately answered. Then we sent a message consisting of five dots and two dashes alternating. Immediately they replied with five dots and two dashes, and we knew beyond paraventure of a doubt that we were in communication with the red planet. But it required 22 years of unremitting effort with the most brilliant intellects of two worlds concentrated upon it to evolve and perfect an intelligent system of intercommunication between the two planets. Today, this 10th of June 1967, there was published broadcast to the world the first message from Mars. It was dated Helium Larsum and merely extended greetings to a sister world and wished us well. But it was the beginning. The blue room of the Harding was, I presume, but typical of every other gathering place in the civilized world. Men and women were eating, drinking, laughing, singing and talking. The flyer was racing through the air at an altitude of a little over a thousand feet. Its engines, motivated wirelessly from power plants thousands of miles distant, drove it noiselessly and swiftly on its overnight pathway between Chicago and Paris. I had, of course, crossed many times, but this instance was unique because of the epoch-making occasion which the passengers were celebrating. And so I sat at the table longer than usual, watching my fellow diners with, I imagine, a slightly indulgent smile on my lips, since I mentioned it in no spirit of egotism, and my high privilege to assist in the consummation of a hundred years of effort that had borne fruit that day. I looked around at my fellow diners and then back to my table companion. He was a fine-looking chap, lean and bronze. One need not have noted the air-core overseas uniform, the admiral's stars and anchors, or the wound stripes to have guessed that he was a fighting man. He looked at every inch of it. And then there were a full 72 inches. We talked a little about the great victory at the message from Mars, of course, and, though he often smiled, I noticed an occasional shadow of sadness in his eyes. And once, after a particularly mad outburst of pandemonium on the part of the celebrators, he shook his head remarking, poor devils, and then, it is just as well, let them enjoy life while they may. I envied them their ignorance. What do you mean, I asked. He flushed a little and then smiled. Was I speaking aloud? He asked. I repeated what he had said, and he looked steadily at me for a long minute before he spoke again. Oh, what's the use? He exclaimed almost tetulently. You wouldn't understand, and of course you wouldn't believe. I do not understand it myself, but I have to believe because I know, I know from personal observation, God, if you could have seen what I have seen. Tell me, I begged, but he shook his head dubiously. Do you realize that there is no such thing as time, he asked suddenly, that man has invented time to suit the limitations of his finite mind, just as he has named another thing that he can neither explain nor understand space. I have heard of such a theory, I replied, but I neither believe nor disbelieve, I simply do not know. I thought I had him started, and so I waited, as I have read in fiction stories as the proper way to entice a strange narrative from its possessor. He was looking beyond me, and I imagined the expression of his eyes denoted that he was witnessing again the thrilling scenes of the past. I must have been wrong, though. In fact, I was quite sure of it when he next spoke. If that girl isn't carefully said, the thing will upset and give her a nasty fall. She is much too near the edge. I turned to see a richly dressed and much-to-shevelled young lady busily dancing on a tabletop, while her friends and the surrounding diners cheered her lustily. My companion rose. I have enjoyed your company immensely, said, and I hope to meet you again. I am going to look for a place to sleep now. They could not give me a stateroom. I don't seem to be able to get enough sleep since they sent me back. You smiled. Miss the gas shells and radio bombs, I suppose? I remarked. He replied, just as a convalescent misses smallpox. I have a room with two beds, I said. At the last minute, my secretary was taken ill. I'll be glad to have you share the room with me. He thanked me and accepted my hospitality for the night. The following morning, we would be in Paris. As we wound our way among the tables filled with laughing, joyous diners, my companion paused beside that at which sat the young woman who had previously attracted his attention. Their eyes met and into hers came a look of puzzlement and half-recognition. He smiled frankly in her face, nodded and passed on. You knower them, I ask. I shall, in two hundred years, was his enigmatic reply. We found my room and there we had a bottle of wine and little cakes and the quiet smoke and became much better acquainted. It was he who first reverted to the subject of our conversation in the blue room. I am going to tell you, he said, what I have never told another, but on the condition that if you retell it, you are not to use my name. I have several years of this life ahead of me and I do not care to be pointed out as a lunatic. First let me say that I do not try to explain anything except that I do not believe provision to be a proper explanation. I have actually lived the experiences I shall tell you of and that girl we saw dancing on the table tonight lived them with me, but she does not know it. If you care to, you can keep in mind the theory that there is no such thing as time. Just keep it in mind. I do not understand it, or at least I cannot. Here goes, end of the prologue. Moon Made Chapter 1 This LibriVox recording is in the puppet domain, recording by Thomas Popin. Chapter 1 An Adventure in Space I had intended telling you my story of the days of the 22nd century, but it seems best, if you are to understand it, to tell first the story of my great-great-grandfather who was born in the year 2000. I must have looked up at him quizzically for he smiled and took his head as one who was puzzled to find an explanation suited to the mental capacity of his auditor. My great-great-grandfather was, in reality, the great-great-grandson of my previous incarnation which commenced in 1896. When I married in 1916 at the age of 20, my son Julian was born in 1917. I never saw him. I was killed in France in 1918 on Armistice Day. I was again reincarnated in my son's son in 1937. I am 30 years of age. My son was born in 1970. That is the son of my 1937 incarnation. His son, Julian V, in whom I again returned to Earth in the year 2000. I see you are confused. But please remember, my injunction, that you are to try to keep in mind the theory that there is no such thing as time. It is now the year 1967, yet I recall distinctly every event of my life that occurred in four incarnations. The last that I recall being that which had its origin in the year 2100. Whether I actually skipped three generations that time or through some caprice of fate I am merely unable to visualize an intervening incarnation, I do not know. My theory of the matter is that I differ only from my fellows in that I can recall the events of many incarnations while they can recall none of theirs other than a few important episodes in particular one they are experiencing. But perhaps I am wrong. It is of no importance. I will tell you the story of Julian V who was born in the year 2000. And then, if we have time and you get interested, I will tell you of the torments during the harrowing days of the 22nd century following the birth of Julian IX in 2100. I will try to tell you the story in his own words as far as I can recall them. But for various reasons, not the least of which is that I am lazy, I shall omit superfluous quotation marks that is, with your permission of course. My name is Julian. I am called Julian V. I come of an illustrious family. My great-great-grandfather Julian I, a major at 22, was killed in France early in the Great War. My great-grandfather Julian II was killed in battle in Turkey in 1938. My grandfather, Julian III, fought continuously from his 16th year until peace was declared in his 30th year. He died in 1992. And during the last 25 years of his life was an admiral of the air being transferred at the close of the war to command of the International Peace Fleet which patrolled and policed the world. He also was killed in the line of duty as was my father who succeeded him in the service. At 16 I graduated from the air school and was detailed to the International Peace Fleet being the fifth generation of my line to wear the uniform of my country. That was in 2016 and I recall that it was a matter of pride to me that it rounded out the full century since Julian I graduated from West Point and that during that 100 years no adult male of my line had ever owned or worn civilian clothes. Of course, there were no more wars but there still was fighting. We had the Pirates of the Air to contend with and occasionally some of the uncivilized tribes of Russia, Africa and Central Asia required the attention of a punitive expedition. However, life seemed tame and monotonous to us when we read of the heroic deeds of our ancestors from 1914 to 1967. Yet none of us wanted war. It had been too well schooled into us that we must not think of war and the International Peace Fleet so effectively prevented all preparation for war that we all knew there could never be another. There wasn't a firearm in the world other than those with which we were armed and a few of ancient design that were kept as heirlooms or in museums or that were owned by savage tribes who could procure no ammunition for them since we permitted not to be manufactured. There was not a gas shell nor a radio bomb nor any engine to discharge a project one and there wasn't a big gun of any caliber in the world. I veritably believed that a thousand men equipped with the various engines of destruction that had reached their highest efficiency at the close of the war in 1967 could have conquered the world. But there were not a thousand men so armed. There never could be a thousand men so equipped anywhere upon the face of the earth. The International Peace Fleet was equipped and manned to prevent just such a calamity. But it seems that Providence never intended that the world should be without calamities. If man prevented those of possible internal origin there still remained undreamed of external sources over which he had no control. It was one of these which was to prove our undoing. Its seed was sown 33 years before I was born upon that historic day June 10th 1967 that earth received her first message from Mars since which the two planets have remained in constant friendly communication carrying on a commerce of reciprocal enlightenment. In some branches of the arts and sciences the Martians or Barsoomians as they call themselves were far in advance of us while in others we had progressed more rapidly than they. Knowledge was thus freely exchanged to the advantage of both worlds. We learned of their history and customs and they of ours and yet for ages already known much more of us than we of them. Martian news held always a prominent place in our daily papers from the first. They helped us most perhaps in the fields of medicine and aeronautics giving us in one the marvelous healing lotions of Barsoom and in the other knowledge of the Eighth Ray which is more generally known on earth as the Barsoomian Ray which is now stored in the buoyancy tanks of their aircraft and has made obsolete those ancient types of plane that depended upon momentum to keep them afloat. That we ever were able to communicate intelligibly with them is due to the presence upon Mars of that deathless Virginian John Carter whose miraculous transportation to Mars occurred March 4th, 1866 as every school child of the 21st century knows a little band of Martian scientists who sought so long to communicate with earth mistakenly formed themselves into a secret organization for political purposes. Messages might have been exchanged between the two planets nearly half a century before they were and it was not until they finally called upon John Carter that the present interplanetary code was evolved. Almost from the first the subject which engrossed us all the most was the possibility of an actual exchange of visits between earth men and Barsoomians. Each planet hoped to be the first to achieve this yet neither withheld any information that would aid the other in the consummation of the great fact. It was a generous and friendly rivalry which about the time of my graduation from the air school seemed in theory at least to be almost right for successful consummation by one or the other. We had the A3, the motors, the oxygenating devices, the insulating processes everything to ensure the safe and certain transit of a specially designed aircraft to Mars where Mars the only other inhabitant of space. But it was not and it was the other planets and the sun that we feared. In 2015 Mars had dispatched a ship for earth with a crew of five men provisioned for ten years. It was hoped that with good luck the trip might be made in something less than five years as the craft had developed an actual trial speed of 1,000 miles per hour. At the time of my graduation the ship was already off its course almost a million miles and generally conceded to be hopelessly lost. Its crew, maintaining constant radio communication with both Earth and Mars, still hoped for success but the best informed upon both worlds had given them up. We had had a ship about ready at the time of the sailing of the Martians but the government at Washington had forbidden the venture when it became apparent that the Barsoomian ship was doomed a wise decision since our vessel was no better equipped than theirs. Nearly ten years elapsed before anything further was accomplished in the direction of assuring any greater hope of success for another interplanetary venture into space and this was directly due to the discovery made by a former classmate of mine Lieutenant Commander Orthas one of the most brilliant men I've ever known and at the same time one of the most unscrupulous and to me at least the most obnoxious. We had entered the air school together he from New York and I from Illinois and almost from the first day we had seemed to discover a mutual antagonism that upon his part at least must have been considerably strengthened by numerous unfortunate occurrences during our four years beneath the same roof. In the first place he was not popular with either the cadets the instructors or the officers of the school while I was most fortunate in this respect in those various fields of athletics in which he considered himself particularly expert it was always I unfortunately who excelled in and kept him from major honors. In the classroom he outshone us all even the instructors were amazed at the brilliancy of his intellect and yet as we passed from grade to grade I often talked to him in the final examinations I ranked him always as a cadet officer and upon graduation I took a higher grade among the new entrances than he a rank that had many years before been discontinued but which had recently been revived. From then on I saw little of him his services confining him principally to land service while mine kept me almost constantly on the air in all parts of the world. Occasionally I heard of him usually something unsavory he had married a nice girl and a bandit there had been talk of an investigation of his accounts and the last that there was a rumor that he was affiliated with a secret order that sought to overthrow the government some things I might believe of Orthus but not this and during these nine years since graduation as we have drifted apart in interests so had the breach between us been widened by constantly increasing difference in rank he was a lieutenant commander and I a captain while in 2024 he announced the discovery and isolation of the 8th solar ray and within two months those of the moon Mercury, Venus and Jupiter the 8th Barsoomian and the 8th Earthly rays had already been isolated and upon Earth the latter erroneously called by the name of the former. Orthus discoveries were hailed upon two planets as the key to actual travel between the Earth and Barsoom since by means of these several rays the attraction of the sun and the planets with the exception of Saturn, Uranus and Neptune could be definitely overcome and a ship steer a direct and unimpeded course through space to Mars. The effect of the pull of the three father planets was considered negligible owing to their great distance to both Mars and Earth. Orthus wanted to equip a ship and start it once but again government interfered and for that what it considered an unnecessary risk instead Orthus was ordered to design a small radio operated flyer which would carry no one aboard and which it was believed could be automatically operated for at least half the distance between the two planets after his designs were completed you may imagine it should grin at mine as well when I was detailed to supervise construction yet I will say that Orthus hid his natural emotions well and gave me perfect cooperation in the work we were compelled to undertake together and which was as distasteful to me as to him on my part I made it as easy for him as I could working with him rather than over him it required but a short time to complete the experimental ship and during this time I had an opportunity to get a still better insight into the marvelous intellectual ability of Orthus though I never saw into his mind or heart it was late in 2024 that the ship was launched upon its strange voyage and almost immediately upon my recommendation work was started upon the perfection of the larger ship that had been in course of construction in 2015 at the time that the loss of the Martian ship had discouraged our government in making any further attempt until the then seemingly insurmountable obstacles should have been overcome Orthus was again my assistant and with the means at our disposal it was a matter of less than eight months before the Barsoom as she was christened was completely overhauled and thoroughly equipped for the interplanetary voyage the various eighth rays that would assist us in overcoming the pull of the sun Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars and Jupiter were stored in carefully constructed and well protected tanks within the hull and there was a smaller tank at the bow containing the eighth lunar ray which would permit us to pass safely within the zone of the moon's influence without danger of being attracted to her barren surface messages from the original Martian ship had been received from time to time and with diminishing strength for nearly five years after it had left Mars its commander in his heroic fight against the pull of the sun had managed to fall within the grip of Jupiter and was, when last heard from far out in the great void between that planet and Mars during the past four years the fate of the ship could be not but conjecture all that we could be certain of was that its unfortunate crew would never again return to Mars soon our own experimentalship had been speeding upon its lonely way now for eight months and so accurate had Orthus scientific deductions proven that the most delicate instrument would detect no slightest deviation for its prescribed course it was then that Orthus began to importion the government to permit him to set out with the new craft that was now completed the authorities held out however until the latter part of 2025 when the experimentalship having been out a year and still showing no deviation from its course they felt reasonably assured that the success of the venture was certain and that no useless risk of human life would be involved the bar zoom required five men properly to handle it and as had been the custom of many centuries when an undertaking of more unusual risk was to be attempted volunteers were called for with the result that fully half the personnel of the international peace fleet begged to be permitted to form the crew of five the government finally selected their men from the great number of volunteers with the result that once more was I the innocent cause of disappointment and chagrin to Orthus as I was placed in command with Orthus to lieutenants and an ensign completing the roster the bar zoom was larger than the craft dispatched by the Martians with the result that we were able to carry supplies for 15 years we were equipped with more powerful motors which would permit us to maintain an average speed of over 1200 miles an hour carrying in addition an engine recently developed by Orthus which generated sufficient power from light to propel the craft at half speed in the event that our other engine should break down none of us was married Orthus abandoned wife having recently died our estates were taken under trusteeship by the government our farewells were made at an elaborate ball with the White House on December 24th, 2025 and on Christmas Day we rose from the landing stage at which the bar zoom had been moored and amid the glare of bands and the shouting of thousands of our fellow countrymen we arose majestically into the blue I shall not bore you with dry technical descriptions of our motors and equipment suffice it to say that the former were of three types those which propelled the ship through the air and those which propelled it through ether the latter of course represented our most important equipment and consisted of powerful multiple exhaust separators which isolated the two Barsoomian 8th ray in great quantities and by exhausting it rapidly earthward propelled the vessel toward Mars these separators were so designed that with equal facility they could isolate the earthly 8th ray which would be necessary for our return voyage the auxiliary engine which I mentioned previously and which was Orthos' latest invention could be easily adjusted to isolate the 8th ray of any planet or satellite or of the sun itself thus ensuring us motive power in any part of the universe by the simple expedient of generating and exhausting the 8th ray of the nearest heavenly body a fourth type of generator drew oxygen from the ether while another emanated insulating rays which ensured us a uniform temperature and external pressure at all times their action being analogous to that of the atmosphere surrounding the earth science had therefore permitted us to construct a little world which moved at will through space a little world inhabited by five souls had it not been for Orthos' presence I could have looked forward to a reasonably pleasurable voyage for West and Jay were extremely likeable fellows and sufficiently mature to be companionable while young Norton the ensign, though about 17 years of age endeared himself to all of us from the very start of the voyage by his pleasant manners, his consideration and his willingness in the performance of his duties there were three state rooms aboard the Varsoon one of which I occupied alone while West and Orthos had the second and Jay and Norton the third West and Jay were lieutenants and had been classmates at the air school they would of course have preferred to room together but could not unless I commanded it or Orthos requested it not wishing to give Orthos any grounds for offense I hesitated to make the change while Orthos, never having thought a considerate thought or done a considerate deed in his life could not of course have been expected to suggest it we all messed together West, Jay and Norton taking turns of preparing the meals only in the actual operation of the ship were the lines of rank drawn strictly otherwise we associated as equals nor would any other arrangement have been endureable upon such an undertaking which required that we five be practically imprisoned together upon a small ship for a period of not less than five years we had books and writing materials and games and we were of course in constant radio communication with both Earth and Mars receiving continuously the latest news from both planets we listened to opera and oratory and heard the music of two worlds so that we were not lacking for entertainment there was always a certain constraint in Orthos' manner towards me yet I must give him credit for behaving outwardly, admirably unlike the others we never exchanged pleasantries with one another nor could I, knowing as I did that Orthos hated me and feeling for him personally the contempt that I felt because of his character intellectually he commanded my highest admiration and upon intellectual grounds we met without constraint or reserve and many were the profitable discussions we had during the first days of what was to prove a very brief voyage it was about the second day that I noticed with some surprise that Orthos was exhibiting a friendly interest in Norton it had never been Orthos' way to make friends but I saw that he and Norton were much together and that each seemed to derive a great deal of pleasure from the society of the other Orthos was a good talker he knew his profession thoroughly and was an inventor and scientist of high distinction Norton though but a boy was himself the possessor of a fine mind he had been honor man in his graduating class heading the list of ensigns for that year and I could not help but notice that he was drinking in every word along scientific lines that Orthos perhaps saved we had been out about six days when Orthos came to me and suggested that in as much as West and Jay had been classmates and chums they be remitted to room together and that he had spoken to Norton who had said that he would be agreeable to the change and would occupy West's bunk in Orthos' staker I was very glad for this for it now meant that my subordinates would be paired off in the most agreeable manner and as long as they were contented I knew that the voyage from that standpoint at least would be more successful I was of course a trifle sorry to see a fine boy like Norton brought under the influence of Orthos yet I felt that what little danger might result would be offset by the influence of West and Jay and myself or counterbalanced by the liberal education which five years constant companionship with Orthos would be to any man with whom Orthos would discuss freely the subjects of which he was master we were beginning to feel the influence of the moon rather strongly at the rate we were traveling we would pass closest to it upon the 12th day or about the 6th of January 2026 our course would bring us within about 20,000 miles of the moon and as we neared it I believed that the sight of it was the most impressive thing that human eye had ever gazed upon before to the naked eye it loomed large and magnificent in the heavens appearing over 10 times the size that it does to terrestrial observers while our powerful glasses brought its weird surface to such startling proximity that one felt that he might reach out and touch the torn rocks of its tortured mountains this nearer view enabled us to discover the truth or falsity of the theory that has long been held by some scientists that there is a form of vegetation upon the surface of the moon our eyes were first attracted by what appeared to be movement upon the surface of some of the valleys and in the deeper ravines of the mountains Norton exclaimed that there were creatures there moving about but closer observation revealed the fact of the existence of a weird fungus like vegetation which grew so rapidly that we could clearly discern the phenomena from the several days observation which we had at close range we came to the conclusion that the entire lifespan of this vegetation is encompassed in a single sidereal month from the spore it developed in the short period of a trifle over 27 days into a mighty plant that is sometimes hundreds of feet in height the branches are angular and grotesque the leaves broad and thick and in the plants which we discerned the seven primary colors were distinctly represented as each portion of the moon passed slowly into shadow the vegetation first drooped then wilted then crumbled to the ground apparently disintegrating almost immediately into a fine dust-like powder at least insofar as our glasses revealed it quite disappeared entirely the movement which we discerned was purely that of rapid growth as there is no wind upon the surface of the moon both Jay and Orthus were positive that they discerned some form of animal life either insect or reptilian these I did not myself see though I did perceive many of the broad flat leaves which seemed to have been partially eaten which certainly strengthened the theory that there is other than vegetable life of our satellite I presume that one of the greatest thrills that we experienced in this adventure that was to prove a veritable Pandora's box of thrills was when we commenced to creep past the edge of the moon and our eyes beheld for the first time that which no other human eyes had ever rested upon portions of that two-fifths of the moon's surface which is invisible from the air we had looked with awe upon Mare Crisium and Lacus Ominorum, Cineus Rores Oceanus Prochilarum and the four great mountain ranges we had viewed at close range the volcanoes of Opelonius, Secchi, Borda, Tycho and their mates but all these paled into insignificance as they're unrolled before us the panorama of the vast unknown I cannot say that it differed materially from that portion of the moon that is visible to us it was merely the glamour of mystery which had surrounded it since the beginning of time that lent to it its thrill for us Here we observed other great mountain ranges and wide undulating plains towering volcanoes and mighty craters and the same vegetation with which we were now become familiar we were two days past the moon when our first trouble developed among our stores were 120 quarts of spirits per man enough to allow us each a liberal two ounces per day for a period of five years each night before dinner we had drunk to the president in a cocktail which contained a single ounce of spirits the idea being to conserve our supply in the event of our journey being unduly protracted as well as to have enough in the event that it became desirable fittingly to celebrate any particular occasion Toward the third meal hour of the thirteenth day of the voyage Orthus entered the mess room noticeably under the influence of liquor history narrates that under the regime of prohibition drunkenness was common and that it grew to such proportions as to become a national menace but with the repeal of the prohibition act nearly a hundred years ago the habit of drinking to excess abated so that it became a matter of disgrace for any man to show his liquor and in the service it was considered as reprehensible as cowardice in action there was therefore but one thing for me to do I ordered Orthus to his quarters he was drunker than I had thought him and he turned upon me like a tiger you damned cur he cried all my life you have stolen everything from me the fruits of all my efforts you have garnered by chicanery and trickery and even now were we to reach Mars it is you who would be lauded as the hero not I whose labor and intellect have made possible this achievement but by God we will not reach Mars not again shall you profit by my efforts you have gone too far this time and now you dare to order me about like a dog and an inferior I whose brains have made you what you are I held my temper for I saw that the man was unaccountable for his words go to your quarters Orthus I repeated my command I will talk with you again in the morning Weston Jay and Norton were present they seemed momentarily paralyzed by the man's condition and gross insubordination Norton however was the first to recover jumping quickly to Orthus' side he laid his hand upon his arm come sir he said and to my surprise Orthus accompanied him quietly to their state room during the voyage we had continued the fallacy of night and day gauging them merely by our chronometers since we moved always through utter darkness surrounded only by a tiny nebula of light induced by the sun's rays impinging upon the radiation from our insulating generator before breakfast therefore on the following morning I sent for Orthus to come to my state room he entered with a truculent swagger and his first words indicated that if he had not continued drinking he had at least been moved to no regrets for his unwarranted attack of the previous evening well he said what in hell are you gonna do about it I cannot understand your attitude Orthus I told him I have never intentionally injured you when orders from government threw us together I was as much grinned as you association with you is as distasteful to me as it is to you I merely did as you did, obeyed orders I have no desire to rob you of anything but that is not the question now you have been guilty of gross insubordination and of drunkenness I can prevent a repetition of the latter by confiscating your liquor and keeping it from you during the balance of the voyage and an apology from you will atone for the former I shall give you 24 hours to reach a decision if you do not see fit to avail yourself of my clemency of this you will travel to Mars and back again in irons your decision now and your behavior during the balance of the voyage will decide your fate upon our return to earth and I tell you Orthus that if I possibly can do so I shall use the authority which is mine upon this expedition and expunge from the log the record of your transgressions last night and this morning now go to your quarters your meals will be served there for 24 hours and at the end of that time I shall receive your decision meanwhile your liquor will be taken from you he gave me an ugly look turned upon his heel and left my stature Norton was on watch that night we were two days past the moon West Jay and I were asleep in our stature rooms when suddenly Norton entered mine and shook me violently by the shoulder I got captain he cried come quick Commander Orthus is destroying the engines I leaped to my feet and followed Norton amid ships to the engine room calling to West and Jay as I passed their statement through the bullseye in the engine room door which he had locked we could see Orthus working over the auxiliary generator which was to have proven our salvation in an emergency since by means of it we could overcome the pull of any planet into the sphere of whose influence we might be carried I breathed to sigh of relief as my eyes noted that the main battery of engines was functioning properly since as a matter of fact we had not expected to have to rely at all upon the auxiliary generator having stored sufficient quantities to the eighth ray of the various heavenly bodies by which we might be influenced to carry us safely throughout the entire extent of the long voyage West and Jay had joined us by this time and I now called to Orthus commanding him to open the door he did something more to the generator and then arose crossed the engine room directly to the door unbolted it and through the door open his hair was disheveled his face drawn his eyes shining with a peculiar light but with all his expression denoted a drunken elation that I did not at the moment understand what have you been doing here Orthus I demanded you are under arrest and supposed to be in your quarters you'll see what I've been doing he replied and it's done it's done it can't ever be undone I've seen to that I grabbed him roughly by the shoulder what do you mean tell me what you have done oh by God I will kill you with my own hands for I knew not only from his words but from his expression that he had accomplished something which he considered very terrible the man was a coward and he quailed under my grasp you wouldn't dare to kill me he cried and it don't make any difference we will all be dead in a few hours go and look at your damned compass End of chapter 1 Recording by Thomas Copeland Chapter 2 of The Moon Made by Edgar Rice Burroughs This Libber Vox recording is in the public domain Recording by Thomas Copeland Chapter 2 The Secret of the Moon Norton whose watch it was had already hurried toward the pilot room where were located the controls and the various instruments This room which was just forward of the engine room was in effect a circular conning tower which projected about 12 inches above the upper hull The entire circumference of this 12 inch superstructure was set with small ports of thick crystal glass As I turned to follow Norton I spoke to West Mr. West I said you and Mr. J will place Lieutenant Commander Orthus in irons immediately if he resists, kill him As I hurried after Norton I heard a volley of oaths from Orthus and a burst of almost maniacal laughter When I reached the pilot house I found Norton working very quietly with the controls There was nothing hysterical in his movements but his face was absolutely ashen What is wrong, Mr. Norton, I asked But as I looked at the compass simultaneously I read my answer there before he spoke We were moving at right angles to our proper course We are falling toward the moon, sir, he said and she does not respond to her control Shut down the engines I ordered They are only accelerating our fall Aye, sir, he replied The lunar 8th ray tank is of sufficient capacity to keep us off the moon, I said If it has not been tempered with we should be in no danger of falling to the moon's surface If it has not been tempered with, sir Yes, sir, that is what I have been thinking But the gauge here shows it full to capacity, I reminded him I know, sir, he replied but if it were full to capacity we should not be falling so rapidly Immediately I fell to examining the gauge almost at once discovering that it had been tempered with and the needle set permanently to indicate a maximum supply I turned to my companion Mr. Norton, I said Please go forward and investigate the lunar 8th ray tank and report back to me immediately The young man saluted and departed As he approached the tank it was necessary for him to crawl through a very restricted place beneath the deck In about five minutes Norton returned He was not so pale as he had been but he looked very haggard Well, I inquired as he halted before me The exterior intake valve has been open, sir He said, the rays were escaping into space I have closed it, sir The valve to which he referred was used only when the ship was in dry dock for the purpose of refilling the buoyancy tank and because it was so seldom used for further precaution against accident the valve was placed in an inaccessible part of the hull where there was absolutely no likelihood of its being accidentally opened Norton glanced at the instrument We are not falling quite so rapidly now, he said Yes, I replied I had noted that and I have also been able to adjust the lunar 8th ray gauge It shows that we have about half the original pressure not enough to keep us from going ground, he commented No, not here, for there is no atmosphere If the moon had an atmosphere we could at least keep off the surface if we wished to as it is, however, I imagine that we will be able to make a safe landing though, of course, that will do us little good You understand, I suppose, Mr. Norton that this is practically the end He nodded and blowed to the inhabitants of two worlds, he remarked His entire forgetfulness of self indicating the true nobility of his character It is a sad report to broadcast, I remarked but it must be done, and at once You will please send the following message to the Secretary of Peace USS the Barsoom January 6th, 2026 about 20,000 miles off the moon Lieutenant Commander Orthus while under the influence of liquor has destroyed an auxiliary engine and opened exterior intake valve lunar A3 buoyancy tank ship sinking rapidly would keep you Norton, who had seated himself at the radio desk leaped suddenly to his feet and turned toward me By God, sir, he cried, he has destroyed the radio outfit also, we can either send or receive A careful examination revealed the fact that Orthus had so cleverly and completely destroyed the instruments that there was no hope of repairing them I turned to Norton We are not only dead Norton, but we are buried as well I smiled as I spoke, and he answered me with a smile that betook in his utter fearlessness of death I have but one regret, sir, he said and that is that the world will never know that our failure was not due to any weakness of our machinery, ship, or equipment That is indeed too bad, I reply for it will retard transportation between the two worlds, possibly a hundred years maybe forever I called to Weston Jay, who by this time had placed Orthus in irons and confined into a state room When they came, I told them what had happened and they took it as coolly as did Norton Nor was I surprised, for these were fine types selected from the best of that splendid organization which officered the international peace fleet Together we immediately made a careful inspection of the ship, which revealed no further damage than that which we had already discovered but which was sufficient as we well knew to preclude any possibility of our escaping from the pull of the moon You gentlemen realize our position as well as I, I told them Could we repair the auxiliary generator? We might isolate the lunar 8th ray We fill our tank and resume our voyage But the diabolical cleverness with which Lieutenant Commander Orthus has wrecked the machine renders this impossible We might fight away from the surface of the moon for a considerable period but in the end it would avail us nothing It is my plan therefore to make a landing Insofar as the actual lunar conditions are concerned we are confronted only by a mass of theories many of which are conflicting It will therefore be at least a matter of consuming interest to us to make a landing upon this dead world where we may observe it closely But there is also the possibility, remote I grant you that we may discover conditions there which may in some manner alleviate our position At least we can be no worse off To live for 15 years cooped in the hull of this dead ship is unthinkable I may speak only for myself but to me it would be highly preferable to die immediately than to live on thus knowing that there was no hope of rescue Had Orthus not destroyed the radio outfit we could have communicated with Earth and another ship been outfitted and sent to our rescue inside a year But now we cannot tell them and they will never know our fate The emergency that has arisen has however so altered conditions that I do not feel warranted in taking this step without consulting you gentlemen It is a matter now largely of the duration of our lives I cannot proceed upon the mission upon which I have been dispatched nor can I return to Earth I wish therefore that you would express yourselves freely concerning the plan which I have outlined West, who was the senior among them was naturally the one to reply first He told me that he was content to go wherever I led and Jay and Norton in turn signified a similar willingness to abide by whatever decision I might reach They also assured me that they were as keen to explore the surface of the moon at close range as I and that they could think of no better way of spending the remainder of their lives than in the acquisition of new experiences and the observation of new scenes Very well Mr. Norton I said you will set your course directly toward the moon Aided by lunar gravity our descent was rapid As we plunged through space at a terrific speed the satellite seemed to be leaping madly toward us and at the end of 15 hours I gave orders to slack off and brought the ship almost to a stop about 9,000 feet above the summit of the higher lunar peaks Never before had I gazed upon a more awe-inspiring scene than that presented by those terrific peaks towering 5 miles above the broad valleys of their feet Sheer cliffs of 3 and 4,000 feet were nothing uncommon and all was rendered weirdly beautiful by the variegated colors of the rocks and the strange prismatic hues of the rapidly growing vegetation upon the valley floors From our lofty elevation above the peaks we could see many craters of various dimensions some of which were huge chasms 3 and 4 miles in diameter As we descended slowly we drifted directly over one of these abysses into the impenetrable depths of which we sought to strain our sight Some of us believed that we detected a faint luminosity far below but of that we could not be certain Jay thought it might be the reflected light from the molten interior I was confident that had this been the case there would have been a considerable rise as we passed low across the mouth of the crater At this altitude we made an interesting discovery There is an atmosphere surrounding the moon It is extremely tenuous but yet it was recorded by our barometer at an altitude of about 1,500 feet above the highest peak we crossed Doubtless in the valleys and deeper veins where the vegetation thrived it is denser but that I do not know since we never landed upon the surface of the moon As the ship drifted we presently noted that it was taking a circular course paralleling the rim of the huge volcanic crater above which we were descending I immediately gave orders to alter our course since as we were descending constantly we should presently be below the rim of the crater and being unable to rise be hopelessly lost in its huge maw It was my plan to drift slowly over one of the larger valleys as we descended and make a landing amidst the vegetation which we perceived growing in riotous profusion and movement beneath us But when West, whose watch it now was attempted to alter the course of the ship he found that it did not respond Instead it continued to move slowly in a great circle around the inside rim of the crater At the moment of this discovery we were not much more than 500 feet above the summit of the volcano and we were constantly though slowly dropping West looked up at us smiled and shook his head It is no use sir, he said, addressing me It is about all over sir and there won't even be any shouting We seem to be caught in what one might call a lunar whirlpool for you will have noticed sir that our circles are constantly growing smaller Our speed does not seem to be increasing, our remark as would follow were we approaching the vortex of a true whirlpool I think I can explain it sir, said Norton It is merely due to the action of the lunar 8th ray which still remains in the forward buoyancy tank Its natural tendency is to push itself away from the moon which as far as we are concerned is represented by the rim of this enormous crater As each portion of the surface repels us in its turn we are pushed gently along in a lessening circle because as we drop nearer the summit of the peak the greater the reaction of the 8th lunar ray If I am not mistaken in my theory our circle will cease to narrow after we have dropped beneath the rim of the crater I guess you are right Norton I said At least it is a far more tenable theory than that we are being sucked into the vortex of an enormous whirlpool There is scarcely enough atmosphere for that it seems to me As we dropped slowly below the rim of the crater the tenability of Norton's theory became more and more apparent For presently, though our speed increased slightly the diameter of our circular course remained constant and at a little greater depth our speed as well We were descending now at the rate of a little over ten miles an hour The barometer recording a constantly increasing atmospheric pressure though nothing approximating that necessary to the support of life upon Earth The temperature rose slightly but not alarmingly From a range of 25 or 30 below zero immediately after we entered the shadow of the crater's interior it rose gradually to zero at a point some 125 miles below the summit of the giant extinct volcano that had engulfed us During the next ten miles our speed diminished rapidly until we suddenly realized that we were no longer falling but that our emotion had been reversed and we were rising Up we went for approximately eight miles when suddenly we began to fall again Again we fell but this time for only six miles when our emotion was reversed and we rose again a distance of about four miles This sea-sawing was continued until we finally came to rest at about what we estimated was a distance of some 130 miles below the summit of the crater It was quite dark and we had only our instruments to tell us of what was happening to the ship the interior of which was of course brilliantly illuminated and comfortably worn Now below us and now above us for the ship had rolled completely over each time we had passed the point at which we came finally to rest we had noticed the luminosity that Norton had first observed from above the mouth of the crater Each of us had been doing considerable thinking and at last young Norton could contain himself no longer I beg your pardon, sir, he said, deferentially but won't you tell us what you think of it what your theory is as to where we are and why we hang here in mid-air and why the ship rolled over every time we passed this point I can only account for it, I replied, upon a single and rather preposterous hypothesis which is that the moon is a hollow sphere with a solid crust, some 250 miles in thickness Gravity is preventing us from rising above the point where we now are while centrifugal force keeps us from falling The others nodded They too had been forced to accept the same apparently ridiculous theory since there was none other that could explain our predicament Norton had walked across the room to read the barometer which he had rather neglected while the ship had been performing her eccentric antics far below the surface of the moon I saw his brows knit as he glanced at it and then I saw him studying it carefully as though to assure himself that he had made no mistake in the reading Then he turned toward us There must be something wrong with this instrument, sir, he said It is registering pressure equivalent to that at the earth's surface I walked over and looked at the instrument It certainly was registering the pressure that Norton had read nor did there seem to be anything wrong with the instrument There is a way to find out, I said We can shut down the insulating generator and open an air cock momentarily It won't take five seconds to determine whether the barometer is correct or not It was, of course, in some respects a risky proceeding But with West at the generator, J at the air cock and Norton at the pump I knew that we would be reasonably safe even if there proved to be no atmosphere without The only danger lay in the chance that we were hanging in a poisonous gas of the same density as the earthly atmosphere But as there was no particular incentive to live in the situation in which we were we each felt that no matter what chance we might take it would make little difference in the eventual outcome of our expedition I tell you that it was a very tense moment as the three men took their posts to await my word of command If we had indeed discovered a true atmosphere beneath the surface of the moon what more might we not discover? If it were an atmosphere, we could propel the ship in it and we could, if nothing more, go out on deck to breathe fresh air It was arranged that at my word of command West was to shut off the generator, J to open the air cock, and Norton to start the pump If fresh air failed to enter through the tube J was to give the signal, whereupon Norton would reverse the pump West start the generator and immediately J would close the air cock again As J was the only man who was to take a greater chance than the others I walked over and stood beside him, placing my nostrils as close to the air cock as his Then I gave the word of command Everything worked perfectly, and an instant later a rush of fresh, cold air was pouring into the hull of the Barsoom West and Norton had been watching the effects upon our faces closely so that they knew almost as soon as we did that the result of our tests had been satisfactory We were all smiles, though just why we were so happy I am sure none of us could have told Possibly it was just because we had found a condition that was identical with an Earthly condition and though we might never see our world again, we could at least breathe air similar to hers I had them start the motors again then Presently we were moving in a great spiral upward toward the interior of the moon Our progress was very slow, but as we rose the temperature rose slowly too while the barometer showed a very slightly decreasing atmospheric pressure The luminosity now above us increased as we ascended until finally the sides of the great well through which we were passing became slightly illuminated All this time, Orthos had remained in Irons in his state room I had given instructions that he was to be furnished food and water, but no one was to speak to him and I had taken Norton into my state room with me Knowing Orthos to be a drunkard, a traitor, and a potential murderer I had no sympathy whatsoever for him I had determined to court-martial him and did not intend to spend the few remaining hours or years of my life cooped up in a small ship with him and I knew that the verdict of any court, whether composed of the remaining crew of the Barsoom or appointed by the Judge Advocate General of the Navy, could result in but one thing and that was death for Orthos I had left the matter, however, until we were not pressed with other matters of greater importance and so he still lived, though he shared neither in our fears, our hopes, nor our joys About 26 hours after we entered the mouth of the crater at the surface of the moon we suddenly emerged from its opposite end to look upon a scene that was as marvelous and weird by comparison with the landscape upon the surface of the moon as the latter was in comparison with that of our own Earth A soft, diffused light revealed to us in turn mountains, valleys, and sea the details of which were more slowly encompassed by our minds the mountains were as rugged as those upon the surface of the satellite and appeared equally lofty they were, however, clothed with verdure almost to their summits at least a few that were within our range or vision and there were forests too strange forests of strange trees so unearthly in appearance as to suggest the weird phantasmagoria of a dream we did not rise much above 500 feet from the opening of the well through which we had come from outer space when I described an excellent landing place and determined to descend this was readily accomplished and we made a safe landing close to a large forest and near the bank of a small stream then we opened the forward hatch and stepped out upon the deck of the Barsoom the first earthmen to breathe the air of Luna it was, according to Earth Time, 11 a.m. January 8th, 2026 I think that the first thing which engaged our interest at attention was the strange and then to us unaccountable luminosity which pervaded the interior of the moon above us were banks of fleecy clouds the undersurfaces of which appeared to be lighted from beneath while through breaks in the cloud banks we could discern a luminous firmament beyond though nowhere was there any suggestion of a central incandescent orb radiating light and heat as does our sun the clouds themselves cast no shadows upon the ground nor in fact were there any well-defined shadows even directly beneath the hull of the ship or surrounding the forest trees which grew close at hand the shadows were vague and nebulous blending off into nothingness at their edges we ourselves cast no more shadows upon the deck of the Barsoom than would have been true upon a cloudy day on earth yet the general illumination surrounding us approximated that of a very slightly hazy earth day this peculiar lunar light interested us profoundly but it was some time before we discovered the true explanation of its origin it was of two kinds emanating from widely different sources the chief of which was due to the considerable radium content of the internal lunar soil and principally of the rock forming the loftier mountain ranges the radium being so combined as to diffuse a gentle perpetual light which pervaded the entire interior of the moon the secondary source was sunlight which penetrated to the interior of the moon through the hundreds of thousands of huge craters penetrating the lunar crust it was this sunlight which carried heat to the inner world maintaining a constant temperature of about 80 degrees Fahrenheit centrifugal force in combination with the gravity of the moon's crust confined the internal lunar atmosphere to a blanket which we estimated at about 50 miles in thickness over the inner surface of this buried world this atmosphere rarefies rapidly as one ascends the higher peaks with the result that these are constantly covered with perpetual snow and ice sending great glaciers down mighty gorges toward the central seas it is this condition which has probably prevented the atmosphere combined as it is within an almost solid sphere from becoming superheated through the unthinkable ages that this condition must have existed the earth's seasons are reflected but slightly in the moon there being but a few degrees difference between summer and winter there are however periodic windstorms which recur with greater or less regularity once each sidereal month do I imagine to the unequal distribution of crater openings through the crust of the moon a fact which must produce an unequal absorption of heat at various times and in certain localities the natural circulation of the lunar atmosphere affected as it is by the constantly changing volume and direction of the sun's rays as well as the great range of temperature between the valleys and the ice-clad mountain peaks produces frequent storms of greater or less violence high winds are accompanied by violent rains upon the lower levels and blinding snowstorms among the barren heights about the vegetation line rains which fall from low-hanging clouds are warm and pleasant those which come from high clouds are cold and disagreeable yet, however violent or protracted the storm the illumination remains practically constant there are never any dark, lowering days within the moon nor is there any night End of Chapter 2 Recording by Thomas Copeland Chapter 3 of The Moon Made by Edgar Rice Burroughs this LibriVox recording is in the public domain recording by Thomas Copeland Chapter 3 Animals or Men? Of course we did not reach all these conclusions in a few moments but I have given them here merely as the outcome of our deductions following a considerable experience within the moon several miles from the ship rose foothills which climbed picturesquely toward the cloudy heights of the loftier mountains behind them and as we looked in the direction of these latter and then out across the forest there was appreciable to us the strangeness that at first we could not explain but which we later discovered was due to the fact that there was no horizon the distance that one could see being dependent solely upon one's power of vision the general effect was of being in the bottom of a tremendous bowl with sides so high that one might not see the top the ground about us was covered with rank vegetation of pale hues punders, violets, pinks and yellows predominating pink grasses which became distinctly flesh color and maturity grew in abundance and the stalks of most of the flowering plants were of this same peculiar hue the flowers themselves were often of highly complex form of pale and delicate shades of great size and rare beauty there were low shrubs that bore a berry-like fruit and many of the trees of the forest carried fruit of considerable size and of a variety of forms and colors Norton and Jay were debating the possible edibility of some of these but I gave orders that no one was to taste them until we had had an opportunity to learn by analysis or otherwise those varieties that were non-poisonous there was aboard the Barsoom a small laboratory equipped especially for the purpose of analyzing the vegetable and mineral products of Mars according to earthly standards as well as other means of conducting research work upon our sister planet as we had sufficient food aboard for a period of 15 years there was no immediate necessity for eating any of the lunar fruit but I was anxious to ascertain the chemical properties of the water since the manufacture of this necessity was slow, laborious and expensive I therefore instructed West to take a sample from the stream and subject it to laboratory tests and the others I ordered below for sleep they were rather more keen to set out upon a tour of exploration nor could I blame them but as none of us had slept for rather better than 48 hours we considered it of importance that we recuperate our vital forces against whatever contingency might confront us in this unknown world here were air, water and vegetation the three prime requisites for the support of animal life and so I judged it only reasonable to assume that animal life existed within the Moon if it didn't exist it might be in some highly predatory form against which it would tax our resources to the utmost to defend ourselves I insisted therefore upon each of us obtaining his full quota of sleep before venturing from the safety of the bassoon we already had seen evidences of life of a low order both reptile and insect or perhaps it would be better to describe the latter as flying reptiles as they later proved to be toad-like creatures with the wings of bats that flitted among the fleshy boughs of the forest emitting plenty of cries upon the ground near the ship we had seen but a single creature though the moving grasses had assured us that there were others there aplenty the thing that we had seen had been plainly visible to us all and may be best described as a five-foot snake with four frog-like legs and a flat head with a single eye in the center of the forest its legs were very short and as it moved along the ground it both wriggled like a true snake and scrambled with its four short legs we watched it to the edge of the river and saw it dive in and disappear beneath the surface Silly-looking beggar, remarked Jay, and devilish unearthly I don't know about that, I returned he possessed nothing visible to us that we are not familiar with on Earth possibly he was assembled after a slightly different plan from any Earth creature but aside from that he is familiar to us even to his amphibious habits and these flying toads too, what of them? I see nothing particularly remarkable about them we have just as strange forms on Earth though nothing precisely like these Mars too has forms of animal and vegetable life peculiar to herself yet nothing the existence of which would be impossible upon Earth and she has as well human forms almost identical with our own you see what I am trying to suggest? yes sir, replied Jay, that there may be human life similar to our own within the moon I see no reason to be surprised should we discover human beings here, I said nor would I be surprised to find a reasoning creature of some widely divergent form I would be surprised however where we defined no form analogous to the human race of Earth that is a dominant race with well-developed reasoning faculties asked Norton, yes and it is because of this possibility that we must have sleep and keep ourselves fit since we may not know the disposition of these creatures provided they exist nor the reception that they will accord us and so Mr. Norton, if you will get a receptacle and fetch some water from the stream we will leave Mr. West on watch to make his analysis and the rest of us will turn in Norton went below and returned with a glass jar in which to carry the water and the balance of us lined the rail with our service revolvers ready in the event of an emergency as he went over the side none of us had walked more than a few steps since coming on deck after our landing I had noticed a slightly peculiar sensation of buoyancy but in view of the numerous other distractions had given it no consideration as Norton reached the bottom of the ladder and set foot on lunar soil I called to him to make haste just in front of him was a low bush and beyond it lay the river about 30 feet distant in response to my command he gave a slight leap to clear the bush and to our amazement as well as to his own consternation rose fully 18 feet into the air cleared a space of fully 35 feet and lit in the river come I said to the others wishing them to follow me to Norton's aid and sprang for the rail but I was too impetuous I never touched the rail but cleared it by many feet sailed over the intervening strip of land and disappeared beneath the icy waters of the lunar river how deep it was I do not know but at least it was over my head I found myself in a sluggish yet powerful current the water seeming to move much as a heavy oil moves to the gravity of earth as I came to the surface I saw Norton swimming strongly for the bank and a second later Jay emerged not far from me I glanced quickly around for west whom I immediately perceived was still on the deck of the Barsoom where of course it was his duty to remain since it was his watch the moment that I realized that my companions were all safe I could not repress a smile and then Norton and Jay commenced to laugh and we were still laughing when we pulled ourselves from the stream a short distance below the ship get your sample Norton I asked I still have the container sir he replied and indeed he had clung to it throughout his surprising adventure as Jay and I fortunately had clung to our revolvers Norton removed the cap from the bottle and dipped the ladder into the stream then he looked up at me and smiled I think we have beaten Mr. West to it sir he said it seems like very good water sir and when I struck it I was so surprised that I must have swallowed at least a quart I tested a bit of it myself I replied as far as we three are concerned Mr. West's analysis will not interest us if he discovers that lunar water contains poisonous matter but for his own protection we will let him proceed with his investigation it is strange sir remark Jay that none of us thought of the natural effects of the lesser gravity of the moon we have discussed the matter upon many occasions as you will recall yet when we faced the actual condition we gave it no consideration whatsoever I am glad remarked Norton that I did not attempt to jump the river I should have been going yet probably landed on top of some mountain as we approached the ship I saw West awaiting us with the most serious and dignified mean but when he saw that we were all laughing he joined us telling us after we reached the deck that he had never witnessed a more surprising or ludicrous sight in his life we went below then and after closing and securing the hatch three of us repaired to our bunks while West with the sample of lunar water we went to the laboratory I was very tired and slept soundly for some ten hours for it was the middle of Norton's watch before I awoke the only important entry upon the log since I had turned in was West's report of the results of his analysis of the water which showed that it was not only perfectly safe for drinking purposes but unusually pure with an extremely low sailing content I had been up about a half hour when West came to me saying that Orthos requested permission to speak to me 24 hours before I had been fairly well determined to bring Orthos to trial and execute him immediately but that had been when I had felt that we were all hopelessly doomed to death on his account now however with a habitable whirl beneath our feet surrounded by conditions almost identical with those which existed upon Earth our future looked less dark and because of this I found myself in a quandary as to what course of action to pursue in the matter of Orthos' punishment that he deserved death that was no question but when men have faced death so closely and escaped, temporarily at least I believe that they must look upon life as a most sacred thing and be less inclined to deny life to others be that as it may the fact remains that having sent for Orthos in compliance with his request I received him in a mood of less stern and uncompromising justice than would have been the case 24 hours previous when he had been brought to my state room and stood before me I asked him what he wished to say to me he was entirely sober now and bore himself with a certain dignity that was not untinged with humility I do not know what has occurred since I was put in irons as you have instructed the others not to speak to me or answer my questions I know of course however that the ship is at rest and that pure air is circulating through it and I have heard the hatch raised in footsteps upon the upper deck from the time that has elapsed since I was placed under arrest I know that the only planet upon which we have had time to make a landing is the moon and so I may guess that we are upon the surface of the moon I have had ample time to reflect upon my actions that I was intoxicated is of course no valid excuse and yet it is the only excuse that I have to offer I beg sir that you will accept the assurance of my sincere regret of the unforgivable things that I have done and that you will permit me to live and atone for my wrongdoings for if we are indeed upon the surface of the moon it may be that we can ill spare a single member of our small party I throw myself sir entirely upon your mercy but beg that you will give me another chance realizing my natural antipathy for the man and wishing most sincerely not to be influenced against him because of it I let his plea influence me against my better judgment with the result that I promised him that I would give the matter careful consideration, discuss it with the others and be influenced largely by their decision I had him returned to his stateroom then and sent for the other members of the party with what fidelity my memory permitted I repeated to the main author's own words his request for mercy and now gentlemen I said I would like to have your opinions in the matter it is of as much moment to you as to me and under the peculiar circumstances in which we are placed I prefer insofar as possible to defer whatever I can to the judgment of the majority whatever my final action the responsibility will be mine I do not seek to divide that and it may be that I shall act contrary to the wishes of the majority in some matters but in this one I really wish to abide by your desires because of the personal antagonism that has existed between Lieutenant Commander Orthus and myself since Boywood I knew that none of these men liked Orthus yet I knew too that they would approach the matter in a spirit of justice tempered by mercy and so I was not at all surprised when one after another they assured me that they would be glad if I would give the man another opportunity again I sent for Orthus and after explaining to him that in as much as he had given me his word to commit no disloyal act in the future I should place him on parole his eventual fate depending entirely upon his own conduct then had his irons removed and told him that he was to return to duty he seemed most grateful and assured us that we would never have cause to regret our decision would to God that instead of freeing him I had drawn my revolver and shot him through the heart we were all pretty well rested up by this time and I undertook to do a little exploring in the vicinity of the ship going out for a few hours each day with a single companion leaving the other three upon the ship I never went far afield at first confining myself to an area some five miles in diameter between the crater and the river upon both sides of the ladder below where the ship had landed was a considerable extent of forest I ventured into this upon several occasions and once just about time for us to return to the ship I came upon a well marked trail in the dust of which were the imprints of three towed feet each day I set the extreme limit of time that I would have sent myself in the ship with instructions that two of those remaining aboard should set out in search of me and my companion should we be absent over the specified number of hours therefore I was unable to follow the trail the day upon which I discovered it since we had scarcely more than enough time to make a brief examination of the tracks if we were to reach the ship within the limit I had allowed a chance that Norton was with me that day and in his quiet way was much excited by our discovery we were both positive that the tracks had been made by a four-footed animal something that weighed between 250 and 300 pounds how recently it had been used we could scarcely estimate but the trail itself gave every indication of being a very old one I was sorry that we had no time to pursue the animal which had made the tracks and determined that upon the following day I should do so we reached the ship and told the others what we had discovered they were much interested and many and varied were the conjectures as to the nature of the animals whose tracks we have seen after Orthas had been released from arrest Norton had asked permission to return to the former stateroom I had granted his request and the two had been very much together ever since I could not understand Norton's apparent friendship for this man and it almost made me doubt the young ensign one day I was to learn the secret of this intimacy but at the time I must confess that it puzzled me considerably and bothered me not a little for I had taken a great liking to Norton and disliked to see him so much in the company of a man of Orthas' character each of the men had now accompanied me on my short excursions of exploration with the exception of Orthas in as much as his parole had fully reinstated him among us in theory at least I could not very well discriminate against him and leave him alone of all the others aboard ship as I pursued my investigations of the surrounding country the day following our discovery of the trail I accordingly invited him to accompany me and we set out early each armed with a revolver and a rifle I advised West who automatically took command of the ship during my absence that we might be gone considerably longer than usual and that he was to feel no apprehension and sent out no relief party unless we should be gone a full 24 hours as I wished to follow up the spore we have discovered learn where the trail led to have a look at the animal that had made it I led the way directly to the spot at which we had found the trail about four miles downriver from the ship and apparently in the heart of dense forest the flying toads darted from tree to tree above us uttering their weird and plaintive cries while upon several occasions as in the past we saw four-legged snakes such as we had seen upon the day of our landing neither the toads nor the snakes bothered us seeming only to wish to avoid us just before we came upon the trail both Orthas and I thought we heard the sound of footsteps ahead of us something similar to that made by a galloping animal and when we came upon the trail a moment later it was apparent to both of us that dust was hanging in the air and slowly settling on the vegetation nearby something therefore had passed over the trail but a minute or two before we arrived a brief examination of the spore revealed the fact that it had been made by a three-toed animal whose direction of travel was to our right and toward the river at this point some half mile from us I could not help but feel considerable inward excitement and I was sorry that one of the others had not been with me for I never felt perfectly at ease with Orthas I had done considerable hunting in various parts of the world where wild game still exists but I had never experienced such a thrill as I did at the moment that I undertook to stop this unknown beast upon an unknown trail in an unknown world where the trail would lead me what I should find upon it I never knew from one step to another the lure of it because of that was tremendous the fact that there were almost nine million square miles of this world for me to explore and that no earth man had ever before set foot upon an inch of it helped a great deal to compensate for the fact that I knew I could never return to my own earth again the trail led to the edge of the river which at this point was very wide and shallow upon the opposite shore I could see the trail again upon the opposite and I knew therefore that this was a ford without hesitating I stepped into the river and as I did so I glanced to my left to see stretching before me as far as I could reach a vast expanse of water here then I had stumbled upon the mouth of the river and beyond a lunar sea the land upon the opposite side of the river was rolling and grass covered so far as I could see almost treeless as I turned my eyes from the sea back toward the opposite shore I saw that which caused me to halt my tracks cocked my rifle and issue a cautious warning to Orthas for silence for there before us upon a knoll stood a small horse-like animal it would have been a long shot possibly 500 yards and I should have preferred to have come closer but there was no chance to do that now for we were in the middle of the river in plain view of the animal which stood there watching us intently I had scarcely raised my rifle however ere it wheeled and disappeared over the edge of the knoll upon which it had been standing what did it look like to you Orthas I asked my companion it was a good ways off he replied and I only just got my binoculars on it as it disappeared but I could have sworn that it wore a harness of some sort it was about the size of a small pony I should say but it didn't have a pony's head it appeared tailless to me I remarked I saw no tail said Orthas nor any ears or horns it was a devilish funny looking thing I don't understand it there was something about it he paused I got sir there was something about it that looked human it gave me that same impression to Orthas and I doubt if I should have fired had I been able to cover it for just at the instant that I threw my rifle to my shoulder I felt that same strange impression that you mentioned there was something human about the thing as we talked we had been moving on across the ford which we found excellent on the water at no time coming to our waist while the current was scarcely appreciable finally we stepped out on the opposite shore and a moment later far to the left we caught another glimpse of the creature that we had previously seen it stood upon a distant noel evidently watching us Orthas and I raised our binoculars to our eyes almost simultaneously and for a full minute we examined the thing as it stood there neither of us speaking and then we dropped our glasses and looked at each other what do you make of it sir he asked I shook my head I don't know what to make of it Orthas I replied but I should swear that I was looking straight into a human face and yet the body was that of a quadruped there can be no doubt of it sir he replied and this time one could see the harness and the clothing quite plainly it appears to have some sort of a weapon hanging at its left side did you notice it sir yes I noticed it but I don't understand it a moment longer we stood watching the creature until it turned and galloped off disappearing behind the noel on which it had stood we decided to follow the trail which led in a southerly direction feeling reasonably assured that we were more likely to come in contact with the creature or other similar to it upon the trail than off of it we had gone but a short distance when the trail approached the river again which puzzled me at the time somewhat as we had gone apparently directly away from the river since we had left the forward but after we had gone some mile and a half we found the explanation since we came again to another forward while on beyond we saw the river emptying into the sea and realized that we had crossed an island lying in the mouth of the river I was hesitating as to whether to make the crossing and continue along the trail or to go back and search the island to the creature we had discovered I rather hoped to capture it but since I had finally described its human face I had given up all intention of shooting it unless I found that it would be necessary to do so in self-defense as I stood there, rather undecided our attention was attracted back to the island by a slight noise and as we looked in the direction of the disturbance we saw five of the creatures eyeing us from high land a quarter of a mile away when they saw that they were discovered they galloped boldly toward us they had come a short distance only when they stopped again upon a high knoll and then one of them raised his face toward the sky and emitted a series of piercing howls they then came on again toward us nor did they pause until they were within fifty feet of us when they came to a sudden halt End of chapter 3 Recording by Thomas Coffin