CHAPTER III
CHAPTER III
THE DEPARTURE OF THE “COSMOS”
On April 16th, the projectile was transported in an enormous closed box, to the middle of a vast plain.
Using winches and braces, it was put upright, the base resting on a large cement platform, and by means of chains and ropes it was fixed to the ground.
The day before our departure, I realized that Doctor Omega was continuously making calculations in his note-book.
“Have you made an error?” I asked him.
“No,” he answered, “only it matters that I determine the point exactly where we are in order to regulate the angle of my projectile. Without that we would be likely to miss Mars. You know like me that, to reach this planet, it is necessary to take account of an essential fact: it is that the projectile takes part in two different movements: its own movement and that which the Earth imparts to it by its rotation.
“Its own movement, you know. That which the Earth imparts is a consequence of the rotation of the sphere.
“Starting at Creusot, which is located between the 46th and 47th degrees of north latitude, the speed of this movement is equal to 24,000 kilometers in twenty-four hours, that is to say 1,000 kilometers per hour. (It is the speed which the city of Creusot traverses in space in consequence of the terrestrial rotation.)
“But, my projectile will preserve this impulse indefinitely, because as you know, when a body is actuated by a movement, it cannot stop on its own. Abruptly stop a car moving at any speed and what occurs? The passengers are thrown from it violently.
“In short, Creusot is traversing, in consequence of this rotation, 1,000 kilometers per hour. For as many hours our projectile will need to reach Mars, it will be deviated from its path by 1,000.
“As it must remain in space for 17 days and 2 hours, that is to say 410 hours, it will thus deviate from its path by 410,000 kilometers.
“We will be consequently obliged, in order to reach our goal, to incline our projectile to a position corresponding exactly to 410,000 kilometers to the west of Mars.
“But it is not all The Earth still has a translatory movement around the sun. I also took care to include this in my calculations of drift.
“If one did not take account of these movements, one would be like a naval gunner, who, trying to hit a distant target, worries neither about the rolling nor the pitching of his ship.”
All this was Hebrew to me of, but I nodded my head however and murmured from time to time words like these: Obviously! It is clear! Nothing could be plainer! That makes sense!
And the doctor continued his explanations, persuaded that I understood him perfectly.
Suddenly he said to me:
“I do not believe to be mistaken in my calculations, because I’ve checked them well; however, for safety’s sake, will you please redo them. I will then compare your results with mine.”
These words produced on me the effect of a cold shower and I looked at the scientist with a frightened expression.
I was going to acknowledge my ignorance to him, when, extremely fortunately, the arrival of Fred made a diversion. Definitely, this good chap came always came through.
He approached the doctor and said to him in an embarrassed tone:
“Doctor, I have something to ask you.”
“Well,” said the scientist gruffly.
“I would like to go with you.”
“You are insane, Fred! Besides, I do not need you. We two are sufficient.”
Fred smiled.
“It is possible,” he answered, “but you undoubtedly did not think of one thing. You know that I am not bad cook. You have even complimented me often on the little dishes I’ve made for you. I could be your master-chef and on board the craft I would deal with the grub”.
“And then one does not know if might be attacked on the Moon. I have heard that she is inhabited by some unpleasant coconuts—rather odd individuals.”
“My good Fred,” said the doctor, smiling. “it is not to the Moon that we are going but to the planet Mars!”
“The Moon or the planet Mars, for me, it is a toss-up. It is a strange country. If the Porpoises”—I believe that one calls them that...”
“No, the Martians,” replied the doctor.
“Well, if the Martians were going to attack you on your arrival, do you believe the two of you could hold out against them? With me along, the party would be less dangerous. I could defend you.”
Fred showed his enormous hands. The doctor considered his workman for a few moments, then he said to him:
“You will come with us, but I will be obliged to add to our projectile a layer of Repulsite corresponding to your weight!”
“Oh! thank you!” exclaimed Fred. “You will see I will be more useful to you than you suppose. I am you will not regret having taken me along.”
I was not annoyed to see Fred coming with us, because I wondered already, being unaccustomed to any manual work, how I would be of any assistance to the scientist.
On the day of the departure, a crowd arrived at Creusot.
As on the day before, the plain was littered with curiosity-seekers who had come to see the projectile.
I must confess that, on the morning of April 18th, I had lost much of my assurance and I wondered if I should or should not leave with the doctor.
For several hours I deliberated. I was about to go find my friend and tell him not to count on me any longer, but I did not dare make the decision.
The moment to leave this world had come. Already the doctor given his last instructions.
His note-book in one hand, a compass in the other, he tilted the shell in a westerly direction, towards an imaginary point which only he seemed to see.
We moved the machine, by using winches, leaning it more and more, until finally the doctor exclaimed:
“We are there!”
Immediately the shell was slipped onto a metal trap, driven by a gigantic spring, which releasing an extraordinary force was to give to the machine the initial thrust which would send it on its way to Mars, while making it describe an immense parabola.
“Perfect,” said Doctor Omega after having checked for the last time the position of the projectile.
He moved towards small stage where he took a seat in the middle of about fifty people. Fred and I sat down at its sides.
Musicians played our national anthem, then several serious and solemn gentlemen, in grotesque frock coats, made speeches of which the major part of the audience did not understand a thing.
Doctor Omega wanted to answer in his turn, but he was not speaker. He reddened, stammered, embarrassed himself for a period and finally stopped short
All that one could make of his short speech, was that he had given to his planetary vehicle the name of Cosmos.
“Cosmos Lives! Long live Cosmos!” the crowd howled.
The doctor made three small bows and, turning to Fred and me, he said:
“The moment has arrived.”
“Alea jacta est!” I added mentally.
And under the eyes of ten thousand spectators, we solemnly descended the steps from the stage and went towards the Cosmos, around which were all the engineers of Creusot.
At the moment my heart was pounding. I felt I must be very pale ... because then I would have to admit ... I was afraid ...
The doctor ordered the soldiers to gently remove the mooring ropes, in order not to disturb the position of the projectile, then he activated a spring and a tiny door opened in the bottom of the vehicle. Fred entered first.
“After you, Mr Borel,” said the old man.
A wizard had spoken to me. I clung to him like a shipwrecked man and tried to prolong the conversation in order to delay as much as possible the fatal minute of the launch. I resembled the man who has vowed to blow his brains out at a specific time and waits until all the clocks in the city have struck before putting his plan into execution. .
The doctor repeated:
“Look at you, Mr Borel!”
I warmly shook the hands of my interlocutor, gazed for the last time at the crowd around me, and then the green countryside, bathed in sun, where intense buzzing life ... cheerful ... enchanting ...
For a moment, I had the idea to flee, even if it meant passing for a coward, pusillanimous and cowardly, but I met the eye of the doctor, that singular eye which had always given me the shivers. And fascinated, hypnotized by this glance, I entered the shell.
Almost at once the scientist joined me there. I heard a great clamor, then the door was closed again with a small sharp snap and I perceived of the outside world no more than a vague murmur, rather similar to a buzz of bees.
The cables slipped along the layer of Repulsite, there was a shock, then I had the very clear feeling that we had fallen into a hole. It seemed to me then that we remained motionless.
“We have left,” said the doctor.
In the gleam of a small electric light placed along a partition, I stared at my old friend.
He was very calm, and endeavoured to smile.
As for Fred, he seemed very merry.
Through one of the port-holes, we looked below us and I knew then that we were actually moving.
Each second, our speed increased smoothly and we saw the ground fleeing vertiginously.
Sixteen minutes and forty seconds after our departure, we were 5,000 kilometers above the Earth.
The convexity of the sphere appeared very clearly to us then.
Below us the seas extended like a tablecloth whose blue color darkened more and more, while on the other side the continents grew brighter.
At the end of an hour, the doctor showed us that we were traveling at a rate of 35.640 kilometers a second and that we were at an altitude of 64,800 kilometers.
All that could be seen of the Earth was a ball decreasing as we watched and which wound up resembling the Moon perfectly.
Then we went up to the third floor, to the conning-tower, and looked through the large port-hole.
Although the walls of our vehicle were very thick, we started to feel invaded by the cold and we were obliged to put on our fur coats.
However, for several minutes, the doctor had remained with his face stuck to the pane of Repulsite. What drew his attention was a phosphorescent mass, which seemed at each second to swell inordinately.
“What is that?” I asked.
“I do not know anything about it,” he replied moodily.
The doctor continued to look with concern. Standing behind him, I also observed this luminous mass which approached with lightning speed. Suddenly, the old scientist turned toward me with an unhappy expression.
“What is it?” I exclaimed, distressed.
“A curse! fate!” he exclaimed. “See this gleam which advances and whose sparkle grows second by second. It comes at us and we are rushing towards it! We cannot avoid it! There is nothing to do! Absolutely nothing!”
Then he added, striking his head:
“It’s a meteor! ... A huge fireball! and it is right in our path!”