The First Men in the Moon Page #3

The possibilities are boundless.

Ironclads and weapons

and shipping and architecture.

One stupendous Cavorite company...

Oh, my dear Cavor,

you...we...are on to the biggest

thing that has ever been invented.

We are? Yes!

Yes! Well, I suppose we are!

Oh!

What about your play?

My play? My play.

Ugh, it's vanished.

Good heavens,

don't you see what we've got?

I hadn't thought beyond pure

research. Perhaps a fellowship

of the Royal Society.

How can you think so small?

Here is a substance that

no...no home,

no factory, no fortress, no ship

can dare to be without.

It's more universally applicable

than a patent medicine.

There isn't one solitary aspect

of it, not one of its

that will not make us rich, Cavor,

beyond the dreams of avarice.

Yes, I begin to see.

It's extraordinary how one gets new

points of view from talking things

over.

And as it happens,

you have talked to the right man.

I have very considerable

business experience.

You do?

Oh, yes.

'I did not, of course, tell him

'that I was an undischarged bankrupt

at the time.'

That's it!

That settles it.

A sort of roller blind.

A sort of what? Space. Anywhere.

The moon.

The moon? What do you mean?

Mean? Why, it must be a sphere,

that's what I mean.

Cavor, I don't know... Imagine

a sphere, or a sort of polygon,

large enough to hold two people

and their luggage, what have you.

It would be made of metal,

lined with thick glass. Probably.

A sphere?

To carry us to the moon.

But how would we breathe?

Oh, that's the least of it.

A simple filtration system.

I worked out something years ago

for a submersible.

Then the exterior of the sphere

would be enamelled.

With Cavorite?

With Cavorite.

One could screw oneself in

while the stuff was warm.

And as soon as it was cooled...

It'd become impervious to gravity

and... Whoosh!

Yes, whoosh!

Off one would go in a straight line.

Ah, but what's to stop one going off

in a straight line into space for

ever?

Roller blinds.

Roller blinds?

Mm. The inner sphere would be

airtight and continuous,

except for a manhole.

To get in and out.

Yes. But the exterior

could be made in sections,

each section capable of rolling up

after the fashion of a blind.

When they're all shut -

no light, no heat, no gravitation,

no radiant energy of any kind

would get inside the sphere.

But open the blind

and any heavenly body which

happened to be in the vicinity

would attract us.

Oh, I see!

Then it would be possible to tack

about in space like a little boat.

Tack, tack, tack.

The blinds would roll in upon

themselves, thus counteracting

the Cavorite effect

when not required.

HUMS:

I shall begin the calculations

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