The First Men in the Moon Read online

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  Transcriber’s Notes:

  Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_).

  Additional Transcriber’s Notes are at the end.

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  THE FIRST MEN IN THE MOON

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  “I was progressing in great leaps and bounds”_Frontispiece._]

  The First Men in the Moon

  By

  H. G. Wells

  Author of “Tales of Space and Time,” “Love and Mr. Lewisham,” and “Anticipations”

  “Three thousand stadia from the earth to the moon.... Marvel not, my comrade, if I appear talking to you on super-terrestrial and aerial topics. The long and the short of the matter is that I am running over the order of a Journey I have lately made.”--LUCIAN’S _Icaromenippus_

  London

  George Newnes, Limited

  Southampton Street, Strand

  1901

  CONTENTS

  PAGE I. MR. BEDFORD MEETS MR. CAVOR AT LYMPNE 1

  II. THE FIRST MAKING OF CAVORITE 28

  III. THE BUILDING OF THE SPHERE 41

  IV. INSIDE THE SPHERE 54

  V. THE JOURNEY TO THE MOON 61

  VI. THE LANDING ON THE MOON 70

  VII. SUNRISE ON THE MOON 77

  VIII. A LUNAR MORNING 85

  IX. PROSPECTING BEGINS 92

  X. LOST MEN IN THE MOON 107

  XI. THE MOONCALF PASTURES 115

  XII. THE SELENITE’S FACE 132

  XIII. MR. CAVOR MAKES SOME SUGGESTIONS 140

  XIV. EXPERIMENTS IN INTERCOURSE 152

  XV. THE GIDDY BRIDGE 161

  XVI. POINTS OF VIEW 178

  XVII. THE FIGHT IN THE CAVE OF THE MOON BUTCHERS 191

  XVIII. IN THE SUNLIGHT 207

  XIX. MR. BEDFORD ALONE 221

  XX. MR. BEDFORD IN INFINITE SPACE 238

  XXI. MR. BEDFORD AT LITTLESTONE 249

  XXII. THE ASTONISHING COMMUNICATION OF MR. JULIUS WENDIGEE 271

  XXIII. AN ABSTRACT OF THE SIX MESSAGES FIRST RECEIVED FROM MR. CAVOR 277

  XXIV. THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE SELENITES 289

  XXV. THE GRAND LUNAR 316

  XXVI. THE LAST MESSAGE CAVOR SENT TO THE EARTH 340

  LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

  “I WAS PROGRESSING IN GREAT LEAPS AND BOUNDS” _Frontispiece_

  “HE GESTICULATED WITH HIS HANDS AND ARMS” _To face page_ 6

  “I LOOKED BACK AT HIS RECEDING FIGURE” ” ” 11

  “I SAT ACROSS THE EDGE OF THE MANHOLE AND LOOKED DOWN INTO THE BLACK INTERIOR” ” ” 54

  “WE WATCHED INTENSELY” ” ” 87

  “I REALISED MY LEAP HAD BEEN TOO VIOLENT” ” ” 101

  “INSECTS,” MURMURED CAVOR, “INSECTS” ” ” 130

  “THERE THE THING WAS, LOOKING AT US” ” ” 137

  “BEDFORD,” HE WHISPERED, “THERE’S A SORT OF LIGHT IN FRONT OF US” ” ” 177

  “THE NEARER I STRUGGLED, THE MORE AWFULLY REMOTE IT SEEMED” ” ” 236

  “THEY CARRIED HIM INTO DARKNESS” ” ” 292

  THE GRAND LUNAR ” ” 322

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  THE FIRST MEN IN THE MOON