CHAPTER V.
_The voyage continued--Second view of Asia--The Brahmin's speculationsconcerning India--Increase of the Moon's attraction--Appearance of theMoon--They land on the Moon._
The dryness of the preceding discussion, which lay out of the course ofmy studies, together with the effect of my dinner, began to make me alittle drowsy; whereupon the Brahmin urged me to take the repose whichit was clear I needed; remarking, that when I awoke, he would followmy example. Reclining my head, then, on my cloak, in a few minutes mysenses were steeped in forgetfulness.
I slept about six hours most profoundly; and on waking, found the goodBrahmin busy with his calculations of our progress. I insisted on hisnow taking some rest. After requesting me to wake him at the end of threehours, (or sooner, if any thing of moment should occur,) and putting upa short prayer, which was manifested by his looks, rather than by hiswords, he laid himself down, and soon fell into a quiet sleep.
Left now to my own meditations, and unsupported by the example andconversation of my friend, I felt my first apprehensions return, andbegan seriously to regret my rashness in thus venturing on so bold anexperiment, which, however often repeated with success, must ever behazardous, and which could plead little more in its favour than a vainand childish curiosity. I took up a book, but whilst my eye ran over thepage, I understood but little what I read, and could not relish even that.I now looked down through the telescope, and found the earth surprisinglydiminished in her apparent dimensions, from the increased rapidity of ourascent. The eastern coasts of Asia were still fully in view, as well asthe entire figure of that vast continent--of New Holland--of Ceylon, andof Borneo; but the smaller islands were invisible. I strained my eye tono purpose, to follow the indentations of the coast, according to the mapbefore me; the great bays and promontories could alone be perceived. TheBurman Empire, in one of the insignificant villages of which I had beenconfined for a few years, was now reduced to a speck. The agreeablehours I had passed with the Brahmin, with the little daughter of Sing Fou,and my rambling over the neighbouring heights, all recurred to my mind,and I almost regretted the pleasures I had relinquished. I tried, withmore success, to beguile the time by making notes in my journal; and afterhaving devoted about an hour to this object, I returned to the telescope,and now took occasion to examine the figure of the earth near the Poles,with a view of discovering whether its form favoured Captain Symmes'stheory of an aperture existing there; and I am convinced that thatingenious gentleman is mistaken. Time passed so heavily during thesesolitary occupations, that I looked at my watch every five minutes, andcould scarcely be persuaded it was not out of order. I then took up mylittle Bible, (which had always been my travelling companion,) read afew chapters in St. Matthew, and found my feelings tranquillized, andmy courage increased. The desired hour at length arrived; when, on wakingthe old man, he alertly raised himself up, and at the first view of thediminished appearance of the earth, observed that our journey was a thirdover, as to time, but not as to distance. After a few moments, the Brahminagain cast his eye towards his own natal soil; on beholding which, hefetched a deep sigh, and, if I was not mistaken, I saw a rising tear.
"Alas!" said he, "my country and my countrymen, how different you are inmany respects from what I should wish you to be! And yet I do not loveyou the less. Perhaps I love you the more for your faults, as well asfor your misfortunes.
"Our lot," continued he, "is a hard one. That quarter of the world hassent letters, and arts, and religion abroad to adorn and benefit theother four; and these, the chief of human blessings and glories, havedeserted us!"
I told him that I had heard the honours, which he claimed for India,attributed to Egypt. He contended, with true love of country, greatplausibility, and an intimate knowledge of Oriental history, that lettersand the arts had been first transplanted from Asia into Egypt.
"No other part of Africa," said he, "saving Egypt, can boast of anyancient monuments of the arts or of civilization. Even the pyramids,the great boast of Egypt, are proofs of nothing more than ordinary patientlabour, directed by despotic power. Besides, look at that vast region,extending five thousand miles from the Mediterranean to the Cape of GoodHope, and four thousand from the Red Sea to the Atlantic. Its immensesurface contains only ignorant barbarians, who are as uncivilized now asthey were three thousand years ago. Is it likely that if civilization andletters originated in Egypt, as is sometimes pretended, it would havespread so extensively in one direction, and not at all in another?I make no exception in favour of the Carthagenians, whose origin wascomparatively recent, and who, we know, were a colony from Asia."
I was obliged to admit the force of this reasoning; and, when he proceededto descant on the former glories and achievements of Asiatic nations,and their sad reverses of fortune--while he freely spoke of the presentdegradation and imbecility of his countrymen, he promptly resisted everycensure of mine. It was easy, indeed, to see that he secretly cherisheda hope that the day would come, when the whole of Hindostan would beemancipated from its European masters, and assume that rank among nationsto which the genius of its inhabitants entitled it. He admitted that thedominion of the English was less oppressive than that of their nativeprinces; but said, that there was this great difference between foreignand domestic despotism,--that the former completely extinguished allnational pride, which is as much the cause as the effect of nationalgreatness.
I asked him whether he thought if his countrymen were to shake off theyoke of the English, they could maintain their independence?
"Undoubtedly," said he. "Who would be able to conquer us?"
I suggested to him that they might tempt the ambition of Russia; andcautiously inquired, whether the abstinence from animal food might notrender his country much less capable of resistance; and whether it mightnot serve to explain why India had so often been the prey of foreignconquest? Of this, however, he would hear nothing; but replied, withmore impatience than was usual with him--
"It is true, Hindostan was invaded by Alexander--but not conquered; andthat it has since submitted, in succession, to the Arabians, to theTartars, under Genghis Khan, and under Tamerlane; to the Persians, underNadir Shah, and, finally, to the British. But there are few countriesof Europe which have not been conquered as often. That nation from whichyou are descended, and to which mine is now subject, furnishes noexception, as it has been subjugated, in succession, by the Romans, theDanes, the Saxons, the Normans. And, as to courage, we see no differencebetween those Asiatics who eat animal food as you do, and those whoabstain from it as I do. I am told that the Scotch peasantry eat muchless animal food than the English, and the Irish far less than they; andyet, that these rank among the best troops of the British. But surely anation ought not to be suspected of fearing death, whose very women showa contempt of life which no other people have exhibited."
This led us to talk of that strange custom of his country, which impelsthe widow to throw herself on the funeral pile of her husband, and to beconsumed with him. I told him that it had often been represented ascompulsory--or, in other words, that it was said that every art and meanswere resorted to, for the purpose of working on the mind of the woman, byher relatives, aided by the priests, who would be naturally gratified bysuch signal triumphs of religion over the strongest feelings of nature. Headmitted that these engines were sometimes put in operation, and thatthey impelled to the sacrifice, some who were wavering; but insisted, thatin a majority of instances the _Suttee_ was voluntary.
"Women," said he, "are brought up from their infancy, to regard our sexas their superiors, and to believe that their greatest merit consists inentire devotion to their husbands. Under this feeling, and having, atthe same time, their attention frequently turned to the chance of such acalamity, they are better prepared to meet it when it occurs. How few ofthe officers in your western armies, ever hesitate to march, at the headof their men, on a forlorn hope? and how many even court the danger forthe sake of the glory? Nay, you tell me that, according to your code ofhonour
, if one man insults another, he who gives the provocation, and hewho receives it, rather than be disgraced in the eyes of their countrymen,will go out, and quietly shoot at each other with firearms, till one ofthem is killed or wounded; and this too, in many cases, when the injuryhas been merely nominal. If you show such a contempt of death, indeference to a custom founded in mere caprice, can it be wondered thata woman should show it, in the first paroxysms of her grief for theloss of him to whom was devoted every thought, word, and action of herlife, and who, next to her God, was the object of her idolatry? My dearAtterley," he continued, with emotion, "you little know the strength ofwoman's love!"
Here he abruptly broke off the conversation; and, after continuingthoughtful and silent for some time, he remarked:
"But do not forget where we are. Nature demands her accustomed rest, andlet us prepare to indulge her. I feel little inclined to sleep atpresent; yet, by the time you have taken some hours' repose, I shallprobably require the same refreshment."
I would willingly have listened longer; but, yielding to his prudentsuggestion, again composed myself to rest, and left my good monitor tohis melancholy meditations. When I had slept about four hours, I wasawakened by the Brahmin, in whose arms I found myself, and who, feebleas he was, handled me with the ease that a nurse does a child, or rather,as a child does her doll. On looking around, I found myself lying on whathad been the ceiling of our chamber, which still, however, felt like thebottom. My eyes and my feelings were thus in collision, and I could onlyaccount for what I saw, by supposing that the machine had been turnedupside down. I was bewildered and alarmed.
After enjoying my surprise for a moment, the Brahmin observed: "We have,while you were asleep, passed the middle point between the earth's and themoon's attraction, and we now gravitate less towards our own planet thanher satellite. I took the precaution to move you, before you fell by yourown gravity, from what was lately the bottom, to that which is now so,and to keep you in this place until you were retained in it by the moon'sattraction; for, though your fall would have been, at this point, likethat of a feather, yet it would have given you some shock and alarm. Themachine, therefore, has undergone no change in its position or course;the change is altogether in our feelings."
The Brahmin then, after having looked through either telescope, but fora longer time through the one at the bottom, and having performed hiscustomary devotions, soon fell into a slumber, but not into the samequiet sleep as before, for he was often interrupted by sudden starts,of so distressing a character, that I was almost tempted to wake him.After a while, however, he seemed more composed, when I betook myselfto the telescope turned towards the earth.
The earth's appearance I found so diminished as not to exceed four timesthe diameter of the moon, as seen from the earth, and its whole face wasentirely changed. After the first surprise, I recollected it was themoon I was then regarding, and my curiosity was greatly awakened. Onraising myself up, and looking through the upper telescope, the earthpresented an appearance not very dissimilar; but the outline of hercontinents and oceans were still perceptible, in different shades, andcapable of being easily recognised; but the bright glare of the sun madethe surfaces of both bodies rather dim and pale.
After a short interval, I again looked at the moon, and found not onlyits magnitude very greatly increased, but that it was beginning topresent a more beautiful spectacle. The sun's rays fell obliquely onher disc, so that by a large part of its surface not reflecting the light,I saw every object on it, so far as I was enabled by the power of mytelescope. Its mountains, lakes, seas, continents, and islands, werefaintly, though not indistinctly, traced; and every moment broughtforth something new to catch my eye, and awaken my curiosity. Thewhole face of the moon was of a silvery hue, relieved and varied by thesoftest and most delicate shades. No cloud nor speck of vapour interceptedmy view. One of my exclamations of delight awakened the Brahmin, whoquickly arose, and looking down on the resplendent orb below us, observedthat we must soon begin to slacken the rapidity of our course, bythrowing out ballast. The moon's dimensions now rapidly increased; theseparate mountains, which formed the ridges and chains on her surface,began to be plainly visible through the telescope; whilst, on the shadedside, several volcanoes appeared upon her disc, like the flashes ofour fire-fly, or rather like the twinkling of stars in a frosty night.He remarked, that the extraordinary clearness and brightness of theobjects on the moon's surface, was owing to her having a less extensiveand more transparent atmosphere than the earth: adding--"The differenceis so great, that some of our astronomical observers have been inducedto think she has none. If that, however, had been the case, our voyagewould have been impracticable."
After gazing at the magnificent spectacle, with admiration and delight,for half an hour, the Brahmin loosed one of the balls of the lunar metal,for the purpose of checking our velocity. At this time he supposed wewere not more than four thousand miles, or about twice the moon'sdiameter, from the nearest point of her surface. In about four hoursmore, her apparent magnitude was so great, that we could see her bylooking out of either of the dark side-windows. Her disc had now lostits former silvery appearance, and began to look more like that of theearth, when seen at the same distance. It was a most gratifying spectacleto behold the objects successively rising to our view, and steadilyenlarging in their dimensions. The rapidity with which we approached themoon, impressed me, in spite of myself, with the alarming sensation offalling; and I found myself alternately agitated with a sense of thisdanger, and with impatience to take a nearer view of the new objects thatgreeted my eyes. The Brahmin was wholly absorbed in calculations for thepurpose of adjusting our velocity to the distance we had to go, hisestimates of which, however, were in a great measure conjectural; andever and anon he would let off a ball of the lunar metal.
After a few hours, we were so near the moon that every object was seen inour glass, as distinctly as the shells or marine plants through a pieceof shallow sea-water, though the eye could take in but a small part ofher surface, and the horizon, which bounded our view, was rapidlycontracting. On letting the air escape from our machine, it did not nowrush out with the same violence as before, which showed that we werewithin the moon's atmosphere. This, as well as ridding ourselves of themetal balls, aided in checking our progress. By and bye we were within afew miles of the highest mountains, when we threw down so much of ourballast, that we soon appeared almost stationary. The Brahmin remarked,that he should avail himself of the currents of air we might meet with,to select a favourable place for landing, though we were necessarilyattracted towards the same region, in consequence of the same half ofthe moon's surface being always turned towards the earth.
"In our second voyage," said he, "we were glad to get foothold any where;for, not having lightened our machine sufficiently, we came down, with aconsiderable concussion, on a barren field, remote from any humanhabitation, and suffered more from hunger and cold, for nearly three days,than we had done from the perils and privations of the voyage. The nexttime we aimed at landing near the town of Alamatua, which stands, as youmay see, a little to the right of us, upon an island in a lake, and lookslike an emerald set in silver. We came down very gently, it is true, butwe struck one of the numerous boats which ply around the island, and hadnearly occasioned the loss of our lives, as well as of theirs. In ourlast voyage we were every way fortunate. The first part of the moon weapproached, was a level plain, of great extent, divided into corn-fields,on which, having lowered our grapnel, we drew ourselves down withoutdifficulty.
"We must now," continued he, "look out for some cultivated field, in oneof the valleys we are approaching, where we may rely on being not farfrom some human abode, and on escaping the perils of rocks, trees, andbuildings."
While the Brahmin was speaking, a gentle breeze arose, as appeared by ourhorizontal motion, which wafted us at the rate of about ten miles an hour,in succession, over a ridge of mountains, a lake, a thick wood, and asecond lake, until at length we reached a cultivated regio
n, recognisedby the Brahmin as the country of the Morosofs, the place we were mostanxious to reach.
"Let off two of the balls of lead to the earth," said he. I did so, andwe descended rapidly. When we were sufficiently near the ground to seethat it was a fit place for landing, we opened the door, and found theair of the moon inconceivably sweet and refreshing. We now loosed one ofthe lower balls, and somewhat checked our descent. In a few minutes more,however, we were within twenty yards of the ground, when we let go thelargest ball of lunarium, which, having a cord attached to it, served usin lieu of a grapnel. It descended with great force to the ground, whilethe machine, thus lightened, was disposed to mount again. We, however,drew ourselves down; and as soon as the machine touched the ground,we let off some of our leaden balls to keep it there. We releasedourselves from the machine in a twinkling; and our first impulse wasto fall on our knees, and return thanks for our safe deliverance fromthe many perils of the voyage.
A Voyage to the Moon Page 7