CHAPTER 11

Experiments in Intercourse

When at last we had finished our meal, the Selenites fastened our hands closely together again, but loosened the chains on our feet a little, so as to give us a limited freedom of movement. Then they unfastened the chains about our waists. "They seem to be releasing us," said Cavor. "Remember we are on the moon! Make no sudden movements!"

"Are you going to try that geometry?"

"If I get a chance. But, of course, they may make an attempt first."

The Selenites, having finished their arrangements, stood back from us, and seemed to be looking at us. I say seemed to be, because their eyes were at the sides of their faces, and not in front. One had the same difficulty in determining the direction in which they were looking as one has in the case of a hen or fish. They conversed with one another in their piping tones. The door behind us opened wider, and, glancing over my shoulder, I saw a vague large space beyond, in which quite a little crowd of Selenites were standing.

"Do they want us to imitate those sounds?" I asked Cavor.

"I don't think so," he said.

"It seems to me that they are trying to make us understand something."

"I can't make anything of their gestures."

Presently one of them, shorter and very much thicker than the others, sat down suddenly beside Cavor, and put his hands and feet in the same position as Cavor's were bound, and then stood up.

"Cavor," I shouted, "they want us to get up!"

He stared open-mouthed. "That's it!" he said.

We managed to struggle to our feet. The Selenites made way for us, and seemed to twitter more loudly. Then the short, fat one came and patted each of our faces with his tentacles, and walked towards the open doorway. That also was plain enough, and we followed him. Four other Selenites standing in the doorway, with spiked helmets and carrying goads, closed about us, one on either side of each of us, as we entered the cavern from which the light had come.

Here we discovered the source of the sounds which had filled our ears since we awoke in the darkness. It was a vast mass of complicated machinery in active movement. The peculiar blue light proceeded from here too. It was a cold, liquid light which ran in channels across the cavern.

At first the apparatus seemed only reasonably large, and then I saw how exceedingly little the Selenites upon it seemed, and I realized the immense size of cavern and machine. I looked from this huge apparatus to the faces of the Selenites with a new respect.

Cavor's blue-lit face was full of an intelligent respect. "I must be dreaming!" he said. "Surely these beings—Men could not make a thing like that!"

The thick-set Selenite had gone some paces unheeded. He came back and stood between us and the great machine. He walked away in the direction he wished us to go, and turned and came back, and struck our faces gently to attract attention.

Cavor and I looked at one another.

"Can't we show him we are interested in the machine?" I said.

"Yes," said Cavor. "We'll try that." He turned to our guide and smiled, and pointed to the machine, and then to his head, and to the machine again. He seemed to imagine that broken English might help these gestures. "Me look'im," he said, "me think'im very much. Yes."

The Selenites faced one another, their queer heads moved, and they twittered Then one of them, a tall creature, twisted his elephant trunk of a hand about Cavor's waist, and pulled him gently to follow our guide, who again went on ahead.

Cavor resisted. "We may just as well begin explaining ourselves now. They may think we are new animals, a new sort of mooncalf perhaps!"

He began to shake his head violently. "No, no," he said, "me not come one minute. Me look at'im."

The Selenites twittered again. Then all of a sudden Cavor yelled loudly, and leaped six feet or more! One of the four armed moon-men had pricked him with a goad.

I turned on the goad-bearer behind me with a swift threatening gesture, and he started back. This and Cavor's sudden shout and leap clearly astonished all the Selenites. They retreated hastily, facing us We stood in angry protest, with these inhuman beings about us.

"He pricked me!" said Cavor.

"I saw him," I answered.

"Confound it!" I said to the Selenites; "we're not going to stand that! What on earth do you take us for?"

I glanced quickly right and left. Far away across the blue cavern I saw a number of other Selenites running towards us; broad and slender they were, and one with a larger head than the others. The cavern spread wide and low, and sloped backwards in every direction into darkness. There was no way out of it. Above, below, in every direction, was the unknown, and these inhuman creatures, with goads and gestures, facing us, and we two unsupported men!