Life in a Thousand Worlds

t to t

uld well collect my thoughts I found myself in the immediate vicinity of the Moon and, strange as it may seem, I was

er be realized two hundred and forty thousand miles away. I was consciou

down upon me, but from my first point of observation everything looked as if life had never existed there and, consequently, I was about to conclude that no human beings inhabit the Moon. This th

ies are out of harmony with ours, having three eyes and no nose. The third eye is situ

e of smell is performed by the protruded upper lip. At the voluntary effort

ntervals of about six hours. This is not taken in connection with the regular food, but is eaten alone and carried into a separate stomach wherein i

found that these Moonites grow to only about one-fourth our height, but possess fully three-fourths as much circumference of

nabled to judge them by a universal standard of beauty, and I looked upon them as a product of the s

anet, he would estimate us to be as far out of harmony with his standa

age of the population who are bright stars intellectually, while others are extremely indolent

average in height one-third of ours, although they occupy nearly as much

ble. These Moonites are wiser than we in roofing their houses. They have discovered a mineral composition which in its plast

e quite far advanced in constructive ability. Some of their larger buildings look like soldiers

e of electricity and photography, and also in our manufacturing and scientific

heir masterpieces. For a time I forgot that I was on the Moon, so lost was I in elevated reflections al

that it might be a world inhabited by civilized beings. More intelligent Moonites venture the theory that human life could exist on the great wagon-wheel, but declare that this is quite improbable, as the whole planet is enveloped by some thick, smoky substance in which they believe it would be imp

pleasure and value to me. At length, however, I concluded to take advantage of a privilege and power I possessed and, becoming visi

my unaccountable appearance. Imagine my surprise when he sat motionless, gazing

arned that it was a mere show of stoicism in the presence of one whom he thought to be a spirit. I

, I figured that human life had existed on the Moon thousands of years before its appearance on the Earth. Scientifically I could not account for this on any othe

rs who now occupy the sphere. After making history for several thousand years, the human race had gr

of that period, and no one dreamed of the horrible fate that was to sweep practically the whole race into the regions of death

ath I continued listening as he described th

mblings, followed by fiery ejections, covering a period of nearly one and one-half wagon-wheel rev

forty days and nights of earthly time. Do you wonder that my mind flew back to the forty days and nights of ra

es of this horrible w

holocaust so terrible that one hundred million human creatures are thereby swept into death in the narrow compass of forty days! The records that have been brought down to us by the few survivors indicate the continual wails of horror rending the sky while the volcanic dis

ed?" I asked with

families aggregating

people are on

forty

lained that on our globe a much larger number of inhabitants spran

sing questions aside, I learned that large companies of the Moonites had been swe

thinking it advisable to give no notice of my departure, I suddenly vanished from his sight. However, before leaving the room, I observe

ery side! One cannot well imagine what excitement I aroused. Citizens who first saw me lifted their flabby arms in terror and ran

a City on

vehicles. They were preceded, however, by what we would call a body guard. Imagine their surprise to hear me shou

ot to trample on the children who scampered at my approach. If one could ship a car load of these children to the Earth, they would make excellent dolls, for they range in

lose to my knees and then looked the more intently into my face, all of whic

y side tremblingly explained that the Bizen wires had been touched for block six. This meant that every house in the city had received noti

on dialect. I told them whence I came, pointing to the large wagon-wheel

s language and voice were of excellent quality and although visibly agitated, he bore

you here?"

cannot e

u walk

d nei

inquiry, he went on to a

eatures than you w

ties full

smaller

age height

nse giants beyond the comprehension o

o you, you appear unnaturally

ump in the middl

f people watched my wrinkling face with strange delight. The Moonites express all their emotions by

accident. I also informed him that each person in our world had such a nose, at which much merriment ensued. Lips twitched and quivere

played in our life, and what a fine convenience the nose is during

hich is somewhat similar to our wireless telegraphy. From central stations messages are transmitted to sensitive metal rods set up on each house-top, somewhat like the lightning rods that decorate house-tops on my o

toward the city. Furthermore I saw that the noted personage with whom I had spent a quiet season was now making his way toward me. Not wishing to hold further conversat

of the Moon's surface. The people live in the remaining fertile belts and patches of land which are fortunately scattere

ago, at a time when the civilization of our world was yet young. What an interest lay wrapped up in the time-worn relics! Naturally I thought of Pompeii as I was viewing the antique treasures that had

outrivals the Earth. I took a passing glimpse of the famous crater-mountains, called by our astronomers Copernicus and Theophilus, the former situated in the eastern an

re. Outstretched lay the immense opening, nearly one hundred and fifty miles long and about seventy miles broad. It was fearful to gaze into it, for my eye stretched downward mile afte

an compare with this terribly imposing sight, and as I was studying the expansive waste I could more readily understand how large numbers of human beings could be destroyed by such fabulous quantities of boil

s chasm face to face, improve your first opportunity to get