"
Barbican, opening his note-book, made the proper entry among the minutes
of the meeting of December 6th.
"Now then, gentlemen," continued Ardan, "if you are ready for the second
question, the necessary complement of the first, we may as well approach
it at once. I propound it for discussion in the following form: _Has the
Moon ever been inhabited?_ Captain, the Committee would be delighted to
hear your remarks on the subject."
"Gentlemen," began the Captain in reply, "I had formed my opinion
regarding the ancient inhabitability of our Satellite long before I ever
dreamed of testing my theory by anything like our present journey. I
will now add that all our observations, so far made, have only served to
confirm me in my opinion. I now venture to assert, not only with every
kind of probability in my favor but also on what I consider most
excellent arguments, that the Moon was once inhabited by a race of
beings possessing an organization similar to our own, that she once
produced animals anatomically resembling our terrestrial animals, and
that all these living organizations, human and animal, have had their
day, that that day vanished ages and ages ago, and that, consequently,
_Life_, extinguished forever, can never again reveal its existence there
under any form.
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