Путешествие на Луну
One Enemy v. Twenty-Five Millions of Friends
Thelatterdidnoteventakethepainstorefutetheargumentsofhisrival.
Nicholl,drivenintohislastentrenchments,andnotabletofightpersonallyinthecause,resolvedtofightwithmoney.Hepublished,therefore,intheRichmondInquireraseriesofwagers,conceivedintheseterms,andonanincreasingscale:
No.1($1,000).—ThatthenecessaryfundsfortheexperimentoftheGunClubwillnotbeforthcoming.
No.2($2,000).—Thattheoperationofcastingacannonof900feetisimpracticable,andcannotpossiblysucceed.
No.3($3,000).—ThatisitimpossibletoloadtheColumbiad,andthatthepyroxylewilltakefirespontaneouslyunderthepressureoftheprojectile.
No.4($4,000).—ThattheColumbiadwillburstatthefirstfire.
No.5($5,000).—Thattheshotwillnottravelfartherthansixmiles,andthatitwillfallbackagainafewsecondsafteritsdischarge.
Itwasanimportantsum,therefore,whichthecaptainriskedinhisinvincibleobstinacy.Hehadnolessthan$15,000atstake.
Notwithstandingtheimportanceofthechallenge,onthe19thofMayhereceivedasealedpacketcontainingthefollowingsuperblylaconicreply:
"BALTIMORE,October19.
"Done.
"BARBICANE."
