Первые люди на Луне
Chapter 24 — The Natural History of the Selenites
Verbsweresoonplainsailing—atleast,suchactiveverbsasIcouldexpressbydrawings;someadjectiveswereeasy,butwhenitcametoabstractnouns,toprepositions,andthesortofhackneyedfiguresofspeech,bymeansofwhichsomuchisexpressedonearth,itwaslikedivingincork-jackets.Indeed,thesedifficultieswereinsurmountableuntiltothesixthlessoncameafourthassistant,abeingwithahugefootball-shapedhead,whosefortewasclearlythepursuitofintricateanalogy.Heenteredinapreoccupiedmanner,stumblingagainstastool,andthedifficultiesthatarosehadtobepresentedtohimwithacertainamountofclamourandhittingandprickingbeforetheyreachedhisapprehension.Butoncehewasinvolvedhispenetrationwasamazing.WhenevertherecameaneedofthinkingbeyondPhi-oo’sbynomeanslimitedscope,thisprolate-headedpersonwasinrequest,butheinvariablytoldtheconclusiontoTsi-puff,inorderthatitmightberemembered;Tsi-puffwaseverthearsenalforfacts.Andsoweadvancedagain.
“Itseemedlongandyetbrief—amatterofdays—beforeIwaspositivelytalkingwiththeseinsectsofthemoon.Ofcourse,atfirstitwasanintercourseinfinitelytediousandexasperating,butimperceptiblyithasgrowntocomprehension.Andmypatiencehasgrowntomeetitslimitations,Phi-ooitiswhodoesallthetalking.Hedoesitwithavastamountofmeditativeprovisional‘M’m—M’m’andhascaughtuponeortwophrases,IfImaysay,’‘Ifyouunderstand,’andbeadsallhisspeechwiththem.
“Thushewoulddiscourse.Imaginehimexplaininghisartist.
