Подорож на Місяць

           Instantlythevastassemblage,aswithoneaccord,struckupthenationalhymnoftheUnitedStates,and"YankeeDoodle,"sungbyfivemillionofheartythroats,roselikearoaringtempesttothefarthestlimitsoftheatmosphere.Thenaprofoundsilencereignedthroughoutthecrowd.

           TheFrenchmanandthetwoAmericanshadbythistimeenteredtheenclosurereservedinthecenterofthemultitude.TheywereaccompaniedbythemembersoftheGunClub,andbydeputationssentfromalltheEuropeanObservatories.Barbicane,coolandcollected,wasgivinghisfinaldirections.Nicholl,withcompressedlips,hisarmscrossedbehindhisback,walkedwithafirmandmeasuredstep.MichelArdan,alwayseasy,dressedinthoroughtraveler’scostume,leatherngaitersonhislegs,pouchbyhisside,inloosevelvetsuit,cigarinmouth,wasfullofinexhaustiblegayety,laughing,joking,playingprankswithJ.T.Maston.Inoneword,hewasthethorough"Frenchman"(andworse,a"Parisian")tothelastmoment.

           Teno’clockstruck!Themomenthadarrivedfortakingtheirplacesintheprojectile!Thenecessaryoperationsforthedescent,andthesubsequentremovalofthecranesandscaffoldingthatinclinedoverthemouthoftheColumbiad,requiredacertainperiodoftime.

           BarbicanehadregulatedhischronometertothetenthpartofasecondbythatofMurchisontheengineer,whowaschargedwiththedutyoffiringthegunbymeansofanelectricspark.