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Chapter 24 — The Natural History of the Selenites
ItwouldseemtheexteriorSelenitesIsawwere,indeed,mostlyengagedinkindredoccupations—mooncalfherds,butchers,fleshers,andthelike.Butwithinthemoon,practicallyunsuspectedbyme,thereare,itseems,anumberofothersortsofSelenite,differinginsize,differingintherelativesizeofparttopart,differinginpowerandappearance,andyetnotdifferentspeciesofcreatures,butonlydifferentformsofonespecies,andretainingthroughalltheirvariationsacertaincommonlikenessthatmarkstheirspecificunity.Themoonis,indeed,asortofvastant-hill,only,insteadoftherebeingonlyfourorfivesortsofant,therearemanyhundreddifferentsortsofSelenite,andalmosteverygradationbetweenonesortandanother.
ItwouldseemthediscoverycameuponCavorveryspeedily.IinferratherthanlearnfromhisnarrativethathewascapturedbythemooncalfherdsunderthedirectionoftheseotherSeleniteswho“havelargerbraincases(heads?)andverymuchshorterlegs.”Findinghewouldnotwalkevenunderthegoad,theycarriedhimintodarkness,crossedanarrow,plank-likebridgethatmayhavebeentheidenticalbridgeIhadrefused,andputhimdowninsomethingthatmusthaveseemedatfirsttobesomesortoflift.Thiswastheballoon—ithadcertainlybeenabsolutelyinvisibletousinthedarkness—andwhathadseemedtomeamereplank-walkingintothevoidwasreally,nodoubt,thepassageofthegangway.Inthishedescendedtowardsconstantlymoreluminouscavernsofthemoon.
