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Chapter 24 — The Natural History of the Selenites
“Thesemoonpeoplebehavedexactlyasahumancrowdmighthavedoneinsimilarcircumstances:theyjostledandthrustoneanother,theyshovedoneanotheraside,theyevenclamberedupononeanothertogetaglimpseofme.Everymomenttheyincreasedinnumbers,andpressedmoreurgentlyuponthediscsofmyushers”—Cavordoesnotexplainwhathemeansbythis—“everymomentfreshshapesemergedfromtheshadowsandforcedthemselvesuponmyastoundedattention.AndpresentlyIwassignedandhelpedintoasortoflitter,andliftedupontheshouldersofstrong-armedbearers,andsobornethroughthetwilightoverthisseethingmultitudetowardstheapartmentsthatwereprovidedformeinthemoon.Allaboutmewereeyes,faces,masks,aleatherynoiseliketherustlingofbeetlewings,andagreatbleatingandcricket-liketwitteringofSelenitevoices.”
Wegatherhewastakentoa“hexagonalapartment,”andthereforaspacehewasconfined.Afterwardshewasgivenamuchmoreconsiderableliberty;indeed,almostasmuchfreedomasonehasinacivilisedtownonearth.AnditwouldappearthatthemysteriousbeingwhoistherulerandmasterofthemoonappointedtwoSelenites“withlargeheads”toguardandstudyhim,andtoestablishwhatevermentalcommunicationswerepossiblewithhim.And,amazingandincredibleasitmayseem,thesetwocreatures,thesefantasticmeninsects,thesebeingsofotherworld,werepresentlycommunicatingwithCavorbymeansofterrestrialspeech.
CavorspeaksofthemasPhi-ooandTsi-puff.
