Перші люди на Місяці

           Iexplainedtohimhowoursciencewasgrowingbytheunitedlaboursofinnumerablelittlemen,andonthathemadenocommentsavethatitwasevidentwehadmasteredmuchinspiteofoursocialsavagery,orwecouldnothavecometothemoon.Yetthecontrastwasverymarked.WithknowledgetheSelenitesgrewandchanged;mankindstoredtheirknowledgeaboutthemandremainedbrutes—equipped.Hesaidthis...”[Herethereisashortpieceoftherecordindistinct.]

           “Hethencausedmetodescribehowwewentaboutthisearthofours,andIdescribedtohimourrailwaysandships.Foratimehecouldnotunderstandthatwehadhadtheuseofsteamonlyonehundredyears,butwhenhedidhewasclearlyamazed.(Imaymentionasasingularthing,thattheSelenitesuseyearstocountby,justaswedoonearth,thoughIcanmakenothingoftheirnumeralsystem.That,however,doesnotmatter,becausePhi-oounderstandsours.)FromthatIwentontotellhimthatmankindhaddweltincitiesonlyfornineortenthousandyears,andthatwewerestillnotunitedinonebrotherhood,butundermanydifferentformsofgovernment.ThisastonishedtheGrandLunarverymuch,whenitwasmadecleartohim.Atfirsthethoughtwereferredmerelytoadministrativeareas.

           “‘OurStatesandEmpiresarestilltherawestsketchesofwhatorderwillsomedaybe,’Isaid,andsoIcametotellhim....”[Atthispointalengthofrecordthatprobablyrepresentsthirtyorfortywordsistotallyillegible.]

           “TheGrandLunarwasgreatlyimpressedbythefollyofmeninclingingtotheinconvenienceofdiversetongues.