Перші люди на Місяці

           Atfirsttheyaresmallandregular,sothatwithalittlecareandthelossofveryfewwordswehavebeenabletodisentangleCavor’smessage;thentheybecomebroadandlarger,thensuddenlytheyareirregular,withanirregularitythatgivestheeffectatlastofsomeonescribblingthroughalineofwriting.Foralongtimenothingcanbemadeofthismadlyzigzaggingtrace;thenquiteabruptlytheinterruptionceases,leavesafewwordsclear,andthenresumesandcontinuesfortherestofthemessage,completelyobliteratingwhateverCavorwasattemptingtotransmit.Why,ifthisisindeedadeliberateintervention,theSelenitesshouldhavepreferredtoletCavorgoontransmittinghismessageinhappyignoranceoftheirobliterationofitsrecord,whenitwasclearlyquiteintheirpowerandmuchmoreeasyandconvenientforthemtostophisproceedingsatanytime,isaproblemtowhichIcancontributenothing.Thethingseemstohavehappenedso,andthatisallIcansay.ThislastragofhisdescriptionoftheGrandLunarbeginsinmid-sentence.

           “...interrogatedmeverycloselyuponmysecret.Iwasableinalittlewhiletogettoanunderstandingwiththem,andatlasttoelucidatewhathasbeenapuzzletomeeversinceIrealisedthevastnessoftheirscience,namely,howitistheythemselveshaveneverdiscoveredCavorite.’Ifindtheyknowofitasatheoreticalsubstance,buttheyhavealwaysregardeditasapracticalimpossibility,becauseforsomereasonthereisnoheliuminthemoon,andhelium...”

           Acrossthelastlettersofheliumslashestheresumptionofthatobliteratingtrace