First Men in the Moon Page #4

- Can't you steady this thing?

- Ruined. All my calculations, ruined.

- I'm sorry.

- Sorry? We're heading toward the sun!

Poor darling. He must be exhausted.

This is the first time

he's slept since we left.

Who knows how long that's been?

No days or nights.

Well, I know it's breakfast time,

and I'm sick of sardines.

Chickens.

That means fresh eggs.

- You're an angel.

- Not that you deserve it.

- Katie...

- Don't you Katie me.

Leaving me with a summons.

I never dreamt

they'd be on to it so soon.

Who else do you know that would

go to the moon for you?

You're impossible.

- What was that?

- Nothing.

- You all right?

- I was just doing some impersonations.

- I was reared on a farm.

- Really?

Just a minute.

Excuse me. Excuse me.

You didn't dare. You didn't dare!

Geese, I adore. Chickens, I detest.

I've a good mind to make you

fly home. All of you.

My calculations!

How I hate chickens!

- We're getting our weight back.

- It's the pull of the moon.

We've got to control it, you see.

It mustn't be too fast.

Mare Imbrium. Ideal for landing.

Nicely on target.

Now, we use the Earth...

to slow down our rate of descent.

- Anything I can do?

- Things need lashing down. Take these.

- Put that away.

- All right.

Landing positions.

Hold on tight.

What?

Are you all right?

I think so.

Where's Cavor?

I think I've gone blind in one eye.

Thank you. What a relief.

I'll get a new pair when I get back.

Just a broken glass.

It's incredible.

We're down.

We're down.

We did it! We did it!

- I never thought we would.

- Me either. At least, I wasn't sure.

- Well, what now?

- I suppose explore!

Explore.

Here, your suit.

There's your suit.

Boot. Here's your other boot.

Now wait a minute.

There's no pressure outside, meaning...

when the hatch opens,

the sphere is a vacuum...

which will be fatal for Kate.

That's it, nobody goes outside.

She'll be safe

in the airtight compartment.

- In there? It's out of the question.

- I'll be all right.

You sure?

Don't worry about me.

All right. Let's make some room. Here.

Just a minute.

Would you bring those things here?

Madam, the chances of bagging

an elephant on the moon are remote.

We won't need this.

Told you before.

Now, give me the flag. A claim.

Yes, we've got to stake a claim.

Take a letter. Sit down.

There's some paper in my coat pocket.

Claimed for Her Royal...

No, not royal, not royal.

Claimed for Her Majesty Queen Victoria

in the year of our Lord...

- What is the year of our Lord?

- 1899.

Now, I'm leaving the oxygen full on.

Now, Kate, get in.

- Wait for my signal to open the hatch.

- All right.

Here's your helmet.

Don't forget:
If you wanna speak,

touch helmets.

Otherwise, we won't

hear each other clearly.

What's wrong with the blessed thing?

It worked perfectly in England.

I asked for a seven-and-three-eighths.

They said it was.

Six-and-a-quarter. I'll have

to put it down to shrinkage.

Hello, moon.

My goodness.

Amazing sensation! Light as a feather!

Look! Top of that rock!

Look! Top of that rock!

You all right?

No discipline, this moon.

We'll be smashed to pieces.

Bedford, old man, isn't it

magnificent? It's empyreal.

An empire Caesar never dreamed of.

We'll be in all the newspapers.

Cavorland. Bedfordshire.

That's for you! That's for you!

We'll be famous, knighted by the queen!

The queen! Give me that, give me that!

I claim the moon in the name

of our Sovereign Lady...

Queen Victoria.

You're getting too much oxygen.

You're actually drunk.

- Let's check your gauge.

- That's wonderful.

I feel like an eagle!

Geronimo!

Cavor, come down!

Help.

S.O.S.

Help!

Thank you.

- You need a lead, old chap.

- Yes, I think I probably do.

You hear that?

Hold on! I'll get you down.

Your helmet!

It must have... But I can breathe.

There's air down here.

Take this off.

That's better.

There's a subterranean

atmosphere here. Listen.

- We must get Kate.

- Without a helmet, you won't get far.

We'll just have to find it.

There's a way down.

What?

Now keep it tight, all right? All right?

I've got it, go on. You're all right.

Go on, that's it.

Throw me your helmet.

All right.

Look at that prism assembly.

Only thing I want to look at

is that helmet.

We should've brought the gun.

It's fantastic.

What is it?

- It's a moon creature, a Selenite.

- But the size.

It's the low gravity.

Leave them!

Help me!

No, you're making a mistake.

Leave them. Leave them!

You've certainly given them

a taste of human violence.

Thousands will be chasing us around.

- We can't just stand here.

- I knew I should have come on my own.

Are you staying here or coming with me?

If only we'd communicated with them.

It was such an opportunity.

The meeting of two worlds.

Come on!

I knew I should have come on my own.

The sphere's gone!

The flag's right where we put it.

She must have touched the controls.

Selenites, thousands of them.

They dragged it.

This time!

Now!

Block it! Block it!

All this clutter.

The place is an absolute honeycomb.

Can you see a trail?

Leave me alone!

Stay away or I'll shoot. I will!

Get away from there.

I said stay away or I'll shoot!

Down there!

What is it?

I don't know.

Probably a harmless vegetarian.

Bred for food, rather like a cow.

A cow? I wouldn't like to meet a bull.

Come on!

- "Harmless vegetarian"?

- Well, I thought I...

Give me your hand!

Run!

Run, Cavor, run!

What do you want me to do?

No, please, no.

What do you want me to do?

Let me out of here! Can you hear me?

Let me alone, can't you? Staring

at me like an animal in the zoo.

You! You there, with my shoe.

Give it back, or I'll let you

have the other one.

Give it back, or I'll let you

have the other one.

Give it back, or I'll let you

have the other one.

Imitating me now. You think

it's funny, do you? Very funny.

Very funny. You think it's funny,

do you? Very funny.

Miss Callender.

Just a minute.

Mr. Cavor, I'm so glad to see you.

Is Arnold safe?

We got separated.

Give me my shoe. Very funny.

They're trying to communicate.

Analyzing what we say.

I wish they'd stay off

the words with E's.

Man.

We come from Earth, many hundreds

of thousands of miles away.

No, it doesn't mean a thing.

Man.

Man!

They're trying to communicate with us.

That's imperial!

It's absolutely... Man, man!

From thousands of miles away.

Man...

from Earth.

They understand, but they're

not repeating what I say.

That's splendid! It's splendid!

It's absolutely imperial.

Yes, my dear fellow, it is!

It's absolutely imperial!

It's some sort of apparatus

for generating oxygen on a vast scale.

That's why we're able to breathe here.

That's fantastic. It's fantastic.

It's perpetual motion.

But that's impossible.

It makes all other forms

of power obsolete.

That's where they get

their power from. Sunlight.

Come. Come quickly. Quick.

- They're taking the sphere apart.

- We must stop them.

Hold my hand. Carefully.

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