"
"If we fail," he remarked with a smile that had an element of
worriment in it, "it will become the 'lunatic chamber'--but no danger
of that. You observe this polished silver knob, supported by a
metallic rod curved over at the top like a crane. That constitutes the
pole from which I propose to transmit the energy to the moon, and upon
which I expect the storm of atoms to be centred by reflection from the
mirror at whose focus it is placed."
"One moment," I said. "Am I to understand that you think that the moon
is a solid mass of artemisium, and that no matter where your radiant
force strikes it a 'kathodic pole' will be formed there from which
atoms will be projected to the earth?"
"No," said Hall, "I must carefully choose the point on the lunar
surface where to operate. But that will present no difficulty. I made
up my mind as soon as I had penetrated Syx's secret that he obtained
the metal from those mystic white streaks which radiate from Tycho,
and which have puzzled the astronomers ever since the invention of
telescopes. I now believe those streaks to be composed of immense
veins of the metal that Syx has most appropriately named artemisium,
which you, of course, recognize as being derived from the name of the
Greek goddess of the moon, Artemis, whom the Romans called Diana.
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