"Idiot!" exclaimed Rosette. "Your head is too light already;
a puff of wind would blow it away."
"I must take care of my head, then, and hold it on,"
replied the irrepressible
orderly.
Unable to get the last word, the professor was about to retire,
when Servadac detained him.
"Permit me to ask you one more question," he said.
"Can you tell me what is the nature of the soil of Gallia?"
"Yes, I can answer that. And in this matter I do not think your
impertinent
orderly will
venture to put Montmartre into the comparison.
This soil is of a substance not unknown upon the earth."
And
speaking very slowly, the professor said: "It contains 70 per cent.
of tellurium, and 30 per cent. of gold."
Servadac uttered an
exclamation of surprise.
"And the sum of the
specific gravities of these two substances is 10,
precisely the number that represents Gallia's
density."
"A comet of gold!" ejaculated the captain.
"Yes; a
realization of what the
illustrious Maupertuis has already
deemed probable," replied the
astronomer.
"If Gallia, then, should ever become attached to the earth, might it
not bring about an important revolution in all
monetary affairs?"
inquired the count.
"No doubt about it!" said Rosette, with
manifest satisfaction.
"It would supply the world with about 246,000 trillions of francs."
"It would make gold about as cheap as dirt, I suppose," said Servadac.
The last
observation, however, was entirely lost upon the professor,
who had left the hall with an air almost
majestic, and was already
on his way to the
observatory.
"And what, I wonder, is the use of all these big figures?"
said Ben Zoof to his master, when next day they were alone together.
"That's just the charm of them, my good fellow," was the captain's cool reply,
"that they are of no use whatever."
CHAPTER VIII
JUPITER SOMEWHAT CLOSE
Except as to the time the comet would take to
revolve round the sun,
it must be confessed that all the professor's
calculations had comparatively
little interest for anyone but himself, and he was
consequently left
very much to
pursue his studies in solitude.
The following day was the 1st of August, or, according to Rosette, the 63rd
of April. In the course of this month Gallia would travel 16,500,000 leagues,
attaining at the end a distance of 197,000,000 leagues from the sun.
This would leave 81,000,000 leagues more to be traversed before reaching
the aphelion of the 15th of January, after which it would begin once more
to approach the sun.
But
meanwhile, a
marvelous world, never before so close
within the range of human
vision, was revealing itself.
No wonder that Palmyrin Rosette cared so little to quit
his
observatory; for throughout those calm, clear Gallian nights,
when the book of the
firmament lay open before him, he could
revel in a
spectacle which no
previousastronomer had ever been
permitted to enjoy.
The
glorious orb that was becoming so
conspicuous an object
was none other than the
planet Jupiter, the largest of all
the bodies existing within the influence of solar
attraction.
During the seven months that had elapsed since its collision
with the earth, the comet had been
continuously approaching
the
planet, until the distance between them was scarcely more
than 61,000,000 leagues, and this would go on diminishing until
the 15th of October.
Under these circumstances, was it
perfectly certain that no
danger could accrue? Was not Gallia, when its pathway
led it into such close proximity to this
enormousplanet,
running a risk of being attracted within its influence?
Might not that influence be
altogether disastrous?
The professor, it is true, in his
estimate of the duration
of his comet's revolution, had represented that he had made
all proper allowances for any perturbations that would be caused
either by Jupiter, by Saturn, or by Mars; but what if there
were any errors in his
calculations? what if there should be
any elements of
disturbance on which he had not reckoned?
Speculations of this kind became more and more frequent,
and Lieutenant Procope
pointed out that the danger incurred
- measure [´meʒə] n.量度;范围 vt.测量 (初中英语单词)
- accordingly [ə´kɔ:diŋli] ad.因此;从而;依照 (初中英语单词)
- measurement [´meʒəmənt] n.测量;尺寸;宽度 (初中英语单词)
- obtain [əb´tein] v.获得;买到;得到承认 (初中英语单词)
- amount [ə´maunt] n.总数;数量 v.合计 (初中英语单词)
- register [´redʒistə] n.&v.登记簿 (初中英语单词)
- countenance [´kauntinəns] n.面部表情;脸色;面容 (初中英语单词)
- intelligent [in´telidʒənt] a.聪明的;理智的 (初中英语单词)
- ignorance [´ignərəns] n.无知,愚昧 (初中英语单词)
- intelligence [in´telidʒəns] n.智力;消息 (初中英语单词)
- needle [´ni:dl] n.针;指针 v.用针缝 (初中英语单词)
- lieutenant [lef´tenənt] n.陆军中尉;代理;副手 (初中英语单词)
- voyage [´vɔi-idʒ] n.&vi.航海;航程;旅行 (初中英语单词)
- assign [ə´sain] vt.分配;指派;指定 (初中英语单词)
- curiosity [,kjuəri´ɔsiti] n.好奇;奇事;珍品 (初中英语单词)
- multiply [´mʌltiplai] v.增加;倍增;繁殖 (初中英语单词)
- apparent [ə´pærənt] a.显然的;表面上的 (初中英语单词)
- waiting [´weitiŋ] n.等候;伺候 (初中英语单词)
- therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此;所以 (初中英语单词)
- conclusion [kən´klu:ʒən] n.结束;结论;推论 (初中英语单词)
- volume [´vɔlju:m, ´vɑljəm] n.卷;书籍;体积;容量 (初中英语单词)
- remind [ri´maind] vt.提醒;使记(想)起 (初中英语单词)
- jupiter [´dʒu:pitə] n.朱庇特;木星 (初中英语单词)
- considerable [kən´sidərəbəl] a.重要的;值得重视 (初中英语单词)
- cannon [´kænən] n.大炮 (初中英语单词)
- orderly [´ɔ:dəli] a.整洁的 n.勤务兵 (初中英语单词)
- venture [´ventʃə] n.投机 v.冒险;敢于 (初中英语单词)
- realization [,riəlai´zeiʃən] n.实现;认识 (初中英语单词)
- observation [,ɔbzə´veiʃən] n.观测;注意;意义 (初中英语单词)
- pursue [pə´sju:] v.追赶;追踪;从事 (初中英语单词)
- meanwhile [´mi:n´wail] n.&ad.其间;同时 (初中英语单词)
- marvelous [´mɑ:viləs] (=marvellous) a.奇异的 (初中英语单词)
- vision [´viʒən] n.视觉;想象力;幻影 (初中英语单词)
- spectacle [´spektəkəl] n.展览;表演;景象 (初中英语单词)
- previous [´pri:viəs] a.先,前,以前的 (初中英语单词)
- glorious [´glɔ:riəs] a.光荣的;辉煌的 (初中英语单词)
- planet [´plænit] n.行星 (初中英语单词)
- enormous [i´nɔ:məs] a.巨大地,很,极 (初中英语单词)
- altogether [,ɔ:ltə´geðə] ad.完全;总而言之 (初中英语单词)
- estimate [´estimət, ´estimeit] n.估计;评价 vt.估价 (初中英语单词)
- pointed [´pɔintid] a.尖(锐)的;中肯的 (初中英语单词)
- attraction [ə´trækʃən] n.吸引(力);引力 (高中英语单词)
- proportional [prə´pɔ:ʃənl] a.相称的 n.比例项 (高中英语单词)
- technical [´teknikəl] a.技术的;专门性的 (高中英语单词)
- selection [si´lekʃən] n.选择;选拔;精选物 (高中英语单词)
- gravity [´græviti] n.严肃;严重;重力 (高中英语单词)
- probability [,prɔbə´biliti] n.或有;可能性 (高中英语单词)
- consequently [´kɔnsikwəntli] ad.因此,所以 (高中英语单词)
- ascertain [,æsə´tein] vt.探查;查明 (高中英语单词)
- refrain [ri´frein] v.抑制;忍住 n.迭句 (高中英语单词)
- inferior [in´fiəriə] n.下级的 n.下级;晚辈 (高中英语单词)
- whilst [wailst] conj.当…时候;虽然 (高中英语单词)
- specific [spi´sifik] a.具体的;特有的 (高中英语单词)
- illustrious [i´lʌstriəs] a.杰出的,显赫的 (高中英语单词)
- manifest [´mænifest] a.明显的 v.表明 (高中英语单词)
- majestic [mə´dʒestik] a.雄伟的;崇高的 (高中英语单词)
- astronomer [ə´strɔnəmə] n.天文学家 (高中英语单词)
- conspicuous [kən´spikjuəs] a.显著的;出众的 (高中英语单词)
- perfectly [´pə:fiktli] ad.理想地;完美地 (高中英语单词)
- disturbance [di´stə:bəns] n.扰乱,骚动 (高中英语单词)
- coinage [´kɔinidʒ] n.造币;货币;新造词语 (英语四级单词)
- respectively [ri´spektivli] ad.各自地;分别地 (英语四级单词)
- accurately [´ækjuritli] ad.准确地;精密地 (英语四级单词)
- precise [pri´sais] a.精确的;清楚的 (英语四级单词)
- good-natured [´gud-´neitʃəd] a.脾气好的,温厚的 (英语四级单词)
- calculation [,kælkju´leiʃən] n.计算;考虑,预料 (英语四级单词)
- compute [kəm´pju:t] v.&n.计算;估计 (英语四级单词)
- enlighten [in´laitn] vt.启发,开导 (英语四级单词)
- unlock [ʌn´lɔk] vt.开锁;开启;池露 (英语四级单词)
- exclamation [,eksklə´meiʃən] n.喊(惊)叫;感叹词 (英语四级单词)
- revolve [ri´vɔlv] v.(使)旋转;循环 (英语四级单词)
- firmament [´fə:məmənt] n.苍穹,天空 (英语四级单词)
- continuously [kən´tinjuəsli] ad.连续(不断)地 (英语四级单词)
- saturn [´sætən, -ərn] n.农神 (英语四级单词)
- rigidly [´ridʒidli] ad.坚硬地;不易弯地 (英语六级单词)
- density [´densiti] n.浓(稠)密;密度 (英语六级单词)
- geological [dʒiə´lɔdʒikəl] a.地质学的 (英语六级单词)
- gratification [,grætifi´keiʃən] n.满意;喜悦 (英语六级单词)
- speaking [´spi:kiŋ] n.说话 a.发言的 (英语六级单词)
- monetary [´mʌnitəri] a.金融的;货币的 (英语六级单词)
- august [ɔ:´gʌst] a.尊严的;威严的 (英语六级单词)
- observatory [əb´zə:vətəri] n.天文台;气象台 (英语六级单词)