dried in cast- iron pans. This powder was hard and glittering, left no trace upon the hand, contained hydrogen and oxygen in large proportion, took fire instantaneously, and, though very destructive, did not sensibly injure the mouth-piece.” 

 Up to this point Barbicane had kept aloof from the discussion; he left the others to speak while he himself listened; he had evidently got an idea. He now simply said, “Well, my friends, what quantity of powder do you propose?” 

 The three members looked at one another. 

 “Two hundred thousand pounds.” at last said Morgan. 

 “Five hundred thousand,” added the major. 

 “Eight hundred thousand,” screamed Maston. 

 A moment of silence followed this triple proposal; it was at last broken by the president. 

 “Gentlemen,” he quietly said, “I start from this principle, that the resistance of a gun, constructed under the given conditions, is unlimited. I shall surprise our friend Maston, then, by stigmatizing his calculations as timid; and I propose to double his 800,000 pounds of powder.” 

 “Sixteen hundred thousand pounds?” shouted Maston, leaping from his seat. 

 “Just so.” 

 “We shall have to come then to my ideal of a cannon half a mile long; for you see 1,600,000 pounds will occupy a space of about 20,000 cubic feet; and since the contents of your cannon do not exceed 54,000 cubic feet, it would be half full; and the bore will not be more than long enough for the gas to communicate to the projectile sufficient impulse.” 

 “Nevertheless,” said the president, “I hold to that quantity of powder. Now, 1,600,000 pounds of powder will create 6,000,000,000 litres of gas. Six thousand millions! You quite understand?” 

 “What is to be done then?” said the general. 

 “The thing is very simple; we must reduce this enormous quantity of powder, while preserving to it its mechanical power.” 

 “Good; but by what means?” 

 “I am going to tell you,” replied Barbicane quietly. 

 Prev. P 34/239 next