On the contrary, they only considered themselves (after the lapse of a few minutes to calm their nerves) extremely lucky in having witnessed this fresh glory of exuberant nature, this transcendent display of fireworks which not only cast into absolute insignificance anything of the kind they had ever seen on Earth, but had actually enabled them by its dazzling illumination to gaze for a second or two at the Moon's mysterious invisible disc.

This glorious momentary glance, worth a whole lifetime of ordinary existence, had revealed to mortal ken her continents, her oceans, her forests.

But did it also convince them of the existence of an atmosphere on her surface whose vivifying molecules would render _life_ possible?
This question they had again to leave unanswered--it will hardly ever be answered in a way quite satisfactory to human curiosity.

Still, infinite was their satisfaction at having hovered even for an instant on the very verge of such a great problem's solution.
It was now half-past three in the afternoon.

The Projectile still pursued its curving but otherwise unknown path over the Moon's invisible face.