"You are not going to take upon yourself the task of making the moon
more luminous?"

"I am, though."

"That's rather strong!" exclaimed Maston.

"Yes, but simple," answered Barbicane. "If I succeed in lessening the
density of the atmosphere which the moon's light traverses, shall I not
render that light more intense?"

"Evidently."

"In order to obtain that result I shall only have to establish my
telescope upon some high mountain. We can do that."

"I give in," answered the major; "you have such a way of simplifying
things! What enlargement do you hope to obtain thus?"

"One of 48,000 times, which will bring the moon within five miles only,
and objects will only need a diameter of nine feet."

"Perfect!" exclaimed J.T. Maston; "then our projectile will have a
diameter of nine feet?"

"Precisely."

"Allow me to inform you, however," returned Major Elphinstone, "that its
weight will still be--"