"A happy journey to you," exclaimed Michel Ardan, with a sigh of relief. "Surely infinity of space is large enough for a poor little projectile to walk through without fear. Now, what is this portentous globe which nearly struck us?" "I know," replied Barbicane. "Oh, indeed! you know everything." "It is," said Barbicane, "a simple meteorite, but an enormous one, which the attraction of the earth has retained as a satellite." "Is it possible!" exclaimed Michel Ardan; "the earth then has two moons like Neptune?" "Yes, my friend, two moons, though it passes generally for having only one; but this second moon is so small, and its speed so great, that the inhabitants of the earth cannot see it. It was by noticing disturbances that a French astronomer, M. Petit, was able to determine the existence of this second satellite and calculate its elements. According to his observations, this meteorite will accomplish its revolution round the earth in three hours and twenty minutes, which implies a wonderful rate of speed." "Do all astronomers admit the existence of this satellite?" asked Nicholl. "No," replied Barbicane; "but if, like us, they had met it, they could no longer doubt it. Indeed, I think that this meteorite, which, had it struck the projectile, would have much embarrassed us, will give us the means of deciding what our position in space is." "How?" said Ardan. "Because its distance is known, and when we met it, we were exactly 4650 miles from the surface of the terrestrial globe." "More than 2000 French leagues," exclaimed Michel Ardan. "That beats the express trains of the pitiful globe called the earth." "I should think so," replied Nicholl, consulting his chronometer; "it is eleven o'clock, and it is only thirteen minutes since we left the American Continent." "Only thirteen minutes?" said Barbicane. "Yes," said Nicholl; "and if our initiatory speed of 12,000 yards has been kept up, we shall have made about 20,000 miles in the hour." "That is all very well, my friends," said the president, "but the insoluble question still remains. Why did we not hear the detonation of the Columbiad?" For want of an answer the conversation dropped, and Barbicane began thoughtfully to let down the shutter of the second side. He succeeded; and through the uncovered glass the moon filled the projectile with a brilliant light. Nicholl, as an economical man, put out the gas, now useless, and whose brilliancy prevented any observation of the interplanetary space.