ofound bow. I asked him why he did this. He told me
that on the Moon parents obey their children, and old men are compelled
to show to young men the greatest respect.

"They are of opinion," said my companion, "that a strong and active
young man is more capable of governing a family than a dull, infirm
sexagenarian. I know that on your Earth old men are supposed to be wise
and prudent. But, as a matter of fact, their wisdom and prudence
consists merely of a timid frame of mind and a disinclination to take
any risks."

The father then entered the room, and his son said to him in an angry
voice:

"Why have you not got our house ready to sail away? You know the walls
of the city have gone some hours ago. Bring me at once your image!"

The man brought a great wooden image of himself, and his son whipped it
furiously for a quarter of an hour.

"And now," said the young man at last, "go and hoist the sails at once!"

_III.--Marvels of the Moon_

There are two kinds of towns on the Moon: travelling towns and sedentary
towns. In the travelling towns, each house is built of very light wood,
and placed on a platform, beneath the four corners of which great wheels
are fixed. When the time arrives for a voyage to the seaside or the
forest, for a change of air, the townspeople hoist vast sails on the
roofs of their dwellings, and sail away altogether towards the new site.

In the sedentary towns, on the other hand, the houses are made with
great strong screws running from the cellars to the roofs, which enable
them to be raised or lowered at discretion. The depth of the cellar is
equal to the height of every house; in winter, the whole structure is
lowered below the surface of the ground; in spring, it is lifted up
again by means of the screw.

As, owing to the father's neglect, the house in which we were staying
could not set sail until the next day, my companion and I accepted an
invitation to stay the night there. Our host then sent for a doctor, who
prescribed what foods I should smell, and what kind of bed I should lie
in.

"But I am not sick!" I said to the Man of the Sun.

"If you were," he replied, "the doctor would not have been sent for. On
the Moon, doctors are not paid to cure men, but to keep them in good
health. They are officers of the state, and, once a day, they call at
every house, and instruct the inmates how to preserve their natural
vigour."

"I wish," I. said, "you could get him to order me a