Elemoont/Chapter 35

tells how the Hunter and the Martian Mosquito found themselves on the backside of the Moon where Great Troubles waited for them.

However, where did we leave the Martian Mosquito and the Hunter? At that moment when the Insidious Lunatic cast a spell over all elemoonts and lost his magic wand, the battle — excuse me, I want to say the scientific debates — had stopped, and the Martian Mosquito and the Hunter decided that it was the best moment to retire in a fitting manner. They started running as fast as if their heels were spread with turpentine (if any mosquitoes have the heels, but it is well known that all hunters have ones). Wind whistled in their ears (if only mosquitoes have ears and if there is any wind on the Moon) and soon they found themselves on the backside of the Moon. Here I must make an explanation for our little readers. The Moon has two sides. One side is named the Visible Side and another one was named the Invisible Backside because it faced away from the Earth and you never can see it. Scarcely our friends found themselves there, it becomes very cold and dark.

"Stop!" said the Martian Mosquito, "Of course, we have retired in a fitting manner, but it seems in a wrong side. I'm afraid; we have run on the backside of the Moon."

"On that side which nobody can see?" asked the Hunter, "It's very good! Here nobody can notice us."

"You cannot see the backside of the Moon from the Earth, but it is in sight from the Mars. That's why I'm afraid."

"But whom are you afraid? I don't see anybody," objected the Hunter who really saw nothing because of darkness.

"I'm afraid that Great Troubles are waiting for us here," pompously said the Mosquito. Only he pronounced it, something flashed into the sky as if a new star had taken fire. It seems to the Hunter that somebody made a huge fire.

«They are there," said the Mosquito.

"Who?" do not understand the Hunter.

"The Great Troubles!"

The Hunter looked around. Terrible idols sculptured by a thunderstorm of ashes and dust gathered round them. You can see them on the picture. (They are terrible, aren't they?). Just so, the Great Troubles will look if you meet them on the backside of the Moon. (In other places, they may look in a different way). The idols stood silent looking at the Mosquito and the Hunter by their empty eye–sockets.

"Oh!" said the Hunter, "Really, It's enough to make my flesh creep! Run away from here!"

"Why?' asked the Mosquito, "They will not chase us. They are only idols. Statues!"

"Then why they are named as the Great Troubles?" asked the Hunter.

"It's because they are the big idols," explained the Mosquito, "And because they have very unpleasant looking."

"Really, they have very unpleasant looking," agreed the hunter, "It's better to leave this place, isn't it?" "We'll do it without fail," said the Mosquito, "Although we might just as well to stay here."

"Why?"

"It's because that there is no any place on the backside of the Moon where the Great Troubles don't wait for us."

"Hmm…" said the Hunter, "But maybe they will be smaller or their appearance less unpleasant in other lands?"

"We'll look it," answered the Mosquito, and they went carefully between the idols particularly since the new star (if only it was a star) flashing in the sky gave enough light.

"It's interesting," muttered the Hunter, "why the backside of the Moon never be in sight from the Earth?"

"I don't know," answered the Mosquito (and do you know?), "If this side was in sight, I never tried to go here," said the Hunter.

"And how did you find yourself here?" was curious the Mosquito.

"By accident. And you?"

"From a curiosity," answered the Mosquito, "All Martian mosquitoes are awfully curious."

Here he saw something in front of him and quickened his pace. "Look!" he called addressing the Hunter.

There was something to look at it. A crater of middle size with a spurting stone fountain was settled down among the idols (the Great Troubles). Of course, the fountain was still, but its jet sparkled in the light of the star, drops shone with all the colors of the rainbow, and it seems that at the present moment water streams begin to pour out of it.

"It's like a real fountain," said the Hunter.

"Let's come nearer," suggested the Mosquito.

However hardly they made their first steps, the idols suddenly came back to the life and rushed to them with extraordinary quickness.

"Hold them! Tie them up!" pronounced somebody with snuffling voice. Of course, it was Mr. Moonswitcher, the Great Magician of the Cosmos. The Martian Mosquito tried to get into fighting trance condition in vain: the idols quickly bound him with thick ropes. The Hunter also had no time to raise his gun (and what can the shot–gun do against the Great Troubles?). In a second he also was bound.

"In the cave! And put them into the retort!" ordered Mr. Moonswitcher, "I'll use them in my chemical experiments."

"What thing is a retort?" asked the Mosquito while the idols carried them on their hard shoulders to a cave with inscription ‘The great M. dwells in this cave’.

"I don't know," answered the Hunter, "I hunt frogs instead of learning chemistry."

The retort proved to be a big glass vessel with thick walls. The idols threw the Hunter and the Mosquito into the retort and cork it. Then they spitefully smirked and went away. So, the Hunter and Mosquito found themselves in the captivity under Mr. Moonswitcher.

"I warned you that the Great Troubles waited for us," said the Mosquito undoing the ropes (it is impossibly to bind the Martian mosquito firmly).

"And I said we must run away," answered the Hunter.

"You were right. But I didn't think that the Great Troubles are such brisk."

Meanwhile the Great Magician of Cosmos Mr. Moonswitcher looked at the sky where the fire continued to burn and said, "And nevertheless it is a camp–fire! When I try to put out any thing that can shine, somebody have made a fire in the sky. I'll give it to you!"

He muttered a spell and the Great Troubles were rooted at the spot again. "Wait for!" said Mr. Moonswitcher, and the Great Troubles began to wait. Probably later, we shall know whom they wait for.