Climbing down into the crater, we notice a slight difference in the air but not enough to interfere with our explorers' enthusiasm.
This surely is a mountainous section with crest after crest towering towards the sky. The strange part is they all look barren of any growth. There are no trees, grasses or flowers, and no indication of water dropping over even the highest ledges. Although through our glasses we can detect a small amount of moss creeping along some of the crevices; nothing else.
Not far ahead of us lies another mountainous ridge that doesn't seem too high. We know it, too, is the wall of a crater, maybe larger than the one we have been in. These crater walls are rough and rocky with a great deal of lava but the climbing doesn't seem to be difficult. We scarcely realize that we are climbing. The heat is quite intense but with a little rest now and then we are able to keep going without much effort.
Reaching the top we find a narrow ledge beyond which lies another crater much larger and deeper than the one we left. On climbing down into this one, we note that the atmosphere here becomes noticeably stuffier, harder to breathe and very hot the lower we go; while the formation and consistency of the ground is the same as in the other crater we explored. In the center of this one is a small inverted cone formation rising many feet into the air but we are not going over to it; the air is too stifling to breathe comfortably.
As we examine the ledge surrounding this second crater and the walls within it, pondering over our findings, so different than we had expected, we all reach the same conclusion. This section of mountains and craters has been formed by violent volcanic upheavals instead of from a meteoric bombardment as we had always thought. It is hot, uncomfortably so, and dry, but not as hot as we had thought we might encounter before coming here. We could never have stood a temperature of two hundred forty degrees Fahrenheit as we had been taught prevailed on this side of the Moon. Of course we haven't gone very far in as yet and it may be continuously hotter as one goes into larger and deeper craters.
Making our way slowly around the ledge encircling this second crater, carefully examining it and the surrounding terrain as we go, we notice in the distance and off to our right, a fissure in the surface that excites our curiosity. After much more hiking, for in this clear air distances are deceiving, we reach the rim of a wide and deep chasm that could have been made centuries ago by water running here, or it could have been made by an earthquake opening wide the Moon surface, for the walls are sheer cliffs that drop several thousand feet. We make no attempt to lower ourselves over its sides but stand enraptured by the thoughts filling our minds as to the various causes for such a chasm here among these craters.
Much time, the equivalent of many Earthly days, has elapsed since we left our ship. We have covered a great deal of territory during our hiking explorations. From the stones and surface formations in the ground we have covered, we have learned much. Yet there is much more territory to be covered and closely observed before our conclusions can be stated as definite facts.
During this time many questions have arisen in our minds. At the same time our supplies of food and water have decreased continuously. For these reasons we have decided to return to our ship, rest for awhile, discuss our findings, and get more supplies before going farther in our exploring. As we return towards the ship, we notice that the sun is lowering, shadows are lengthening at the outer bases of the craters and even the sands seem cooler than when we first came over them. There is a noticeable cooling off of the air.
By the time we reach the ship the sun has sunk far down in the heavens, but due to the atmosphere surrounding the Moon, the temperature is still comfortably warm.
During the time so far that we have been on the Moon, we have hiked far and climbed a lot with comparatively little rest, yet we are not aware of much tiredness. Our meal here at the ship is prepared out of doors for we are interested in watching the sun as it finally dips below the horizon. We want to know whether this atmosphere bathes the Moon's surface with indescribable hues of loveliness even after the sun itself has sunk from view, as the Earth's atmosphere bathes the Earth. It does, which proves again that the Moon is not too different than her Earth sister.