In order to calculate that moment to within some seconds Barbicane had only to have recourse to his travelling notes, and to take the different altitudes from lunar parallels. Thus the time employed in going over the distance between the neutral point and the South Pole must be equal to the distance which separates the South Pole from the neutral point. The hours representing the time it took were carefully noted down, and the calculation became easy.
Barbicane found that this point would be reached by the projectile at 1 a.m. on the 8th of December. It was then 3 a.m. on the 7th of December. Therefore, if nothing intervened, the projectile would reach the neutral point in twenty-two hours.
The rockets had been put in their places to slacken the fall of the bullet upon the moon, and now the bold fellows were going to use them to provoke an exactly contrary effect. However that may be, they were ready, and there was nothing to do but await the moment for setting fire to them.
"As there is nothing to do," said Nicholl, "I have a proposition to make."
"What is that?" asked Barbicane.
"I propose we go to sleep."
"That is a nice idea!" exclaimed Michel Ardan.
"It is forty hours since we have closed our eyes," said Nicholl. "A few hours' sleep would set us up again."
"Never!" replied Michel.
"Good," said Nicholl; "every man to his humour—mine is to sleep."