A JOURNEY TO END OF THE WORLD 235 



4 'Imagine a large ball suspended in the air by a 

 thread, and on this ball a gnat. If this gnat should 

 take a notion to go all over the surface, is it not true 

 that it could come and go over the ball, above, below, 

 on the side, without ever encountering an obstacle, 

 without ever seeing a barrier rise up to block its 

 passage? Is it not equally true that if it always 

 kept on in the same direction, the gnat would end 

 by making the tour of the ball and would come back 

 to its starting-point? So it is with us on the sur- 

 face of the earth, though we are far more insignifi- 

 cant when compared with the globe that bears us 

 than is the tiniest gnat in comparison with the big- 

 gest ball you can imagine. Without ever encounter- 

 ing a barrier, without ever touching the cupola of 

 the sky, we come and go in a thousand different di- 

 rections, we accomplish the most distant journeys, 

 I'ViMi make the tour of the earth and return to our 

 starting-point. The earth, then, is round; it is an 

 immense -ball that swims without support in celes- 

 tial space. As to the blue vault that arches above 

 us, it is mere appearance caused by the blue color of 

 the air enveloping the earth on all sides." 



"The ball on which your imaginary gnat trav- 

 els is suspended by a thread. By what chain is 

 the enormous ball of the earth hung?" asked 

 Jules. 



"The earth is not suspended from the firmament 

 by any celestial chain, nor does it rest upon any sup- 

 port, like a geographical globe on its pedestal. Ac- 

 cnnlinir t<> an Indian legend the terrestrial globe is 

 borne upon four bronze columns." 



