Page 34 - Astounding Pulp V2

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MOON OF DELIRil"M 35
34 ASTOUNDING SCIEN<!E-FICTION
sun's action on patches of bare rock. to bewail his own enforced non~?.rticipa-
snatching up an auxiliary headset. " There's our answer,'' he declared. And see how those mounds are build- tion. '
''Talbot ! R ives !" Norm spoke into "A man in an oxygen suit is safe. T he ing up all around. I\lfiniature snow- Meanwhile, no more nuggets had been
the transmitter. reai danger lies in -the chance that some storms in action, I call 'em." found. B ut as time passed. Norm began
"Sure, son," came T albot's matter-of- of those burrs may get inside the ship. "Snuclcs ! Norm-ask Cap where's to form a kind of vicarious familiarity
fact voice. In the construction of the Pe9as11s' air the best place to look for .those mtg- with the inm1ediate locale. The Pegas1£S
''Keep your shirt on," advised Rives. locks, this was all foreseen. \Vith the gets." was resting in a wide. saucerlike depres-
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" T here's nothi1 g to it, Rid." ordipary _ ock, a po~ket of outside air " Cap isn't here right now," Norm sion. Fantastic mountain-chains. ser-
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Almost at once the two figures, bulky follows a man in . through the neutral- spoke into the transmitter. "Besides. rated and ice-spangled, rimmed this de-
in their oxygen suits, appeared outside izing chamber when he enters the ship. you've already. been told all that. Look pression. But the moon. even close to
and below the port. Th~y were walk- That was undoubtedly the fate met by \\'here the rocks are bare; in chinks- - the ship. was very rough. being crossed
ing · slowly ·away from the ship, on the our predecessors. _ Dione ·s atmospherr· you know.'·' . by innumerable chasms and littered \Yith
brittle frost-crystals that covered the is contaminated with parasitic li fe. Some H all and Griffiti, clad in oxygen suits. fragments of rock arid other mineral
rocks. of those burrs got inside their ship. But were soon leaving the ship. A '"few detritus.
, '' Is everything right?" queried the with our locks, the neutralizing chamber minutes later. McDill and his mate . The search gradually widened as the
captain,· sharply, speaking into the is automatically cleared by a blast of Perrin also joined in the searcl'i. Each men began wandering. farther and farther
transmitter attached to his own headset. sterile air before the inner slide opens." was promptly surrounded by a convoy from the ship. Still no more nuggets
"O. K.," reported Talbot·. Griffin nodded. '·Then there's no of floating. g reen burrs. were found. I t was perliaps two hours
" Same here, cap," came Rives' Yoice. reason why the rest o_f us shouldn't go Time passed. P resently a rousing re- later when the first untoward incident
There was an interval of silenc~ while out and give a hand with the search." port came from Rives. e,ccurrecl.
the two men clrew farther away._ After some hesitation Egard agreed. T he first thought-nugget had been T hen, without giving notice of any-
"Any sign of life ?" asked Egarcl, bis "You and Hall can go. But don't get found ! thing amiss. McDill. the rocket-engineer,
tone easier. separated. W hat I'd like to do, if possi- Captain Egard received the word with returnee! to the ship. bearing on his
Talbot answered: "Something ffoating ble. is to collect a few of the nuggets, elation. broad shoulders the body of his mate
in the air-green motes." and leave before darkness sets in. The " \Ve only need a fe.w," he explained Perrin-no great muscular feat, how-
''i'\ot motes, you blockhead," Rives' sunlight period here on Dione lasts for to Norm and Dr. F rontain. " Then. ever. in the weak gravity of Dione.
voice cut in. "Nor spores, either. T oo thirty-three hours, which may give us w ith information as to where and how "T he clumsy son took a fall in the
large, some of 'em. Moi:-e like burrs-" time enough. I think I'll let McDill more can be obtained, we'll have ac- rocks," he explained to the three men
" Yea, tbat's it-burrs," conceded and P errin loose, also. That will mal,e complished our purpose here. Norm. waitino- in the ship.
Tatbot, grudging ly. '•L ike green chest- three searching parties, leavi1{g D~~-- tell Rives to bring the thing in ; I want "Why didn't you send in \\'.ord ?'' de-
nut ;burrs." • Frontain, i'\orm and myself to take care to make sure it's genuine.'' manded Captain E~ard. scowlmg darkly
" Do they try to attack you ?" asked of the ship. I don't think that this i:; Rives arrived a few minutes later. as Dr. F rontain stripped the oxygen suit
Egan], quickly. being incautious. l'm of the opinion " T here's nothing to it!'' said he, hood off Perrin. . . .,
"\,Veil-not exactly," said T albot, that these burrs are the only_ life 0 11 tipped back from his alert-eyed counte- " Didn't want to tie thmg·s up, Mc-
after a momentary pause. ''But they D ione. ·The ship itself will hardly 1·e- nance. " T hose burrs can't hurt you- D ill confessed. g rinning broadly. "He
kind of swarm around. H ear that tap- quire any defending, am! the 111ore men cause they can't get at you to touch isn't hurt bad." .
ping? That's them, hitting against my we ha·\'e outside, the better chance o f your flesh. H ere- '' "BrokeJJ leg." reported Dr. l7rontam,
hood." helping each other in case of accident.·• H e dropped a milk-white nodule into after a short examinatio_n. . .
By peering intently, Norm himself :'-form cursed softly .under his breath E gard's hand. " You big sap!" M~D1ll sa:? to the m-
could now catch a vague glimp:;e of at this arrangement. H e wanted to " It's real !" breathed the captain, jured Perrin. unfeelmgly. You could
these green clots in the air. go out and join in -the search. 1\-Iean- after a close scrutiny. "Rives-you'll have done that by falling downstairs at
"But y'ou·re safe in the oxygen suit?" while, R ives and T albot had moved be a blasted hero when we get back to home."
persisted Captain f'::gard. out of sight from the port, but he could Earth!" P errin groaned.
''Sure, cap. ?-Jow we'll start look- still hear them chafing each other in their "So long. I'm going out again," said
ing for thought-nuggets." half-serious fashion. · AGAIN the·search \,\·ent on. Rives de- McDill. ......_
"This stuff isn't 'snow', as you call parted to rejoin Talbot. And during the "You join up with Griffin and Hall,"
W ITH A GUSTY sigh o( relief, Egard it," Rives was saying. " It's too col(\ next hour, w ith six men outside the ordered the captain. "And don't try
removed his earphones. H e turned to to snow here on this lousy 1110011." ship to be kept track of, Norm's atten- anything smart. We'll need you, now
Griffin, the navigator, who had entered "Oh, yeah ? \.Yell notice that haze t ion was so thoroughly occupied that that Perrin is laid up."
quietly and was watching from another floating a few feet above the ground,'' few spare moments remained in which " I'll have him on his feet in three
port. came back T albot. "That's due to the AST- 3