Adventures in the Far Future & Tales of Outer Space — page 195: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

guessing.” Whoever it is, they would want to keep ‘’em guessing. They were more than halfway through the shadow now. For the rest of the time, Goodrich kept the landing light on Bertha. Occasionally he flashed a signal with the switch. Bertha still gave no sign of life. When they came out into the sunlight = again, Rubberneck was directly ahead of Bertha, leading by about five hundred yards. “Take a look at that little bulge about the middle, just coming into sight, “McKay said presently. “What's it look like to you?” “Which one?” Goodrich asked. “The one just below that stub mast, or whatever it is, that slants up a little. I've been watching it for a while, it looks like a hatch to me, and it looks like it might be half- open. You can see better when it comes around farther.” “Yeah,” Goodrich said. “It does look like it might be a hatch,” he admitted. “Tl think it is a hatch,” McKay said positively. “Next time it comes around, watch the shadow when the sun hits at the angle from this side.” The men watched and fed the camera. The sphere hung there. It showed no sign of life. Goodrich kept his thumb on the firing switch. The coast of California showed a thin line on the horizon and grew rapidly into shape below them. He looked at Brown. The captain could not leave the ship, and the navigator was of almost equal importance. The second officer was the spare-parts man. “We could drop our pressure and let you out the hatch,” Goodrich said. “Bring you back in the same way. | guess these suits are good enough to Stand it” “They're supposed to be,” Brown said. ‘It’s different in a decompression chamber, though. If anything goes wrong, CORniclooo SS CO