Adventures in the Far Future & Tales of Outer Space — page 207: what you’re looking at

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

For half an hour, nothing did happen. McKay returned and reported no sign of life in any of the open compartments. “I did find the galley though, | think,” he said. “Il looked in one compartment and it shot a kind of cookie and a bottle at me.” He showed Goodrich a round brownish cake and a flexible transparent container filled with colorless fluid. “Might be,” Goodrich said. “On the other hand, maybe you just found the janitor’s locker. That might be soap and window cleaner.” McKay looked at the objects doubtfully. “They could be,” he agreed. “Anything happen up here?” “Not a thing.” “You know, | don’t like this. Maybe we could break that hatch open. You think we ought to give it a try?” Goodrich shook his head. “Let’s wait a few minutes longer. Whoever’s running this show knows we're here. Let them show their hand first.” Their oxygen was running low, and it occurred to them to test the” air for breathability. They took off their helmets. McKay nibbled at the cake. “Tastes O.K.,” he said. There was a nipple in one end of the flexible container. He put it in his mouth and squeezed out a few drops, rolling them around his tongue. “Water,”’ he said. “Just plain water.” He frowned. “Water, food, air, power; but nobody at home, this whole thing just sitting here waiting for us—I don’t get it You think we might have just happened in while they were out for a little stroll?” Goodrich frowned thoughtfully. “Il don’t know what to think, Mac.” “It doesn’t add up.” McKay agreed. “I'll swear to one thing, though, this ship wasn’t built on Earth, at least not present-day Earth.” He thought for a moment. “Hey, how about that, you think there might be something to this CORniclooo SS CO