Astounding Science Fiction, British Edition — page 119: what you’re looking at

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

MISSION OF GRAVITY One minor accident occurred some distance into the new sea. At around sixty gravities the canoe, still following faithfully at the end of its towrope, began to settle visibly in the sea. While Dondragmer put on his best “I told-you-so” expression and re- mained silent, the little vessel was pulled up to the ship’s stern and exam- ined. There was quite a bit of methane in the bottom, but when she was un- _ loaded and pulled aboard for examina- tion no leak was visible. Barlennan concluded that spray was responsible, though the liquid was much clearer than. the ocean itself. He put the canoe back in the sea and replaced its load, but detailed a sailor to inspect every few days and bail when necessary. This proved adequate for many days; the canoe floated as high as ever when freshly emptied, but the rate of leak- age grew constantly greater. Twice more she was pulled aboard for inspection without result; Lackland, consulted by radio, could offer no ex- planation. He suggested that the wood might be porous, but in that case the leaking should have been present from the beginning. It was difficult to picture the almost metal-hard, close grained wood of Mesklin’s trees ever becoming waterlogged in any case, - light as it was. The situation reached a climax at about. two hundred gravities, with more than a third of the sea journey behind them. The minutes of daylight were longer now as spring progressed and the Bree moved ever farther from her sun, and the sailors were relaxing accordingly. The individual who had the bailing job was not, therefore, very attentive as he pulled the canoe up the stern rafts and climbed over its gunwale. He was aroused immediately thereafter. The canoe, of course, settled a trifle as he entered; and as it did so, the springy wood of the sides gave a little. As the sides collapsed, it sank 117 a little farther—and the sides yielded more—and it sank yet farther— Like any feedback reaction this one went to completion in a remarkably short time. The sailor barely had time to feel the side of the canoe pressing inward when the whole vessel went under water and the outside pressure was relieved. Enough of the cargo was denser than methane to keep the canoe sinking, and the sailor found himself swimming where he had expected to be riding. The canoe itself settled to the end of its towrope, slowing the Bree with a jerk that brought the entire crew to full alertness. The sailor climbed back into the Bree, explaining what had happened as he did so. All the crew whose duties did not keep them elsewhere rushed to the stern, and presently the rope was hauled in with the swamped canoe at the end of it. Lackland was calling for explana- tions, interspersing the request with repetitions of the standard human complaint that the vision sets were never pointed quite right when any- thing interesting happened. With some effort, the canoe and such of its load as had been adequately lashed down were hauled aboard, and one of the sets turned to view it. The object was not very informative; the tremen- dous resilience of the wood had resulted in its recovering completely even from this flattening, and the canoe had resumed its original shape, still without leaks. This last fact was established after it had once more been . unloaded. Lackland, looking it over, shook his head and offered no explanation. “Tell me just what happened—what every- one who saw anything at all did see.” The Mesklinites complied, Barlen- nan translating the stories of the crew- man who had been involved and the CoOnniclooolkks COL