Astounding Science Fiction (UK Edition) — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

BLIND MAN’S BUFF 9 “IT can't keep you out,” he said, “but your gorillas stay in the crawler.” He closed the door in the faces of the four strong-arm men that Driscoll carried with him whenever he visited one of the outplanets. ae *““Now what do you want?” “I?” laughed Driscoll, with easy polite- ness. “Why, nothing for myself. I wanted to see if you were all right, that’s all. This is a beastly place, you know.” “You know we are all right,” said Travis, sternly. “You followed down on our beam and have doubtless been eavesdropping ever since. Quit beating about the bush and come to the point.” Driscoll raised an eyebrow in mild sur- prise. “Your hostility amazes me. However, I did have another purpose in coming. My assistant umpire carelessly came off without a sufficient supply of report forms. He asked me to obtain some from your man.” Travis silently indicated Lorimer, who rose and went to his booth. Travis and Hartley looked on with steely eyes as Dris- coll followed. Nothing apparently passed between them except the pad of government forms, but there was justification in being profoundly suspicious of anything Driscoll did. Driscoll pocketed the forms and uttered profuse thanks all around, but just as he was about to leave he added. “As I am here, we may as well discuss our future relations, since it seems we are the only two to get through.” “‘Now it comes out,” said Travis, with a curl of the lip. “Let’s have it.” The two partners listened stonily as the financier unreeled his come-on talk. Venus, he said suavely, was too vast a field to be exploited on a shoestring . . . skyports must be established and immense amounts of capital devoted to transportation alone... the orderly development of the immense resources would require an army of tech- nicians and astronomical amounts of specialized equipment. Simple pioneers could not cope with the problem. They simply cluttered up the field. and impeded others. “All right,” snapped Travis. “So we im- pede. That is our right.” Driscoll was not upset. Look at the his- tory of all such undertakings, he suggested, patiently. When did a pioneer ever cash in on his potentialities? Wouldn't it be better to accept the honor of having paved the way and then retire gracefully to easier fields? Would a million valors tempt them? Each, that is? No? Five million? Ten? Ten million valors was a lot of money. How much then? There need be no cutthroat race to stake out land. They could become partners in the big company by virtue of the transfer of their rights. Blocks of stock could be had in addition to the cash. Why not see the light? “You're keeping us up,” yawned Travis elaborately. ‘““We’ve had a hard day. Good night.” Driscoll never dropped the mask of but- tery smoothness, but as he bowed himself out there was an ominous glint in his eye. “I never make an offer but once,” he said. “Fair enough,” said Travis, and twisted the dogs home with a bang. It was the earhquake that woke them up. It came in the middle of the night, just eleven hours after the shock of the after- noon. The din in the ship was terrific as every loose article banged against its neigh- bor. The dim standing lights flickered on and off and the bunks pitched wildly. “We'd better get topside and check on the Maggy,” said Hartley, blinking. “Rouse Lorimer to give us a hand.” But Lorimer was not in his bunk. They found him on the roof plate, since they wasted no time getting up there when they saw the hatch was open. It was Travis who was first up. He climbed through the hatch and stepped outside the shaft of light that stabbed upward into the misty haze of night. The beam from his sweeping torch fell upon no magnar or diorama, though the stanchions still stood swaying under the tarpaulin. The ruptured power lead still snaked across the slightly curving dome, but it terminated in a frayed end a yard away. There was nothing but a startled man in night clothes squinting into the flash- light’s rays. “T.... I came up to secure the equipment you left here,” stammered Lorimer. “I... it’s not here!” “We see it isn’t,” said Travis, grimly. He cast his light down onto the hull plates. They were beaded with moisture and streaked with rivulets, but a wide, glistening smear showed where something heavy had slid over. “We'll have to allow for these earth- quakes hereafter. They may be tidal,” he said. His voice was harsh, but he held it rigidly even. There was no hint of reproach conmilcbooo S CO)