Air Wonder Stories, May 1930 — page 42: what you’re looking at

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

> ' > ae e, Nai SALT Vt iy Bs AIR WONDER STORIES _ above all the Zoldans.are fair-minded, They do not begrudge you your victory, but admit that you have beaten them ‘aitly,” The four men conferred together for several moments and agreed that the terms were more than fair. But first they had to learn whether their people were content upon the strange world, until the planet ruler could come to a decision, Kiter smiled at that. Very few of the captured Earthlings, it seemed, were rebelling against their lot! There was.so much here to interest them that they had scarcely had time to feel any pangs of homesickness, And they were finding that the amphibians were congenial mates! CHAPTER XI A Night on Venus HILE they had been speaking, the night had been de- V \ scending. ‘upon the planet, although a shaded light still lingered in the heavens. There had been a-magnificent sunset as the rays of the sun were reflected tpon the upper cloud banks, painting them im gorgeous colors that ranged from yermilion reds to dark violets. The men had only to lift their eyes above and see it all through the transparent ceilings of the room and the roof two levels above then. For many centuries Earthlings had: questioned whether: or not Venus rotates upon her axis, or whether, like. Mercury, it has but a single rotation during its solar year. Now with the coming of night the, Matriarch spoke again ‘through her interpreter, “The Zoldans retire with the setting of the sun, gentlemen,” the fatter explained. “Although they do havé artificial light, they seldom utilize it, preferring to sleep with the stn’s setting and awake with its rising. I am directed to escort you to your sleeping cham They. saw that the queen was rising from her chair and with a nod of her head she was gone, followed by her attendants, who had been waiting in the adjoining room, Ware was first anxious to learn whether his-men had been cared for, and Kiter pointed to the square which, with the exception of the spheres.and the few men left to guard them, was deserted, He assured the Commander that -he had no-need to worry abottt his battalions, but that the women had their care at heart, Then he led them down 2 corridor to an inclined ramp that took them to the second floor of the palace toa large room, wherein were half a “dozen couches for their use. All around them-through the walls they could see the roomis filled with couches upon which women were already sleeping. Beyond the walls they could: see the square black blocks of houses. whose walls were less trans- parent, *T believe’’ conjectured D'Arcy, “that-there is an old proverb that tells us, ‘people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones |?” ITER grinned. “Only, professor, these houses are not. of glass . . . but of metal! Almost all Zoldan metals are transparent, The black metal that is called ‘cetluta is only semi- opaque, and is tised as the general rule for building. The space- flyers are built of it, but-since their early history. the palaces of their rulers have always been built of Helsta~for the simple reason that all the world can watch their movements and there can be no treachery! And: one simply becomes accustomed. to having-every movement seen by his fellow-man. He is then not so apt to break the laws or to hold secrets!” “Not a half-bad idea at that!” ee “How is it that they use no lights?” demanded Sah To Ackwa. “They have, in the first place, little use for lighting, and, strange as it may scem, they have never developed their natural resources toa very great extent, Fire is rarely used by them, and electricity is an unknown: quantity. In cooking, as well-as for generating power, they use atomic-heat, having a means of disintegrating the atoms through a cosmic tay whose base I have not as yet been able to fearn. With it they drive their ~ engines and motors, but they have not as yet learned how to produce light. When they need light they usé a strange phos- phorescent stone that sends off a small glow. By a tinique array of mirrors and lenses they are able to focus this glow and so to obtain a tremendous amount of light which they are enabled to direct. in any direction they desire, It takes great care and fine workmanship to grind the proper lenses, so one can readily see why light is not generally used in their homes.” “And what type of ray was it that they used for paralyzing you when you were captured? And in the radio and power plants?” “That is not a ray but a gas that is found below the ocean beds, When using it the Zoldans cover théir heads with masks * and breathe from oxygen tanks, The gas does not affect their engines as it does ours, Why it should‘react upon our motors and not theirs is a problem that Dr. Howard Cross is working upon. In-fishing for the-sea creatures which they use for food this gas is-used, since it permeates the water as well as the air —even more readily in fact, It paralyzes the creatures but does not kill, for the Zoldans will not eat food which is not put into the kettle alive.” “Tt seems to me,” observed D'Arcy, “that for a people so versed in certain: fields they are sadly lacking in knowledge in others.” Kiter Confesses ITER nodded. “Yes, it is strange that they have not carried their development evenly along all lines. Nor would you consider. them a- cultured people by Earth’s standards. They have no music, no recreational amusements of any kind, and they are not at-all interested in education; They have no written language, and their mode of accountingseems childish, yet they have-a great amount of native:shrewdnhess arid they are quick to grasp a subject once-it is laid out before them. Furthermore, their tnderstanding of mechanics. without a mathematical -back- ground is pheomenonal.: You must have noticed, also, that their. manner of speech is very crude. I consider, in fact, that their backwardness in various subjects is due to their lack of an organized coherent ‘language. There are actually no distinct word sounds, but the inflections of the voice and the narrowing and opening of its volume mean innumerable things to them. It was most difficult for : us of Earth to learn at all, and only a few of us have really mastered it. We often have much dif- ficulty in giving names :to- objects, and the names. I have given you are really of our own devising, based upon their own sounds.” “You appear to ie along-well with the queen, Kiter.” He grinned broadly inthe dark. “Oh, we amderstand each other, That's all: What I told you of their history took me quite: -a while to learn, but:these- women have all the patience in the world and will tire themselves out in an attempt to teach us what they want us to learn. They are as anxious to learn as we are ourselves, and I have managed to teach Waltia a few words of our language. She is-quick-to learn, but it means a great amount of time spent in developing the vocal cords; I really doubt that she will ever become an orator, but her voice tones are beautiful for all that, And she has given us permis- * sion to teach the offspring-of our two races to speak The two little tykes you saw. can really talk a blue streak: already, but they are rather. shy with stratigers. The young develop very quickly,” “But tell us, Kiter, honestly, are you content in this gray, misty world? Don’t you miss a sight of the sun once in a while and don’t you long to breathe the clear fresh air of the mountaintops? Surely you don’t find this world half so pleasant as Earth?” HEN Kiter. answered his. voice was wistful. “Yes, it is true that we miss that: more than we care to say, and we