diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | 38302-0.txt | 396 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 38302-0.zip | bin | 17911 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 38302-8.txt | 1139 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 38302-8.zip | bin | 17837 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 38302-h.zip | bin | 1112431 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 38302-h/38302-h.htm (renamed from 38302-h/38302-h.html) | 355 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 38302-rst.zip | bin | 1107677 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 38302-rst/38302-rst.rst | 1595 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 38302-rst/images/back.jpg | bin | 472718 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 38302-rst/images/cover.jpg | bin | 494178 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 38302-rst/images/im1.png | bin | 123205 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 38302.txt | 1139 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 38302.zip | bin | 17830 -> 0 bytes |
13 files changed, 4 insertions, 4620 deletions
diff --git a/38302-0.txt b/38302-0.txt index 572a6b7..9ec2583 100644 --- a/38302-0.txt +++ b/38302-0.txt @@ -1,25 +1,4 @@ - The Lonely Ones - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost -no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Title: The Lonely Ones - -Author: Edward W. Ludwig - -Release Date: December 12, 2011 [EBook #38302] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LONELY ONES *** - - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 38302 *** Produced by Frank van Drogen, Greg Weeks, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net. @@ -758,375 +737,4 @@ _Transcribers note_: This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction July 1953. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed. - - - - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LONELY ONES *** - - - - -A Word from Project Gutenberg - - -We will update this book if we find any errors. - -This book can be found under: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/38302 - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one -owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and -you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission -and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the -General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and -distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the Project -Gutenberg™ concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered -trademark, and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you -receive specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of -this eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this -eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, -reports, performances and research. They may be modified and printed and -given away – you may do practically _anything_ with public domain -eBooks. Redistribution is subject to the trademark license, especially -commercial redistribution. - - - -The Full Project Gutenberg License - - -_Please read this before you distribute or use this work._ - -To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work (or -any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project -Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at -http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use & Redistributing Project Gutenberg™ -electronic works - - -*1.A.* By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™ -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all the -terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy all -copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your possession. If you -paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project Gutenberg™ -electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the terms of this -agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or entity to whom you -paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -*1.B.* “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few things -that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works even -without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See paragraph -1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project Gutenberg™ -electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement and help -preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. See -paragraph 1.E below. - -*1.C.* The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the -Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of -Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in -the collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you -from copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating -derivative works based on the work as long as all references to Project -Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the -Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting free access to electronic works -by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™ works in compliance with the terms -of this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg™ name associated -with the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg™ License when you share it without charge with others. - -*1.D.* The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning the -copyright status of any work in any country outside the United States. - -*1.E.* Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -*1.E.1.* The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work on -which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the phrase -“Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, -viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with - almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away - or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License - included with this eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org - -*1.E.2.* If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work with -the phrase “Project Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, -you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through -1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project -Gutenberg™ trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -*1.E.3.* If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -*1.E.4.* Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg™ -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg™. - -*1.E.5.* Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg™ License. - -*1.E.6.* You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format other than -“Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ web site -(http://www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or -expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a -means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original -“Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include -the full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -*1.E.7.* Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works unless -you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -*1.E.8.* You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works provided -that - - - You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method you - already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed to - the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has agreed to - donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid within 60 - days following each date on which you prepare (or are legally - required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty payments - should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in Section 4, - “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary - Archive Foundation.” - - - You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™ License. - You must require such a user to return or destroy all copies of the - works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue all use of and - all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™ works. - - - You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - - - You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works. - - -*1.E.9.* If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg™ -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set forth -in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from both the -Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael Hart, the -owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set -forth in Section 3. below. - -*1.F.* - -*1.F.1.* Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg™ collection. -Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, and the -medium on which they may be stored, may contain “Defects,” such as, but -not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or corrupt data, transcription -errors, a copyright or other intellectual property infringement, a -defective or damaged disk or other medium, a computer virus, or computer -codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment. - -*1.F.2.* LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES – Except for the “Right -of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all liability -to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees. YOU AGREE -THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, BREACH OF -WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. -YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR -UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, -INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE -NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. - -*1.F.3.* LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND – If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -*1.F.4.* Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS,’ WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -*1.F.5.* Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -*1.F.6.* INDEMNITY – You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg™ -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™ - - -Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™’s goals -and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will remain freely -available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure and -permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future generations. To learn -more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and how -your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the -Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org . - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the state -of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue -Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification number is -64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at -http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/pglaf . Contributions to the -Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the -full extent permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws. - -The Foundation’s principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. -S. Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 -North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email -business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact -information can be found at the Foundation’s web site and official page -at http://www.pglaf.org - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation - - -Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without wide spread -public support and donations to carry out its mission of increasing the -number of public domain and licensed works that can be freely -distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest array of -equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations ($1 to -$5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt status with -the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations where -we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state -visit http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make any -statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from outside -the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other ways -including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To donate, -please visit: http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic -works. - - -Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg™ -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. unless -a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily keep eBooks -in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Each eBook is in a subdirectory of the same number as the eBook’s eBook -number, often in several formats including plain vanilla ASCII, -compressed (zipped), HTML and others. - -Corrected _editions_ of our eBooks replace the old file and take over -the old filename and etext number. The replaced older file is renamed. -_Versions_ based on separate sources are treated as new eBooks receiving -new filenames and etext numbers. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - http://www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg™, including -how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to subscribe to -our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 38302 *** diff --git a/38302-0.zip b/38302-0.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index a717ca1..0000000 --- a/38302-0.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/38302-8.txt b/38302-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 242079f..0000000 --- a/38302-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1139 +0,0 @@ - The Lonely Ones - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost -no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Title: The Lonely Ones - -Author: Edward W. Ludwig - -Release Date: December 12, 2011 [EBook #38302] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LONELY ONES *** - - - - -Produced by Frank van Drogen, Greg Weeks, and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net. - - The Lonely Ones - - By Edward W. Ludwig - - Illustrated by PAUL ORBAN - - _The line between noble dreams and madness is thin, and - loneliness can push men past it...._ - - -Onward sped the _Wanderer_, onward through cold, silent infinity, on and -on, an insignificant pencil of silver lost in the terrible, brooding -blackness. - -But even more awful than the blackness was the loneliness of the six men -who inhabited the silver rocket. They moved in loneliness as fish move -in water. Their lives revolved in loneliness as planets revolve in space -and time. They bore their loneliness like a shroud, and it was as much a -part of them as sight in their eyes. Loneliness was both their brother -and their god. - -Yet, like a tiny flame in the darkness, there was hope, a savage, -desperate hope that grew with the passing of each day, each month, and -each year. - -And at last.... - -"Lord," breathed Captain Sam Wiley. - -Lieutenant Gunderson nodded. "It's a big one, isn't it?" - -"It's a big one," repeated Captain Wiley. - -They stared at the image in the _Wanderer's_ forward visi-screen, at the -great, shining gray ball. They stared hard, for it was like an -enchanted, God-given fruit handed them on a star-flecked platter of -midnight. It was like the answer to a thousand prayers, a shining symbol -of hope which could mean the end of loneliness. - -"It's ten times as big as Earth," mused Lieutenant Gunderson. "Do you -think this'll be it, Captain?" - -"I'm afraid to think." - -A thoughtful silence. - -"Captain." - -"Yes?" - -"Do you hear my heart pounding?" - -Captain Wiley smiled. "No. No, of course not." - -"It seems like everybody should be hearing it. But we shouldn't get -excited, should we? We mustn't hope too hard." He bit his lip. "But -there _should_ be life there, don't you think, Captain?" - -"There may be." - -"Nine years, Captain. Think of it. It's taken us nine years to get here. -There's _got_ to be life." - -"Prepare for deceleration, Lieutenant." - -Lieutenant Gunderson's tall, slim body sagged for an instant. Then his -eyes brightened. - -"Yes, sir!" - - ---- - -Captain Sam Wiley continued to stare at the beautiful gray globe in the -visi-screen. He was not like Gunderson, with boyish eagerness and -anxiety flowing out of him in a ceaseless babble. His emotion was as -great, or greater, but it was imprisoned within him, like swirling, -foaming liquid inside a corked jug. - -It wouldn't do to encourage the men too much. Because, if they were -disappointed.... - -He shook his silver-thatched head. There it was, he thought. A new -world. A world that, perhaps, held life. - -Life. It was a word uttered only with reverence, for throughout the -Solar System, with the exception of on Earth, there had been only death. - -First it was the Moon, airless and lifeless. That had been expected, of -course. - -But Mars. For centuries men had dreamed of Mars and written of Mars with -its canals and dead cities, with its ancient men and strange animals. -Everyone _knew_ there was or had been life on Mars. - -The flaming rockets reached Mars, and the canals became volcanic -crevices, and the dead cities became jagged peaks of red stone, and the -endless sands were smooth, smooth, smooth, untouched by feet of living -creatures. There was plant-life, a species of green-red lichen in the -Polar regions. But nowhere was there real life. - -Then Venus, with its dust and wind. No life there. Not even the stars to -make one think of home. Only the dust and wind, a dark veil of death -screaming eternally over hot dry land. - -And Jupiter, with its seas of ice; and hot Mercury, a cracked, withered -mummy of a planet, baked as hard and dry as an ancient walnut in a -furnace. - -Next, the airless, rocky asteroids, and frozen Saturn with its swirling -ammonia snows. And last, the white, silent worlds, Uranus, Neptune, and -Pluto. - -World after world, all dead, with no sign of life, no reminder of life, -and no promise of life. - -Thus the loneliness had grown. It was not a child of Earth. It was not -born in the hearts of those who scurried along city pavements or of -those in the green fields or of those in the cool, clean houses. - -It was a child of the incredible distances, of the infinite night, of -emptiness and silence. It was born in the hearts of the slit-eyed men, -the oldish young men, the spacemen. - -For without life on other worlds, where was the sky's challenge? Why go -on and on to discover only worlds of death? - -The dream of the spacemen turned from the planets to the stars. -Somewhere in the galaxy or in other galaxies there _had_ to be life. -Life was a wonderful and precious thing. It wasn't right that it should -be confined to a single, tiny planet. If it were, then life would seem -meaningless. Mankind would be a freak, a cosmic accident. - -And now the _Wanderer_ was on the first interstellar flight, hurtling -through the dark spaces to Proxima Centauri. Moving silently, as if -motionless, yet at a speed of 160,000 miles a second. And ahead loomed -the great, gray planet, the only planet of the sun, growing larger, -larger, each instant.... - - ---- - -A gentle, murmuring hum filled the ship. The indicator lights on the -control panel glowed like a swarm of pink eyes. - -"Deceleration compensator adjusted for 12 G's, sir," reported Lieutenant -Gunderson. - -Captain Wiley nodded, still studying the image of the planet. - -"There--there's something else, Captain." - -"Yes?" - -"It's Brown, sir. He's drunk." - -Captain Wiley turned, a scowl on his hard, lined face. "Drunk? Where'd -he get the stuff?" - -"He saved it, sir, saved it for nine years. Said he was going to drink -it when we discovered life." - -"We haven't discovered life yet." - -"I know. He said he wouldn't set foot on the planet if he was sober. -Said if there isn't life there, he couldn't take it--unless he was -drunk." - -Captain Wiley grunted. "All right." - -They looked at the world. - -"Wouldn't it be wonderful, Captain? Just think--to meet another race. It -wouldn't matter what they were like, would it? If they were primitive, -we could teach them things. If they were ahead of us, they could teach -us. You know what I'd like? To have someone meet us, to gather around -us. It wouldn't matter if they were afraid of us or even if they tried -to kill us. We'd know that we aren't alone." - -"I know what you mean," said Captain Wiley. Some of his emotion -overflowed the prison of his body. "There's no thrill in landing on dead -worlds. If no one's there to see you, you don't feel like a hero." - -"That's it, Captain! That's why I came on this crazy trip. I guess -that's why we all came. I...." - -Captain Wiley cleared his throat. "Lieutenant, commence deceleration. 6 -G's." - -"Yes, sir!" - -The planet grew bigger, filling the entire visi-screen. - -Someone coughed behind Captain Wiley. - -"Sir, the men would like to look at the screen. They can't see the -planet out of the ports yet." The speaker was Doyle, the ship's -Engineer, a dry, tight-skinned little man. - -"Sure." Captain Wiley stepped aside. - -Doyle looked, then Parker and Fong. Just three of them, for Watkins had -sliced his wrists the fourth year out. And Brown was drunk. - -As they looked, a realization came to Captain Wiley. The men were -getting old. The years had passed so gradually that he'd never really -noticed it before. Lieutenant Gunderson had been a kid just out of Space -Academy. Parker and Doyle and Fong, too, had been in their twenties. -They had been boys. And now something was gone--the sharp eyes and sure -movements of youth, the smooth skin and thick, soft hair. - -Now they had become men. And yet for a few moments, as they gazed at the -screen, they seemed like happy, expectant children. - -"I wish Brown could see this," Doyle murmured. "He says now he isn't -going to get off his couch till we land and discover life. Says he won't -dare look for himself." - -"The planet's right for life," said Fong, the dark-faced -astro-physicist. "Atmosphere forty per cent oxygen, lots of water vapor. -No poisonous gases, according to spectroscopic analyses. It should be -ideal for life." - -"There _is_ life there," said Parker, the radarman. "You know why? -Because we've given up eighteen years of our lives. Nine years to get -here, nine to get back. I'm thirty now. I was twenty-one when we left -Earth. I gave up all those good years. They say that you can have -something if you pay enough for it. Well, we've paid for this. There has -to be a--a sort of universal justice. That's why I know there's life -here, life that moves and thinks--maybe even life we can talk to." - -"You need a drink," said Fong. - -"It's getting bigger," murmured Lieutenant Gunderson. - -"The Centaurians," mused Doyle, half to himself. "What'll they be like? -Monsters or men? If Parker's right about universal justice, they'll be -men." - -"Hey, where there's men, there's women!" yelled Parker. "A Centaurian -woman! Say!" - -"Look at those clouds!" exclaimed Doyle. "Damn it, we can't see the -surface." - -"Hey, there! Look there, to the right! See it? It's silver, down in a -hole in the clouds. It's like a city!" - -"Maybe it's just water." - -"No, it's a city!" - -"Bring 'er down, Captain. God, Captain, bring 'er down fast!" - -"Drag Brown in here! He ought to see this!" - -"Can't you bring 'er down faster, Captain?" - -"Damn it, it _is_ a city!" - -"Why doesn't someone get Brown?" - -"Take to your couches, men," said Captain Wiley. "Landing's apt to be a -bit bumpy. Better strap yourselves in." - - ---- - -Down went the rocket, more slowly now, great plumes of scarlet -thundering from its forward braking jets. Down, down into soft, -cotton-like clouds, the whiteness sliding silently past the ports. - -Suddenly, a droning voice: - -"To those in the ship from the planet called Earth: Please refrain from -landing at this moment. You will await landing instructions." - -Parker leaped off his couch, grasping a stanchion for support. "That -voice! It was human!" - -Captain Wiley's trembling hand moved over the jet-control panel. The -ship slowed in its descent. The clouds outside the portholes became -motionless, a milky whiteness pressed against the ship. - -"The voice!" Parker cried again. "Am I crazy? Did everyone hear it?" - -Captain Wiley turned away from the panel. "We heard it, Parker. It was -in our minds. Telepathy." - -He smiled. "Yes, the planet is inhabited. There are intelligent beings -on it. Perhaps they're more intelligent than we are." - -It was strange. The men had hoped, dreamed, prayed for this moment. Now -they sat stunned, unable to comprehend, their tongues frozen. - -"We'll see them very soon," said Captain Wiley, his voice quivering. -"We'll wait for their directions." - -Breathlessly, they waited. - -Captain Wiley's fingers drummed nervously on the base of the control -panel. Lieutenant Gunderson rose from his couch, stood in the center of -the cabin, then returned to his couch. - -Silence, save for the constant, rumbling roar of the jets which held the -ship aloft. - -"I wonder how long it'll be," murmured Fong at last. - -"It seems like a long time!" burst Parker. - -"We've waited nine years," said Captain Wiley. "We can wait a few more -minutes." - -They waited. - -"Good Lord!" said Parker. "How long is it going to be? What time is it? -We've been waiting an hour! What kind of people are they down there?" - -"Maybe they've forgotten about us," said Fong. - -"That's it!" cried Parker. "They've forgotten about us! Hey, you! Down -there--you that talked to us! We're still here, damn it! We want to -land!" - -"Parker," said Captain Wiley, sternly. - -Parker sat down on his couch, his lips quivering. - -Then came the voice: - -"We regret that a landing is impossible at this moment. Our field is -overcrowded, and your vessel is without priority. You must wait your -turn." - -Captain Wiley stared forward at nothing. "Whoever you are," he -whispered, "please understand that we have come a long way to reach your -planet. Our trip...." - -"We do not wish to discuss your trip. You will be notified when landing -space is available." - -Captain Wiley's body shook. "Wait, tell us who you are. What do you look -like? Tell us...." - -"Talking to you is quite difficult. We must form our thoughts so as to -form word-patterns in your minds. You will be notified." - -"Wait a minute!" called Captain Wiley. - -No answer. - -Captain Wiley straightened in an effort to maintain dignity. - -They waited.... - - ---- - -It was night. - -The darkness was an impenetrable blanket, a solid thing, like thick -black velvet glued over the ports. It was worse than the darkness of -space. - -Captain Wiley sat before the control panel, slowly beating his fists -against the arms of his chair, a human metronome ticking off the slow -seconds. - -Parker stood before a porthole. - -"Hey, look, Captain! There's a streak of red, like a meteor. And there's -another!" - -Captain Wiley rose, looked out. "They're rockets. They're going to land. -These people are highly advanced." - -His face became grim. Below them lay a planet, an intelligent race -hidden beneath clouds and darkness. What manner of creatures were they? -How great was their civilization? What marvelous secrets had their -scientists discovered? What was their food like, their women, their -whiskey? - -The questions darted endlessly through his mind like teasing -needle-points. All these wondrous things lay below them, and here they -sat, like starving men, their hands tied, gazing upon a steaming but -unobtainable dinner. So near and yet so far. - -He trembled. The emotion grew within him until it burst out as water -bursts through the cracked wall of a dam. He became like Parker. - -"Why should we wait?" he yelled. "Why must we land in their field? -Parker! Prepare to release flares! We're going down! We'll land -anywhere--in a street, in the country. We don't have to wait for -orders!" - -Parker bounced off his couch. Someone called, "Brown, we're going to -land!" - -A scurrying of feet, the rush of taut-muscled bodies, the babble of -excited voices. - -"We're going down!" - -"_We're going down!_" - -The grumble of the _Wanderer's_ jets loudened, softened, spluttered, -loudened again. Vibration filled the ship as it sank downward. - -Suddenly it lurched upward, like a child's ball caught in a stream of -rising water. The jolt staggered the men. They seized stanchions and -bulkhead railings to keep their balance. - -"What the hell?" - -Abruptly, the strange movement ceased. The ship seemed motionless. There -was no vibration. - -"Captain," said Lieutenant Gunderson. "There's no change in altitude. -We're still at 35,000 feet, no more, no less." - -"We _must_ be going down," said Captain Wiley, puzzled. "Kill jets 4 and -6." - -The Lieutenant's hands flicked off two switches. A moment later: -"There's no change, Captain." - -Then came the voice: - -"To those in the vessel from the planet Earth: Please do not oppose -orders of the Landing Council. You are the first visitors in the history -of our world whom we have had to restrain with physical force. You will -be notified when landing space is available." - - ---- - -Morning. - -The warm sunlight streamed into the clouds, washing away the last -shadows and filtering through the portholes. - -The men breakfasted, bathed, shaved, smoked, sat, twisted their fingers, -looked out the ports. They were silent men, with dark shadows about -their eyes and with tight, white-lipped mouths. - -Frequently, the clouds near them were cut by swift, dark shapes swooping -downward. The shapes were indistinct in the cotton-like whiteness, but -obviously they were huge, like a dozen _Wanderers_ made into one. - -"Those ships are big," someone murmured, without enthusiasm. - -"It's a busy spaceport," grumbled Captain Wiley. - -Thoughts, words, movements came so slowly it was like walking under -water. Enthusiasm was dead. The men were automatons, sitting, waiting, -eating, sitting, waiting. - -A day passed, and a night. - -"Maybe they've forgotten us," said Fong. - -No one answered. The thought had been voiced before, a hundred times. - -Then, at last, the droning words: - -"To those in the vessel from the planet Earth: You will now land. We -will carry you directly over the field. Then you will descend straight -down. The atmosphere is suitable to your type of life and is free of -germs. You will not need protection." - -The men stared at one another. - -"Hey," Doyle said, "did you hear that? He says we can go down." - -The men blinked. Captain Wiley swallowed hard. He rose with a stiff, -slow, nervous hesitancy. - -"We're going down," he mumbled, as if repeating the words over and over -in his mind and trying to believe them. - -The men stirred as realization sprouted and grew. They stirred like -lethargic animals aroused from the long, dreamless sleep of hibernation. - -"We're going to land," breathed Parker, unbelievingly. - -The _Wanderer_ moved as though caught in the grip of a giant, invisible -hand. - -The voice said: - -"You may now descend." - -Captain Wiley moved to the jet-control panel. "Lieutenant!" he snapped. -"Wake up. Let's go!" - -The ship sank downward through the thick sea of clouds. The men walked -to the ports. A tenseness, an excitement grew in their faces, like dying -flame being fanned into its former brilliancy. - -Out of the clouds loomed monstrous, shining, silver spires and towers, -Cyclopean bridges, gigantic lake-like mirrors, immense golden spheres. -It was a nightmare world, a jungle of fantastic shape and color. - -The men gasped, whispered, murmured, the flame of their excitement -growing, growing. - -"The whole planet is a city!" breathed Parker. - - ---- - -Thump! - -The _Wanderer_ came to rest on a broad landing field of light blue -stone. The jets coughed, spluttered, died. The ship quivered, then lay -still, its interior charged with an electric, pregnant silence. - -"You first, Captain." Lieutenant Gunderson's voice cracked, and his face -was flushed. "You be the first to go outside." - -Captain Wiley stepped through the airlock, his heart pounding. It was -over now--all the bewilderment, the numbness. - -And his eyes were shining. He'd waited so long that it was hard to -believe the waiting was over. But it was, he told himself. The journey -was over, and the waiting, and now the loneliness would soon be over. -Mankind was not alone. It was a good universe after all! - -He stepped outside, followed by Lieutenant Gunderson, then by Parker, -Doyle and Fong. - -He rubbed his eyes. This couldn't be! A world like this couldn't exist! -He shook his head, blinked furiously. - -"It--it can't be true," he mumbled to Lieutenant Gunderson. "We're still -on the ship--dreaming." - -The landing field was huge, perhaps ten miles across, and its sides were -lined with incredible ships, the smallest of which seemed forty times as -large as the _Wanderer_. There were silver ships, golden ships, black -ships, round ships, transparent ships, cigar-shaped ships, flat-topped -ships. - -And scattered over the field were--creatures. - -A few were the size of men, but most were giants by comparison. Some -were humanoid, some reptilian. Some were naked, some clad in helmeted -suits, some enveloped with a shimmering, water-like luminescence. The -creatures walked, slithered, floated, crawled. - -Beyond the ships and the field lay the great city, its web-work of -towers, minarets, spheres and bridges like the peaks of an enormous -mountain range stretching up into space itself. The structures were like -the colors of a rainbow mixed in a cosmic paint pot, molded and -solidified into fantastic shapes by a mad god. - -"I--I'm going back to the ship," stammered Parker. The whiteness of -death was in his face. "I'm going to stay with Brown." - -He turned, and then he screamed. - -"Captain, the ship's moving!" - -Silently, the _Wanderer_ was drifting to the side of the field. - -The toneless voice said: - -"We are removing your vessel so that other descending ships will not -damage it." - -Captain Wiley shouted into the air. "Wait! Don't go away! Help us! Where -can we see you?" - -The voice seemed to hesitate. "It is difficult for us to speak in -thoughts that you understand." - - ---- - -Silence. - -Captain Wiley studied the faces of his men. They were not faces of -conquerors or of triumphant spacemen. They were the faces of dazed, -frightened children who had caught a glimpse of Hell. He attempted, -feebly, to smile. - -"All right," he said loudly, "so it isn't like we expected. So no one -came to meet us with brass bands and ten cent flags. We've still -succeeded, haven't we? We've found life that's intelligent beyond our -comprehension. What if our own civilization is insignificant by -comparison? Look at those beings. Think of what we can learn from them. -Why, their ships might have exceeded the speed of light. They might be -from other galaxies!" - -"Let's find out," said Parker. - -They strode to the nearest ship, an immense, smooth, bluish sphere. Two -creatures stood before it, shaped like men and yet twice the size of -men. They wore white, skin-tight garments that revealed muscular bodies -like those of gods. - -They looked at Captain Wiley and smiled. - -One of them pointed toward the _Wanderer_. Their smiles widened and then -they laughed. - -They laughed gently, understandingly, but they _laughed_. - -And then they turned away. - -"Talk to them," Parker urged. - -"How?" Beads of perspiration shone on Captain Wiley's face. - -"Any way. Go ahead." - -Captain Wiley wiped his forehead. "We are from Earth, the third -planet...." - -The two god-like men seemed annoyed. They walked away, ignoring the -Earthmen. - -Captain Wiley spat. "All right, so they won't talk to us. Look at that -city! Think of the things we can see there and tell the folks on Earth -about! Why, we'll be heroes!" - -"Let's go," said Parker, his voice quavering around the edges. - -They walked toward a large, oval opening in a side of the field, a hole -between mountainous, conical structures that seemed like the entrance to -a street. - -Suddenly breath exploded from Captain Wiley's lungs. His body jerked -back. He fell to the blue stone pavement. - -Then he scrambled erect, scowling, his hands outstretched. He felt a -soft, rubbery, invisible substance. - -"It's a wall!" he exclaimed. - -The voice droned: - -"To those of Earth: Beings under the 4th stage of Galactic Development -are restricted to the area of the landing field. We are sorry. In your -primitive stage it would be unwise for you to learn the nature of our -civilization. Knowledge of our science would be abused by your people, -and used for the thing you call war. We hope that you have been inspired -by what you have seen. However, neither we nor the other visitors to our -planet are permitted to hold contact with you. It is suggested that you -and your vessel depart." - -"Listen, you!" screamed Parker. "We've been nine years getting here! By -Heaven, we won't leave now! We're...." - -"We have no time to discuss the matter. Beings under the 4th stage of -Galactic...." - -"Never mind!" spat Captain Wiley. - -Madness flamed in Parker's eyes. "We won't go! I tell you, we _won't_, -we _won't_!" - -His fists streaked through the air as if at an invisible enemy. He ran -toward the wall. - -He collided with a jolt that sent him staggering backward, crying, -sobbing, screaming, all at once. - -Captain Wiley stepped forward, struck him on the chin. Parker crumpled. - -They stood looking at his body, which lay motionless except for the slow -rising and falling of his chest. - -"What now, Captain?" asked Lieutenant Gunderson. - -Captain Wiley thought for a few seconds. - -Then he said, "We're ignorant country bumpkins, Lieutenant, riding into -the city in a chugging jalopy. We're stupid savages, trying to discuss -the making of fire with the creators of atomic energy. We're children -racing a paper glider against an atomic-powered jet. We're too -ridiculous to be noticed. We're tolerated--but nothing more." - -"Shall we go home?" asked Fong, a weariness in his voice. - -Lieutenant Gunderson scratched his neck. "I don't think I'd want to go -home now. Could you bear to tell the truth about what happened?" - -Fong looked wistfully at the shining city. "If we told the truth, they -probably wouldn't believe us. We've failed. It sounds crazy. We reached -Proxima Centauri and found life, and yet somehow we failed. No, I -wouldn't like to go home." - -"Still, we learned something," said Doyle. "We know now that there is -life on worlds beside our own. Somewhere there must be other races like -ours." - -They looked at each other, strangely, for a long, long moment. - -At last Lieutenant Gunderson asked, "How far is Alpha Centauri?" - -Captain Wiley frowned. "_Alpha_ Centauri?" Through his mind swirled -chaotic visions of colossal distances, eternal night, and lonely years. -He sought hard to find a seed of hope in his mind, and yet there was no -seed. There were only a coldness and an emptiness. - -Suddenly, the voice: - -"Yes, Men of Earth, we suggest that you try Alpha Centauri." - -The men stood silent and numb, like bewildered children, as the -implication of those incredible words sifted into their consciousness. - -Finally Fong said, "Did--did you hear that? He said..." - -Captain Sam Wiley nodded, very slowly. "Yes. Alpha Centauri. _Alpha_ -Centauri." - -His eyes began to twinkle, and then he smiled.... - - ---- - -Onward sped the _Wanderer_, onward through cold, silent infinity, on and -on, an insignificant pencil of silver lost in the terrible, brooding -blackness. - -Yet even greater than the blackness was the flaming hope in the six men -who inhabited the silver rocket. They moved in hope as fish move in -water. Their lives revolved in hope as planets revolve in space and -time. They bore their hope like a jeweled crown, and it was as much a -part of them as sight in their eyes. Hope was both their brother and -their god. - -And there was no loneliness. - -THE END - -_Transcribers note_: This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction -July 1953. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. -copyright on this publication was renewed. - - - - - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LONELY ONES *** - - - - -A Word from Project Gutenberg - - -We will update this book if we find any errors. - -This book can be found under: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/38302 - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one -owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and -you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission -and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the -General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and -distributing Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works to protect the -Project Gutenberg(tm) concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a -registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, -unless you receive specific permission. If you do not charge anything -for copies of this eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may -use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative -works, reports, performances and research. They may be modified and -printed and given away - you may do practically _anything_ with public -domain eBooks. Redistribution is subject to the trademark license, -especially commercial redistribution. - - - -The Full Project Gutenberg License - - -_Please read this before you distribute or use this work._ - -To protect the Project Gutenberg(tm) mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work (or -any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg(tm) License available with this file or online at -http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use & Redistributing Project Gutenberg(tm) -electronic works - - -*1.A.* By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg(tm) -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all the -terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy all -copies of Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works in your possession. If -you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg(tm) electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -*1.B.* "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few things -that you can do with most Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works even -without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See paragraph -1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg(tm) electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -*1.C.* The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of -Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works. Nearly all the individual works -in the collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you -from copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating -derivative works based on the work as long as all references to Project -Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the -Project Gutenberg(tm) mission of promoting free access to electronic -works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg(tm) works in compliance with -the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg(tm) name -associated with the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this -agreement by keeping this work in the same format with its attached full -Project Gutenberg(tm) License when you share it without charge with -others. - -*1.D.* The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg(tm) work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -*1.E.* Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -*1.E.1.* The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg(tm) License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg(tm) work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with - almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away - or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License - included with this eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org - -*1.E.2.* If an individual Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic work is -derived from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating -that it is posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can -be copied and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying -any fees or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a -work with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on -the work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs -1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg(tm) trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -*1.E.3.* If an individual Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic work is -posted with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and -distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and -any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg(tm) License for all works posted -with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of -this work. - -*1.E.4.* Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project -Gutenberg(tm) License terms from this work, or any files containing a -part of this work or any other work associated with Project -Gutenberg(tm). - -*1.E.5.* Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg(tm) License. - -*1.E.6.* You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg(tm) work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg(tm) web site -(http://www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or -expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a -means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include -the full Project Gutenberg(tm) License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -*1.E.7.* Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg(tm) works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -*1.E.8.* You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works -provided that - - - You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg(tm) works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg(tm) trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - - - You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg(tm) - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg(tm) - works. - - - You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - - - You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg(tm) works. - - -*1.E.9.* If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg(tm) electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg(tm) trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3. below. - -*1.F.* - -*1.F.1.* Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg(tm) collection. -Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works, and the -medium on which they may be stored, may contain "Defects," such as, but -not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or corrupt data, transcription -errors, a copyright or other intellectual property infringement, a -defective or damaged disk or other medium, a computer virus, or computer -codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment. - -*1.F.2.* LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg(tm) trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg(tm) electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees. -YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, -BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE PROVIDED IN -PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE TRADEMARK OWNER, AND -ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR -ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES -EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. - -*1.F.3.* LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -*1.F.4.* Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS,' WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -*1.F.5.* Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -*1.F.6.* INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg(tm) -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg(tm) work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg(tm) - - -Project Gutenberg(tm) is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg(tm)'s -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg(tm) collection will remain -freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure and -permanent future for Project Gutenberg(tm) and future generations. To -learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and -how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the -Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org . - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the state -of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue -Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification number is -64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at -http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/pglaf . Contributions to the -Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the -full extent permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. -S. Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 -North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email -business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact -information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official page -at http://www.pglaf.org - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation - - -Project Gutenberg(tm) depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations where -we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state -visit http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make any -statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from outside -the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other ways -including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To donate, -please visit: http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic -works. - - -Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg(tm) -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg(tm) eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg(tm) eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. unless -a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily keep eBooks -in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Each eBook is in a subdirectory of the same number as the eBook's eBook -number, often in several formats including plain vanilla ASCII, -compressed (zipped), HTML and others. - -Corrected _editions_ of our eBooks replace the old file and take over -the old filename and etext number. The replaced older file is renamed. -_Versions_ based on separate sources are treated as new eBooks receiving -new filenames and etext numbers. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - http://www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg(tm), -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/38302-8.zip b/38302-8.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 53c80ec..0000000 --- a/38302-8.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/38302-h.zip b/38302-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 19de32c..0000000 --- a/38302-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/38302-h/38302-h.html b/38302-h/38302-h.htm index 36ceb20..7111b98 100644 --- a/38302-h/38302-h.html +++ b/38302-h/38302-h.htm @@ -437,27 +437,9 @@ pre { font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.9em; white-space: pre-wrap </style> </head> <body> +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 38302 ***</div> <div class="document" id="the-lonely-ones"> <h1 class="document-title level-1 pfirst title">The Lonely Ones</h1> - -<!-- -*- encoding: utf-8 -*- --> -<div class="container language-en pgheader" xml:lang="en" id="pg-header"> -<p class="noindent pfirst">This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the <a class="reference internal pginternal" href="#project-gutenberg-license">Project Gutenberg License</a> -included with this eBook or online at -<a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org/license">http://www.gutenberg.org/license</a>.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<div class="container" id="pg-machine-header"> -<p class="noindent pfirst">Title: The Lonely Ones</p> -<p class="noindent pnext">Author: Edward W. Ludwig</p> -<p class="noindent pnext">Release Date: December 12, 2011 [EBook #38302]</p> -<p class="noindent pnext">Language: English</p> -<p class="noindent pnext">Character set encoding: UTF-8</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pnext" id="pg-start-line">*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LONELY ONES ***</p> </div> <div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> </div> @@ -1339,339 +1321,6 @@ brother and their god.</p> </div> <div class="vspace" style="height: 5em"> </div> -<p class="pfirst" id="pg-end-line">*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LONELY ONES ***</p> -<div class="backmatter"> -</div> -<div class="language-en level-2 pgfooter section" xml:lang="en" id="a-word-from-project-gutenberg"> -<span id="pg-footer"/><h2 class="level-2 pfirst section-title title">A Word from Project Gutenberg</h2> -<p class="pfirst">We will update this book if we find any errors.</p> -<p class="pnext">This book can be found under: <a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/38302">http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/38302</a></p> -<p class="pnext">Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one -owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and -you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set -forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works to -protect the Project Gutenberg™ concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge -for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you do not -charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the rules is -very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as -creation of derivative works, reports, performances and research. -They may be modified and printed and given away – you may do -practically <em class="italics">anything</em> with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution.</p> -<div class="level-3 section" id="the-full-project-gutenberg-license"> -<span id="project-gutenberg-license"/><h3 class="level-3 pfirst section-title title">The Full Project Gutenberg License</h3> -<p class="pfirst"><em class="italics">Please read this before you distribute or use this work.</em></p> -<p class="pnext">To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project -Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at -<a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org/license">http://www.gutenberg.org/license</a>.</p> -<div class="level-4 section" id="section-1-general-terms-of-use-redistributing-project-gutenberg-electronic-works"> -<h4 class="level-4 pfirst section-title title">Section 1. General Terms of Use & Redistributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works</h4> -<p class="pfirst"><strong class="bold">1.A.</strong> By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™ -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by -the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person -or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.</p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.B.</strong> “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™ electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below.</p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.C.</strong> The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the -Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is in the public domain in the United -States and you are located in the United States, we do not claim a -right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting free -access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™ works -in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project -Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily comply with -the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the same format -with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when you share it -without charge with others.</p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.D.</strong> The copyright laws of the place where you are located also -govern what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most -countries are in a constant state of change. If you are outside the -United States, check the laws of your country in addition to the terms -of this agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States.</p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.E.</strong> Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:</p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.E.1.</strong> The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work -on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the -phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed:</p> -<blockquote><div> -<p class="pfirst">This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at <a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org">http://www.gutenberg.org</a></p> -</div></blockquote> -<p class="pfirst"><strong class="bold">1.E.2.</strong> If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is -derived from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating -that it is posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work -can be copied and distributed to anyone in the United States without -paying any fees or charges. If you are redistributing or providing -access to a work with the phrase “Project Gutenberg” associated with -or appearing on the work, you must comply either with the requirements -of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of -the work and the Project Gutenberg™ trademark as set forth in -paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.</p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.E.3.</strong> If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is -posted with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and -distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and -any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works posted -with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of -this work.</p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.E.4.</strong> Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project -Gutenberg™ License terms from this work, or any files containing a -part of this work or any other work associated with Project -Gutenberg™.</p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.E.5.</strong> Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute -this electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg™ License.</p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.E.6.</strong> You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format other -than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ web site -(<a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org">http://www.gutenberg.org</a>), you must, at no additional cost, fee or -expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a -means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original -“Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include -the full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.</p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.E.7.</strong> Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.</p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.E.8.</strong> You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works provided -that</p> -<ul class="open"> -<li><p class="first pfirst">You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from -the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method you -already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed to -the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has agreed to -donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid within 60 -days following each date on which you prepare (or are legally -required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty payments -should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in Section 4, -“Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation.”</p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst">You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies -you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he -does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™ -License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all -copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue -all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™ -works.</p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst">You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of -any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the -electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of -receipt of the work.</p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst">You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free -distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works.</p> -</li> -</ul> -<p class="pfirst"><strong class="bold">1.E.9.</strong> If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and -Michael Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact -the Foundation as set forth in Section 3. below.</p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.F.</strong></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.F.1.</strong> Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend -considerable effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe -and proofread public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg™ -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™ electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -“Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment.</p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.F.2.</strong> LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES – Except for the -“Right of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the -Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the -Project Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a -Project Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE.</p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.F.3.</strong> LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND – If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem.</p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.F.4.</strong> Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set -forth in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS,’ WITH -NO OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.</p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.F.5.</strong> Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions.</p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.F.6.</strong> INDEMNITY – You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, -the trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™ -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any -Defect you cause.</p> -</div> -<div class="level-4 section" id="section-2-information-about-the-mission-of-project-gutenberg"> -<h4 class="level-4 pfirst section-title title">Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™</h4> -<p class="pfirst">Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life.</p> -<p class="pnext">Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™'s -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will remain -freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future generations. To -learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and -how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the -Foundation web page at <a class="reference external" href="http://www.pglaf.org">http://www.pglaf.org</a> .</p> -</div> -<div class="level-4 section" id="section-3-information-about-the-project-gutenberg-literary-archive-foundation"> -<h4 class="level-4 pfirst section-title title">Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation</h4> -<p class="pfirst">The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at -<a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/pglaf">http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/pglaf</a> . Contributions to the -Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to -the full extent permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.</p> -<p class="pnext">The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. -S. Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are -scattered throughout numerous locations. Its business office is -located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) -596-1887, email <a class="reference external" href="mailto:business@pglaf.org">business@pglaf.org</a>. Email contact links and up to date -contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at <a class="reference external" href="http://www.pglaf.org">http://www.pglaf.org</a></p> -<p class="pnext">For additional contact information:</p> -<blockquote><div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">Dr. Gregory B. Newby</div> -<div class="line">Chief Executive and Director</div> -<div class="line"><a class="reference external" href="mailto:gbnewby@pglaf.org">gbnewby@pglaf.org</a></div> -</div> -</div></blockquote> -</div> -<div class="level-4 section" id="section-4-information-about-donations-to-the-project-gutenberg-literary-archive-foundation"> -<h4 class="level-4 pfirst section-title title">Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation</h4> -<p class="pfirst">Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without wide spread -public support and donations to carry out its mission of increasing -the number of public domain and licensed works that can be freely -distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest array of -equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations ($1 to -$5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt status -with the IRS.</p> -<p class="pnext">The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit <a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate">http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate</a></p> -<p class="pnext">While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate.</p> -<p class="pnext">International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.</p> -<p class="pnext">Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: <a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate">http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate</a></p> -</div> -<div class="level-4 section" id="section-5-general-information-about-project-gutenberg-electronic-works"> -<h4 class="level-4 pfirst section-title title">Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works.</h4> -<p class="pfirst">Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg™ -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.</p> -<p class="pnext">Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the -U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition.</p> -<p class="pnext">Each eBook is in a subdirectory of the same number as the eBook's -eBook number, often in several formats including plain vanilla ASCII, -compressed (zipped), HTML and others.</p> -<p class="pnext">Corrected <em class="italics">editions</em> of our eBooks replace the old file and take over -the old filename and etext number. The replaced older file is -renamed. <em class="italics">Versions</em> based on separate sources are treated as new -eBooks receiving new filenames and etext numbers.</p> -<p class="pnext">Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility:</p> -<blockquote><div> -<p class="pfirst"><a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org">http://www.gutenberg.org</a></p> -</div></blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg™, including -how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to subscribe -to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.</p> -</div> -</div> -</div> -</div> +<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 38302 ***</div> </body> </html> diff --git a/38302-rst.zip b/38302-rst.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 18d43d7..0000000 --- a/38302-rst.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/38302-rst/38302-rst.rst b/38302-rst/38302-rst.rst deleted file mode 100644 index e480286..0000000 --- a/38302-rst/38302-rst.rst +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1595 +0,0 @@ -.. -*- encoding: utf-8 -*-
-
-.. meta::
- :PG.Id: 38302
- :PG.Title: The Lonely Ones
- :PG.Released: 2011-12-12
- :PG.Rights: Public Domain
- :PG.Producer: Frank van Drogen
- :PG.Producer: Greg Weeks
- :PG.Producer: the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
- :DC.Creator: Edward W. Ludwig
- :DC.Title: The Lonely Ones
- :DC.Language: en
- :DC.Created: 1953
- :coverpage: images/cover.jpg
-
-
-
-================================
- The Lonely Ones
-================================
-
-.. _pg-header:
-
-.. container:: pgheader language-en
-
- .. style:: paragraph
- :class: noindent
-
- This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
- almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
- re-use it under the terms of the `Project Gutenberg License`_
- included with this eBook or online at
- http://www.gutenberg.org/license.
-
-
-
- |
-
- .. _pg-machine-header:
-
- .. container::
-
- Title: The Lonely Ones
-
- Author: Edward W. Ludwig
-
- Release Date: December 12, 2011 [EBook #38302]
-
- Language: English
-
- Character set encoding: UTF-8
-
- |
-
- .. _pg-start-line:
-
- \*\*\* START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LONELY ONES \*\*\*
-
- |
- |
- |
- |
-
- .. _pg-produced-by:
-
- .. container::
-
- Produced by Frank van Drogen, Greg Weeks, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net.
-
- |
-
-
-
-
-.. role:: xl
- :class: x-large
-
-.. role:: small-caps
- :class: small-caps
-
-.. class:: center
-
-
-.. image:: images/cover.jpg
- :align: center
-
-..
-
-
-
-..
-
- | :xl:`The Lonely Ones`
- |
- | By Edward W. Ludwig
- |
- | Illustrated by PAUL ORBAN
-
-
-
-
-.. epigraph::
-
- *The line between noble dreams and madness is
- thin, and loneliness can push men past it....*
-
-
-
-Onward sped the *Wanderer*, onward
-through cold, silent infinity, on
-and on, an insignificant pencil
-of silver lost in the terrible,
-brooding blackness.
-
-But even more awful than the
-blackness was the loneliness of the
-six men who inhabited the silver
-rocket. They moved in loneliness as
-fish move in water. Their lives revolved
-in loneliness as planets revolve
-in space and time. They bore
-their loneliness like a shroud, and
-it was as much a part of them as
-sight in their eyes. Loneliness was
-both their brother and their god.
-
-Yet, like a tiny flame in the darkness,
-there was hope, a savage, desperate
-hope that grew with the
-passing of each day, each month,
-and each year.
-
-And at last....
-
-"Lord," breathed Captain Sam
-Wiley.
-
-Lieutenant Gunderson nodded.
-"It's a big one, isn't it?"
-
-"It's a big one," repeated Captain
-Wiley.
-
-They stared at the image in the
-*Wanderer's* forward visi-screen, at
-the great, shining gray ball. They
-stared hard, for it was like an enchanted,
-God-given fruit handed
-them on a star-flecked platter of
-midnight. It was like the answer to
-a thousand prayers, a shining symbol
-of hope which could mean the
-end of loneliness.
-
-"It's ten times as big as Earth,"
-mused Lieutenant Gunderson. "Do
-you think this'll be it, Captain?"
-
-"I'm afraid to think."
-
-A thoughtful silence.
-
-"Captain."
-
-"Yes?"
-
-"Do you hear my heart pounding?"
-
-Captain Wiley smiled. "No. No,
-of course not."
-
-"It seems like everybody should
-be hearing it. But we shouldn't get
-excited, should we? We mustn't
-hope too hard." He bit his lip.
-"But there *should* be life there,
-don't you think, Captain?"
-
-.. image:: images/im1.png
- :align: center
-
-"There may be."
-
-"Nine years, Captain. Think of
-it. It's taken us nine years to get
-here. There's *got* to be life."
-
-"Prepare for deceleration, Lieutenant."
-
-Lieutenant Gunderson's tall,
-slim body sagged for an instant.
-Then his eyes brightened.
-
-"Yes, sir!"
-
------
-
-Captain Sam Wiley continued
-to stare at the beautiful gray
-globe in the visi-screen. He was not
-like Gunderson, with boyish eagerness
-and anxiety flowing out of him
-in a ceaseless babble. His emotion
-was as great, or greater, but it was
-imprisoned within him, like swirling,
-foaming liquid inside a corked
-jug.
-
-It wouldn't do to encourage the
-men too much. Because, if they
-were disappointed....
-
-He shook his silver-thatched
-head. There it was, he thought. A
-new world. A world that, perhaps,
-held life.
-
-Life. It was a word uttered only
-with reverence, for throughout the
-Solar System, with the exception
-of on Earth, there had been only
-death.
-
-First it was the Moon, airless and
-lifeless. That had been expected, of
-course.
-
-But Mars. For centuries men had
-dreamed of Mars and written of
-Mars with its canals and dead
-cities, with its ancient men and
-strange animals. Everyone *knew*
-there was or had been life on Mars.
-
-The flaming rockets reached
-Mars, and the canals became volcanic
-crevices, and the dead cities
-became jagged peaks of red stone,
-and the endless sands were smooth,
-smooth, smooth, untouched by feet
-of living creatures. There was
-plant-life, a species of green-red
-lichen in the Polar regions. But nowhere
-was there real life.
-
-Then Venus, with its dust and
-wind. No life there. Not even the
-stars to make one think of home.
-Only the dust and wind, a dark veil
-of death screaming eternally over
-hot dry land.
-
-And Jupiter, with its seas of ice;
-and hot Mercury, a cracked, withered
-mummy of a planet, baked as
-hard and dry as an ancient walnut
-in a furnace.
-
-Next, the airless, rocky asteroids,
-and frozen Saturn with its swirling
-ammonia snows. And last, the
-white, silent worlds, Uranus, Neptune,
-and Pluto.
-
-World after world, all dead,
-with no sign of life, no reminder of
-life, and no promise of life.
-
-Thus the loneliness had grown. It
-was not a child of Earth. It was
-not born in the hearts of those who
-scurried along city pavements or of
-those in the green fields or of those
-in the cool, clean houses.
-
-It was a child of the incredible
-distances, of the infinite night, of
-emptiness and silence. It was born
-in the hearts of the slit-eyed men,
-the oldish young men, the spacemen.
-
-For without life on other worlds,
-where was the sky's challenge? Why
-go on and on to discover only
-worlds of death?
-
-The dream of the spacemen
-turned from the planets to the stars.
-Somewhere in the galaxy or in
-other galaxies there *had* to be life.
-Life was a wonderful and precious
-thing. It wasn't right that it should
-be confined to a single, tiny planet.
-If it were, then life would seem
-meaningless. Mankind would be a
-freak, a cosmic accident.
-
-And now the *Wanderer* was on
-the first interstellar flight, hurtling
-through the dark spaces to Proxima
-Centauri. Moving silently, as if motionless,
-yet at a speed of 160,000
-miles a second. And ahead loomed
-the great, gray planet, the only
-planet of the sun, growing larger,
-larger, each instant....
-
------
-
-A gentle, murmuring hum
-filled the ship. The indicator
-lights on the control panel glowed
-like a swarm of pink eyes.
-
-"Deceleration compensator adjusted
-for 12 G's, sir," reported
-Lieutenant Gunderson.
-
-Captain Wiley nodded, still
-studying the image of the planet.
-
-"There—there's something else,
-Captain."
-
-"Yes?"
-
-"It's Brown, sir. He's drunk."
-
-Captain Wiley turned, a scowl
-on his hard, lined face. "Drunk?
-Where'd he get the stuff?"
-
-"He saved it, sir, saved it for
-nine years. Said he was going to
-drink it when we discovered life."
-
-"We haven't discovered life yet."
-
-"I know. He said he wouldn't set
-foot on the planet if he was sober.
-Said if there isn't life there, he
-couldn't take it—unless he was
-drunk."
-
-Captain Wiley grunted. "All
-right."
-
-They looked at the world.
-
-"Wouldn't it be wonderful, Captain?
-Just think—to meet another
-race. It wouldn't matter what they
-were like, would it? If they were
-primitive, we could teach them
-things. If they were ahead of us,
-they could teach us. You know
-what I'd like? To have someone
-meet us, to gather around us. It
-wouldn't matter if they were afraid
-of us or even if they tried to kill us.
-We'd know that we aren't alone."
-
-"I know what you mean," said
-Captain Wiley. Some of his emotion
-overflowed the prison of his
-body. "There's no thrill in landing
-on dead worlds. If no one's there to
-see you, you don't feel like a hero."
-
-"That's it, Captain! That's why
-I came on this crazy trip. I guess
-that's why we all came. I...."
-
-Captain Wiley cleared his throat.
-"Lieutenant, commence deceleration.
-6 G's."
-
-"Yes, sir!"
-
-The planet grew bigger, filling
-the entire visi-screen.
-
-Someone coughed behind Captain
-Wiley.
-
-"Sir, the men would like to look
-at the screen. They can't see the
-planet out of the ports yet." The
-speaker was Doyle, the ship's Engineer,
-a dry, tight-skinned little
-man.
-
-"Sure." Captain Wiley stepped
-aside.
-
-Doyle looked, then Parker and
-Fong. Just three of them, for Watkins
-had sliced his wrists the fourth
-year out. And Brown was drunk.
-
-As they looked, a realization
-came to Captain Wiley. The men
-were getting old. The years had
-passed so gradually that he'd never
-really noticed it before. Lieutenant
-Gunderson had been a kid just out
-of Space Academy. Parker and
-Doyle and Fong, too, had been in
-their twenties. They had been boys.
-And now something was gone—the
-sharp eyes and sure movements
-of youth, the smooth skin and thick,
-soft hair.
-
-Now they had become men. And
-yet for a few moments, as they
-gazed at the screen, they seemed
-like happy, expectant children.
-
-"I wish Brown could see this,"
-Doyle murmured. "He says now he
-isn't going to get off his couch till
-we land and discover life. Says he
-won't dare look for himself."
-
-"The planet's right for life," said
-Fong, the dark-faced astro-physicist.
-"Atmosphere forty per cent
-oxygen, lots of water vapor. No
-poisonous gases, according to spectroscopic
-analyses. It should be
-ideal for life."
-
-"There *is* life there," said Parker,
-the radarman. "You know why?
-Because we've given up eighteen
-years of our lives. Nine years to get
-here, nine to get back. I'm thirty
-now. I was twenty-one when we left
-Earth. I gave up all those good
-years. They say that you can have
-something if you pay enough for it.
-Well, we've paid for this. There has
-to be a—a sort of universal justice.
-That's why I know there's life here,
-life that moves and thinks—maybe
-even life we can talk to."
-
-"You need a drink," said Fong.
-
-"It's getting bigger," murmured
-Lieutenant Gunderson.
-
-"The Centaurians," mused
-Doyle, half to himself. "What'll
-they be like? Monsters or men? If
-Parker's right about universal justice,
-they'll be men."
-
-"Hey, where there's men, there's
-women!" yelled Parker. "A Centaurian
-woman! Say!"
-
-"Look at those clouds!" exclaimed
-Doyle. "Damn it, we can't
-see the surface."
-
-"Hey, there! Look there, to the
-right! See it? It's silver, down in a
-hole in the clouds. It's like a city!"
-
-"Maybe it's just water."
-
-"No, it's a city!"
-
-"Bring 'er down, Captain. God,
-Captain, bring 'er down fast!"
-
-"Drag Brown in here! He ought
-to see this!"
-
-"Can't you bring 'er down faster,
-Captain?"
-
-"Damn it, it *is* a city!"
-
-"Why doesn't someone get
-Brown?"
-
-"Take to your couches, men,"
-said Captain Wiley. "Landing's apt
-to be a bit bumpy. Better strap
-yourselves in."
-
------
-
-Down went the rocket, more
-slowly now, great plumes of
-scarlet thundering from its forward
-braking jets. Down, down into soft,
-cotton-like clouds, the whiteness
-sliding silently past the ports.
-
-Suddenly, a droning voice:
-
-"To those in the ship from the
-planet called Earth: Please refrain
-from landing at this moment. You
-will await landing instructions."
-
-Parker leaped off his couch,
-grasping a stanchion for support.
-"That voice! It was human!"
-
-Captain Wiley's trembling hand
-moved over the jet-control panel.
-The ship slowed in its descent. The
-clouds outside the portholes became
-motionless, a milky whiteness
-pressed against the ship.
-
-"The voice!" Parker cried again.
-"Am I crazy? Did everyone hear
-it?"
-
-Captain Wiley turned away from
-the panel. "We heard it, Parker. It
-was in our minds. Telepathy."
-
-He smiled. "Yes, the planet is inhabited.
-There are intelligent beings
-on it. Perhaps they're more intelligent
-than we are."
-
-It was strange. The men had
-hoped, dreamed, prayed for this
-moment. Now they sat stunned, unable
-to comprehend, their tongues
-frozen.
-
-"We'll see them very soon," said
-Captain Wiley, his voice quivering.
-"We'll wait for their directions."
-
-Breathlessly, they waited.
-
-Captain Wiley's fingers drummed
-nervously on the base of the control
-panel. Lieutenant Gunderson
-rose from his couch, stood in the
-center of the cabin, then returned
-to his couch.
-
-Silence, save for the constant,
-rumbling roar of the jets which
-held the ship aloft.
-
-"I wonder how long it'll be,"
-murmured Fong at last.
-
-"It seems like a long time!" burst
-Parker.
-
-"We've waited nine years," said
-Captain Wiley. "We can wait a
-few more minutes."
-
-They waited.
-
-"Good Lord!" said Parker.
-"How long is it going to be? What
-time is it? We've been waiting an
-hour! What kind of people are they
-down there?"
-
-"Maybe they've forgotten about
-us," said Fong.
-
-"That's it!" cried Parker.
-"They've forgotten about us! Hey,
-you! Down there—you that talked
-to us! We're still here, damn it! We
-want to land!"
-
-"Parker," said Captain Wiley,
-sternly.
-
-Parker sat down on his couch, his
-lips quivering.
-
-Then came the voice:
-
-"We regret that a landing is impossible
-at this moment. Our field
-is overcrowded, and your vessel is
-without priority. You must wait
-your turn."
-
-Captain Wiley stared forward at
-nothing. "Whoever you are," he
-whispered, "please understand that
-we have come a long way to reach
-your planet. Our trip...."
-
-"We do not wish to discuss your
-trip. You will be notified when
-landing space is available."
-
-Captain Wiley's body shook.
-"Wait, tell us who you are. What
-do you look like? Tell us...."
-
-"Talking to you is quite difficult.
-We must form our thoughts so as
-to form word-patterns in your
-minds. You will be notified."
-
-"Wait a minute!" called Captain
-Wiley.
-
-No answer.
-
-Captain Wiley straightened in an
-effort to maintain dignity.
-
-They waited....
-
------
-
-It was night.
-
-The darkness was an impenetrable
-blanket, a solid thing, like
-thick black velvet glued over the
-ports. It was worse than the darkness
-of space.
-
-Captain Wiley sat before the
-control panel, slowly beating his
-fists against the arms of his chair, a
-human metronome ticking off the
-slow seconds.
-
-Parker stood before a porthole.
-
-"Hey, look, Captain! There's a
-streak of red, like a meteor. And
-there's another!"
-
-Captain Wiley rose, looked out.
-"They're rockets. They're going to
-land. These people are highly advanced."
-
-His face became grim. Below
-them lay a planet, an intelligent
-race hidden beneath clouds and
-darkness. What manner of creatures
-were they? How great was their
-civilization? What marvelous secrets
-had their scientists discovered?
-What was their food like, their
-women, their whiskey?
-
-The questions darted endlessly
-through his mind like teasing
-needle-points. All these wondrous
-things lay below them, and here
-they sat, like starving men, their
-hands tied, gazing upon a steaming
-but unobtainable dinner. So near
-and yet so far.
-
-He trembled. The emotion grew
-within him until it burst out as water
-bursts through the cracked wall
-of a dam. He became like Parker.
-
-"Why should we wait?" he
-yelled. "Why must we land in their
-field? Parker! Prepare to release
-flares! We're going down! We'll
-land anywhere—in a street, in the
-country. We don't have to wait for
-orders!"
-
-Parker bounced off his couch.
-Someone called, "Brown, we're going
-to land!"
-
-A scurrying of feet, the rush of
-taut-muscled bodies, the babble of
-excited voices.
-
-"We're going down!"
-
-"*We're going down!*"
-
-The grumble of the *Wanderer's*
-jets loudened, softened, spluttered,
-loudened again. Vibration filled the
-ship as it sank downward.
-
-Suddenly it lurched upward, like
-a child's ball caught in a stream of
-rising water. The jolt staggered the
-men. They seized stanchions and
-bulkhead railings to keep their balance.
-
-"What the hell?"
-
-Abruptly, the strange movement
-ceased. The ship seemed motionless.
-There was no vibration.
-
-"Captain," said Lieutenant Gunderson.
-"There's no change in altitude.
-We're still at 35,000 feet, no
-more, no less."
-
-"We *must* be going down," said
-Captain Wiley, puzzled. "Kill jets
-4 and 6."
-
-The Lieutenant's hands flicked
-off two switches. A moment later:
-"There's no change, Captain."
-
-Then came the voice:
-
-"To those in the vessel from the
-planet Earth: Please do not oppose
-orders of the Landing Council. You
-are the first visitors in the history of
-our world whom we have had to
-restrain with physical force. You
-will be notified when landing space
-is available."
-
------
-
-Morning.
-
-The warm sunlight streamed
-into the clouds, washing away the
-last shadows and filtering through
-the portholes.
-
-The men breakfasted, bathed,
-shaved, smoked, sat, twisted their
-fingers, looked out the ports. They
-were silent men, with dark shadows
-about their eyes and with tight,
-white-lipped mouths.
-
-Frequently, the clouds near them
-were cut by swift, dark shapes
-swooping downward. The shapes
-were indistinct in the cotton-like
-whiteness, but obviously they were
-huge, like a dozen *Wanderers* made
-into one.
-
-"Those ships are big," someone
-murmured, without enthusiasm.
-
-"It's a busy spaceport," grumbled
-Captain Wiley.
-
-Thoughts, words, movements
-came so slowly it was like walking
-under water. Enthusiasm was dead.
-The men were automatons, sitting,
-waiting, eating, sitting, waiting.
-
-A day passed, and a night.
-
-"Maybe they've forgotten us,"
-said Fong.
-
-No one answered. The thought
-had been voiced before, a hundred
-times.
-
-Then, at last, the droning words:
-
-"To those in the vessel from the
-planet Earth: You will now land.
-We will carry you directly over the
-field. Then you will descend
-straight down. The atmosphere is
-suitable to your type of life and is
-free of germs. You will not need
-protection."
-
-The men stared at one another.
-
-"Hey," Doyle said, "did you hear
-that? He says we can go down."
-
-The men blinked. Captain Wiley
-swallowed hard. He rose with a
-stiff, slow, nervous hesitancy.
-
-"We're going down," he mumbled,
-as if repeating the words over
-and over in his mind and trying to
-believe them.
-
-The men stirred as realization
-sprouted and grew. They stirred
-like lethargic animals aroused from
-the long, dreamless sleep of hibernation.
-
-"We're going to land," breathed
-Parker, unbelievingly.
-
-The *Wanderer* moved as though
-caught in the grip of a giant, invisible
-hand.
-
-The voice said:
-
-"You may now descend."
-
-Captain Wiley moved to the jet-control
-panel. "Lieutenant!" he
-snapped. "Wake up. Let's go!"
-
-The ship sank downward through
-the thick sea of clouds. The men
-walked to the ports. A tenseness, an
-excitement grew in their faces, like
-dying flame being fanned into its
-former brilliancy.
-
-Out of the clouds loomed monstrous,
-shining, silver spires and
-towers, Cyclopean bridges, gigantic
-lake-like mirrors, immense golden
-spheres. It was a nightmare world,
-a jungle of fantastic shape and
-color.
-
-The men gasped, whispered,
-murmured, the flame of their excitement
-growing, growing.
-
-"The whole planet is a city!"
-breathed Parker.
-
------
-
-Thump!
-
-The *Wanderer* came to rest
-on a broad landing field of light
-blue stone. The jets coughed, spluttered,
-died. The ship quivered, then
-lay still, its interior charged with
-an electric, pregnant silence.
-
-"You first, Captain." Lieutenant
-Gunderson's voice cracked, and his
-face was flushed. "You be the first
-to go outside."
-
-Captain Wiley stepped through
-the airlock, his heart pounding. It
-was over now—all the bewilderment,
-the numbness.
-
-And his eyes were shining. He'd
-waited so long that it was hard to
-believe the waiting was over. But it
-was, he told himself. The journey
-was over, and the waiting, and now
-the loneliness would soon be over.
-Mankind was not alone. It was a
-good universe after all!
-
-He stepped outside, followed by
-Lieutenant Gunderson, then by
-Parker, Doyle and Fong.
-
-He rubbed his eyes. This couldn't
-be! A world like this couldn't exist!
-He shook his head, blinked furiously.
-
-"It—it can't be true," he mumbled
-to Lieutenant Gunderson.
-"We're still on the ship—dreaming."
-
-The landing field was huge, perhaps
-ten miles across, and its sides
-were lined with incredible ships,
-the smallest of which seemed forty
-times as large as the *Wanderer*.
-There were silver ships, golden
-ships, black ships, round ships,
-transparent ships, cigar-shaped
-ships, flat-topped ships.
-
-And scattered over the field were—creatures.
-
-A few were the size of men, but
-most were giants by comparison.
-Some were humanoid, some reptilian.
-Some were naked, some clad
-in helmeted suits, some enveloped
-with a shimmering, water-like luminescence.
-The creatures walked,
-slithered, floated, crawled.
-
-Beyond the ships and the field lay
-the great city, its web-work of towers,
-minarets, spheres and bridges
-like the peaks of an enormous
-mountain range stretching up into
-space itself. The structures were
-like the colors of a rainbow mixed
-in a cosmic paint pot, molded and
-solidified into fantastic shapes by a
-mad god.
-
-"I—I'm going back to the ship,"
-stammered Parker. The whiteness
-of death was in his face. "I'm going
-to stay with Brown."
-
-He turned, and then he
-screamed.
-
-"Captain, the ship's moving!"
-
-Silently, the *Wanderer* was drifting
-to the side of the field.
-
-The toneless voice said:
-
-"We are removing your vessel so
-that other descending ships will not
-damage it."
-
-Captain Wiley shouted into the
-air. "Wait! Don't go away! Help
-us! Where can we see you?"
-
-The voice seemed to hesitate. "It
-is difficult for us to speak in
-thoughts that you understand."
-
------
-
-Silence.
-
-Captain Wiley studied the
-faces of his men. They were not
-faces of conquerors or of triumphant
-spacemen. They were the
-faces of dazed, frightened children
-who had caught a glimpse of Hell.
-He attempted, feebly, to smile.
-
-"All right," he said loudly, "so
-it isn't like we expected. So no one
-came to meet us with brass bands
-and ten cent flags. We've still succeeded,
-haven't we? We've found
-life that's intelligent beyond our
-comprehension. What if our own
-civilization is insignificant by comparison?
-Look at those beings.
-Think of what we can learn from
-them. Why, their ships might have
-exceeded the speed of light. They
-might be from other galaxies!"
-
-"Let's find out," said Parker.
-
-They strode to the nearest ship,
-an immense, smooth, bluish sphere.
-Two creatures stood before it,
-shaped like men and yet twice the
-size of men. They wore white, skin-tight
-garments that revealed muscular
-bodies like those of gods.
-
-They looked at Captain Wiley
-and smiled.
-
-One of them pointed toward the
-*Wanderer*. Their smiles widened
-and then they laughed.
-
-They laughed gently, understandingly,
-but they *laughed*.
-
-And then they turned away.
-
-"Talk to them," Parker urged.
-
-"How?" Beads of perspiration
-shone on Captain Wiley's face.
-
-"Any way. Go ahead."
-
-Captain Wiley wiped his forehead.
-"We are from Earth, the
-third planet...."
-
-The two god-like men seemed annoyed.
-They walked away, ignoring
-the Earthmen.
-
-Captain Wiley spat. "All right, so
-they won't talk to us. Look at that
-city! Think of the things we can see
-there and tell the folks on Earth
-about! Why, we'll be heroes!"
-
-"Let's go," said Parker, his voice
-quavering around the edges.
-
-They walked toward a large, oval
-opening in a side of the field, a
-hole between mountainous, conical
-structures that seemed like the entrance
-to a street.
-
-Suddenly breath exploded from
-Captain Wiley's lungs. His body
-jerked back. He fell to the blue
-stone pavement.
-
-Then he scrambled erect, scowling,
-his hands outstretched. He felt
-a soft, rubbery, invisible substance.
-
-"It's a wall!" he exclaimed.
-
-The voice droned:
-
-"To those of Earth: Beings under
-the 4th stage of Galactic Development
-are restricted to the area
-of the landing field. We are sorry.
-In your primitive stage it would be
-unwise for you to learn the nature
-of our civilization. Knowledge of
-our science would be abused by
-your people, and used for the thing
-you call war. We hope that you
-have been inspired by what you
-have seen. However, neither we nor
-the other visitors to our planet are
-permitted to hold contact with you.
-It is suggested that you and your
-vessel depart."
-
-"Listen, you!" screamed Parker.
-"We've been nine years getting
-here! By Heaven, we won't leave
-now! We're...."
-
-"We have no time to discuss the
-matter. Beings under the 4th stage
-of Galactic...."
-
-"Never mind!" spat Captain
-Wiley.
-
-Madness flamed in Parker's
-eyes. "We won't go! I tell you, we
-*won't*, we *won't*!"
-
-His fists streaked through the air
-as if at an invisible enemy. He ran
-toward the wall.
-
-He collided with a jolt that sent
-him staggering backward, crying,
-sobbing, screaming, all at once.
-
-Captain Wiley stepped forward,
-struck him on the chin. Parker
-crumpled.
-
-They stood looking at his body,
-which lay motionless except for the
-slow rising and falling of his chest.
-
-"What now, Captain?" asked
-Lieutenant Gunderson.
-
-Captain Wiley thought for a few
-seconds.
-
-Then he said, "We're ignorant
-country bumpkins, Lieutenant, riding
-into the city in a chugging jalopy.
-We're stupid savages, trying
-to discuss the making of fire with
-the creators of atomic energy. We're
-children racing a paper glider
-against an atomic-powered jet.
-We're too ridiculous to be noticed.
-We're tolerated—but nothing
-more."
-
-"Shall we go home?" asked
-Fong, a weariness in his voice.
-
-Lieutenant Gunderson scratched
-his neck. "I don't think I'd want to
-go home now. Could you bear to
-tell the truth about what happened?"
-
-Fong looked wistfully at the shining
-city. "If we told the truth, they
-probably wouldn't believe us.
-We've failed. It sounds crazy. We
-reached Proxima Centauri and
-found life, and yet somehow we
-failed. No, I wouldn't like to go
-home."
-
-"Still, we learned something,"
-said Doyle. "We know now that
-there is life on worlds beside our
-own. Somewhere there must be
-other races like ours."
-
-They looked at each other,
-strangely, for a long, long moment.
-
-At last Lieutenant Gunderson
-asked, "How far is Alpha Centauri?"
-
-Captain Wiley frowned. "*Alpha*
-Centauri?" Through his mind
-swirled chaotic visions of colossal
-distances, eternal night, and lonely
-years. He sought hard to find a
-seed of hope in his mind, and yet
-there was no seed. There were only
-a coldness and an emptiness.
-
-Suddenly, the voice:
-
-"Yes, Men of Earth, we suggest
-that you try Alpha Centauri."
-
-The men stood silent and numb,
-like bewildered children, as the implication
-of those incredible words
-sifted into their consciousness.
-
-Finally Fong said, "Did—did you
-hear that? He said..."
-
-Captain Sam Wiley nodded, very
-slowly. "Yes. Alpha Centauri.
-*Alpha* Centauri."
-
-His eyes began to twinkle, and
-then he smiled....
-
------
-
-Onward sped the *Wanderer*,
-onward through cold, silent infinity,
-on and on, an insignificant
-pencil of silver lost in the terrible,
-brooding blackness.
-
-Yet even greater than the blackness
-was the flaming hope in the
-six men who inhabited the silver
-rocket. They moved in hope as fish
-move in water. Their lives revolved
-in hope as planets revolve in space
-and time. They bore their hope
-like a jeweled crown, and it was as
-much a part of them as sight in
-their eyes. Hope was both their
-brother and their god.
-
-And there was no loneliness.
-
-THE END
-
-.. image:: images/back.jpg
- :align: center
-
-| :small-caps:`Transcribers note`: This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction July 1953. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
-
-
-|
-|
-|
-|
-|
-
-.. _pg_end_line:
-
-\*\*\* END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LONELY ONES \*\*\*
-
-.. backmatter::
-
-.. toc-entry::
- :depth: 0
-
-.. _pg-footer:
-
-.. class:: pgfooter language-en
-
-A Word from Project Gutenberg
-=============================
-
-We will update this book if we find any errors.
-
-This book can be found under: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/38302
-
-Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one
-owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and
-you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
-permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set
-forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
-copying and distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works to
-protect the Project Gutenberg™ concept and trademark. Project
-Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge
-for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you do not
-charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the rules is
-very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as
-creation of derivative works, reports, performances and research.
-They may be modified and printed and given away – you may do
-practically *anything* with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is
-subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
-redistribution.
-
-
-.. _Project Gutenberg License:
-
-The Full Project Gutenberg License
-----------------------------------
-
-*Please read this before you distribute or use this work.*
-
-To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free
-distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
-(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project
-Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full
-Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at
-http://www.gutenberg.org/license.
-
-
-Section 1. General Terms of Use & Redistributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works
-````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
-
-**1.A.** By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™
-electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
-and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
-(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
-the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or
-destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your
-possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a
-Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by
-the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person
-or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
-
-**1.B.** “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be
-used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
-agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
-things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works
-even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
-paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
-Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
-and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™ electronic
-works. See paragraph 1.E below.
-
-**1.C.** The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the
-Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection
-of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual
-works in the collection are in the public domain in the United
-States. If an individual work is in the public domain in the United
-States and you are located in the United States, we do not claim a
-right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing,
-displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as
-all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope
-that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting free
-access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™ works
-in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project
-Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily comply with
-the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the same format
-with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when you share it
-without charge with others.
-
-
-
-**1.D.** The copyright laws of the place where you are located also
-govern what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most
-countries are in a constant state of change. If you are outside the
-United States, check the laws of your country in addition to the terms
-of this agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing,
-distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any
-other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no
-representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any
-country outside the United States.
-
-**1.E.** Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
-
-**1.E.1.** The following sentence, with active links to, or other
-immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear
-prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work
-on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the
-phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed,
-performed, viewed, copied or distributed:
-
- This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
- almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
- re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
- with this eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org
-
-**1.E.2.** If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is
-derived from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating
-that it is posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work
-can be copied and distributed to anyone in the United States without
-paying any fees or charges. If you are redistributing or providing
-access to a work with the phrase “Project Gutenberg” associated with
-or appearing on the work, you must comply either with the requirements
-of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of
-the work and the Project Gutenberg™ trademark as set forth in
-paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
-
-**1.E.3.** If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is
-posted with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and
-distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and
-any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms
-will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works posted
-with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of
-this work.
-
-**1.E.4.** Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project
-Gutenberg™ License terms from this work, or any files containing a
-part of this work or any other work associated with Project
-Gutenberg™.
-
-**1.E.5.** Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute
-this electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
-prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
-active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
-Gutenberg™ License.
-
-**1.E.6.** You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
-compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including
-any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access
-to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format other
-than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official
-version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ web site
-(http://www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or
-expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a
-means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original
-“Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include
-the full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
-
-**1.E.7.** Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
-performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works
-unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
-
-**1.E.8.** You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
-access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works provided
-that
-
-.. class:: open
-
-- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
- the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method you
- already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed to
- the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has agreed to
- donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project Gutenberg
- Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid within 60
- days following each date on which you prepare (or are legally
- required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty payments
- should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project Gutenberg
- Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in Section 4,
- “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
- Archive Foundation.”
-
-- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
- you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
- does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™
- License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all
- copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue
- all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™
- works.
-
-- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of
- any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
- electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of
- receipt of the work.
-
-- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
- distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works.
-
-**1.E.9.** If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project
-Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than
-are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing
-from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and
-Michael Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact
-the Foundation as set forth in Section 3. below.
-
-**1.F.**
-
-**1.F.1.** Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend
-considerable effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe
-and proofread public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg™
-collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™ electronic
-works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
-“Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
-corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
-property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
-computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
-your equipment.
-
-**1.F.2.** LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES – Except for the
-“Right of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the
-Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the
-Project Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a
-Project Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
-liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
-fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
-LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
-PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
-TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
-LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
-INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
-DAMAGE.
-
-**1.F.3.** LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND – If you discover a
-defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
-receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
-written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
-received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium
-with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you
-with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in
-lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person
-or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second
-opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If
-the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing
-without further opportunities to fix the problem.
-
-**1.F.4.** Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set
-forth in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS,’ WITH
-NO OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT
-LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
-
-**1.F.5.** Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
-warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of
-damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement
-violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the
-agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or
-limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or
-unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the
-remaining provisions.
-
-**1.F.6.** INDEMNITY – You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation,
-the trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
-providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in accordance
-with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the
-production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™
-electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses,
-including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of
-the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this
-or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or
-additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any
-Defect you cause.
-
-
-Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™
-``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
-
-Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of
-electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of
-computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It
-exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations
-from people in all walks of life.
-
-Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
-assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™'s
-goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will remain
-freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
-Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
-and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future generations. To
-learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and
-how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the
-Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org .
-
-
-Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
-``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
-
-The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
-501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
-state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
-Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
-number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
-http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/pglaf . Contributions to the
-Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to
-the full extent permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
-
-The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr.
-S. Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are
-scattered throughout numerous locations. Its business office is
-located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801)
-596-1887, email business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date
-contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and
-official page at http://www.pglaf.org
-
-For additional contact information:
-
- | Dr. Gregory B. Newby
- | Chief Executive and Director
- | gbnewby@pglaf.org
-
-
-Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
-```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
-
-Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without wide spread
-public support and donations to carry out its mission of increasing
-the number of public domain and licensed works that can be freely
-distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest array of
-equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations ($1 to
-$5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt status
-with the IRS.
-
-The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
-charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
-States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
-considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
-with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
-where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND
-DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular
-state visit http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate
-
-While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
-have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
-against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
-approach us with offers to donate.
-
-International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
-any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
-outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
-
-Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
-methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
-ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To
-donate, please visit: http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate
-
-
-Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works.
-`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
-
-
-Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg™
-concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
-with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
-Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
-
-Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed
-editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the
-U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not
-necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper
-edition.
-
-Each eBook is in a subdirectory of the same number as the eBook's
-eBook number, often in several formats including plain vanilla ASCII,
-compressed (zipped), HTML and others.
-
-Corrected *editions* of our eBooks replace the old file and take over
-the old filename and etext number. The replaced older file is
-renamed. *Versions* based on separate sources are treated as new
-eBooks receiving new filenames and etext numbers.
-
-Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search
-facility:
-
- http://www.gutenberg.org
-
-This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg™, including
-how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
-Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to subscribe
-to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
-
diff --git a/38302-rst/images/back.jpg b/38302-rst/images/back.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index f2c812e..0000000 --- a/38302-rst/images/back.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/38302-rst/images/cover.jpg b/38302-rst/images/cover.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 4a7e400..0000000 --- a/38302-rst/images/cover.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/38302-rst/images/im1.png b/38302-rst/images/im1.png Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 42b33fa..0000000 --- a/38302-rst/images/im1.png +++ /dev/null diff --git a/38302.txt b/38302.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 3517b7e..0000000 --- a/38302.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1139 +0,0 @@ - The Lonely Ones - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost -no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Title: The Lonely Ones - -Author: Edward W. Ludwig - -Release Date: December 12, 2011 [EBook #38302] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: US-ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LONELY ONES *** - - - - -Produced by Frank van Drogen, Greg Weeks, and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net. - - The Lonely Ones - - By Edward W. Ludwig - - Illustrated by PAUL ORBAN - - _The line between noble dreams and madness is thin, and - loneliness can push men past it...._ - - -Onward sped the _Wanderer_, onward through cold, silent infinity, on and -on, an insignificant pencil of silver lost in the terrible, brooding -blackness. - -But even more awful than the blackness was the loneliness of the six men -who inhabited the silver rocket. They moved in loneliness as fish move -in water. Their lives revolved in loneliness as planets revolve in space -and time. They bore their loneliness like a shroud, and it was as much a -part of them as sight in their eyes. Loneliness was both their brother -and their god. - -Yet, like a tiny flame in the darkness, there was hope, a savage, -desperate hope that grew with the passing of each day, each month, and -each year. - -And at last.... - -"Lord," breathed Captain Sam Wiley. - -Lieutenant Gunderson nodded. "It's a big one, isn't it?" - -"It's a big one," repeated Captain Wiley. - -They stared at the image in the _Wanderer's_ forward visi-screen, at the -great, shining gray ball. They stared hard, for it was like an -enchanted, God-given fruit handed them on a star-flecked platter of -midnight. It was like the answer to a thousand prayers, a shining symbol -of hope which could mean the end of loneliness. - -"It's ten times as big as Earth," mused Lieutenant Gunderson. "Do you -think this'll be it, Captain?" - -"I'm afraid to think." - -A thoughtful silence. - -"Captain." - -"Yes?" - -"Do you hear my heart pounding?" - -Captain Wiley smiled. "No. No, of course not." - -"It seems like everybody should be hearing it. But we shouldn't get -excited, should we? We mustn't hope too hard." He bit his lip. "But -there _should_ be life there, don't you think, Captain?" - -"There may be." - -"Nine years, Captain. Think of it. It's taken us nine years to get here. -There's _got_ to be life." - -"Prepare for deceleration, Lieutenant." - -Lieutenant Gunderson's tall, slim body sagged for an instant. Then his -eyes brightened. - -"Yes, sir!" - - ---- - -Captain Sam Wiley continued to stare at the beautiful gray globe in the -visi-screen. He was not like Gunderson, with boyish eagerness and -anxiety flowing out of him in a ceaseless babble. His emotion was as -great, or greater, but it was imprisoned within him, like swirling, -foaming liquid inside a corked jug. - -It wouldn't do to encourage the men too much. Because, if they were -disappointed.... - -He shook his silver-thatched head. There it was, he thought. A new -world. A world that, perhaps, held life. - -Life. It was a word uttered only with reverence, for throughout the -Solar System, with the exception of on Earth, there had been only death. - -First it was the Moon, airless and lifeless. That had been expected, of -course. - -But Mars. For centuries men had dreamed of Mars and written of Mars with -its canals and dead cities, with its ancient men and strange animals. -Everyone _knew_ there was or had been life on Mars. - -The flaming rockets reached Mars, and the canals became volcanic -crevices, and the dead cities became jagged peaks of red stone, and the -endless sands were smooth, smooth, smooth, untouched by feet of living -creatures. There was plant-life, a species of green-red lichen in the -Polar regions. But nowhere was there real life. - -Then Venus, with its dust and wind. No life there. Not even the stars to -make one think of home. Only the dust and wind, a dark veil of death -screaming eternally over hot dry land. - -And Jupiter, with its seas of ice; and hot Mercury, a cracked, withered -mummy of a planet, baked as hard and dry as an ancient walnut in a -furnace. - -Next, the airless, rocky asteroids, and frozen Saturn with its swirling -ammonia snows. And last, the white, silent worlds, Uranus, Neptune, and -Pluto. - -World after world, all dead, with no sign of life, no reminder of life, -and no promise of life. - -Thus the loneliness had grown. It was not a child of Earth. It was not -born in the hearts of those who scurried along city pavements or of -those in the green fields or of those in the cool, clean houses. - -It was a child of the incredible distances, of the infinite night, of -emptiness and silence. It was born in the hearts of the slit-eyed men, -the oldish young men, the spacemen. - -For without life on other worlds, where was the sky's challenge? Why go -on and on to discover only worlds of death? - -The dream of the spacemen turned from the planets to the stars. -Somewhere in the galaxy or in other galaxies there _had_ to be life. -Life was a wonderful and precious thing. It wasn't right that it should -be confined to a single, tiny planet. If it were, then life would seem -meaningless. Mankind would be a freak, a cosmic accident. - -And now the _Wanderer_ was on the first interstellar flight, hurtling -through the dark spaces to Proxima Centauri. Moving silently, as if -motionless, yet at a speed of 160,000 miles a second. And ahead loomed -the great, gray planet, the only planet of the sun, growing larger, -larger, each instant.... - - ---- - -A gentle, murmuring hum filled the ship. The indicator lights on the -control panel glowed like a swarm of pink eyes. - -"Deceleration compensator adjusted for 12 G's, sir," reported Lieutenant -Gunderson. - -Captain Wiley nodded, still studying the image of the planet. - -"There--there's something else, Captain." - -"Yes?" - -"It's Brown, sir. He's drunk." - -Captain Wiley turned, a scowl on his hard, lined face. "Drunk? Where'd -he get the stuff?" - -"He saved it, sir, saved it for nine years. Said he was going to drink -it when we discovered life." - -"We haven't discovered life yet." - -"I know. He said he wouldn't set foot on the planet if he was sober. -Said if there isn't life there, he couldn't take it--unless he was -drunk." - -Captain Wiley grunted. "All right." - -They looked at the world. - -"Wouldn't it be wonderful, Captain? Just think--to meet another race. It -wouldn't matter what they were like, would it? If they were primitive, -we could teach them things. If they were ahead of us, they could teach -us. You know what I'd like? To have someone meet us, to gather around -us. It wouldn't matter if they were afraid of us or even if they tried -to kill us. We'd know that we aren't alone." - -"I know what you mean," said Captain Wiley. Some of his emotion -overflowed the prison of his body. "There's no thrill in landing on dead -worlds. If no one's there to see you, you don't feel like a hero." - -"That's it, Captain! That's why I came on this crazy trip. I guess -that's why we all came. I...." - -Captain Wiley cleared his throat. "Lieutenant, commence deceleration. 6 -G's." - -"Yes, sir!" - -The planet grew bigger, filling the entire visi-screen. - -Someone coughed behind Captain Wiley. - -"Sir, the men would like to look at the screen. They can't see the -planet out of the ports yet." The speaker was Doyle, the ship's -Engineer, a dry, tight-skinned little man. - -"Sure." Captain Wiley stepped aside. - -Doyle looked, then Parker and Fong. Just three of them, for Watkins had -sliced his wrists the fourth year out. And Brown was drunk. - -As they looked, a realization came to Captain Wiley. The men were -getting old. The years had passed so gradually that he'd never really -noticed it before. Lieutenant Gunderson had been a kid just out of Space -Academy. Parker and Doyle and Fong, too, had been in their twenties. -They had been boys. And now something was gone--the sharp eyes and sure -movements of youth, the smooth skin and thick, soft hair. - -Now they had become men. And yet for a few moments, as they gazed at the -screen, they seemed like happy, expectant children. - -"I wish Brown could see this," Doyle murmured. "He says now he isn't -going to get off his couch till we land and discover life. Says he won't -dare look for himself." - -"The planet's right for life," said Fong, the dark-faced -astro-physicist. "Atmosphere forty per cent oxygen, lots of water vapor. -No poisonous gases, according to spectroscopic analyses. It should be -ideal for life." - -"There _is_ life there," said Parker, the radarman. "You know why? -Because we've given up eighteen years of our lives. Nine years to get -here, nine to get back. I'm thirty now. I was twenty-one when we left -Earth. I gave up all those good years. They say that you can have -something if you pay enough for it. Well, we've paid for this. There has -to be a--a sort of universal justice. That's why I know there's life -here, life that moves and thinks--maybe even life we can talk to." - -"You need a drink," said Fong. - -"It's getting bigger," murmured Lieutenant Gunderson. - -"The Centaurians," mused Doyle, half to himself. "What'll they be like? -Monsters or men? If Parker's right about universal justice, they'll be -men." - -"Hey, where there's men, there's women!" yelled Parker. "A Centaurian -woman! Say!" - -"Look at those clouds!" exclaimed Doyle. "Damn it, we can't see the -surface." - -"Hey, there! Look there, to the right! See it? It's silver, down in a -hole in the clouds. It's like a city!" - -"Maybe it's just water." - -"No, it's a city!" - -"Bring 'er down, Captain. God, Captain, bring 'er down fast!" - -"Drag Brown in here! He ought to see this!" - -"Can't you bring 'er down faster, Captain?" - -"Damn it, it _is_ a city!" - -"Why doesn't someone get Brown?" - -"Take to your couches, men," said Captain Wiley. "Landing's apt to be a -bit bumpy. Better strap yourselves in." - - ---- - -Down went the rocket, more slowly now, great plumes of scarlet -thundering from its forward braking jets. Down, down into soft, -cotton-like clouds, the whiteness sliding silently past the ports. - -Suddenly, a droning voice: - -"To those in the ship from the planet called Earth: Please refrain from -landing at this moment. You will await landing instructions." - -Parker leaped off his couch, grasping a stanchion for support. "That -voice! It was human!" - -Captain Wiley's trembling hand moved over the jet-control panel. The -ship slowed in its descent. The clouds outside the portholes became -motionless, a milky whiteness pressed against the ship. - -"The voice!" Parker cried again. "Am I crazy? Did everyone hear it?" - -Captain Wiley turned away from the panel. "We heard it, Parker. It was -in our minds. Telepathy." - -He smiled. "Yes, the planet is inhabited. There are intelligent beings -on it. Perhaps they're more intelligent than we are." - -It was strange. The men had hoped, dreamed, prayed for this moment. Now -they sat stunned, unable to comprehend, their tongues frozen. - -"We'll see them very soon," said Captain Wiley, his voice quivering. -"We'll wait for their directions." - -Breathlessly, they waited. - -Captain Wiley's fingers drummed nervously on the base of the control -panel. Lieutenant Gunderson rose from his couch, stood in the center of -the cabin, then returned to his couch. - -Silence, save for the constant, rumbling roar of the jets which held the -ship aloft. - -"I wonder how long it'll be," murmured Fong at last. - -"It seems like a long time!" burst Parker. - -"We've waited nine years," said Captain Wiley. "We can wait a few more -minutes." - -They waited. - -"Good Lord!" said Parker. "How long is it going to be? What time is it? -We've been waiting an hour! What kind of people are they down there?" - -"Maybe they've forgotten about us," said Fong. - -"That's it!" cried Parker. "They've forgotten about us! Hey, you! Down -there--you that talked to us! We're still here, damn it! We want to -land!" - -"Parker," said Captain Wiley, sternly. - -Parker sat down on his couch, his lips quivering. - -Then came the voice: - -"We regret that a landing is impossible at this moment. Our field is -overcrowded, and your vessel is without priority. You must wait your -turn." - -Captain Wiley stared forward at nothing. "Whoever you are," he -whispered, "please understand that we have come a long way to reach your -planet. Our trip...." - -"We do not wish to discuss your trip. You will be notified when landing -space is available." - -Captain Wiley's body shook. "Wait, tell us who you are. What do you look -like? Tell us...." - -"Talking to you is quite difficult. We must form our thoughts so as to -form word-patterns in your minds. You will be notified." - -"Wait a minute!" called Captain Wiley. - -No answer. - -Captain Wiley straightened in an effort to maintain dignity. - -They waited.... - - ---- - -It was night. - -The darkness was an impenetrable blanket, a solid thing, like thick -black velvet glued over the ports. It was worse than the darkness of -space. - -Captain Wiley sat before the control panel, slowly beating his fists -against the arms of his chair, a human metronome ticking off the slow -seconds. - -Parker stood before a porthole. - -"Hey, look, Captain! There's a streak of red, like a meteor. And there's -another!" - -Captain Wiley rose, looked out. "They're rockets. They're going to land. -These people are highly advanced." - -His face became grim. Below them lay a planet, an intelligent race -hidden beneath clouds and darkness. What manner of creatures were they? -How great was their civilization? What marvelous secrets had their -scientists discovered? What was their food like, their women, their -whiskey? - -The questions darted endlessly through his mind like teasing -needle-points. All these wondrous things lay below them, and here they -sat, like starving men, their hands tied, gazing upon a steaming but -unobtainable dinner. So near and yet so far. - -He trembled. The emotion grew within him until it burst out as water -bursts through the cracked wall of a dam. He became like Parker. - -"Why should we wait?" he yelled. "Why must we land in their field? -Parker! Prepare to release flares! We're going down! We'll land -anywhere--in a street, in the country. We don't have to wait for -orders!" - -Parker bounced off his couch. Someone called, "Brown, we're going to -land!" - -A scurrying of feet, the rush of taut-muscled bodies, the babble of -excited voices. - -"We're going down!" - -"_We're going down!_" - -The grumble of the _Wanderer's_ jets loudened, softened, spluttered, -loudened again. Vibration filled the ship as it sank downward. - -Suddenly it lurched upward, like a child's ball caught in a stream of -rising water. The jolt staggered the men. They seized stanchions and -bulkhead railings to keep their balance. - -"What the hell?" - -Abruptly, the strange movement ceased. The ship seemed motionless. There -was no vibration. - -"Captain," said Lieutenant Gunderson. "There's no change in altitude. -We're still at 35,000 feet, no more, no less." - -"We _must_ be going down," said Captain Wiley, puzzled. "Kill jets 4 and -6." - -The Lieutenant's hands flicked off two switches. A moment later: -"There's no change, Captain." - -Then came the voice: - -"To those in the vessel from the planet Earth: Please do not oppose -orders of the Landing Council. You are the first visitors in the history -of our world whom we have had to restrain with physical force. You will -be notified when landing space is available." - - ---- - -Morning. - -The warm sunlight streamed into the clouds, washing away the last -shadows and filtering through the portholes. - -The men breakfasted, bathed, shaved, smoked, sat, twisted their fingers, -looked out the ports. They were silent men, with dark shadows about -their eyes and with tight, white-lipped mouths. - -Frequently, the clouds near them were cut by swift, dark shapes swooping -downward. The shapes were indistinct in the cotton-like whiteness, but -obviously they were huge, like a dozen _Wanderers_ made into one. - -"Those ships are big," someone murmured, without enthusiasm. - -"It's a busy spaceport," grumbled Captain Wiley. - -Thoughts, words, movements came so slowly it was like walking under -water. Enthusiasm was dead. The men were automatons, sitting, waiting, -eating, sitting, waiting. - -A day passed, and a night. - -"Maybe they've forgotten us," said Fong. - -No one answered. The thought had been voiced before, a hundred times. - -Then, at last, the droning words: - -"To those in the vessel from the planet Earth: You will now land. We -will carry you directly over the field. Then you will descend straight -down. The atmosphere is suitable to your type of life and is free of -germs. You will not need protection." - -The men stared at one another. - -"Hey," Doyle said, "did you hear that? He says we can go down." - -The men blinked. Captain Wiley swallowed hard. He rose with a stiff, -slow, nervous hesitancy. - -"We're going down," he mumbled, as if repeating the words over and over -in his mind and trying to believe them. - -The men stirred as realization sprouted and grew. They stirred like -lethargic animals aroused from the long, dreamless sleep of hibernation. - -"We're going to land," breathed Parker, unbelievingly. - -The _Wanderer_ moved as though caught in the grip of a giant, invisible -hand. - -The voice said: - -"You may now descend." - -Captain Wiley moved to the jet-control panel. "Lieutenant!" he snapped. -"Wake up. Let's go!" - -The ship sank downward through the thick sea of clouds. The men walked -to the ports. A tenseness, an excitement grew in their faces, like dying -flame being fanned into its former brilliancy. - -Out of the clouds loomed monstrous, shining, silver spires and towers, -Cyclopean bridges, gigantic lake-like mirrors, immense golden spheres. -It was a nightmare world, a jungle of fantastic shape and color. - -The men gasped, whispered, murmured, the flame of their excitement -growing, growing. - -"The whole planet is a city!" breathed Parker. - - ---- - -Thump! - -The _Wanderer_ came to rest on a broad landing field of light blue -stone. The jets coughed, spluttered, died. The ship quivered, then lay -still, its interior charged with an electric, pregnant silence. - -"You first, Captain." Lieutenant Gunderson's voice cracked, and his face -was flushed. "You be the first to go outside." - -Captain Wiley stepped through the airlock, his heart pounding. It was -over now--all the bewilderment, the numbness. - -And his eyes were shining. He'd waited so long that it was hard to -believe the waiting was over. But it was, he told himself. The journey -was over, and the waiting, and now the loneliness would soon be over. -Mankind was not alone. It was a good universe after all! - -He stepped outside, followed by Lieutenant Gunderson, then by Parker, -Doyle and Fong. - -He rubbed his eyes. This couldn't be! A world like this couldn't exist! -He shook his head, blinked furiously. - -"It--it can't be true," he mumbled to Lieutenant Gunderson. "We're still -on the ship--dreaming." - -The landing field was huge, perhaps ten miles across, and its sides were -lined with incredible ships, the smallest of which seemed forty times as -large as the _Wanderer_. There were silver ships, golden ships, black -ships, round ships, transparent ships, cigar-shaped ships, flat-topped -ships. - -And scattered over the field were--creatures. - -A few were the size of men, but most were giants by comparison. Some -were humanoid, some reptilian. Some were naked, some clad in helmeted -suits, some enveloped with a shimmering, water-like luminescence. The -creatures walked, slithered, floated, crawled. - -Beyond the ships and the field lay the great city, its web-work of -towers, minarets, spheres and bridges like the peaks of an enormous -mountain range stretching up into space itself. The structures were like -the colors of a rainbow mixed in a cosmic paint pot, molded and -solidified into fantastic shapes by a mad god. - -"I--I'm going back to the ship," stammered Parker. The whiteness of -death was in his face. "I'm going to stay with Brown." - -He turned, and then he screamed. - -"Captain, the ship's moving!" - -Silently, the _Wanderer_ was drifting to the side of the field. - -The toneless voice said: - -"We are removing your vessel so that other descending ships will not -damage it." - -Captain Wiley shouted into the air. "Wait! Don't go away! Help us! Where -can we see you?" - -The voice seemed to hesitate. "It is difficult for us to speak in -thoughts that you understand." - - ---- - -Silence. - -Captain Wiley studied the faces of his men. They were not faces of -conquerors or of triumphant spacemen. They were the faces of dazed, -frightened children who had caught a glimpse of Hell. He attempted, -feebly, to smile. - -"All right," he said loudly, "so it isn't like we expected. So no one -came to meet us with brass bands and ten cent flags. We've still -succeeded, haven't we? We've found life that's intelligent beyond our -comprehension. What if our own civilization is insignificant by -comparison? Look at those beings. Think of what we can learn from them. -Why, their ships might have exceeded the speed of light. They might be -from other galaxies!" - -"Let's find out," said Parker. - -They strode to the nearest ship, an immense, smooth, bluish sphere. Two -creatures stood before it, shaped like men and yet twice the size of -men. They wore white, skin-tight garments that revealed muscular bodies -like those of gods. - -They looked at Captain Wiley and smiled. - -One of them pointed toward the _Wanderer_. Their smiles widened and then -they laughed. - -They laughed gently, understandingly, but they _laughed_. - -And then they turned away. - -"Talk to them," Parker urged. - -"How?" Beads of perspiration shone on Captain Wiley's face. - -"Any way. Go ahead." - -Captain Wiley wiped his forehead. "We are from Earth, the third -planet...." - -The two god-like men seemed annoyed. They walked away, ignoring the -Earthmen. - -Captain Wiley spat. "All right, so they won't talk to us. Look at that -city! Think of the things we can see there and tell the folks on Earth -about! Why, we'll be heroes!" - -"Let's go," said Parker, his voice quavering around the edges. - -They walked toward a large, oval opening in a side of the field, a hole -between mountainous, conical structures that seemed like the entrance to -a street. - -Suddenly breath exploded from Captain Wiley's lungs. His body jerked -back. He fell to the blue stone pavement. - -Then he scrambled erect, scowling, his hands outstretched. He felt a -soft, rubbery, invisible substance. - -"It's a wall!" he exclaimed. - -The voice droned: - -"To those of Earth: Beings under the 4th stage of Galactic Development -are restricted to the area of the landing field. We are sorry. In your -primitive stage it would be unwise for you to learn the nature of our -civilization. Knowledge of our science would be abused by your people, -and used for the thing you call war. We hope that you have been inspired -by what you have seen. However, neither we nor the other visitors to our -planet are permitted to hold contact with you. It is suggested that you -and your vessel depart." - -"Listen, you!" screamed Parker. "We've been nine years getting here! By -Heaven, we won't leave now! We're...." - -"We have no time to discuss the matter. Beings under the 4th stage of -Galactic...." - -"Never mind!" spat Captain Wiley. - -Madness flamed in Parker's eyes. "We won't go! I tell you, we _won't_, -we _won't_!" - -His fists streaked through the air as if at an invisible enemy. He ran -toward the wall. - -He collided with a jolt that sent him staggering backward, crying, -sobbing, screaming, all at once. - -Captain Wiley stepped forward, struck him on the chin. Parker crumpled. - -They stood looking at his body, which lay motionless except for the slow -rising and falling of his chest. - -"What now, Captain?" asked Lieutenant Gunderson. - -Captain Wiley thought for a few seconds. - -Then he said, "We're ignorant country bumpkins, Lieutenant, riding into -the city in a chugging jalopy. We're stupid savages, trying to discuss -the making of fire with the creators of atomic energy. We're children -racing a paper glider against an atomic-powered jet. We're too -ridiculous to be noticed. We're tolerated--but nothing more." - -"Shall we go home?" asked Fong, a weariness in his voice. - -Lieutenant Gunderson scratched his neck. "I don't think I'd want to go -home now. Could you bear to tell the truth about what happened?" - -Fong looked wistfully at the shining city. "If we told the truth, they -probably wouldn't believe us. We've failed. It sounds crazy. We reached -Proxima Centauri and found life, and yet somehow we failed. No, I -wouldn't like to go home." - -"Still, we learned something," said Doyle. "We know now that there is -life on worlds beside our own. Somewhere there must be other races like -ours." - -They looked at each other, strangely, for a long, long moment. - -At last Lieutenant Gunderson asked, "How far is Alpha Centauri?" - -Captain Wiley frowned. "_Alpha_ Centauri?" Through his mind swirled -chaotic visions of colossal distances, eternal night, and lonely years. -He sought hard to find a seed of hope in his mind, and yet there was no -seed. There were only a coldness and an emptiness. - -Suddenly, the voice: - -"Yes, Men of Earth, we suggest that you try Alpha Centauri." - -The men stood silent and numb, like bewildered children, as the -implication of those incredible words sifted into their consciousness. - -Finally Fong said, "Did--did you hear that? He said..." - -Captain Sam Wiley nodded, very slowly. "Yes. Alpha Centauri. _Alpha_ -Centauri." - -His eyes began to twinkle, and then he smiled.... - - ---- - -Onward sped the _Wanderer_, onward through cold, silent infinity, on and -on, an insignificant pencil of silver lost in the terrible, brooding -blackness. - -Yet even greater than the blackness was the flaming hope in the six men -who inhabited the silver rocket. They moved in hope as fish move in -water. Their lives revolved in hope as planets revolve in space and -time. They bore their hope like a jeweled crown, and it was as much a -part of them as sight in their eyes. Hope was both their brother and -their god. - -And there was no loneliness. - -THE END - -_Transcribers note_: This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction -July 1953. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. -copyright on this publication was renewed. - - - - - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LONELY ONES *** - - - - -A Word from Project Gutenberg - - -We will update this book if we find any errors. - -This book can be found under: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/38302 - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one -owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and -you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission -and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the -General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and -distributing Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works to protect the -Project Gutenberg(tm) concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a -registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, -unless you receive specific permission. If you do not charge anything -for copies of this eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may -use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative -works, reports, performances and research. They may be modified and -printed and given away - you may do practically _anything_ with public -domain eBooks. Redistribution is subject to the trademark license, -especially commercial redistribution. - - - -The Full Project Gutenberg License - - -_Please read this before you distribute or use this work._ - -To protect the Project Gutenberg(tm) mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work (or -any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg(tm) License available with this file or online at -http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use & Redistributing Project Gutenberg(tm) -electronic works - - -*1.A.* By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg(tm) -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all the -terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy all -copies of Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works in your possession. If -you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg(tm) electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -*1.B.* "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few things -that you can do with most Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works even -without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See paragraph -1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg(tm) electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -*1.C.* The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of -Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works. Nearly all the individual works -in the collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you -from copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating -derivative works based on the work as long as all references to Project -Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the -Project Gutenberg(tm) mission of promoting free access to electronic -works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg(tm) works in compliance with -the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg(tm) name -associated with the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this -agreement by keeping this work in the same format with its attached full -Project Gutenberg(tm) License when you share it without charge with -others. - -*1.D.* The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg(tm) work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -*1.E.* Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -*1.E.1.* The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg(tm) License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg(tm) work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with - almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away - or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License - included with this eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org - -*1.E.2.* If an individual Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic work is -derived from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating -that it is posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can -be copied and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying -any fees or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a -work with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on -the work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs -1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg(tm) trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -*1.E.3.* If an individual Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic work is -posted with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and -distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and -any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg(tm) License for all works posted -with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of -this work. - -*1.E.4.* Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project -Gutenberg(tm) License terms from this work, or any files containing a -part of this work or any other work associated with Project -Gutenberg(tm). - -*1.E.5.* Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg(tm) License. - -*1.E.6.* You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg(tm) work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg(tm) web site -(http://www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or -expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a -means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include -the full Project Gutenberg(tm) License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -*1.E.7.* Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg(tm) works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -*1.E.8.* You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works -provided that - - - You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg(tm) works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg(tm) trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - - - You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg(tm) - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg(tm) - works. - - - You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - - - You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg(tm) works. - - -*1.E.9.* If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg(tm) electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg(tm) trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3. below. - -*1.F.* - -*1.F.1.* Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg(tm) collection. -Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works, and the -medium on which they may be stored, may contain "Defects," such as, but -not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or corrupt data, transcription -errors, a copyright or other intellectual property infringement, a -defective or damaged disk or other medium, a computer virus, or computer -codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment. - -*1.F.2.* LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg(tm) trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg(tm) electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees. -YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, -BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE PROVIDED IN -PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE TRADEMARK OWNER, AND -ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR -ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES -EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. - -*1.F.3.* LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -*1.F.4.* Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS,' WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -*1.F.5.* Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -*1.F.6.* INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg(tm) -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg(tm) work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg(tm) - - -Project Gutenberg(tm) is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg(tm)'s -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg(tm) collection will remain -freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure and -permanent future for Project Gutenberg(tm) and future generations. To -learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and -how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the -Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org . - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the state -of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue -Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification number is -64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at -http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/pglaf . Contributions to the -Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the -full extent permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 -North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email -business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact -information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official page -at http://www.pglaf.org - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation - - -Project Gutenberg(tm) depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations where -we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state -visit http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make any -statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from outside -the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other ways -including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To donate, -please visit: http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic -works. - - -Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg(tm) -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg(tm) eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg(tm) eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. unless -a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily keep eBooks -in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Each eBook is in a subdirectory of the same number as the eBook's eBook -number, often in several formats including plain vanilla ASCII, -compressed (zipped), HTML and others. - -Corrected _editions_ of our eBooks replace the old file and take over -the old filename and etext number. The replaced older file is renamed. -_Versions_ based on separate sources are treated as new eBooks receiving -new filenames and etext numbers. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - http://www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg(tm), -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/38302.zip b/38302.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 537bdb5..0000000 --- a/38302.zip +++ /dev/null |
