diff options
| author | nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org> | 2025-01-28 05:14:36 -0800 |
|---|---|---|
| committer | nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org> | 2025-01-28 05:14:36 -0800 |
| commit | e3ac64ba9791fb1fd228eb43d2e1a3875275f9a1 (patch) | |
| tree | e260048f2716071f65f78d55bca31d7ddaad104a | |
| parent | 3876d3bd0560b7f41ac0c65688ebe851b4f016d9 (diff) | |
| -rw-r--r-- | .gitattributes | 4 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | LICENSE.txt | 11 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | README.md | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/61919-h.zip | bin | 562216 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/61919-h/61919-h.htm | 1171 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/61919-h/images/cover.jpg | bin | 363315 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/61919-h/images/illus.jpg | bin | 180134 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/61919.txt | 1059 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/61919.zip | bin | 18700 -> 0 bytes |
9 files changed, 17 insertions, 2230 deletions
diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..5e370d2 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #61919 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/61919) diff --git a/old/61919-h.zip b/old/61919-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index f29488c..0000000 --- a/old/61919-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/61919-h/61919-h.htm b/old/61919-h/61919-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 1777311..0000000 --- a/old/61919-h/61919-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1171 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=us-ascii" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of Dead Man's Planet, by R. R. Winterbotham. - </title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -hr.tb {width: 45%; margin-left: 27.5%; margin-right: 27.5%;} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -.caption {font-weight: bold;} - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -div.titlepage { - text-align: center; - page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; -} - -div.titlepage p { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0em; - font-weight: bold; - line-height: 1.5; - margin-top: 3em; -} - -.ph1 { text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; } -.ph1 { font-size: medium; margin: .83em auto; } - - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Dead Man's Planet, by R. R. Winterbotham - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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 -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Dead Man's Planet - -Author: R. R. Winterbotham - -Release Date: April 24, 2020 [EBook #61919] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DEAD MAN'S PLANET *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/cover.jpg" width="352" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>DEAD MAN'S PLANET</h1> - -<h2>By R. R. WINTERBOTHAM</h2> - -<p>For unmarked ages a dead man kept his ghostly<br /> -vigil on that barren, frozen asteroid.</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Planet Stories Fall 1941.<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"A life-saver!" Mick said, bringing the space freighter down with a -gentle bump on the huge, shapeless mass of rock and iron that floated -between Mars and Jupiter.</p> - -<p>The term huge was purely relative, for the asteroid was scarcely ten -miles in diameter at its thickest point, and its axis could not have -been more than twelve miles long.</p> - -<p>Mick switched off the rockets, opened a locker and pulled forth a suit -of heavy, furlined, airtight garments which he slipped over his uniform.</p> - -<p>The communication speaker buzzed.</p> - -<p>"Hey, Mick! Are you still on the bridge?"</p> - -<p>Alf Rankin was calling from the charting room.</p> - -<p>"Yes, Alf. What's the trouble." Mick Conner was sealing his space suit.</p> - -<p>"This isn't an ordinary asteroid, Mick. It isn't barren. There's stuff -growing on it."</p> - -<p>"That's nothing to get goggle-eyed about, Alf. There's moss on Eros -which is smaller than this. And there are 142 different kinds of plants -and one intermediate—animal-vegetable—organism on Juno."</p> - -<p>"Hm-m!"</p> - -<p>Of course this was a surprise to Alf, who had never made a landing on -the asteroids before. Science had rather neglected the asteroids during -the rapid development of interplanetary flight, yet there were many -interesting sights to be seen on the 4,000 minor planets that floated -between Jupiter and Mars.</p> - -<p>"Get on your space togs and oxygen helmet and we'll fix that broken -jet," Mick said. "We'll be ready to go in three hours."</p> - -<p>Mick sealed his helmet and stepped into the automatic lock leading from -the control bridge to the roof of the streamlined rocket.</p> - -<p>He held tightly to the rail of the observation platform, knowing that -the gravity of this nameless planet was next to zero. A man might jump -one thousand feet into the sky without exertion and, if he wasn't -careful, he might fling himself so high that he would be unable to -land—he might become a satellite of this grain of cosmic dust.</p> - -<p>Mick hooked the lifeline from his belt to the rail of the platform and -stepped over the side. Instead of falling, he floated a few inches a -second downward to the ground. In gravity like this a man might jump -off Mt. Everest—if there were an Everest—and land without injury.</p> - -<p>Alf, the square-jawed giant who manned the engines of the rocket ship, -emerged from the lower locks and fastened his lifeline to the iron -ladder extending to the ground.</p> - -<p>"Look at that stuff, Mick," Alf spoke into his radio telephone. He -pointed to a dense growth, barely visible in Jupiter's light, just -north of the ship. "It looks like corn. Good old American maize!"</p> - -<p>Mick who had been examining the damaged portion of the starboard -rockets, glanced in the direction Alf was pointing. In even, nicely -cultivated rows, stood tasseled stalks.</p> - -<p>"You don't suppose this place is inhabited by men!" Alf's voice was -awed.</p> - -<p>"It can't be. There's no air," Mick replied. "Anyhow, it isn't corn. It -must be something else. You know there are doubles all over the system. -The Martian pumpkins aren't even vegetables, but they're a species of -mollusk. Even if this is corn, it's different, because corn depends on -carbon dioxide in the atmosphere."</p> - -<p>"Maybe there's carbon dioxide in the rocks."</p> - -<p>"Then this wouldn't be like terrestrial maize. Its leaves would serve -some other purpose."</p> - -<p>"Mick! Look!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>As Alf spoke the rows of corn seemed to move. Bright phosphorescent -beads seemed to pop from the tassels and float toward the two human -beings.</p> - -<p>Like a rain of meteors, the brilliant specks came floating through the -sky. But the brilliant shower fell with tantalizing slowness. Then one -of the sparks dropped short, twenty feet from the feet of the spacemen. -As it touched the ground, there was a bluish spark, and the rock -beneath it glowed with heat.</p> - -<p>"Look out!" Mick cried. His hand unsnapped the lifeline. His legs -doubled beneath his body and he shot upward into the air. Suddenly he -plunged into daylight. The corona-crowned sun was sticking its head -over the horizon.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus.jpg" width="395" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>As Alf shot into the sky beside him, Mick noted that the ground was -still dark, and that the terminator line that delineated night and day, -still was a mile or so to the eastward, floating rapidly toward them.</p> - -<p>There were other things about this weird planet that also struck -Mick's eyes. It was filled with growing things. Most of these were -single stalks, crowned with a bluish bud. But there was a terrestrial -note to some of the plants that clung to the rocks and sand of the -asteroid.</p> - -<p>To the south was a huge tree, with gnarled branches and leaves. Tucked -away in a small gully were reddish flowers that looked like roses in -the distance. There were vines clinging to the rocks. The corn that -had first attracted attention of the spacemen, occupied a small, -rectangular patch and the stalks were so evenly spaced that the field -suggested artificial cultivation.</p> - -<p>Slowly they came back toward the ground. Below was one of the budded -stalks which slowly nodded its tip toward the terrestrials as their -feet came in contact with the soil.</p> - -<p>Mick was ready this time. His gun was in his hand as the little white -bead emerged from the tip of the bud. The gun sent a streak of flame -into the middle of the stalk, and the plant was sliced as neatly as a -knife could have cut through a stem.</p> - -<p>"It's not nearly as pleasant here as I expected," Alf panted into the -phone of his space suit. "Who ever thought we'd have to fight plants on -an asteroid?"</p> - -<p>Mick did not answer. Still clutching his gun, he was walking toward a -little path that led into a gully in the rocks. He moved cautiously, -halting at each turn in the little path, searching the gully ahead of -him. The path indicated animals, for plants do not walk.</p> - -<p>Alf trailed behind, keeping his eyes peeled for fire-shooting plants, -and carefully gauging his steps to keep himself from sailing high into -the sky.</p> - -<p>In the steep places along the path, there were steps carved into the -rock.</p> - -<p>"It looks—almost human," came from Mick, "but why would a human being -need steps in this gravity?"</p> - -<p>At the end of the gully was a cliff, fully one hundred feet high -flanked by a mound of sand. The path led toward this mound and in the -center was an iron door, looking all the world like the outer locks of -a space ship.</p> - -<p>Toward this door the two men walked. Whatever doubts they had of a -human touch on this asteroid vanished at the sight of the door. -It was possible for nature to duplicate her works on two different -planets. The physiology of Martians, Venusians and terrestrials -had much in common. The processes of biochemistry are limited and -living types are always similar to some degree. Even on earth many -species of animals and plants which have no direct relationship may -possess resemblances—the fish and the whale, or certain reptiles and -amphibians.</p> - -<p>But the airlocks of space ships were human inventions. There was small -likelihood that another race in the universe would mark its doors with -the Roman letters:</p> - -<p class="ph1">UNIVERSAL LOCK COMPANY<br /> -ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI</p> - -<p>The two spacemen stared speechlessly at the evidence of human -habitation. Then slowly the door swung open.</p> - -<p>They waited for someone to emerge, but the silence of space remained -unbroken. The locks were empty, yet they had opened. Was someone -watching them from inside? If so, why didn't he hail them?</p> - -<p>"Hello there!" Mick spoke on the universal wavelength into his -microphone.</p> - -<p>No answer came.</p> - -<p>"Maybe his radio's out of whack," Alf said. "Shall we go in?"</p> - -<p>Alf started forward, but Mick seized his arm.</p> - -<p>"Look!" he whispered. "Up there, above the door!"</p> - -<p>Just above the door was a ledge, which neither man had noticed at -first. On this ledge stood a human figure. He wore no space suit, no -oxygen helmet and his head was bare.</p> - -<p>An empty pistol holster dangled at his side and his hands were on his -hips. He was standing motionless in the cold of space watching the two -terrestrials below him.</p> - -<p>"Great guns!"</p> - -<p>The figure didn't move. He didn't even blink his eyes. He only stared. -Not a flicker of movement crossed his face.</p> - -<p>"He's dead," Mick said. He bent his legs and shot up to the ledge -beside the man. "Dead and turned to stone!"</p> - -<p>"Stone?"</p> - -<p>"Ice, rather. He's frozen hard as a rock. Probably he's been here for -years. Not enough heat to thaw him out."</p> - -<p>"But why hasn't he fallen down?" Alf asked.</p> - -<p>"Why should he? There's hardly enough gravity to pull him down; there's -no wind to blow him down. There are no earthquakes on a planet as small -as this."</p> - -<p>"How did he get there?"</p> - -<p>Mick shrugged his shoulders. It was a puzzle, certainly; but there were -possible solutions. The first and most logical was that this fellow had -exposed himself, rather than to die a lingering death from starvation -or lack of oxygen.</p> - -<p>"Let's take a look at his quarters," Mick suggested.</p> - -<p>He dropped lightly to the ground and entered the lock. He quickly -inspected the lock control apparatus, making sure that the outer doors -would function properly. Then he closed the locks and opened the inner -doors.</p> - -<p>The glass of Mick's space helmet frosted as warm air from the interior -struck its surface.</p> - -<p>Wiping away the mist he stepped aside.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Standing in the center of the room, smiling at them, was an exact -replica of the man they had seen on the ledge. But this one was alive!</p> - -<p>"Welcome to Dead Man's planet!" the faint human voice drifted to the -ears of the men. "You may remove your helmets. The air here is pure and -there is plenty of it." The man's greenish eyes drifted down over the -figures of the human beings facing him. "But you needn't point your -guns at me."</p> - -<p>The welcome was not as warm as the two spacemen might have expected -from an exile on the asteroid. There was a note in the pale-faced man's -voice that sounded false. It was not distrust that Mick felt, nor a -sense of danger, for there was nothing to indicate that this lonely man -intended to harm his visitors; but some subconscious reasoning in the -spaceman's brain seemed to detect an uncanny sort of insincerity. Mick -could not forget the grisly object on the ledge above the doorway. Why -hadn't the dead man been buried?</p> - -<p>The pallid host watched the spacemen skin themselves of their airtight -suits and sniff the warm, sweet air of the buried spaceship.</p> - -<p>"You're men," he said. "Men!"</p> - -<p>"My name's Michael Conner, a space pilot; this is Alf Rankin, co-pilot -and engineer. We fused and blew a rocket on the earth-Jupiter orbit and -we landed here to make repairs."</p> - -<p>The pallid man smiled. There was the cunning of the fox and the savage -craft of a spider in his expression.</p> - -<p>"Call me Ghor," he said.</p> - -<p>Mick's eyes cruised over the pointed face. Ghor was a strange name. -It wasn't terrestrial and it didn't sound like any of the Martian -dialects. Ghor might be a criminal, preferring exile to a life in -prison.</p> - -<p>"You're a strange man, Ghor," Mick said. "You present a mystery. Are -you from Mars? How does it happen you live on this Godforsaken bit of -rock?"</p> - -<p>"I was born here," Ghor said.</p> - -<p>"Oh!" There was an awkward pause after this unexpected answer. Mick's -eyes unconsciously lifted toward the roof, above which stood the frozen -human figure.</p> - -<p>"He was my father." Ghor spoke simply. His words were carefully and -slowly enunciated. Mick supposed that Ghor was unused to talking and -his brain worked slowly in the matter of words. But that brain was -keen. It seemed to read Mick's thoughts, answering an unspoken question -about the Dead Man.</p> - -<p>"You must have an interesting history," Alf suggested.</p> - -<p>"I have," Ghor replied. "But so have you. Tell me how you happened to -find my home. You might have repaired your ship and gone on, without -discovering me."</p> - -<p>"There was a field of queer acting plants—they looked like maize, -except that they tried to kill us."</p> - -<p>"Oh! My cornfield! I forgot the nasty habit the cornstalks have."</p> - -<p>"You mean that stuff was corn?" Alf asked. "Real roasting ears?"</p> - -<p>"Well, almost." Ghor's lips cracked into another of his nerve-racking -smiles. "You see the plants are really native of Dead Man's planet, but -I modified them into something quite close to terrestrial maize."</p> - -<p>"By grafting and cross fertilization?"</p> - -<p>"Oh no. There is a much different process of propagation of the species -here, much simpler. My corn was regenerated."</p> - -<p>Ghor hobbled across the room toward an ultra-violet lamp beneath which -were two pots of flowers, both looking much like American beauty roses. -Ghor returned, with the same mincing steps, walking as if a leg injury -had limited the use of his knees.</p> - -<p>"These flowers are beautiful," Ghor said, like a doctor of philosophy -announcing the first premise of a step in mathematics.</p> - -<p>"Yes," Mick replied. "We noticed numbers of them growing in the rocks."</p> - -<p>"I know. I placed them there, to make Dead Man's planet beautiful. But -they are quite useless."</p> - -<p>"Oh, I wouldn't say that."</p> - -<p>"I know what I am talking about. On earth, roses serve many purposes -aside from beauty. They help maintain the atmosphere by exchanging -carbon dioxide for oxygen; they fertilize the soil; they supply -insects, such as bees, with food. These roses extract carbon from the -rocks and give nothing in return, except their beauty. The soil is not -fertilized. There are no insects to feed. This flower has no pollen, -for it is purely ornamental, developed by myself for beauty's sake."</p> - -<p>He took his fingers and pinched off the rose. As it dropped to the -floor, a whitish, gleaming pellet half emerged from the flower, but -Ghor quickly ground it underfoot.</p> - -<p>"You see? That little projectile might have killed me. The flower -is vicious. Like other plants on this planet it utilizes organic -radioactivity to destroy other living plants."</p> - -<p>"So that was what it was." Mick said. "Organic radioactivity!"</p> - -<p>Ghor did not reply. His eyes were on the stem of the plant. It was -swaying gently, as if it possessed muscles. A little green bubble -formed on the end of the stem.</p> - -<p>"Watch!" Ghor whispered.</p> - -<p>The bubble enlarged and suddenly burst. There, in full bloom, was -another rose, just like the first that Ghor had broken from the stem.</p> - -<p>"You see, gentlemen, your planet is not the only one that might have -the legend of the Hydra! You cut off the head of any plant and another -grows in its place. Sometimes two heads grow and by the process of -division—analogous with cell division—a new plant individual is -formed. The botanical life of Dead Man's planet carries regeneration -forward to such a degree that even the loss of a leaf, or of a thorn is -replaced in a few minutes, often in a few seconds. The plant life is so -hardy that when my father, whose name I never knew, attempted to clear -this space with fire, he found he had twice the growth of plants after -the fire."</p> - -<p>"It's clear now," Alf said. "How did he do it?"</p> - -<p>"By transplanting and controlled regeneration," Ghor said, smiling. "He -carried his experiments far. Most of the trees here were developed by -him. He found that certain injections transformed cell structures so -that he could cause the regenerated parts to assume almost any shape he -desired. My father's trees are nothing but Ngye stalks—mere weeds—so -transformed that they resemble the oaks, the elms, and the chestnuts of -the earth."</p> - -<p>"And the corn, I suppose is merely a synthetic product?" Mick asked.</p> - -<p>"It is a triumph of my own. The product is quite edible and tastes, -I assume, much like terrestrial maize, which I have never eaten. The -cells possess the same number of genes and chromosomes as Indian maize -and it is, therefore, biologically related, although the two types have -never been in contact."</p> - -<p>"But there must be some difference. Maize doesn't throw radioactive -particles at cornhuskers!"</p> - -<p>"That," smiled Ghor, "is probably an environmental factor. And it is -possible some of the genes are not exactly like maize genes."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Ghor and the two earthmen talked for hours. He showed off his little -establishment, buried to conserve heat, under the sand of the asteroid. -It was equipped with air purifying apparatus, electrical devices and -heaters, all supplied with plant generated power. Ghor cooked a meal, -entirely vegetarian, that tasted little different from its terrestrial -counterpart. The bread was indistinguishable from that made from -wheat flour, the potatoes had exactly the same taste as terrestrial -tubers—in fact every item had its counterpart on earth, yet it was -supplied from carefully developed plants of the asteroid.</p> - -<p>Ghor told other facts about his home.</p> - -<p>Dead Man's planet turned on its axis once every nine and one-half -hours. Its average temperature was about forty degrees below zero and -this temperature remained fairly constant because of the small diameter -and surface of the asteroid.</p> - -<p>Mick's perplexity over the degree of trust to be placed in Ghor wavered -as the conversation continued through the day. Ghor's actions did not -appear suspicious. Ghor himself, pale and weak and a product of zero -gravity, was hardly to be feared, except through trickery. But there -were words, sentences and phrases dropped by the exile from time to -time that indicated deep mystery and hidden horror. There were certain -unanswered questions that were clues to questions that were not asked.</p> - -<p>Behind this mystery, Mick noted a beseeching look that appeared -from time to time on Ghor's pinched face. It was the air of a man -asking pardon for a crime. Yet, what crime had been committed? Ghor's -experiments were contribution to universal knowledge. On earth they -would be hailed as discoveries and Ghor would be honored and rewarded -for his work. Surely Ghor had committed no crime in his development of -alien plants into terrestrial forms.</p> - -<p>Ghor's work had been done in the same manner that an experienced -airplane pilot flies blind in a fog. He had never seen corn and -potatoes, yet he had created them. His sole guides were books in the -library and sound motion pictures bearing on botany that had been left -behind by Ghor's nameless father. Ghor was more than a Robinson Crusoe; -he was a Tarzan in the jungle of space.</p> - -<p>The only unseemly exhibit in this island of the sky was the frozen -body of Ghor's father on the ledge above the buried space ship. This, -however, could be considered in the light of environment. On an airless -bit of rock, where nothing decayed, burial in the ground was like -offering the human body as food for the roots of millions of obscene -plants. Burial seemed more of a sacrilege than the placing of the body -on a rock as a flesh and blood monument.</p> - -<p>After a rest during the short, five-hour night, Ghor offered to take -the spacemen back to their ship to make repairs.</p> - -<p>"It isn't that I wish to hurry your departure," he said, "but I realize -that my life here is very dull. Except to tell you of my work, I have -nothing to offer in the way of entertainment."</p> - -<p>"Wouldn't you want to go back to Terra with us?" Mick asked.</p> - -<p>Again that cunning, deceptive expression crossed Ghor's face.</p> - -<p>"No," he said. He did not elaborate.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Ghor's method of avoiding the radioactive pellets cast from the buds -of the weird plants of the asteroid, was akin to the degaussing -process used by ships in mine-infested waters. The plants sensed their -enemies through the minute electrical currents that are present in all -living organisms, Ghor explained. They cast their pellets at all alien -organisms that came near.</p> - -<p>"You mean grow near?"</p> - -<p>"There are a few mobile plants on Dead Man's planet." Ghor explained.</p> - -<p>They had emerged from the locks of the ship and they were moving down -the gulley. Ghor walked in his usual stiff-legged stride and clad as he -was in a spacesuit, he appeared to be some sort of mechanical monster.</p> - -<p>As they emerged from the gulley and came to the place where Mick had -slashed down the budded stalk with his ray gun, Ghor halted. The -shriveled burned bud lay on the ground, but the stalk had disappeared.</p> - -<p>The earphones in Mick's spacesuit caught Ghor's startled gasp:</p> - -<p>"Ngye!"</p> - -<p>"It attacked us yesterday after we jumped out of the corn patch," Alf -was explaining. "Mick knocked it over with his ray gun."</p> - -<p>"It is the first one that has ventured on this side of the planet in -several years," Ghor explained. "It's one of the mobile plants I was -speaking of. You see, the stem has regenerated a new bud and has moved -on."</p> - -<p>"We saw several of them—"</p> - -<p>"Several!" Ghor seemed to stiffen. "Gentlemen. It is not safe here. We -must go back to my cabin. The Ngye is one plant that is deadly."</p> - -<p>"I thought your father made trees out of them," Mick said.</p> - -<p>"At first they were docile. My father developed many kinds of plants -from them and I myself created the corn from hybrid Ngye plants, but -the process of survival played a curious prank by developing in the -untouched plants a sense of hatred for these new variations, as well -as an everlasting enmity for my father and myself. It was as if these -plants resented being made over into alien forms. My father developed -a poisonous substance which he spread on the soil which drove the Ngye -plants to the other side of the planet. Apparently they have come back. -It means, my friends, that mankind must go to war to save himself and -his products."</p> - -<p>Ghor already was walking rapidly back toward the gully.</p> - -<p>"Couldn't you make some other poison to get rid of them again?" Alf -asked.</p> - -<p>"I might, but it would take time. And—" Ghor seemed to choke, "—it -was the poison that killed my father."</p> - -<p>As Ghor reached the first turn in the gulley, he halted and then sprang -back. A gleaming spark landed at his feet and heated the rock to -incandescense.</p> - -<p>"Trapped!" he groaned. "There's a forest of Ngyes in the path ahead of -us."</p> - -<p>Mick pushed forward, his ray gun in hand. He caught a glimpse of a -forest of leafless stems, surmounted by ugly, bulging bulbs. Ghor -tugged Mick back, just as a shower of sparks shot from the stalks.</p> - -<p>"How do they know where we are?" Mick asked. "Doesn't our degaussing -equipment work?"</p> - -<p>"The Ngye has more sensitive perception than most plants. You forget -the radio waves from our phones. The plants are able to find us by -those."</p> - -<p>"Maybe we can rush them," Mick suggested. "Alf and I can use our ray -guns to burn a path through to the cabin—"</p> - -<p>Ghor shook his head.</p> - -<p>"No. Before we seared half of them, the rest would have melted us into -grease. Besides, fire won't work with them. It will only multiply our -enemies."</p> - -<p>A warning cry came from Alf.</p> - -<p>"They're behind us, too!"</p> - -<p>Mick glanced down the gulley. A moving forest was circling the bend. -The Ngyes seemed to progress with an amoebic motion, as if their roots -tugged them along over the loosely packed soil.</p> - -<p>"Quick, Alf! Take Ghor's arm. We can jump for it!"</p> - -<p>As Mick shouted, he seized Ghor's right arm. Alf took the left arm of -the asteroid man. The three shot upward into the air, propelled by the -earth-born strength of the spacemen. The ground where they stood a -moment before turned red beneath a shower of tiny radioactive pellets.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>As they shot into the sunlit sky, their eyes saw Ngyes on all sides. -They lined the valley. The cornfield was ablaze with light as the -budded plants and hybrid maize battled for existence. Even the rocks -above the gulley sprouted hundreds of the swaying stems.</p> - -<p>"We're in for it," Mick said. "Wherever we land, we'll be in a patch of -them. We'd better shut off our telephones and try to slip through—"</p> - -<p>"No! Our steps on the soil will be sensed by the roots. We'd never walk -a dozen yards. But you might make it by jumping—"</p> - -<p>Ghor broke off suddenly. His head turned toward a grove of the enemy -stalks directly below. Two of the stalks had bent close to the ground, -placing their bulbs beneath the roots of a third. Suddenly the bent -stalks straightened, catapulting the third stalk into the air, like an -arrow toward the three floating men.</p> - -<p>Mick's gun blasted the stalk and it withered in flame in mid-air.</p> - -<p>But other stalks were shooting toward them now.</p> - -<p>Ghor was struggling desperately.</p> - -<p>"Let me go!" he whispered. "Turn loose of my arm. Remember, the gravity -here will not let me fall faster than you."</p> - -<p>Ghor suddenly wrenched loose. From a pocket of his spacesuit flashed a -knife.</p> - -<p>"Stop!" It was Alf who first sensed Ghor's intention, but his action -was too slow to stop what followed.</p> - -<p>The knife slashed through the fabroid spacesuit, deep into the neck of -the asteroid man. A spray of red blood shot into the airless sky.</p> - -<p>A curious sort of tremor seemed to shake the stalks below. The reddish -spray seemed to strike fear into the waving buds. The living forest -pushed back away from the spray of human blood.</p> - -<p>When the men dropped to the ground the Ngyes were retreating.</p> - -<p>But Ghor lay lifeless beside them.</p> - -<p>"That was the poison that killed the Ngyes—and that killed his -father," Mick said. "Human blood! It's ghastly."</p> - -<p>"We'll put him on the ledge," Alf said. "I think he'd like that. Lord! -To think that we didn't trust him at first. He's a hero, Mick! A hero -as great as any in the history of mankind!"</p> - -<p>A day later the two terrestrials, protected by the degaussers, -completed the repairs on their space ship.</p> - -<p>"I think we ought to go back to the cabin, Alf," Mick suggested.</p> - -<p>"Yeah. We ought to pay our respects to Ghor. We owe him more than he'll -ever know."</p> - -<p>Once more they stumbled up the gulley. They kicked aside a few dead -Ngye stalks that had been killed by the lifeblood of Ghor as they -followed the turns of the pathway. At last they reached the locks.</p> - -<p>"Mick!"</p> - -<p>Alf was pointing to the ledge above the locks. Only one human figure, -its arms akimbo, eyes staring down the gulley, stood on the ledge. Ghor -was gone.</p> - -<p>Slowly the locks opened. Through the door, unhelmeted, unprotected by a -spacesuit, came Ghor.</p> - -<p>"He's alive!"</p> - -<p>Ghor smiled—that same crooked, half mysterious smile. He lifted his -hand and held a microphone close to his lips.</p> - -<p>"I hoped you wouldn't come back. I didn't want you to know I was a -failure."</p> - -<p>"A failure! Man, you're a hero!" Mick said.</p> - -<p>"I'm not a man. If I had been a man, I would have died. But, you see, -I am not a man. I am a product of my father's botany. You see, I, like -all of the things that look like terrestrial things on this planet, was -developed from the lowly Ngye. It had been my hope that I was no longer -a plant, but a man. I had read men's books; studied his pictures; -learned his arts. But I am not a man. I am a failure."</p> - -<p>From the door came another being—an identical image of Ghor.</p> - -<p>"This," Ghor said, "is my son. The result of my wound yesterday."</p> - -<p>Mick walked forward and took the hands of the two asteroid men.</p> - -<p>"If you're not men," he said, "you're something greater."</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Dead Man's Planet, by R. R. Winterbotham - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DEAD MAN'S PLANET *** - -***** This file should be named 61919-h.htm or 61919-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/1/9/1/61919/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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 in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the -trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -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 -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and 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 unprotected by copyright law 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 in the United States and - most other parts of the world 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 www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you - are located before using this ebook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (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 -(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 The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, 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 -works not protected by U.S. copyright law 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 MERCHANTABILITY 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 are 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 information page at -www.gutenberg.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. 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 in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, 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 contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -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 www.gutenberg.org/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: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty 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 not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: 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. - - - -</pre> - -</body> -</html> diff --git a/old/61919-h/images/cover.jpg b/old/61919-h/images/cover.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index cfb374d..0000000 --- a/old/61919-h/images/cover.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/61919-h/images/illus.jpg b/old/61919-h/images/illus.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index ab1fe14..0000000 --- a/old/61919-h/images/illus.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/61919.txt b/old/61919.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 0358169..0000000 --- a/old/61919.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1059 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Dead Man's Planet, by R. R. Winterbotham - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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 -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Dead Man's Planet - -Author: R. R. Winterbotham - -Release Date: April 24, 2020 [EBook #61919] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DEAD MAN'S PLANET *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - DEAD MAN'S PLANET - - By R. R. WINTERBOTHAM - - For unmarked ages a dead man kept his ghostly - vigil on that barren, frozen asteroid. - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Planet Stories Fall 1941. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -"A life-saver!" Mick said, bringing the space freighter down with a -gentle bump on the huge, shapeless mass of rock and iron that floated -between Mars and Jupiter. - -The term huge was purely relative, for the asteroid was scarcely ten -miles in diameter at its thickest point, and its axis could not have -been more than twelve miles long. - -Mick switched off the rockets, opened a locker and pulled forth a suit -of heavy, furlined, airtight garments which he slipped over his uniform. - -The communication speaker buzzed. - -"Hey, Mick! Are you still on the bridge?" - -Alf Rankin was calling from the charting room. - -"Yes, Alf. What's the trouble." Mick Conner was sealing his space suit. - -"This isn't an ordinary asteroid, Mick. It isn't barren. There's stuff -growing on it." - -"That's nothing to get goggle-eyed about, Alf. There's moss on Eros -which is smaller than this. And there are 142 different kinds of plants -and one intermediate--animal-vegetable--organism on Juno." - -"Hm-m!" - -Of course this was a surprise to Alf, who had never made a landing on -the asteroids before. Science had rather neglected the asteroids during -the rapid development of interplanetary flight, yet there were many -interesting sights to be seen on the 4,000 minor planets that floated -between Jupiter and Mars. - -"Get on your space togs and oxygen helmet and we'll fix that broken -jet," Mick said. "We'll be ready to go in three hours." - -Mick sealed his helmet and stepped into the automatic lock leading from -the control bridge to the roof of the streamlined rocket. - -He held tightly to the rail of the observation platform, knowing that -the gravity of this nameless planet was next to zero. A man might jump -one thousand feet into the sky without exertion and, if he wasn't -careful, he might fling himself so high that he would be unable to -land--he might become a satellite of this grain of cosmic dust. - -Mick hooked the lifeline from his belt to the rail of the platform and -stepped over the side. Instead of falling, he floated a few inches a -second downward to the ground. In gravity like this a man might jump -off Mt. Everest--if there were an Everest--and land without injury. - -Alf, the square-jawed giant who manned the engines of the rocket ship, -emerged from the lower locks and fastened his lifeline to the iron -ladder extending to the ground. - -"Look at that stuff, Mick," Alf spoke into his radio telephone. He -pointed to a dense growth, barely visible in Jupiter's light, just -north of the ship. "It looks like corn. Good old American maize!" - -Mick who had been examining the damaged portion of the starboard -rockets, glanced in the direction Alf was pointing. In even, nicely -cultivated rows, stood tasseled stalks. - -"You don't suppose this place is inhabited by men!" Alf's voice was -awed. - -"It can't be. There's no air," Mick replied. "Anyhow, it isn't corn. It -must be something else. You know there are doubles all over the system. -The Martian pumpkins aren't even vegetables, but they're a species of -mollusk. Even if this is corn, it's different, because corn depends on -carbon dioxide in the atmosphere." - -"Maybe there's carbon dioxide in the rocks." - -"Then this wouldn't be like terrestrial maize. Its leaves would serve -some other purpose." - -"Mick! Look!" - - * * * * * - -As Alf spoke the rows of corn seemed to move. Bright phosphorescent -beads seemed to pop from the tassels and float toward the two human -beings. - -Like a rain of meteors, the brilliant specks came floating through the -sky. But the brilliant shower fell with tantalizing slowness. Then one -of the sparks dropped short, twenty feet from the feet of the spacemen. -As it touched the ground, there was a bluish spark, and the rock -beneath it glowed with heat. - -"Look out!" Mick cried. His hand unsnapped the lifeline. His legs -doubled beneath his body and he shot upward into the air. Suddenly he -plunged into daylight. The corona-crowned sun was sticking its head -over the horizon. - -As Alf shot into the sky beside him, Mick noted that the ground was -still dark, and that the terminator line that delineated night and day, -still was a mile or so to the eastward, floating rapidly toward them. - -There were other things about this weird planet that also struck -Mick's eyes. It was filled with growing things. Most of these were -single stalks, crowned with a bluish bud. But there was a terrestrial -note to some of the plants that clung to the rocks and sand of the -asteroid. - -To the south was a huge tree, with gnarled branches and leaves. Tucked -away in a small gully were reddish flowers that looked like roses in -the distance. There were vines clinging to the rocks. The corn that -had first attracted attention of the spacemen, occupied a small, -rectangular patch and the stalks were so evenly spaced that the field -suggested artificial cultivation. - -Slowly they came back toward the ground. Below was one of the budded -stalks which slowly nodded its tip toward the terrestrials as their -feet came in contact with the soil. - -Mick was ready this time. His gun was in his hand as the little white -bead emerged from the tip of the bud. The gun sent a streak of flame -into the middle of the stalk, and the plant was sliced as neatly as a -knife could have cut through a stem. - -"It's not nearly as pleasant here as I expected," Alf panted into the -phone of his space suit. "Who ever thought we'd have to fight plants on -an asteroid?" - -Mick did not answer. Still clutching his gun, he was walking toward a -little path that led into a gully in the rocks. He moved cautiously, -halting at each turn in the little path, searching the gully ahead of -him. The path indicated animals, for plants do not walk. - -Alf trailed behind, keeping his eyes peeled for fire-shooting plants, -and carefully gauging his steps to keep himself from sailing high into -the sky. - -In the steep places along the path, there were steps carved into the -rock. - -"It looks--almost human," came from Mick, "but why would a human being -need steps in this gravity?" - -At the end of the gully was a cliff, fully one hundred feet high -flanked by a mound of sand. The path led toward this mound and in the -center was an iron door, looking all the world like the outer locks of -a space ship. - -Toward this door the two men walked. Whatever doubts they had of a -human touch on this asteroid vanished at the sight of the door. -It was possible for nature to duplicate her works on two different -planets. The physiology of Martians, Venusians and terrestrials -had much in common. The processes of biochemistry are limited and -living types are always similar to some degree. Even on earth many -species of animals and plants which have no direct relationship may -possess resemblances--the fish and the whale, or certain reptiles and -amphibians. - -But the airlocks of space ships were human inventions. There was small -likelihood that another race in the universe would mark its doors with -the Roman letters: - - UNIVERSAL LOCK COMPANY - ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI - -The two spacemen stared speechlessly at the evidence of human -habitation. Then slowly the door swung open. - -They waited for someone to emerge, but the silence of space remained -unbroken. The locks were empty, yet they had opened. Was someone -watching them from inside? If so, why didn't he hail them? - -"Hello there!" Mick spoke on the universal wavelength into his -microphone. - -No answer came. - -"Maybe his radio's out of whack," Alf said. "Shall we go in?" - -Alf started forward, but Mick seized his arm. - -"Look!" he whispered. "Up there, above the door!" - -Just above the door was a ledge, which neither man had noticed at -first. On this ledge stood a human figure. He wore no space suit, no -oxygen helmet and his head was bare. - -An empty pistol holster dangled at his side and his hands were on his -hips. He was standing motionless in the cold of space watching the two -terrestrials below him. - -"Great guns!" - -The figure didn't move. He didn't even blink his eyes. He only stared. -Not a flicker of movement crossed his face. - -"He's dead," Mick said. He bent his legs and shot up to the ledge -beside the man. "Dead and turned to stone!" - -"Stone?" - -"Ice, rather. He's frozen hard as a rock. Probably he's been here for -years. Not enough heat to thaw him out." - -"But why hasn't he fallen down?" Alf asked. - -"Why should he? There's hardly enough gravity to pull him down; there's -no wind to blow him down. There are no earthquakes on a planet as small -as this." - -"How did he get there?" - -Mick shrugged his shoulders. It was a puzzle, certainly; but there were -possible solutions. The first and most logical was that this fellow had -exposed himself, rather than to die a lingering death from starvation -or lack of oxygen. - -"Let's take a look at his quarters," Mick suggested. - -He dropped lightly to the ground and entered the lock. He quickly -inspected the lock control apparatus, making sure that the outer doors -would function properly. Then he closed the locks and opened the inner -doors. - -The glass of Mick's space helmet frosted as warm air from the interior -struck its surface. - -Wiping away the mist he stepped aside. - - * * * * * - -Standing in the center of the room, smiling at them, was an exact -replica of the man they had seen on the ledge. But this one was alive! - -"Welcome to Dead Man's planet!" the faint human voice drifted to the -ears of the men. "You may remove your helmets. The air here is pure and -there is plenty of it." The man's greenish eyes drifted down over the -figures of the human beings facing him. "But you needn't point your -guns at me." - -The welcome was not as warm as the two spacemen might have expected -from an exile on the asteroid. There was a note in the pale-faced man's -voice that sounded false. It was not distrust that Mick felt, nor a -sense of danger, for there was nothing to indicate that this lonely man -intended to harm his visitors; but some subconscious reasoning in the -spaceman's brain seemed to detect an uncanny sort of insincerity. Mick -could not forget the grisly object on the ledge above the doorway. Why -hadn't the dead man been buried? - -The pallid host watched the spacemen skin themselves of their airtight -suits and sniff the warm, sweet air of the buried spaceship. - -"You're men," he said. "Men!" - -"My name's Michael Conner, a space pilot; this is Alf Rankin, co-pilot -and engineer. We fused and blew a rocket on the earth-Jupiter orbit and -we landed here to make repairs." - -The pallid man smiled. There was the cunning of the fox and the savage -craft of a spider in his expression. - -"Call me Ghor," he said. - -Mick's eyes cruised over the pointed face. Ghor was a strange name. -It wasn't terrestrial and it didn't sound like any of the Martian -dialects. Ghor might be a criminal, preferring exile to a life in -prison. - -"You're a strange man, Ghor," Mick said. "You present a mystery. Are -you from Mars? How does it happen you live on this Godforsaken bit of -rock?" - -"I was born here," Ghor said. - -"Oh!" There was an awkward pause after this unexpected answer. Mick's -eyes unconsciously lifted toward the roof, above which stood the frozen -human figure. - -"He was my father." Ghor spoke simply. His words were carefully and -slowly enunciated. Mick supposed that Ghor was unused to talking and -his brain worked slowly in the matter of words. But that brain was -keen. It seemed to read Mick's thoughts, answering an unspoken question -about the Dead Man. - -"You must have an interesting history," Alf suggested. - -"I have," Ghor replied. "But so have you. Tell me how you happened to -find my home. You might have repaired your ship and gone on, without -discovering me." - -"There was a field of queer acting plants--they looked like maize, -except that they tried to kill us." - -"Oh! My cornfield! I forgot the nasty habit the cornstalks have." - -"You mean that stuff was corn?" Alf asked. "Real roasting ears?" - -"Well, almost." Ghor's lips cracked into another of his nerve-racking -smiles. "You see the plants are really native of Dead Man's planet, but -I modified them into something quite close to terrestrial maize." - -"By grafting and cross fertilization?" - -"Oh no. There is a much different process of propagation of the species -here, much simpler. My corn was regenerated." - -Ghor hobbled across the room toward an ultra-violet lamp beneath which -were two pots of flowers, both looking much like American beauty roses. -Ghor returned, with the same mincing steps, walking as if a leg injury -had limited the use of his knees. - -"These flowers are beautiful," Ghor said, like a doctor of philosophy -announcing the first premise of a step in mathematics. - -"Yes," Mick replied. "We noticed numbers of them growing in the rocks." - -"I know. I placed them there, to make Dead Man's planet beautiful. But -they are quite useless." - -"Oh, I wouldn't say that." - -"I know what I am talking about. On earth, roses serve many purposes -aside from beauty. They help maintain the atmosphere by exchanging -carbon dioxide for oxygen; they fertilize the soil; they supply -insects, such as bees, with food. These roses extract carbon from the -rocks and give nothing in return, except their beauty. The soil is not -fertilized. There are no insects to feed. This flower has no pollen, -for it is purely ornamental, developed by myself for beauty's sake." - -He took his fingers and pinched off the rose. As it dropped to the -floor, a whitish, gleaming pellet half emerged from the flower, but -Ghor quickly ground it underfoot. - -"You see? That little projectile might have killed me. The flower -is vicious. Like other plants on this planet it utilizes organic -radioactivity to destroy other living plants." - -"So that was what it was." Mick said. "Organic radioactivity!" - -Ghor did not reply. His eyes were on the stem of the plant. It was -swaying gently, as if it possessed muscles. A little green bubble -formed on the end of the stem. - -"Watch!" Ghor whispered. - -The bubble enlarged and suddenly burst. There, in full bloom, was -another rose, just like the first that Ghor had broken from the stem. - -"You see, gentlemen, your planet is not the only one that might have -the legend of the Hydra! You cut off the head of any plant and another -grows in its place. Sometimes two heads grow and by the process of -division--analogous with cell division--a new plant individual is -formed. The botanical life of Dead Man's planet carries regeneration -forward to such a degree that even the loss of a leaf, or of a thorn is -replaced in a few minutes, often in a few seconds. The plant life is so -hardy that when my father, whose name I never knew, attempted to clear -this space with fire, he found he had twice the growth of plants after -the fire." - -"It's clear now," Alf said. "How did he do it?" - -"By transplanting and controlled regeneration," Ghor said, smiling. "He -carried his experiments far. Most of the trees here were developed by -him. He found that certain injections transformed cell structures so -that he could cause the regenerated parts to assume almost any shape he -desired. My father's trees are nothing but Ngye stalks--mere weeds--so -transformed that they resemble the oaks, the elms, and the chestnuts of -the earth." - -"And the corn, I suppose is merely a synthetic product?" Mick asked. - -"It is a triumph of my own. The product is quite edible and tastes, -I assume, much like terrestrial maize, which I have never eaten. The -cells possess the same number of genes and chromosomes as Indian maize -and it is, therefore, biologically related, although the two types have -never been in contact." - -"But there must be some difference. Maize doesn't throw radioactive -particles at cornhuskers!" - -"That," smiled Ghor, "is probably an environmental factor. And it is -possible some of the genes are not exactly like maize genes." - - * * * * * - -Ghor and the two earthmen talked for hours. He showed off his little -establishment, buried to conserve heat, under the sand of the asteroid. -It was equipped with air purifying apparatus, electrical devices and -heaters, all supplied with plant generated power. Ghor cooked a meal, -entirely vegetarian, that tasted little different from its terrestrial -counterpart. The bread was indistinguishable from that made from -wheat flour, the potatoes had exactly the same taste as terrestrial -tubers--in fact every item had its counterpart on earth, yet it was -supplied from carefully developed plants of the asteroid. - -Ghor told other facts about his home. - -Dead Man's planet turned on its axis once every nine and one-half -hours. Its average temperature was about forty degrees below zero and -this temperature remained fairly constant because of the small diameter -and surface of the asteroid. - -Mick's perplexity over the degree of trust to be placed in Ghor wavered -as the conversation continued through the day. Ghor's actions did not -appear suspicious. Ghor himself, pale and weak and a product of zero -gravity, was hardly to be feared, except through trickery. But there -were words, sentences and phrases dropped by the exile from time to -time that indicated deep mystery and hidden horror. There were certain -unanswered questions that were clues to questions that were not asked. - -Behind this mystery, Mick noted a beseeching look that appeared -from time to time on Ghor's pinched face. It was the air of a man -asking pardon for a crime. Yet, what crime had been committed? Ghor's -experiments were contribution to universal knowledge. On earth they -would be hailed as discoveries and Ghor would be honored and rewarded -for his work. Surely Ghor had committed no crime in his development of -alien plants into terrestrial forms. - -Ghor's work had been done in the same manner that an experienced -airplane pilot flies blind in a fog. He had never seen corn and -potatoes, yet he had created them. His sole guides were books in the -library and sound motion pictures bearing on botany that had been left -behind by Ghor's nameless father. Ghor was more than a Robinson Crusoe; -he was a Tarzan in the jungle of space. - -The only unseemly exhibit in this island of the sky was the frozen -body of Ghor's father on the ledge above the buried space ship. This, -however, could be considered in the light of environment. On an airless -bit of rock, where nothing decayed, burial in the ground was like -offering the human body as food for the roots of millions of obscene -plants. Burial seemed more of a sacrilege than the placing of the body -on a rock as a flesh and blood monument. - -After a rest during the short, five-hour night, Ghor offered to take -the spacemen back to their ship to make repairs. - -"It isn't that I wish to hurry your departure," he said, "but I realize -that my life here is very dull. Except to tell you of my work, I have -nothing to offer in the way of entertainment." - -"Wouldn't you want to go back to Terra with us?" Mick asked. - -Again that cunning, deceptive expression crossed Ghor's face. - -"No," he said. He did not elaborate. - - * * * * * - -Ghor's method of avoiding the radioactive pellets cast from the buds -of the weird plants of the asteroid, was akin to the degaussing -process used by ships in mine-infested waters. The plants sensed their -enemies through the minute electrical currents that are present in all -living organisms, Ghor explained. They cast their pellets at all alien -organisms that came near. - -"You mean grow near?" - -"There are a few mobile plants on Dead Man's planet." Ghor explained. - -They had emerged from the locks of the ship and they were moving down -the gulley. Ghor walked in his usual stiff-legged stride and clad as he -was in a spacesuit, he appeared to be some sort of mechanical monster. - -As they emerged from the gulley and came to the place where Mick had -slashed down the budded stalk with his ray gun, Ghor halted. The -shriveled burned bud lay on the ground, but the stalk had disappeared. - -The earphones in Mick's spacesuit caught Ghor's startled gasp: - -"Ngye!" - -"It attacked us yesterday after we jumped out of the corn patch," Alf -was explaining. "Mick knocked it over with his ray gun." - -"It is the first one that has ventured on this side of the planet in -several years," Ghor explained. "It's one of the mobile plants I was -speaking of. You see, the stem has regenerated a new bud and has moved -on." - -"We saw several of them--" - -"Several!" Ghor seemed to stiffen. "Gentlemen. It is not safe here. We -must go back to my cabin. The Ngye is one plant that is deadly." - -"I thought your father made trees out of them," Mick said. - -"At first they were docile. My father developed many kinds of plants -from them and I myself created the corn from hybrid Ngye plants, but -the process of survival played a curious prank by developing in the -untouched plants a sense of hatred for these new variations, as well -as an everlasting enmity for my father and myself. It was as if these -plants resented being made over into alien forms. My father developed -a poisonous substance which he spread on the soil which drove the Ngye -plants to the other side of the planet. Apparently they have come back. -It means, my friends, that mankind must go to war to save himself and -his products." - -Ghor already was walking rapidly back toward the gully. - -"Couldn't you make some other poison to get rid of them again?" Alf -asked. - -"I might, but it would take time. And--" Ghor seemed to choke, "--it -was the poison that killed my father." - -As Ghor reached the first turn in the gulley, he halted and then sprang -back. A gleaming spark landed at his feet and heated the rock to -incandescense. - -"Trapped!" he groaned. "There's a forest of Ngyes in the path ahead of -us." - -Mick pushed forward, his ray gun in hand. He caught a glimpse of a -forest of leafless stems, surmounted by ugly, bulging bulbs. Ghor -tugged Mick back, just as a shower of sparks shot from the stalks. - -"How do they know where we are?" Mick asked. "Doesn't our degaussing -equipment work?" - -"The Ngye has more sensitive perception than most plants. You forget -the radio waves from our phones. The plants are able to find us by -those." - -"Maybe we can rush them," Mick suggested. "Alf and I can use our ray -guns to burn a path through to the cabin--" - -Ghor shook his head. - -"No. Before we seared half of them, the rest would have melted us into -grease. Besides, fire won't work with them. It will only multiply our -enemies." - -A warning cry came from Alf. - -"They're behind us, too!" - -Mick glanced down the gulley. A moving forest was circling the bend. -The Ngyes seemed to progress with an amoebic motion, as if their roots -tugged them along over the loosely packed soil. - -"Quick, Alf! Take Ghor's arm. We can jump for it!" - -As Mick shouted, he seized Ghor's right arm. Alf took the left arm of -the asteroid man. The three shot upward into the air, propelled by the -earth-born strength of the spacemen. The ground where they stood a -moment before turned red beneath a shower of tiny radioactive pellets. - - * * * * * - -As they shot into the sunlit sky, their eyes saw Ngyes on all sides. -They lined the valley. The cornfield was ablaze with light as the -budded plants and hybrid maize battled for existence. Even the rocks -above the gulley sprouted hundreds of the swaying stems. - -"We're in for it," Mick said. "Wherever we land, we'll be in a patch of -them. We'd better shut off our telephones and try to slip through--" - -"No! Our steps on the soil will be sensed by the roots. We'd never walk -a dozen yards. But you might make it by jumping--" - -Ghor broke off suddenly. His head turned toward a grove of the enemy -stalks directly below. Two of the stalks had bent close to the ground, -placing their bulbs beneath the roots of a third. Suddenly the bent -stalks straightened, catapulting the third stalk into the air, like an -arrow toward the three floating men. - -Mick's gun blasted the stalk and it withered in flame in mid-air. - -But other stalks were shooting toward them now. - -Ghor was struggling desperately. - -"Let me go!" he whispered. "Turn loose of my arm. Remember, the gravity -here will not let me fall faster than you." - -Ghor suddenly wrenched loose. From a pocket of his spacesuit flashed a -knife. - -"Stop!" It was Alf who first sensed Ghor's intention, but his action -was too slow to stop what followed. - -The knife slashed through the fabroid spacesuit, deep into the neck of -the asteroid man. A spray of red blood shot into the airless sky. - -A curious sort of tremor seemed to shake the stalks below. The reddish -spray seemed to strike fear into the waving buds. The living forest -pushed back away from the spray of human blood. - -When the men dropped to the ground the Ngyes were retreating. - -But Ghor lay lifeless beside them. - -"That was the poison that killed the Ngyes--and that killed his -father," Mick said. "Human blood! It's ghastly." - -"We'll put him on the ledge," Alf said. "I think he'd like that. Lord! -To think that we didn't trust him at first. He's a hero, Mick! A hero -as great as any in the history of mankind!" - -A day later the two terrestrials, protected by the degaussers, -completed the repairs on their space ship. - -"I think we ought to go back to the cabin, Alf," Mick suggested. - -"Yeah. We ought to pay our respects to Ghor. We owe him more than he'll -ever know." - -Once more they stumbled up the gulley. They kicked aside a few dead -Ngye stalks that had been killed by the lifeblood of Ghor as they -followed the turns of the pathway. At last they reached the locks. - -"Mick!" - -Alf was pointing to the ledge above the locks. Only one human figure, -its arms akimbo, eyes staring down the gulley, stood on the ledge. Ghor -was gone. - -Slowly the locks opened. Through the door, unhelmeted, unprotected by a -spacesuit, came Ghor. - -"He's alive!" - -Ghor smiled--that same crooked, half mysterious smile. He lifted his -hand and held a microphone close to his lips. - -"I hoped you wouldn't come back. I didn't want you to know I was a -failure." - -"A failure! Man, you're a hero!" Mick said. - -"I'm not a man. If I had been a man, I would have died. But, you see, -I am not a man. I am a product of my father's botany. You see, I, like -all of the things that look like terrestrial things on this planet, was -developed from the lowly Ngye. It had been my hope that I was no longer -a plant, but a man. I had read men's books; studied his pictures; -learned his arts. But I am not a man. I am a failure." - -From the door came another being--an identical image of Ghor. - -"This," Ghor said, "is my son. The result of my wound yesterday." - -Mick walked forward and took the hands of the two asteroid men. - -"If you're not men," he said, "you're something greater." - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Dead Man's Planet, by R. R. Winterbotham - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DEAD MAN'S PLANET *** - -***** This file should be named 61919.txt or 61919.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/1/9/1/61919/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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 in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the -trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -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 -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and 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 unprotected by copyright law 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 in the United States and - most other parts of the world 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 www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you - are located before using this ebook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (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 -(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 The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, 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 -works not protected by U.S. copyright law 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 MERCHANTABILITY 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 are 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 information page at -www.gutenberg.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. 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 in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, 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 contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -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 www.gutenberg.org/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: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty 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 not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: 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/old/61919.zip b/old/61919.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index e9afa4b..0000000 --- a/old/61919.zip +++ /dev/null |
