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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..9e2530e --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #61942 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/61942) diff --git a/old/61942-h.zip b/old/61942-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 5f2ebe0..0000000 --- a/old/61942-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/61942-h/61942-h.htm b/old/61942-h/61942-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index b30bf56..0000000 --- a/old/61942-h/61942-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1031 +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 South to Propontis, by Henry Andrew Ackermann. - </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; -} - - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of South to Propontis, by Henry Andrew Ackermann - -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: South to Propontis - -Author: Henry Andrew Ackermann - -Release Date: April 26, 2020 [EBook #61942] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SOUTH TO PROPONTIS *** - - - - -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>South to Propontis</h1> - -<h2>By HENRY ANDREW ACKERMANN</h2> - -<p>To the South lay Propontis, capital of<br /> -Mars. But between it and the homesick<br /> -Earth-youth stretched a burning desert—lair<br /> -of the deadly <i>Avis Gladiator</i>!</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>It wasn't the grim thought that he would be dead in a few moments that -filled the mind of Don Moffat so much as the bitter realization that a -sixteen-year-old suspicion had been confirmed too late.</p> - -<p>Across the small room a mad light burned in the blood-shot eyes of his -uncle. In spite of the raw liquor he had drunk, the grimy paw that held -the old electronic gun was steady.</p> - -<p>Beyond the battered hut's open door heat-blasted desert pulsated as -a tiny sun beat savagely down on the arid, sterile wastes from the -inferno's distant rim.</p> - -<p>It was that southern rim, a mere uneven thread of rust, to which Don -had raised his eyes so many times that day, his heart light with the -thought that he was going to Propontis. And from Propontis to a greener -world beyond—a world he had dreamed of one day seeing; a world where -water wasn't priceless. Earth!</p> - -<p>Just entering his twenties, he had spent his life on the Martian -wastelands, a motherless kid who had trailed a diamond-mad father over -the wilderness of sand and rock.</p> - -<p>Don had been seven when they struck the Suzie lode. There were plenty -of the rough stones, and his father sent for the boy's uncle and his -own brother. Together they were to mine and share alike.</p> - -<p>Shortly after his uncle had arrived Don found his father with a charred -hole in his heart, bleaching on the sand. Uncle Fred had cursed at him -when he wept. Later, though, the man explained that it must have been -one of the native Martians. Don believed him then, but as he grew and -came to know his uncle, he began to doubt.</p> - -<p>That morning Uncle Fred had abruptly announced that they were through, -that the last gem had been mined from the Suzie lode. But there were -many diamonds in the plastic boxes, enough to satisfy any man. They -would pack their Iguana, Gecko, and make ready for the long trek.</p> - -<p>So Don had stowed the saddle-bags and water-tanks. Gecko was ready -and waiting outside. Don's last act was to gather his own scanty -belongings. He was in the hut alone when Uncle Fred came in. Don -raised his eyes to find himself staring into the belled muzzle of the -electronic gun.</p> - -<p>"Desert brat," said Uncle Fred thickly. "I'll blow you so wide open -that there won't be a square meal left for a <i>Wirler</i>!"</p> - -<p>And now Don knew that he was to die by the same hand that had killed -his father. And Fred was through with him. The boy had helped to mine -the gems, but his uncle had never intended that he should live to share -them. That was why Uncle Fred had been drinking all day—to bolster up -his courage to do deliberate murder. He raised the gun an inch. Don saw -his finger tighten on the trigger. He closed his eyes, knowing that it -would be all over in a moment.</p> - -<p>The paper-thin walls of the hut vibrated with the thunderous crash of -an electronic pistol. Donald's jaw went slack. For a paralyzing second -he could only gape at his uncle. The man had uttered a choking cry, his -fingers loosening the gun. Then he pitched to the floor in a limp heap.</p> - -<p>In the open doorway stood a bullet-headed, brown-eyed man, holding a -still-glowing electronic pistol. Over his shoulder peered a bearded, -thick-lipped companion.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Bullet-head shifted his gaze to the boy.</p> - -<p>"Glad we showed up?" he asked, grinning.</p> - -<p>"Sure am. Thanks," said Don, eying the two men closely. They weren't -settlers nor native-born sons of settlers. For the strangers walked -with difficulty. They had yet to learn the gliding stride that was -second nature to Don. And their complexions had never been won on Mars.</p> - -<p>"You must be Don," said Bullet-Head.</p> - -<p>"Right," said Don shortly. "What's your tag?"</p> - -<p>"Call me Pete. I heard about you from your uncle last time he was in -Strada." Strada was the diamond center of Mars, Don knew. His uncle had -been there a month ago with some specimens. There were only three kinds -of people in Strada, the boy thought; business men, police and thieves. -Hastily he ruled out the first two. His uncle must have told too much -about his pay-load. These men had decided to cash in before it had -reached a civilized city.</p> - -<p>Pete's brown eyes wrinkled. "Right, son," he said amiably. "We're -here for the diamonds. Consider yourself lucky to be alive. Now just -keep your mouth shut and pack that lizard of yours. We're going to -Propontis."</p> - -<p>Don didn't ask any more questions. While he was filling the water -tanks from their stores he thought with desperate clarity and speed. -They were city men—earthmen, and could have hoofed it all the way. -He knew how an Iguana could go sullen and completely intractable if -it were mishandled; that, he guessed, was what had happened to the -outlaw's pack-lizards. From the thin crust of sand on their boots the -boy guessed that they hadn't had to walk more than a few miles.</p> - -<p>Don turned, and caught a glance that the two outlaws exchanged. In that -look the boy read an answer to any other question in his mind. Don knew -then that he had escaped death at his uncle's hands only to face it -eventually from these two.</p> - -<p>Pete eyed him quizzically. "Let's get going," said the outlaw. "We'll -put some distance between us and this shack before we camp for the -night."</p> - -<p>The boy gave Gecko a friendly whack on the tail. The lizard cocked a -lazy eye and ambled off, the rest following.</p> - -<p>Behind him Don could hear the two men talking in low undertones. Only -one snatch of conversstion was clear. "Dumb Martian!" Pete had grunted, -and his friend had snickered agreement.</p> - -<p>The boy smiled to himself. Yes, he thought, he was a dumb Martian. -What chance had he had to learn in a land where everything withered -under the scorching sun, and where only ugly venomous creatures -survived? True, he had read his father's old books, but he had only -half understood them. They were mostly treatises on practical mining -and engineering, the rest unreal blood-and-thunder tales of life in the -space lanes.</p> - -<p>Two hours later Pete called a halt. He never took his eyes off Don as -preparations were made for the night camp. His companion cooked a meal -out of tins; the outlaws ate most of it and flung the scraps to the boy.</p> - -<p>"Brought plenty of water?" asked Pete, tilting a canteen.</p> - -<p>Don nodded.</p> - -<p>"That's good. Because if we run short you'll be the first to do -without. When's the soonest we can expect to get to Propontis?"</p> - -<p>"Four days," said Don shortly.</p> - -<p>Pete raised his brows. "That long?" he asked. "We'd better bunk for -the night." He pulled out his sleeping bag and dropped it on the bare -sand. Don smiled grimly. That was no way to live on the desert, he -knew. The boy burrowed down until he struck the red layer of sand that -retained the day's heat. There he spread his sleeping-bag and crawled -carefully in after taking off his heavy sand-shoes. With his free arms -he banked the red sand over his legs before unfolding the top flap.</p> - -<p>"Kid!" called out Pete.</p> - -<p>"Yes?" said Don, stopping short in his preparations.</p> - -<p>"I thought I'd tell you—I have my blaster under my pillow. And I'm a -light sleeper. Get that?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," said Don coolly. He went on with his bedding. The boy had no -intention at all of running away. The desert was his friend, but the -most implacable enemy that these city men could hope to find.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Whether or not Pete slept lightly Don didn't know. He awoke snug and -warm when dawn was striping the wastelands with rosy hues. As he looked -into the horizon he knew that the day would be a blistering one.</p> - -<p>The outlaws awoke stiff and lame, barely able to crawl out of their -sleeping-bags and not even knowing that they had made the mistake of -sleeping on the hard-packing top layer of sand.</p> - -<p>By the time they had started and eaten a meager breakfast the outlaws -had swilled down a full quart of water apiece. Don wisely contented -himself with the moisture to be found in the green food he had packed.</p> - -<p>As the full glare of the sun began to strike the scorching sands the -two Earthmen began to lag. Don slowed his gait for them. They called -for water often; so often that at last he was forced to remind them -that they were drinking too much.</p> - -<p>Pete glared at him out of his red-rimmed eyes, false geniality gone. -"Brat!" he snarled. "You'd like to see us die of thirst, wouldn't you?"</p> - -<p>Don didn't answer, and silently gave them water whenever they called -for it. By noon both men were suffering from the choking heat. In the -early afternoon Pete called a halt, coughing dryly.</p> - -<p>"We're stopping here," he said hoarsely, raising a limp arm at an -outcropping of rock that shelved over a stretch of sand, casting a -jet-black shadow. The boy did not speak, but he knew that these rock -formations were little less than refractory furnaces, concentrating -in one innocuous spot the terrible radiations of the desert sun. Pete -coughed again, his smooth skin paling. Suddenly a sort of sympathy came -over the boy.</p> - -<p>"Look," he said, tossing a bit of vegetation under the rock. It crisped -and blackened. The outlaws stared, first at the cinder and then at -Don. Pete's face twitched with strain as he spoke: "Smart kid? Maybe -you're too smart for us!" His hand fell to his belt, where he wore his -bell-mouthed electronic pistol.</p> - -<p>The other of the two laid a hand on his arm. "Cut that out," he said -slowly. Then, turning to Don, "Thanks, kid." Stolidly he spread out -his sleeping-bag and squatted down on it to await the night. Pete -sprawled face-down, breathing heavily till the darkness fell. Then Don, -who had bedded down Gecko the Iguana, and the other slid him into the -sleeping-bag.</p> - -<p>Before he put up the flap of his own bag Don turned to the silent -outlaw and said: "Half a tank of water left. Ought to hold out if we're -easy on it. There's a water-hole ahead—there was once, I mean. Maybe -it isn't dried up. But it's the wrong season."</p> - -<p>"Right," said the outlaw.</p> - -<p>Nothing more was said that night.</p> - -<p>In the morning, after packing, Don measured out the remaining water -into three canteens. He gave one to each of the outlaws and put his own -on Gecko's back.</p> - -<p>The heat was worse than the day before. By noon Gecko was voluntarily -picking up speed, the spines on his horny back moving first one way and -then the other. Don knew the signs. The lizard sensed water ahead.</p> - -<p>"We can't be sure," Don shortly told the Earthmen. "It might not be -drinking water—for us."</p> - -<p>Thirty minutes later they came upon it, a small patch of rust-red mud -and slime. One of the outlaws groaned.</p> - -<p>"Dried up," whispered Pete dully.</p> - -<p>Don said nothing. There was some coarse growth that the pack-lizard -began to eat. The boy was glad of that. He had begun to worry about -Gecko, but now the Iguana would be good for a longer trek than the one -before them.</p> - -<p>Pete was on his knees, clawing at the mud. The other watched him for a -moment, then looked at Don inquiringly, who shook his head. "He'll only -poison himself," said the boy.</p> - -<p>The outlaw took his companion by the collar, hoisted him to his feet. -"Take this," he said slowly, offering his canteen. "That mud's deadly."</p> - -<p>Pete took the canteen and tilted it, swallowing convulsively. His -companion pulled away the precious container. "That's enough," he said. -"It has to last."</p> - -<p>A wild curse ripped from Pete's lips. He snatched back the canteen -and drew his gun. In a voice that was hard to recognize as human, he -rasped: "Stand back—you an' the brat!"</p> - -<p>His finger whitened on the trigger of the blaster.</p> - -<p>And then there sounded about them a curiously soft, derisive hooting, -seemingly from every point of the horizon. Pete stared wildly about -him. There had risen from the sand, it seemed, ghostly shapes—tall, -spindly creatures holding recognizable blowguns against their lips. The -outlaw's gun lowered, and he looked at Don.</p> - -<p>"Native Martians," said the boy. "Don't shoot—they know how to use -those blowguns. They might not harm us." There was no time to say more, -for the weird creatures had noiselessly advanced on them, holding -spread before them what seemed to be heavy draperies.</p> - -<p>Don hadn't even to wonder before one of the things was clapped over his -head. He felt himself being picked up and carried.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Part of the time consumed by the enforced journey he dozed fitfully, -but while he was awake he thought with strange clarity and precision, -dreaming of the other greener world he had hoped to see. The boy was -almost stifled under the heavy folds of the blanket when, after hours -of travel, the Martians removed it.</p> - -<p>Free of the torment, he drew a deep breath, blinking his eyes as he -looked about him. The first thing he saw were the two Earthmen peering -dazedly about them, their eyes not yet accustomed to the sudden change -of light.</p> - -<p>And when Don looked beyond the outlaws he gasped in stunned -astonishment. Fronting them were the ruins of an old city!</p> - -<p>That, he thought, must have been why they had been covered with the -blankets. The Martians wanted to keep the location of the place a -secret.</p> - -<p>It seemed to the wondering boy that giants had played here a while. He -saw great statues, perhaps of forgotten gods, misshapen things with -cruel faces, tumbled over on one side. He saw vast paving-stones, -hewn from solid rock, thrust up from their bed of sand, standing at -all angles, cracked and split. He saw great buildings, strong as -fortresses, fallen into ruins. In one place that must have been a -public square a tide of sand broke in still waves about the base of a -truncated pyramid.</p> - -<p>"Where are we?" choked Pete, the first of the three to recover from -the shock. He stared about blankly. "It's like a city of the dead," he -whispered hoarsely.</p> - -<p>"You're right," Don told him. "It is a city of the dead. An ancient, -long deserted city of the Martians, the ancestors of the degenerates -who hold us captive. This band uses it as their base from which they -launch raiding parties."</p> - -<p>Don had no time to say more. The Martians goaded their captives ahead -of them down streets that had once echoed to the tread of a thousand -feet. The humans picking through squares where multitudes had shouted -saw no other living thing but a shimmering green lizard that basked on -a fallen god. There was no sound but that of the ever-creeping sands. -The old people were gone leaving only ghosts, and the hand of Time in -its unhurried way had long since set about the task of wiping out all -trace of their existence.</p> - -<p>The party turned suddenly around the jutting corner of an immense white -stone edifice. Then Don saw something that took his breath away.</p> - -<p>Before him was a great towering structure, a temple judging by the -cryptic signs that adorned its face. Before the temple was a sunken -triangular amphitheater of shining yellow stuff. A glance told Don that -the great pit was made of shining bars and heavy slabs of hand-hammered -and hand-polished metal.</p> - -<p>Don wondered why the outlaws were eying the sunken pit so intently. -Since he had been raised on Mars, Don had never heard of gold.</p> - -<p>But it was the birds perched on the top ledge of the amphitheater that -caught Donald's attention as he neared the temple.</p> - -<p>There were hundreds of them—<i>Wirlers</i> with plump bodies and pinkish -eyes, iridescent <i>Zloth</i> poking busily with their long, sharp beaks, -spotted <i>Cotasi</i> standing in somber dignity, and everywhere huge black -<i>Sominas</i>. Don paused. These birds made him cold in his stomach.</p> - -<p>"What are those?" asked Pete, his smooth face uneasy.</p> - -<p>"Birds native to Mars," said the boy. "But I've never seen them in -such numbers." The Martians and their prisoners halted before a small, -square stone building.</p> - -<p>Pete was singled out by one of the gangling creatures, and yanked -inside the little structure. The other outlaw was forced in after him. -Don watched with a strange feeling of detachment as the two vanished -into the building. It was the heat, the withering heat, that caused -that. It sapped all the strength from one's body and left him feeling -slow and dim-witted.</p> - -<p>As he stood there he noticed belatedly something he had been looking -at all the while but had not really noticed. It was a small clump -of stunted trees, growing a few paces back from the edge of the -amphitheater. Their crooked branches were overladen with the globes of -some bright red fruit.</p> - -<p>A sudden impulse came on him. He could just touch one of the limbs. -A moment later one of the red fruit was in his pocket. He forgot -about the thing as soon as he saw Pete and his guards emerge from the -building. "What happened?" the boy asked.</p> - -<p>The outlaw coughed dryly. "They showed me some kind of -machine—motor—something. I don't know what they wanted." He grinned -feebly. A moment later the man backed away in alarm as one of their -captors approached him. Deliberately the Martians flung the contents -of a clay gourd into the outlaw's face. The Martian laughed, a -hollow, croaking boom that sounded like sacrilege in that city of the -dead. He gave some order in his gobbling tongue, and two Martians -unceremoniously shoved the weakly struggling Earthman into the deep pit -of the amphitheater.</p> - -<p>The Martians looked on stolidly as the outlaw raved and cursed, -berating them. Then, suddenly, the air above the pit seemed to blast -wide open. A shrieking, unhuman sound beat at the ears of the boy; -he jerked his arms up to shield his face. For the hundreds of birds -clustered grimly about the city were in flight—necks outstretched, -eyes glittering, feathered bullets.</p> - -<p>Pete screamed faintly and fell to the ground shielding himself. Then he -was overwhelmed by the dark, whirring mass.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The birds had gone berserk. They drove straight for the man's face, -hundreds of them. His flailing arms smashed against their soft bodies, -batting them out of the air, crushing them to the ground, but hundreds -more took their places, pecking at him with frenzied beaks, uttering -harsh, discordant cries.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus.jpg" width="393" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>It had all happened so quickly that it caught Don off guard. It -was incredible—birds attacking a human being! He jerked forward. -Immediately Martians rushed to the aid of his guards. His young muscles -strained to break their grip, but in their hands he was powerless. -Agonized, he watched Pete die, a swaying, staggering figure seen dimly -through a heaving whir of wings and stabbing beaks.</p> - -<p>Finally it was over and the birds, flying heavily, reeled through the -air to their old posts, leaving behind them a hundred dead and dying of -their kind, the result of the outlaw's frantic blows.</p> - -<p>The boy turned his eyes away from the gory mess on the floor of -the amphitheater. In spite of his horror his mind was working with -desperate clarity. Birds do not attack human beings. It was against -nature. What had maddened them to their deed?</p> - -<p>His eyes widened as he saw the second of the outlaws dragged from -the little building, his face dripping with the fluid. And then a -forgotten memory linked itself with what he saw. The liquid that -had been poured on the Earthmen was <i>Xtholla</i>—Martian language for -"bird-lure." It could be distilled from certain wasteland plants which -the birds ate as a natural tonic and medicine. But the concentrate of -these plants had no mild effect of stimulation. Birds went mad when -they smelled its faint pungent odor. It had a tropic effect on their -ganglia; they <i>had</i> to go to it, gobble it down and wallow in the -stuff. They pecked savagely at anything that had on it the slightest -trace of the distillate.</p> - -<p>"The pit!" called the boy frantically. "Don't let them—" but one of -his guards struck his mouth and he fell silent, knowing that there was -nothing more he could do to avert the fate that was before the outlaw.</p> - -<p>The man was wholly paralyzed with fear. The Martians laughed as they -hurled him into the pit. Again the birds swooped, converging on the -terror-stricken man from all points of the compass. They flung their -soft bodies against him at murderous speed, sharp beaks stabbing till -he bled from a myriad wounds.</p> - -<p>When Don looked up again the birds were reeling back through the air. -The boy could not bring himself to look at the thing in the arena. A -sudden chill gripped him as his guards grimly took his arms. They were -leading him to the little building from which had come the Earthmen, he -thought swiftly, and he was to undergo a life-or-death test. He held -himself tense as they passed through the ancient doors of the structure.</p> - -<p>The walls, he saw, were studded with tubes that had not lit for untold -millennia; machinery of bizarre design covered the floor. The boy -jumped as a Martian touched his arm. The gangling travesty on humanity -pointed grimly at a device that alone of the machinery seemed to have -been dusted off and wiped with oil.</p> - -<p>It was a small motor. The motionless belts and brushes seemed oddly -familiar to the boy. Then he had it! He had seen pictures of just -such motors in one of the old books of his father. But what did the -Martians expect him to do? Obviously the natives wanted him to start -their machine but how could he? He had none of the sources from which -electricity was derived—no steam, no water-power, as they called it on -his father's planet.</p> - -<p>As Don glanced at the open door and saw the crowd of demoniac faces -framed in its portals, he knew what fate awaited him if he failed. The -same ruthless sentence that had been executed on the outlaw Earthmen -would fall on him.</p> - -<p>The eyes of his guard became dull and deadly as he saw Don did nothing -to the motor.</p> - -<p>Then the idea came. Feverishly the boy went to work, racking his brains -for all the details in that old book, "Electricity for the Practical -Miner." He remembered the title clearly, and ground his knuckles into -his eyes to bring before them the simple diagrams that he once had -learned.</p> - -<p>Hesitantly he salvaged from a pile of scrap in one corner of the room -two metal plates and lengths of wire. One, he fervently prayed, was -copper and the other zinc. But he could not be sure. The boy clumsily -connected the two terminal wires of the motor, one to each of the -plates.</p> - -<p>Then he did what seemed a foolish thing. He took the globe of red fruit -from his pocket and sliced it neatly into thin layers. Don laid the -dripping slices atop the copper plate, and then, his heart cold as ice, -laid the zinc plate atop the fruit.</p> - -<p>The Martians watched coldly, grunting to themselves. Their eyes were -on the world-old motor. Slowly, incredibly, the thing turned over. The -straps sped over the drums; the brushes fizzed and emitted inch-long -blue sparks.</p> - -<p>And from overhead came a sudden, terrifying wail like nothing that -had been heard on Mars for countless ages. It was not the cry of an -animal nor of a man—that was all the boy knew as he backed against -a wall of the building. The noise rose sickeningly in a demoniacal -shriek. The Martians seemed paralyzed by the awful sound. Then, with -choking cries, they broke ground and ran, their eyes popping and the -shout, "<i>Kursah-ekh!</i>" bursting from their lips. Don knew little of the -language, but he did know that their cry was "Demons!"</p> - -<p>The natives fled with the speed of wild things, and the boy found -himself alone. No, not quite alone, for into the door of the little -building poked the familiar old head of Gecko, Don's pack-lizard. -He nearly embraced the ugly creature. It would have been hell to go -without water for another minute. From the canteen on the Iguana's back -Don took a long, refreshing swig. Then he turned again to the motor.</p> - -<p>It was still turning over, but more slowly. He was about to separate -the plates when it stopped of its own accord and the fiendish wail from -above died away. The boy nimbly scaled the web-work construction and -pried about the tangle of machinery until he found the obvious answer. -It had been a blower operated by the motor, to which had been attached -a simple siren. Burglar-alarm, perhaps, or danger signal, he thought. -At any rate it had saved him.</p> - -<p>He laughed as he descended slowly. The old book had been right. Fruit -acid between zinc and copper made the simplest sort of generating -battery cell. What knowledge he had possessed he had used to the full. -He drank again from the canteen.</p> - -<p>And a few moments later with Gecko at his side, he left the city of the -dead behind, Don was going to a greener world.</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's South to Propontis, by Henry Andrew Ackermann - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SOUTH TO PROPONTIS *** - -***** This file should be named 61942-h.htm or 61942-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/1/9/4/61942/ - -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. 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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: South to Propontis - -Author: Henry Andrew Ackermann - -Release Date: April 26, 2020 [EBook #61942] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SOUTH TO PROPONTIS *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - South to Propontis - - By HENRY ANDREW ACKERMANN - - To the South lay Propontis, capital of - Mars. But between it and the homesick - Earth-youth stretched a burning desert--lair - of the deadly _Avis Gladiator_! - - [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.] - - -It wasn't the grim thought that he would be dead in a few moments that -filled the mind of Don Moffat so much as the bitter realization that a -sixteen-year-old suspicion had been confirmed too late. - -Across the small room a mad light burned in the blood-shot eyes of his -uncle. In spite of the raw liquor he had drunk, the grimy paw that held -the old electronic gun was steady. - -Beyond the battered hut's open door heat-blasted desert pulsated as -a tiny sun beat savagely down on the arid, sterile wastes from the -inferno's distant rim. - -It was that southern rim, a mere uneven thread of rust, to which Don -had raised his eyes so many times that day, his heart light with the -thought that he was going to Propontis. And from Propontis to a greener -world beyond--a world he had dreamed of one day seeing; a world where -water wasn't priceless. Earth! - -Just entering his twenties, he had spent his life on the Martian -wastelands, a motherless kid who had trailed a diamond-mad father over -the wilderness of sand and rock. - -Don had been seven when they struck the Suzie lode. There were plenty -of the rough stones, and his father sent for the boy's uncle and his -own brother. Together they were to mine and share alike. - -Shortly after his uncle had arrived Don found his father with a charred -hole in his heart, bleaching on the sand. Uncle Fred had cursed at him -when he wept. Later, though, the man explained that it must have been -one of the native Martians. Don believed him then, but as he grew and -came to know his uncle, he began to doubt. - -That morning Uncle Fred had abruptly announced that they were through, -that the last gem had been mined from the Suzie lode. But there were -many diamonds in the plastic boxes, enough to satisfy any man. They -would pack their Iguana, Gecko, and make ready for the long trek. - -So Don had stowed the saddle-bags and water-tanks. Gecko was ready -and waiting outside. Don's last act was to gather his own scanty -belongings. He was in the hut alone when Uncle Fred came in. Don -raised his eyes to find himself staring into the belled muzzle of the -electronic gun. - -"Desert brat," said Uncle Fred thickly. "I'll blow you so wide open -that there won't be a square meal left for a _Wirler_!" - -And now Don knew that he was to die by the same hand that had killed -his father. And Fred was through with him. The boy had helped to mine -the gems, but his uncle had never intended that he should live to share -them. That was why Uncle Fred had been drinking all day--to bolster up -his courage to do deliberate murder. He raised the gun an inch. Don saw -his finger tighten on the trigger. He closed his eyes, knowing that it -would be all over in a moment. - -The paper-thin walls of the hut vibrated with the thunderous crash of -an electronic pistol. Donald's jaw went slack. For a paralyzing second -he could only gape at his uncle. The man had uttered a choking cry, his -fingers loosening the gun. Then he pitched to the floor in a limp heap. - -In the open doorway stood a bullet-headed, brown-eyed man, holding a -still-glowing electronic pistol. Over his shoulder peered a bearded, -thick-lipped companion. - - * * * * * - -Bullet-head shifted his gaze to the boy. - -"Glad we showed up?" he asked, grinning. - -"Sure am. Thanks," said Don, eying the two men closely. They weren't -settlers nor native-born sons of settlers. For the strangers walked -with difficulty. They had yet to learn the gliding stride that was -second nature to Don. And their complexions had never been won on Mars. - -"You must be Don," said Bullet-Head. - -"Right," said Don shortly. "What's your tag?" - -"Call me Pete. I heard about you from your uncle last time he was in -Strada." Strada was the diamond center of Mars, Don knew. His uncle had -been there a month ago with some specimens. There were only three kinds -of people in Strada, the boy thought; business men, police and thieves. -Hastily he ruled out the first two. His uncle must have told too much -about his pay-load. These men had decided to cash in before it had -reached a civilized city. - -Pete's brown eyes wrinkled. "Right, son," he said amiably. "We're -here for the diamonds. Consider yourself lucky to be alive. Now just -keep your mouth shut and pack that lizard of yours. We're going to -Propontis." - -Don didn't ask any more questions. While he was filling the water -tanks from their stores he thought with desperate clarity and speed. -They were city men--earthmen, and could have hoofed it all the way. -He knew how an Iguana could go sullen and completely intractable if -it were mishandled; that, he guessed, was what had happened to the -outlaw's pack-lizards. From the thin crust of sand on their boots the -boy guessed that they hadn't had to walk more than a few miles. - -Don turned, and caught a glance that the two outlaws exchanged. In that -look the boy read an answer to any other question in his mind. Don knew -then that he had escaped death at his uncle's hands only to face it -eventually from these two. - -Pete eyed him quizzically. "Let's get going," said the outlaw. "We'll -put some distance between us and this shack before we camp for the -night." - -The boy gave Gecko a friendly whack on the tail. The lizard cocked a -lazy eye and ambled off, the rest following. - -Behind him Don could hear the two men talking in low undertones. Only -one snatch of conversstion was clear. "Dumb Martian!" Pete had grunted, -and his friend had snickered agreement. - -The boy smiled to himself. Yes, he thought, he was a dumb Martian. -What chance had he had to learn in a land where everything withered -under the scorching sun, and where only ugly venomous creatures -survived? True, he had read his father's old books, but he had only -half understood them. They were mostly treatises on practical mining -and engineering, the rest unreal blood-and-thunder tales of life in the -space lanes. - -Two hours later Pete called a halt. He never took his eyes off Don as -preparations were made for the night camp. His companion cooked a meal -out of tins; the outlaws ate most of it and flung the scraps to the boy. - -"Brought plenty of water?" asked Pete, tilting a canteen. - -Don nodded. - -"That's good. Because if we run short you'll be the first to do -without. When's the soonest we can expect to get to Propontis?" - -"Four days," said Don shortly. - -Pete raised his brows. "That long?" he asked. "We'd better bunk for -the night." He pulled out his sleeping bag and dropped it on the bare -sand. Don smiled grimly. That was no way to live on the desert, he -knew. The boy burrowed down until he struck the red layer of sand that -retained the day's heat. There he spread his sleeping-bag and crawled -carefully in after taking off his heavy sand-shoes. With his free arms -he banked the red sand over his legs before unfolding the top flap. - -"Kid!" called out Pete. - -"Yes?" said Don, stopping short in his preparations. - -"I thought I'd tell you--I have my blaster under my pillow. And I'm a -light sleeper. Get that?" - -"Yes," said Don coolly. He went on with his bedding. The boy had no -intention at all of running away. The desert was his friend, but the -most implacable enemy that these city men could hope to find. - - * * * * * - -Whether or not Pete slept lightly Don didn't know. He awoke snug and -warm when dawn was striping the wastelands with rosy hues. As he looked -into the horizon he knew that the day would be a blistering one. - -The outlaws awoke stiff and lame, barely able to crawl out of their -sleeping-bags and not even knowing that they had made the mistake of -sleeping on the hard-packing top layer of sand. - -By the time they had started and eaten a meager breakfast the outlaws -had swilled down a full quart of water apiece. Don wisely contented -himself with the moisture to be found in the green food he had packed. - -As the full glare of the sun began to strike the scorching sands the -two Earthmen began to lag. Don slowed his gait for them. They called -for water often; so often that at last he was forced to remind them -that they were drinking too much. - -Pete glared at him out of his red-rimmed eyes, false geniality gone. -"Brat!" he snarled. "You'd like to see us die of thirst, wouldn't you?" - -Don didn't answer, and silently gave them water whenever they called -for it. By noon both men were suffering from the choking heat. In the -early afternoon Pete called a halt, coughing dryly. - -"We're stopping here," he said hoarsely, raising a limp arm at an -outcropping of rock that shelved over a stretch of sand, casting a -jet-black shadow. The boy did not speak, but he knew that these rock -formations were little less than refractory furnaces, concentrating -in one innocuous spot the terrible radiations of the desert sun. Pete -coughed again, his smooth skin paling. Suddenly a sort of sympathy came -over the boy. - -"Look," he said, tossing a bit of vegetation under the rock. It crisped -and blackened. The outlaws stared, first at the cinder and then at -Don. Pete's face twitched with strain as he spoke: "Smart kid? Maybe -you're too smart for us!" His hand fell to his belt, where he wore his -bell-mouthed electronic pistol. - -The other of the two laid a hand on his arm. "Cut that out," he said -slowly. Then, turning to Don, "Thanks, kid." Stolidly he spread out -his sleeping-bag and squatted down on it to await the night. Pete -sprawled face-down, breathing heavily till the darkness fell. Then Don, -who had bedded down Gecko the Iguana, and the other slid him into the -sleeping-bag. - -Before he put up the flap of his own bag Don turned to the silent -outlaw and said: "Half a tank of water left. Ought to hold out if we're -easy on it. There's a water-hole ahead--there was once, I mean. Maybe -it isn't dried up. But it's the wrong season." - -"Right," said the outlaw. - -Nothing more was said that night. - -In the morning, after packing, Don measured out the remaining water -into three canteens. He gave one to each of the outlaws and put his own -on Gecko's back. - -The heat was worse than the day before. By noon Gecko was voluntarily -picking up speed, the spines on his horny back moving first one way and -then the other. Don knew the signs. The lizard sensed water ahead. - -"We can't be sure," Don shortly told the Earthmen. "It might not be -drinking water--for us." - -Thirty minutes later they came upon it, a small patch of rust-red mud -and slime. One of the outlaws groaned. - -"Dried up," whispered Pete dully. - -Don said nothing. There was some coarse growth that the pack-lizard -began to eat. The boy was glad of that. He had begun to worry about -Gecko, but now the Iguana would be good for a longer trek than the one -before them. - -Pete was on his knees, clawing at the mud. The other watched him for a -moment, then looked at Don inquiringly, who shook his head. "He'll only -poison himself," said the boy. - -The outlaw took his companion by the collar, hoisted him to his feet. -"Take this," he said slowly, offering his canteen. "That mud's deadly." - -Pete took the canteen and tilted it, swallowing convulsively. His -companion pulled away the precious container. "That's enough," he said. -"It has to last." - -A wild curse ripped from Pete's lips. He snatched back the canteen -and drew his gun. In a voice that was hard to recognize as human, he -rasped: "Stand back--you an' the brat!" - -His finger whitened on the trigger of the blaster. - -And then there sounded about them a curiously soft, derisive hooting, -seemingly from every point of the horizon. Pete stared wildly about -him. There had risen from the sand, it seemed, ghostly shapes--tall, -spindly creatures holding recognizable blowguns against their lips. The -outlaw's gun lowered, and he looked at Don. - -"Native Martians," said the boy. "Don't shoot--they know how to use -those blowguns. They might not harm us." There was no time to say more, -for the weird creatures had noiselessly advanced on them, holding -spread before them what seemed to be heavy draperies. - -Don hadn't even to wonder before one of the things was clapped over his -head. He felt himself being picked up and carried. - - * * * * * - -Part of the time consumed by the enforced journey he dozed fitfully, -but while he was awake he thought with strange clarity and precision, -dreaming of the other greener world he had hoped to see. The boy was -almost stifled under the heavy folds of the blanket when, after hours -of travel, the Martians removed it. - -Free of the torment, he drew a deep breath, blinking his eyes as he -looked about him. The first thing he saw were the two Earthmen peering -dazedly about them, their eyes not yet accustomed to the sudden change -of light. - -And when Don looked beyond the outlaws he gasped in stunned -astonishment. Fronting them were the ruins of an old city! - -That, he thought, must have been why they had been covered with the -blankets. The Martians wanted to keep the location of the place a -secret. - -It seemed to the wondering boy that giants had played here a while. He -saw great statues, perhaps of forgotten gods, misshapen things with -cruel faces, tumbled over on one side. He saw vast paving-stones, -hewn from solid rock, thrust up from their bed of sand, standing at -all angles, cracked and split. He saw great buildings, strong as -fortresses, fallen into ruins. In one place that must have been a -public square a tide of sand broke in still waves about the base of a -truncated pyramid. - -"Where are we?" choked Pete, the first of the three to recover from -the shock. He stared about blankly. "It's like a city of the dead," he -whispered hoarsely. - -"You're right," Don told him. "It is a city of the dead. An ancient, -long deserted city of the Martians, the ancestors of the degenerates -who hold us captive. This band uses it as their base from which they -launch raiding parties." - -Don had no time to say more. The Martians goaded their captives ahead -of them down streets that had once echoed to the tread of a thousand -feet. The humans picking through squares where multitudes had shouted -saw no other living thing but a shimmering green lizard that basked on -a fallen god. There was no sound but that of the ever-creeping sands. -The old people were gone leaving only ghosts, and the hand of Time in -its unhurried way had long since set about the task of wiping out all -trace of their existence. - -The party turned suddenly around the jutting corner of an immense white -stone edifice. Then Don saw something that took his breath away. - -Before him was a great towering structure, a temple judging by the -cryptic signs that adorned its face. Before the temple was a sunken -triangular amphitheater of shining yellow stuff. A glance told Don that -the great pit was made of shining bars and heavy slabs of hand-hammered -and hand-polished metal. - -Don wondered why the outlaws were eying the sunken pit so intently. -Since he had been raised on Mars, Don had never heard of gold. - -But it was the birds perched on the top ledge of the amphitheater that -caught Donald's attention as he neared the temple. - -There were hundreds of them--_Wirlers_ with plump bodies and pinkish -eyes, iridescent _Zloth_ poking busily with their long, sharp beaks, -spotted _Cotasi_ standing in somber dignity, and everywhere huge black -_Sominas_. Don paused. These birds made him cold in his stomach. - -"What are those?" asked Pete, his smooth face uneasy. - -"Birds native to Mars," said the boy. "But I've never seen them in -such numbers." The Martians and their prisoners halted before a small, -square stone building. - -Pete was singled out by one of the gangling creatures, and yanked -inside the little structure. The other outlaw was forced in after him. -Don watched with a strange feeling of detachment as the two vanished -into the building. It was the heat, the withering heat, that caused -that. It sapped all the strength from one's body and left him feeling -slow and dim-witted. - -As he stood there he noticed belatedly something he had been looking -at all the while but had not really noticed. It was a small clump -of stunted trees, growing a few paces back from the edge of the -amphitheater. Their crooked branches were overladen with the globes of -some bright red fruit. - -A sudden impulse came on him. He could just touch one of the limbs. -A moment later one of the red fruit was in his pocket. He forgot -about the thing as soon as he saw Pete and his guards emerge from the -building. "What happened?" the boy asked. - -The outlaw coughed dryly. "They showed me some kind of -machine--motor--something. I don't know what they wanted." He grinned -feebly. A moment later the man backed away in alarm as one of their -captors approached him. Deliberately the Martians flung the contents -of a clay gourd into the outlaw's face. The Martian laughed, a -hollow, croaking boom that sounded like sacrilege in that city of the -dead. He gave some order in his gobbling tongue, and two Martians -unceremoniously shoved the weakly struggling Earthman into the deep pit -of the amphitheater. - -The Martians looked on stolidly as the outlaw raved and cursed, -berating them. Then, suddenly, the air above the pit seemed to blast -wide open. A shrieking, unhuman sound beat at the ears of the boy; -he jerked his arms up to shield his face. For the hundreds of birds -clustered grimly about the city were in flight--necks outstretched, -eyes glittering, feathered bullets. - -Pete screamed faintly and fell to the ground shielding himself. Then he -was overwhelmed by the dark, whirring mass. - - * * * * * - -The birds had gone berserk. They drove straight for the man's face, -hundreds of them. His flailing arms smashed against their soft bodies, -batting them out of the air, crushing them to the ground, but hundreds -more took their places, pecking at him with frenzied beaks, uttering -harsh, discordant cries. - -It had all happened so quickly that it caught Don off guard. It -was incredible--birds attacking a human being! He jerked forward. -Immediately Martians rushed to the aid of his guards. His young muscles -strained to break their grip, but in their hands he was powerless. -Agonized, he watched Pete die, a swaying, staggering figure seen dimly -through a heaving whir of wings and stabbing beaks. - -Finally it was over and the birds, flying heavily, reeled through the -air to their old posts, leaving behind them a hundred dead and dying of -their kind, the result of the outlaw's frantic blows. - -The boy turned his eyes away from the gory mess on the floor of -the amphitheater. In spite of his horror his mind was working with -desperate clarity. Birds do not attack human beings. It was against -nature. What had maddened them to their deed? - -His eyes widened as he saw the second of the outlaws dragged from -the little building, his face dripping with the fluid. And then a -forgotten memory linked itself with what he saw. The liquid that -had been poured on the Earthmen was _Xtholla_--Martian language for -"bird-lure." It could be distilled from certain wasteland plants which -the birds ate as a natural tonic and medicine. But the concentrate of -these plants had no mild effect of stimulation. Birds went mad when -they smelled its faint pungent odor. It had a tropic effect on their -ganglia; they _had_ to go to it, gobble it down and wallow in the -stuff. They pecked savagely at anything that had on it the slightest -trace of the distillate. - -"The pit!" called the boy frantically. "Don't let them--" but one of -his guards struck his mouth and he fell silent, knowing that there was -nothing more he could do to avert the fate that was before the outlaw. - -The man was wholly paralyzed with fear. The Martians laughed as they -hurled him into the pit. Again the birds swooped, converging on the -terror-stricken man from all points of the compass. They flung their -soft bodies against him at murderous speed, sharp beaks stabbing till -he bled from a myriad wounds. - -When Don looked up again the birds were reeling back through the air. -The boy could not bring himself to look at the thing in the arena. A -sudden chill gripped him as his guards grimly took his arms. They were -leading him to the little building from which had come the Earthmen, he -thought swiftly, and he was to undergo a life-or-death test. He held -himself tense as they passed through the ancient doors of the structure. - -The walls, he saw, were studded with tubes that had not lit for untold -millennia; machinery of bizarre design covered the floor. The boy -jumped as a Martian touched his arm. The gangling travesty on humanity -pointed grimly at a device that alone of the machinery seemed to have -been dusted off and wiped with oil. - -It was a small motor. The motionless belts and brushes seemed oddly -familiar to the boy. Then he had it! He had seen pictures of just -such motors in one of the old books of his father. But what did the -Martians expect him to do? Obviously the natives wanted him to start -their machine but how could he? He had none of the sources from which -electricity was derived--no steam, no water-power, as they called it on -his father's planet. - -As Don glanced at the open door and saw the crowd of demoniac faces -framed in its portals, he knew what fate awaited him if he failed. The -same ruthless sentence that had been executed on the outlaw Earthmen -would fall on him. - -The eyes of his guard became dull and deadly as he saw Don did nothing -to the motor. - -Then the idea came. Feverishly the boy went to work, racking his brains -for all the details in that old book, "Electricity for the Practical -Miner." He remembered the title clearly, and ground his knuckles into -his eyes to bring before them the simple diagrams that he once had -learned. - -Hesitantly he salvaged from a pile of scrap in one corner of the room -two metal plates and lengths of wire. One, he fervently prayed, was -copper and the other zinc. But he could not be sure. The boy clumsily -connected the two terminal wires of the motor, one to each of the -plates. - -Then he did what seemed a foolish thing. He took the globe of red fruit -from his pocket and sliced it neatly into thin layers. Don laid the -dripping slices atop the copper plate, and then, his heart cold as ice, -laid the zinc plate atop the fruit. - -The Martians watched coldly, grunting to themselves. Their eyes were -on the world-old motor. Slowly, incredibly, the thing turned over. The -straps sped over the drums; the brushes fizzed and emitted inch-long -blue sparks. - -And from overhead came a sudden, terrifying wail like nothing that -had been heard on Mars for countless ages. It was not the cry of an -animal nor of a man--that was all the boy knew as he backed against -a wall of the building. The noise rose sickeningly in a demoniacal -shriek. The Martians seemed paralyzed by the awful sound. Then, with -choking cries, they broke ground and ran, their eyes popping and the -shout, "_Kursah-ekh!_" bursting from their lips. Don knew little of the -language, but he did know that their cry was "Demons!" - -The natives fled with the speed of wild things, and the boy found -himself alone. No, not quite alone, for into the door of the little -building poked the familiar old head of Gecko, Don's pack-lizard. -He nearly embraced the ugly creature. It would have been hell to go -without water for another minute. From the canteen on the Iguana's back -Don took a long, refreshing swig. Then he turned again to the motor. - -It was still turning over, but more slowly. He was about to separate -the plates when it stopped of its own accord and the fiendish wail from -above died away. The boy nimbly scaled the web-work construction and -pried about the tangle of machinery until he found the obvious answer. -It had been a blower operated by the motor, to which had been attached -a simple siren. Burglar-alarm, perhaps, or danger signal, he thought. -At any rate it had saved him. - -He laughed as he descended slowly. The old book had been right. Fruit -acid between zinc and copper made the simplest sort of generating -battery cell. What knowledge he had possessed he had used to the full. -He drank again from the canteen. - -And a few moments later with Gecko at his side, he left the city of the -dead behind, Don was going to a greener world. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's South to Propontis, by Henry Andrew Ackermann - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SOUTH TO PROPONTIS *** - -***** This file should be named 61942.txt or 61942.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/1/9/4/61942/ - -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. 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