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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..bb0abd0 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #62199 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/62199) diff --git a/old/62199-h.zip b/old/62199-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 5b6111c..0000000 --- a/old/62199-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/62199-h/62199-h.htm b/old/62199-h/62199-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 8e70d0d..0000000 --- a/old/62199-h/62199-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1107 +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 The Thought-men of Mercury, 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; -} - - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -Project Gutenberg's The Thought-Men of Mercury, 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: The Thought-Men of Mercury - -Author: R. R. Winterbotham - -Release Date: May 22, 2020 [EBook #62199] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE THOUGHT-MEN OF MERCURY *** - - - - -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="347" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>THE THOUGHT-MEN OF MERCURY</h1> - -<h2>By R. R. WINTERBOTHAM</h2> - -<p>Hall and Upjohn had to escape from<br /> -that "No-man's-land" on Mercury. But<br /> -to form a plan, they had to think—and<br /> -their captors could read minds.</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Planet Stories Fall 1942.<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 was neither night nor day, but a sort of nether world of twilight. -The huge fern-like plants, flashing phosphorescence under the green -corona light, seemed to close in after Cappy Upjohn and Terry Hall like -prison bars in the windows of a dungeon.</p> - -<p>Cappy, who was leading the way, paused and waited for Terry. As the -huge, leonine man turned, his lips curled into a taunting smile.</p> - -<p>Terry's eyes moved from side to side, watching the weird shadows, -dodging the sweep of the giant ferns as they moved in the wind.</p> - -<p>"Scared!" Cappy ridiculed.</p> - -<p>"I can't help it!" the younger man said. "This place gives me the -creeps."</p> - -<p>Cappy's great laugh echoed above the howl of the winds. "This is -Mercury. Half day, half night everlastingly. Right here is the -battleground of roasting heat and perpetual cold. A twenty-mile strip -of habitable land between two kinds of hell. What the devil did you -expect, Tenderfoot?"</p> - -<p>Cappy grunted in disgust, turned and picked his way through the ferns. -Terry, his jaw set grimly, followed. Cappy had been through all this -before. Twice he'd landed on Venus, and he'd been with the only -previous expedition to Mercury. But Terry knew that fear was a human -emotion, and that there were things even Cappy was afraid of.</p> - -<p>The wind died a moment. Between an opening in the ferns Terry caught a -glimpse of a ghostly face, more simian than an ape's, less human than -a man's. At the same time he felt something that was like a breeze -through his brain. A painless stab of thought,</p> - -<p>"Cappy—look!" Terry pointed at the face peering through the opening -in the ferns, and his hand clawed at the rifle he had slung over his -shoulder. In all respects it was like an old-fashioned gun, but it -fired a deadly bullet that was capable of complete annihilation of -whatever it hit. A single bullet from a flourobeam gun was powerful -enough to wipe out a steel ball ten feet in diameter.</p> - -<p>But Terry's hands slipped away from his gun. He recognized his action -as more than fear. It was panic.</p> - -<p>Cappy had been too surprised at the sight of the grinning face to -notice Terry's action. Now the youth had control of himself.</p> - -<p>"Great guns! This is something new, lad! A living creature on Mercury!"</p> - -<p>"I tried to tell you, Cappy!" Terry said. "I've seen 'em. I've felt 'em -for the past hour!"</p> - -<p>"Felt 'em? Did they touch you?"</p> - -<p>"It's something I can't describe. It's like poking a finger into our -brains. It doesn't hurt, but it feels uncomfortable. It's like being -watched by someone you can't see."</p> - -<p>Cappy's boldness seemed to tarnish a little. A suggestion of a shudder -seemed to pass over the man. He straightened and shook it off.</p> - -<p>"Pooh! Imagination, Terry!"</p> - -<p>Cappy took a step toward the creature. The eyes seemed to flash. -Perhaps it was a reflection from the corona streamers stretching above -the horizon to the west. Cappy halted as the creature seemed to shrink -away.</p> - -<p>"Hold on!" Cappy called. "Don't go away! We've got to see that -creature, Terry. Get it back! Can you stop it!"</p> - -<p>There was no mistaking that the animal was intelligent. Perhaps it felt -the same emotions that raced through Terry's body.</p> - -<p>"Let me try," Terry said. His heart was pounding, but science had to -know if intelligent life existed in Mercury's twilight zone.</p> - -<p>Terry stripped the gun from his shoulders and laid it on the ground. He -pushed passed Cappy and walked toward the creature. Terry's hands were -extended, palms outward.</p> - -<p>The creature hesitated. Its eyes flashed again and once more Terry felt -something cold in his skull.</p> - -<p>The ferns parted and the creature stepped out into view.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It had two stubby legs, two long arms. Its head was pear-shaped and -hairless, and its body was an ovoid ball, bloated and ugly. But its -eyes were almost human except that they seemed to flash fire.</p> - -<p>Terry halted, facing the creature.</p> - -<p>"Terryhall of the earth!" The creature's voice echoed through the ferns.</p> - -<p>"You—you speak English!" The words that fell from Terry's lips -mirrored his surprise. In his mind flashed a name for this creature. -Something like <i>Zombie</i>, the living dead.</p> - -<p>"Not Zombie. Name is Chomby. I am not dead, not even living dead."</p> - -<p>"You read my mind! That's what I've felt for the past hour. You were -studying my thoughts, and you learned my language by reading my mind!"</p> - -<p>Chomby's rubbery lips tried to imitate a grin, but it achieved only a -hideous travesty.</p> - -<p>Chomby's hand rubbed over the leathery rags he wore for clothing and -reached toward the earthman. The gesture was unmistakable. Chomby -wanted to shake hands. The Mercurian had been thorough in his probe -of Terry's brain. His actions were more human than Terry's under the -circumstances, for Terry was afraid.</p> - -<p>"Nothing to fear from Chomby," spoke the Mercurian.</p> - -<p>Terry took the hand. It was leathery and cold.</p> - -<p>"I am glad to meet you," Terry said. He forced the words from his lips. -"We came to Mercury on a peaceful mission."</p> - -<p>"You're afraid, Terryhall," Chomby replied. "I do not intend to kill -you. Nor will I hurt Cappyupjohn."</p> - -<p>Cappy brushed forward and shook hands with Chomby. He concealed a wince -as he touched the creature's corpse-like flesh.</p> - -<p>Then he unstrapped the caseknife he wore at his side and handed it to -Chomby. "A gift of friendship," he said.</p> - -<p>Chomby reached awkwardly toward the knife. As he took it, the knife -fell to the ground. Chomby leaned over and fumbled. He could hardly -grasp the knife. Terry noted now what had been so repulsive about -Chomby's handshake. The Mercurian had no thumb.</p> - -<p>Instead of the five-fingered hand of a human being, there were only -three flabby fingers on the end of a round, gristly hand.</p> - -<p>Terry stooped and picked up the knife. He handed it to the Mercurian -who seized it in both hands and clutched it to his body.</p> - -<p>"You want food and drink?" Chomby asked. "Terryhall and Cappyupjohn -follow me to my village. Sorry I have no gift of friendship otherwise. -My people are unskilled in handicraft. We can hardly make our own -clothes."</p> - -<p>Chomby led the earthmen eastward. The shadows deepened and the sky grew -dark. The stars appeared; among them the brilliant blue planet that was -Earth.</p> - -<p>Again Chomby read Terry's thoughts.</p> - -<p>"You come from that one?" he asked, pointing. "You are from the sky?"</p> - -<p>Terry answered, but Chomby seemed to read the thoughts that Terry -flashed through his mind.</p> - -<p>"Spaceship. Machines. Rockets." The Mercurian rolled the words in his -mouth. "You come from a great race, Terryhall and Cappyupjohn. My -people want to learn skill with our hands, to be like you."</p> - -<p>"It would be nice if we could read your minds," Cappy said, tossing a -glance toward Terry.</p> - -<p>"You are suspicious men," Chomby said. "I read your mind and I know you -do not trust me. You fear a trap. That is why you carry your guns. But -there is nothing to fear from Chomby's people. You will think them -very primitive."</p> - -<p>The cold winds lashed at the earthmen and nipped through the heavy -clothing they wore. Terry and Cappy lowered a plastic windshield from -their caps to protect their faces from frostbite.</p> - -<p>Vegetation grew more scarce and at last they walked across a rocky -plain toward a row of towering basalt cliffs. The feeble light that -came from the outer fringe of the corona revealed a row of caves at the -base of the cliffs and from these emerged a hundred or so ill-fashioned -beings resembling Chomby.</p> - -<p>The Mercurian gave no cry, nor warning of his approach. He apparently -had notified his people by telepathy, for they rushed silently to meet -him. Chomby lapsed into silence, turning from one of his kinsfolk to -another, answering questions without speaking.</p> - -<p>Cappy stared at the Mercurians. His leonine figure marched through -the ill-shapen creatures confidently and unafraid. Doubts crept into -Terry's mind. There were too many Mercurians. Despite the powerful -weapons strapped to the earthmen's backs, they could not hope to escape -imprisonment, if these savages sought to hold them.</p> - -<p>Chomby led the men to a cave in the center of the village. He turned to -Terry.</p> - -<p>"My people think you are queer, Terryhall," Chomby said. "But it is -evident to them that you think the same about us. But we are all one -people. Terryhall and Cappyupjohn are not the same. Terryhall is -afraid, while Cappyupjohn is a man of rock. Are you not of the same -race?"</p> - -<p>"More or less," Cappy said, deridingly. "Terry doesn't understand you -and he fears what he doesn't understand. I've learned to control fear, -so I am not afraid."</p> - -<p>"You trust us?" Chomby seemed surprise.</p> - -<p>"No," Cappy replied. "I don't trust anything, but I'm not afraid of -you."</p> - -<p>"What if we should intend to keep you here?" Chomby asked. "Terry sees -himself as a prisoner, a slave. He fears he will never return to the -earth."</p> - -<p>"I still have my gun," Cappy said.</p> - -<p>"There are many of us," Chomby said, his lips gaping again in that -imitation grin. "We could overpower you and kill you."</p> - -<p>"I'd take some of you with me," Cappy replied, defiantly. "I'd go out -in a blaze of glory."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Chomby studied the earthman. "I believe you would. In your world such -a trait would be considered admirable. You are hard, Cappyupjohn, and -brave. But it is not your kind that makes your race so great. Your -world is a coward's world. It was built by men who are afraid."</p> - -<p>Cappy choked. "You lie!"</p> - -<p>"We have read your minds, earthmen," Chomby said. "We understand the -civilization from the mental pictures you carry in your minds. You have -great brains, but skilled as they are they are nothing in comparison -with ours. It was not your brain that made your world, but your love -of security. You feared wild beasts, so you killed them. You feared -hunger, so you stored food. You built weapons to defend yourself -against enemies. You sought out new worlds in fleeing from dangers of -the old. If your race had not known fear, it would have never done -these things."</p> - -<p>"Men died to win that security," Cappy replied. "That wasn't cowardice, -was it?"</p> - -<p>"They died fighting, which meant that they hoped to win. Their chance -of victory was more attractive than the insecurity that would come -with defeat," Chomby replied. "My people wish to keep you here. We -want to learn more about the emotion called fear that has made your -civilization so great."</p> - -<p>"You'll never keep us!" growled Cappy. His hand automatically touched -the gun on his shoulder.</p> - -<p>"That is the fear I speak of," Chomby said. "You would rather die than -be a prisoner. In a different way Terryhall has the same emotion. But -he does not risk so recklessly. He would rather avoid the situation -that makes fighting necessary. He is a brave man, too, Cappyupjohn, but -in a different way."</p> - -<p>"He's yellow!" Cappy said vehemently. "He's worse than no help at all."</p> - -<p>The earthmen rested, but they were not left alone. Chomby seemed -always to be near. Although Chomby insisted the earthmen were not -prisoners, he made it plain they would not be allowed to leave for a -time.</p> - -<p>"We must study you," he said. "In turn, you may study us."</p> - -<p>"I'm warning you, Chomby," Cappy roared. "We'll stand just so much of -this thing. We'll stay until we've studied you enough, but when we want -to go, we're going—or we'll die trying."</p> - -<p>"That time is not here," Chomby said, wrinkling his lips again.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The icy mental probing of the Mercurians grew familiar to Terry and -Cappy. There was nothing the earthmen could think of that these eerie, -repulsive-looking creatures did not understand. That the Mercurians -read Terry's thoughts so easily was often embarrassing, for Terry knew -that they were aware of his repugnance toward them, as well as Terry's -distrust and fear.</p> - -<p>But Chomby and his people seemed to accept Terry's opinion of them -understandingly. Not one of them made a move to remove either Terry's -or Cappy's guns.</p> - -<p>After a first period of mental probing Chomby urged the earthmen to -instruct the Mercurians in some simple crafts. Now the earthmen enjoyed -the sense of superiority that previously had been a monopoly of the -Mercurians. The simplest pieces of handiwork were almost beyond, the -Mercurians. The hands of these creatures, without thumbs and with -stiff fingers, were clumsy. Weaving was an arduous task. Construction -of a simple, primitive thatched dwelling was attempted and abandoned, -when Cappy found that it would require months to complete. It was not -because the Mercurians did not understand what had to be done—they -knew this the instant the terrestrials pictured the idea in their -minds. But the tasks were nearly impossible for the Mercurians.</p> - -<p>Terry taught a few of the creatures to write, but the rest could not -master the process, although every one of them had learned to read by -watching Terry's mind at work.</p> - -<p>Cappy grew more contemptuous of the Mercurians as he watched their -bungling efforts at the simplest human arts.</p> - -<p>"We haven't anything to be afraid of from these creatures, Terry," he -said.</p> - -<p>Terry shook his head.</p> - -<p>"They've got brains, Cappy. They know everything we know and a lot -of things we don't. They read us like a book. They know our thoughts -before we know them ourselves."</p> - -<p>"It isn't thought that wins battles. It's power. Oh, brains help, but -only when used in the application of the proper weapons. Why with our -guns and fists we probably could lick this whole village. I'm sure they -haven't coordination enough to fight hand-to-hand with us singly."</p> - -<p>"But they're too smart to let us out-maneuver them," Terry said. -"There's a principle that seems to work in society that makes me afraid -of these Mercurians. In the history of our own planet, it has always -been the brains which exploited the brawn among men. People who thought -of things usually took ascendancy over those who tried to progress -by the sweat of their brow. For instance, everyone knows Columbus -discovered America, but who knows the name of the man who built the -ships he sailed in? LeCompton designed the first successful spacecraft, -but the name of the man who tooled the intricate parts of its mechanism -and made it successful has been completely forgotten."</p> - -<p>"You mean we're likely to become slaves of these—these Zombies?"</p> - -<p>"Since we came to this village they've changed," Terry said. "These -Zombies—as you call them—are learning fear. They see their world, -lashed by cold and hot winds, freezing and roasting, as an insecure -place. A violent storm might burn up their food supply, or freeze their -crops. For the first time they've seen fear as a safeguard to their -future. Now they want to build. They want places to store food; homes -to protect them from cold. They want means of transportation, to escape -uninhabitable spots. They know the value of fear, but they cannot -conquer it because they are physiologically incapable of conquering -their environment. When they realize this—if they don't realize it -already—they'll force us to conquer their environment for them. Every -earthman unfortunate enough to land on Mercury will become a slave—"</p> - -<p>"Great Scott, Terry!" Cappy exclaimed. "I believe you are right. Your -fear has been warning us all along to get out of this place. Get your -gun ready, we're going back to the space ship—"</p> - -<p>The light from the entrance of the cave was blotted out. Chomby stood -before them, followed by a horde of his fellow beings.</p> - -<p>"You recognized fear too late, Cappyupjohn," Chomby said.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus.jpg" width="294" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>The two earthmen tried to level their guns, but the Mercurians attacked -too quickly. The leathery fists struck home and the guns slipped from -the earthmen's grasps.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>A transformation occurred in front of the row of caves in the basalt -cliff. Windbreaks appeared in the openings in the wall. Rude machines -were set up to build houses of stone and covered passages from cave to -cave. From the fibrous ferns Terry constructed rude looms for weaving -cloth. Stone mills for grinding the pulpy fruit of the Mercurian trees -into flour were designed.</p> - -<p>How long the two earthmen had been prisoners on Mercury they had no way -of telling, for there was neither night nor day, nor seasons in the -twilight zone. But the Earth had disappeared over the south horizon -and reappeared in the north and Cappy estimated that two-thirds of the -Mercurian year of 88 days had passed.</p> - -<p>"We won't be here another year," Terry said.</p> - -<p>Cappy snorted. "I wouldn't bet."</p> - -<p>"They're getting careless," Terry pointed out. "They used to have a -dozen men guarding us day and night. If we even got a little too far -away from the village, we'd be shoved back. Now only one Zombie is -guarding us. We're allowed to go almost anywhere, except near the -spaceship."</p> - -<p>"They read our minds, so they're always two jumps ahead of us, Terry. -No. The principle of brains over brawn can't be beaten. We're licked."</p> - -<p>"I'm not," Terry announced. "Once you called me a coward—you said I -was yellow. But a coward isn't the man who is afraid, it's the man -that lets fear get the upperhand. You're being a coward now, Cappy. -You're admitting that Chomby and his pals have the Injun sign on us. -I'm not admitting it. It isn't brains that makes men the rulers of nine -planets, and it isn't fear. Man has something else that gives him a -physiological edge. I'm going to find out what that is. When we find -it, we'll be free men again."</p> - -<p>"When you find it, the Mercurians will know. They'll be ready to keep -us from using the weapon—whatever it is—before we know we've got it."</p> - -<p>"Some day we'll have a chance. Some day we'll have a chance to slug our -guard and get back to the spaceship—"</p> - -<p>Terry paused. He looked at the dozing Mercurian at the mouth of the -cave. Even as Terry looked the Mercurian roused out of his sleep. The -thought thread had roused the guard from a deep slumber.</p> - -<p>"Now!" Terry yelled. "Now's our chance!"</p> - -<p>Terry sprang. The guard tried to seize the stone club at his side, but -his clumsy hand was not made for swift action. Terry was on him before -the guard could send out a mental alarm and the young earthman's fist -crashed against the base of the guard's skull.</p> - -<p>Terrestrial muscles, built for a heavier force of gravity, delivered -a sledgehammer blow. The guard toppled forward. Terry leaped over the -figure and darted into the open.</p> - -<p>Another figure rose before Terry, but again Terry's fist smashed.</p> - -<p>Cappy was beside Terry now and together they raced toward the path that -led in the direction of the spaceship.</p> - -<p>"They'll follow us!" Cappy said. "They can trail us by our thoughts. If -we miss the ship and have to double back, we'll run into them."</p> - -<p>"We won't miss!" Terry said.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The sudden formulation of the escape plan had been too quick for even -the Mercurian brains to block. Terry and Cappy were racing into the -forest of ferns far ahead of their pursuers. The coordinated muscles -of the earthmen were far more capable of traveling swiftly than those -of the Mercurians behind and sounds of pursuit grew fainter in the -distance.</p> - -<p>But Terry knew that these creatures were dogged. They would follow -until the spaceship's rockets blasted loose from the planet.</p> - -<p>"Remember," Terry whispered, "don't act on any set plan. Don't plan -what you'll do when you meet 'em. If you do they'll be prepared for it. -Act on impulse, before they know what you intend to do."</p> - -<p>"I'll remember," Cappy panted.</p> - -<p>Was it impulse that made terrestrials the masters of the universe? -Terry wondered. It hardly seemed logical, yet impulse had given them -their first chance of freedom. But impulse might lead them astray. -First thoughts are not always the best thoughts. True enough, man had -made some strides by accident, but far more of his greatest discoveries -and most useful inventions had been the result of years of labor and -careful planning. No, it wasn't impulse. Some other weapon had to be -used to defeat the Mercurians decisively. Terry and Cappy might escape -through luck, but some day there would be a final, decisive battle -that would employ the one thing that gave man an advantage over the -semi-human monsters of the first planet.</p> - -<p>Terry hoped he could discover that weapon now.</p> - -<p>They had been over the route to the spaceship three times. Once in -company with Chomby on their first trip to the Mercurian village. They -had returned in company with a guard and come back again later.</p> - -<p>Terry had noted a few landmarks and now he began to spot them again. A -curious-shaped rock; a spring of moulten metal; a deep fissure in the -soil.</p> - -<p>But as they traveled toward the sun's corona the air grew warmer. -Vegetation became profuse and the trail was more difficult to find. But -Cappy had kept his eyes open, too. Between them they made their way, -slower and slower.</p> - -<p>Suddenly Terry stopped. An icy finger had passed over his brain. A -wordless thought flashed into his consciousness.</p> - -<p>"This is Chomby, Terryhall. Go back, or you will be unmercifully -killed."</p> - -<p>Cappy looked at Terry. The same thought had flashed through his brain.</p> - -<p>"I am ahead of you, earthmen. I am waiting in front of the spaceship. -In my hands I hold a flourobeam gun. You cannot pass me, earthmen!"</p> - -<p>Cappy groaned.</p> - -<p>"They're still two jumps ahead, Terry! They've outfigured us again. -They knew we might get away by accident. So they put Chomby out here to -intercept us and he's armed with our weapons!"</p> - -<p>Terry was afraid. He knew the power of a flourobeam. He'd seen it -blast rocks into powder and he knew that a man could never survive its -charge. One blast from the gun could wipe out all trace of Terry and -Cappy.</p> - -<p>Terry's face paled. Then, suddenly, he moved forward.</p> - -<p>"Come on, Cappy! You said I was yellow once. Let's see who's yellow -now!"</p> - -<p>"But that gun! This isn't being brave! It's foolhardy. The better part -of valor is knowing when you're licked."</p> - -<p>"Come on," Terry said, moving ahead.</p> - -<p>"You're a fool, Terry," Cappy said. "But you've got guts! Now listen to -reason!"</p> - -<p>But Terry would not listen. He moved forward. Cappy, sweating, came -following.</p> - -<p>"It's suicide!" cried the older man.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>In the center of a clearing stood the spaceship. The streaks of the -corona revealed a figure, huge, hideous and ape-like, standing before -the locks.</p> - -<p>It was Chomby, holding the flourobeam gun, aiming at the two -terrestrials who emerged from the forest.</p> - -<p>"If you come closer, I'll shoot!" It was a thought, not a voice, that -flashed toward the men, but the words were as clear as if Chomby had -spoken.</p> - -<p>"We're licked, Terry!" Cappy said. "I'll surrender."</p> - -<p>Slowly Cappy's hands went over his head.</p> - -<p>"And what about you, Terryhall?"</p> - -<p>Terry stood in the clearing, looking at the Mercurian. The young man's -face was pale and green beneath the corona glow.</p> - -<p>"This is a war of the worlds, Chomby," he said. "It's a fight between -your race and mine. It's a Waterloo for one of us."</p> - -<p>"You haven't a chance, Terryhall. You know the power of this gun."</p> - -<p>Terry's lips tightened into a thin, straight line. His body crouched -for an instant and then he sprang. The terrestrial muscles sent him -shooting toward Chomby. His feet touched the ground again, and like -steel springs he shot forward a second time.</p> - -<p>Chomby's fingers tightened on the trigger of the weapon. They seemed to -twitch.</p> - -<p>Cappy closed his eyes.</p> - -<p>An inhuman scream rent the Mercurian air. But the gun did not go off.</p> - -<p>Cappy opened his eyes to see Terry and the monster rolling on the -ground. Terry's fingers were closed about the Mercurian's throat. -Chomby struggled feebly, and then lay still.</p> - -<p>Terry rose, picked up the gun and motioned to Cappy.</p> - -<p>"Put down your hands and start moving your legs. Get into those locks -before the rest of them get here!"</p> - -<p>Cappy's jaw worked up and down, but words did not come from his throat. -Somehow he moved. He ran into the locks and a moment later he was at -the controls.</p> - -<p>"Let 'er go!" Terry said.</p> - -<p>Cappy, still speechless, pressed the charger. The rockets roared. The -machine lurched skyward and Mercury was left behind.</p> - -<p>"What happened?" Cappy asked.</p> - -<p>"I just remembered that when we were last carrying the guns we had the -safety catches on. The catches are released with the thumb. Chomby -couldn't do it! He couldn't have shot me, even though he wanted to. The -safety catches are such a small piece of the flourobeam mechanism that -we never think of them. Chomby didn't have a chance to read our minds -about the safety catch until it was too late."</p> - -<p>"Terry," Cappy said. "I'll take back everything I said about you being -yellow. You've got guts! More than I have, Terry."</p> - -<p>"Guts? Hell, Cappy, I was scared to death every second."</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Thought-Men of Mercury, by R. R. 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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: The Thought-Men of Mercury - -Author: R. R. Winterbotham - -Release Date: May 22, 2020 [EBook #62199] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE THOUGHT-MEN OF MERCURY *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - THE THOUGHT-MEN OF MERCURY - - By R. R. WINTERBOTHAM - - Hall and Upjohn had to escape from - that "No-man's-land" on Mercury. But - to form a plan, they had to think--and - their captors could read minds. - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Planet Stories Fall 1942. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -It was neither night nor day, but a sort of nether world of twilight. -The huge fern-like plants, flashing phosphorescence under the green -corona light, seemed to close in after Cappy Upjohn and Terry Hall like -prison bars in the windows of a dungeon. - -Cappy, who was leading the way, paused and waited for Terry. As the -huge, leonine man turned, his lips curled into a taunting smile. - -Terry's eyes moved from side to side, watching the weird shadows, -dodging the sweep of the giant ferns as they moved in the wind. - -"Scared!" Cappy ridiculed. - -"I can't help it!" the younger man said. "This place gives me the -creeps." - -Cappy's great laugh echoed above the howl of the winds. "This is -Mercury. Half day, half night everlastingly. Right here is the -battleground of roasting heat and perpetual cold. A twenty-mile strip -of habitable land between two kinds of hell. What the devil did you -expect, Tenderfoot?" - -Cappy grunted in disgust, turned and picked his way through the ferns. -Terry, his jaw set grimly, followed. Cappy had been through all this -before. Twice he'd landed on Venus, and he'd been with the only -previous expedition to Mercury. But Terry knew that fear was a human -emotion, and that there were things even Cappy was afraid of. - -The wind died a moment. Between an opening in the ferns Terry caught a -glimpse of a ghostly face, more simian than an ape's, less human than -a man's. At the same time he felt something that was like a breeze -through his brain. A painless stab of thought, - -"Cappy--look!" Terry pointed at the face peering through the opening -in the ferns, and his hand clawed at the rifle he had slung over his -shoulder. In all respects it was like an old-fashioned gun, but it -fired a deadly bullet that was capable of complete annihilation of -whatever it hit. A single bullet from a flourobeam gun was powerful -enough to wipe out a steel ball ten feet in diameter. - -But Terry's hands slipped away from his gun. He recognized his action -as more than fear. It was panic. - -Cappy had been too surprised at the sight of the grinning face to -notice Terry's action. Now the youth had control of himself. - -"Great guns! This is something new, lad! A living creature on Mercury!" - -"I tried to tell you, Cappy!" Terry said. "I've seen 'em. I've felt 'em -for the past hour!" - -"Felt 'em? Did they touch you?" - -"It's something I can't describe. It's like poking a finger into our -brains. It doesn't hurt, but it feels uncomfortable. It's like being -watched by someone you can't see." - -Cappy's boldness seemed to tarnish a little. A suggestion of a shudder -seemed to pass over the man. He straightened and shook it off. - -"Pooh! Imagination, Terry!" - -Cappy took a step toward the creature. The eyes seemed to flash. -Perhaps it was a reflection from the corona streamers stretching above -the horizon to the west. Cappy halted as the creature seemed to shrink -away. - -"Hold on!" Cappy called. "Don't go away! We've got to see that -creature, Terry. Get it back! Can you stop it!" - -There was no mistaking that the animal was intelligent. Perhaps it felt -the same emotions that raced through Terry's body. - -"Let me try," Terry said. His heart was pounding, but science had to -know if intelligent life existed in Mercury's twilight zone. - -Terry stripped the gun from his shoulders and laid it on the ground. He -pushed passed Cappy and walked toward the creature. Terry's hands were -extended, palms outward. - -The creature hesitated. Its eyes flashed again and once more Terry felt -something cold in his skull. - -The ferns parted and the creature stepped out into view. - - * * * * * - -It had two stubby legs, two long arms. Its head was pear-shaped and -hairless, and its body was an ovoid ball, bloated and ugly. But its -eyes were almost human except that they seemed to flash fire. - -Terry halted, facing the creature. - -"Terryhall of the earth!" The creature's voice echoed through the ferns. - -"You--you speak English!" The words that fell from Terry's lips -mirrored his surprise. In his mind flashed a name for this creature. -Something like _Zombie_, the living dead. - -"Not Zombie. Name is Chomby. I am not dead, not even living dead." - -"You read my mind! That's what I've felt for the past hour. You were -studying my thoughts, and you learned my language by reading my mind!" - -Chomby's rubbery lips tried to imitate a grin, but it achieved only a -hideous travesty. - -Chomby's hand rubbed over the leathery rags he wore for clothing and -reached toward the earthman. The gesture was unmistakable. Chomby -wanted to shake hands. The Mercurian had been thorough in his probe -of Terry's brain. His actions were more human than Terry's under the -circumstances, for Terry was afraid. - -"Nothing to fear from Chomby," spoke the Mercurian. - -Terry took the hand. It was leathery and cold. - -"I am glad to meet you," Terry said. He forced the words from his lips. -"We came to Mercury on a peaceful mission." - -"You're afraid, Terryhall," Chomby replied. "I do not intend to kill -you. Nor will I hurt Cappyupjohn." - -Cappy brushed forward and shook hands with Chomby. He concealed a wince -as he touched the creature's corpse-like flesh. - -Then he unstrapped the caseknife he wore at his side and handed it to -Chomby. "A gift of friendship," he said. - -Chomby reached awkwardly toward the knife. As he took it, the knife -fell to the ground. Chomby leaned over and fumbled. He could hardly -grasp the knife. Terry noted now what had been so repulsive about -Chomby's handshake. The Mercurian had no thumb. - -Instead of the five-fingered hand of a human being, there were only -three flabby fingers on the end of a round, gristly hand. - -Terry stooped and picked up the knife. He handed it to the Mercurian -who seized it in both hands and clutched it to his body. - -"You want food and drink?" Chomby asked. "Terryhall and Cappyupjohn -follow me to my village. Sorry I have no gift of friendship otherwise. -My people are unskilled in handicraft. We can hardly make our own -clothes." - -Chomby led the earthmen eastward. The shadows deepened and the sky grew -dark. The stars appeared; among them the brilliant blue planet that was -Earth. - -Again Chomby read Terry's thoughts. - -"You come from that one?" he asked, pointing. "You are from the sky?" - -Terry answered, but Chomby seemed to read the thoughts that Terry -flashed through his mind. - -"Spaceship. Machines. Rockets." The Mercurian rolled the words in his -mouth. "You come from a great race, Terryhall and Cappyupjohn. My -people want to learn skill with our hands, to be like you." - -"It would be nice if we could read your minds," Cappy said, tossing a -glance toward Terry. - -"You are suspicious men," Chomby said. "I read your mind and I know you -do not trust me. You fear a trap. That is why you carry your guns. But -there is nothing to fear from Chomby's people. You will think them -very primitive." - -The cold winds lashed at the earthmen and nipped through the heavy -clothing they wore. Terry and Cappy lowered a plastic windshield from -their caps to protect their faces from frostbite. - -Vegetation grew more scarce and at last they walked across a rocky -plain toward a row of towering basalt cliffs. The feeble light that -came from the outer fringe of the corona revealed a row of caves at the -base of the cliffs and from these emerged a hundred or so ill-fashioned -beings resembling Chomby. - -The Mercurian gave no cry, nor warning of his approach. He apparently -had notified his people by telepathy, for they rushed silently to meet -him. Chomby lapsed into silence, turning from one of his kinsfolk to -another, answering questions without speaking. - -Cappy stared at the Mercurians. His leonine figure marched through -the ill-shapen creatures confidently and unafraid. Doubts crept into -Terry's mind. There were too many Mercurians. Despite the powerful -weapons strapped to the earthmen's backs, they could not hope to escape -imprisonment, if these savages sought to hold them. - -Chomby led the men to a cave in the center of the village. He turned to -Terry. - -"My people think you are queer, Terryhall," Chomby said. "But it is -evident to them that you think the same about us. But we are all one -people. Terryhall and Cappyupjohn are not the same. Terryhall is -afraid, while Cappyupjohn is a man of rock. Are you not of the same -race?" - -"More or less," Cappy said, deridingly. "Terry doesn't understand you -and he fears what he doesn't understand. I've learned to control fear, -so I am not afraid." - -"You trust us?" Chomby seemed surprise. - -"No," Cappy replied. "I don't trust anything, but I'm not afraid of -you." - -"What if we should intend to keep you here?" Chomby asked. "Terry sees -himself as a prisoner, a slave. He fears he will never return to the -earth." - -"I still have my gun," Cappy said. - -"There are many of us," Chomby said, his lips gaping again in that -imitation grin. "We could overpower you and kill you." - -"I'd take some of you with me," Cappy replied, defiantly. "I'd go out -in a blaze of glory." - - * * * * * - -Chomby studied the earthman. "I believe you would. In your world such -a trait would be considered admirable. You are hard, Cappyupjohn, and -brave. But it is not your kind that makes your race so great. Your -world is a coward's world. It was built by men who are afraid." - -Cappy choked. "You lie!" - -"We have read your minds, earthmen," Chomby said. "We understand the -civilization from the mental pictures you carry in your minds. You have -great brains, but skilled as they are they are nothing in comparison -with ours. It was not your brain that made your world, but your love -of security. You feared wild beasts, so you killed them. You feared -hunger, so you stored food. You built weapons to defend yourself -against enemies. You sought out new worlds in fleeing from dangers of -the old. If your race had not known fear, it would have never done -these things." - -"Men died to win that security," Cappy replied. "That wasn't cowardice, -was it?" - -"They died fighting, which meant that they hoped to win. Their chance -of victory was more attractive than the insecurity that would come -with defeat," Chomby replied. "My people wish to keep you here. We -want to learn more about the emotion called fear that has made your -civilization so great." - -"You'll never keep us!" growled Cappy. His hand automatically touched -the gun on his shoulder. - -"That is the fear I speak of," Chomby said. "You would rather die than -be a prisoner. In a different way Terryhall has the same emotion. But -he does not risk so recklessly. He would rather avoid the situation -that makes fighting necessary. He is a brave man, too, Cappyupjohn, but -in a different way." - -"He's yellow!" Cappy said vehemently. "He's worse than no help at all." - -The earthmen rested, but they were not left alone. Chomby seemed -always to be near. Although Chomby insisted the earthmen were not -prisoners, he made it plain they would not be allowed to leave for a -time. - -"We must study you," he said. "In turn, you may study us." - -"I'm warning you, Chomby," Cappy roared. "We'll stand just so much of -this thing. We'll stay until we've studied you enough, but when we want -to go, we're going--or we'll die trying." - -"That time is not here," Chomby said, wrinkling his lips again. - - * * * * * - -The icy mental probing of the Mercurians grew familiar to Terry and -Cappy. There was nothing the earthmen could think of that these eerie, -repulsive-looking creatures did not understand. That the Mercurians -read Terry's thoughts so easily was often embarrassing, for Terry knew -that they were aware of his repugnance toward them, as well as Terry's -distrust and fear. - -But Chomby and his people seemed to accept Terry's opinion of them -understandingly. Not one of them made a move to remove either Terry's -or Cappy's guns. - -After a first period of mental probing Chomby urged the earthmen to -instruct the Mercurians in some simple crafts. Now the earthmen enjoyed -the sense of superiority that previously had been a monopoly of the -Mercurians. The simplest pieces of handiwork were almost beyond, the -Mercurians. The hands of these creatures, without thumbs and with -stiff fingers, were clumsy. Weaving was an arduous task. Construction -of a simple, primitive thatched dwelling was attempted and abandoned, -when Cappy found that it would require months to complete. It was not -because the Mercurians did not understand what had to be done--they -knew this the instant the terrestrials pictured the idea in their -minds. But the tasks were nearly impossible for the Mercurians. - -Terry taught a few of the creatures to write, but the rest could not -master the process, although every one of them had learned to read by -watching Terry's mind at work. - -Cappy grew more contemptuous of the Mercurians as he watched their -bungling efforts at the simplest human arts. - -"We haven't anything to be afraid of from these creatures, Terry," he -said. - -Terry shook his head. - -"They've got brains, Cappy. They know everything we know and a lot -of things we don't. They read us like a book. They know our thoughts -before we know them ourselves." - -"It isn't thought that wins battles. It's power. Oh, brains help, but -only when used in the application of the proper weapons. Why with our -guns and fists we probably could lick this whole village. I'm sure they -haven't coordination enough to fight hand-to-hand with us singly." - -"But they're too smart to let us out-maneuver them," Terry said. -"There's a principle that seems to work in society that makes me afraid -of these Mercurians. In the history of our own planet, it has always -been the brains which exploited the brawn among men. People who thought -of things usually took ascendancy over those who tried to progress -by the sweat of their brow. For instance, everyone knows Columbus -discovered America, but who knows the name of the man who built the -ships he sailed in? LeCompton designed the first successful spacecraft, -but the name of the man who tooled the intricate parts of its mechanism -and made it successful has been completely forgotten." - -"You mean we're likely to become slaves of these--these Zombies?" - -"Since we came to this village they've changed," Terry said. "These -Zombies--as you call them--are learning fear. They see their world, -lashed by cold and hot winds, freezing and roasting, as an insecure -place. A violent storm might burn up their food supply, or freeze their -crops. For the first time they've seen fear as a safeguard to their -future. Now they want to build. They want places to store food; homes -to protect them from cold. They want means of transportation, to escape -uninhabitable spots. They know the value of fear, but they cannot -conquer it because they are physiologically incapable of conquering -their environment. When they realize this--if they don't realize it -already--they'll force us to conquer their environment for them. Every -earthman unfortunate enough to land on Mercury will become a slave--" - -"Great Scott, Terry!" Cappy exclaimed. "I believe you are right. Your -fear has been warning us all along to get out of this place. Get your -gun ready, we're going back to the space ship--" - -The light from the entrance of the cave was blotted out. Chomby stood -before them, followed by a horde of his fellow beings. - -"You recognized fear too late, Cappyupjohn," Chomby said. - -The two earthmen tried to level their guns, but the Mercurians attacked -too quickly. The leathery fists struck home and the guns slipped from -the earthmen's grasps. - - * * * * * - -A transformation occurred in front of the row of caves in the basalt -cliff. Windbreaks appeared in the openings in the wall. Rude machines -were set up to build houses of stone and covered passages from cave to -cave. From the fibrous ferns Terry constructed rude looms for weaving -cloth. Stone mills for grinding the pulpy fruit of the Mercurian trees -into flour were designed. - -How long the two earthmen had been prisoners on Mercury they had no way -of telling, for there was neither night nor day, nor seasons in the -twilight zone. But the Earth had disappeared over the south horizon -and reappeared in the north and Cappy estimated that two-thirds of the -Mercurian year of 88 days had passed. - -"We won't be here another year," Terry said. - -Cappy snorted. "I wouldn't bet." - -"They're getting careless," Terry pointed out. "They used to have a -dozen men guarding us day and night. If we even got a little too far -away from the village, we'd be shoved back. Now only one Zombie is -guarding us. We're allowed to go almost anywhere, except near the -spaceship." - -"They read our minds, so they're always two jumps ahead of us, Terry. -No. The principle of brains over brawn can't be beaten. We're licked." - -"I'm not," Terry announced. "Once you called me a coward--you said I -was yellow. But a coward isn't the man who is afraid, it's the man -that lets fear get the upperhand. You're being a coward now, Cappy. -You're admitting that Chomby and his pals have the Injun sign on us. -I'm not admitting it. It isn't brains that makes men the rulers of nine -planets, and it isn't fear. Man has something else that gives him a -physiological edge. I'm going to find out what that is. When we find -it, we'll be free men again." - -"When you find it, the Mercurians will know. They'll be ready to keep -us from using the weapon--whatever it is--before we know we've got it." - -"Some day we'll have a chance. Some day we'll have a chance to slug our -guard and get back to the spaceship--" - -Terry paused. He looked at the dozing Mercurian at the mouth of the -cave. Even as Terry looked the Mercurian roused out of his sleep. The -thought thread had roused the guard from a deep slumber. - -"Now!" Terry yelled. "Now's our chance!" - -Terry sprang. The guard tried to seize the stone club at his side, but -his clumsy hand was not made for swift action. Terry was on him before -the guard could send out a mental alarm and the young earthman's fist -crashed against the base of the guard's skull. - -Terrestrial muscles, built for a heavier force of gravity, delivered -a sledgehammer blow. The guard toppled forward. Terry leaped over the -figure and darted into the open. - -Another figure rose before Terry, but again Terry's fist smashed. - -Cappy was beside Terry now and together they raced toward the path that -led in the direction of the spaceship. - -"They'll follow us!" Cappy said. "They can trail us by our thoughts. If -we miss the ship and have to double back, we'll run into them." - -"We won't miss!" Terry said. - - * * * * * - -The sudden formulation of the escape plan had been too quick for even -the Mercurian brains to block. Terry and Cappy were racing into the -forest of ferns far ahead of their pursuers. The coordinated muscles -of the earthmen were far more capable of traveling swiftly than those -of the Mercurians behind and sounds of pursuit grew fainter in the -distance. - -But Terry knew that these creatures were dogged. They would follow -until the spaceship's rockets blasted loose from the planet. - -"Remember," Terry whispered, "don't act on any set plan. Don't plan -what you'll do when you meet 'em. If you do they'll be prepared for it. -Act on impulse, before they know what you intend to do." - -"I'll remember," Cappy panted. - -Was it impulse that made terrestrials the masters of the universe? -Terry wondered. It hardly seemed logical, yet impulse had given them -their first chance of freedom. But impulse might lead them astray. -First thoughts are not always the best thoughts. True enough, man had -made some strides by accident, but far more of his greatest discoveries -and most useful inventions had been the result of years of labor and -careful planning. No, it wasn't impulse. Some other weapon had to be -used to defeat the Mercurians decisively. Terry and Cappy might escape -through luck, but some day there would be a final, decisive battle -that would employ the one thing that gave man an advantage over the -semi-human monsters of the first planet. - -Terry hoped he could discover that weapon now. - -They had been over the route to the spaceship three times. Once in -company with Chomby on their first trip to the Mercurian village. They -had returned in company with a guard and come back again later. - -Terry had noted a few landmarks and now he began to spot them again. A -curious-shaped rock; a spring of moulten metal; a deep fissure in the -soil. - -But as they traveled toward the sun's corona the air grew warmer. -Vegetation became profuse and the trail was more difficult to find. But -Cappy had kept his eyes open, too. Between them they made their way, -slower and slower. - -Suddenly Terry stopped. An icy finger had passed over his brain. A -wordless thought flashed into his consciousness. - -"This is Chomby, Terryhall. Go back, or you will be unmercifully -killed." - -Cappy looked at Terry. The same thought had flashed through his brain. - -"I am ahead of you, earthmen. I am waiting in front of the spaceship. -In my hands I hold a flourobeam gun. You cannot pass me, earthmen!" - -Cappy groaned. - -"They're still two jumps ahead, Terry! They've outfigured us again. -They knew we might get away by accident. So they put Chomby out here to -intercept us and he's armed with our weapons!" - -Terry was afraid. He knew the power of a flourobeam. He'd seen it -blast rocks into powder and he knew that a man could never survive its -charge. One blast from the gun could wipe out all trace of Terry and -Cappy. - -Terry's face paled. Then, suddenly, he moved forward. - -"Come on, Cappy! You said I was yellow once. Let's see who's yellow -now!" - -"But that gun! This isn't being brave! It's foolhardy. The better part -of valor is knowing when you're licked." - -"Come on," Terry said, moving ahead. - -"You're a fool, Terry," Cappy said. "But you've got guts! Now listen to -reason!" - -But Terry would not listen. He moved forward. Cappy, sweating, came -following. - -"It's suicide!" cried the older man. - - * * * * * - -In the center of a clearing stood the spaceship. The streaks of the -corona revealed a figure, huge, hideous and ape-like, standing before -the locks. - -It was Chomby, holding the flourobeam gun, aiming at the two -terrestrials who emerged from the forest. - -"If you come closer, I'll shoot!" It was a thought, not a voice, that -flashed toward the men, but the words were as clear as if Chomby had -spoken. - -"We're licked, Terry!" Cappy said. "I'll surrender." - -Slowly Cappy's hands went over his head. - -"And what about you, Terryhall?" - -Terry stood in the clearing, looking at the Mercurian. The young man's -face was pale and green beneath the corona glow. - -"This is a war of the worlds, Chomby," he said. "It's a fight between -your race and mine. It's a Waterloo for one of us." - -"You haven't a chance, Terryhall. You know the power of this gun." - -Terry's lips tightened into a thin, straight line. His body crouched -for an instant and then he sprang. The terrestrial muscles sent him -shooting toward Chomby. His feet touched the ground again, and like -steel springs he shot forward a second time. - -Chomby's fingers tightened on the trigger of the weapon. They seemed to -twitch. - -Cappy closed his eyes. - -An inhuman scream rent the Mercurian air. But the gun did not go off. - -Cappy opened his eyes to see Terry and the monster rolling on the -ground. Terry's fingers were closed about the Mercurian's throat. -Chomby struggled feebly, and then lay still. - -Terry rose, picked up the gun and motioned to Cappy. - -"Put down your hands and start moving your legs. Get into those locks -before the rest of them get here!" - -Cappy's jaw worked up and down, but words did not come from his throat. -Somehow he moved. He ran into the locks and a moment later he was at -the controls. - -"Let 'er go!" Terry said. - -Cappy, still speechless, pressed the charger. The rockets roared. The -machine lurched skyward and Mercury was left behind. - -"What happened?" Cappy asked. - -"I just remembered that when we were last carrying the guns we had the -safety catches on. The catches are released with the thumb. Chomby -couldn't do it! He couldn't have shot me, even though he wanted to. The -safety catches are such a small piece of the flourobeam mechanism that -we never think of them. Chomby didn't have a chance to read our minds -about the safety catch until it was too late." - -"Terry," Cappy said. "I'll take back everything I said about you being -yellow. You've got guts! More than I have, Terry." - -"Guts? Hell, Cappy, I was scared to death every second." - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Thought-Men of Mercury, by R. R. Winterbotham - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE THOUGHT-MEN OF MERCURY *** - -***** This file should be named 62199.txt or 62199.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/2/1/9/62199/ - -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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