diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | .gitattributes | 4 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | LICENSE.txt | 11 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | README.md | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/62443-h.zip | bin | 526208 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/62443-h/62443-h.htm | 1006 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/62443-h/images/cover.jpg | bin | 332558 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/62443-h/images/illus.jpg | bin | 178028 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/62443.txt | 891 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/62443.zip | bin | 16074 -> 0 bytes |
9 files changed, 17 insertions, 1897 deletions
diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1d1833a --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #62443 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/62443) diff --git a/old/62443-h.zip b/old/62443-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 2c2cb89..0000000 --- a/old/62443-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/62443-h/62443-h.htm b/old/62443-h/62443-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 9b7e58b..0000000 --- a/old/62443-h/62443-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1006 +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 Destination--death, by Wilbur S. Peacock. - </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;} - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -.caption p -{ - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0; - margin: 0.25em 0; -} - -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 Destination--Death, by Wilbur S. Peacock - -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: Destination--Death - -Author: Wilbur S. Peacock - -Release Date: June 21, 2020 [EBook #62443] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DESTINATION--DEATH *** - - - - -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>Destination—Death</h1> - -<h2>By WILBUR S. PEACOCK</h2> - -<p>One man had to die on Uranus' frozen<br /> -crust, so that the other might<br /> -live—and Bart Caxton had a gun.</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Planet Stories Winter 1943.<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>The yellow gauge clicked with a tiny sound, and the oxygen tank went -dry. The relay ratchetted slowly, automatically coupled on the next -tank, and the needle on the gauge climbed to high-pressure again.</p> - -<p>Bart Caxton watched the needle swing, and beads of perspiration rode -high on his cheekbones. He twisted the metal mug in his hands, and his -voice was ragged with welling emotion.</p> - -<p>"Three weeks," he said viciously. "And we're five weeks from the -shipping lanes. There isn't enough oxygen to carry us back."</p> - -<p>"Shut up!" Tom Headley's tone was thin with suppressed anger. "All the -damned talking in the world won't change things. We've got to land now, -have got to find the <i>kronalium</i>, or we'll never get back."</p> - -<p>He leaned against the wall, searching the cloud-shrouded ground below -the ship, feeling the uneven drumming of the rockets driving the ship -forward. Nerves crawled his back, and sweat slimed his hands. He -shuddered, imagining the horrors that might lie below.</p> - -<p>The mug banged against the floor, and Caxton was standing, -half-crouched, his heavy face set and stony, his hands riding the butts -of his twin dis-guns.</p> - -<p>"I say we go back," he snarled through set teeth.</p> - -<p>Headley laughed, and the sound was the only thing that could have -broken the tension of the moment. He tilted his head and laughed until -the tears ran from his eyes; and slowly the rage faded from Caxton's -face, and his shoulders sagged in weary futility.</p> - -<p>"Okay, you win," Caxton said sullenly. "I know I can't force you to -turn around, since you're the only one of us that can recognize and -work <i>kronalium</i> for the stern jets. But," and his eyes were swirling -pools of flaming hate. "When we do get back, I'm going to blow a hole -through your back some night."</p> - -<p>Tom Headley turned away, the fear piling in his mind until it was a -choking cloud that stifled all thought.</p> - -<p>"<i>If</i> we get back," he said dully.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He slid his hands over the control panel, adjusting the studs and -levers with a delicate familiarity, striving to bring another ounce of -power from the single rocket-bank that still functioned. But there was -only the uneven beat of the rockets vibrating the floor as they had -done for three days now, and no adjustment of the controls could make -them function better.</p> - -<p>Bart Caxton sat again, fumbled a cigarette from his pocket, then -dropped it to the floor. His face was white beneath its tan, and there -was a haunted desperation in the tightness of his bulky body.</p> - -<p>"How long will it take?" he asked. "Will we make it back to Earth -before—" His voice thickened. "—before we smother to death?"</p> - -<p>Tom Headley shrugged. "It'll be tight," he said slowly. "We'll be on -half oxygen-rations the full trip back. But it can be done; I went -three months on half-rations once—and then got drunk on Earth's air -for two days after I landed."</p> - -<p>"To hell with you and your fancy trips!" The madness was building again -in Caxton's mind. "You've been everywhere—but you ain't been <i>here</i>; -you don't know what Uranus is like, nobody does."</p> - -<p>He lunged to his feet, pressed close to the port. His breath clouded -the quartzite pane, and he polished the glass impatiently.</p> - -<p>"Look at that," he said thinly. "That's the place we were going to -explore; that's the place where it is so cold and the pressure so -great, air collapses and can't be breathed. We were going to do what -the early explorers failed to do; try to find life and minerals. They -failed because their space suits could not stand the cold. Now we'll be -marooned there because a damned meteor busted our stern rockets all to -hell!"</p> - -<p>"Don't blame <i>me</i> for that," Headley said, and instantly regretted the -words.</p> - -<p>"<i>Okay!</i>" Caxton spun back to his seat. "I let the force-screen die for -a couple of hours while I slept. But don't think I'm taking the blame -for the whole mess, even at that. This was your screwy idea."</p> - -<p>Headley nodded. "If we succeed, our reputations will be big enough to -gain us backing for almost anything." He grinned, and some of the fear -was gone from his mind. "Hell, what if we are cooped up here for a -few days? I'll fix the rockets, we'll do a bit of exploring, and then -high-tail it back for more oxygen. We'll live in vac-suits and save our -air; and the suits hold enough rations to last us for three months."</p> - -<p>"And if the rockets aren't fixed?"</p> - -<p>Tom Headley forced the thought from his mind. "They'll be fixed," he -said quietly.</p> - -<p>Bart Caxton slumped into a sullen silence, his slitted eyes watching -the profile of his companion. Slowly, cunning crept into his face, and -his right hand slid along his thigh toward one belt-gun.</p> - -<p>"I wouldn't," Headley said without moving. "You can't fix the ship, and -help won't be sent for us for at least three months. A man couldn't -live that long, on the oxygen we have left, I don't believe."</p> - -<p>"I might make the oxygen last for <i>me</i> until I got back to a regular -traffic lane."</p> - -<p>Headley swung about, and anger paled his face. "Damn it, Caxton," he -said brittlely, "<i>we'll</i> get out of this! Probably, because of the -pressure and cold on the planet, we'll find frozen air which can be -thawed out; we'll look for it along with the <i>kronalium</i>." He watched -the stillness of his partner's hand. "Murder won't solve anything!" he -finished softly.</p> - -<p>Bart Caxton nodded slowly. "Sorry, Headley," he said. "It's just that -I've never been in a jam like this before."</p> - -<p>Tom Headley grinned. "We'll see it through—together," he said.</p> - -<p>"Okay!" Caxton's tone was sullenly agreeable, but small fires of -cunning still swirled in his eyes.</p> - -<p>"Get ready for a shock-landing," Headley said relievedly, reached for -the controls.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The icy wind roared like ten million furies about the grounded -ship, sucking up the powdery snow, smashing it against the gleaming -alumisteel hull. Great boulders of snow and ice tumbled playfully about -the rubbly landscape, splashed in foamy explosions into the semi-frozen -pools of liquid that dotted the planet's surface.</p> - -<p>Tom Headley shivered involuntarily, turned back from the port.</p> - -<p>"Colder than the hinges of hell out there," he said worriedly. "I can -understand how the first crude vac-suits couldn't stand up for very -long."</p> - -<p>"Yeah!" Caxton glanced up from sealing the zipper slit at the front of -his suit. "I only hope these suits can take it."</p> - -<p>"They can; they're made for absolute-zero work in space. Here, the only -trouble lies in the super-gravity and the wind. Either might rupture -the outfits."</p> - -<p>Caxton watched snow pile against a huge boulder, then saw it whisked -instantly away by the force of the wind. He glanced at his vac-suit -against the wall, and fear rode the sullenness of his eyes.</p> - -<p>"Who's going out to do the exploring?"</p> - -<p>Headley smiled from where he tugged on his suit. "Both of us," he said -cheerfully. "We'll stay together with a shock-line; then if one of us -is injured, the other can help him back to the ship."</p> - -<p>He shrugged his shoulders into the suit, closed the air-tight zipper. -Caxton turned slowly, lifted his suit, carefully fitted it to his -stocky body. His fingers shook slightly, and his face was white.</p> - -<p>Tom Headley watched his partner silently for a moment, then shrugged -and checked the oxy-cylinder pressure-gauge. The needle pressed tight -against its rest-pin. He lifted the glassite helmet, swung it idly in -his hand for a moment. He knew the grimness of the moment, knew that -the tank on his back held less than six hours of life-saving oxygen. -When that was gone, if he were not back at the ship, he would die. A -wry smile lifted the corners of his mobile mouth. Within the suit were -enough concentrates and vitamin capsules to last him for months, and -a special apparatus made it possible for water to be drawn from the -air he breathed. He grinned at the thought; without air, the rest was -superfluous.</p> - -<p>"Okay," Caxton said finally, "let's take a look." He slipped on the -helmet, cogged it to his shoulder-plates, left the visi-port open. -Cunning still burned in his eyes, and his gaze dropped when he caught -the full impact of Headley's distrust.</p> - -<p>Headley locked on his helmet, cogged the port shut, tested his radio. -Caxton answered shortly, shut his visi-ports and both turned to the -entrance of the ship.</p> - -<p>Metal squealed beneath Headley's hands; then the cogs were loose. -Headley braced his shoulder against the port, strained mightily, was -joined by his partner. Together, their strength was sufficient to force -the door open against pressure of the air outside.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The air gushed in with incredible force, shoved the men forcefully -against the metal wall, then subsided as the pressure was equalized. -Headley stepped forward, felt the icy crystals of snow tapping against -his suit. He thrust one arm through the port, gasped, as gravity jerked -it groundward. He leaned back, sighed. Inside the ship, with its -inertia-stasis gravity, normal movement was possible; but outside, with -the super-gravity, even slow walking would be a job.</p> - -<p>"Set your suit control for three graves," he ordered. "That way, we'll -have enough weight to stay on the ground, and will still be able to -move."</p> - -<p>Bart Caxton growled an unintelligible reply, drew his right arm from -the semi-rigid sleeve of his suit, made an adjustment on the suit's -control-panel. Instantly, weight descended with pile-driving force, and -muscles corded in his legs to counteract the tripled gravity.</p> - -<p>Headley adjusted his gravity control, then connected himself to Caxton -with a ten-foot length of cable. Carefully, he lowered himself from the -port, stood erect in the howling wind and snow, waited until Caxton -had clambered down to his side. Reaching upward, they closed the port, -leaving it uncogged, so that they could easily reenter.</p> - -<p>Headley checked his radi-compass bearings, then braced the full force -of the wind, Caxton pressing forward at his side. They struggled toward -the ice-sheathed cliff a hundred yards away, each step an agony of -effort, clumsily dodging a huge boulder that rolled a lazy path of -death toward them.</p> - -<p>Snow smashed at them, made vision difficult, went whirling away. -Even through the radi-heated layers of their suits, they could feel -the implacable cold plucking at their lives with skeletal fingers of -death. Minutes passed, as they fought through the drifting snow, each -minute an age of effort; and when Headley glanced back, he felt a -vague surprise to find that they had travelled so short a distance. He -grinned at Caxton.</p> - -<p>"Like trying to run in a slow-motion dream," he said, frowned slightly -when he heard his partner's sullen growl of acknowledgment.</p> - -<p>They struggled forward again, approaching the cliff of ice and rock -that towered overhead. Headley splashed heedlessly through a small pool -of semi-liquid, halted with a tiny cry of excitement.</p> - -<p>"Look!" he said. "That rock's alive."</p> - -<p>Bart Caxton tilted his gaze to where several clay-colored rocks lay at -the edge of the pool.</p> - -<p>"You're nuts," he said. "They're just rocks."</p> - -<p>"I'll swear I saw one move out of the way of my foot," Headley insisted -stubbornly, bent and lifted the first of the rocks.</p> - -<p>It was heavy in his hands, and he had the uncanny sensation that -it squirmed impatiently as he lifted it. He examined it carefully, -ignoring Caxton's impatient words for them to hurry. And even as he -watched, he saw the living rock split in his hands, opening down the -side, disclosing gill-like fringed flesh that looked like slivers of -whitish ice.</p> - -<p>"<i>It is alive!</i>" he exclaimed excitedly, then dropped the stone as -sudden giddiness clutched at his senses.</p> - -<p>Caxton caught at his drooping body. "What's wrong?" he snapped.</p> - -<p>Headley blinked his eyes. "Nothing!" he disclaimed. "Just a combination -of pressure and lack of oxygen." He reached for his suit's panel, -opened the oxygen valve another quarter turn.</p> - -<p>He shook his head slightly, then bent to study the rock he had dropped. -It had not moved, nor had its mouth-like opening closed. It lay at his -feet in the shallow liquid, resembling nothing more than a ruptured -rock.</p> - -<p>"To hell with it!" Caxton said disagreeably. "Let's find the -<i>kronalium</i>."</p> - -<p>Headley nodded, stumbled after Caxton. But jubilation was in his heart. -When he and Caxton returned, they would take back several of the -rock-creatures as living proof of the success of their mission.</p> - -<p>He glanced back, saw squat legs flick from the opening in the rock, -saw the creature scurry back to the few others of its kind that rested -at the side of the semi-frozen pool of liquid. He grinned again, then -pressed forward to lead the way to the cliff.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>They rested in the lee of the escarpment, safe from the howling wind, -huddling out of the way of the rocks and snow-clots that went spinning -by from the fury of the storm.</p> - -<p>"Now what?" Caxton asked.</p> - -<p>Tom Headley glanced at the gauges below the level of his chin, watched -the needles carefully.</p> - -<p>"God!" he said. "This place is a storehouse of minerals and elements. -We'll have no trouble getting money for an expedition."</p> - -<p>"Damn it!" Rage knotted Caxton's voice until it was a thin screech. -"Who cares about that; do you find any traces of <i>kronalium</i>?"</p> - -<p>Headley watched a single dial, turned slowly, studying the line of -cliff-base at his left. "Close by," he said. "It must be a big deposit, -for the needle doesn't waver."</p> - -<p>"Then let's get to it!" Caxton came to his feet, towered over his -squatting partner.</p> - -<p>Headley struggled upright, fighting the super-gravity, led the way down -the edge of the escarpment. Time and again, he fell, tripped by the -gravity, whirled aside by the smashing wind. Each time, he struggled -erect, forced himself to go forward again.</p> - -<p>He watched the needle floating in its case, followed its point -unerringly toward a shallow recess in the cliff's base. Using his belt -pick, he chopped at the layer of ice and snow, let out a shout of -relief when a strip of reddish metal appeared.</p> - -<p>"This is it," he announced. "Now the repair job will be simple."</p> - -<p>Bart Caxton nodded, seeing the metal, and for a brief second his hand -hovered over the single gun strapped to his suit. Then he relaxed, -caught his pick in his right hand, bent forward to help smash away -great chunks of the metal.</p> - -<p>"It's almost anticlimactic," he said shortly, "finding this stuff so -easily."</p> - -<p>Tom Headley grinned. "It would have been more anticlimactic," he said, -"not to have found it. I've found <i>traces</i> of it on every planet I've -visited."</p> - -<p>Then they worked without further conversation, digging loose a great -pile of the metal, making staggering trips to the ship with the -precious element that was the only metal with which their rocket tubes -could be repaired. Hours later, they cogged the port shut on their -ship, exhausted the tainted air, released a breathable atmosphere.</p> - -<p>Out of their suits, they ate a quick meal, began the task of smelting -the <i>kronalium</i> so that it would fit the wrecked drive mechanism at -the rear of the ship. Headley worked with the quiet sureness of a -man whose life had been self-sufficient; Caxton worked with the grim -doggedness of a man who knows that his life hinges upon his speed in -working.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>They worked in shifts, eating and sleeping when they could, Caxton -doing the crude work, Headley putting the final touches upon the -delicate task that was theirs.</p> - -<p>And forty hours later they stood in admiration of the job they had -done. New metal tubes glowed redly in the light of the radi-lamps, -ready to send the ship hurtling back toward inhabited space. They still -sparkled from the heat generated when Headley had given them a trial -burst of power.</p> - -<p>"And that's that," Headley said. His face was grim and lined, and his -smile was a trifle forced.</p> - -<p>Bart Caxton nodded, but his eyes were on the bank of dials that -indicated the quantity of oxygen still aboard the ship. His lips were -thin, and his eyes blank, as he made swift calculations in his chaotic -mind.</p> - -<p>"Let's blast off," he said.</p> - -<p>Tom Headley grinned. "Not yet," he said. "There's five hundred pounds -of <i>kronalium</i> back there that we're taking along. And I want several -of those rock animals for living proof that we've been here."</p> - -<p>Anger distorted Caxton's features. His hand sought the gun at his -waist, then dropped beneath the steadiness of Headley's gaze.</p> - -<p>"All right," he agreed sullenly. "But let's hurry."</p> - -<p>Five trips they made, carrying the metal back to the ship, knowing that -each trip made them more wealthy, so scarce was the metal in great -quantities.</p> - -<p>And then, on the sixth trip, Caxton snatched the single gun from -Headley's waist. He laughed as he did so, and the sound was thin and -strained with triumph.</p> - -<p>"It's you or me, Headley," he snarled. "And I figure it's going to be -me."</p> - -<p>Headley felt horror welling into his mind, but he forced his voice to -be absolutely calm and unemotional.</p> - -<p>"Don't be a fool, man," he said. "Both of us can make it back, by going -on short oxy-rations."</p> - -<p>Caxton shook his head. "<i>I'm</i> going back," he said viciously. "I'm -taking the ship, the <i>kronalium</i>, and a couple of those damned animals -for evidence. I'll say that you died on Uranus." His voice was suddenly -flat and deadly. "<i>Sucker!</i>"</p> - -<p>A cone of blackness flared from the gun in his hand, caught Tom -Headley, dropped him in his tracks. He twitched silently, lay where he -had fallen, his right arm splashing liquid from the tiny pool at his -feet.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus.jpg" width="400" height="500" alt=""/> - <div class="caption"> - <p><i>A cone of blackness dropped Headley in his tracks.</i></p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Bart Caxton tossed the gun aside, leaned over, unscrewed the hinged -valve on Headley's oxygen tank, then callously dumped the unconscious -man into the pool.</p> - -<p>Then, without another glance at the body submerged in the pool, Caxton -caught up three of the living rocks, turned and fought his way back to -the ship. He stood for a moment in the ship's port, staring bleakly at -the pool where the dying body of his partner lay. Then he slammed the -port, cogged it shut.</p> - -<p>He laid the rock animals in a dark corner of the tank room, then walked -heavily back to the control room and removed his suit. Grinning, he -sank into the pilot's seat, and his hands raced over the controls.</p> - -<p>Rockets drummed, and the ship fled into space on a tail of flaming -gasses.</p> - -<p>Bart Caxton watched the gauges, then reached out and adjusted the -oxygen valve. He would have to go on three-quarters' rations, but there -would still be oxygen left when he struck the spacelanes.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>And back on Uranus, Tom Headley stirred out of his unconsciousness. -He gasped, struggled to his feet. Metal banged on his shoulder, and a -reaching hand found the opened valve. He instinctively screwed it shut, -dull horror and terror piling in his mind.</p> - -<p>He knew that he had but seconds to live, and the utter futility of his -predicament made the situation even more horrible. True, he had his -radio—but its range was less than a hundred miles; it would bring -rescue only if a rescue party landed. He laughed a bit, grimly, -ironically, remembering the great supply of food tablets that were in -his suit. All that he lacked to live was air.</p> - -<p>Then he frowned, seeing the oxygen gauge in his suit. The needle -pressed tight against its stop-post. He tapped it, then checked another -gauge. And sudden understanding came to his eyes—and he fought against -the hysterical laughter that filled his throat.</p> - -<p>Bart Caxton had failed in his murder attempt.</p> - -<p>For Tom Headley's shoulder tank was full of liquid oxygen. He had -fallen into a pool of oxygen, liquesced by the tremendous pressure of -Uranus, and the pressure of the atmosphere had forced the oxygen into -his tank.</p> - -<p>Now there were but the interminable weeks of waiting that were to come -before a rescue expedition was sent to save him.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>And on the ship speeding back to the spacelanes, Bart Caxton clawed at -his shirt collar. He gasped, trying to get oxygen from the dying air. -He read the gauges with incredulous eyes, then came to his feet and -lurched down the corridor. He swung through the door of the tank room, -swayed there, his eyes straining into the semi-darkness.</p> - -<p>And a terrible scream ripped at his constricted throat. For he knew -then the thing that Headley would shortly discover. The pools of -semi-frozen liquid on Uranus were of liquid oxygen—and the animals in -those pools lived on pure oxygen.</p> - -<p>Even as he watched, one animal turned from the last tank of oxygen, ran -frantically about on short legs, then collapsed, its split mouth gaping -in death.</p> - -<p>Caxton screamed, felt nausea cramping at his body. He remembered then -the liquid into which he had rolled Headley's body, and he knew the -other man would live to see Earth again. And he knew then that the -animals in the ship had used in minutes the life-giving gas that should -have lasted for days.</p> - -<p>And even as he screamed, he fell. And the last sight he had was of the -rock-animals' split mouths laughing at him and his plans in an awful -mocking silence.</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Destination--Death, by Wilbur S. Peacock - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DESTINATION--DEATH *** - -***** This file should be named 62443-h.htm or 62443-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/2/4/4/62443/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive -specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this -eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook -for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, -performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given -away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the -trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no - restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it - under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this - eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you - are located before using this ebook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its -volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous -locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt -Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - - - -</pre> - -</body> -</html> diff --git a/old/62443-h/images/cover.jpg b/old/62443-h/images/cover.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 3c714be..0000000 --- a/old/62443-h/images/cover.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/62443-h/images/illus.jpg b/old/62443-h/images/illus.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index ff394b5..0000000 --- a/old/62443-h/images/illus.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/62443.txt b/old/62443.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 49219cd..0000000 --- a/old/62443.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,891 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Destination--Death, by Wilbur S. Peacock - -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: Destination--Death - -Author: Wilbur S. Peacock - -Release Date: June 21, 2020 [EBook #62443] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DESTINATION--DEATH *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - Destination--Death - - By WILBUR S. PEACOCK - - One man had to die on Uranus' frozen - crust, so that the other might - live--and Bart Caxton had a gun. - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Planet Stories Winter 1943. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -The yellow gauge clicked with a tiny sound, and the oxygen tank went -dry. The relay ratchetted slowly, automatically coupled on the next -tank, and the needle on the gauge climbed to high-pressure again. - -Bart Caxton watched the needle swing, and beads of perspiration rode -high on his cheekbones. He twisted the metal mug in his hands, and his -voice was ragged with welling emotion. - -"Three weeks," he said viciously. "And we're five weeks from the -shipping lanes. There isn't enough oxygen to carry us back." - -"Shut up!" Tom Headley's tone was thin with suppressed anger. "All the -damned talking in the world won't change things. We've got to land now, -have got to find the _kronalium_, or we'll never get back." - -He leaned against the wall, searching the cloud-shrouded ground below -the ship, feeling the uneven drumming of the rockets driving the ship -forward. Nerves crawled his back, and sweat slimed his hands. He -shuddered, imagining the horrors that might lie below. - -The mug banged against the floor, and Caxton was standing, -half-crouched, his heavy face set and stony, his hands riding the butts -of his twin dis-guns. - -"I say we go back," he snarled through set teeth. - -Headley laughed, and the sound was the only thing that could have -broken the tension of the moment. He tilted his head and laughed until -the tears ran from his eyes; and slowly the rage faded from Caxton's -face, and his shoulders sagged in weary futility. - -"Okay, you win," Caxton said sullenly. "I know I can't force you to -turn around, since you're the only one of us that can recognize and -work _kronalium_ for the stern jets. But," and his eyes were swirling -pools of flaming hate. "When we do get back, I'm going to blow a hole -through your back some night." - -Tom Headley turned away, the fear piling in his mind until it was a -choking cloud that stifled all thought. - -"_If_ we get back," he said dully. - - * * * * * - -He slid his hands over the control panel, adjusting the studs and -levers with a delicate familiarity, striving to bring another ounce of -power from the single rocket-bank that still functioned. But there was -only the uneven beat of the rockets vibrating the floor as they had -done for three days now, and no adjustment of the controls could make -them function better. - -Bart Caxton sat again, fumbled a cigarette from his pocket, then -dropped it to the floor. His face was white beneath its tan, and there -was a haunted desperation in the tightness of his bulky body. - -"How long will it take?" he asked. "Will we make it back to Earth -before--" His voice thickened. "--before we smother to death?" - -Tom Headley shrugged. "It'll be tight," he said slowly. "We'll be on -half oxygen-rations the full trip back. But it can be done; I went -three months on half-rations once--and then got drunk on Earth's air -for two days after I landed." - -"To hell with you and your fancy trips!" The madness was building again -in Caxton's mind. "You've been everywhere--but you ain't been _here_; -you don't know what Uranus is like, nobody does." - -He lunged to his feet, pressed close to the port. His breath clouded -the quartzite pane, and he polished the glass impatiently. - -"Look at that," he said thinly. "That's the place we were going to -explore; that's the place where it is so cold and the pressure so -great, air collapses and can't be breathed. We were going to do what -the early explorers failed to do; try to find life and minerals. They -failed because their space suits could not stand the cold. Now we'll be -marooned there because a damned meteor busted our stern rockets all to -hell!" - -"Don't blame _me_ for that," Headley said, and instantly regretted the -words. - -"_Okay!_" Caxton spun back to his seat. "I let the force-screen die for -a couple of hours while I slept. But don't think I'm taking the blame -for the whole mess, even at that. This was your screwy idea." - -Headley nodded. "If we succeed, our reputations will be big enough to -gain us backing for almost anything." He grinned, and some of the fear -was gone from his mind. "Hell, what if we are cooped up here for a -few days? I'll fix the rockets, we'll do a bit of exploring, and then -high-tail it back for more oxygen. We'll live in vac-suits and save our -air; and the suits hold enough rations to last us for three months." - -"And if the rockets aren't fixed?" - -Tom Headley forced the thought from his mind. "They'll be fixed," he -said quietly. - -Bart Caxton slumped into a sullen silence, his slitted eyes watching -the profile of his companion. Slowly, cunning crept into his face, and -his right hand slid along his thigh toward one belt-gun. - -"I wouldn't," Headley said without moving. "You can't fix the ship, and -help won't be sent for us for at least three months. A man couldn't -live that long, on the oxygen we have left, I don't believe." - -"I might make the oxygen last for _me_ until I got back to a regular -traffic lane." - -Headley swung about, and anger paled his face. "Damn it, Caxton," he -said brittlely, "_we'll_ get out of this! Probably, because of the -pressure and cold on the planet, we'll find frozen air which can be -thawed out; we'll look for it along with the _kronalium_." He watched -the stillness of his partner's hand. "Murder won't solve anything!" he -finished softly. - -Bart Caxton nodded slowly. "Sorry, Headley," he said. "It's just that -I've never been in a jam like this before." - -Tom Headley grinned. "We'll see it through--together," he said. - -"Okay!" Caxton's tone was sullenly agreeable, but small fires of -cunning still swirled in his eyes. - -"Get ready for a shock-landing," Headley said relievedly, reached for -the controls. - - * * * * * - -The icy wind roared like ten million furies about the grounded -ship, sucking up the powdery snow, smashing it against the gleaming -alumisteel hull. Great boulders of snow and ice tumbled playfully about -the rubbly landscape, splashed in foamy explosions into the semi-frozen -pools of liquid that dotted the planet's surface. - -Tom Headley shivered involuntarily, turned back from the port. - -"Colder than the hinges of hell out there," he said worriedly. "I can -understand how the first crude vac-suits couldn't stand up for very -long." - -"Yeah!" Caxton glanced up from sealing the zipper slit at the front of -his suit. "I only hope these suits can take it." - -"They can; they're made for absolute-zero work in space. Here, the only -trouble lies in the super-gravity and the wind. Either might rupture -the outfits." - -Caxton watched snow pile against a huge boulder, then saw it whisked -instantly away by the force of the wind. He glanced at his vac-suit -against the wall, and fear rode the sullenness of his eyes. - -"Who's going out to do the exploring?" - -Headley smiled from where he tugged on his suit. "Both of us," he said -cheerfully. "We'll stay together with a shock-line; then if one of us -is injured, the other can help him back to the ship." - -He shrugged his shoulders into the suit, closed the air-tight zipper. -Caxton turned slowly, lifted his suit, carefully fitted it to his -stocky body. His fingers shook slightly, and his face was white. - -Tom Headley watched his partner silently for a moment, then shrugged -and checked the oxy-cylinder pressure-gauge. The needle pressed tight -against its rest-pin. He lifted the glassite helmet, swung it idly in -his hand for a moment. He knew the grimness of the moment, knew that -the tank on his back held less than six hours of life-saving oxygen. -When that was gone, if he were not back at the ship, he would die. A -wry smile lifted the corners of his mobile mouth. Within the suit were -enough concentrates and vitamin capsules to last him for months, and -a special apparatus made it possible for water to be drawn from the -air he breathed. He grinned at the thought; without air, the rest was -superfluous. - -"Okay," Caxton said finally, "let's take a look." He slipped on the -helmet, cogged it to his shoulder-plates, left the visi-port open. -Cunning still burned in his eyes, and his gaze dropped when he caught -the full impact of Headley's distrust. - -Headley locked on his helmet, cogged the port shut, tested his radio. -Caxton answered shortly, shut his visi-ports and both turned to the -entrance of the ship. - -Metal squealed beneath Headley's hands; then the cogs were loose. -Headley braced his shoulder against the port, strained mightily, was -joined by his partner. Together, their strength was sufficient to force -the door open against pressure of the air outside. - - * * * * * - -The air gushed in with incredible force, shoved the men forcefully -against the metal wall, then subsided as the pressure was equalized. -Headley stepped forward, felt the icy crystals of snow tapping against -his suit. He thrust one arm through the port, gasped, as gravity jerked -it groundward. He leaned back, sighed. Inside the ship, with its -inertia-stasis gravity, normal movement was possible; but outside, with -the super-gravity, even slow walking would be a job. - -"Set your suit control for three graves," he ordered. "That way, we'll -have enough weight to stay on the ground, and will still be able to -move." - -Bart Caxton growled an unintelligible reply, drew his right arm from -the semi-rigid sleeve of his suit, made an adjustment on the suit's -control-panel. Instantly, weight descended with pile-driving force, and -muscles corded in his legs to counteract the tripled gravity. - -Headley adjusted his gravity control, then connected himself to Caxton -with a ten-foot length of cable. Carefully, he lowered himself from the -port, stood erect in the howling wind and snow, waited until Caxton -had clambered down to his side. Reaching upward, they closed the port, -leaving it uncogged, so that they could easily reenter. - -Headley checked his radi-compass bearings, then braced the full force -of the wind, Caxton pressing forward at his side. They struggled toward -the ice-sheathed cliff a hundred yards away, each step an agony of -effort, clumsily dodging a huge boulder that rolled a lazy path of -death toward them. - -Snow smashed at them, made vision difficult, went whirling away. -Even through the radi-heated layers of their suits, they could feel -the implacable cold plucking at their lives with skeletal fingers of -death. Minutes passed, as they fought through the drifting snow, each -minute an age of effort; and when Headley glanced back, he felt a -vague surprise to find that they had travelled so short a distance. He -grinned at Caxton. - -"Like trying to run in a slow-motion dream," he said, frowned slightly -when he heard his partner's sullen growl of acknowledgment. - -They struggled forward again, approaching the cliff of ice and rock -that towered overhead. Headley splashed heedlessly through a small pool -of semi-liquid, halted with a tiny cry of excitement. - -"Look!" he said. "That rock's alive." - -Bart Caxton tilted his gaze to where several clay-colored rocks lay at -the edge of the pool. - -"You're nuts," he said. "They're just rocks." - -"I'll swear I saw one move out of the way of my foot," Headley insisted -stubbornly, bent and lifted the first of the rocks. - -It was heavy in his hands, and he had the uncanny sensation that -it squirmed impatiently as he lifted it. He examined it carefully, -ignoring Caxton's impatient words for them to hurry. And even as he -watched, he saw the living rock split in his hands, opening down the -side, disclosing gill-like fringed flesh that looked like slivers of -whitish ice. - -"_It is alive!_" he exclaimed excitedly, then dropped the stone as -sudden giddiness clutched at his senses. - -Caxton caught at his drooping body. "What's wrong?" he snapped. - -Headley blinked his eyes. "Nothing!" he disclaimed. "Just a combination -of pressure and lack of oxygen." He reached for his suit's panel, -opened the oxygen valve another quarter turn. - -He shook his head slightly, then bent to study the rock he had dropped. -It had not moved, nor had its mouth-like opening closed. It lay at his -feet in the shallow liquid, resembling nothing more than a ruptured -rock. - -"To hell with it!" Caxton said disagreeably. "Let's find the -_kronalium_." - -Headley nodded, stumbled after Caxton. But jubilation was in his heart. -When he and Caxton returned, they would take back several of the -rock-creatures as living proof of the success of their mission. - -He glanced back, saw squat legs flick from the opening in the rock, -saw the creature scurry back to the few others of its kind that rested -at the side of the semi-frozen pool of liquid. He grinned again, then -pressed forward to lead the way to the cliff. - - * * * * * - -They rested in the lee of the escarpment, safe from the howling wind, -huddling out of the way of the rocks and snow-clots that went spinning -by from the fury of the storm. - -"Now what?" Caxton asked. - -Tom Headley glanced at the gauges below the level of his chin, watched -the needles carefully. - -"God!" he said. "This place is a storehouse of minerals and elements. -We'll have no trouble getting money for an expedition." - -"Damn it!" Rage knotted Caxton's voice until it was a thin screech. -"Who cares about that; do you find any traces of _kronalium_?" - -Headley watched a single dial, turned slowly, studying the line of -cliff-base at his left. "Close by," he said. "It must be a big deposit, -for the needle doesn't waver." - -"Then let's get to it!" Caxton came to his feet, towered over his -squatting partner. - -Headley struggled upright, fighting the super-gravity, led the way down -the edge of the escarpment. Time and again, he fell, tripped by the -gravity, whirled aside by the smashing wind. Each time, he struggled -erect, forced himself to go forward again. - -He watched the needle floating in its case, followed its point -unerringly toward a shallow recess in the cliff's base. Using his belt -pick, he chopped at the layer of ice and snow, let out a shout of -relief when a strip of reddish metal appeared. - -"This is it," he announced. "Now the repair job will be simple." - -Bart Caxton nodded, seeing the metal, and for a brief second his hand -hovered over the single gun strapped to his suit. Then he relaxed, -caught his pick in his right hand, bent forward to help smash away -great chunks of the metal. - -"It's almost anticlimactic," he said shortly, "finding this stuff so -easily." - -Tom Headley grinned. "It would have been more anticlimactic," he said, -"not to have found it. I've found _traces_ of it on every planet I've -visited." - -Then they worked without further conversation, digging loose a great -pile of the metal, making staggering trips to the ship with the -precious element that was the only metal with which their rocket tubes -could be repaired. Hours later, they cogged the port shut on their -ship, exhausted the tainted air, released a breathable atmosphere. - -Out of their suits, they ate a quick meal, began the task of smelting -the _kronalium_ so that it would fit the wrecked drive mechanism at -the rear of the ship. Headley worked with the quiet sureness of a -man whose life had been self-sufficient; Caxton worked with the grim -doggedness of a man who knows that his life hinges upon his speed in -working. - - * * * * * - -They worked in shifts, eating and sleeping when they could, Caxton -doing the crude work, Headley putting the final touches upon the -delicate task that was theirs. - -And forty hours later they stood in admiration of the job they had -done. New metal tubes glowed redly in the light of the radi-lamps, -ready to send the ship hurtling back toward inhabited space. They still -sparkled from the heat generated when Headley had given them a trial -burst of power. - -"And that's that," Headley said. His face was grim and lined, and his -smile was a trifle forced. - -Bart Caxton nodded, but his eyes were on the bank of dials that -indicated the quantity of oxygen still aboard the ship. His lips were -thin, and his eyes blank, as he made swift calculations in his chaotic -mind. - -"Let's blast off," he said. - -Tom Headley grinned. "Not yet," he said. "There's five hundred pounds -of _kronalium_ back there that we're taking along. And I want several -of those rock animals for living proof that we've been here." - -Anger distorted Caxton's features. His hand sought the gun at his -waist, then dropped beneath the steadiness of Headley's gaze. - -"All right," he agreed sullenly. "But let's hurry." - -Five trips they made, carrying the metal back to the ship, knowing that -each trip made them more wealthy, so scarce was the metal in great -quantities. - -And then, on the sixth trip, Caxton snatched the single gun from -Headley's waist. He laughed as he did so, and the sound was thin and -strained with triumph. - -"It's you or me, Headley," he snarled. "And I figure it's going to be -me." - -Headley felt horror welling into his mind, but he forced his voice to -be absolutely calm and unemotional. - -"Don't be a fool, man," he said. "Both of us can make it back, by going -on short oxy-rations." - -Caxton shook his head. "_I'm_ going back," he said viciously. "I'm -taking the ship, the _kronalium_, and a couple of those damned animals -for evidence. I'll say that you died on Uranus." His voice was suddenly -flat and deadly. "_Sucker!_" - -A cone of blackness flared from the gun in his hand, caught Tom -Headley, dropped him in his tracks. He twitched silently, lay where he -had fallen, his right arm splashing liquid from the tiny pool at his -feet. - -[Illustration: _A cone of blackness dropped Headley in his tracks._] - -Bart Caxton tossed the gun aside, leaned over, unscrewed the hinged -valve on Headley's oxygen tank, then callously dumped the unconscious -man into the pool. - -Then, without another glance at the body submerged in the pool, Caxton -caught up three of the living rocks, turned and fought his way back to -the ship. He stood for a moment in the ship's port, staring bleakly at -the pool where the dying body of his partner lay. Then he slammed the -port, cogged it shut. - -He laid the rock animals in a dark corner of the tank room, then walked -heavily back to the control room and removed his suit. Grinning, he -sank into the pilot's seat, and his hands raced over the controls. - -Rockets drummed, and the ship fled into space on a tail of flaming -gasses. - -Bart Caxton watched the gauges, then reached out and adjusted the -oxygen valve. He would have to go on three-quarters' rations, but there -would still be oxygen left when he struck the spacelanes. - - * * * * * - -And back on Uranus, Tom Headley stirred out of his unconsciousness. -He gasped, struggled to his feet. Metal banged on his shoulder, and a -reaching hand found the opened valve. He instinctively screwed it shut, -dull horror and terror piling in his mind. - -He knew that he had but seconds to live, and the utter futility of his -predicament made the situation even more horrible. True, he had his -radio--but its range was less than a hundred miles; it would bring -rescue only if a rescue party landed. He laughed a bit, grimly, -ironically, remembering the great supply of food tablets that were in -his suit. All that he lacked to live was air. - -Then he frowned, seeing the oxygen gauge in his suit. The needle -pressed tight against its stop-post. He tapped it, then checked another -gauge. And sudden understanding came to his eyes--and he fought against -the hysterical laughter that filled his throat. - -Bart Caxton had failed in his murder attempt. - -For Tom Headley's shoulder tank was full of liquid oxygen. He had -fallen into a pool of oxygen, liquesced by the tremendous pressure of -Uranus, and the pressure of the atmosphere had forced the oxygen into -his tank. - -Now there were but the interminable weeks of waiting that were to come -before a rescue expedition was sent to save him. - - * * * * * - -And on the ship speeding back to the spacelanes, Bart Caxton clawed at -his shirt collar. He gasped, trying to get oxygen from the dying air. -He read the gauges with incredulous eyes, then came to his feet and -lurched down the corridor. He swung through the door of the tank room, -swayed there, his eyes straining into the semi-darkness. - -And a terrible scream ripped at his constricted throat. For he knew -then the thing that Headley would shortly discover. The pools of -semi-frozen liquid on Uranus were of liquid oxygen--and the animals in -those pools lived on pure oxygen. - -Even as he watched, one animal turned from the last tank of oxygen, ran -frantically about on short legs, then collapsed, its split mouth gaping -in death. - -Caxton screamed, felt nausea cramping at his body. He remembered then -the liquid into which he had rolled Headley's body, and he knew the -other man would live to see Earth again. And he knew then that the -animals in the ship had used in minutes the life-giving gas that should -have lasted for days. - -And even as he screamed, he fell. And the last sight he had was of the -rock-animals' split mouths laughing at him and his plans in an awful -mocking silence. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Destination--Death, by Wilbur S. Peacock - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DESTINATION--DEATH *** - -***** This file should be named 62443.txt or 62443.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/2/4/4/62443/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive -specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this -eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook -for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, -performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given -away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the -trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no - restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it - under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this - eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you - are located before using this ebook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its -volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous -locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt -Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - diff --git a/old/62443.zip b/old/62443.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 3a99e09..0000000 --- a/old/62443.zip +++ /dev/null |
