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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..dabed9c --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #68700 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/68700) diff --git a/old/68700-0.txt b/old/68700-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index fb2fcf3..0000000 --- a/old/68700-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,938 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Ring bonanza, by Otto Binder - -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 -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Ring bonanza - -Author: Otto Binder - -Release Date: August 6, 2022 [eBook #68700] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RING BONANZA *** - - - - - - THE RING BONANZA - - By OTTO BINDER - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Startling Stories, July 1947. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -The rings of Saturn stretched like a level sheet in all directions, -though actually composed of millions of tiny bodies. Homer Timkin -carefully braked with the nose rockets till he floated motionlessly -with respect to the ring's own rotary motion around its primary. Then -he eagerly donned his vac-suit. - -Had he struck it rich this time? Through his binoculars, a moment -ago, he had seen the glint of one small jagged lump among the ring -debris--and it had glinted like gold or silver. There was vast treasure -among the rings, if one could find it.... - -In his vac-suit he used his reaction pistol to propel him down toward -the glinting mass. In his eagerness, he almost failed to see the other -ring body which now hurtled up, pursuing its own independent orbit -within the grander sweep of the rings. - -Timkin braked with his reaction pistol only in time to let the marauder -lumber past, scraping his foot. He let out his breath with a hiss. -That had been close. Many a ring prospector never returned to the -Titan docks, because of some such accident as this, creeping up on you -unawares. - -More than prospecting in earth's out-of-the-way spots had ever been -it was a hazardous occupation among Saturn's rings. But it had its -enticing rewards and lures. Some prospectors returned with a load of -precious metals or uncut virgin diamonds that made them rich for life. - -Timkin reached the glinting body he had previously spied. It was -irregular in shape, some five feet in its greatest diameter. And it had -a yellow tinge in the soft light shed by huge Saturn over his shoulder. -Timkin permitted himself wild hope as he chipped off a piece with his -belt pick. He held the chip up to his glassine visor, squinting at the -grain. - -His face fell slack. - -"Fool's gold!" he muttered, flinging the piece away in a small fury. - -It was just pyrites, worth a few cents a pound in the market and not -worth the hauling. Timkin sat down on the miniature worldlet and cursed -all the gods of luck and ill luck. He had been out a month now, and no -bonanza. Of course, it had been so for the past ten years. Each year -the old prospector hoped for his big find, and each year he only eked -out a precarious living, picking up odd bits from the rings. - -He looked with bleary eye over the plane of the rings, stretching -vastly in all directions. Timkin was not young any more. His lean spare -body could not stand the rigors of space much longer. His leathery, -seamed face showed the strain of countless near-escapes from death. If -he didn't strike it rich this trip he'd have to retire--poor. He'd be -one of those derelicts, haunting the Titan docks and mooching meals. - -He shuddered. - -Hopelessly, he watched the endless parade of the rings. By far the most -of their expanse was just worthless rock. Then he saw a jet black lump -not far off. It was coal. Timkin grinned mirthlessly. - -Coal had been used as an industrial fuel and chemical storehouse some -200 years ago. Today it was no more than a curiosity in museums. That -was his luck--spotting things in the rings that would barely pay the -expenses of his trip. - -As he sat he also saw a whitish mass further along--fossil bones. And -nearby, a dully shining angular object, probably a bit of machinery. - -Sighing, Timkin got up. "Got to make expenses," he muttered. "Might as -well collect those odds and ends." - -His reaction pistol took him to the lump of coal. It was four feet in -diameter but in weightless space it was no strain for Timkin to push it -toward his ship and stow it through the back lock into the hold. - -Then he went back for the space-bleached bones. Theory had it that -there had once been a moon of Saturn within two-and-a-half diameters -of the giant planet. Gravitational stresses had then exploded the moon -into countless fragments, which took up the same orbit after spreading -out and thus came to be the unique rings. - - * * * * * - -Seemingly, there had once been life, and civilization, on the destroyed -moon. Fossil bones, once buried within the moon's crust, now floated -within the ring debris--and bits of machinery of some vanished and -unknown race. There was no oxygen or moisture in space to rust them and -thus the metal remained perfectly preserved through eons of time. - -Timkin looked musingly at the bones, as he shoved them to his ship. -They made up part of the skeleton of an ancient creature that possibly -resembled an earthly tiger. The Saturn Archeological Museum would pay -five SS-dollars for this--Solar System Dollars, the standard currency. -Not too bad. - -Finally, Timkin got the bit of machinery. It consisted of a broken -portion of a huge cogged wheel with dangling wires and bits of other -enigmatic mechanical devices. Timkin wondered just how advanced the -people had been who once inhabited the first moon. That was something -even the experts didn't know with the few poor clues they had collected. - -For a moment, Timkin's imagination wandered. He pictured life on the -first moon, before the debacle. Towering cities--humming wheels--busy, -industrious people. Then, abruptly, their world cracking apart, into a -billion bits. And now only this remained ... the rings of Saturn. - -As Timkin brought the broken wheel to his ship he took one last look -around and saw another museum item. It had circled in slow gyrations -and come into view from the back of his ship. Timkin got that too, -perhaps the most intriguing find of the lot, for it was a stone with -mysterious "writing" on it. The museum had quite a collection of such -stones, evidently parts of temples or buildings. - -Seemingly the people of the first moon had inscribed most of their -stone walls with their writings. But these writings had never been -translated. They were a riddle that baffled the best archeological -minds of the System. - -He also put this carved stone in the hold. - -"Huh," he grunted. "I'm just a scavenger for the museum, that's what I -am." - -Timkin looked over the things crammed in his hold, gleaned from the -rings for a month. Their total value would possibly pay for the trip -with a few SS-dollars to spare. Yet one find of gold or precious stone -and he would dump the whole mess out and be far the richer. - -Growling to himself, Timkin took off his vac-suit and went to the -controls. He debated. He still had food and fuel enough for three days -before he had to return to the Titan docks. What should he do? - -"I'm going to the Crêpe Ring," he finally told himself. "I had no luck -in Rings A and B, so why not try C just to play it out to the finish?" - -Timkin had started, a month ago, at the outer ring--Ring A. This -portion of the rings had an outer diameter of 171,000 miles and -extended inward toward Saturn for 11,100 miles. - -Then there was a separation of 2,200 miles between rings A and B named -Cassini's Division when first seen through earthly telescopes centuries -ago. - -Ring B was 145,000 miles, outer diameter, and some 18,000 miles wide. -Another space of 1000 miles and then came Ring C or the Crêpe Ring, -11,000 miles wide. So had the rings of Saturn distributed themselves, -under the laws of gravitation, when the first moon exploded ages -before. The first moon had not been large, for the total mass of all -the rings was estimated at no more than one-quarter of earth's moon. - -Timkin urged his old rattletrap _Jetabout_ up from the plane of -the rings till he had a clear path before him and then jetted -straight toward mighty Saturn, which hung in the sky like a bloated, -vari-colored marble. - -He crossed the narrow empty space between Rings B and C and finally -cruised over the outer edges of the Crêpe Ring. Saturn was only 17,000 -miles distant and Timkin could feel the faint tug of its powerful -gravitation. - -"Now," Timkin said between set teeth, "let's see if I have any luck. -I've got three days to nose around through the Crêpe Ring, searching. I -know there's gold or diamonds ahead ... if I can just stumble on them." - - * * * * * - -As he slowly cruised above the Crêpe Ring, with his binoculars to his -eyes, Timkin munched a sandwich and now and then took a swig of coffee. -In all their explorations of other worlds earthmen had never found any -beverage better than time-honored coffee, though the Martians tried -hard to sell a green-tinted product called _tukka_. - -Timkin's hand gave a little jerk, and his binoculars wavered. Watching -him one would have thought he had spied something exciting--like gold. -But it was something else, almost equally as startling.... - -"Another _Jetabout_!" Timkin murmured. "Gave me a start, seeing it so -suddenly." - -It was a rare event when two wandering _Jetabouts_ happened to cross -paths in the vast area of the rings, almost like two explorers in the -heart of Africa meeting each other. Timkin grinned humorlessly. - -"Another chump!" he thought. "He wouldn't have a bonanza, or he'd be -streaking back for Titan. He's cruising and looking for something like -me." - -Timkin flashed his heliograph, reflecting the light of Saturn, at the -other ship. An answering greeting flashed back. Timkin watched it as it -kept going on its course and slowly faded into distance. He felt less -lonely for a moment. - -Timkin went back to his scanning of the ring bodies with his glasses. -He saw another lump of coal but was too wearied at the thought of -donning his vac-suit for it, and let it go by under him. It was -not till a minute later that he snapped to attention. For now he -remembered, belatedly, that he had also seen a yellow glow near the -black coal. - -"Day-dreaming, that's what I was!" he yelled, hastily braking and -spinning the _Jetabout_ around. "If that was gold, and I don't find it -again, I'll...." - -It was not easy to backtrack in the rings, and find a certain spot you -had passed over. The rings were constantly in motion, in their orbit -around Saturn. And each body in the rings had its own private motion in -respect to the others. Some gyrated fantastically around others. - -A huge body might in turn exert enough gravitation of its own to hold -smaller bodies in its grip, and force them to become its "moons." And -these satellites then perturbed nearby bodies, causing them to weave -and shuttle within the ring. - -In short, any body in the ring might shift position enough in the space -of a minute or two to be lost forever. - -Timkin shot back to the coal lump. Yes, the coal lump was there, not -having a complicated private motion. But where was the yellow lump that -his blind eyes had seen--and ignored? There were a hundred other little -bodies around the coal lump and to look them all over one by one.... - -Timkin's heart sank to its lowest ebb before suddenly he saw the yellow -glint again. Then, thankfully, he shot the _Jetabout_ over it and -hovered, locking the controls. Minutes later in his vac-suit he was -propelling himself down to the yellow lump via reaction pistol. - -"It's only fool's gold, of course," he told himself to calm his -wildly racing pulse. "Just think of it as fool's gold, so you won't -be disappointed again. Or it could be cheap copper. So don't get -excited--yet." - -Timkin reached the yellow body, fumbled with his pick and finally -chipped off a piece. He noticed it sheared off under the hard pick, -rather than chipped. He dared to hope it was soft gold. And when he -held the bit to his visor.... - -"Gold!" - -He said the one word quietly. Then he sat down on the lump, shaken. - -"Gold," he repeated. "I hit it--gold! My bonanza! My dream for ten -years!" - -It was minutes before he could control his shaking nerves and allow -the warm glow of exultation to spread through him like wine, giving -him new strength. He arose and, like a bird, made a circle around the -lump, using his reaction pistol. He estimated its weight as a thousand -pounds, earth measure. Then he stopped to stand on it again, a king on -an island. - -"Of course, it ain't pure gold," Timkin told himself. "But it looks -like about fifty percent pure. They say the first moon before it -exploded didn't have many seas to dissolve and thin out ore deposits. -So I can figure about five hundred pounds of gold. At the pegged rate -of thirty-seven SS-dollars an ounce...." - -Timkin's head was too light and buzzy to reach the total. - -"But I'm rich," he exulted. "Filthy rich. Gold is even more valuable -today than it used to be on earth in the old days." - - * * * * * - -Timkin was right. Contrary to all fanciful and unfounded predictions, -gold had never lost its value. True, the nations of earth had all gone -off the gold-standard in the 20th century and for a while gold was a -forgotten metal, buried in vaults. - -But then it came into its own as one of the most non-corrodable metals. -When space travel came into being, an alloy of gold became the standard -coating for all equipment used on other worlds, some of which had -noxious atmospheres that could rust iron or copper in days to worthless -dust. - -But gold in its alloy-hardened form defied the worst other worlds had -to offer. Thereupon gold became a metal of commerce and its value rose -even higher than its one-time value as a money standard. - -And so, with his find of gold, Homer Timkin was as suddenly wealthy as -any Spanish explorer of the New World, back in earth's past. - -"It's sure going to be a pleasure," crowed Timkin, "to drag this lump -of gold back to Titan!" - -"Yeh, it is--for _me_!" - -Timkin jumped at the sound of the voice behind him, coming out of -nowhere. He turned, gaping, to see another man in a vac-suit slowly -approaching, with a reaction pistol. Timkin could see the newcomer's -_Jetabout_ now, parked alongside his own. Timkin had been too engrossed -in his find to see the approach of the ship. - -"Huck Larsoe!" said Timkin in recognition for he knew all the other -prospectors back at the Titan docks. - -"Yeh, Timkin," returned Huck Larsoe, grinning. "I was the _Jetabout_ -that passed you a while ago. Just before you went out of my sight, I -saw your ship suddenly scoot on a backtrack. That spelled a find to me! -So I turned and came back, and followed you up." - -Timkin didn't like it. Huck Larsoe was a younger man and filled out -his vac-suit with a powerful, hulking body. His stubble of unshaven -black beard formed an unkempt fringe to the hard-bitten face that -peered out of the visor. There was something in his cold grey eyes -that froze Timkin. There was such a thing as claim-jumping here in the -lawless territory of the rings. - -"You sure struck it rich," Huck Larsoe went on. "But maybe you didn't -hear me before. I said it was lucky--for _me_!" - -"Y-you can't take this from me," Timkin began, his voice tinny as it -came out of the chin-transmitter to impinge on the radio vibrators at -Larsoe's ears. "It's mine! I found it!" - -"Sure, you found it," agreed Larsoe. "But I'm taking it away from you, -see?" - -"No!" shrilled Timkin. "That's plain robbery--piracy! I'll tell the -police back at Titan." - -Larsoe leered. "And what witnesses have you got? You and me are the -only two humans around here for 50,000 miles. It'll be your word -against mine back at Titan. If I say I found it myself and you're -trying to cut in on it they'll have to believe me. Because _I'll_ have -the gold." - -Timkin had no weapon. The reaction "pistol" was not a weapon at all, -merely a device for moving in space by means of short, harmless rocket -blasts. He struggled against the bigger man. Larsoe laughed as he gave -the slighter man a shove that sent him spinning off the lump and almost -into another ring body with jagged edges. - -[Illustration: Larsoe laughed as he gave the slighter man a shove.] - -Then, still laughing, Huck Larsoe shoved the mass of gold to his own -ship, his reaction pistol streaming red flame behind him. He turned his -mocking face. - -"I ain't even going to kill you, Timkin, like I could. No need going -to the trouble. It's still your word against mine, back at Titan. You -ain't got a ghost of a chance to _prove_ this is your find." - -Slowly Timkin rocketed back to his own ship. He watched Larsoe stow the -gold in his hold and cast out a mess of fossil bones, lumps of coal, -bits of machinery and pieces of carved stone. - -"Here, Timkin," Larsoe chortled. "You can have this other junk of mine -now. It'll help you pay for your trip, anyways. See? I ain't such a bad -guy at heart." - -And with a mocking laugh, Larsoe slipped into his cabin lock. A moment -later his ship rocketed away and was lost in black space, leaving a -broken old man behind. - -Timkin floated beside his ship for long bitter minutes without the -energy to do anything. Ten years of searching and hope wasted--ten -years of hardship and toil. Fate had at last rewarded him with a -magnificent bonanza--and then had kicked him in the teeth. - -Timkin was on the verge of madness. For a moment he thought of opening -his reaction pistol wide, gunning straight for the ring bodies and -seeking peace and eternal rest there. - - * * * * * - -But then, shudderingly, he brought himself back to sanity. The will -to live triumphed as it did in all living creatures in the universe. -He looked at the stuff which Larsoe had cast from his ship, which was -slowly drifting away, scattering. - -Rousing himself, Timkin began collecting it and stowing it in his hold. -No need to let the stuff go, even if it was a mocking gift from the -hated thief. He still had to make a profit on the trip. - -Timkin held one carved stone in his hand for a moment, staring at its -ancient writings. It was a triangular piece and seemed to have two sets -of writing on it. To keep his mind from plunging into black despair -Timkin tried to picture again the ancient civilization of the first -moon. - -But a slight huddled figure sobbed aloud at the controls as the -_Jetabout_ left the rings and aimed for Titan. - -At the Titan docks two days later Homer Timkin was calm and resigned. -There was nothing he could do. No use to put in a complaint against -Huck Larsoe, to the police. As Larsoe had said, it was one man's word -against another's. With no witnesses the legal battle could only end -with Larsoe the winner. - -Sighing, Timkin hired a rocket truck and piled the museum stuff aboard -and drove to the center of Titan City. Here the Saturn Archeological -Museum reared, stately and imposing on its marble pillars. - -Timkin drove to the service entrance and rang the bell. An elderly man -answered and flashed a smile of greeting. - -"Well, Timkin again," he said. "Back with another load of relics from -the rings? I take it you didn't hit any bonanza then, eh?" - -"Well, I--" Timkin stopped. No need to go into his story, and broadcast -his shame and misery to the universe. "No, Professor Blick. No -bonanza. But I've got a load of stuff for you to look over for your -museum." - -Professor Blick, adjusting his thick glasses, came out and looked over -each item as Timkin took it off the truck. - -"Our prices are still standard, Timkin," he said. "Two SS-dollars for a -specimen of coal. Three for fossil bones. Five for bits of machinery. -And ten for the carved stones." - -"Why," asked Timkin curiously, "do you pay more for the stones than -anything?" - -"Because if they could speak they would tell us far more about the -ancient civilization of the first moon, than any of the other items. We -have a sizeable collection now. We can't translate the writing yet. But -some day we're going to find the Rosetta Stone that will give us the -clue and open up the whole vast story." - -"Rosetta Stone?" Timkin was puzzled. - -The professor went on conversationally. - -"Yes. You see, back on earth many centuries ago, the archeologists -of that time also found carved writings--the ancient records of the -Egyptians. And they too were a riddle. - -"But one day a stone was found with not only Egyptian heiroglyphics -on it but _another language_! The text on this stone had been written -in Egyptian and then copied in the other language. And that second -language--ancient Greek--was _known_! So this enabled all the Egyptian -writing to be translated and...." - -The professor's voice stopped, with a queer gurgle. Timkin stared. He -had just handed him the triangular stone which had been among Larsoe's -"gifts." - -"_Timkin!_" screeched the professor. "This is _it_! This stone has -_two_ sets of writing on it. One is the unknown script of the first -moon. And the other is--oh, thank the stars!--it's early Rhean, _which -is a language we know_!" - -It was all rather confusing for Timkin after that. The professor bawled -at the top of his voice and more men came rushing out. They all fell -to talking as if the greatest event in the history of the universe had -taken place. Timkin hovered on the outskirts of the group, forgotten -for the time being. - -But then all the men turned to him. They looked at him as if he were -some king or some awesome potentate from another star. - -"And there, gentlemen!" said Professor Blick, waving at him, "is the -man who brought the stone back!" - -Timkin was in an agony of embarrassment as one by one the archeologists -came up and shook his hand silently with reverent respect in their -eyes. - -"Professor," pleaded Timkin when this ordeal was over. "I--I want -to get away. Just pay me for the stone, and let me go. If it's -so important to you, maybe you could up the price a little, eh? -Maybe--uh--a hundred dollars?" - -Timkin was amazed at his own audacity. - - * * * * * - -The professor looked at him queerly, almost pityingly, and said slowly, -"One hundred dollars? Timkin, you don't realize the value of this -stone. The museum will make you out a check for _one hundred thousand -SS-dollars_!" - -Timkin stood stunned, unbelieving. - -The professor smiled. - -"Yes, that's what I said--one hundred thousand. If we could afford -it, we'd pay you ten times that. Actually, you see, the stone is -_priceless_. The check will be sent to you. You can go now, Timkin." - -Timkin drove the rocket truck back, in a dream, and passed a red light. -The traffic cop wrote a ticket. - -"That'll cost you twenty-five dollars, bud," he growled. - -Timkin burst out laughing and kept laughing all the way back to the -garage. He was fined 25 dollars. It would have been an economic tragedy -before. Now it was a joke. He could pay a hundred fines like that and -still laugh. - -The next day, when the check arrived at his room, Timkin knew it was -not a dream. The amount was 150,000 dollars. They had even upped the -price voluntarily. - -Timkin went out, with the check in his pocket, and headed for the -_Spaceman's Nook_. He had one more piece of unfinished business to do. -He knew he would find Huck Larsoe there and saw him at a corner table. -Strangely he seemed depressed, not at all like a man who had just -brought in a fortune in gold. - -"Hello, Huck!" - -Larsoe looked up sourly as Timkin sat down cheerfully. - -"Listen, punk, you got nothing on me," he growled. - -"I know," said Timkin. "But why so glum? What did you get for -my--pardon me, _your_--gold bonanza when you cashed it in?" - -Larsoe smashed his fist down on the table, spilling his drink. - -"Don't talk to me about that blasted bonanza!" he roared. "You know -what it was? It was just plain rock with a film of rich gold ore over -it. A fake! A flop! I just got enough out of it to pay expenses and -that's all." - -"Too bad," Timkin grinned, feeling his cup running over. - -"Oh, don't go gloating," said Larsoe. "I still put one over on you. I -took the thing away from you, didn't I?" - -"Sure," agreed Timkin. "But you gave me something back which was -worth--" - -At this moment, Larsoe sat up, as something came over the tavern radio, -working through the hum. An announcer was saying.... - -"--biggest news of the day! The Saturn Museum has just announced the -find of a carved stone, from the rings, which will allow them to -translate all the hitherto unknown writings of the first moon! And in -honor of the man who brought it back from the rings, they have named -it--the _Timkin Stone_!" - -Timkin was shocked himself. His name would reverberate down through -the ages now, attached to a stone as famed as the Rosetta Stone of -earth! - -But the effect on Huck Larsoe was like that of a knife in his heart. He -turned slow, stunned eyes to his companion. - -"Th-the Timkin Stone?" he mumbled. "What--" - -Timkin drew the check out of his pocket and showed it to Larsoe. - -"Yes, I brought it in. Look, they paid me one hundred and fifty -thousand dollars for it. And Huck--I hope you have a strong -heart--Huck, that stone was among the stuff _you_ gave me after -stealing my bonanza!" - -"Then I made the find!" yelled Larsoe. "It's _me_ they should name the -stone after. And you've got to turn over that money to me, Timkin! It's -mine! I found the stone and...." - -Timkin looked him straight in the eye and said quietly, "Any witnesses, -Huck?" - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RING BONANZA *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The Ring bonanza</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Otto Binder</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: August 6, 2022 [eBook #68700]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RING BONANZA ***</div> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>THE RING BONANZA</h1> - -<h2>By OTTO BINDER</h2> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Startling Stories, July 1947.<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 rings of Saturn stretched like a level sheet in all directions, -though actually composed of millions of tiny bodies. Homer Timkin -carefully braked with the nose rockets till he floated motionlessly -with respect to the ring's own rotary motion around its primary. Then -he eagerly donned his vac-suit.</p> - -<p>Had he struck it rich this time? Through his binoculars, a moment -ago, he had seen the glint of one small jagged lump among the ring -debris—and it had glinted like gold or silver. There was vast treasure -among the rings, if one could find it....</p> - -<p>In his vac-suit he used his reaction pistol to propel him down toward -the glinting mass. In his eagerness, he almost failed to see the other -ring body which now hurtled up, pursuing its own independent orbit -within the grander sweep of the rings.</p> - -<p>Timkin braked with his reaction pistol only in time to let the marauder -lumber past, scraping his foot. He let out his breath with a hiss. -That had been close. Many a ring prospector never returned to the -Titan docks, because of some such accident as this, creeping up on you -unawares.</p> - -<p>More than prospecting in earth's out-of-the-way spots had ever been -it was a hazardous occupation among Saturn's rings. But it had its -enticing rewards and lures. Some prospectors returned with a load of -precious metals or uncut virgin diamonds that made them rich for life.</p> - -<p>Timkin reached the glinting body he had previously spied. It was -irregular in shape, some five feet in its greatest diameter. And it had -a yellow tinge in the soft light shed by huge Saturn over his shoulder. -Timkin permitted himself wild hope as he chipped off a piece with his -belt pick. He held the chip up to his glassine visor, squinting at the -grain.</p> - -<p>His face fell slack.</p> - -<p>"Fool's gold!" he muttered, flinging the piece away in a small fury.</p> - -<p>It was just pyrites, worth a few cents a pound in the market and not -worth the hauling. Timkin sat down on the miniature worldlet and cursed -all the gods of luck and ill luck. He had been out a month now, and no -bonanza. Of course, it had been so for the past ten years. Each year -the old prospector hoped for his big find, and each year he only eked -out a precarious living, picking up odd bits from the rings.</p> - -<p>He looked with bleary eye over the plane of the rings, stretching -vastly in all directions. Timkin was not young any more. His lean spare -body could not stand the rigors of space much longer. His leathery, -seamed face showed the strain of countless near-escapes from death. If -he didn't strike it rich this trip he'd have to retire—poor. He'd be -one of those derelicts, haunting the Titan docks and mooching meals.</p> - -<p>He shuddered.</p> - -<p>Hopelessly, he watched the endless parade of the rings. By far the most -of their expanse was just worthless rock. Then he saw a jet black lump -not far off. It was coal. Timkin grinned mirthlessly.</p> - -<p>Coal had been used as an industrial fuel and chemical storehouse some -200 years ago. Today it was no more than a curiosity in museums. That -was his luck—spotting things in the rings that would barely pay the -expenses of his trip.</p> - -<p>As he sat he also saw a whitish mass further along—fossil bones. And -nearby, a dully shining angular object, probably a bit of machinery.</p> - -<p>Sighing, Timkin got up. "Got to make expenses," he muttered. "Might as -well collect those odds and ends."</p> - -<p>His reaction pistol took him to the lump of coal. It was four feet in -diameter but in weightless space it was no strain for Timkin to push it -toward his ship and stow it through the back lock into the hold.</p> - -<p>Then he went back for the space-bleached bones. Theory had it that -there had once been a moon of Saturn within two-and-a-half diameters -of the giant planet. Gravitational stresses had then exploded the moon -into countless fragments, which took up the same orbit after spreading -out and thus came to be the unique rings.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Seemingly, there had once been life, and civilization, on the destroyed -moon. Fossil bones, once buried within the moon's crust, now floated -within the ring debris—and bits of machinery of some vanished and -unknown race. There was no oxygen or moisture in space to rust them and -thus the metal remained perfectly preserved through eons of time.</p> - -<p>Timkin looked musingly at the bones, as he shoved them to his ship. -They made up part of the skeleton of an ancient creature that possibly -resembled an earthly tiger. The Saturn Archeological Museum would pay -five SS-dollars for this—Solar System Dollars, the standard currency. -Not too bad.</p> - -<p>Finally, Timkin got the bit of machinery. It consisted of a broken -portion of a huge cogged wheel with dangling wires and bits of other -enigmatic mechanical devices. Timkin wondered just how advanced the -people had been who once inhabited the first moon. That was something -even the experts didn't know with the few poor clues they had collected.</p> - -<p>For a moment, Timkin's imagination wandered. He pictured life on the -first moon, before the debacle. Towering cities—humming wheels—busy, -industrious people. Then, abruptly, their world cracking apart, into a -billion bits. And now only this remained ... the rings of Saturn.</p> - -<p>As Timkin brought the broken wheel to his ship he took one last look -around and saw another museum item. It had circled in slow gyrations -and come into view from the back of his ship. Timkin got that too, -perhaps the most intriguing find of the lot, for it was a stone with -mysterious "writing" on it. The museum had quite a collection of such -stones, evidently parts of temples or buildings.</p> - -<p>Seemingly the people of the first moon had inscribed most of their -stone walls with their writings. But these writings had never been -translated. They were a riddle that baffled the best archeological -minds of the System.</p> - -<p>He also put this carved stone in the hold.</p> - -<p>"Huh," he grunted. "I'm just a scavenger for the museum, that's what I -am."</p> - -<p>Timkin looked over the things crammed in his hold, gleaned from the -rings for a month. Their total value would possibly pay for the trip -with a few SS-dollars to spare. Yet one find of gold or precious stone -and he would dump the whole mess out and be far the richer.</p> - -<p>Growling to himself, Timkin took off his vac-suit and went to the -controls. He debated. He still had food and fuel enough for three days -before he had to return to the Titan docks. What should he do?</p> - -<p>"I'm going to the Crêpe Ring," he finally told himself. "I had no luck -in Rings A and B, so why not try C just to play it out to the finish?"</p> - -<p>Timkin had started, a month ago, at the outer ring—Ring A. This -portion of the rings had an outer diameter of 171,000 miles and -extended inward toward Saturn for 11,100 miles.</p> - -<p>Then there was a separation of 2,200 miles between rings A and B named -Cassini's Division when first seen through earthly telescopes centuries -ago.</p> - -<p>Ring B was 145,000 miles, outer diameter, and some 18,000 miles wide. -Another space of 1000 miles and then came Ring C or the Crêpe Ring, -11,000 miles wide. So had the rings of Saturn distributed themselves, -under the laws of gravitation, when the first moon exploded ages -before. The first moon had not been large, for the total mass of all -the rings was estimated at no more than one-quarter of earth's moon.</p> - -<p>Timkin urged his old rattletrap <i>Jetabout</i> up from the plane of -the rings till he had a clear path before him and then jetted -straight toward mighty Saturn, which hung in the sky like a bloated, -vari-colored marble.</p> - -<p>He crossed the narrow empty space between Rings B and C and finally -cruised over the outer edges of the Crêpe Ring. Saturn was only 17,000 -miles distant and Timkin could feel the faint tug of its powerful -gravitation.</p> - -<p>"Now," Timkin said between set teeth, "let's see if I have any luck. -I've got three days to nose around through the Crêpe Ring, searching. I -know there's gold or diamonds ahead ... if I can just stumble on them."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>As he slowly cruised above the Crêpe Ring, with his binoculars to his -eyes, Timkin munched a sandwich and now and then took a swig of coffee. -In all their explorations of other worlds earthmen had never found any -beverage better than time-honored coffee, though the Martians tried -hard to sell a green-tinted product called <i>tukka</i>.</p> - -<p>Timkin's hand gave a little jerk, and his binoculars wavered. Watching -him one would have thought he had spied something exciting—like gold. -But it was something else, almost equally as startling....</p> - -<p>"Another <i>Jetabout</i>!" Timkin murmured. "Gave me a start, seeing it so -suddenly."</p> - -<p>It was a rare event when two wandering <i>Jetabouts</i> happened to cross -paths in the vast area of the rings, almost like two explorers in the -heart of Africa meeting each other. Timkin grinned humorlessly.</p> - -<p>"Another chump!" he thought. "He wouldn't have a bonanza, or he'd be -streaking back for Titan. He's cruising and looking for something like -me."</p> - -<p>Timkin flashed his heliograph, reflecting the light of Saturn, at the -other ship. An answering greeting flashed back. Timkin watched it as it -kept going on its course and slowly faded into distance. He felt less -lonely for a moment.</p> - -<p>Timkin went back to his scanning of the ring bodies with his glasses. -He saw another lump of coal but was too wearied at the thought of -donning his vac-suit for it, and let it go by under him. It was -not till a minute later that he snapped to attention. For now he -remembered, belatedly, that he had also seen a yellow glow near the -black coal.</p> - -<p>"Day-dreaming, that's what I was!" he yelled, hastily braking and -spinning the <i>Jetabout</i> around. "If that was gold, and I don't find it -again, I'll...."</p> - -<p>It was not easy to backtrack in the rings, and find a certain spot you -had passed over. The rings were constantly in motion, in their orbit -around Saturn. And each body in the rings had its own private motion in -respect to the others. Some gyrated fantastically around others.</p> - -<p>A huge body might in turn exert enough gravitation of its own to hold -smaller bodies in its grip, and force them to become its "moons." And -these satellites then perturbed nearby bodies, causing them to weave -and shuttle within the ring.</p> - -<p>In short, any body in the ring might shift position enough in the space -of a minute or two to be lost forever.</p> - -<p>Timkin shot back to the coal lump. Yes, the coal lump was there, not -having a complicated private motion. But where was the yellow lump that -his blind eyes had seen—and ignored? There were a hundred other little -bodies around the coal lump and to look them all over one by one....</p> - -<p>Timkin's heart sank to its lowest ebb before suddenly he saw the yellow -glint again. Then, thankfully, he shot the <i>Jetabout</i> over it and -hovered, locking the controls. Minutes later in his vac-suit he was -propelling himself down to the yellow lump via reaction pistol.</p> - -<p>"It's only fool's gold, of course," he told himself to calm his -wildly racing pulse. "Just think of it as fool's gold, so you won't -be disappointed again. Or it could be cheap copper. So don't get -excited—yet."</p> - -<p>Timkin reached the yellow body, fumbled with his pick and finally -chipped off a piece. He noticed it sheared off under the hard pick, -rather than chipped. He dared to hope it was soft gold. And when he -held the bit to his visor....</p> - -<p>"Gold!"</p> - -<p>He said the one word quietly. Then he sat down on the lump, shaken.</p> - -<p>"Gold," he repeated. "I hit it—gold! My bonanza! My dream for ten -years!"</p> - -<p>It was minutes before he could control his shaking nerves and allow -the warm glow of exultation to spread through him like wine, giving -him new strength. He arose and, like a bird, made a circle around the -lump, using his reaction pistol. He estimated its weight as a thousand -pounds, earth measure. Then he stopped to stand on it again, a king on -an island.</p> - -<p>"Of course, it ain't pure gold," Timkin told himself. "But it looks -like about fifty percent pure. They say the first moon before it -exploded didn't have many seas to dissolve and thin out ore deposits. -So I can figure about five hundred pounds of gold. At the pegged rate -of thirty-seven SS-dollars an ounce...."</p> - -<p>Timkin's head was too light and buzzy to reach the total.</p> - -<p>"But I'm rich," he exulted. "Filthy rich. Gold is even more valuable -today than it used to be on earth in the old days."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Timkin was right. Contrary to all fanciful and unfounded predictions, -gold had never lost its value. True, the nations of earth had all gone -off the gold-standard in the 20th century and for a while gold was a -forgotten metal, buried in vaults.</p> - -<p>But then it came into its own as one of the most non-corrodable metals. -When space travel came into being, an alloy of gold became the standard -coating for all equipment used on other worlds, some of which had -noxious atmospheres that could rust iron or copper in days to worthless -dust.</p> - -<p>But gold in its alloy-hardened form defied the worst other worlds had -to offer. Thereupon gold became a metal of commerce and its value rose -even higher than its one-time value as a money standard.</p> - -<p>And so, with his find of gold, Homer Timkin was as suddenly wealthy as -any Spanish explorer of the New World, back in earth's past.</p> - -<p>"It's sure going to be a pleasure," crowed Timkin, "to drag this lump -of gold back to Titan!"</p> - -<p>"Yeh, it is—for <i>me</i>!"</p> - -<p>Timkin jumped at the sound of the voice behind him, coming out of -nowhere. He turned, gaping, to see another man in a vac-suit slowly -approaching, with a reaction pistol. Timkin could see the newcomer's -<i>Jetabout</i> now, parked alongside his own. Timkin had been too engrossed -in his find to see the approach of the ship.</p> - -<p>"Huck Larsoe!" said Timkin in recognition for he knew all the other -prospectors back at the Titan docks.</p> - -<p>"Yeh, Timkin," returned Huck Larsoe, grinning. "I was the <i>Jetabout</i> -that passed you a while ago. Just before you went out of my sight, I -saw your ship suddenly scoot on a backtrack. That spelled a find to me! -So I turned and came back, and followed you up."</p> - -<p>Timkin didn't like it. Huck Larsoe was a younger man and filled out -his vac-suit with a powerful, hulking body. His stubble of unshaven -black beard formed an unkempt fringe to the hard-bitten face that -peered out of the visor. There was something in his cold grey eyes -that froze Timkin. There was such a thing as claim-jumping here in the -lawless territory of the rings.</p> - -<p>"You sure struck it rich," Huck Larsoe went on. "But maybe you didn't -hear me before. I said it was lucky—for <i>me</i>!"</p> - -<p>"Y-you can't take this from me," Timkin began, his voice tinny as it -came out of the chin-transmitter to impinge on the radio vibrators at -Larsoe's ears. "It's mine! I found it!"</p> - -<p>"Sure, you found it," agreed Larsoe. "But I'm taking it away from you, -see?"</p> - -<p>"No!" shrilled Timkin. "That's plain robbery—piracy! I'll tell the -police back at Titan."</p> - -<p>Larsoe leered. "And what witnesses have you got? You and me are the -only two humans around here for 50,000 miles. It'll be your word -against mine back at Titan. If I say I found it myself and you're -trying to cut in on it they'll have to believe me. Because <i>I'll</i> have -the gold."</p> - -<p>Timkin had no weapon. The reaction "pistol" was not a weapon at all, -merely a device for moving in space by means of short, harmless rocket -blasts. He struggled against the bigger man. Larsoe laughed as he gave -the slighter man a shove that sent him spinning off the lump and almost -into another ring body with jagged edges.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus.jpg" alt=""/> - <div class="caption"> - <p>Larsoe laughed as he gave the slighter man a shove.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Then, still laughing, Huck Larsoe shoved the mass of gold to his own -ship, his reaction pistol streaming red flame behind him. He turned his -mocking face.</p> - -<p>"I ain't even going to kill you, Timkin, like I could. No need going -to the trouble. It's still your word against mine, back at Titan. You -ain't got a ghost of a chance to <i>prove</i> this is your find."</p> - -<p>Slowly Timkin rocketed back to his own ship. He watched Larsoe stow the -gold in his hold and cast out a mess of fossil bones, lumps of coal, -bits of machinery and pieces of carved stone.</p> - -<p>"Here, Timkin," Larsoe chortled. "You can have this other junk of mine -now. It'll help you pay for your trip, anyways. See? I ain't such a bad -guy at heart."</p> - -<p>And with a mocking laugh, Larsoe slipped into his cabin lock. A moment -later his ship rocketed away and was lost in black space, leaving a -broken old man behind.</p> - -<p>Timkin floated beside his ship for long bitter minutes without the -energy to do anything. Ten years of searching and hope wasted—ten -years of hardship and toil. Fate had at last rewarded him with a -magnificent bonanza—and then had kicked him in the teeth.</p> - -<p>Timkin was on the verge of madness. For a moment he thought of opening -his reaction pistol wide, gunning straight for the ring bodies and -seeking peace and eternal rest there.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>But then, shudderingly, he brought himself back to sanity. The will -to live triumphed as it did in all living creatures in the universe. -He looked at the stuff which Larsoe had cast from his ship, which was -slowly drifting away, scattering.</p> - -<p>Rousing himself, Timkin began collecting it and stowing it in his hold. -No need to let the stuff go, even if it was a mocking gift from the -hated thief. He still had to make a profit on the trip.</p> - -<p>Timkin held one carved stone in his hand for a moment, staring at its -ancient writings. It was a triangular piece and seemed to have two sets -of writing on it. To keep his mind from plunging into black despair -Timkin tried to picture again the ancient civilization of the first -moon.</p> - -<p>But a slight huddled figure sobbed aloud at the controls as the -<i>Jetabout</i> left the rings and aimed for Titan.</p> - -<p>At the Titan docks two days later Homer Timkin was calm and resigned. -There was nothing he could do. No use to put in a complaint against -Huck Larsoe, to the police. As Larsoe had said, it was one man's word -against another's. With no witnesses the legal battle could only end -with Larsoe the winner.</p> - -<p>Sighing, Timkin hired a rocket truck and piled the museum stuff aboard -and drove to the center of Titan City. Here the Saturn Archeological -Museum reared, stately and imposing on its marble pillars.</p> - -<p>Timkin drove to the service entrance and rang the bell. An elderly man -answered and flashed a smile of greeting.</p> - -<p>"Well, Timkin again," he said. "Back with another load of relics from -the rings? I take it you didn't hit any bonanza then, eh?"</p> - -<p>"Well, I—" Timkin stopped. No need to go into his story, and broadcast -his shame and misery to the universe. "No, Professor Blick. No -bonanza. But I've got a load of stuff for you to look over for your -museum."</p> - -<p>Professor Blick, adjusting his thick glasses, came out and looked over -each item as Timkin took it off the truck.</p> - -<p>"Our prices are still standard, Timkin," he said. "Two SS-dollars for a -specimen of coal. Three for fossil bones. Five for bits of machinery. -And ten for the carved stones."</p> - -<p>"Why," asked Timkin curiously, "do you pay more for the stones than -anything?"</p> - -<p>"Because if they could speak they would tell us far more about the -ancient civilization of the first moon, than any of the other items. We -have a sizeable collection now. We can't translate the writing yet. But -some day we're going to find the Rosetta Stone that will give us the -clue and open up the whole vast story."</p> - -<p>"Rosetta Stone?" Timkin was puzzled.</p> - -<p>The professor went on conversationally.</p> - -<p>"Yes. You see, back on earth many centuries ago, the archeologists -of that time also found carved writings—the ancient records of the -Egyptians. And they too were a riddle.</p> - -<p>"But one day a stone was found with not only Egyptian heiroglyphics -on it but <i>another language</i>! The text on this stone had been written -in Egyptian and then copied in the other language. And that second -language—ancient Greek—was <i>known</i>! So this enabled all the Egyptian -writing to be translated and...."</p> - -<p>The professor's voice stopped, with a queer gurgle. Timkin stared. He -had just handed him the triangular stone which had been among Larsoe's -"gifts."</p> - -<p>"<i>Timkin!</i>" screeched the professor. "This is <i>it</i>! This stone has -<i>two</i> sets of writing on it. One is the unknown script of the first -moon. And the other is—oh, thank the stars!—it's early Rhean, <i>which -is a language we know</i>!"</p> - -<p>It was all rather confusing for Timkin after that. The professor bawled -at the top of his voice and more men came rushing out. They all fell -to talking as if the greatest event in the history of the universe had -taken place. Timkin hovered on the outskirts of the group, forgotten -for the time being.</p> - -<p>But then all the men turned to him. They looked at him as if he were -some king or some awesome potentate from another star.</p> - -<p>"And there, gentlemen!" said Professor Blick, waving at him, "is the -man who brought the stone back!"</p> - -<p>Timkin was in an agony of embarrassment as one by one the archeologists -came up and shook his hand silently with reverent respect in their -eyes.</p> - -<p>"Professor," pleaded Timkin when this ordeal was over. "I—I want -to get away. Just pay me for the stone, and let me go. If it's -so important to you, maybe you could up the price a little, eh? -Maybe—uh—a hundred dollars?"</p> - -<p>Timkin was amazed at his own audacity.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The professor looked at him queerly, almost pityingly, and said slowly, -"One hundred dollars? Timkin, you don't realize the value of this -stone. The museum will make you out a check for <i>one hundred thousand -SS-dollars</i>!"</p> - -<p>Timkin stood stunned, unbelieving.</p> - -<p>The professor smiled.</p> - -<p>"Yes, that's what I said—one hundred thousand. If we could afford -it, we'd pay you ten times that. Actually, you see, the stone is -<i>priceless</i>. The check will be sent to you. You can go now, Timkin."</p> - -<p>Timkin drove the rocket truck back, in a dream, and passed a red light. -The traffic cop wrote a ticket.</p> - -<p>"That'll cost you twenty-five dollars, bud," he growled.</p> - -<p>Timkin burst out laughing and kept laughing all the way back to the -garage. He was fined 25 dollars. It would have been an economic tragedy -before. Now it was a joke. He could pay a hundred fines like that and -still laugh.</p> - -<p>The next day, when the check arrived at his room, Timkin knew it was -not a dream. The amount was 150,000 dollars. They had even upped the -price voluntarily.</p> - -<p>Timkin went out, with the check in his pocket, and headed for the -<i>Spaceman's Nook</i>. He had one more piece of unfinished business to do. -He knew he would find Huck Larsoe there and saw him at a corner table. -Strangely he seemed depressed, not at all like a man who had just -brought in a fortune in gold.</p> - -<p>"Hello, Huck!"</p> - -<p>Larsoe looked up sourly as Timkin sat down cheerfully.</p> - -<p>"Listen, punk, you got nothing on me," he growled.</p> - -<p>"I know," said Timkin. "But why so glum? What did you get for -my—pardon me, <i>your</i>—gold bonanza when you cashed it in?"</p> - -<p>Larsoe smashed his fist down on the table, spilling his drink.</p> - -<p>"Don't talk to me about that blasted bonanza!" he roared. "You know -what it was? It was just plain rock with a film of rich gold ore over -it. A fake! A flop! I just got enough out of it to pay expenses and -that's all."</p> - -<p>"Too bad," Timkin grinned, feeling his cup running over.</p> - -<p>"Oh, don't go gloating," said Larsoe. "I still put one over on you. I -took the thing away from you, didn't I?"</p> - -<p>"Sure," agreed Timkin. "But you gave me something back which was -worth—"</p> - -<p>At this moment, Larsoe sat up, as something came over the tavern radio, -working through the hum. An announcer was saying....</p> - -<p>"—biggest news of the day! The Saturn Museum has just announced the -find of a carved stone, from the rings, which will allow them to -translate all the hitherto unknown writings of the first moon! And in -honor of the man who brought it back from the rings, they have named -it—the <i>Timkin Stone</i>!"</p> - -<p>Timkin was shocked himself. His name would reverberate down through -the ages now, attached to a stone as famed as the Rosetta Stone of -earth!</p> - -<p>But the effect on Huck Larsoe was like that of a knife in his heart. He -turned slow, stunned eyes to his companion.</p> - -<p>"Th-the Timkin Stone?" he mumbled. "What—"</p> - -<p>Timkin drew the check out of his pocket and showed it to Larsoe.</p> - -<p>"Yes, I brought it in. Look, they paid me one hundred and fifty -thousand dollars for it. And Huck—I hope you have a strong -heart—Huck, that stone was among the stuff <i>you</i> gave me after -stealing my bonanza!"</p> - -<p>"Then I made the find!" yelled Larsoe. "It's <i>me</i> they should name the -stone after. And you've got to turn over that money to me, Timkin! It's -mine! I found the stone and...."</p> - -<p>Timkin looked him straight in the eye and said quietly, "Any witnesses, -Huck?"</p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RING BONANZA ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -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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