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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..f2a4b0c --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #62498 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/62498) diff --git a/old/62498-h.zip b/old/62498-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index d39af4e..0000000 --- a/old/62498-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/62498-h/62498-h.htm b/old/62498-h/62498-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 41ad207..0000000 --- a/old/62498-h/62498-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2466 +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 Castaways of Eros, by Nelson S. Bond. - </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; -} - -.ph1 { text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; } -.ph1 { font-size: medium; margin: .83em auto; } - - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Castaways of Eros, by Nelson S. Bond - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere 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/license - - -Title: Castaways of Eros - -Author: Nelson S. Bond - -Release Date: June 27, 2020 [EBook #62498] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CASTAWAYS OF EROS *** - - - - -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>Castaways of Eros</h1> - -<h2>By NELSON S. BOND</h2> - -<p>Two families fought for the title to Eros,<br /> -and only one could win. One had to outsmart<br /> -the other—and both had to win over the<br /> -unscrupulous United Ores Corporation. It<br /> -was a problem worthy of a Solomon—and it<br /> -had an ending even those embittered -rivals could not foresee.</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>Bobby couldn't help wishing Pop would stand up just a little bit -straighter. Not that he was ashamed of Pop; it wasn't that at all. It -was just that the Patrolman stood <i>so</i> straight, his shoulders broad -and firm. Standing beside him made Pop look sort of thin and puny; his -chest caved in like he was carrying a heavy weight on his shoulders.</p> - -<p>That was from studying things through a microscope. Anyhow, decided -Bobby with a fierce loyalty, that S.S.P. man probably wouldn't even -know what to look for if somebody put a microscope in front of him. -Even if he was big and sturdy and broad-shouldered in his space blues.</p> - -<p>Mom said, "Bobby, what <i>are</i> you muttering about? Do stop fidgeting!" -Bobby said, "Yessum," and glared at Moira, as if she, in some -obscure way, were to blame for his having been reprimanded right out -here in the middle of Long Island Spaceport, where everybody could -hear and laugh at him. But Moira, studying the handsome S.S.P. man -surreptitiously, did not notice. Dick was fixing something in the ship. -Eleanor stood quietly beside Mom, crooning softly to The Pooch so it -wouldn't be scared by the thunderous blast of rocket motors. Grampaw -Moseley had buttonholed an embarrassed young ensign, was complaining -to him in loud and certain terms that modern astronavigation practices -were, "Rank bellywash, Mister, and a dad-ratted disgrace!"</p> - -<p>The Patrolman said, "Your name, please, Sir?"</p> - -<p>"Robert Emmet O'Brien Moseley," said Pop.</p> - -<p>"Occupation?"</p> - -<p>"Research physicist, formerly. Now about to become a land-grant -settler."</p> - -<p>"Age of self and party ... former residence...."</p> - -<p>Overhead, the sky was blue and thin—clear as a bowl of skimmed milk; -its vastness limned in sharp relief, to the west and north, the mighty -spans and arches, the faery domes and flying buttresses of Great New -York. The spacedrome fed a hundred ducts of flight; from one field -lifted air locals, giddy, colored motes with gyroscopes aspin. From -another, a West Coast stratoliner surged upward to lose itself in thin, -dim heights.</p> - -<p>Vast cradles by the Sound were the nests to which a flock of -interplanetary craft made homeward flight. Luggers and barges and -cruisers. Bobby saw, with sudden excitement, the sharp, starred prow of -the Solar Space Patrol man-o'-war.</p> - -<p>Here, in this field, the GSC's—the General Spacecraft Cradles. From -one of which, as soon as Pop got clearance, their ship would take off. -Their ship! Bobby felt an eager quickening of his pulse; his stomach -was aswarm with a host of butterflies. <i>Their ship!</i></p> - -<p>The space officer said, "I think that takes care of everything, Dr. -Moseley. I presume you understand the land-grant laws and obligations?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, Lieutenant."</p> - -<p>"Very well, then—" Space-red hands made official motions with a -hand-stamp and pen. "Your clearance. And my very best wishes, Sir."</p> - -<p>"Thank you," said Pop quietly. He turned. "That's all. Ready, Mother? -Eleanor? Moira?"</p> - -<p>Bobby bounded forward. "Can I push the button, can I, Pop? When we -start, can I?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Dick was waiting before the open lock of the <i>Cuchulainn</i>. Dick could -do anything, everything at once. He took The Pooch into the circle of -his left arm, helped his mother aboard, said, "Shut up, kid, you're -enough to wake the dead. Watch that guard-panel, Elly. Papers all set, -Pop?" And he tickled The Pooch's dimpled cheek with an oily finger. -"You act just like your mama," he said irrelevantly, and the baby -gurgled. Eleanor cried, "Dick—those dirty hands!"</p> - -<p>"Everything is in order, Richard," said Pop.</p> - -<p>"Good. You folks go in and strap down. I'll seal. Here comes the -cradle-monkey now."</p> - -<p>Pop said, "Come along, Robert," and the others went inside. Bobby -waited, though, to see the cradle-monkey, the man under whose orders -spacecraft lifted gravs. The cradle-monkey was a dour man with gnarled -legs and arms and temper. He looked at the <i>Cuchulainn</i> and sniffed; -then at Dick.</p> - -<p>"Family crate, huh?"</p> - -<p>"That's right."</p> - -<p>"Well, f'r goddlemighty' sakes, don't try to blast off with y'r side -jets burnin'. Take a seven-point-nineteen readin' on y'r Akka gauge, -stern rockets only—"</p> - -<p>"Comets to you, butt-hoister!" grinned Dick. "I've had eight years on -the spider run. I can lift this can."</p> - -<p>"Oh, a rocketeer?" There was new, grudging respect in the groundman's -tone. "Well, how was I t' know? Y'ought t' see what some o' them -jaloupi-jockeys do to my cradles—burn 'em black! Oh, well—" He backed -away from the ship.</p> - -<p>"Clean ether!" said Dick. He closed the lock. Its seal-brace slid into -place, wheezing asthmatically. Bobby's ears rang suddenly with the mild -compression of air; when he swallowed, they were all right again. Dick -saw him. "What are you doing here, kid? Didn't I hear Pop tell you to -come below?"</p> - -<p>Bobby said, "I'm not a kid. I'm almost sixteen."</p> - -<p>"Just old enough," promised Dick, "to get your seat warmed if you don't -do what you're told. Remember, you're a sailor on a spaceship now. -Pop's the Skipper, and I'm First Mate. If you don't obey orders, it's -mutiny, and—"</p> - -<p>"I'm obeying," said Bobby hastily. He followed his brother down the -corridor, up the ramp, to the bridge. "Can I push the button when we -take off, huh, Dick?"</p> - -<p>After his high expectations, it wasn't such a great thrill. Dick set -the stops and dials, told him which button to press. "When I give the -word, kid." Of course, he got to sit in the pilot's bucket-chair, which -was something. Moira and Eleanor and Mom to lie down in acceleration -hammocks while Pop and Dick sat in observation seats. He waited, all -ears and nerves, as the slow seconds sloughed away. Pop set the hypos -running; their faint, dull throb was a magic sound in the silence.</p> - -<p>Then there came a signal from outside. Dick's hand rose in -understanding response; fell again. "Now!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Bobby jabbed the button in frantic haste. Suddenly the silence was -shattered by a thunderous detonation. There was a massive hand pressing -him back into the soft, yielding leather of his chair; the chair -retreated on oiled channels, pneumatic compensators hissing faintly, -absorbing the shock. Across the room a faulty hammock-hinge squeaked -rustily.</p> - -<p>Then it was over as quickly as it had begun, and he could breathe -again, and Dick was lurching across the turret on feet that wobbled -queerly because up was down and top was bottom and everything was funny -and mixed up.</p> - -<p>Dick cut in the artificial gravs, checked the meter dials with a -hurried glance, smiled.</p> - -<p>"Dead on it! Want to check, Skipper?"</p> - -<p>But Pop was standing by the observation pane, eyeing an Earth already -ball-like in the vastness of space. Earth, dwindling with each passing -moment. Bobby moved to his side and watched; Moira, too, and Eleanor -and Mom, and even Dick.</p> - -<p>Pop touched Mom's hand. He said, "Martha—I'm not sure this is fair to -you and the children. Perhaps it isn't right that I should force my -dream on all of you. The world we have known and loved lies behind us. -Before us lies only uncertainty...."</p> - -<p>Mom sort of sniffed and reached for a handkerchief. She turned her back -to Pop for a minute, and when she turned around again her eyes were red -and angry-looking. She said, "<i>You</i> want to go on, don't you, Rob?"</p> - -<p>Pop nodded. "But I'm thinking of you, Martha."</p> - -<p>"Of me!" Mom snorted indignantly. "Hear him talk! I never heard such -nonsense in my life. Of <i>course</i> I want to go on. No, never mind that! -Richard, isn't there a kitchen on this boat?"</p> - -<p>"A galley, Mom. Below."</p> - -<p>"Galley ... kitchen ... what's the difference? You two girls come with -me. I'll warrant these men are starving. <i>I</i> am!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>After that, things became so normal as to be almost disappointing. From -his eager reading of such magazines as <i>Martian Tales</i> and <i>Cosmic -Fiction Weekly</i>, Bobby had conceived void-travel to be one long, -momentous chain of adventure. A super-thrilling serial, punctuated by -interludes with space-pirates, narrow brushes with meteors, sabotage, -treachery—hair-raising, heroic and horrifying.</p> - -<p>There was nothing like that to disturb the calm and peaceful journey of -the <i>Cuchulainn</i>. Oh, it was enjoyable to stare through the observation -panes at the flame-dotted pall of space—until Pop tried to turn his -curious interest into educational channels; it was exciting, too, to -probe through the corridored recesses of their floating home—except -that Dick issued strict orders that nothing must be touched, that he -must not enter certain chambers, that he mustn't push his nose into -things that didn't concern kids—</p> - -<p>Which offended Bobby, who was sixteen, or, anyway, fifteen and -three-quarters.</p> - -<p>So they ate and they slept and they ate again. And Pop and Dick spelled -each other at the control banks. Moira spent endless hours with comb -and mirror, devising elaborate hair-dos which—Bobby reminded her -with impudent shrewdness—were so much wasted energy, since they were -settling in a place where nobody could see them. And Mom bustled about -in the galley, performing miracles with flour and stuff, and in the -recreation room, Eleanor minded The Pooch, and lost innumerable games -of cribbage to Grampaw Moseley who cheated outrageously and groused, -between hands, about the dad-blame nonsensical way Dick was handling -the ship.</p> - -<p>And somehow three Earth days sped by, and they were nearing their -destination. The tiny planetoid, Eros.</p> - -<p>Pop said, "You deserve a great deal of credit, son, for your fine work -in rehabilitating the <i>Cuchulainn</i>. It has performed beautifully. You -are a good spaceman."</p> - -<p>Dick flushed. "She's a good ship, Pop, even if she is thirty years old. -Some of these old, hand-fashioned jobs are better than the flash junk -they're turning off the belts nowadays. You've checked the declension -and trajectory?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. We should come within landing radius in just a few hours. Cut -drives at 19.04.22 precisely and make such minor course alterations as -are necessary, set brakes." Pop smiled happily. "We're very fortunate, -son. A mere fifteen million miles. It's not often Eros is so near -Earth."</p> - -<p>"Don't I know it? It's almost a hundred million at perihelion. But -that's not the lucky part. You sure had to pull strings to get the -government land grant to Eros. What a plum! Atmosphere ... water ... -vegetable life ... all on a hunk of dirt fifty-seven miles in diameter. -Frankly, I don't get it! Eros must have terrific mass to have the -attributes of a full-sized planet."</p> - -<p>"It does, Richard. A neutronium core."</p> - -<p>"Neutronium!" Dick gasped. "Why don't people tell me these things? -Roaring craters, Pop, we're rich! Bloated plutocrats!"</p> - -<p>"Not so fast, son. Eventually, perhaps; not today. First we must -establish our claims, justify our right to own Eros. That means work, -plenty of hard work. After that, we might be able to consider a mining -operation. What's that?"</p> - -<p>Bobby jumped. It was Mom's voice. But her cry was not one of fear, it -was one of excitement.</p> - -<p>"Rob, look! Off to the—the left, or the port, or whatever you call it! -Is that our new home?"</p> - -<p>Bobby did not need to hear Pop's reply to know that it was. His swift -intake of breath was enough, the shine in his eyes as he peered out the -observation port.</p> - -<p>"Eros!" he said.</p> - -<p>It looked all right to Bobby. A nice, clean little sphere, spinning -lazily before their eyes like a top someone had set in motion, then -gone away and forgotten. Silver and green and rusty brown, all still -faintly blued by distance. The warm rays of old Sol reflected gaily, -giddily, from seas that covered half the planetoid's surface, and -mountains cut long, jagged shadows into sheltered plains beneath them. -It was, thought Bobby, not a bad looking little place. But not anything -to get all dewy-eyed about, like Pop was.</p> - -<p>Dick said softly, "All right, Pop. Let's check and get ready to set 'er -down...."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">II</p> - -<p>It was not Dick's fault. It was just a tough break that no one had -expected, planned for, guarded against. The planetoid was there beneath -them; they would land on it. It was as simple at that.</p> - -<p>Only it wasn't. Nor did they have any warning that the problem was more -complex until it was too late to change their plans, too late to halt -the irrevocable movements of a grounding spaceship. Dick should have -known, of course. He was a spaceman; he had served two tricks on the -Earth-Venus-Mars run. But all those planets were large; Eros was just a -mote. A spinning top....</p> - -<p>Anyway, it was after the final coordinates had been plotted, the last -bank control unchangeably set, the rockets cut, that they saw the -curved knife-edge of black slicing up over Eros' rim. For a long moment -Dick stared at it, a look of angry chagrin in his eyes.</p> - -<p>"Well, blast me for an Earth-lubbing idiot! Do you see that, Pop?"</p> - -<p>Pop looked like he had shared Dick's persimmon.</p> - -<p>"The night-line. We forgot to consider the diurnal revolution."</p> - -<p>"And now we've got to land in the dark. On strange terrain. Arragh! I -should have my head examined. I've got a plugged tube somewhere!"</p> - -<p>Grampaw Moseley hobbled in, appraised the situation with his -incomparable ability to detect something amiss. He snorted and rattled -his cane on the floor.</p> - -<p>"They's absolutely nothin'," he informed the walls, "to this -hereditation stuff. Elst why should my own son an' his son be so -dag-nabbed stoopid?"</p> - -<p>"'What can't be cured,'" said Pop mildly, "'must be endured.' We have -the forward search-beams, son. They will help."</p> - -<p>That was sheer optimism. As they neared the planet its gravitational -attraction seized them tighter and tighter until they were completely -under its compulsion. Dusk swept down upon them, the sunlight dulled, -faded, grayed. Then as the ship nosed downward, suddenly all was black. -The yellow beam of the search stabbed reluctant shadows, bringing rocky -crags and rounded tors into swift, terrifying relief.</p> - -<p>Dick snapped, "Into your hammocks, everyone! Don't worry. This crate -will stand a lot of bust-up. It's tough. A little bit of luck—"</p> - -<p>But there was perspiration on his forehead, and his fingers played over -the control banks like frightened moths.</p> - -<p>There was no further need for the artificial gravs. Eros exerted, -strangely, incredibly, an attractive power almost as potent as Earth's. -Dick cut off the gravs, then the hypos. As the last machine-created -sound died away from the cabin, Bobby heard the high scream of -atmosphere, raging and tearing at the <i>Cuchulainn</i> with angry fingers.</p> - -<p>Through howling Bedlam they tumbled dizzily and for moments that were -ages long. While Dick labored frantically at the controls, while Moira -watched with bated breath. Mom said nothing, but her hand sought -Pop's; Eleanor cradled The Pooch closer to her. Grampaw scowled.</p> - -<p>And then, suddenly—</p> - -<p>"Hold tight! We're grounding!" cried Dick.</p> - -<p>And instinctively Bobby braced himself for a shock. But there was -only a shuddering jar, a lessening of the roar that beat upon their -eardrums, a dull, flat thud. A sodden, heavy grinding and the groan of -metal forward. Then a false nausea momentarily assailed him. Because -for the first time in days the <i>Cuchulainn</i> was completely motionless.</p> - -<p>Dick grinned shakily. "Well!" he said. "Well!"</p> - -<p>Pop unbuckled his safety belt, climbed gingerly out of his hammock, -moved to the port, slid back its lock-plate. Bobby said, "Can you see -anything, Pop? Can you?" And Mom, who could read Pop's expressions like -a book, said, "What is it, Rob?"</p> - -<p>Pop stroked his chin. He said, "Well, we've landed safely, Richard. But -I'm afraid we've—er—selected a wet landing field. We seem to be under -water!"</p> - -<p>His hazard was verified immediately. Indisputably. For from the crack -beneath the door leading from the control turret to the prow-chambers -of the ship, came a dark trickle that spread and puddled and stained -and gurgled. Water!</p> - -<p>Dick cried, "Hey, this is bad! We'd better get out of here—"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He leaped to his controls. Once more the plaintive hum of the -hypatomics droned through the cabin, gears ground and clashed as the -motors caught, something forward exploded dully, distantly. The ship -rocked and trembled, but did not move. Again Dick tried to jet the -fore-rockets. Again, and yet again.</p> - -<p>And on the fourth essay, there ran through the ship a violent shudder, -broken metal grated shrilly from forward, and the water began bubbling -and churning through the crack. Deeper and swifter. Dick cut motors and -turned, his face an angry mask.</p> - -<p>"We can't get loose. The entire nose must be stove in! We're leaking -like a sieve. Look, everybody—get into your bulgers. We'll get out -through the airlock!"</p> - -<p>Mom cried, "But—but our supplies, Dick! What are we going to do for -food, clothing, furniture—?"</p> - -<p>"We'll worry about that later. Right now we've got to think of -ourselves. That-aboy, Bobby! Thanks for getting 'em out. You girls -remember how to climb into 'em? Eleanor—you take that oversized one. -That's right. There's room for you and The Pooch—"</p> - -<p>The water was almost ankle deep in the control room by the time they -had all donned spacesuits. Bloated figures in fabricoid bulgers, -they followed Dick to the airlock. It was weird, and a little bit -frightening, but to Bobby it was thrilling, too. This was the sort of -thing you read stories about. Escape from a flooding ship....</p> - -<p>They had time—or took time—to gather together a few precious -belongings. Eleanor packed a carrier with baby food for The Pooch, -Mom a bundle of provisions hastily swept from the galley bins; Pop -remembered the medical kit and the tool-box, Grampaw was laden down -with blankets and clothing, Dick burdened himself and Bobby with -armloads of such things as he saw and forevisioned need for.</p> - -<p>At the lock, Dick issued final instructions.</p> - -<p>"The air in the bulgers will carry you right to the surface. We'll -gather there, count noses, and decide on our next move. Pop, you go -first to lead the way, then Mom, and Eleanor, Grampaw—"</p> - -<p>Thus, from the heart of the doomed <i>Cuchulainn</i>, they fled. The -airlock was small. There was room for but one at a time. The water -was waist—no, breast-deep—by the time all were gone save Bobby and -Dick. Bobby, whose imagination had already assigned him the command of -the foundering ship, wanted to uphold the ancient traditions by being -the last to leave. But Dick had other ideas. He shoved Bobby—not too -gently—into the lock. Then there was water, black, solid, forbidding, -about him. And the outer door opening.</p> - -<p>He stepped forward. And floated upward, feeling an uneasy, quibbly -feeling in his stomach. Almost immediately a hard something <i>clanged!</i> -against his impervite helmet; it was a lead-soled bulger boot; then he -was bobbing and tossing on shallow black wavelets beside the others.</p> - -<p>Above him was a blue-black, star-gemmed sky; off to his right, not -distant, was a rising smudge that must be the mainland. A dark blob -popped out of the water. Dick.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus.jpg" width="583" height="500" alt=""/> - <div class="caption"> - <p><i>Moira reached for the twisted branch.</i></p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Dick's voice was metallic through the audios of the space-helmet. "All -here, Pop? Everybody all right? Swell! Let's strike out for the shore, -there. Stick together, now. It isn't far."</p> - -<p>Pop said, "The ship, Richard?"</p> - -<p>"We'll find it again. I floated up a marking buoy. That round thing -over there isn't Grampaw."</p> - -<p>Grampaw's voice was raucous, belligerent. "You bet y'r boots it ain't! -I'm on my way to terry firmy. The last one ashore's a sissy!"</p> - -<p>Swimming in a bulger, Bobby found, was silly. Like paddling a big, -warm, safe rubber rowboat. The stars winked at him, the soft waves -explored his face-plate with curious, white fingers of spray. Pretty -soon there was sand scraping his boots ... a long, smooth beach with -rolling hills beyond.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>In the sudden scarlet of dawn, it was impossible to believe the night -had even been frightening. Throughout the night, the Moseley clan -huddled together there on the beach, waiting, silent, wondering. But -when the sun burst over the horizon like a clamoring, brazen gong, they -looked upon this land which was their new home—and found it good.</p> - -<p>The night did not last long. But Pop had told them it would not.</p> - -<p>"Eros rotates on its axis," he explained, "in about ten hours, forty -minutes, Earth time measurement. Therefore we shall have 'days' and -'nights' of five hours; short dawns or twilights. This will vary -somewhat, you understand, with the change of seasons."</p> - -<p>Dick asked, "Isn't that a remarkably slow rotation? For such a tiny -planet, I mean? After all, Eros is only one hundred and eighty odd -miles in circumference—"</p> - -<p>"Eros has many peculiarities. Some of them we have discussed before. It -approaches Earth nearer than any other celestial body, excepting Luna -and an occasional meteor or comet. When first discovered by Witt, in -1898, the world of science marveled at finding a true planetoid with -such an uncommon orbit. At perihelion it comes far within the orbit of -Mars; at aphelion it is far outside.</p> - -<p>"During its near approach in 1900-01, Eros was seen to vary in -brightness at intervals of five hours and fifteen or twenty minutes. -At that time, a few of the more imaginative astronomers offered the -suggestion that this variation might be caused by diurnal rotation. -After 1931, though, the planetoid fled from Earth. It was not until -1975, the period of its next approach, that the Ronaldson-Chenwith -expedition visited it and determined the old presumption to be correct."</p> - -<p>"We're not the first men to visit Eros, then?"</p> - -<p>"Not at all. It was investigated early in the days of spaceflight. -Two research foundations, the Royal Cosmographic Society and the -Interplanetary Service, sent expeditions here. During the Black -Douglass period of terrorism, the S.S.P. set up a brief military -occupation. The Galactic Metals Corporation at one time attempted -to establish mining operations here, but the Bureau refused them -permission, for under the Spacecode of '08, it was agreed by the Triune -that all asteroids should be settled under land-grant law.</p> - -<p>"That is why," concluded Pop, "we are here now. As long as I can -remember, it has been my dream to take a land-grant colony for my very -own. Long years ago I decided that Eros should be my settlement. As you -have said, Richard, it necessitated the pulling of many strings. Eros -is a wealthy little planet; the man who earns it wins a rich prize. -More than that, though—" Pop lifted his face to the skies, now blue -with hazy morning. There was something terribly bright and proud in his -eyes. "More than that, there is the desire to carve a home out of the -wilderness. To be able to one day say, 'Here is my home that I have -molded into beauty with my own hands.' Do you know what I mean, son? -In this workaday world of ours there are no more Earthly frontiers for -us to dare, as did our forefathers. But still within us all stirs the -deep, instinctive longing to hew a new home from virgin land—"</p> - -<p>His words dwindled into silence, and, inexplicably, Bobby felt awed. -It was Grampaw Moseley who burst the queer moment into a thousand -spluttering fragments.</p> - -<p>"Talkin' about hewin'," he said, "S'posen we 'hew us a few vittles? -Hey?"</p> - -<p>Dick roused himself.</p> - -<p>"Right you are, Grampaw," he said. "You can remove your bulgars. I've -tested the air; it's fine and warm, just as the report said. Moira, -while Mom and Eleanor are fixing breakfast, suppose you lay out our -blankets and spare clothing to dry? Grampaw, get a fire going. Pop and -Bobby and I will get some wood."</p> - -<p>Thus Eros greeted its new masters, and the Moseleys faced morning in -their new Eden.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">III</p> - -<p>Grampaw Moseley wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. There were -no napkins, which suited him fine.</p> - -<p>"It warn't," he said, "a bad meal. But it warn't a fust-class un, -neither. Them synthos an' concentrates ain't got no more flavor than—"</p> - -<p>Bobby agreed with him. Syntho ham wasn't too bad. It had a nice, meaty -taste. And syntho coffee tasted pretty much like the real thing. But -those syntho eggs tasted like nothing under the sun except just plain, -awful syntho eggs.</p> - -<p>Four Eros days—the equivalent of forty-two Earth hours or so—had -passed since their crash landing. In that short time, much had been -done to make their beach camp-site comfortable. All members of the -family were waiting now for Dick to return.</p> - -<p>Pop said seriously, "I'm afraid you'll have to eat them and like them -for a little while, Father. We can't get fresh foods until we're -settled; we can't settle until—Ah! Here comes Dick!"</p> - -<p>"I'll eat 'em," grumbled Grampaw, "but be durned if I'll like 'em. -What'd you l'arn, Dicky-boy?"</p> - -<p>Dick removed his helmet, unzipped himself from his bulger, shook his -head.</p> - -<p>"It looks worse every time I go back. I may not be able to get in the -airlock again if the ship keeps on settling. The whole prow split wide -open when we hit, the ship is full of water. The flour and sugar and -things like that are ruined. I managed to get a few more things out, -though. Some tools, guns, wire—stuff like that."</p> - -<p>"How about the hypatomic?"</p> - -<p>"Let him eat, Rob," said Mom. "He's hungry."</p> - -<p>"I can eat and talk at the same time, Mom. I think I can get the -hypatomic out. I'd better, anyhow. If we're ever going to raise the -ship, we'll need power. And atomic power is the only kind we can get in -this wilderness." And he shook his head. "But we can't do it in a day -or a week. It will take time."</p> - -<p>"Time," said Pop easily, "is the one commodity with which we are -over-supplied." He thought for a minute. "If that's the way it is, we -might as well move."</p> - -<p>"Move?" demanded Grampaw. "What's the matter with the place we're at?"</p> - -<p>"For one thing, it's too exposed. An open beach is no place for a -permanent habitation. So far we've been very lucky. We've had no -storms. But for a permanent camp-site, we must select a spot further -inland. A fertile place, where we can start crops. A place with fresh, -running water, natural shelter against cold and wind and rain—"</p> - -<p>"What'll we do?" grinned Dick. "Flip a coin?"</p> - -<p>"No. Happily, there is a spot like that within an easy walk of here. -I discovered it yesterday while studying the terrain." Pop took a -stick, scratched a rude drawing on the sand before him. "This is the -coastline. We landed on the west coast of this inlet. The land we see -across there, that low, flat land, I judge to be delta islands. Due -south of us is a fine, fresh-water river, watering fertile valleys to -either side. There, I think, we should build."</p> - -<p>Dick nodded.</p> - -<p>"Fish from the sea, vegetables from our own farm—is there any game, -Pop?"</p> - -<p>"That I don't know. We haven't seen any. Yet."</p> - -<p>"We'll find out. Will this place you speak of be close enough to let me -continue working on the <i>Cuchulainn</i>? Yes? Well, that's that. When do -we start?"</p> - -<p>"Why not now? There's nothing to keep us here."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>They packed their meager belongings while Dick finished his meal; the -sun was high when they left the beach. They followed the shore line -southward, the ground rising steadily before them. And before evening, -they came to a rolling vale through which a sparkling river meandered -lazily to the sea.</p> - -<p>Small wonders unfolded before their eyes. Marching along, they -had discovered that there was game on Eros. Not quite Earthly, of -course—but that was not to be expected. There was one small, furry -beast about the size of a rabbit, only its color was vivid leaf-green. -Once, as they passed a wooded glen, a pale, fawnlike creature stole -from the glade, watched them with soft, curious eyes. Another time -they all started violently as the familiar siren of a Patrol monitor -screamed raucously from above them; they looked up to see an irate, -orange and jade-green bird glaring down at them.</p> - -<p>And of course there were insects—</p> - -<p>"There would have to be insects," Pop said. "There could be no fruitful -vegetable life without insects. Plants need bees and crawling ants—or -their equivalent—to carry the pollen from one flower to another."</p> - -<p>They chose a site on the riverside, a half mile or so from, above, -and overlooking the sea. They selected it because a spring of pure, -bubbling water was nearby, because the woodlands dwindled away into -lush fields. And Pop said,</p> - -<p>"This is it. We'll build our home on yonder knoll. And who knows—" -Again there grew that strange look in his eyes. "Who knows but that -it may be the shoot from which, a time hence, there may spring many -cabins, then finer homes, and buildings, and mansions, until at last -there is a great, brave city here on this port by the delta—"</p> - -<p>"That's it, Pop!" said Dick suddenly. "There's the name for our -settlement. Delta Port!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>So, swiftly, sped the next weeks, and Bobby was not able, afterward, to -tell where they had gone. Time lightens labor; labor hastens time. But -fleeing hours left in their wake tangible evidence of their passage—a -change, a growth in Delta Port.</p> - -<p>One of Pop's first moves had been an attempted reorganization of their -work-hours on an Eros basis.</p> - -<p>"We cannot here," he explained, "try to maintain our Earthly habit of -sleeping through night hours, working during the day. Therefore—"</p> - -<p>And he laid out for them an intricate and elaborate "nine day week" he -had devised; broken into alternate sleep-and-labor, meal-and-recreation -periods. It was an ingenious system. But—</p> - -<p>It didn't work.</p> - -<p>Despite previous habits, after a short time men and women, old and -young alike, found themselves growing drowsy as dusk crept in. There -was a general quickening of life's tempo to meet the conditions -prevalent on Eros; the familiar "three meals a day" ceased to have -meaning; the old habit of sleeping eight hours at one stretch became -anomalous under a sky which waxed and waned from brightness to dark in -that length of time. Imperceptibly at first, then more and more openly, -all found themselves working into a new routine. A design for living -under which they tumbled into bed for four hours of darkness, slept -suddenly and heartily, woke again, pursued a half dozen hours of work -or play, then napped once more.</p> - -<p>It seemed the most natural thing in the world. And Pop, never satisfied -until he could explain such things, finally found an answer.</p> - -<p>"I remember, now, that 'way back in the early years of the Twentieth -Century a group of psychologists from one of the American universities -tried an experiment. They put two men in a sealed, walled, sound-proof -room which was neither dark nor light, but was kept constantly a dull, -twilight gray.</p> - -<p>"They gave the men—who all their lives had lived on the accepted Early -standard—instructions to sleep when they felt drowsy, eat whenever -they felt the desire to do so. After an exceptionally short time, the -life-habits of these human guinea-pigs altered remarkably. They began -eating not thrice a way, but at intervals ranging from every three to -six hours.</p> - -<p>"As for sleeping, the experimenters found it natural to cat-nap for -four hour stretches rather than sustain strength on one, long, tiresome -eight hour sleep-period.</p> - -<p>"This experiment was duplicated in 1987, under John Carberry of -Columbia, with identical results. The research doctors were forced to -the conclusion that Man is, on Earth, responsive to the conditions -under which he must live. That is, he has adapted himself to Earth's -phenomena. But could his body attain its natural and normal, -uninhibited desires, it would live <i>precisely as we here on Eros are -living</i>! At a wake-sleep pace of alternate four and six hours!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It was just like Pop to get excited about a problem of that nature -when there were so many other things crying to be done. But Bobby was -surprised, from time to time, to discover that in a pinch Pop could bob -up with an answer to a stumping question quite unrelated to the field -of empiric science.</p> - -<p>It was Pop who, when Dick was having trouble making their minute supply -of nails and braces do for the construction of the cabin, offered the -suggestion that the joists be joined by hollowing. It worked. End logs -dove-tailed beautifully; the cabin walls stood firmer and looked neater -than if laboriously spliced together with metal.</p> - -<p>It was Pop, too, who did something about the plate problem. Unable to -bring the plastics with them in their hasty flight from the sunken -<i>Cuchulainn</i>, the Moseley family had made rude shift first with large -flat, washed leaves, then with shells taken from the beach, at last -with wooden slabs planed down by Grampaw.</p> - -<p>Pop, annoyed with these slovenly substitutes, spent several hours -wandering by the shore, through the hills, up the river; finally -returned one afternoon triumphantly bearing a lump of grayish mud as -large as his head. Ignoring all caustic queries and comments, he set -about molding this into a plate—and after much fingering, succeeded in -flattening it into a recognizable shape.</p> - -<p>It seemed to bother him not a whit that the finished product was -deckle-edged and wobbly. He set it out in the sun to dry; a day later -carried it triumphantly to the table and demanded his meal be served in -it.</p> - -<p>"Pottery!" he said. "From a fine clay bed up Erin River!"</p> - -<p>Then he placed his pottery plate on the table with firm hands, and at -that imperceptible jar, it promptly fell into five pieces!</p> - -<p>But a beginning had been made, and curiously enough it was Moira -who became interested in this obscure art of ceramics. The Moseleys -continued to eat from wooden slabs for some weeks, while Moira begrimed -her fingers with mud that invariably turned to crisp, fragile clay—and -then one day she completed a bowl made of substance from which all -sand-grains and small pebbles had been painstakingly sieved, and which -had been allowed to dry slowly under damp grass. And <i>this</i> time it -did not crack. Within a fortnight, a complete set of crockery made its -appearance in the culinary department.</p> - -<p>At which point Dick began talking vaguely about the construction of a -kiln, and Moira started thinking about the possibilities of decorating -her proud young chinaware.</p> - -<p>So the weeks passed, and it was surprising how much had been -accomplished, and how complete and happy life could be, even without -the infinitude of small comforts to which they had once been -accustomed, and which, on Earth, they had expected and accepted -unthinkingly.</p> - -<p>There was no teleo to entertain them, but somehow nobody seemed to -miss its raucous, glowing presence in the living room; not even Bobby -whose greatest interest in life had once been the nightly adventures -of <i>The Red Patrolman</i>, transmitted through the courtesy of United -Syntho Cereals. Grampaw Moseley made music with a battered banjo he -had salvaged from the <i>Cuchulainn</i>; they all sang, and sometimes they -danced, too. That was what Moira liked; she'd fix herself all up real -pretty and dance and dance, even though her partners were Dick and -Pop, who didn't dance the modern swoop-steps very well, and Bobby, who -pretended to dislike it very thoroughly, but thought it was kind of fun.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Grampaw carved a cribbage set, too; they played it, and chess, and card -games during storms that kept them housebound. Dick, in occasional -hours of leisure, cleared a fair athletic field outside. They had a -quoits' run, a badminton court (a little uneven, but nobody minded) and -a shuffleboard plane; also a fine sand-pit for The Pooch.</p> - -<p>Pop had planned the house with his usual mathematical forevision. From -its first two rooms, built with an eye to offering swift shelter, soon -spread wings. Before long it had four separate bedrooms, a kitchen, a -dining-nook, and the living- or meeting-room, which Grampaw called the -"git-together" room. There was also a cisterned refreshing-room, and -another would be added as soon as Dick devised a method of supplying -the house with fresh, running water.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, Mom and Eleanor and Grampaw Moseley were to be thanked for -the steady improvement in their menu.</p> - -<p>Grampaw had early set out his farm; it was a sight to see him hobbling -up and down the neat, even rows, weeding his springing crops, swearing -at insect interlopers. Luckily the sealed containers of seeds had -not suffered the fate of Mom's lamented sugar and flour supply; the -Moseleys had already nibbled tentatively at stubby radishes, tiny, -crumpled leaves of lettuce—and in another month or so there would be -more substantial root and fruit stocks. Potatoes, parsnips, beans, -turnips, beets, tomatoes, corn, salsify, onions.</p> - -<p>And wheat! That was the crop most tenderly watched, most hopefully -awaited. Wheat meant bread; bread was life. And the wheat was rippling -up in soft, green wavelets.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, Eros itself supplied many—if unusual!—foodstuffs. Every -member of the family watched, carefully, the eating habits of Erosian -small-life; adapted to their own diet the fruits, seeds, berries, -eaten by native animals, and avoided those things which, no matter how -luscious to look on, the birds and beasts eschewed. Some day, when -Pop's laboratory equipment could be brought from the sunken ship, they -would find out about these questionable foods. But for now, it was best -to be on the safe side.</p> - -<p>Artificial light remained a problem. There were tiny search batteries -in their bulgers, but they used these only in cases of necessity; they -had no oil for lamps even if they had owned lamps. Eleanor made a few -fat, greasy, ill-shapen candles out of renderings, but these spluttered -and dripped and lasted but a short time. Aboard the <i>Cuchulainn</i> were -all sorts of books, telling how to make candles properly. But these -were, by now, water-soaked and illegible.</p> - -<p>So they contrived to get by with little illumination, looking forward -to the day when Dick should succeed in raising the hypatomic motor from -the ship. Then they would have all the light and heat and power they -wanted. All from a cupful of water, or a handful of sand swept up from -the beach.</p> - -<p>And all was peaceful and quiet. Until one day there came a startled -shout from the fields, the sound of excited footsteps, and Grampaw came -hobbling into the house yelling, "Where's m' gun? Marthy, drad-rat it, -where'd y' put m' gun?"</p> - -<p>Dick grinned and winked at the others and asked, "What's the matter, -Grampaw? The moles getting into your garden?" And chuckled as Grampaw -grabbed up his pierce-gun and hobbled away. Chuckled, that is, until -the old man's answer came floating back over his shoulder.</p> - -<p>"Moles be durned! It's hooman-bein's, that's what it is. <i>In</i>-trudin' -on our prop-pity!"</p> - -<p>Then Dick roared, "Hey, Grampaw, wait! Put that gun down! Don't try -to—Come on, everyone!"</p> - -<p>They all went tumbling from the house. And it was exactly as Grampaw -had said. Approaching Delta Port, some on foot, some astride animals -curiously horselike save that they had six legs and long, shaggy hair, -came a tiny group of men and women. Six in number.</p> - -<p>Their leader was a man of Pop's age, a baldish man, heavy-set and -capable looking. Besides him rode a thin, tired looking woman of -forty-odd. Next came a short, pudgy, white-haired man; then, herding -beside him two youngsters, a boy of Bobby's age and a girl slightly -younger, came the last member of the party. A slim, tall young man with -a mop of cinnamon-colored hair.</p> - -<p>The two groups, one nearing the house, one emerging from it, saw -each other at practically the same time. For a moment, no one spoke -on either side. Dick had taken the gun from Grampaw's hands, had -successfully concealed it. And now Pop broke the silence.</p> - -<p>"Greetings, strangers!" he cried heartily. "You're plenty welcome to -Delta Port!"</p> - -<p>Then came the shockingly unexpected reply, from the leader of the -newcomers.</p> - -<p>"Greetings yourself, Mister! And what in tarnation thunder are you -doing on my land?"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">IV</p> - -<p>Grampaw Moseley was a man of action. He groped for the rifle swinging -loosely in Dick's grasp. He said, "Gimme! Minute I set eyes on that fat -ol' popinjay I knew—"</p> - -<p>Dick said, "Hush, Grampaw!" and looked at Pop. Pop looked baffled. He -watched speechlessly as the caravan drew up beside them, the members -dismounted from their odd beasts of burden. Then he said, hesitantly, -"There seems to be some misunderstanding here, stranger. Allow me to -introduce myself and my family. I am Robert Moseley. This is my father, -my wife, my son and his wife and child, my other children—"</p> - -<p>The heavy-set man made no offer to shake hands. He grunted, "Meetcha! -I'm Sam Wilkes. This is my wife, my dad, my kids." He stared at the -house, the cultivated fields. A look of grudging respect was in his -eyes; there was a touch of envy, too. "Been doin' all right for -yourself, ain't you? For a squatter!"</p> - -<p>Pop said slowly, "Squatter, sir? I'm afraid there's some mistake. This -property—as a matter of fact, this entire planetoid—is mine under -Earth land-grant law. Now, if you will be kind enough to explain your -presence—"</p> - -<p>"Yours!" Sam Wilkes' ruddy countenance darkened with outrage. "Earth -land-grant! Bessie, where'd I put that—Oh, here it is! Take a look at -this, Mr. Moseley!"</p> - -<p>He slapped a strip of parchment into Pop's hand, and Pop unfolded -it carefully. Dick looked over his shoulder. One of the curious, -six-legged beasts skittered nervously and Bobby started. The -rusty-thatched boy who had dismounted from it grinned impishly. He -said, "What's the matter, skinny, you scared of him?"</p> - -<p>Bobby said, "Of course not!" and watched the animal from the corner of -one eye. "What is it?"</p> - -<p>"A gooldak. We brought it here from home. Fastest thing on legs. -What's your name?"</p> - -<p>"Bobby. What's yours? And what do you mean—home?"</p> - -<p>"Sam. They call me Junior. Why, home is Mars, of course. Where'd you -think?"</p> - -<p>That word was being echoed now by Dick.</p> - -<p>"Mars! This is a land-grant charter issued by the Martian government! -But—but—Pop, show him yours!"</p> - -<p>"Don't do nothin' of the sort, son!" chirped Grampaw belligerently. -"That there scrip o' his'n is prob'ly fake! Don't explain nothin' to -'em. Jist tell 'em to git!"</p> - -<p>The roly-poly father of Sam Wilkes turned a querulous eye on Grampaw.</p> - -<p>"Who's the antique?" he demanded throatily. "Sounds to me like one of -them big-talkin', poor-scrappin' Earth soldiers I fit in the Upland -Rebellion."</p> - -<p>"Upland Rebellion!" howled Grampaw. "Was <i>you</i> one o' the rebels we -chased from the deserts to the Pole? I might of knowed it! Gimme that -gun, Dick—"</p> - -<p>"Please, Grampaw!" begged Dick. He looked at Wilkes. "My father was -right, Mr. Wilkes. There is a dreadful mistake here. Apparently the -Colonial offices of Earth and Mars have disagreed on the ownership of -this planetoid; your government has issued a land-grant on it, and so -has ours."</p> - -<p>"Asteroids," said Wilkes, "are Martian. Their very orbits prove—"</p> - -<p>"I beg your pardon," interrupted Pop firmly. "Eros' orbit is between -Earth and Mars at this moment. It is a part of Earth's empire."</p> - -<p>"Is it true," Bobby asked Junior, wide-eyed, "that pirate gangs hide in -the Martian deserts? I heard—"</p> - -<p>"Shucks, no! We used to live in East Redlands, they wasn't no pirates -anywheres about. Were you ever in Chicago, Skinny? Is it true there's a -building there two miles high?"</p> - -<p>"Two and a half," said Bobby complacently. "And it covers six city -blocks. And my name's not 'Skinny'."</p> - -<p>"—you'll notice," Wilkes was grunting, "my grant is dated prior to -yours. Therefore Eros is mine, no matter which government's claim is -soundest. That's Intergalactic law."</p> - -<p>"You seem to forget," Dick pointed out, "that we've established a -permanent settlement. As travelers, you may be considered itinerant -explorers with only the privileges of a study party. We will extend to -you the courtesies of Eros for the legal three months, but after that -time—"</p> - -<p>"<i>You'll</i> extend to <i>us</i>!" Wilkes' face was flame-red. "Why, for a lead -credit, I'd—"</p> - -<p>"Sock 'im, Dick!" yelped Grampaw excitedly. "Don't let 'im git away -with that talk! Sock 'im!"</p> - -<p>"Nobody," rumbled a deep, pleasant voice, "is going to sock anybody." -The tall, elder son of Sam Wilkes ranged himself beside his father. -Bobby noted with sudden approval that the young man's bronzed forearms -were corded; there was a crisp, firm set to his lips; he looked like a -man who could handle himself equally well in a ball-room or a brawl. He -said, "Send the women away, Mr. Moseley. I think we men can settle this -matter."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Moira stepped forward, confronted the young redhead boldly. "And who -are <i>you</i> to be giving orders to us? Maybe Martians treat their women -like cattle, but Earthmen—"</p> - -<p>"That will do, daughter," said Pop. And he nodded. "But that's not -a bad idea, Wilkes. There is no reason why we should not be able to -settle this question in a friendly manner. Mrs. Wilkes, if you and your -daughter would accept our hospitality, I'm sure Martha can find you a -cup of tea. Wilkes, if you and your son would care to sit down with us, -we can—Bobby, run and get some water for the Wilkes' horses. If they -are horses?" he added dubiously.</p> - -<p>"Gooldaks!" sniffed Junior Wilkes disdainfully. "I'll help you, Skinny. -What's the matter with that sister of yours? She looks like an unbaked -cookie."</p> - -<p>"Yeah? Then why does your brother keep staring at her all the time? -Come on—" Bobby strained desperately for a suitable term; culled his -resources, came up triumphantly. "Come on, Stinky!"</p> - -<p>When they had watered and fed the gooldaks, Junior wanted to see around -the farm. Bobby showed him, while the other boy marveled wistfully.</p> - -<p>"You folks struck it lucky. This is the best part of the whole -planet.... I mean of what we've seen so far. We got here a couple -weeks before you did, and we've traveled a couple hundred miles looking -for a good location. Boy, it sure was awful where we cracked up! Dad -named it Little Hell, because it's so hot and sandy and terrible. No -fresh water. One big hot, salt lake. Red mountains and desert land. All -oxides, Red said—he's my brother. He's smart."</p> - -<p>"So's mine," said Bobby. "Are Martians people?"</p> - -<p>"What do you mean? Of course they're people. Same as you. Men that left -Earth because there was too darn much fighting and stuff. And of course -Earth tried to claim Mars as a colony, but Mars won its fight for -independence."</p> - -<p>"Earth just let 'em go free," scoffed Bobby. "They didn't want any -dried-up old planet, anyhow!"</p> - -<p>"No? Then why did they—Hey! What's that?"</p> - -<p>"Quoits. Know how?"</p> - -<p>"Do I! I can beat you!"</p> - -<p>"Huh!" said Bobby. He glanced at the house, but no one was paying -any attention to them. Pop and Dick were deep in conversation with -the Wilkes, father and son. The two old men were aside on one corner -of the porch rubbing salt in old wounds, re-fighting the battles of -Mercandor's Canal and High Plateau, re-surveying the campaigns that -had led to Martian independence and a better understanding between the -blue and red planets. Eleanor and Mom were preparing dinner; Moira had -disappeared. A thin and lonely figure stood on the steps looking at -Bobby and Junior. Junior called, "Hey, Ginger—come on down if you want -to." She came.</p> - -<p>Bobby said, "What did you call her for?"</p> - -<p>"What's the matter? You 'fraid a girl can lick you playing games?"</p> - -<p>"Huh!" said Bobby again. There was something sissy about playing games -with fourteen-year-old girls. It didn't help much that Ginger, with -skinny-armed, keen-eyed accuracy succeeded in beating both himself and -her brother in two games of quoits and one of shuffleboard before the -dinner-gong rang.</p> - -<p>Dinner was a truculent experience. Conversation had done absolutely -nothing to clarify the issue. Both parties were sincere in their -conviction of ownership to Eros. Pop based his claim on the -establishment of a permanent base at Delta Port; Wilkes insisted that -priority of arrival was his proof of occupancy.</p> - -<p>"So one of us," insisted Wilkes, "has got to leave. And since <i>we</i> -can't—"</p> - -<p>"Can't?"</p> - -<p>"Our ship crashed," explained Red Wilkes, watching Moira, "on landing. -It is a total wreck."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Bobby thought, glumly, that Moira was a total wreck, too. He had held -hopes for Moira. Since their arrival on Eros she had turned into a -pretty nice guy; cheerful, willing to work, fresh-looking. Now, for -some obscure reason, she had piled her hair up on top of her head, put -powder on her face and red stuff on her mouth. She wore a dress instead -of pants, and she was mincing and prissing around like a prize horse.</p> - -<p>"So," continued Wilkes, "since <i>we</i> can't leave, your family must."</p> - -<p>And Dick laughed out loud.</p> - -<p>"Checkmate!" he said.</p> - -<p>"What?"</p> - -<p>"We've wasted time," said Dick, "trying to decide which family must -leave. The truth is, neither of us can! Because, you see, we cracked up -in landing, also. Our ship lies out there four fathoms deep in Delta -Sound!" He rose. "So that's that, folks. And I'm afraid, Mr. Wilkes, -that under the present circumstances, <i>your</i> family will be the one to -ultimately depart from Eros."</p> - -<p>"Ours? Why?"</p> - -<p>"Because of the internationally recognized laws of squatters' rights. -You must know the requirements a settler has to fulfill in order to -establish claim to land? He must declare his purpose of settling upon -leaving the parent planet—"</p> - -<p>"We did that," said Red Wilkes, "before we left."</p> - -<p>"I know. And four months later he will be visited by an inspection ship -of the S.S.P.—"</p> - -<p>"We know that, too."</p> - -<p>"—upon the arrival of which," Dick continued, "he must show -advancement in the following colonization projects. (a) Establishment -of a power plant or unit; (b) construction of a suitable dwelling -or dwellings; (c) satisfactory advancement of natural resources, -including farms, fisheries or other means of livelihood and -sustenance—"</p> - -<p>"Get to the point!" growled Wilkes.</p> - -<p>"Immediately. And with pleasure. You see, my dear sir, as you have told -us, you left Mars even <i>before</i> we left Earth. But whereas we have -turned our time to good account, constructing the comforts which you -now see about you, your family has squandered precious weeks wandering -over the face of Eros seeking a favorable location.</p> - -<p>"If I am not mistaken, the Solar Space Patrol's inspection is only six -short weeks in the offing. And judging from our experience, you cannot -possibly satisfy the requirements of the land-grant code in that short -space of time. I remind you that the planting of a garden would, in -itself, spell an end to your ambitions."</p> - -<p>Sam Wilkes was on his feet, choking with rage.</p> - -<p>"That there law is nonsense, Moseley! The land law allows us a full -year to establish a settlement—"</p> - -<p>"Ah, yes! The land law. But you forget that these are unusual -circumstances. Two families with equally valid rights have claimed -Eros. Land law is overruled, and the law of squatters' dominion comes -into effect.</p> - -<p>"So, I'm very sorry for you, Wilkes. But I hope we can be friendly -neighbors for the short time you <i>remain</i> here with us on Eros."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Wilkes was a statue of dismay. The rigidity of him melted enough to let -him turn slowly to his son.</p> - -<p>"Is—is that right, Red?"</p> - -<p>And the younger Wilkes nodded.</p> - -<p>"I'm afraid it is, Dad."</p> - -<p>Sam Wilkes brought his fist down on the table. The hand-made crockery -danced and trembled.</p> - -<p>"Then, by Gad! I'll have no more of this talk or no more phoney -hospitality. Bessie, Ginger, Papa—come on! We're getting out of here! -We've got work to do!"</p> - -<p>Pop said slowly, "I'm sorry, Wilkes. But—"</p> - -<p>"Sorry! Bah!"</p> - -<p>"And just where," cackled Grampaw, loving it, "might y' be goin'?"</p> - -<p>"Not far. Right across the river. You can't claim all of this fertile -valley—yet! And you haven't cleared that ground."</p> - -<p>He stomped to the door; turned there for one, final warning.</p> - -<p>"—and I advise you Moseleys to keep off our land, too! We're goin' -to be mighty busy provin' our right to own this planet. I understand -there's pests around these parts that are darn disturbin'; I'd hate to -make a mistake and shoot any skunks by accident. Come on, Mama!"</p> - -<p>Bessie Wilkes looked at Mom. Her worn, tired features sagged piteously. -She wet her lips. "Mrs. Moseley—"</p> - -<p>Mom said, "Rob, don't you think you're being a little harsh, maybe?"</p> - -<p>But there was a streak of granite in Pop, too. And he was angry; -white-angry as only a tried Irishman can be. He said in a cold and -level voice, "I think, Mother, you should get Mrs. Wilkes' wraps."</p> - -<p>And they left. Ginger Wilkes turned to stick out her tongue at Bobby as -they got on their gooldaks and rode toward the river. And Junior made a -gesture which Bobby returned in kind. But Red Wilkes didn't even look -back. So there was no good reason why Moira should have suddenly burst -into tears and gone to her own room....</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">V</p> - -<p>It was Dick who brought home the bad news. Two Eros days had passed -since the Wilkes took their angry departure from the Moseley home. In -those two days, an unhappy atmosphere had settled down over the house -at Delta Port. Moira said little or nothing, Mom just moped around the -house, The Pooch got indigestion and cried interminably; even Grampaw -Moseley was grumpier than usual. Bobby tried to forget the depression -by playing quoits. He gave it up as a bad job. It wasn't any fun -playing by yourself, and Dick and Pop were too busy to play with him. -If only—</p> - -<p>But comets to Junior Wilkes! And Ginger, too!</p> - -<p>At dinner time, Dick came into the house slowly, a thoughtful look in -his eyes. When they were seated he said, suddenly, "Have any of you -seen the Wilkes lately?"</p> - -<p>Grampaw said, "I seen Old Man Wilkes. He was pitchforkin' land down -by our south forty, oney on the opposite side o' the river. Fat ol' -sinner. I chucked a rock at 'im!"</p> - -<p>Bobby looked interested.</p> - -<p>"You hit him, Grampaw?"</p> - -<p>"I don't never miss. In the right leg."</p> - -<p>"I bet he hollered."</p> - -<p>Grampaw sucked his upper plate fiercely. "Nary a holler, durn him! He -jist pulled up his pants-leg and made a face at me. <i>De</i>-crepit ol' -fool's got a wooden leg!"</p> - -<p>Pop said, "Why did you ask, Richard?"</p> - -<p>"I was wondering if any of you had noticed what I did."</p> - -<p>"What do you mean?"</p> - -<p>Dick started to answer, stopped, rose. "Come," he said. "It's dark. -I'll show you."</p> - -<p>They followed him out to the porch. From there the Wilkes settlement -could not ordinarily be seen. Which is why, as they stood there, one -and all gasped astonishment.</p> - -<p>The thick, black Erosian night lay heavy about them everywhere -except in the direction of the Wilkes' new home. There it was light; -startlingly, dazzlingly, brilliantly gay and bright! Like a great white -dawn on the river's edge.</p> - -<p>"Power!" cried Pop. "Atomic power! They must have a hypatomic!"</p> - -<p>"They never said they hadn't. They told us their spaceship cracked up; -we just took it for granted that since we hadn't been able to salvage -our hypatomic, neither could they."</p> - -<p>Bobby said wonderingly, "Gee, Pop, it looks like at home, doesn't it? I -forgot lights were so bright."</p> - -<p>Pop said, "I'm afraid we've underestimated our competitors, son. If -they have power, they can accomplish all we have, and more! And in -one-tenth the time."</p> - -<p>"That's just," said Dick slowly, "what I'm afraid of. There's only one -answer to this challenge. I've <i>got</i> to get our hypatomic from the -<i>Cuchulainn</i>. And quickly."</p> - -<p>"But you said—"</p> - -<p>"I know what I said. But I also know what they can do. In three days -they can have a house ... a fine, big, plastic house that will make our -hand-hewn log cabin look like a cowshed. They'll have electricity, -fuel, running water, all the things we've had to do without. When the -inspectors see their house and compare it with ours—Mom—get me my -bulger. I'm leaving for the north shore."</p> - -<p>"Tonight, Richard?"</p> - -<p>"Immediately."</p> - -<p>Pop said, "And Bobby and I will go with you."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>They were there before morning. The A shore looked much as Bobby -remembered it, except that now there was a raft there; the craft which -Dick had used to float out to the sunken ship on previous visits. The -three of them boarded this, paddled out to the bobbing buoy that marked -the <i>Cuchulainn's</i> watery resting-place.</p> - -<p>Dick donned his bulger, weighted his boots, and went below. The sun -rose higher in the east. After a while, green wavelets rolled and Dick -was up again.</p> - -<p>"It's no use, Pop. It's like I said. The ship has continued to settle; -the airlock is jammed tight against the bottom. I can't get in any -more."</p> - -<p>Pop said, "And I suppose there's no way to attach a drag to the ship, -work it loose?"</p> - -<p>"It would take more power than we have." Gloomily.</p> - -<p>And then Bobby remembered, suddenly. He said, "Hey, Dick—!"</p> - -<p>"Never mind, kid. Help me off with this suit."</p> - -<p>"But listen, Dick. I read a story once—"</p> - -<p>"Do what your brother asks, Robert."</p> - -<p>"Will you let me finish, Pop? Listen, Dick, in this story a rocketeer -got locked out of his spaceship. So he unfastened the stern-braces and -got in through the rocket jet!"</p> - -<p>"He ... did ... what?"</p> - -<p>"Unfastened the stern-braces—"</p> - -<p>"I heard you!" Dick's face had suddenly lighted. "Great day in the -morning, Pop—I bet it'll work! Hand me that jack-wrench ... that's the -one! So long!"</p> - -<p>And he was under water again. This time he stayed under for more -than an hour. He bobbed up, finally, while Pop and Bobby were having -sandwiches. Pop said, "How's it going, Richard?"</p> - -<p>"Give me a fresh capsule," demanded Dick. He took the oxy-tainer, -replenished his supply pack, disappeared. A long time passed. Too -long a time. Bobby began to feel apprehensive. He didn't say anything, -though, because he knew Pop was feeling the same way. And then—</p> - -<p>"There he is!" said Pop. And sure enough, Dick was coming up out of the -water slowly. Terribly slowly. Bobby saw why. It was because he was -weighted by a square box held in his arms. A familiar square box. The -hypatomic motor of the <i>Cuchulainn</i>!</p> - -<p>"Got it!" gasped Dick. "Easy, now ... it's heavy. I hope it'll work. -It's been under water so doggoned long—"</p> - -<p>Joyfully, they lugged it all the way back to Delta Port. It was -sleep-time when they got there, but they were too excited to sleep. -By fire- and candle-light, Dick worked on the salvaged power unit, -patching, wiring, repairing. And at dawn he had it hooked up. He raised -his head gleefully.</p> - -<p>"Get ready, folks! Here's the blow that smashes the hopes of the Wilkes -clan. Behold—<i>light</i>!"</p> - -<p>And he closed a switch. There was a throbbing hum, a glow, a moment of -bright, joyous, welcome light. Then an angry growl from deep in the -bowels of the atomic box. And a sudden, blinding flash of blue light—</p> - -<p>Darkness! And from the darkness, Pop's voice.</p> - -<p>"Ruined! It was under water too long, son. Too long!"</p> - -<p>"Too long," echoed Dick dolefully.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It was Grampaw Moseley who revived their dejected spirits. When they -had rested, he came to them, pounding his cane on the floor, snarling -at them with unexpected vigor.</p> - -<p>"You young uns gimme a pain! Robert, I'm ashamed o' ye. An' you, too, -Dicky-boy! Actin' like we was licked just because a silly-lookin' -little old box won't act up right.</p> - -<p>"We was gettin' along fine here without no atomic motor, wasn't we? -Buildin' a friendly, comf'table community? Well, why can't we go on -livin' like we was? We'll solve the heat an' light problem some other -way, that's all!"</p> - -<p>Pop said, "I know, Father. But in time? After all, when the inspectors -come—"</p> - -<p>"Inspectors my foot! They's one thing we got that the dad-blamed Wilkes -can't git with all their heat an' free power an' hot-an'-cold runnin' -water, ain't they?"</p> - -<p>"Wh-what's that?"</p> - -<p>"Vittles! One o' the requirements is the settler's got to git him a -garden growin', ain't it? Well, we got one. An' the Wilkes ain't. -An', dag-nab it, they ain't goin' to grow wheat an' tomateys an' -butter-beans out of a metal box! So stop belly-achin' and git back to -work, the two of ye!"</p> - -<p>His words were harsh, but the bitter medicine cured the ill. There was -truth in what he said. So, putting behind them all dreams of motorized -accomplishment, the Moseley family once more returned to the task of -making complete and comfortable their home at Delta Port.</p> - -<p>Dick tackled once more the problem of running water for their home. -This time he solved it with the aid of Grampaw's capable cooperage. -A huge tank, set into the eaves, stored the water. A hand-pump drew -it from the stream. An old, hollow brass doorknob, pierced with -drill-holes, secured to the end of the 'fresher pipe, made an excellent -spray for the shower.</p> - -<p>Grampaw worked his farm ferociously; Mom and Eleanor and Moira spent -hours in the kitchen, jarring and preserving the produce he was now -harvesting. Bobby's chores piled up till it seemed he had scarcely any -time left for playing. He was enjoying himself, though. It was fun -feeling that his efforts were helping toward putting the Wilkes where -they belonged.</p> - -<p>Moira seemed to be thriving on this pioneer life, too. She had -developed a sudden love for the country; even after a hard day's -work she would set out, almost every evening, for a tramp about the -countryside. She didn't show very good sense about it, though, for -like as not she'd go out all be-doodled up in a dress and high-heeled -shoes, and come back flushed and excited and hardly caring that she was -ruining her best clothes.</p> - -<p>Once Bobby decided to go walking with her, but she slipped away before -he could announce his intention. He lost her down by the river-bank, -and since an hour of sun and dusk remained, decided to go swimming. He -had been in the water but a few minutes when the brush parted and there -was Junior Wilkes.</p> - -<p>"Hello," said Junior.</p> - -<p>"Hello, yourself," said Bobby.</p> - -<p>Junior said, "I'm looking for Red."</p> - -<p>"Well, he's not here." Bobby continued paddling. The brush crackled and -he thought Stinky had gone. He looked up, suddenly feeling loneliness -close in upon him. But the other boy was still there. He was hesitantly -fumbling at his shirt-buttons. Bobby said, "You can come in if you want -to. I guess this river don't belong to nobody."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>They swam together for quite a while, neither wanting to break the -silence. It would be, thought Bobby vaguely, an act of disloyalty. To -Pop and Dick and the family. Of course, if Junior spoke first....</p> - -<p>When they were dressing, each on his own side of the river, Junior -spoke. He said, "You ever play quoits any more?"</p> - -<p>"All the time," said Bobby airily. He hadn't laid a hand on the quoits -since that afternoon. "We have a lot of fun," he said.</p> - -<p>"Well, so do we," said Junior. He added, "Anyway, I can have your -quoits' run after you leave Eros. My Dad said so."</p> - -<p>"Don't hold your breath waiting," snorted Bobby. "I guess I'll be -living in your big house after you go away."</p> - -<p>"It's a nicer house than yours!"</p> - -<p>"Did I say it wasn't?" Bobby had seen it. It was a beauty. But why not, -with the limitless power of an atomic machine to supply the labor of -creating plastic, operate the lifts and perform all the hard manual -labor? "You ought to see our garden, though. We've got corn and beans -and all sorts of things."</p> - -<p>"No kidding?" Junior looked hungry. But he shook his head. "Synthos -suit me <i>exactly</i>! I'd rather eat them than any home-grown stuff."</p> - -<p>"I bet!" scoffed Bobby. He had finished dressing. He turned awkwardly. -"Well—see you!" he said.</p> - -<p>"Tomorrow night," said Junior. And, shucks, that was a date. He -couldn't break it, after that, even if he had only been being polite. -And it sort of got to be a habit to swim together for a little while -every evening. He didn't tell Pop because Pop would be mad. And Junior -didn't tell his old man, because he knew he'd get whaled....</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>And the weeks raced by on eager feet. Until one day, shortly after -breakfast, Bobby went out to see how clear the weather was, so he could -go fishing; looked heavenward—and came racing back into the house.</p> - -<p>"Pop!" he yelled. "Dick! A ship! I think it's the Patrol ship. Coming -here!"</p> - -<p>They came running. And it was the Patrol ship. It circled high above -them like a giant eagle, then, with a flat, flooding thunder of -jet-fire, dropped to rest in a field between the properties of the two -feuding clans.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">VI</p> - -<p>The commander of the Patrolship <i>Sirius</i> was Lt.-Col. Travers, third -ranking officer of the Belt Fleet. He shook Pop's hand heartily.</p> - -<p>"Glad to meet you, Dr. Moseley. I've heard so much about you, I feel -as if I already know you. My nephew was a student in several of your -classes at Midland U. He said you were a very capable instructor ... -and if I may judge from what we noted from above, I might add that you -are an extremely capable colonist as well as professor."</p> - -<p>Pop wriggled. "Why—why, thank you, Colonel."</p> - -<p>"This fine farmland," smiled the space officer, "and that artesian -well I see across the river ... these silos, and your magnificent -dwelling...."</p> - -<p>Pop hrrumphed, even more embarrassed.</p> - -<p>"Colonel," he faltered, "I think I'd better explain immediately that -all is not mine. There are two groups of claimants to this planetoid. -Ourselves and a family named Wilkes. Martians. Our property is here; -theirs is across the river. I—uh—here comes Wilkes now."</p> - -<p>Travers' brow furrowed.</p> - -<p>"Indeed? Then he was right, after all!"</p> - -<p>"He? Who?"</p> - -<p>The question was answered by the appearance of a man in drill -space-gear who stepped from the <i>Sirius</i>. A lean and capable-appearing -man, hard-bitten of feature, shrewd of eye and tight of lip. Colonel -Travers said, "Dr. Moseley, permit me to introduce Mr. Wade, survey -scout of the United Ores Corporation."</p> - -<p>Wade acknowledged the introduction with a crisp nod. Then, "What's -this about there being two claimants to Eros?" He turned to the -ship's commander. "This makes a difference, doesn't it, Colonel? My -information was correct. Therefore it becomes your duty to make a -final, exhaustive study of the settlers' accomplishments right <i>now</i>. -And in the event their projects have not been completed in accordance -with the provisions of the Squatter's Rights Code, Section 103A, -Paragraphs vii to xix, inclusive—"</p> - -<p>Eleanor whispered nervously, "What does he mean, Dick? What is he -talking about?" and Dick nodded tightly. "I think I know." He stepped -forward. "I take it, Mr. Wade, that the U.O.C. has filed a claim on the -possession of Eros in the event that our settlement projects should not -satisfy the inspector's requirements?"</p> - -<p>"Quite right, young man. And I might add—" Wade was openly hostile. "I -might add that I have obtained permission to accompany Colonel Travers -on his inspection tour. In order to verify his findings. If I am not -satisfied—"</p> - -<p>"That will do, Mr. Wade!" Colonel Travers was under orders to treat -his passenger as a guest; there was no obligation that he like the -ore scout. The glint in his eye, the set of his jaw, indicated the -direction in which his sympathy lay. "I am quite capable of handling -this. Ah—Good day, sir! Mr. Wilkes, I presume?"</p> - -<p>"Howdy, Skipper. Yeah, I'm Sam Wilkes." The rival settler glanced -around swiftly, sensed the overtones of enmity, glared at Pop -suspiciously. "What's wrong here? Has Moseley been squawkin' about—?"</p> - -<p>"Dr. Moseley informed us that you and he were both claimants to Eros. -Therefore I shall immediately visit your two establishments in order to -determine which, if either of you, has the better justified his claim.</p> - -<p>"Lieutenant Thrainell, you will serve as my aide. We will first -inspect Dr. Moseley's habitation."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Thus it began. Pop took the two Patrolmen and the civilian critic to -Delta Port, pointed out with pride the many things accomplished within -the past months. He met, in Col. Travers, an admiring audience. The -commander was outspokenly delighted with what he saw.</p> - -<p>"Gad, man! You did all this without power? This is the pioneering feat -of the decade! Look, Lieutenant! Running water ... chinaware ... that -furniture! Marvelous! You deserve a wealth of credit, Doctor."</p> - -<p>"But," pointed out Wade caustically, "you mentioned the biggest fault -yourself."</p> - -<p>"I beg your pardon, Mr. Wade?"</p> - -<p>"Without power!" snapped Wade. "Moseley, where are your lights? Where's -your power plant? How about heat? And this cooking equipment—it's -aboriginal!"</p> - -<p>Pop said stiffly, "We have no hypatomic, sir. But you will notice -that we have devised satisfactory substitutes for power-driven gear. -Hand-pumps draw our water, light is supplied by these oil-float lamps, -our house is centrally heated by these open fire-places. We are—" He -faltered. "We shall, of course, order a complete hypatomic unit from -Earth, install it as soon as possible."</p> - -<p>"I'm afraid that's not quick enough," sneered Wade. "Colonel Travers -will undoubtedly remember the requirements of the law in that respect. -'Claimant must display, at time of inspection, a power-plant of atomic, -motor, or hydraulic drive capable of generating a minimum of 3,000 -Legerling units <i>per diem</i>, and so arranged as to provide dwellings -and other structures with heat, light and power.' You have no such -equipment, have you, Dr. Moseley?"</p> - -<p>"No, but—"</p> - -<p>"You have not, then?"</p> - -<p>"No."</p> - -<p>"Very well, then." Wade smiled thinly, closed the black book in which -he had been jotting notes with a plushy sound of finality. "May I -suggest, Colonel, that we see the <i>other</i> claimant's plantation?"</p> - -<p>After they had left, Colonel Travers shaking his head regretfully at -Pop as if to say he was sorry but helpless before the arguments of this -interloper, Pop sat down and propped his chin on his fists. Yesterday -he had looked like a man of thirty; all of sudden he looked old and -weary and discouraged. He said, "Well, there it is, Martha. I've -dreamed my dream, and now it's over, and I've failed."</p> - -<p>"No you haven't Rob. The Colonel is on our side. He's a good man. -He'll—"</p> - -<p>"But the law is on Wade's side. If our claim is outlawed, Eros will -become a dirty, smoky mining camp. This soft beauty, these green -rolling hills, will echo with the clatter of blasters. Unless—"</p> - -<p>And suddenly he was again a man of action. He came to his feet suddenly.</p> - -<p>"Martha, Eleanor, Dick—everybody! Get those preserves out of the -storage closet. Grampaw, get the hauler from the shed. Bobby, you run -and tell Sam Wilkes to keep those inspectors out of his house for a -half hour or so."</p> - -<p>"Why, Pop?" demanded Dick. "What are you going to do?"</p> - -<p>"Do? I'm going to see that Sam Wilkes gets this planet, that's what! -Oh, I know—there won't be any question of his sharing it with me. He's -too hard and stiff-necked a man for that. But he's our kind of man, -with all his faults. A pioneer with the daring to come to a new world -and try to build it into a home of his own.</p> - -<p>"We've known for weeks that all he needed to justify his claim was -a food supply. Well, by thunder, we've got a food supply! And we'll -give it to him, lock, stock and barrel, to keep Eros out of the -Corporation's hands! Now, step, everybody! Moira! Moira—where is that -girl?"</p> - -<p>"She stayed down by the river, Pop."</p> - -<p>"Well, find her. Bobby, go tell Sam Wilkes what I just said!"</p> - -<p>Bobby scooted.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He was soaking wet when he got to the Wilkes' house. That was because -he took the short-cut, which meant plunging right into the river and -swimming across, clothes and all. The inspectors and their snoopy -companion would have to take the long route, around the ford.</p> - -<p>Mr. Wilkes wasn't in the house when he got there. But Mrs. Wilkes -was, and Ginger, and both gasped as they saw him. Mrs. Wilkes bustled -forward.</p> - -<p>"Sweet stars above, child, what are you doing here? Get those clothes -off; you'll catch your death of cold. Ginger—go get one of Junior's -suits—"</p> - -<p>Bobby said, "There's no time for that, Mrs. Wilkes. Where's Fat Sa—I -mean, where's your husband?"</p> - -<p>Ginger said, "Don't tell him, Ma. He's just here to crow because he -knows we can't pass the inspection requirements—"</p> - -<p>"You—you shut up!" bellowed Bobby. "You doggone female! You don't know -anything about it. Mrs. Wilkes, get your husband. Mom and Sis and the -rest will be here any minute now. They're—"</p> - -<p>And he explained. His explanation sent them into a flurry of -excitement; there was even deeper excitement when Sam Wilkes, hastily -summoned, heard the same story repeated. For once the leathery corners -of his mouth relaxed into something like a grin. He swore, and slammed -a big hand on his knee.</p> - -<p>"Your old man is going to do that for us, sonny? Well, hornswoggle my -jets! And to think I—Junior, go find Red. Hop it!"</p> - -<p>"Red's not around, Pa. He went toward the river."</p> - -<p>"Confound him! Just when we need him most. Well—I'll go meet the -confounded rascals, stall them as long as I can. And look here, -you—what's your name?"</p> - -<p>"Bobby."</p> - -<p>"I won't forget this, Bobby! Not by a jugfull. If I hadn't been such -a stubborn, pigheaded old hound, I'd have dickered with your Pa long -afore this. There's plenty of room on Eros for two families. Or two -dozen!"</p> - -<p>Then followed a half hour of labor so swift that it made all the -accomplishments of the past months seem snail-like by comparison. Mom -and Eleanor arrived, bearing armloads of canned goods and preserves; -Grampaw and Dick brought the hauler across the river on a raft, -and piled high on the hauler were fresh vegetables that gorged the -never-used Wilkes containers to repletion. It was fast work, but -efficient. And when, about three-quarters of an Earth hour later, -Wilkes came from the lower acreage accompanied by the two officers and -the Corporation investigator, the job was finished, and a tired but -glowing two-family group awaited him.</p> - -<p>Colonel Travers' inspection of the food-supply was perfunctory. It -needed not be otherwise. One glance sufficed to show that there was in -the Wilkes household enough food to nourish a dozen families for as -many months.</p> - -<p>And there was a smile of grim satisfaction on his lips as, turning to -his aide, he said, "Very well, Lieutenant. You may make a notation that -the Wilkes household has been inspected and found satisfactory in all -respects." He looked at Wade purposefully and repeated in a firm tone. -"In <i>all</i> respects!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Ah, he was no dummy, that Colonel. Bobby had seen the twinkle in his -eye as he glanced into the preserve closet. Because, shucks! there -wasn't any mistaking Mom's way of doing up preserves. With little red -bands around each jar, and her firm, crabbed handwriting telling what -was inside.</p> - -<p>"In all respects!" he said again. And reached for Sam Wilkes' pudgy -paw. "Congratulations, Sir! You've earned possession of the planetoid -Eros. Your power-plant is among the finest it has ever been my pleasure -to view; you have undeniably cleared and planted the required number of -acres, your food supply is well above the minimum requirements—"</p> - -<p>"But see here!" Wade's face was an ugly red. "I'm not satisfied, -Colonel. There's something fishy about this. The farmlands we inspected -were barely out of the seed stage. The corn was only knee high, the -vegetables mere sprouts. These people couldn't have raised all this -produce—"</p> - -<p>Sam Wilkes spluttered helplessly, "Why I—I—"</p> - -<p>And Pop came to his rescue. Smoothly. Suavely.</p> - -<p>"But he did, Mr. Wade. On the farmlands across the river. Those are the -early crops; the ones you've just seen are the late harvest."</p> - -<p>"But—but you claimed those were <i>your</i> crops!"</p> - -<p>"Did I?" Pop stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Well, maybe I was bragging -a little. You see, I've been working for Mr. Wilkes. A sort of -share-cropper, you might say."</p> - -<p>"Now I get it!" howled the angry scout. "I thought so. It's -skullduggery, that's what it is! Don't you see, Colonel? These men -are conspiring to defraud us. To cheat the Corporation. Moseley had -deliberately given his crops and food-supply to Wilkes—"</p> - -<p>There was again a twinkle in the Colonel's eye. He said, soberly, "And -suppose you're right, Wade? What then? There's no law against a man -giving away his possessions to another man, is there?</p> - -<p>"As an inspector for the Solar Space Patrol, my only interest is -in seeing that a settler's domain fulfills the requirements of the -Squatter's Rights Code. Mr. Wilkes has fulfilled those requirements. -I am not interested in the how or why. Therefore, under the power -invested in me by the Triune Planetary Government, I hereby decide and -award—"</p> - -<p>And then a crafty brilliance illumined Wade's eyes.</p> - -<p>"Stop!" he cried.</p> - -<p>Colonel Travers hesitated. "Pardon, Mr. Wade?"</p> - -<p>"Since you are such a stickler for duty, Colonel, I wish to call to -your attention a further stipulation of the Squatter's Rights Code. One -you have evidently forgotten. The Code says, Section 115B, Paragraph -iii, 'Such requirements having been fulfilled, it shall be lawful to -award the settled property to any family group comprised of at least -six adults who pledge intention to make the property their permanent -home—'"</p> - -<p>Sam Wilkes said, "Well, what's the matter. Don't we intend to make Eros -our permanent home?"</p> - -<p>"I have no doubt of it, Mr. Wilkes. But I regret to inform you that you -will not be able to do so, since you do not fulfill this last-mentioned -paragraph."</p> - -<p>"There's six of us!" defended Wilkes stoutly.</p> - -<p>"But the law," insisted Wade, "requires six <i>adults</i>! May I ask, Mr. -Wilkes, how many of your family are more than twenty-one years of age!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Dick whistled softly. Pop's jaw dropped. Wilkes' face turned crimson. -And Bobby computed hastily. This was the final, devastating blow. The -Wilkes household contained only four adults; Old Man Wilkes, Sam and -his wife, and Red. Junior and Ginger were just kids.</p> - -<p>With sudden regret, Bobby realized that they should have arranged their -conspiracy in reverse. There were six adults in the Moseley clan, Moira -having just celebrated her twenty-first birthday. But it was too late -for that now. As friendly as Colonel Travers was, he could not openly -countenance a flagrant, deliberate transference of all property to the -Moseleys.</p> - -<p>So their last, desperate ruse had failed. And now none of them would -win ownership of Eros. All their lovely hopes and dreams had been in -vain; their new-found friendship with the Wilkes a dying gesture....</p> - -<p>Wade could not restrain himself from elaborating on the situation.</p> - -<p>"So, my friends," he chuckled, "your deceit wins its proper reward. -Under the circumstances, I shall not do what I had earlier planned -on doing. I was going to give each of you, with the Corporation's -compliments, a fitting reward for having so diligently opened up this -new colony. Now I see no reason for so doing.</p> - -<p>"In the future, it might be well to remember the law provides many -loopholes to the ingenious man. That is a hard lesson, but a fair one. -Were you but six adults—"</p> - -<p>And then there was a sudden stir at the doorway. A deep, rumbling, -familiar voice. That of Red Wilkes.</p> - -<p>"You crow mighty loud for a bantam rooster, Mister!" he said. "But -you're crowing at a false dawn. Because it so happens that we are six -adults. As a matter of fact, we're more than six adults. There are -<i>ten</i> of us!"</p> - -<p>Wade spun, shocked. The others looked, too, and in all eyes there was -surprise. All, that is, but Ginger. She was hugging her knees, rocking -back and forth comfortably, looking very much pleased with herself and -with the world in general. She said, "I knew it. I knew it all the -time."</p> - -<p>"Knew what?" said Bobby, but his question was lost in Wade's irate -demand.</p> - -<p>"Ten of you? What are you talking about? Who is this young -whipper-snapper?"</p> - -<p>"That," said Sam Wilkes conversationally, "is my son. And I'd be -careful if I was you, Mister. The last guy who called him names is -still pickin' up teeth. Son, I reckon you know what the hell you're -talkin' about. But the rest of us don't. So if you'd please explain—?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Red Wilkes grinned. He said, "Moira, honey." And Moira entered from the -porch. There was a smile on her face and somehow there was a smile in -her eyes, too, and Bobby got the strange feeling that if you could see -inside her, there'd be a smile in her heart. She looked at Mom, and -Mom gave a little gasp, like she could tell just by looking at Moira -what Moira meant. Red Wilkes continued to grin. He said, "Colonel, -commanders of space vessels have the privilege of marrying folks, -haven't they?"</p> - -<p>"Why—why, yes," said Travers.</p> - -<p>"Then," said Red mildly, "how'd you like to get out the little black -book and start tying knots? Because, you see, Moira has told me she's -willing to take a chance."</p> - -<p>Pop said, "Moira, darling, you're not just doing this because ... -because...."</p> - -<p>"No, Pop. I'm doing it because I want to. Because I love Red and he -loves me. It's been that way since the day we met. We—we've been -meeting secretly for the past six weeks. We meant to break the news -sooner or later. And now seems to be about the best time."</p> - -<p>"Particularly," pointed out the groom-to-be, "since our marriage turns -two families into <i>one</i> family. And I think that will spike your guns, -Mr. Wade?"</p> - -<p>Wade was no longer crimson. He was purple. "You can't do this, -Colonel!" he screamed. "It's illegal. Anyway, they won't be truly -related. The two families will just be in-laws—"</p> - -<p>But there was an open, admiring grin on the lips of Lieutenant-Colonel -Travers, S.S.P. He said, "Maybe I <i>can't</i> do it, Mr. Wade—but by the -Pleiades, I'm going to! And as for the law—according to all decisions -I've ever read, in-laws are valid relatives. You're the one who was -yelping about the law providing many loopholes for ingenious men. -Well, here's a big, juicy loophole. How do you like it?"</p> - -<p>Wade, howled, "I protest! It's unfair! I refuse to allow—"</p> - -<p>Red Wilkes looked at his father hopefully. "Shall I, Pop?" he asked.</p> - -<p>And Sam Wilkes shook his head. "No, son. It ain't fittin'. Not on your -wedding day."</p> - -<p>Which gave Dick an idea. He rose, grimly.</p> - -<p>"It's not <i>my</i> wedding day!" he said. "Wade—"</p> - -<p>But somehow Mr. Wade had vanished. Toward the ship.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Afterward, Colonel Travers lingered to shake hands all around.</p> - -<p>"I commend you both," he said, "for the fine spirit you have shown; the -fine work you've done in making Eros a member of the Solar family. You -prove what I have always claimed—that the pioneer spirit in Man is not -dead, nor will it ever die so long as there remain new frontiers to -conquer.</p> - -<p>"Well, I must go now. But I'll stop back by here on my next swing -around the Belt. Perhaps a year from now, perhaps a little less. I'll -bring the things you ask for. A new motor, some cloth, silverware—I -have your list."</p> - -<p>"Don't forget the books," said Pop.</p> - -<p>"I won't." The Captain made a note.</p> - -<p>"And the seeds." That was Old Man Wilkes.</p> - -<p>"No. I'll bring them."</p> - -<p>"And bring," said Moira, "a teething ring."</p> - -<p>Eleanor said, "Oh, nonsense, Moira! In another year The Pooch will be -too old for teething rings."</p> - -<p>"Bring," said Moira doggedly, "a teething ring." And blushed.</p> - -<p>Bobby blushed, too. It was, he thought, indecent of Moira to be so -brazen. And her only married! Golly, did she have to look so far ahead? -And, anyway, with Ginger standing right there....</p> - -<p>He said, "Hey, Stinky, how about a game of quoits?"</p> - -<p>"Suits," said Junior.</p> - -<p>And Ginger said, "Me, too." She put her hand in Bobby's. She said, with -alarming frankness, "I like you! Maybe I'll let you be my beau."</p> - -<p>Bobby shook loose. He said, "Aw, you darn girls—"</p> - -<p>But she had her way. She played quoits with him and Junior. And she -won. Which may have been symbolic, though it didn't occur to Bobby that -way. Maybe she would always have her way. And maybe she would always -win—whatever she wanted.</p> - -<p>Yet for a while there would be peace on Eros....</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Castaways of Eros, by Nelson S. 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Bond - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere 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/license - - -Title: Castaways of Eros - -Author: Nelson S. Bond - -Release Date: June 27, 2020 [EBook #62498] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CASTAWAYS OF EROS *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - Castaways of Eros - - By NELSON S. BOND - - Two families fought for the title to Eros, - and only one could win. One had to outsmart - the other--and both had to win over the - unscrupulous United Ores Corporation. It - was a problem worthy of a Solomon--and it - had an ending even those embittered - rivals could not foresee. - - [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.] - - -Bobby couldn't help wishing Pop would stand up just a little bit -straighter. Not that he was ashamed of Pop; it wasn't that at all. It -was just that the Patrolman stood _so_ straight, his shoulders broad -and firm. Standing beside him made Pop look sort of thin and puny; his -chest caved in like he was carrying a heavy weight on his shoulders. - -That was from studying things through a microscope. Anyhow, decided -Bobby with a fierce loyalty, that S.S.P. man probably wouldn't even -know what to look for if somebody put a microscope in front of him. -Even if he was big and sturdy and broad-shouldered in his space blues. - -Mom said, "Bobby, what _are_ you muttering about? Do stop fidgeting!" -Bobby said, "Yessum," and glared at Moira, as if she, in some -obscure way, were to blame for his having been reprimanded right out -here in the middle of Long Island Spaceport, where everybody could -hear and laugh at him. But Moira, studying the handsome S.S.P. man -surreptitiously, did not notice. Dick was fixing something in the ship. -Eleanor stood quietly beside Mom, crooning softly to The Pooch so it -wouldn't be scared by the thunderous blast of rocket motors. Grampaw -Moseley had buttonholed an embarrassed young ensign, was complaining -to him in loud and certain terms that modern astronavigation practices -were, "Rank bellywash, Mister, and a dad-ratted disgrace!" - -The Patrolman said, "Your name, please, Sir?" - -"Robert Emmet O'Brien Moseley," said Pop. - -"Occupation?" - -"Research physicist, formerly. Now about to become a land-grant -settler." - -"Age of self and party ... former residence...." - -Overhead, the sky was blue and thin--clear as a bowl of skimmed milk; -its vastness limned in sharp relief, to the west and north, the mighty -spans and arches, the faery domes and flying buttresses of Great New -York. The spacedrome fed a hundred ducts of flight; from one field -lifted air locals, giddy, colored motes with gyroscopes aspin. From -another, a West Coast stratoliner surged upward to lose itself in thin, -dim heights. - -Vast cradles by the Sound were the nests to which a flock of -interplanetary craft made homeward flight. Luggers and barges and -cruisers. Bobby saw, with sudden excitement, the sharp, starred prow of -the Solar Space Patrol man-o'-war. - -Here, in this field, the GSC's--the General Spacecraft Cradles. From -one of which, as soon as Pop got clearance, their ship would take off. -Their ship! Bobby felt an eager quickening of his pulse; his stomach -was aswarm with a host of butterflies. _Their ship!_ - -The space officer said, "I think that takes care of everything, Dr. -Moseley. I presume you understand the land-grant laws and obligations?" - -"Yes, Lieutenant." - -"Very well, then--" Space-red hands made official motions with a -hand-stamp and pen. "Your clearance. And my very best wishes, Sir." - -"Thank you," said Pop quietly. He turned. "That's all. Ready, Mother? -Eleanor? Moira?" - -Bobby bounded forward. "Can I push the button, can I, Pop? When we -start, can I?" - - * * * * * - -Dick was waiting before the open lock of the _Cuchulainn_. Dick could -do anything, everything at once. He took The Pooch into the circle of -his left arm, helped his mother aboard, said, "Shut up, kid, you're -enough to wake the dead. Watch that guard-panel, Elly. Papers all set, -Pop?" And he tickled The Pooch's dimpled cheek with an oily finger. -"You act just like your mama," he said irrelevantly, and the baby -gurgled. Eleanor cried, "Dick--those dirty hands!" - -"Everything is in order, Richard," said Pop. - -"Good. You folks go in and strap down. I'll seal. Here comes the -cradle-monkey now." - -Pop said, "Come along, Robert," and the others went inside. Bobby -waited, though, to see the cradle-monkey, the man under whose orders -spacecraft lifted gravs. The cradle-monkey was a dour man with gnarled -legs and arms and temper. He looked at the _Cuchulainn_ and sniffed; -then at Dick. - -"Family crate, huh?" - -"That's right." - -"Well, f'r goddlemighty' sakes, don't try to blast off with y'r side -jets burnin'. Take a seven-point-nineteen readin' on y'r Akka gauge, -stern rockets only--" - -"Comets to you, butt-hoister!" grinned Dick. "I've had eight years on -the spider run. I can lift this can." - -"Oh, a rocketeer?" There was new, grudging respect in the groundman's -tone. "Well, how was I t' know? Y'ought t' see what some o' them -jaloupi-jockeys do to my cradles--burn 'em black! Oh, well--" He backed -away from the ship. - -"Clean ether!" said Dick. He closed the lock. Its seal-brace slid into -place, wheezing asthmatically. Bobby's ears rang suddenly with the mild -compression of air; when he swallowed, they were all right again. Dick -saw him. "What are you doing here, kid? Didn't I hear Pop tell you to -come below?" - -Bobby said, "I'm not a kid. I'm almost sixteen." - -"Just old enough," promised Dick, "to get your seat warmed if you don't -do what you're told. Remember, you're a sailor on a spaceship now. -Pop's the Skipper, and I'm First Mate. If you don't obey orders, it's -mutiny, and--" - -"I'm obeying," said Bobby hastily. He followed his brother down the -corridor, up the ramp, to the bridge. "Can I push the button when we -take off, huh, Dick?" - -After his high expectations, it wasn't such a great thrill. Dick set -the stops and dials, told him which button to press. "When I give the -word, kid." Of course, he got to sit in the pilot's bucket-chair, which -was something. Moira and Eleanor and Mom to lie down in acceleration -hammocks while Pop and Dick sat in observation seats. He waited, all -ears and nerves, as the slow seconds sloughed away. Pop set the hypos -running; their faint, dull throb was a magic sound in the silence. - -Then there came a signal from outside. Dick's hand rose in -understanding response; fell again. "Now!" - - * * * * * - -Bobby jabbed the button in frantic haste. Suddenly the silence was -shattered by a thunderous detonation. There was a massive hand pressing -him back into the soft, yielding leather of his chair; the chair -retreated on oiled channels, pneumatic compensators hissing faintly, -absorbing the shock. Across the room a faulty hammock-hinge squeaked -rustily. - -Then it was over as quickly as it had begun, and he could breathe -again, and Dick was lurching across the turret on feet that wobbled -queerly because up was down and top was bottom and everything was funny -and mixed up. - -Dick cut in the artificial gravs, checked the meter dials with a -hurried glance, smiled. - -"Dead on it! Want to check, Skipper?" - -But Pop was standing by the observation pane, eyeing an Earth already -ball-like in the vastness of space. Earth, dwindling with each passing -moment. Bobby moved to his side and watched; Moira, too, and Eleanor -and Mom, and even Dick. - -Pop touched Mom's hand. He said, "Martha--I'm not sure this is fair to -you and the children. Perhaps it isn't right that I should force my -dream on all of you. The world we have known and loved lies behind us. -Before us lies only uncertainty...." - -Mom sort of sniffed and reached for a handkerchief. She turned her back -to Pop for a minute, and when she turned around again her eyes were red -and angry-looking. She said, "_You_ want to go on, don't you, Rob?" - -Pop nodded. "But I'm thinking of you, Martha." - -"Of me!" Mom snorted indignantly. "Hear him talk! I never heard such -nonsense in my life. Of _course_ I want to go on. No, never mind that! -Richard, isn't there a kitchen on this boat?" - -"A galley, Mom. Below." - -"Galley ... kitchen ... what's the difference? You two girls come with -me. I'll warrant these men are starving. _I_ am!" - - * * * * * - -After that, things became so normal as to be almost disappointing. From -his eager reading of such magazines as _Martian Tales_ and _Cosmic -Fiction Weekly_, Bobby had conceived void-travel to be one long, -momentous chain of adventure. A super-thrilling serial, punctuated by -interludes with space-pirates, narrow brushes with meteors, sabotage, -treachery--hair-raising, heroic and horrifying. - -There was nothing like that to disturb the calm and peaceful journey of -the _Cuchulainn_. Oh, it was enjoyable to stare through the observation -panes at the flame-dotted pall of space--until Pop tried to turn his -curious interest into educational channels; it was exciting, too, to -probe through the corridored recesses of their floating home--except -that Dick issued strict orders that nothing must be touched, that he -must not enter certain chambers, that he mustn't push his nose into -things that didn't concern kids-- - -Which offended Bobby, who was sixteen, or, anyway, fifteen and -three-quarters. - -So they ate and they slept and they ate again. And Pop and Dick spelled -each other at the control banks. Moira spent endless hours with comb -and mirror, devising elaborate hair-dos which--Bobby reminded her -with impudent shrewdness--were so much wasted energy, since they were -settling in a place where nobody could see them. And Mom bustled about -in the galley, performing miracles with flour and stuff, and in the -recreation room, Eleanor minded The Pooch, and lost innumerable games -of cribbage to Grampaw Moseley who cheated outrageously and groused, -between hands, about the dad-blame nonsensical way Dick was handling -the ship. - -And somehow three Earth days sped by, and they were nearing their -destination. The tiny planetoid, Eros. - -Pop said, "You deserve a great deal of credit, son, for your fine work -in rehabilitating the _Cuchulainn_. It has performed beautifully. You -are a good spaceman." - -Dick flushed. "She's a good ship, Pop, even if she is thirty years old. -Some of these old, hand-fashioned jobs are better than the flash junk -they're turning off the belts nowadays. You've checked the declension -and trajectory?" - -"Yes. We should come within landing radius in just a few hours. Cut -drives at 19.04.22 precisely and make such minor course alterations as -are necessary, set brakes." Pop smiled happily. "We're very fortunate, -son. A mere fifteen million miles. It's not often Eros is so near -Earth." - -"Don't I know it? It's almost a hundred million at perihelion. But -that's not the lucky part. You sure had to pull strings to get the -government land grant to Eros. What a plum! Atmosphere ... water ... -vegetable life ... all on a hunk of dirt fifty-seven miles in diameter. -Frankly, I don't get it! Eros must have terrific mass to have the -attributes of a full-sized planet." - -"It does, Richard. A neutronium core." - -"Neutronium!" Dick gasped. "Why don't people tell me these things? -Roaring craters, Pop, we're rich! Bloated plutocrats!" - -"Not so fast, son. Eventually, perhaps; not today. First we must -establish our claims, justify our right to own Eros. That means work, -plenty of hard work. After that, we might be able to consider a mining -operation. What's that?" - -Bobby jumped. It was Mom's voice. But her cry was not one of fear, it -was one of excitement. - -"Rob, look! Off to the--the left, or the port, or whatever you call it! -Is that our new home?" - -Bobby did not need to hear Pop's reply to know that it was. His swift -intake of breath was enough, the shine in his eyes as he peered out the -observation port. - -"Eros!" he said. - -It looked all right to Bobby. A nice, clean little sphere, spinning -lazily before their eyes like a top someone had set in motion, then -gone away and forgotten. Silver and green and rusty brown, all still -faintly blued by distance. The warm rays of old Sol reflected gaily, -giddily, from seas that covered half the planetoid's surface, and -mountains cut long, jagged shadows into sheltered plains beneath them. -It was, thought Bobby, not a bad looking little place. But not anything -to get all dewy-eyed about, like Pop was. - -Dick said softly, "All right, Pop. Let's check and get ready to set 'er -down...." - - - II - -It was not Dick's fault. It was just a tough break that no one had -expected, planned for, guarded against. The planetoid was there beneath -them; they would land on it. It was as simple at that. - -Only it wasn't. Nor did they have any warning that the problem was more -complex until it was too late to change their plans, too late to halt -the irrevocable movements of a grounding spaceship. Dick should have -known, of course. He was a spaceman; he had served two tricks on the -Earth-Venus-Mars run. But all those planets were large; Eros was just a -mote. A spinning top.... - -Anyway, it was after the final coordinates had been plotted, the last -bank control unchangeably set, the rockets cut, that they saw the -curved knife-edge of black slicing up over Eros' rim. For a long moment -Dick stared at it, a look of angry chagrin in his eyes. - -"Well, blast me for an Earth-lubbing idiot! Do you see that, Pop?" - -Pop looked like he had shared Dick's persimmon. - -"The night-line. We forgot to consider the diurnal revolution." - -"And now we've got to land in the dark. On strange terrain. Arragh! I -should have my head examined. I've got a plugged tube somewhere!" - -Grampaw Moseley hobbled in, appraised the situation with his -incomparable ability to detect something amiss. He snorted and rattled -his cane on the floor. - -"They's absolutely nothin'," he informed the walls, "to this -hereditation stuff. Elst why should my own son an' his son be so -dag-nabbed stoopid?" - -"'What can't be cured,'" said Pop mildly, "'must be endured.' We have -the forward search-beams, son. They will help." - -That was sheer optimism. As they neared the planet its gravitational -attraction seized them tighter and tighter until they were completely -under its compulsion. Dusk swept down upon them, the sunlight dulled, -faded, grayed. Then as the ship nosed downward, suddenly all was black. -The yellow beam of the search stabbed reluctant shadows, bringing rocky -crags and rounded tors into swift, terrifying relief. - -Dick snapped, "Into your hammocks, everyone! Don't worry. This crate -will stand a lot of bust-up. It's tough. A little bit of luck--" - -But there was perspiration on his forehead, and his fingers played over -the control banks like frightened moths. - -There was no further need for the artificial gravs. Eros exerted, -strangely, incredibly, an attractive power almost as potent as Earth's. -Dick cut off the gravs, then the hypos. As the last machine-created -sound died away from the cabin, Bobby heard the high scream of -atmosphere, raging and tearing at the _Cuchulainn_ with angry fingers. - -Through howling Bedlam they tumbled dizzily and for moments that were -ages long. While Dick labored frantically at the controls, while Moira -watched with bated breath. Mom said nothing, but her hand sought -Pop's; Eleanor cradled The Pooch closer to her. Grampaw scowled. - -And then, suddenly-- - -"Hold tight! We're grounding!" cried Dick. - -And instinctively Bobby braced himself for a shock. But there was -only a shuddering jar, a lessening of the roar that beat upon their -eardrums, a dull, flat thud. A sodden, heavy grinding and the groan of -metal forward. Then a false nausea momentarily assailed him. Because -for the first time in days the _Cuchulainn_ was completely motionless. - -Dick grinned shakily. "Well!" he said. "Well!" - -Pop unbuckled his safety belt, climbed gingerly out of his hammock, -moved to the port, slid back its lock-plate. Bobby said, "Can you see -anything, Pop? Can you?" And Mom, who could read Pop's expressions like -a book, said, "What is it, Rob?" - -Pop stroked his chin. He said, "Well, we've landed safely, Richard. But -I'm afraid we've--er--selected a wet landing field. We seem to be under -water!" - -His hazard was verified immediately. Indisputably. For from the crack -beneath the door leading from the control turret to the prow-chambers -of the ship, came a dark trickle that spread and puddled and stained -and gurgled. Water! - -Dick cried, "Hey, this is bad! We'd better get out of here--" - - * * * * * - -He leaped to his controls. Once more the plaintive hum of the -hypatomics droned through the cabin, gears ground and clashed as the -motors caught, something forward exploded dully, distantly. The ship -rocked and trembled, but did not move. Again Dick tried to jet the -fore-rockets. Again, and yet again. - -And on the fourth essay, there ran through the ship a violent shudder, -broken metal grated shrilly from forward, and the water began bubbling -and churning through the crack. Deeper and swifter. Dick cut motors and -turned, his face an angry mask. - -"We can't get loose. The entire nose must be stove in! We're leaking -like a sieve. Look, everybody--get into your bulgers. We'll get out -through the airlock!" - -Mom cried, "But--but our supplies, Dick! What are we going to do for -food, clothing, furniture--?" - -"We'll worry about that later. Right now we've got to think of -ourselves. That-aboy, Bobby! Thanks for getting 'em out. You girls -remember how to climb into 'em? Eleanor--you take that oversized one. -That's right. There's room for you and The Pooch--" - -The water was almost ankle deep in the control room by the time they -had all donned spacesuits. Bloated figures in fabricoid bulgers, -they followed Dick to the airlock. It was weird, and a little bit -frightening, but to Bobby it was thrilling, too. This was the sort of -thing you read stories about. Escape from a flooding ship.... - -They had time--or took time--to gather together a few precious -belongings. Eleanor packed a carrier with baby food for The Pooch, -Mom a bundle of provisions hastily swept from the galley bins; Pop -remembered the medical kit and the tool-box, Grampaw was laden down -with blankets and clothing, Dick burdened himself and Bobby with -armloads of such things as he saw and forevisioned need for. - -At the lock, Dick issued final instructions. - -"The air in the bulgers will carry you right to the surface. We'll -gather there, count noses, and decide on our next move. Pop, you go -first to lead the way, then Mom, and Eleanor, Grampaw--" - -Thus, from the heart of the doomed _Cuchulainn_, they fled. The -airlock was small. There was room for but one at a time. The water -was waist--no, breast-deep--by the time all were gone save Bobby and -Dick. Bobby, whose imagination had already assigned him the command of -the foundering ship, wanted to uphold the ancient traditions by being -the last to leave. But Dick had other ideas. He shoved Bobby--not too -gently--into the lock. Then there was water, black, solid, forbidding, -about him. And the outer door opening. - -He stepped forward. And floated upward, feeling an uneasy, quibbly -feeling in his stomach. Almost immediately a hard something _clanged!_ -against his impervite helmet; it was a lead-soled bulger boot; then he -was bobbing and tossing on shallow black wavelets beside the others. - -Above him was a blue-black, star-gemmed sky; off to his right, not -distant, was a rising smudge that must be the mainland. A dark blob -popped out of the water. Dick. - -[Illustration: _Moira reached for the twisted branch._] - -Dick's voice was metallic through the audios of the space-helmet. "All -here, Pop? Everybody all right? Swell! Let's strike out for the shore, -there. Stick together, now. It isn't far." - -Pop said, "The ship, Richard?" - -"We'll find it again. I floated up a marking buoy. That round thing -over there isn't Grampaw." - -Grampaw's voice was raucous, belligerent. "You bet y'r boots it ain't! -I'm on my way to terry firmy. The last one ashore's a sissy!" - -Swimming in a bulger, Bobby found, was silly. Like paddling a big, -warm, safe rubber rowboat. The stars winked at him, the soft waves -explored his face-plate with curious, white fingers of spray. Pretty -soon there was sand scraping his boots ... a long, smooth beach with -rolling hills beyond. - - * * * * * - -In the sudden scarlet of dawn, it was impossible to believe the night -had even been frightening. Throughout the night, the Moseley clan -huddled together there on the beach, waiting, silent, wondering. But -when the sun burst over the horizon like a clamoring, brazen gong, they -looked upon this land which was their new home--and found it good. - -The night did not last long. But Pop had told them it would not. - -"Eros rotates on its axis," he explained, "in about ten hours, forty -minutes, Earth time measurement. Therefore we shall have 'days' and -'nights' of five hours; short dawns or twilights. This will vary -somewhat, you understand, with the change of seasons." - -Dick asked, "Isn't that a remarkably slow rotation? For such a tiny -planet, I mean? After all, Eros is only one hundred and eighty odd -miles in circumference--" - -"Eros has many peculiarities. Some of them we have discussed before. It -approaches Earth nearer than any other celestial body, excepting Luna -and an occasional meteor or comet. When first discovered by Witt, in -1898, the world of science marveled at finding a true planetoid with -such an uncommon orbit. At perihelion it comes far within the orbit of -Mars; at aphelion it is far outside. - -"During its near approach in 1900-01, Eros was seen to vary in -brightness at intervals of five hours and fifteen or twenty minutes. -At that time, a few of the more imaginative astronomers offered the -suggestion that this variation might be caused by diurnal rotation. -After 1931, though, the planetoid fled from Earth. It was not until -1975, the period of its next approach, that the Ronaldson-Chenwith -expedition visited it and determined the old presumption to be correct." - -"We're not the first men to visit Eros, then?" - -"Not at all. It was investigated early in the days of spaceflight. -Two research foundations, the Royal Cosmographic Society and the -Interplanetary Service, sent expeditions here. During the Black -Douglass period of terrorism, the S.S.P. set up a brief military -occupation. The Galactic Metals Corporation at one time attempted -to establish mining operations here, but the Bureau refused them -permission, for under the Spacecode of '08, it was agreed by the Triune -that all asteroids should be settled under land-grant law. - -"That is why," concluded Pop, "we are here now. As long as I can -remember, it has been my dream to take a land-grant colony for my very -own. Long years ago I decided that Eros should be my settlement. As you -have said, Richard, it necessitated the pulling of many strings. Eros -is a wealthy little planet; the man who earns it wins a rich prize. -More than that, though--" Pop lifted his face to the skies, now blue -with hazy morning. There was something terribly bright and proud in his -eyes. "More than that, there is the desire to carve a home out of the -wilderness. To be able to one day say, 'Here is my home that I have -molded into beauty with my own hands.' Do you know what I mean, son? -In this workaday world of ours there are no more Earthly frontiers for -us to dare, as did our forefathers. But still within us all stirs the -deep, instinctive longing to hew a new home from virgin land--" - -His words dwindled into silence, and, inexplicably, Bobby felt awed. -It was Grampaw Moseley who burst the queer moment into a thousand -spluttering fragments. - -"Talkin' about hewin'," he said, "S'posen we 'hew us a few vittles? -Hey?" - -Dick roused himself. - -"Right you are, Grampaw," he said. "You can remove your bulgars. I've -tested the air; it's fine and warm, just as the report said. Moira, -while Mom and Eleanor are fixing breakfast, suppose you lay out our -blankets and spare clothing to dry? Grampaw, get a fire going. Pop and -Bobby and I will get some wood." - -Thus Eros greeted its new masters, and the Moseleys faced morning in -their new Eden. - - - III - -Grampaw Moseley wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. There were -no napkins, which suited him fine. - -"It warn't," he said, "a bad meal. But it warn't a fust-class un, -neither. Them synthos an' concentrates ain't got no more flavor than--" - -Bobby agreed with him. Syntho ham wasn't too bad. It had a nice, meaty -taste. And syntho coffee tasted pretty much like the real thing. But -those syntho eggs tasted like nothing under the sun except just plain, -awful syntho eggs. - -Four Eros days--the equivalent of forty-two Earth hours or so--had -passed since their crash landing. In that short time, much had been -done to make their beach camp-site comfortable. All members of the -family were waiting now for Dick to return. - -Pop said seriously, "I'm afraid you'll have to eat them and like them -for a little while, Father. We can't get fresh foods until we're -settled; we can't settle until--Ah! Here comes Dick!" - -"I'll eat 'em," grumbled Grampaw, "but be durned if I'll like 'em. -What'd you l'arn, Dicky-boy?" - -Dick removed his helmet, unzipped himself from his bulger, shook his -head. - -"It looks worse every time I go back. I may not be able to get in the -airlock again if the ship keeps on settling. The whole prow split wide -open when we hit, the ship is full of water. The flour and sugar and -things like that are ruined. I managed to get a few more things out, -though. Some tools, guns, wire--stuff like that." - -"How about the hypatomic?" - -"Let him eat, Rob," said Mom. "He's hungry." - -"I can eat and talk at the same time, Mom. I think I can get the -hypatomic out. I'd better, anyhow. If we're ever going to raise the -ship, we'll need power. And atomic power is the only kind we can get in -this wilderness." And he shook his head. "But we can't do it in a day -or a week. It will take time." - -"Time," said Pop easily, "is the one commodity with which we are -over-supplied." He thought for a minute. "If that's the way it is, we -might as well move." - -"Move?" demanded Grampaw. "What's the matter with the place we're at?" - -"For one thing, it's too exposed. An open beach is no place for a -permanent habitation. So far we've been very lucky. We've had no -storms. But for a permanent camp-site, we must select a spot further -inland. A fertile place, where we can start crops. A place with fresh, -running water, natural shelter against cold and wind and rain--" - -"What'll we do?" grinned Dick. "Flip a coin?" - -"No. Happily, there is a spot like that within an easy walk of here. -I discovered it yesterday while studying the terrain." Pop took a -stick, scratched a rude drawing on the sand before him. "This is the -coastline. We landed on the west coast of this inlet. The land we see -across there, that low, flat land, I judge to be delta islands. Due -south of us is a fine, fresh-water river, watering fertile valleys to -either side. There, I think, we should build." - -Dick nodded. - -"Fish from the sea, vegetables from our own farm--is there any game, -Pop?" - -"That I don't know. We haven't seen any. Yet." - -"We'll find out. Will this place you speak of be close enough to let me -continue working on the _Cuchulainn_? Yes? Well, that's that. When do -we start?" - -"Why not now? There's nothing to keep us here." - - * * * * * - -They packed their meager belongings while Dick finished his meal; the -sun was high when they left the beach. They followed the shore line -southward, the ground rising steadily before them. And before evening, -they came to a rolling vale through which a sparkling river meandered -lazily to the sea. - -Small wonders unfolded before their eyes. Marching along, they -had discovered that there was game on Eros. Not quite Earthly, of -course--but that was not to be expected. There was one small, furry -beast about the size of a rabbit, only its color was vivid leaf-green. -Once, as they passed a wooded glen, a pale, fawnlike creature stole -from the glade, watched them with soft, curious eyes. Another time -they all started violently as the familiar siren of a Patrol monitor -screamed raucously from above them; they looked up to see an irate, -orange and jade-green bird glaring down at them. - -And of course there were insects-- - -"There would have to be insects," Pop said. "There could be no fruitful -vegetable life without insects. Plants need bees and crawling ants--or -their equivalent--to carry the pollen from one flower to another." - -They chose a site on the riverside, a half mile or so from, above, -and overlooking the sea. They selected it because a spring of pure, -bubbling water was nearby, because the woodlands dwindled away into -lush fields. And Pop said, - -"This is it. We'll build our home on yonder knoll. And who knows--" -Again there grew that strange look in his eyes. "Who knows but that -it may be the shoot from which, a time hence, there may spring many -cabins, then finer homes, and buildings, and mansions, until at last -there is a great, brave city here on this port by the delta--" - -"That's it, Pop!" said Dick suddenly. "There's the name for our -settlement. Delta Port!" - - * * * * * - -So, swiftly, sped the next weeks, and Bobby was not able, afterward, to -tell where they had gone. Time lightens labor; labor hastens time. But -fleeing hours left in their wake tangible evidence of their passage--a -change, a growth in Delta Port. - -One of Pop's first moves had been an attempted reorganization of their -work-hours on an Eros basis. - -"We cannot here," he explained, "try to maintain our Earthly habit of -sleeping through night hours, working during the day. Therefore--" - -And he laid out for them an intricate and elaborate "nine day week" he -had devised; broken into alternate sleep-and-labor, meal-and-recreation -periods. It was an ingenious system. But-- - -It didn't work. - -Despite previous habits, after a short time men and women, old and -young alike, found themselves growing drowsy as dusk crept in. There -was a general quickening of life's tempo to meet the conditions -prevalent on Eros; the familiar "three meals a day" ceased to have -meaning; the old habit of sleeping eight hours at one stretch became -anomalous under a sky which waxed and waned from brightness to dark in -that length of time. Imperceptibly at first, then more and more openly, -all found themselves working into a new routine. A design for living -under which they tumbled into bed for four hours of darkness, slept -suddenly and heartily, woke again, pursued a half dozen hours of work -or play, then napped once more. - -It seemed the most natural thing in the world. And Pop, never satisfied -until he could explain such things, finally found an answer. - -"I remember, now, that 'way back in the early years of the Twentieth -Century a group of psychologists from one of the American universities -tried an experiment. They put two men in a sealed, walled, sound-proof -room which was neither dark nor light, but was kept constantly a dull, -twilight gray. - -"They gave the men--who all their lives had lived on the accepted Early -standard--instructions to sleep when they felt drowsy, eat whenever -they felt the desire to do so. After an exceptionally short time, the -life-habits of these human guinea-pigs altered remarkably. They began -eating not thrice a way, but at intervals ranging from every three to -six hours. - -"As for sleeping, the experimenters found it natural to cat-nap for -four hour stretches rather than sustain strength on one, long, tiresome -eight hour sleep-period. - -"This experiment was duplicated in 1987, under John Carberry of -Columbia, with identical results. The research doctors were forced to -the conclusion that Man is, on Earth, responsive to the conditions -under which he must live. That is, he has adapted himself to Earth's -phenomena. But could his body attain its natural and normal, -uninhibited desires, it would live _precisely as we here on Eros are -living_! At a wake-sleep pace of alternate four and six hours!" - - * * * * * - -It was just like Pop to get excited about a problem of that nature -when there were so many other things crying to be done. But Bobby was -surprised, from time to time, to discover that in a pinch Pop could bob -up with an answer to a stumping question quite unrelated to the field -of empiric science. - -It was Pop who, when Dick was having trouble making their minute supply -of nails and braces do for the construction of the cabin, offered the -suggestion that the joists be joined by hollowing. It worked. End logs -dove-tailed beautifully; the cabin walls stood firmer and looked neater -than if laboriously spliced together with metal. - -It was Pop, too, who did something about the plate problem. Unable to -bring the plastics with them in their hasty flight from the sunken -_Cuchulainn_, the Moseley family had made rude shift first with large -flat, washed leaves, then with shells taken from the beach, at last -with wooden slabs planed down by Grampaw. - -Pop, annoyed with these slovenly substitutes, spent several hours -wandering by the shore, through the hills, up the river; finally -returned one afternoon triumphantly bearing a lump of grayish mud as -large as his head. Ignoring all caustic queries and comments, he set -about molding this into a plate--and after much fingering, succeeded in -flattening it into a recognizable shape. - -It seemed to bother him not a whit that the finished product was -deckle-edged and wobbly. He set it out in the sun to dry; a day later -carried it triumphantly to the table and demanded his meal be served in -it. - -"Pottery!" he said. "From a fine clay bed up Erin River!" - -Then he placed his pottery plate on the table with firm hands, and at -that imperceptible jar, it promptly fell into five pieces! - -But a beginning had been made, and curiously enough it was Moira -who became interested in this obscure art of ceramics. The Moseleys -continued to eat from wooden slabs for some weeks, while Moira begrimed -her fingers with mud that invariably turned to crisp, fragile clay--and -then one day she completed a bowl made of substance from which all -sand-grains and small pebbles had been painstakingly sieved, and which -had been allowed to dry slowly under damp grass. And _this_ time it -did not crack. Within a fortnight, a complete set of crockery made its -appearance in the culinary department. - -At which point Dick began talking vaguely about the construction of a -kiln, and Moira started thinking about the possibilities of decorating -her proud young chinaware. - -So the weeks passed, and it was surprising how much had been -accomplished, and how complete and happy life could be, even without -the infinitude of small comforts to which they had once been -accustomed, and which, on Earth, they had expected and accepted -unthinkingly. - -There was no teleo to entertain them, but somehow nobody seemed to -miss its raucous, glowing presence in the living room; not even Bobby -whose greatest interest in life had once been the nightly adventures -of _The Red Patrolman_, transmitted through the courtesy of United -Syntho Cereals. Grampaw Moseley made music with a battered banjo he -had salvaged from the _Cuchulainn_; they all sang, and sometimes they -danced, too. That was what Moira liked; she'd fix herself all up real -pretty and dance and dance, even though her partners were Dick and -Pop, who didn't dance the modern swoop-steps very well, and Bobby, who -pretended to dislike it very thoroughly, but thought it was kind of fun. - - * * * * * - -Grampaw carved a cribbage set, too; they played it, and chess, and card -games during storms that kept them housebound. Dick, in occasional -hours of leisure, cleared a fair athletic field outside. They had a -quoits' run, a badminton court (a little uneven, but nobody minded) and -a shuffleboard plane; also a fine sand-pit for The Pooch. - -Pop had planned the house with his usual mathematical forevision. From -its first two rooms, built with an eye to offering swift shelter, soon -spread wings. Before long it had four separate bedrooms, a kitchen, a -dining-nook, and the living- or meeting-room, which Grampaw called the -"git-together" room. There was also a cisterned refreshing-room, and -another would be added as soon as Dick devised a method of supplying -the house with fresh, running water. - -Meanwhile, Mom and Eleanor and Grampaw Moseley were to be thanked for -the steady improvement in their menu. - -Grampaw had early set out his farm; it was a sight to see him hobbling -up and down the neat, even rows, weeding his springing crops, swearing -at insect interlopers. Luckily the sealed containers of seeds had -not suffered the fate of Mom's lamented sugar and flour supply; the -Moseleys had already nibbled tentatively at stubby radishes, tiny, -crumpled leaves of lettuce--and in another month or so there would be -more substantial root and fruit stocks. Potatoes, parsnips, beans, -turnips, beets, tomatoes, corn, salsify, onions. - -And wheat! That was the crop most tenderly watched, most hopefully -awaited. Wheat meant bread; bread was life. And the wheat was rippling -up in soft, green wavelets. - -Meanwhile, Eros itself supplied many--if unusual!--foodstuffs. Every -member of the family watched, carefully, the eating habits of Erosian -small-life; adapted to their own diet the fruits, seeds, berries, -eaten by native animals, and avoided those things which, no matter how -luscious to look on, the birds and beasts eschewed. Some day, when -Pop's laboratory equipment could be brought from the sunken ship, they -would find out about these questionable foods. But for now, it was best -to be on the safe side. - -Artificial light remained a problem. There were tiny search batteries -in their bulgers, but they used these only in cases of necessity; they -had no oil for lamps even if they had owned lamps. Eleanor made a few -fat, greasy, ill-shapen candles out of renderings, but these spluttered -and dripped and lasted but a short time. Aboard the _Cuchulainn_ were -all sorts of books, telling how to make candles properly. But these -were, by now, water-soaked and illegible. - -So they contrived to get by with little illumination, looking forward -to the day when Dick should succeed in raising the hypatomic motor from -the ship. Then they would have all the light and heat and power they -wanted. All from a cupful of water, or a handful of sand swept up from -the beach. - -And all was peaceful and quiet. Until one day there came a startled -shout from the fields, the sound of excited footsteps, and Grampaw came -hobbling into the house yelling, "Where's m' gun? Marthy, drad-rat it, -where'd y' put m' gun?" - -Dick grinned and winked at the others and asked, "What's the matter, -Grampaw? The moles getting into your garden?" And chuckled as Grampaw -grabbed up his pierce-gun and hobbled away. Chuckled, that is, until -the old man's answer came floating back over his shoulder. - -"Moles be durned! It's hooman-bein's, that's what it is. _In_-trudin' -on our prop-pity!" - -Then Dick roared, "Hey, Grampaw, wait! Put that gun down! Don't try -to--Come on, everyone!" - -They all went tumbling from the house. And it was exactly as Grampaw -had said. Approaching Delta Port, some on foot, some astride animals -curiously horselike save that they had six legs and long, shaggy hair, -came a tiny group of men and women. Six in number. - -Their leader was a man of Pop's age, a baldish man, heavy-set and -capable looking. Besides him rode a thin, tired looking woman of -forty-odd. Next came a short, pudgy, white-haired man; then, herding -beside him two youngsters, a boy of Bobby's age and a girl slightly -younger, came the last member of the party. A slim, tall young man with -a mop of cinnamon-colored hair. - -The two groups, one nearing the house, one emerging from it, saw -each other at practically the same time. For a moment, no one spoke -on either side. Dick had taken the gun from Grampaw's hands, had -successfully concealed it. And now Pop broke the silence. - -"Greetings, strangers!" he cried heartily. "You're plenty welcome to -Delta Port!" - -Then came the shockingly unexpected reply, from the leader of the -newcomers. - -"Greetings yourself, Mister! And what in tarnation thunder are you -doing on my land?" - - - IV - -Grampaw Moseley was a man of action. He groped for the rifle swinging -loosely in Dick's grasp. He said, "Gimme! Minute I set eyes on that fat -ol' popinjay I knew--" - -Dick said, "Hush, Grampaw!" and looked at Pop. Pop looked baffled. He -watched speechlessly as the caravan drew up beside them, the members -dismounted from their odd beasts of burden. Then he said, hesitantly, -"There seems to be some misunderstanding here, stranger. Allow me to -introduce myself and my family. I am Robert Moseley. This is my father, -my wife, my son and his wife and child, my other children--" - -The heavy-set man made no offer to shake hands. He grunted, "Meetcha! -I'm Sam Wilkes. This is my wife, my dad, my kids." He stared at the -house, the cultivated fields. A look of grudging respect was in his -eyes; there was a touch of envy, too. "Been doin' all right for -yourself, ain't you? For a squatter!" - -Pop said slowly, "Squatter, sir? I'm afraid there's some mistake. This -property--as a matter of fact, this entire planetoid--is mine under -Earth land-grant law. Now, if you will be kind enough to explain your -presence--" - -"Yours!" Sam Wilkes' ruddy countenance darkened with outrage. "Earth -land-grant! Bessie, where'd I put that--Oh, here it is! Take a look at -this, Mr. Moseley!" - -He slapped a strip of parchment into Pop's hand, and Pop unfolded -it carefully. Dick looked over his shoulder. One of the curious, -six-legged beasts skittered nervously and Bobby started. The -rusty-thatched boy who had dismounted from it grinned impishly. He -said, "What's the matter, skinny, you scared of him?" - -Bobby said, "Of course not!" and watched the animal from the corner of -one eye. "What is it?" - -"A gooldak. We brought it here from home. Fastest thing on legs. -What's your name?" - -"Bobby. What's yours? And what do you mean--home?" - -"Sam. They call me Junior. Why, home is Mars, of course. Where'd you -think?" - -That word was being echoed now by Dick. - -"Mars! This is a land-grant charter issued by the Martian government! -But--but--Pop, show him yours!" - -"Don't do nothin' of the sort, son!" chirped Grampaw belligerently. -"That there scrip o' his'n is prob'ly fake! Don't explain nothin' to -'em. Jist tell 'em to git!" - -The roly-poly father of Sam Wilkes turned a querulous eye on Grampaw. - -"Who's the antique?" he demanded throatily. "Sounds to me like one of -them big-talkin', poor-scrappin' Earth soldiers I fit in the Upland -Rebellion." - -"Upland Rebellion!" howled Grampaw. "Was _you_ one o' the rebels we -chased from the deserts to the Pole? I might of knowed it! Gimme that -gun, Dick--" - -"Please, Grampaw!" begged Dick. He looked at Wilkes. "My father was -right, Mr. Wilkes. There is a dreadful mistake here. Apparently the -Colonial offices of Earth and Mars have disagreed on the ownership of -this planetoid; your government has issued a land-grant on it, and so -has ours." - -"Asteroids," said Wilkes, "are Martian. Their very orbits prove--" - -"I beg your pardon," interrupted Pop firmly. "Eros' orbit is between -Earth and Mars at this moment. It is a part of Earth's empire." - -"Is it true," Bobby asked Junior, wide-eyed, "that pirate gangs hide in -the Martian deserts? I heard--" - -"Shucks, no! We used to live in East Redlands, they wasn't no pirates -anywheres about. Were you ever in Chicago, Skinny? Is it true there's a -building there two miles high?" - -"Two and a half," said Bobby complacently. "And it covers six city -blocks. And my name's not 'Skinny'." - -"--you'll notice," Wilkes was grunting, "my grant is dated prior to -yours. Therefore Eros is mine, no matter which government's claim is -soundest. That's Intergalactic law." - -"You seem to forget," Dick pointed out, "that we've established a -permanent settlement. As travelers, you may be considered itinerant -explorers with only the privileges of a study party. We will extend to -you the courtesies of Eros for the legal three months, but after that -time--" - -"_You'll_ extend to _us_!" Wilkes' face was flame-red. "Why, for a lead -credit, I'd--" - -"Sock 'im, Dick!" yelped Grampaw excitedly. "Don't let 'im git away -with that talk! Sock 'im!" - -"Nobody," rumbled a deep, pleasant voice, "is going to sock anybody." -The tall, elder son of Sam Wilkes ranged himself beside his father. -Bobby noted with sudden approval that the young man's bronzed forearms -were corded; there was a crisp, firm set to his lips; he looked like a -man who could handle himself equally well in a ball-room or a brawl. He -said, "Send the women away, Mr. Moseley. I think we men can settle this -matter." - - * * * * * - -Moira stepped forward, confronted the young redhead boldly. "And who -are _you_ to be giving orders to us? Maybe Martians treat their women -like cattle, but Earthmen--" - -"That will do, daughter," said Pop. And he nodded. "But that's not -a bad idea, Wilkes. There is no reason why we should not be able to -settle this question in a friendly manner. Mrs. Wilkes, if you and your -daughter would accept our hospitality, I'm sure Martha can find you a -cup of tea. Wilkes, if you and your son would care to sit down with us, -we can--Bobby, run and get some water for the Wilkes' horses. If they -are horses?" he added dubiously. - -"Gooldaks!" sniffed Junior Wilkes disdainfully. "I'll help you, Skinny. -What's the matter with that sister of yours? She looks like an unbaked -cookie." - -"Yeah? Then why does your brother keep staring at her all the time? -Come on--" Bobby strained desperately for a suitable term; culled his -resources, came up triumphantly. "Come on, Stinky!" - -When they had watered and fed the gooldaks, Junior wanted to see around -the farm. Bobby showed him, while the other boy marveled wistfully. - -"You folks struck it lucky. This is the best part of the whole -planet.... I mean of what we've seen so far. We got here a couple -weeks before you did, and we've traveled a couple hundred miles looking -for a good location. Boy, it sure was awful where we cracked up! Dad -named it Little Hell, because it's so hot and sandy and terrible. No -fresh water. One big hot, salt lake. Red mountains and desert land. All -oxides, Red said--he's my brother. He's smart." - -"So's mine," said Bobby. "Are Martians people?" - -"What do you mean? Of course they're people. Same as you. Men that left -Earth because there was too darn much fighting and stuff. And of course -Earth tried to claim Mars as a colony, but Mars won its fight for -independence." - -"Earth just let 'em go free," scoffed Bobby. "They didn't want any -dried-up old planet, anyhow!" - -"No? Then why did they--Hey! What's that?" - -"Quoits. Know how?" - -"Do I! I can beat you!" - -"Huh!" said Bobby. He glanced at the house, but no one was paying -any attention to them. Pop and Dick were deep in conversation with -the Wilkes, father and son. The two old men were aside on one corner -of the porch rubbing salt in old wounds, re-fighting the battles of -Mercandor's Canal and High Plateau, re-surveying the campaigns that -had led to Martian independence and a better understanding between the -blue and red planets. Eleanor and Mom were preparing dinner; Moira had -disappeared. A thin and lonely figure stood on the steps looking at -Bobby and Junior. Junior called, "Hey, Ginger--come on down if you want -to." She came. - -Bobby said, "What did you call her for?" - -"What's the matter? You 'fraid a girl can lick you playing games?" - -"Huh!" said Bobby again. There was something sissy about playing games -with fourteen-year-old girls. It didn't help much that Ginger, with -skinny-armed, keen-eyed accuracy succeeded in beating both himself and -her brother in two games of quoits and one of shuffleboard before the -dinner-gong rang. - -Dinner was a truculent experience. Conversation had done absolutely -nothing to clarify the issue. Both parties were sincere in their -conviction of ownership to Eros. Pop based his claim on the -establishment of a permanent base at Delta Port; Wilkes insisted that -priority of arrival was his proof of occupancy. - -"So one of us," insisted Wilkes, "has got to leave. And since _we_ -can't--" - -"Can't?" - -"Our ship crashed," explained Red Wilkes, watching Moira, "on landing. -It is a total wreck." - - * * * * * - -Bobby thought, glumly, that Moira was a total wreck, too. He had held -hopes for Moira. Since their arrival on Eros she had turned into a -pretty nice guy; cheerful, willing to work, fresh-looking. Now, for -some obscure reason, she had piled her hair up on top of her head, put -powder on her face and red stuff on her mouth. She wore a dress instead -of pants, and she was mincing and prissing around like a prize horse. - -"So," continued Wilkes, "since _we_ can't leave, your family must." - -And Dick laughed out loud. - -"Checkmate!" he said. - -"What?" - -"We've wasted time," said Dick, "trying to decide which family must -leave. The truth is, neither of us can! Because, you see, we cracked up -in landing, also. Our ship lies out there four fathoms deep in Delta -Sound!" He rose. "So that's that, folks. And I'm afraid, Mr. Wilkes, -that under the present circumstances, _your_ family will be the one to -ultimately depart from Eros." - -"Ours? Why?" - -"Because of the internationally recognized laws of squatters' rights. -You must know the requirements a settler has to fulfill in order to -establish claim to land? He must declare his purpose of settling upon -leaving the parent planet--" - -"We did that," said Red Wilkes, "before we left." - -"I know. And four months later he will be visited by an inspection ship -of the S.S.P.--" - -"We know that, too." - -"--upon the arrival of which," Dick continued, "he must show -advancement in the following colonization projects. (a) Establishment -of a power plant or unit; (b) construction of a suitable dwelling -or dwellings; (c) satisfactory advancement of natural resources, -including farms, fisheries or other means of livelihood and -sustenance--" - -"Get to the point!" growled Wilkes. - -"Immediately. And with pleasure. You see, my dear sir, as you have told -us, you left Mars even _before_ we left Earth. But whereas we have -turned our time to good account, constructing the comforts which you -now see about you, your family has squandered precious weeks wandering -over the face of Eros seeking a favorable location. - -"If I am not mistaken, the Solar Space Patrol's inspection is only six -short weeks in the offing. And judging from our experience, you cannot -possibly satisfy the requirements of the land-grant code in that short -space of time. I remind you that the planting of a garden would, in -itself, spell an end to your ambitions." - -Sam Wilkes was on his feet, choking with rage. - -"That there law is nonsense, Moseley! The land law allows us a full -year to establish a settlement--" - -"Ah, yes! The land law. But you forget that these are unusual -circumstances. Two families with equally valid rights have claimed -Eros. Land law is overruled, and the law of squatters' dominion comes -into effect. - -"So, I'm very sorry for you, Wilkes. But I hope we can be friendly -neighbors for the short time you _remain_ here with us on Eros." - - * * * * * - -Wilkes was a statue of dismay. The rigidity of him melted enough to let -him turn slowly to his son. - -"Is--is that right, Red?" - -And the younger Wilkes nodded. - -"I'm afraid it is, Dad." - -Sam Wilkes brought his fist down on the table. The hand-made crockery -danced and trembled. - -"Then, by Gad! I'll have no more of this talk or no more phoney -hospitality. Bessie, Ginger, Papa--come on! We're getting out of here! -We've got work to do!" - -Pop said slowly, "I'm sorry, Wilkes. But--" - -"Sorry! Bah!" - -"And just where," cackled Grampaw, loving it, "might y' be goin'?" - -"Not far. Right across the river. You can't claim all of this fertile -valley--yet! And you haven't cleared that ground." - -He stomped to the door; turned there for one, final warning. - -"--and I advise you Moseleys to keep off our land, too! We're goin' -to be mighty busy provin' our right to own this planet. I understand -there's pests around these parts that are darn disturbin'; I'd hate to -make a mistake and shoot any skunks by accident. Come on, Mama!" - -Bessie Wilkes looked at Mom. Her worn, tired features sagged piteously. -She wet her lips. "Mrs. Moseley--" - -Mom said, "Rob, don't you think you're being a little harsh, maybe?" - -But there was a streak of granite in Pop, too. And he was angry; -white-angry as only a tried Irishman can be. He said in a cold and -level voice, "I think, Mother, you should get Mrs. Wilkes' wraps." - -And they left. Ginger Wilkes turned to stick out her tongue at Bobby as -they got on their gooldaks and rode toward the river. And Junior made a -gesture which Bobby returned in kind. But Red Wilkes didn't even look -back. So there was no good reason why Moira should have suddenly burst -into tears and gone to her own room.... - - - V - -It was Dick who brought home the bad news. Two Eros days had passed -since the Wilkes took their angry departure from the Moseley home. In -those two days, an unhappy atmosphere had settled down over the house -at Delta Port. Moira said little or nothing, Mom just moped around the -house, The Pooch got indigestion and cried interminably; even Grampaw -Moseley was grumpier than usual. Bobby tried to forget the depression -by playing quoits. He gave it up as a bad job. It wasn't any fun -playing by yourself, and Dick and Pop were too busy to play with him. -If only-- - -But comets to Junior Wilkes! And Ginger, too! - -At dinner time, Dick came into the house slowly, a thoughtful look in -his eyes. When they were seated he said, suddenly, "Have any of you -seen the Wilkes lately?" - -Grampaw said, "I seen Old Man Wilkes. He was pitchforkin' land down -by our south forty, oney on the opposite side o' the river. Fat ol' -sinner. I chucked a rock at 'im!" - -Bobby looked interested. - -"You hit him, Grampaw?" - -"I don't never miss. In the right leg." - -"I bet he hollered." - -Grampaw sucked his upper plate fiercely. "Nary a holler, durn him! He -jist pulled up his pants-leg and made a face at me. _De_-crepit ol' -fool's got a wooden leg!" - -Pop said, "Why did you ask, Richard?" - -"I was wondering if any of you had noticed what I did." - -"What do you mean?" - -Dick started to answer, stopped, rose. "Come," he said. "It's dark. -I'll show you." - -They followed him out to the porch. From there the Wilkes settlement -could not ordinarily be seen. Which is why, as they stood there, one -and all gasped astonishment. - -The thick, black Erosian night lay heavy about them everywhere -except in the direction of the Wilkes' new home. There it was light; -startlingly, dazzlingly, brilliantly gay and bright! Like a great white -dawn on the river's edge. - -"Power!" cried Pop. "Atomic power! They must have a hypatomic!" - -"They never said they hadn't. They told us their spaceship cracked up; -we just took it for granted that since we hadn't been able to salvage -our hypatomic, neither could they." - -Bobby said wonderingly, "Gee, Pop, it looks like at home, doesn't it? I -forgot lights were so bright." - -Pop said, "I'm afraid we've underestimated our competitors, son. If -they have power, they can accomplish all we have, and more! And in -one-tenth the time." - -"That's just," said Dick slowly, "what I'm afraid of. There's only one -answer to this challenge. I've _got_ to get our hypatomic from the -_Cuchulainn_. And quickly." - -"But you said--" - -"I know what I said. But I also know what they can do. In three days -they can have a house ... a fine, big, plastic house that will make our -hand-hewn log cabin look like a cowshed. They'll have electricity, -fuel, running water, all the things we've had to do without. When the -inspectors see their house and compare it with ours--Mom--get me my -bulger. I'm leaving for the north shore." - -"Tonight, Richard?" - -"Immediately." - -Pop said, "And Bobby and I will go with you." - - * * * * * - -They were there before morning. The A shore looked much as Bobby -remembered it, except that now there was a raft there; the craft which -Dick had used to float out to the sunken ship on previous visits. The -three of them boarded this, paddled out to the bobbing buoy that marked -the _Cuchulainn's_ watery resting-place. - -Dick donned his bulger, weighted his boots, and went below. The sun -rose higher in the east. After a while, green wavelets rolled and Dick -was up again. - -"It's no use, Pop. It's like I said. The ship has continued to settle; -the airlock is jammed tight against the bottom. I can't get in any -more." - -Pop said, "And I suppose there's no way to attach a drag to the ship, -work it loose?" - -"It would take more power than we have." Gloomily. - -And then Bobby remembered, suddenly. He said, "Hey, Dick--!" - -"Never mind, kid. Help me off with this suit." - -"But listen, Dick. I read a story once--" - -"Do what your brother asks, Robert." - -"Will you let me finish, Pop? Listen, Dick, in this story a rocketeer -got locked out of his spaceship. So he unfastened the stern-braces and -got in through the rocket jet!" - -"He ... did ... what?" - -"Unfastened the stern-braces--" - -"I heard you!" Dick's face had suddenly lighted. "Great day in the -morning, Pop--I bet it'll work! Hand me that jack-wrench ... that's the -one! So long!" - -And he was under water again. This time he stayed under for more -than an hour. He bobbed up, finally, while Pop and Bobby were having -sandwiches. Pop said, "How's it going, Richard?" - -"Give me a fresh capsule," demanded Dick. He took the oxy-tainer, -replenished his supply pack, disappeared. A long time passed. Too -long a time. Bobby began to feel apprehensive. He didn't say anything, -though, because he knew Pop was feeling the same way. And then-- - -"There he is!" said Pop. And sure enough, Dick was coming up out of the -water slowly. Terribly slowly. Bobby saw why. It was because he was -weighted by a square box held in his arms. A familiar square box. The -hypatomic motor of the _Cuchulainn_! - -"Got it!" gasped Dick. "Easy, now ... it's heavy. I hope it'll work. -It's been under water so doggoned long--" - -Joyfully, they lugged it all the way back to Delta Port. It was -sleep-time when they got there, but they were too excited to sleep. -By fire- and candle-light, Dick worked on the salvaged power unit, -patching, wiring, repairing. And at dawn he had it hooked up. He raised -his head gleefully. - -"Get ready, folks! Here's the blow that smashes the hopes of the Wilkes -clan. Behold--_light_!" - -And he closed a switch. There was a throbbing hum, a glow, a moment of -bright, joyous, welcome light. Then an angry growl from deep in the -bowels of the atomic box. And a sudden, blinding flash of blue light-- - -Darkness! And from the darkness, Pop's voice. - -"Ruined! It was under water too long, son. Too long!" - -"Too long," echoed Dick dolefully. - - * * * * * - -It was Grampaw Moseley who revived their dejected spirits. When they -had rested, he came to them, pounding his cane on the floor, snarling -at them with unexpected vigor. - -"You young uns gimme a pain! Robert, I'm ashamed o' ye. An' you, too, -Dicky-boy! Actin' like we was licked just because a silly-lookin' -little old box won't act up right. - -"We was gettin' along fine here without no atomic motor, wasn't we? -Buildin' a friendly, comf'table community? Well, why can't we go on -livin' like we was? We'll solve the heat an' light problem some other -way, that's all!" - -Pop said, "I know, Father. But in time? After all, when the inspectors -come--" - -"Inspectors my foot! They's one thing we got that the dad-blamed Wilkes -can't git with all their heat an' free power an' hot-an'-cold runnin' -water, ain't they?" - -"Wh-what's that?" - -"Vittles! One o' the requirements is the settler's got to git him a -garden growin', ain't it? Well, we got one. An' the Wilkes ain't. -An', dag-nab it, they ain't goin' to grow wheat an' tomateys an' -butter-beans out of a metal box! So stop belly-achin' and git back to -work, the two of ye!" - -His words were harsh, but the bitter medicine cured the ill. There was -truth in what he said. So, putting behind them all dreams of motorized -accomplishment, the Moseley family once more returned to the task of -making complete and comfortable their home at Delta Port. - -Dick tackled once more the problem of running water for their home. -This time he solved it with the aid of Grampaw's capable cooperage. -A huge tank, set into the eaves, stored the water. A hand-pump drew -it from the stream. An old, hollow brass doorknob, pierced with -drill-holes, secured to the end of the 'fresher pipe, made an excellent -spray for the shower. - -Grampaw worked his farm ferociously; Mom and Eleanor and Moira spent -hours in the kitchen, jarring and preserving the produce he was now -harvesting. Bobby's chores piled up till it seemed he had scarcely any -time left for playing. He was enjoying himself, though. It was fun -feeling that his efforts were helping toward putting the Wilkes where -they belonged. - -Moira seemed to be thriving on this pioneer life, too. She had -developed a sudden love for the country; even after a hard day's -work she would set out, almost every evening, for a tramp about the -countryside. She didn't show very good sense about it, though, for -like as not she'd go out all be-doodled up in a dress and high-heeled -shoes, and come back flushed and excited and hardly caring that she was -ruining her best clothes. - -Once Bobby decided to go walking with her, but she slipped away before -he could announce his intention. He lost her down by the river-bank, -and since an hour of sun and dusk remained, decided to go swimming. He -had been in the water but a few minutes when the brush parted and there -was Junior Wilkes. - -"Hello," said Junior. - -"Hello, yourself," said Bobby. - -Junior said, "I'm looking for Red." - -"Well, he's not here." Bobby continued paddling. The brush crackled and -he thought Stinky had gone. He looked up, suddenly feeling loneliness -close in upon him. But the other boy was still there. He was hesitantly -fumbling at his shirt-buttons. Bobby said, "You can come in if you want -to. I guess this river don't belong to nobody." - - * * * * * - -They swam together for quite a while, neither wanting to break the -silence. It would be, thought Bobby vaguely, an act of disloyalty. To -Pop and Dick and the family. Of course, if Junior spoke first.... - -When they were dressing, each on his own side of the river, Junior -spoke. He said, "You ever play quoits any more?" - -"All the time," said Bobby airily. He hadn't laid a hand on the quoits -since that afternoon. "We have a lot of fun," he said. - -"Well, so do we," said Junior. He added, "Anyway, I can have your -quoits' run after you leave Eros. My Dad said so." - -"Don't hold your breath waiting," snorted Bobby. "I guess I'll be -living in your big house after you go away." - -"It's a nicer house than yours!" - -"Did I say it wasn't?" Bobby had seen it. It was a beauty. But why not, -with the limitless power of an atomic machine to supply the labor of -creating plastic, operate the lifts and perform all the hard manual -labor? "You ought to see our garden, though. We've got corn and beans -and all sorts of things." - -"No kidding?" Junior looked hungry. But he shook his head. "Synthos -suit me _exactly_! I'd rather eat them than any home-grown stuff." - -"I bet!" scoffed Bobby. He had finished dressing. He turned awkwardly. -"Well--see you!" he said. - -"Tomorrow night," said Junior. And, shucks, that was a date. He -couldn't break it, after that, even if he had only been being polite. -And it sort of got to be a habit to swim together for a little while -every evening. He didn't tell Pop because Pop would be mad. And Junior -didn't tell his old man, because he knew he'd get whaled.... - - * * * * * - -And the weeks raced by on eager feet. Until one day, shortly after -breakfast, Bobby went out to see how clear the weather was, so he could -go fishing; looked heavenward--and came racing back into the house. - -"Pop!" he yelled. "Dick! A ship! I think it's the Patrol ship. Coming -here!" - -They came running. And it was the Patrol ship. It circled high above -them like a giant eagle, then, with a flat, flooding thunder of -jet-fire, dropped to rest in a field between the properties of the two -feuding clans. - - - VI - -The commander of the Patrolship _Sirius_ was Lt.-Col. Travers, third -ranking officer of the Belt Fleet. He shook Pop's hand heartily. - -"Glad to meet you, Dr. Moseley. I've heard so much about you, I feel -as if I already know you. My nephew was a student in several of your -classes at Midland U. He said you were a very capable instructor ... -and if I may judge from what we noted from above, I might add that you -are an extremely capable colonist as well as professor." - -Pop wriggled. "Why--why, thank you, Colonel." - -"This fine farmland," smiled the space officer, "and that artesian -well I see across the river ... these silos, and your magnificent -dwelling...." - -Pop hrrumphed, even more embarrassed. - -"Colonel," he faltered, "I think I'd better explain immediately that -all is not mine. There are two groups of claimants to this planetoid. -Ourselves and a family named Wilkes. Martians. Our property is here; -theirs is across the river. I--uh--here comes Wilkes now." - -Travers' brow furrowed. - -"Indeed? Then he was right, after all!" - -"He? Who?" - -The question was answered by the appearance of a man in drill -space-gear who stepped from the _Sirius_. A lean and capable-appearing -man, hard-bitten of feature, shrewd of eye and tight of lip. Colonel -Travers said, "Dr. Moseley, permit me to introduce Mr. Wade, survey -scout of the United Ores Corporation." - -Wade acknowledged the introduction with a crisp nod. Then, "What's -this about there being two claimants to Eros?" He turned to the -ship's commander. "This makes a difference, doesn't it, Colonel? My -information was correct. Therefore it becomes your duty to make a -final, exhaustive study of the settlers' accomplishments right _now_. -And in the event their projects have not been completed in accordance -with the provisions of the Squatter's Rights Code, Section 103A, -Paragraphs vii to xix, inclusive--" - -Eleanor whispered nervously, "What does he mean, Dick? What is he -talking about?" and Dick nodded tightly. "I think I know." He stepped -forward. "I take it, Mr. Wade, that the U.O.C. has filed a claim on the -possession of Eros in the event that our settlement projects should not -satisfy the inspector's requirements?" - -"Quite right, young man. And I might add--" Wade was openly hostile. "I -might add that I have obtained permission to accompany Colonel Travers -on his inspection tour. In order to verify his findings. If I am not -satisfied--" - -"That will do, Mr. Wade!" Colonel Travers was under orders to treat -his passenger as a guest; there was no obligation that he like the -ore scout. The glint in his eye, the set of his jaw, indicated the -direction in which his sympathy lay. "I am quite capable of handling -this. Ah--Good day, sir! Mr. Wilkes, I presume?" - -"Howdy, Skipper. Yeah, I'm Sam Wilkes." The rival settler glanced -around swiftly, sensed the overtones of enmity, glared at Pop -suspiciously. "What's wrong here? Has Moseley been squawkin' about--?" - -"Dr. Moseley informed us that you and he were both claimants to Eros. -Therefore I shall immediately visit your two establishments in order to -determine which, if either of you, has the better justified his claim. - -"Lieutenant Thrainell, you will serve as my aide. We will first -inspect Dr. Moseley's habitation." - - * * * * * - -Thus it began. Pop took the two Patrolmen and the civilian critic to -Delta Port, pointed out with pride the many things accomplished within -the past months. He met, in Col. Travers, an admiring audience. The -commander was outspokenly delighted with what he saw. - -"Gad, man! You did all this without power? This is the pioneering feat -of the decade! Look, Lieutenant! Running water ... chinaware ... that -furniture! Marvelous! You deserve a wealth of credit, Doctor." - -"But," pointed out Wade caustically, "you mentioned the biggest fault -yourself." - -"I beg your pardon, Mr. Wade?" - -"Without power!" snapped Wade. "Moseley, where are your lights? Where's -your power plant? How about heat? And this cooking equipment--it's -aboriginal!" - -Pop said stiffly, "We have no hypatomic, sir. But you will notice -that we have devised satisfactory substitutes for power-driven gear. -Hand-pumps draw our water, light is supplied by these oil-float lamps, -our house is centrally heated by these open fire-places. We are--" He -faltered. "We shall, of course, order a complete hypatomic unit from -Earth, install it as soon as possible." - -"I'm afraid that's not quick enough," sneered Wade. "Colonel Travers -will undoubtedly remember the requirements of the law in that respect. -'Claimant must display, at time of inspection, a power-plant of atomic, -motor, or hydraulic drive capable of generating a minimum of 3,000 -Legerling units _per diem_, and so arranged as to provide dwellings -and other structures with heat, light and power.' You have no such -equipment, have you, Dr. Moseley?" - -"No, but--" - -"You have not, then?" - -"No." - -"Very well, then." Wade smiled thinly, closed the black book in which -he had been jotting notes with a plushy sound of finality. "May I -suggest, Colonel, that we see the _other_ claimant's plantation?" - -After they had left, Colonel Travers shaking his head regretfully at -Pop as if to say he was sorry but helpless before the arguments of this -interloper, Pop sat down and propped his chin on his fists. Yesterday -he had looked like a man of thirty; all of sudden he looked old and -weary and discouraged. He said, "Well, there it is, Martha. I've -dreamed my dream, and now it's over, and I've failed." - -"No you haven't Rob. The Colonel is on our side. He's a good man. -He'll--" - -"But the law is on Wade's side. If our claim is outlawed, Eros will -become a dirty, smoky mining camp. This soft beauty, these green -rolling hills, will echo with the clatter of blasters. Unless--" - -And suddenly he was again a man of action. He came to his feet suddenly. - -"Martha, Eleanor, Dick--everybody! Get those preserves out of the -storage closet. Grampaw, get the hauler from the shed. Bobby, you run -and tell Sam Wilkes to keep those inspectors out of his house for a -half hour or so." - -"Why, Pop?" demanded Dick. "What are you going to do?" - -"Do? I'm going to see that Sam Wilkes gets this planet, that's what! -Oh, I know--there won't be any question of his sharing it with me. He's -too hard and stiff-necked a man for that. But he's our kind of man, -with all his faults. A pioneer with the daring to come to a new world -and try to build it into a home of his own. - -"We've known for weeks that all he needed to justify his claim was -a food supply. Well, by thunder, we've got a food supply! And we'll -give it to him, lock, stock and barrel, to keep Eros out of the -Corporation's hands! Now, step, everybody! Moira! Moira--where is that -girl?" - -"She stayed down by the river, Pop." - -"Well, find her. Bobby, go tell Sam Wilkes what I just said!" - -Bobby scooted. - - * * * * * - -He was soaking wet when he got to the Wilkes' house. That was because -he took the short-cut, which meant plunging right into the river and -swimming across, clothes and all. The inspectors and their snoopy -companion would have to take the long route, around the ford. - -Mr. Wilkes wasn't in the house when he got there. But Mrs. Wilkes -was, and Ginger, and both gasped as they saw him. Mrs. Wilkes bustled -forward. - -"Sweet stars above, child, what are you doing here? Get those clothes -off; you'll catch your death of cold. Ginger--go get one of Junior's -suits--" - -Bobby said, "There's no time for that, Mrs. Wilkes. Where's Fat Sa--I -mean, where's your husband?" - -Ginger said, "Don't tell him, Ma. He's just here to crow because he -knows we can't pass the inspection requirements--" - -"You--you shut up!" bellowed Bobby. "You doggone female! You don't know -anything about it. Mrs. Wilkes, get your husband. Mom and Sis and the -rest will be here any minute now. They're--" - -And he explained. His explanation sent them into a flurry of -excitement; there was even deeper excitement when Sam Wilkes, hastily -summoned, heard the same story repeated. For once the leathery corners -of his mouth relaxed into something like a grin. He swore, and slammed -a big hand on his knee. - -"Your old man is going to do that for us, sonny? Well, hornswoggle my -jets! And to think I--Junior, go find Red. Hop it!" - -"Red's not around, Pa. He went toward the river." - -"Confound him! Just when we need him most. Well--I'll go meet the -confounded rascals, stall them as long as I can. And look here, -you--what's your name?" - -"Bobby." - -"I won't forget this, Bobby! Not by a jugfull. If I hadn't been such -a stubborn, pigheaded old hound, I'd have dickered with your Pa long -afore this. There's plenty of room on Eros for two families. Or two -dozen!" - -Then followed a half hour of labor so swift that it made all the -accomplishments of the past months seem snail-like by comparison. Mom -and Eleanor arrived, bearing armloads of canned goods and preserves; -Grampaw and Dick brought the hauler across the river on a raft, -and piled high on the hauler were fresh vegetables that gorged the -never-used Wilkes containers to repletion. It was fast work, but -efficient. And when, about three-quarters of an Earth hour later, -Wilkes came from the lower acreage accompanied by the two officers and -the Corporation investigator, the job was finished, and a tired but -glowing two-family group awaited him. - -Colonel Travers' inspection of the food-supply was perfunctory. It -needed not be otherwise. One glance sufficed to show that there was in -the Wilkes household enough food to nourish a dozen families for as -many months. - -And there was a smile of grim satisfaction on his lips as, turning to -his aide, he said, "Very well, Lieutenant. You may make a notation that -the Wilkes household has been inspected and found satisfactory in all -respects." He looked at Wade purposefully and repeated in a firm tone. -"In _all_ respects!" - - * * * * * - -Ah, he was no dummy, that Colonel. Bobby had seen the twinkle in his -eye as he glanced into the preserve closet. Because, shucks! there -wasn't any mistaking Mom's way of doing up preserves. With little red -bands around each jar, and her firm, crabbed handwriting telling what -was inside. - -"In all respects!" he said again. And reached for Sam Wilkes' pudgy -paw. "Congratulations, Sir! You've earned possession of the planetoid -Eros. Your power-plant is among the finest it has ever been my pleasure -to view; you have undeniably cleared and planted the required number of -acres, your food supply is well above the minimum requirements--" - -"But see here!" Wade's face was an ugly red. "I'm not satisfied, -Colonel. There's something fishy about this. The farmlands we inspected -were barely out of the seed stage. The corn was only knee high, the -vegetables mere sprouts. These people couldn't have raised all this -produce--" - -Sam Wilkes spluttered helplessly, "Why I--I--" - -And Pop came to his rescue. Smoothly. Suavely. - -"But he did, Mr. Wade. On the farmlands across the river. Those are the -early crops; the ones you've just seen are the late harvest." - -"But--but you claimed those were _your_ crops!" - -"Did I?" Pop stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Well, maybe I was bragging -a little. You see, I've been working for Mr. Wilkes. A sort of -share-cropper, you might say." - -"Now I get it!" howled the angry scout. "I thought so. It's -skullduggery, that's what it is! Don't you see, Colonel? These men -are conspiring to defraud us. To cheat the Corporation. Moseley had -deliberately given his crops and food-supply to Wilkes--" - -There was again a twinkle in the Colonel's eye. He said, soberly, "And -suppose you're right, Wade? What then? There's no law against a man -giving away his possessions to another man, is there? - -"As an inspector for the Solar Space Patrol, my only interest is -in seeing that a settler's domain fulfills the requirements of the -Squatter's Rights Code. Mr. Wilkes has fulfilled those requirements. -I am not interested in the how or why. Therefore, under the power -invested in me by the Triune Planetary Government, I hereby decide and -award--" - -And then a crafty brilliance illumined Wade's eyes. - -"Stop!" he cried. - -Colonel Travers hesitated. "Pardon, Mr. Wade?" - -"Since you are such a stickler for duty, Colonel, I wish to call to -your attention a further stipulation of the Squatter's Rights Code. One -you have evidently forgotten. The Code says, Section 115B, Paragraph -iii, 'Such requirements having been fulfilled, it shall be lawful to -award the settled property to any family group comprised of at least -six adults who pledge intention to make the property their permanent -home--'" - -Sam Wilkes said, "Well, what's the matter. Don't we intend to make Eros -our permanent home?" - -"I have no doubt of it, Mr. Wilkes. But I regret to inform you that you -will not be able to do so, since you do not fulfill this last-mentioned -paragraph." - -"There's six of us!" defended Wilkes stoutly. - -"But the law," insisted Wade, "requires six _adults_! May I ask, Mr. -Wilkes, how many of your family are more than twenty-one years of age!" - - * * * * * - -Dick whistled softly. Pop's jaw dropped. Wilkes' face turned crimson. -And Bobby computed hastily. This was the final, devastating blow. The -Wilkes household contained only four adults; Old Man Wilkes, Sam and -his wife, and Red. Junior and Ginger were just kids. - -With sudden regret, Bobby realized that they should have arranged their -conspiracy in reverse. There were six adults in the Moseley clan, Moira -having just celebrated her twenty-first birthday. But it was too late -for that now. As friendly as Colonel Travers was, he could not openly -countenance a flagrant, deliberate transference of all property to the -Moseleys. - -So their last, desperate ruse had failed. And now none of them would -win ownership of Eros. All their lovely hopes and dreams had been in -vain; their new-found friendship with the Wilkes a dying gesture.... - -Wade could not restrain himself from elaborating on the situation. - -"So, my friends," he chuckled, "your deceit wins its proper reward. -Under the circumstances, I shall not do what I had earlier planned -on doing. I was going to give each of you, with the Corporation's -compliments, a fitting reward for having so diligently opened up this -new colony. Now I see no reason for so doing. - -"In the future, it might be well to remember the law provides many -loopholes to the ingenious man. That is a hard lesson, but a fair one. -Were you but six adults--" - -And then there was a sudden stir at the doorway. A deep, rumbling, -familiar voice. That of Red Wilkes. - -"You crow mighty loud for a bantam rooster, Mister!" he said. "But -you're crowing at a false dawn. Because it so happens that we are six -adults. As a matter of fact, we're more than six adults. There are -_ten_ of us!" - -Wade spun, shocked. The others looked, too, and in all eyes there was -surprise. All, that is, but Ginger. She was hugging her knees, rocking -back and forth comfortably, looking very much pleased with herself and -with the world in general. She said, "I knew it. I knew it all the -time." - -"Knew what?" said Bobby, but his question was lost in Wade's irate -demand. - -"Ten of you? What are you talking about? Who is this young -whipper-snapper?" - -"That," said Sam Wilkes conversationally, "is my son. And I'd be -careful if I was you, Mister. The last guy who called him names is -still pickin' up teeth. Son, I reckon you know what the hell you're -talkin' about. But the rest of us don't. So if you'd please explain--?" - - * * * * * - -Red Wilkes grinned. He said, "Moira, honey." And Moira entered from the -porch. There was a smile on her face and somehow there was a smile in -her eyes, too, and Bobby got the strange feeling that if you could see -inside her, there'd be a smile in her heart. She looked at Mom, and -Mom gave a little gasp, like she could tell just by looking at Moira -what Moira meant. Red Wilkes continued to grin. He said, "Colonel, -commanders of space vessels have the privilege of marrying folks, -haven't they?" - -"Why--why, yes," said Travers. - -"Then," said Red mildly, "how'd you like to get out the little black -book and start tying knots? Because, you see, Moira has told me she's -willing to take a chance." - -Pop said, "Moira, darling, you're not just doing this because ... -because...." - -"No, Pop. I'm doing it because I want to. Because I love Red and he -loves me. It's been that way since the day we met. We--we've been -meeting secretly for the past six weeks. We meant to break the news -sooner or later. And now seems to be about the best time." - -"Particularly," pointed out the groom-to-be, "since our marriage turns -two families into _one_ family. And I think that will spike your guns, -Mr. Wade?" - -Wade was no longer crimson. He was purple. "You can't do this, -Colonel!" he screamed. "It's illegal. Anyway, they won't be truly -related. The two families will just be in-laws--" - -But there was an open, admiring grin on the lips of Lieutenant-Colonel -Travers, S.S.P. He said, "Maybe I _can't_ do it, Mr. Wade--but by the -Pleiades, I'm going to! And as for the law--according to all decisions -I've ever read, in-laws are valid relatives. You're the one who was -yelping about the law providing many loopholes for ingenious men. -Well, here's a big, juicy loophole. How do you like it?" - -Wade, howled, "I protest! It's unfair! I refuse to allow--" - -Red Wilkes looked at his father hopefully. "Shall I, Pop?" he asked. - -And Sam Wilkes shook his head. "No, son. It ain't fittin'. Not on your -wedding day." - -Which gave Dick an idea. He rose, grimly. - -"It's not _my_ wedding day!" he said. "Wade--" - -But somehow Mr. Wade had vanished. Toward the ship. - - * * * * * - -Afterward, Colonel Travers lingered to shake hands all around. - -"I commend you both," he said, "for the fine spirit you have shown; the -fine work you've done in making Eros a member of the Solar family. You -prove what I have always claimed--that the pioneer spirit in Man is not -dead, nor will it ever die so long as there remain new frontiers to -conquer. - -"Well, I must go now. But I'll stop back by here on my next swing -around the Belt. Perhaps a year from now, perhaps a little less. I'll -bring the things you ask for. A new motor, some cloth, silverware--I -have your list." - -"Don't forget the books," said Pop. - -"I won't." The Captain made a note. - -"And the seeds." That was Old Man Wilkes. - -"No. I'll bring them." - -"And bring," said Moira, "a teething ring." - -Eleanor said, "Oh, nonsense, Moira! In another year The Pooch will be -too old for teething rings." - -"Bring," said Moira doggedly, "a teething ring." And blushed. - -Bobby blushed, too. It was, he thought, indecent of Moira to be so -brazen. And her only married! Golly, did she have to look so far ahead? -And, anyway, with Ginger standing right there.... - -He said, "Hey, Stinky, how about a game of quoits?" - -"Suits," said Junior. - -And Ginger said, "Me, too." She put her hand in Bobby's. She said, with -alarming frankness, "I like you! Maybe I'll let you be my beau." - -Bobby shook loose. He said, "Aw, you darn girls--" - -But she had her way. She played quoits with him and Junior. And she -won. Which may have been symbolic, though it didn't occur to Bobby that -way. Maybe she would always have her way. And maybe she would always -win--whatever she wanted. - -Yet for a while there would be peace on Eros.... - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Castaways of Eros, by Nelson S. 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