Beneath them was only a titanic whirlpool of foaming waters in which only the curved top of the settling dome was visible for a moment as it sank slowly and ponderously downward, with a roar as of the roar of falling worlds. Buckling, collapsing, sinking, it vanished in the foam-wild sea with all the frog-men who for ages had ruled the second satellite, and with all those prisoners who had at the last dragged them down with them to death! Ripping off their helmets, with all the green men shouting crazily about them, Norman and Fellows and Hackett stared down at the colossal maelstrom in the waters that was the tomb of the masters of a world.
Then the depression's sides collapsed, the waters rushing together ... and beneath them was but troubled, tossing sea....
* * * * *
Earth's great gray ball was overhead again and the sun was sinking again to the horizon when the three soared upward in the long, gleaming plane, its motor roaring. Norman, with Hackett and Fellows crowding the narrow cabin beside him, waved with them through its windows. For all around them were rising the flying-boats of the green men.
They were waving wildly, shouting their farewells, Sarja's tall figure erect at the prow of one. Insistent they had been that the three should stay, the three through whom the monstrous age-old tyranny of the frog-men had been lifted, but Earth-sickness was on them, and they had flown to where the plane lay still unharmed among the reeds, a hundred willing hands dragging it forth for the take-off.
The plane soared higher, motor thundering, and they saw the flying-boats sinking back from around them. They caught the wave of Sarja's hand still from the highest, and then that, too, was gone.
Upward they flew toward the great gray sphere, their eyes on the dark outlines of its continents and on one continent. Higher--higher--green land and gray tea receding beneath them; Hackett and Fellows intent and eager as Norman kept the plane rising. The satellite lay, a greenish globe, under them. And as they went higher still a rushing sound came louder to their ears.
"The edge of the satellite's atmosphere?" Fellows asked, as Norman nodded.
"We're almost to it--here we go!"
As he shot the plane higher, great forces smote it, gray Earth and green satellite and yellow sun gyrating round it as it reeled and plunged. Then suddenly it was falling steadily, gray Earth and its dark continent now beneath, while with a dwindling rushing roar its second satellite whirled away above them, passing and vanishing. Passing as though, to Norman it seemed, all their strange sojourn on it were passing; the frog-men and their mighty city, Sarja and their mad flight, the green men and the last terrific battle; all whirling away--whirling away.
About this eBook
I originally created this eBook for a family member to encourage him to use his new Nook Color that had been sitting in his den for nearly two months, untouched. He grew up reading stories and novels form the 1940s and 1950s and though he might enjoy being able to read these rare stories form his childhood.
The stories I collected for this custom-made eBook are a “sprinkling representation” of Edmond Hamilton’s extremely prolific writing career. The stories I present to you are but a very small “piece of the Hamilton pie”.
If you enjoyed these stories and novellas and I strongly urge you to visit the following websites where you can find additional Edmond Hamilton short stories, novellas and full-length novels.
All for free to download!
The websites:
Project Gutenberg:
http://www.gutenberg.org/
Many Books:
http://www.manybooks.net/
I sincerely hope you enjoyed these stories form the “Golden Age” of science fiction.
Flyboy707
September, 2011
Table of Contents
About this eBook
About the Author 3
THE MONSTER GOD OF MAMRUTH.. 5
THE MAN WHO EVOLVED.. 16
THE MAN WHO SAW THE FUTURE. 30
THE SARGASSO OF SPACE. 42
THE MAN WHO RETURNED.. 64
THUNDERING WORLDS. 75
THE DOOR INTO INFINITY.. 98
A CONQUEST OF TWO WORLDS. 123
THE SECOND SATTELITE. 147
About this eBook. 170
Golden Age Science Fiction Classics (2011) Page 26