CHAPTER V
_A Desperate Act_
The ship that Chet Bullard and Harkness had designed had none of theinstruments for space navigation that the ensuing years were to bring.Chet's accuracy was more the result of that flyer's sixth sense--thatsame uncanny power that had served aviators so well in an earlier day.But Chet was glad to see his instruments registering once more as heapproached a new world.
Even the sonoflector was recording; its invisible rays were dartingdownward to be reflected back again from the surface below. Thatabsolute altitude recording was a joy to read; it meant a definiterelationship with the world.
"I'll hold her at fifty thousand," he told Harkness. "Watch for someoutline that you can remember from last time."
There was an irregular area of continental size; only when they hadcrossed it did Harkness point toward an outflung projection of land."That peninsula," he exclaimed; "we saw that before! Swing south andinland.... Now down forty, and east of south.... This ought to be thespot."
Perhaps Harkness, too, had the flyer's indefinable power of orientation.He guided Chet in the downward flight, and his pointing finger aimed atlast at a cluster of shadows where a setting sun brought mountain rangesinto strong relief. Chet held the ship steady, hung high in the air,while the quick-spreading mantle of night swept across the world below.And, at last, when the little world was deep-buried in shadow, they sawthe red glow of fires from a hidden valley in the south.
"Fire Valley!" said Chet, "Don't say anything about me being anavigator. Wait, you've brought us home, sure enough."
"Home!" He could not overcome this strange excitement of a homecoming totheir own world. Even the man who stood, pistol in hand, behind him was,for the moment, forgotten.
Valley of a thousand fires!--scene of his former adventures! Eachfumerole was adding its smoky red to the fiery glow that illumined theplace. There were ragged mountains hemming it in; Chet's gaze passed onto the valley's end.
Down there, where the fires ceased, there would be water; he would landthere! And the ship from Earth slipped down in a long slanting line tocushion against its under exhausts, whose soft thunder echoed back froma bare expanse of frozen lava. Then its roaring faded. The silvery shapesank softly to its rocky bed as Chet cut the motor that had sung itssong of power since the moment when Schwartzmann had carried himoff--taken him from that frozen, forgotten corner of an incrediblydistant Earth.
* * * * *
"Iss there air?" Schwartzmann demanded. Chet came to himself again witha start: he saw the man peering from the lookout to right and to left asif he would see all that there was in the last light of day.
"Strange!" he was grumbling to himself. "A strange place! But thosehills--I saw their markings--there will be metals there. I will explore;later I return: I will mine them. Many ships I must build to establish aline. The first transportation line of space. Me, Jacob Schwartzmann--Iwill do it. I will haff more than anyone else on Earth; I will make themall come to me crawling on their bellies!"
Chet saw the hard shine of the narrowed eyes. For an instant only, hedared to consider the chance of leaping upon the big, gloating figure.One blow and a quick snatch for the pistol!... Then he knew the folly ofsuch a plan: Schwartzmann's men were armed; he would be downed inanother second, his body a shattered, jellied mass.
Schwartzmann's thoughts had come back to the matter of air; he motionedChet and Harkness toward the port.
Diane Delacouer had joined them and she thrust herself quickly betweenthe two men. And, though Schwartzmann made a movement as if he wouldsnatch her back, he thought better of it and motioned for the portal tobe swung. Chet felt him close behind as he followed the others out intothe gathering dark.
* * * * *
The air was heavy with the fragrance of night-blooming trees. They wereclose to the edge of the lava flow. The rock was black in the light of astarry sky; it dropped away abruptly to a lower glade. A stream madesilvery sparklings in the night, while beyond it were waving shadows ofstrange trees whose trunks were ghostly white.
It was all so familiar.... Chet smiled understandingly as he saw WaltHarkness' arm go about the trim figure of Diane Delacouer. No mannishattire could disguise Diane's charms; nor could nerve and cold couragethat any man might envy detract from her femininity. Her dark, curlinghair was blowing back from her upraised face as the scented breezesplayed about her; and the soft beauty of that face was enhanced by thevery starlight that revealed it.
It was here that Walt and Diane had learned to love; what wonder thatthe fragrant night brought only remembrance, and forgetfulness of theirpresent plight. But Chet Bullard, while he saw them and smiled insympathy, knew suddenly that other eyes were watching, too; he felt thebulky figure of Herr Schwartzmann beside him grow tense and rigid.
But Schwartzmann's voice, when he spoke, was controlled. "All right," hecalled toward the ship; "all iss safe."
Yet Chet wondered at that sudden tensing, and an uneasy presentimentfound entrance to his thoughts. He must keep an eye on Schwartzmann,even more than he had supposed.
Their captor had threatened to maroon them on the Dark Moon. Chet didnot question his intent. Schwartzmann would have nothing to gain bykilling them now. It would be better to leave them here, for he mightfind them useful later on. But did he plan to leave them all or onlytwo? Behind the steady, expressionless eyes of the Master Pilot, strangethoughts were passing....
* * * * *
There were orders, at length, to return to the ship. "It is darkalready," Schwartzmann concluded; "nothing can be accomplished at night.
"How long are the days and nights?" he asked Harkness.
"Six hours." Harkness told him; "our little world spins fast."
"Then for six hours we sleep," was the order. And again HerrSchwartzmann conducted Mademoiselle Delacouer to her cabin, while ChetBullard watched until he saw the man depart and heard the click of thelock on the door of Diane's room.
Then for six hours he listened to the sounds of sleeping men who weresprawled about him on the floor; for six hours he saw the one man whosat on guard beside a light that made any thought of attack absurd. Andhe cursed himself for a fool, as he lay wakeful and vainly planning--apoor, futile fool who was unable to cope with this man who had bestedhim.
Nineteen seventy-three!--and here were Harkness and Diane and himself,captured by a man who was mentally and morally a misfit in a modernworld. A throw-back--that was Schwartzmann: Harkness had said it. Hebelonged back in nineteen fourteen.
Harkness was beyond the watching guard; from where he lay came sounds ofrestless movement. Chet knew that he was not alone in this mood ofhopeless dejection. There was no opportunity for talk; only with thecoming of day did the two find a chance to exchange a few quick words.
* * * * *
The guard roused the others at the first sight of sunlight beyond theports. Harkness sauntered slowly to where Chet was staring from alookout. He, too, leaned to see the world outside, and he spokecautiously in a half-whisper:
"Not a chance, Chet. No use trying to bluff this big crook any more.He's here, and he's safe; and he knows it as well as we do. We'll lethim ditch us--you and Diane and me. Then, when we're on our own, we'llwatch our chance. He will go crazy with what he finds--may getcareless--then we'll seize the ship--" His words ended abruptly. AsSchwartzmann came behind them, he was casually calling Chet's attentionto a fumerole from which a jet of vapor had appeared. Yellowish, it was;and the wind was blowing it.
Chet turned away; he hardly saw Schwartzmann or heard Harkness' words.He was thinking of what Walt had said. Yes, it was all they could do;there was no chance of a fight with them now. But later!
Diane Delacouer came into the control-room at the instant; her dark eyeswere still lovely with sleep, but they brightened to flash anencouraging smile toward the two men. There were five of Schwartzmann'smen in the ship besi
des the pilot and the scientist, Kreiss. They allcrowded in after Diane.
They must have had their orders in advance; Schwartzmann merely nodded,and they sprang upon Harkness and Chet. The two were caught off theirguard; their arms were twisted behind them before resistance could bethought of. Diane gave a cry, started forward, and was brushed back by asweep of Schwartzmann's arm. The man himself stood staring at them,unmoving, wordless. Only the flesh about his eyes gathered into creasesto squeeze the eyes to malignant slits. There was no mistaking themenace in that look.
* * * * *
"I think we do not need you any more," he said at last. "I think, HerrHarkness, this is the end of our little argument--and, Herr Harkness,you lose. Now, I will tell you how it iss that you pay.
"You haff thought, perhaps, I would kill you. But you were wrong, as youmany times have been. You haff not appreciated my kindness; you haff notunderstood that mine iss a heart of gold.
"Even I was not sure before we came what it iss best to do. But now Iknow. I saw oceans and many lands on this world. I saw islands in thoseoceans.
"You so clever are--such a great thinker iss Herr Harkness--and on oneof those islands you will haff plenty of time to think--yess! You canthink of your goot friend, Schwartzmann, and of his kindness to you."
"You are going to maroon us on an island?" asked Walt Harkness hoarsely.Plainly his plans for seizing the ship were going awry. "You are goingto put the three of us off in some lost corner of this world?"
Chet Bullard was silent until he saw the figure of Harkness strugglingto throw off his two guards. "Walt," he called loudly, "take it easy!For God's sake, Walt, keep your head!"
This, Chet sensed, was no time for resistance. Let Schwartzmann go aheadwith his plans; let him think them complacent and unresisting; let Maxpilot the ship; then watch for an opening when they could land a blowthat would count! He heard Schwartzmann laughing now, laughing as if hewere enjoying something more pleasing than the struggles of Walt.
* * * * *
Chet was standing by the controls. The metal instrument-table was besidehim; above it was the control itself, a metal ball that hung suspendedin air within a cage of curved bars.
It was pure magic, this ball-control, where magnetic fields crossed andrecrossed; it was as if the one who held it were a genie who could throwthe ship itself where he willed. Glass almost enclosed the cage of bars,and the whole instrument swung with the self-compensating platform thatadjusted itself to the "gravitation" of accelerated speed. The pilot,Max, had moved across to the instrument-table, ready for the take-off.
Schwartzmann's laughter died to a gurgling chuckle. He wiped his eyesbefore he replied to Harkness' question.
"Leave you," he said, "in one place? _Nein!_ One here, the other there.A thousand miles apart, it might be. And not all three of you. Thatwould be so unkind--"
He interrupted himself to call to Kreiss who was opening the port.
"No," he ordered: "keep it closed. We are not going outside; we aregoing up."
But Kreiss had the port open. "I want a man to get some fresh water," hesaid; "he will only be a minute."
He shoved at a waiting man to hurry him through the doorway. It was onlya gentle push: Chet wondered as he saw the man stagger and grasp at histhroat. He was coughing--choking horribly for an instant outside theopen port--then fell to the ground, while his legs jerked awkwardly,spasmodically.
Chet saw Kreiss follow. The scientist would have leaped to the side ofthe stricken man, whose body was so still now on the sunlit rock; buthe, too, crumpled, then staggered back into the room. He pushed feeblyat the port and swung it shut. His face, as he turned, was drawn intofearful lines.
"Acid!" He choked out the words between strangled breaths."Acid--sulfuric--fumes!"
* * * * *
Chet turned quickly to the spectro-analyzer: the lines of oxygen andnitrogen were merged with others, and that meant an atmosphere unfit forhuman lungs! There had been a fumerole where yellowish vapor wasspouting: he remembered it now.
"So!" boomed Schwartzmann, and now his squinting eyes were full on Chet."You--you _schwein_! You said when we opened the ports there would be asurprise! Und this iss it! You thought to see us kill ourselves!
"Open that port!" he shouted. The men who held Chet released him andsprang forward to obey. The pilot, Max, took their place. He put onehand on Chet's shoulder, while his other hand brought up a threateningmetal bar.
Schwartzmann's heavy face had lost its stolid look; it was alive withrage. He thrust his head forward to glare at the men, while he stoodfirmly, his feet far apart, two heavy fists on his hips. He whirledabruptly and caught Diane by one arm. He pulled her roughly to him andencircled the girl's trim figure with one huge arm.
"Put you _all_ on one island?" he shouted. "Did you think I would putyou _all_ out of the ship? You"--he pointed at Harkness--"and you"--thistime it was Chet--"go out now. You can die in your damned gas that youexpected would kill me! But, you fools, you imbeciles--Mam'selle, shestays with me!" The struggling girl was helpless in the great arm thatdrew her close.
Harkness' mad rage gave place to a dead stillness. From bloodless lipsin a chalk-white face he spat out one sentence:
"Take your filthy hands off her--now--or I'll--"
Schwartzmann's one free hand still held the pistol. He raised it withdeadly deliberation; it came level with Harkness' unflinching eyes.
"Yes?" said Schwartzmann, "You will do--what?"
* * * * *
Chet saw the deadly tableau. He knew with a conviction that gripped hisheart that here was the end. Walt would die and he would be next. Dianewould be left defenseless.... The flashing thought that followed came tohim as sharply as the crack of any pistol. It seemed to burst inside hisbrain, to lift him with some dynamic power of its own and project himinto action.
He threw himself sideways from under the pilot's hand, out from beneaththe heavy metal bar--and he whirled, as he leaped, to face the man. Onelean, brown hand clenched to a fist that started a long swing fromsomewhere near his knees; it shot upward to crash beneath the pilot'soutthrust jaw and lift him from the floor. Max had aimed the bar in adownward sweep where Chet's head had been the moment before; and now manand bar went down together. In the same instant Chet threw himself uponthe weapon and leaped backward to his feet.
One frozen second, while, to Chet, the figures seemed as motionless asif carved from stone--two men beside the half-opened port--Harkness inconvulsive writhing between two others--the figure of Diane, strained,tense and helpless in Schwartzmann's grasp--and Schwartzmann, whose aimhad been disturbed, steadying the pistol deliberately upon Harkness--
"Wait!" Chet's voice tore through the confusion. He knew he must gripSchwartzmann's attention--hold that trigger finger that was tensed tosend a detonite bullet on its way. "Wait, damn you! I'll answer yourquestion. I'll tell you what we'll do!"
In that second he had swung the metal bar high; now he brought itcrashing down in front of him. Schwartzmann flinched, half turned as ifto fire at Chet, and saw the blow was not for him.
* * * * *
With a splintering crash, the bar went through an obstruction. There wassound of glass that slivered to a million mangled bits--the sharp tangof metal broken off--a crash and clatter--then silence, save for one bitof glass that fell belatedly to the floor, its tiny jingling crashringing loud in the deathly stillness of the room....
It had been the control-room, this place of metal walls and of shining,polished instruments, and it could be called that no longer. For,battered to useless wreckage, there lay on a metal table a cage that hadonce been formed of curving bars. Among the fragments a metal ball thathad guided the great ship still rocked idly from its fall, until it,too, was still.
It was a room where nothing moved--where no person so much asbreathed....
Then came th
e Master Pilot's voice, and it was speaking with quietfinality.
"And that," he said, "is your answer. Our ship has made its lastflight."
His eyes held steadily upon the blanched face of Herr Schwartzmann,whose limp arms released the body of Diane; the pistol hung weakly atthe man's side. And the pilot's voice went on, so quiet, so hushed--socuriously toneless in that silent room.
"What was it that you said?--that Harkness and I would be staying here?Well, you were right when you said that, Schwartzmann: but it's a hardsentence, that--imprisonment for life."
Chet paused now, to smile deliberately, grimly at the dark face sobleached and bloodless, before he repeated:
"Imprisonment for life!--and you didn't know that you were sentencingyourself. For you're staying too, Schwartzmann, you contemptible,thieving dog! You're staying with us--here--on the Dark Moon!"
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