CHAPTER XVII
Bird, Beast, or Fish?
"These jewels rather puzzle me, Dick. What are they?" asked Martin, asthe four assembled, waiting for the first meal. As he spoke he held uphis third finger, upon which gleamed the royal jewel of Osnome in itssplendid Belcher mounting of arenak as transparent as the jewel itselfand having the same intense blue color. "I know the name, 'faidon,' butthat's all I seem to know."
"That's about all that anybody knows about them. It is anaturally-occurring, hundred-faceted crystal, just as you see itthere--deep blue, perfectly transparent, intensely refractive, andconstantly emitting that strong, blue light. It is so hard that itcannot be worked, cut, or ground. No amount of the hardest knownabrasive will even roughen its surface. No blow, however great, willbreak it--it merely forces its way into the material of the hammer,however hard the hammer may be. No extremity of either heat or coldaffects it in any degree, it is the same when in the most powerfulelectric arc as it is when immersed in liquid helium."
"How about acids?"
"That is what I am asking myself. Osnomians aren't much force atchemistry. I'm going to try to get hold of another one, and see if Ican't analyze it, just for fun. I can't seem to convince myself that areal atomic structure could be that large."
"No, it is rather large for an atom," and turning to the two girls, "Howdo you like your solitaires?"
"They're perfectly beautiful, and the Tiffany mounting is exquisite,"replied Dorothy, enthusiastically, "but they're so awfully big! They'reas big as ten-carat diamonds, I do believe."
"Just about," replied Seaton, "but at that, they're the smallest Dunarkcould find. They have been kicking around for years, he says--so smallthat nobody wanted them. They wear big ones on their bracelets, youknow. You sure will make a hit in Washington, Dottie. People will thinkyou're wearing a bottle-stopper until they see it shining in the dark,then they'll think it's an automobile headlight. But after a fewjewelers have seen these stones, one of them will be offering us fivemillion dollars apiece for them, trying to buy them for some dizzy olddame who wants to put out the eyes of some of her social rivals. Yes?No?"
"That's about right, Dick," replied Crane, and his face wore athoughtful look. "We can't keep it secret that we have a new jewel,since all four of us will be wearing them continuously, and anyone whoknows jewels at all will recognize these as infinitely superior to anyknown Earthly jewel. In fact, they may get some of us into trouble, asfabulously valuable jewels usually do."
"That's true, too. So we'll let it out casually that they're as commonas mud up here--that we're just wearing them for sentiment, which istrue, and that we're thinking of bringing back a shipload to sell forparking lights."
"That would probably keep anyone from trying to murder our wives fortheir rings, at least."
"Have you read your marriage certificate, Dick?" asked Margaret.
"Not yet. Let's look at it, Dottie."
She produced the massive, heavily-jeweled document, and the auburn headand the brown one were very close to each other as they read togetherthe English side of the certificate. Their vows were there, word forword, with their own signatures beneath them, all deeply engraved intothe metal. Seaton smiled as he saw the legal form engraved below theirsignatures, and read aloud:
"I, the Head of the Church and the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of Kondal, upon the planet Osnome, certify that I have this day, in the city of Kondalek, of said nation and planet, joined in indissoluble bonds of matrimony, Richard Ballinger Seaton, Doctor of Philosophy, and Dorothy Lee Vaneman; Doctor of Music; both of the city of Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America, upon the planet Earth, in strict compliance with the marriage laws, both of Kondal and of the United States of America.
TARNAN."
Witnesses: ROBAN, Emperor of Kondal. TURAL, Empress of Kondal. DUNARK, Crown Prince of Kondal. SITAR, Crown Princess of Kondal. MARC C. DUQUESNE, Ph. D., Washington, D. C.
"That is SOME document," remarked Seaton. "Probably a lawyer could findfault with his phraseology, but I'll bet that this thing would hold inany court in the world. Think you'll get married again when we get back,Mart?"
Both girls protested, and Crane answered:
"No, I think not. Our ceremony would be rather an anticlimax after thisone, and this one will undoubtedly prove legal. I intend to registerthis just as it is, and get a ruling from the courts. But it is time forbreakfast. Pardon me--I should have said 'darprat,' for it certainly isnot breakfast-time by Washington clocks. My watch says that it iseleven-thirty P. M."
"This system of time is funny," remarked Dorothy. "I just can't get usedto having no night, and...."
"And it's such a long time between eats, as the famous governor saidabout the drinks," broke in Seaton.
"How did you know what I was going to say, Dick?"
"Husbandly intuition," he grinned, "aided and abetted by a normalappetite that rebels at seventeen hours between supper and breakfast,and nine hours between the other meals. Well, it's time to eat--let'sgo!"
* * * * *
After eating, the men hurried to the Skylark. During the sleeping-periodthe vessel had been banded with the copper repellers: the machine gunsand instruments, including the wonderful Osnomian wireless system, hadbeen installed; and, except for the power-bars, she was ready for avoyage. The Kondalian vessel was complete, even to the cushions, but waswithout instruments.
After a brief conversation with the officer in charge, Dunark turned toSeaton.
"Didn't you find that your springs couldn't stand up under theacceleration?"
"Yes, they flattened out dead."
"The Kolanix Felan, in charge of the work, thought so, and substitutedour compound-compensated type, made of real spring metal, for them.They'll hold you through any acceleration you can live through."
"Thanks, that's fine. What's next, instruments?"
"Yes. I have sent a crew of men to gather up what copper they canfind--you know that we use practically no metallic copper, as platinum,gold, and silver are so much better for ordinary purposes--and anotherto erect a copper-smelter near one of the mines which supply the citywith the copper sulphate used upon our tables. While they are at work Ithink I will work on the instruments, if you two will be kind enough tohelp me."
Seaton and Crane offered to supply him with instruments from theirreserve stock, but the Kofedix refused to accept them, saying that hewould rather have their help in making them, so that he would thoroughlyunderstand their functions. The electric furnaces were rapidly madeready and they set to work; Crane taking great delight in working thathitherto rare and very refractory metal, iridium, of which all theKondalian instruments were to be made.
"They have a lot of our rare metals here, Dick."
"They sure have. I'd like to set up a laboratory and live here a fewyears--I'd learn something about my specialty or burst. They use goldand silver where we use copper, and platinum and its alloys where we useiron and soft steel. All their weapons are made of iridium, and alltheir most highly-tempered tools, such as their knives, razors, and soon, are made of opaque arenak. I suppose you've noticed the edge on yourrazor?"
"How could I help it? It is hard to realize that a metal can be so hardthat it requires forty years on a diamond-dust abrasive machine to honea razor--or that once honed, it shaves generation after generation ofmen without losing in any degree its keenness."
"I can't understand it, either--I only know that it's so. They have allour heavy metals in great abundance, and a lot more that we don't knowanything about on Earth, but they apparently haven't any light metals atall. It must be that Osnome was thrown off the parent sun late, so thatthe light metals were all gone?"
"Something like that, possibly."
The extraordinary skill of the Kofedix made the manufacture of theinstruments a short task, and after Crane had replaced the few brokeninstruments of the
Skylark from their reserve stock, they turned theirattention to the supply of copper that had been gathered. They found itenough for only two bars.
"Is this all we have?" asked Dunark, sharply.
"It is, your Highness," replied the Kolanix. "That is every scrap ofmetallic copper in the city."
"Oh, well, that'll be enough to last until we can smelt the rest," saidSeaton. "With one bar apiece we're ready for anything Mardonale canstart. Let 'em come!"
The bars were placed in the containers and both vessels were tried out,each making a perfect performance. Upon the following kokam, immediatelyafter the first meal, the full party from the Earth boarded the Skylarkand accompanied the Kofedix to the copper smelter. Dunark himselfdirected the work of preparing the charges and the molds, though he wascontinually being interrupted by wireless messages in code and bymessengers bearing tidings too important to trust into the air.
"I hope you will excuse all of these delays," said Dunark, after thetwentieth interruption, "but...."
"That's all right, Dunark. We know that you're a busy man."
"I can tell you about it, but I wouldn't want to tell many people. Withthe salt you gave us, I am preparing a power-plant that will enable usto blow Mardonale into...."
He broke off as a wireless call for help sounded. All listened intently,learning that a freight-plane was being pursued by a karlon a fewhundred miles away.
"Now's the time for you to study one, Dunark!" Seaton exclaimed. "Getyour gang of scientists out here while we go get him and drag him in!"
* * * * *
As Dunark sent the message, the Skylark's people hurried aboard, andSeaton drove the vessel toward the calls for help. With its great speedit reached the monster before the plane was overtaken. Focusing theattractor upon the enormous metallic beak of the karlon, Seaton threw onthe power and the beast halted in midair as it was jerked backward andupward. As it saw the puny size of the attacking Skylark, it opened itscavernous mouth in a horrible roar and rushed at full speed. Seaton,unwilling to have the repellers stripped from the vessel, turned on thecurrent actuating them. The karlon was hurled backward to the point ofequilibrium of the two forces, where it struggled demoniacally.
Seaton carried his captive back to the smelter, where finally, byjudicious pushing and pulling, he succeeded in turning the monster flatupon its back and pinning it to the ground in spite of its struggles toescape.
Soon the scientists arrived and studied the animal thoroughly, at asclose a range as its flailing arms permitted.
"I wish we could kill him without blowing him to bits," wirelessedDunark. "Do you know any way of doing it?"
"We could if we had a few barrels of ether, or some of our own poisongases, but they are all unknown here and it would take a long time tobuild the apparatus to make them. I'll see if I can't tire him out andget him that way as soon as you've studied him enough. We may be able tofind out where he lives, too."
The scientists having finished their observations, Seaton jerked theanimal a few miles into the air and shut off the forces acting upon it.There was a sudden crash, and the karlon, knowing that this apparentlyinsignificant vessel was its master, turned in headlong flight.
"Have you any idea what caused the noise just then, Dick?" asked Crane;who, with characteristic imperturbability, had taken out his notebookand was making exact notes of all that transpired.
"I imagine we cracked a few of his plates," replied Seaton with a laugh,as he held the Skylark in place a few hundred feet above the fleeinganimal.
Pitted for the first time in its life against an antagonist, who couldboth outfly and outfight it, the karlon redoubled its efforts and fledin a panic of fear. It flew back over the city of Kondalek, over theoutlying country, and out over the ocean, still followed easily by theSkylark. As they neared the Mardonalian border, a fleet of warships roseto contest the entry of the monster. Seaton, not wishing to let the foesee the rejuvenated Skylark, jerked his captive high into the thin air.As soon as it was released, it headed for the ocean in an almostperpendicular dive, while Seaton focused an object-compass upon it.
"Go to it, old top," he addressed the plunging monster. "We'll followyou clear to the bottom of the ocean if you go that far!"
There was a mighty double splash as the karlon struck the water, closelyfollowed by the Skylark. The girls gasped as the vessel plunged belowthe surface at such terrific speed, and seemed surprised that it hadsuffered no injury and that they had felt no jar. Seaton turned on thepowerful searchlights and kept close enough so that he could see themonster through the transparent walls. Deeper and deeper the quarrydove, until it was plainly evident to the pursuers that it was just asmuch at home in the water as it was in the air. The beams of the lightsrevealed strange forms of life, among which were huge, staring-eyedfishes, which floundered about blindly in the unaccustomed glare. As thekarlon bored still deeper, the living things became scarcer, but stilloccasional fleeting glimpses were obtained of the living nightmareswhich inhabited the oppressive depths of these strange seas. Continuingdownward, the karlon plumbed the nethermost pit of the ocean and came torest upon the bottom, stirring up a murk of ooze.
"How deep are we, Mart?"
"About four miles. I have read the pressure, but will have to calculatelater exactly what depth it represents, from the gravity and densityreadings."
As the animal showed no sign of leaving its retreat, Seaton pulled itout with the attractor and it broke for the surface. Rising through thewater at full speed, it burst into the air and soared upward to such anincredible height that Seaton was amazed.
"I wouldn't have believed that anything could fly in air this thin!" heexclaimed.
"It is thin up here," assented Crane. "Less than three pounds to thesquare inch. I wonder how he does it?"
"It doesn't look as though we are ever going to find out--he's sure abear-cat!" replied Seaton, as the karlon, unable to ascend further,dropped in a slanting dive toward the lowlands of Kondal--the terrible,swampy region covered with poisonous vegetation and inhabited byfrightful animals and even more frightful savages. The monster nearedthe ground with ever-increasing speed. Seaton, keeping close behind it,remarked to Crane:
"He'll have to flatten out pretty quick, or he'll burst something,sure."
* * * * *
But it did not flatten out. It struck the soft ground head foremost anddisappeared, its tentacles apparently boring a way ahead of it.
Astonished at such an unlooked-for development, Seaton brought theSkylark to a stop and stabbed into the ground with the attractor. Thefirst attempt brought up nothing but a pillar of muck, the secondbrought to light a couple of wings and one writhing arm, the thirdbrought the whole animal, still struggling as strongly as it had in thefirst contest. Seaton again lifted the animal high into the air.
"If he does that again, we'll follow him."
"Will the ship stand it?" asked DuQuesne, with interest.
"Yes. The old bus wouldn't have, but this one can stand anything. We cango anywhere that thing can, that's a cinch. If we have enough power on,we probably won't even feel a jolt when we strike ground."
Seaton reduced the force acting upon the animal until just enough wasleft to keep the attractor upon it, and it again dived into the swamp.The Skylark followed, feeling its way in the total darkness, until theanimal stopped, refusing to move in any direction, at a depth estimatedby Crane to be about three-quarters of a mile. After waiting some timeSeaton increased the power of the attractor and tore the karlon back tothe surface and into the air, where it turned on the Skylark withredoubled fury.
"We've dug him out of his last refuge and he's fighting like a corneredrat," said Seaton as he repelled the monster to a safe distance. "He'sapparently as fresh as when he started, in spite of all this playing.Talk about a game fish! He doesn't intend to run any more, though, so Iguess we'll have to put him away. It's a shame to bump him off, but it'sgot to be done."
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sp; Crane aimed one of the heavy X-plosive bullets at thesavagely-struggling monster, and the earth rocked with the concussion asthe shell struck its mark. They hurried back to the smelter, whereDunark asked eagerly:
"What did you find out about it?"
"Nothing much," replied Seaton, and in a few words described the actionsof the karlon. "What did your savants think of it?"
"Very little that any of us can understand in terms of any other knownorganism. It seems to combine all the characteristics of bird, beast,and fish, and to have within itself the possibilities of both bisexualand asexual reproduction."
"I wouldn't doubt it--it's a queer one, all right."
The copper bars were cool enough to handle, and the Skylark was loadedwith five times its original supply of copper, the other vessel takingon a much smaller amount. After the Kofedix had directed the officer incharge to place the remaining bars in easily-accessible placesthroughout the nation, the two vessels were piloted back to the palace,arriving just in time for the last meal of the kokam.
"Well, Dunark," said Seaton after the meal was over, "I'm afraid that wemust go back as soon as we can. Dorothy's parents and Martin's bankerswill think they are dead by this time. We should start right now,but...."
"Oh, no, you must not do that. That would rob our people of the chanceof bidding you goodbye."
"There's another reason, too. I have a mighty big favor to ask of you."
"It is granted. If man can do it, consider it done."
"Well, you know platinum is a very scarce and highly useful metal withus. I wonder if you could let us have a few tons of it? And I would liketo have another faidon, too--I want to see if I can't analyze it."
"You have given us a thousand times the value of all the platinum andall the jewels your vessel can carry. As soon as the foundries are opentomorrow we will go and load up your store-rooms--or, if you wish, wewill do it now."
"That isn't necessary. We may as well enjoy your hospitality for onemore sleeping-period, get the platinum during the first work-period, andbid you goodbye just before the second meal. How would that be?"
"Perfectly satisfactory."
The following kokam, Dunark piloted the Skylark, with Seaton, Crane, andDuQuesne as crew, to one of the great platinum foundries. The girlsremained behind to get ready for their departure, and for the greatceremony which was to precede it. The trip to the foundry was a shortone, and the three scientists of Earth stared at what theysaw--thousands of tons of platinum, cast into bars and piled up likepig-iron, waiting to be made into numerous articles of every-day usethroughout the nation. Dunark wrote out an order, which his chiefattendant handed to the officer in charge of the foundry, saying:
"Please have it loaded at once."
Seaton indicated the storage compartment into which the metal was to becarried, and a procession of slaves, two men staggering under one ingot,was soon formed between the pile and the storage room.
* * * * *
"How much are you loading on, Dunark?" asked Seaton, when the largecompartment was more than half full.
"My order called for about twenty tons, in your weight, but I changed itlater--we may as well fill that room full, so that the metal will notrattle around in flight. It doesn't make any difference to us, we haveso much of it. It is like your gift of the salt, only vastly smaller."
"What are you going to do with it all, Dick?" asked Crane. "That isenough to break the platinum market completely."
"That's exactly what I'm going to do," returned Seaton, with a gleam inhis gray eyes. "I'm going to burst this unjustifiable fad for platinumjewelry so wide open that it'll never recover, and make platinum againavailable for its proper uses, in laboratories and in the industries.
"You know yourself," he rushed on hotly, "that the only reason platinumis used at all for jewelry is that it is expensive. It isn't nearly sohandsome as either gold or silver, and if it wasn't the most costlycommon metal we have, the jewelry-wearing crowd wouldn't touch it with aten-foot pole. Useless as an ornament, it is the one absolutelyindispensable laboratory metal, and literally hundreds of laboratoriesthat need it can't have it because over half the world's supply is tiedup in jeweler's windows and in useless baubles. Then, too, it is thebest thing known for contact points in electrical machinery. When theGovernment and all the scientific societies were abjectly begging thejewelers to let loose a little of it they refused--they were selling itto profiteering spendthrifts at a hundred and fifty dollars an ounce.The condition isn't much better right now; it's a vicious circle. Aslong as the price stays high it will be used for jewelry, and as long asit is used for jewelry the price will stay high, and scientists willhave to fight the jewelers for what little they get."
"While somewhat exaggerated, that is about the way matters stand. I willadmit that I, too, am rather bitter on the subject," said Crane.
"Bitter? Of course you're bitter. Everybody is who knows anything aboutscience and who has a brain in his head. Anybody who claims to be ascientist and yet stands for any of his folks buying platinum jewelryought to be shot. But they'll get theirs as soon as we get back. Theywouldn't let go of it before, they had too good a thing, but they'll letgo now, and get their fingers burned besides. I'm going to dump thiswhole shipment at fifty cents a pound, and we'll take mighty good carethat jewelers don't corner the supply."
"I'm with you, Dick, as usual."
Soon the storage room was filled to the ceiling with closely-stackedingots of the precious metal, and the Skylark was driven back to thelanding dock. She alighted beside Dunark's vessel, the _Kondal_, whosegorgeously-decorated crew of high officers sprang to attention as thefour men stepped out. All were dressed for the ceremonial leave-taking,the three Americans wearing their spotless white, the Kondalians wearingtheir most resplendent trappings.
"This formal stuff sure does pull my cork!" exclaimed Seaton to Dunark."I want to get this straight. The arrangement was that we were to behere at this time, all dressed up, and wait for the ladies, who arecoming under the escort of your people?"
"Yes. Our family is to escort the ladies from the palace here. As theyleave the elevator the surrounding war-vessels will salute, and after abrief ceremony you two will escort your wives into the Skylark, DoctorDuQuesne standing a little apart and following you in. The war-vesselswill escort you as high as they can go, and the Kondal will accompanyyou as far as our most distant sun before turning back."
For a few moments Seaton nervously paced a short beat in front of thedoor of the space-car.
"I'm getting more fussed every second," he said abruptly, taking out hiswireless instrument. "I'm going to see if they aren't about ready."
"What seems to be the trouble, Dick? Have you another hunch, or are youjust rattled?" asked Crane.
"Rattled, I guess, but I sure do want to get going," he replied, as heworked the lever rapidly.
"Dottie," he sent out, and, the call being answered, "How long will yoube? We're all ready and waiting, chewing our finger-nails withimpatience."
"We'll soon be ready. The Karfedix is coming for us now."
Scarcely had the tiny sounder become silent when the air was shaken byan urgently-vibrated message, and every wireless sounder gave warning.