| 148 | 149 | 150 | 151 | 152 |
| 1 | 76 | 152 | 227 | 303 |
|
"There may be others less stupid. This is the mere outer fringe of their
world. It must go down and down, cavern, passage, tunnel, down at last to
the sea--hundreds of miles below."
His words made me think of the mile or so of rock and tunnel that might be
over our heads already. It was like a weight dropping, on my shoulders.
"Away from the sun and air," I said. "Even a mine half a mile deep is
stuffy." remarked.
"This is not, anyhow. It's probable--Ventilation! The air would blow
from the dark side of the moon to the sunlit, and all the carbonic acid
would well out there and feed those plants. Up this tunnel, for example,
there is quite a breeze. And what a world it must be. The earnest we have
in that shaft, and those machines--"
"And the goad," I said. "Don't forget the goad!"
He walked a little in front of me for a time.
"
"
"
Even that goad--" he said.
Well?"
I was angry at the time. But--it was perhaps necessary we should get on.
They have different skins, and probably different nerves. They may not
understand our objection--just as a being from Mars might not like our
150
Page
Quick Jump
|