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ElapticAI-512

Dataset card Data Studio Files
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after-world, Jim. In a way. It's the world which is to be. But here
comes the feller that can explain everything."
For the door had opened, and in walked the chap whom we had seen thrice
in my apartment, the effervescent spirit of electricity, the blue-green
mystic, the first mate of the Saturn Lancelot Biggs!
Did I say "walked?" Excuse it, please. What he did with his feet could
never, by the wildest stretch of the imagination, be called walking.
Oh, he progressed forward, yes but there are no words to describe his
locomotion. Think of a polar bear on a pogo stick. Or a secretary bird
on skates. A two-footed octopus, even.
His gait was a combination of the worst features of all three. He
lurched and shambled, his bony knees protruding as if acknowledging
introductions at each passage. A sort of, "You let me by this time, and
I'll let you by next time!" deal.
But the peculiarities of Signor Biggs did not end at that point. He
had others. I have said that he looked a bit like Hank Cleaver. That
is true. They shared lean lankiness of build. Each was blessed or
cursed with a mop of faded-yellow hair; their eyes were alike in that
they mirrored soft curiosity. But Biggs had an appendage Hank lacked.
Matter of fact, no man ever had an Adam's-apple like that before or
since. It hung in his scrawny throat like an unswallowed cud; and when
he smiled which was often or talked, it woggled up and down like a
runaway elevator.
To Sparks, beside me, I said dreamily,
"I see it, but I don't believe it. Is it alive?"
And then Biggs addressed us.
"First of all, I must apologize to you, Mr. Cleaver, and to Miss
MacDowell and Mr. Blakeson for this rude infringement upon your
personal privacy. It was an unwarranted step I took, intruding on your
lives this way, but I hope that you'll agree it was not unforgivable.
"I have already explained to these gentlemen" he bobbed his head
toward the pedagogues and the shamus "the urgency of our situation. To
clarify in your minds the how and where of your present location "
Hank Cleaver harrumphed! and interrupted.
"Reckon as how you can skip that, Lootenant," he said. "It's purty
clear. You bridged the time gap from your time to ours by means of
an ultra-wave temporal aberrant. Brought us up a couple o' centuries to
'bout the well, 'bout the twenty-third century."
Lancelot Biggs tried hard to swallow the billiard ball under his chin.
"How how did you know that, Mr. Cleaver?"
Hank scratched his head, and into his eyes came the old, baffled look
that always came there when he was asked how he knew anything.
"Well," he confessed, "I don't 'zackly know how I know, but I do.
Just stands to reason, that's all. When you come slidin' down the
visible waves to hunt for us, an' when we woke to find ourselves on a
space ship an' as for the time element, well, I alluz 'lowed as how
it'd take people bout fifty years, more or less, to make the first
successful space flight, an' another two hundred to git it workin'
proper "
Lancelot Biggs' eyes lighted with a great joy.
"Mr. Cleaver, I touch my rocket to you! The ancient records do not
lie. You are indeed a remarkable man. Now" he turned to his
fellow officers triumphantly "now I know we shall win free of our
difficulties. With your assistance."
Hank flushed, and squirmed a bulldog toe.
"Mebbe you better explain these here difficulties."
It was Biggs' turn to flush.
"I'm afraid," he said miserably, "it's all my fault. Six days ago,
Earth Standard time, we lifted gravs from Long Island space port for
Mars Central. This was to be my final shuttle before getting married
to the skipper's daughter, Diane. Consequently I was a trifle well,
impatient. But I'm sure you understand, Mr. Cleaver."
Hank said hastily, "You better git on, Lootenant." He didn't look at
Helen, which was a good thing.
"For some time," continued Biggs, "I have been experimenting with a
new device, designed to increase the speed of our vessel. It seemed
particularly appropriate that this shuttle should be the test period.
So with Captain Hanson's permission I installed my new velocity
intensifier on the hypatomics. After we cleared Lunar III, I switched
it on "
Biggs stopped. His eyes were haunted.