Chester S. Geier

“ Pearce had given sufficient indication that he would not play entirely fair in the future.
He grinned eagerly in what might have been an attempt to cover up the awkwardness of the situation. "Farris, these gems are going to bring money back on Earth. They're unusual, not like the ordinary kinds brought back by the Mars explorers."
I shrugged. "The money won't be enough to do us much good unless we can find more of the gems. Remember, any profits we make have to be split four ways, counting Sandley and Durwent." ”

“ Mars had been too old for a civilized race, as Venus was too young.
Our survey quickly showed that an island on one part of the planet was as wild and rugged as an island on another, so that a landing site could be chosen haphazardly for all the difference it made. We selected a relatively clear area in a great valley on one of the islands that happened to be under us at the time, and I brought the Solarian to rest. Only then did I realize how tired I was.
Pearce, rechecking his initial tests of the atmosphere, reported that the carbon dioxide content was not as high as had been expected. ”

“ The planets were no longer regarded as milestones on the road to scientific knowledge, but as store houses brimming with fabulous treasures. More rockets were hastily launched by various groups in different countries, but the attempts were defeated by the very impatience which inspired them. The rockets, too quickly and inefficiently constructed, exploded soon after leaving Earth, or, if they reached outer space at all, were never heard from again.
It was this state of affairs that prevailed when Anson Durwent finished the construction of the Solarian. ”

“ Presently, the butterfly-creatures rose once more into the air and fluttered away. The deer-like animals, though, lay very still.
Pearce gestured, and I followed him to the scene. Only a short examination of the two deer-like animals was necessary to show what had happened to them. They were dead. There wasn't so much as a mark upon the sleek skin of their bodies—but they were dead.
Pearce and I stared at each other. And then a chilling thought struck me.
"Sandley!" I gasped. "We haven't heard anything from him for hours. Do you suppose...?" ”

“ Beyond the boulders at the foot of the ascent, one of the tiny deer-like animals that we frequently saw lay sprawled on the ground. Several butterfly-creatures rested motionlessly upon its body. A short distance away stood another of the deer-like animals, literally surrounded by the butterfly things. ”

“ I added the four that I had found, and for some seconds we gazed dreamily at our hoard.
"People on Earth are going to fight like mad to own one of these gems," Pearce said softly. "By selling the gems slowly, playing one buyer against another, our profits will be plenty big." ”

“ We were constantly on the alert at first and seldom wandered very far from the ship. But as we encountered no inimical life forms, either plant or animal, we were gradually encouraged to roam further and further beyond the clearing. ”