United States or Bulgaria ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Now the director leaned back in a chair which was too small for his bulk, chewing thoughtfully on a toothpick. "So we have the first whiff of a trail," he commented without elation. "A pretty strong lead!" Kelgarries broke in. Too excited to sit still, the major stood with his back against the door, as alert as if he were about to turn and face the enemy.
Ashe could not possibly see the trainees before he left for New York. And that would remove one temptation from his path he would not talk at the wrong time. Kelgarries' mouth twisted sourly. He had no pride in what he was doing. And he was perfectly certain that Ruthven would win and that Ashe's fears of Redax were well founded.
Kelgarries had heard Ross out and then had sent ahead a team. Before Ross's party had reached the base there had been a blast which split the arctic night wide open. And Kurt, conscious by then, had shown his only sign of emotion when he realized what it meant. The door to Ross's cell room clicked, and he swung his feet to the floor, sitting up on his bunk to face his future.
This time there was no show on the wall of his cell, nothing but time to think too much of that and no pleasant things to think about. But he had learned one valuable lesson on that cold expedition. Kelgarries and the others at the base were the most formidable opponents he had ever met, and all the balance of luck and equipment lay on their side of the scales.
"He had to go through those search points every time," Kelgarries protested. "Thought nothing could get through those." The colonel brightened. "Maybe he got his snooper films and then couldn't take them off base. Have his quarters been turned out?" Waldour's lips lifted in a grimace of exasperation. "Please, Colonel," he said wearily, "this is not a kindergarten exercise.
Well, the Eskimos and the Islanders aren't matched to any of the worlds on those snooped tapes, but Topaz is waiting for the Apaches. And we may have to move them in there in a hurry. It's a rotten gamble any way you see it!" "I'll appeal directly to the council." Kelgarries shrugged. "All right. You have my backing." "But you believe such an effort hopeless?" "You know the red-tape merchants.
He said as much sourly to McNeil. "Base has pulled back three other teams," McNeil replied. "But the men have to go to school again, and they won't be ready to come on for maybe three, four weeks. To change runs means unlearning stuff as well as learning it " "What about new men?" "Don't think Kelgarries isn't out now beating the bushes for some!
One would think" his accusing glance included Ashe and Kelgarries "that there had never been any improvising in this project, that all had always been done by the book. I say that this is the time we must take the big gamble, or else we may find we have been outbid for space entirely.
Only, we have to be fitted to the physical type we are supposed to represent. For instance, set a small, dark-headed pugnose among your Norse sea rovers, and he's going to be noticed maybe remembered too well. We can't afford to take that chance. So Kelgarries had to discover men who not only look the part but are also temperamentally fitted for this job.
But Kelgarries agreed to spin out our waiting period for another twenty-four hours, in case you did manage to survive that toss you took into the river. Then we sighted your spectacular display of fireworks on the beach, and the rest was easy." "The ship people didn't trace us back to post?" "Not that we know of. Anyway, we've closed down the post on that time level.
Word Of The Day