expected. At least no
one had accused him of causing trouble.
"I found out who the supercargo
is," he told the zloaht . "Nobody but the Old
Man himself. So
you he low and I'll keep out of his way. The old buzzard has eyes like a hawk,
and nobody ever called his memory bad."
The works of Robert Burns were unknown to Ignatz , but he did know the gist of the part that goes:
"The best laid schemes o' mice and men gang aft agley." He waited
results with foreboding, and they came when Jerry's next shift was half
through.
It was the O.M. himself who opened the door
and turned to a pair of brawny wipers. "All right, bring him in here, and
lock the door. I don't know who he is, and I don't care. We can find that out
later; but I do know he isn't the man his card says. That fellow has been
rotten with weed for ten years.
"And Captain Blane ,"
he addressed the officer as they tossed Jerry on the bunk, "in the future inspect your men more carefully. I can't make a tour of inspection on every freighter, you know. Maybe
there's no harm in him, but I don't want men working for me on fake cards."
As they locked the door and went down the
hall, the captain's voice was placating, the O.M. raving in soft words that
fooled nobody by their mildness. Ignatz crawled out
from under the bunk, climbed up the rail, and nuzzled Jerry soothingly.
Jerry spat with disgust. "Oh, he came
down, pottered around the generator room and wanted to see my card; said he
didn't know any oiler with a scar. Then Hades broke loose, and he yelled for Blane . Anyway, he didn't recognize me. Thank the Lord Harry,
you had enough sense to duck, or my goose would have been cooked."
Ignatz rooted around and rubbed the hom on his snout lighdy against
the Master's chest. Jerry grinned sourly.
"Sure, I know. We haven't sunk yet, and
we're not going to. Go on away, fellow, and let me think. There must be some
way of getting off this thing after we reach Venus."
Ignatz changed the "after" to
"if" in his mind, but he crawled back dutifully and tried to sleep;
it was useless. In half an hour, Captain Blane rattled on the door and stalked in, his face pointing to cold and stormy. There
was an unpleasant suggestion in the way he studied Jerry.
"Young fellow," he barked, "if
the Old Man didn't have plans for you, I'd rip you in three pieces and strew
you all over this cabin. Call that damned zloaht of yours out and take off those whiskers, Jerry Lord."
The Master grunted, as a man does after a
blow to the stomach. "What makes you think I'm Lord?"
"Think? There's only one Jonah that big
in the star fleet. Since you came aboard, every blamed thing's been one big
mess. The O.M. comes on board as supercargo, the port sticks, three men get
hurt fitting a new injector, I find
Martian sand worms in the chocolate, and the O.M. threatens to yank my stars.
Don't tell me you're anyone else!" He poked under the bunk. "Come out
of there, you blasted zlodhtl "
Ignatz came, with a rueful honk at Jerry, who
pulled his false beard anxiously. "Well, Captain, what if I am? Does the
O.M. know?"
"Of course not, and he better hadn't. If
he found I'd shipped you with the crew, I'd never draw berth again. When we hit
Venus, I'll try to let you out in a 'chute at the mile limit. Or would you
rather stay and let the Old Man figure out ways and means?"
Jerry shook his head. "Let me out on
your 'chute," he agreed hastily. "I don't care how, as long as I get
free to Venus."
Blane nodded. "I'll catch hell anyway, but I'd rather not have you around when
we land. I never did trust my luck when a ship breaks up." He pointed at Ignatz . "Keep that under cover. If the O.M. finds out
who you are, I'll put you off in a lead suit, without a 'chute. Savvy, mister?"
Jerry savvied plenty. He motioned Ignatz back under the bunk and moved over to the shelf
where his grub lay. Blane turned to go. And then raw
Hades broke loose.
There was a sick jarring, and a demon's siren seemed to go off in their ears.
one had accused him of causing trouble.
"I found out who the supercargo
is," he told the zloaht . "Nobody but the Old
Man himself. So
you he low and I'll keep out of his way. The old buzzard has eyes like a hawk,
and nobody ever called his memory bad."
The works of Robert Burns were unknown to Ignatz , but he did know the gist of the part that goes:
"The best laid schemes o' mice and men gang aft agley." He waited
results with foreboding, and they came when Jerry's next shift was half
through.
It was the O.M. himself who opened the door
and turned to a pair of brawny wipers. "All right, bring him in here, and
lock the door. I don't know who he is, and I don't care. We can find that out
later; but I do know he isn't the man his card says. That fellow has been
rotten with weed for ten years.
"And Captain Blane ,"
he addressed the officer as they tossed Jerry on the bunk, "in the future inspect your men more carefully. I can't make a tour of inspection on every freighter, you know. Maybe
there's no harm in him, but I don't want men working for me on fake cards."
As they locked the door and went down the
hall, the captain's voice was placating, the O.M. raving in soft words that
fooled nobody by their mildness. Ignatz crawled out
from under the bunk, climbed up the rail, and nuzzled Jerry soothingly.
Jerry spat with disgust. "Oh, he came
down, pottered around the generator room and wanted to see my card; said he
didn't know any oiler with a scar. Then Hades broke loose, and he yelled for Blane . Anyway, he didn't recognize me. Thank the Lord Harry,
you had enough sense to duck, or my goose would have been cooked."
Ignatz rooted around and rubbed the hom on his snout lighdy against
the Master's chest. Jerry grinned sourly.
"Sure, I know. We haven't sunk yet, and
we're not going to. Go on away, fellow, and let me think. There must be some
way of getting off this thing after we reach Venus."
Ignatz changed the "after" to
"if" in his mind, but he crawled back dutifully and tried to sleep;
it was useless. In half an hour, Captain Blane rattled on the door and stalked in, his face pointing to cold and stormy. There
was an unpleasant suggestion in the way he studied Jerry.
"Young fellow," he barked, "if
the Old Man didn't have plans for you, I'd rip you in three pieces and strew
you all over this cabin. Call that damned zloaht of yours out and take off those whiskers, Jerry Lord."
The Master grunted, as a man does after a
blow to the stomach. "What makes you think I'm Lord?"
"Think? There's only one Jonah that big
in the star fleet. Since you came aboard, every blamed thing's been one big
mess. The O.M. comes on board as supercargo, the port sticks, three men get
hurt fitting a new injector, I find
Martian sand worms in the chocolate, and the O.M. threatens to yank my stars.
Don't tell me you're anyone else!" He poked under the bunk. "Come out
of there, you blasted zlodhtl "
Ignatz came, with a rueful honk at Jerry, who
pulled his false beard anxiously. "Well, Captain, what if I am? Does the
O.M. know?"
"Of course not, and he better hadn't. If
he found I'd shipped you with the crew, I'd never draw berth again. When we hit
Venus, I'll try to let you out in a 'chute at the mile limit. Or would you
rather stay and let the Old Man figure out ways and means?"
Jerry shook his head. "Let me out on
your 'chute," he agreed hastily. "I don't care how, as long as I get
free to Venus."
Blane nodded. "I'll catch hell anyway, but I'd rather not have you around when
we land. I never did trust my luck when a ship breaks up." He pointed at Ignatz . "Keep that under cover. If the O.M. finds out
who you are, I'll put you off in a lead suit, without a 'chute. Savvy, mister?"
Jerry savvied plenty. He motioned Ignatz back under the bunk and moved over to the shelf
where his grub lay. Blane turned to go. And then raw
Hades broke loose.
There was a sick jarring, and a demon's siren seemed to go off in their ears.
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