Edgar Rice Burroughs

The Moon Maid Edgar Rice Burroughs

Norton, whose watch it was, had already hurried toward the pilot room where werelocated the controls and the various instruments. This room, which was just forward of theengine-room, was in effect a circular conning-tower which projected about twelve inchesabove the upper hull. The entire circumference of this twelve inch superstructure was setwith small ports of thick crystal glass. As I turned to follow Norton I spoke to West. "Mr. West," I said, "you and Mr. Jay willplace Lieutenant Commander Orthis in irons immediately. If he resists, kill him."As I hurried after Norton I heard a volley of oaths from Orthis and a burst of almostmaniacal laughter. When I reached the pilot house I found Norton working very quietlywith the controls. There was nothing hysterical in his movements, but his face wasabsolutely ashen."What is wrong, Mr. Norton?" I asked. But as I looked at the compass simultaneously Iread my answer there before he spoke. We were moving at right angles to our propercourse."We are falling toward the Moon, sir," he said, "and she does not respond to her control.""Shut down the engines," I ordered, "they are only accelerating our fall.""Aye, aye, sir," he replied."The Lunar Eighth Ray tank is of sufficient capacity to keep us off the Moon," I said. "If ithas not been tampered with, we should be in no danger of falling to the Moon's surface.""If it has not been tampered with, sir; yes, sir, that is what I have been thinking.""But the gauge here shows it full to capacity," I reminded him."I know, sir," he replied, "but if it were full to capacity, we should not be falling sorapidly."Immediately I fell to examining the gauge, almost at once discovering that it had beentampered with and the needle set permanently to indicate a maximum supply. I turned tomy companion.