PERIL OF THE BLUE WORLD
By ROBERT ABERNATHY
The First Earth Expedition was the scouting
force of the conquering Martians. But conditions
were totally different from those expected, and
science was of no value—for on Earth were
"beings" that weapons could not fight.
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Planet Stories Winter 1942.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
There are those who have criticized the wisdom of the members of theFirst Earth Expedition in returning to Mars so precipitately, withoutcompleting the observations and explorations which it had been intendedthey should make. For some time now, we who were with the Expeditionand knew the real reason for that return have chosen to ignore thesefew but noisy individuals; but latterly some of the hot-headed youngergeneration, but lately out of the egg and unwilling to trust to thewisdom of their elders, have begun to talk of launching a secondexpedition to the Blue Planet.
Therefore, I, Shapplo with the Long Proboscis, interpreter to the FirstExpedition, have been commissioned by the crew of the Earth Rocket totell the full and unexpurgated story of our adventures on Earth, andthe reasons for our contention that the planet must forever remainclosed to Martian colonization.
I will pass over the details of the interplanetary voyage, whichconsists chiefly of scientific data and figures not calculated tointerest the average reader. Suffice it to say that the Earth Rocket,with the twenty-three members of its crew alive and intact, came safelyto rest on the crest of a gently-swelling hill in the midst of anisland in the northern hemisphere of Earth. This island is located byour astronomers as 1-2-2-(1) North, but is called by its inhabitants,Engelond or Britannia.
We landed in the southern portion of this island, on a hilltop asbefore stated; and, after conditioning our lungs and wearing gravitybelts against Earth's dense atmosphere and correspondingly stronggravity, we threw open the exit ports and trooped out, led by ourcaptain, Tutwa with the Crooked Ears, our second in command, Ikleekfrom Gnoxwid, and myself; also, immediately behind us, came ourzoologist, Zesmo Who Fell in the Canal when an Infant.
The first thing noticed by all of us, but particularly by Zesmo WhoFell in the Canal, was the riparian-appearing profusion of Earthlylife which at once displayed itself. Plants of every size and shape,invariably green in color but bearing blossoms of all shades, coveredthe hillside, and all of the rolling landscape that was visiblefrom our point of vantage. Among the leaves and flowers flutteredbright-colored objects which we soon perceived, with great surprise, tobe living creatures.
"What a planet!" exclaimed the captain philosophically. "Even the loweranimals can fly; what then may we expect of the higher creatures, theintelligent races?"
"You'll notice, however," said Zesmo, who had in the meantime succeededin capturing one of these aerial dancers, "that they fly entirelywithout artificial aids. It is made possible by the dense atmosphere ofEarth."
As we moved forward among the thick and moderately lofty vegetation,small, furred, four-legged creatures leaped out of the underbrush andscampered rapidly away. Using ray-guns at low power, we paralyzedseveral of these; but, after close examination, we were forced toconclude that we must look further for the intelligent inhabitants ofthe planet.
"It'