September 24, 2025 • 23 mins
Dive into the thrilling adventures of Astounding Stories 19, featuring an array of captivating tales that will ignite your imagination! In The Doom from Planet 4 by Jack Williamson, a mysterious ray of fire guides Dan on his ship to an island fraught with otherworldly danger. H.G. Winters The Hands of Aten takes you on a journey as Craig unearths three long-frozen Egyptians from solid ice, leading him into an astonishing escapade. Experience the gripping fate of young Stoddard in H. Thompson Richs The Diamond Thunderbolt, where being locked in a rocket propels him into the vastness of space. A.R. Holmess The Slave Ship from Space explores the chilling reality of three kidnapped Earthlings who reveal to Xantra of the Tillas just how docile Earth slaves can be. In The Revolt of the Machines, Nat Schachner and Arthur L. Zagat delve into the sinister motivations of a master machine as it rebels against its human creators. Finally, in Ray Cummingss The Exile of Time, follow Tugh, the cripple who evades fate until the world teeters on the brink of destruction. Plus, dont miss The Readers Corner, a gathering space for fans of Astounding Stories!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Section fifteen of the Stounding Stories, nineteen July nineteen thirty one.
This is a librifox recording. All libery Fox recording or
in public domain. For more information to volunteer, please visit
liberfox dot org. Astounding Story is nineteen July nineteen thirty one.
The Revolt of the Machine, Part two. Out on the
(00:23):
floor was the shambles. I saw one snake like arm
whip around the stud form of tuna, then tightened. A
streak of agony ran through the hole. Another tentacle curled
about the couch of the second Aristo, opening the occupant
to it. Then Koch and owls were swung one hundred
feet in the air to be crashed down with terrific
force on the stone floor. Two arms seized, deterred at
(00:45):
the same time two sluggies to get out of the
way in time. Damn them, I heard Caston muttered true.
But not all the prolets had moved fast enough at
the warning shout, cowering under the seven keyboards, shrinking from
the metallic arms, not quite long enough to reach them.
I could count only a score the others. But what
(01:07):
used to describe the slaughter out there? I see it
in nightmare too often. A thunder from the speakers grew
till it drowned out the agonized streaks in the great Hole.
On these screens, horror flared all over the world. It
appeared the machines had gone mad. I saw antorka crass
as a dozen air frames plung through the crystal towers.
(01:31):
I saw a huge tread strip the roof or from
the Great playhouse, a smash of the straubbled crowd within
the stones it plucked from an embankment. I saw untenanted
land card shooting while through pegged streets. Gread pondrous tractors
left the field and move in ordered array on the
panic stricken cities. Methodically there pursued the fleeing aristoes and
(01:53):
crushed them beneath the thread like screwing ends. I realized
that the scraping of the tentacles reaching for us had ceased,
then that the arms had all returned to the button banks.
Then it dawned on me that Keston's Master Machines was
directing all the destruction. I was watching that the intelligence
(02:14):
he had given it was being used to differ the
machines from their regular task to conquer the world, use yours?
At something caston, I said, yes, He gasped, white faced,
something that I should have expected when that model machines
went for me. Do you understand I've given the massiones intelligence,
(02:36):
created a new risk, and they are trying to wipe
out the humans, conquer the world for themselves. The possibility
flats on me. When I was half mad with rage
and disappointment at the callous cruelty of the Aristo concil,
I threw that switch with the thought that it would
be far better for all of us to be wiped out.
But now I don't know. After all, the are men
(02:59):
like our and it hurts to see our own race annihilated.
If only I can get to that switch, he started
to push out from under the scant shelter, but an
alert tentacle hits through the air in a swift step
at him, and he dodged back helplessly. Don't be a
damn fool, I snap at him. Forget that mushy sentimentality.
(03:23):
Even if you save the arrises, we are due for
instinction just the same, better that the whole human race
be wiped up together. Then a thought struck me, maybe
we have a chance to get out of this ourselves impossible.
Where could be hid from the machines. He waved a hand,
head screened. Look the glacier, Man the glacier, He started,
(03:47):
There are no machines out there. If we can get
to the eyes, we are safe. But the aircraft will
find us. They don't know you're there. There are no
microphones or radio eyes in a waist. A roughs came
from the covering files behind us. Hey, Cas, then let's
get a move you're the smart guy around here, get
us out of this. Massive started. It was ab but
(04:09):
when so many better proades had preised, he was alive
and whole. We got out, crawling under the keyboard till
he could make a dash for the door. We emerged
into a world of blast, with light of many fires
and refuberating with the far off crossing of destruction. To
the right, we could see the tumbled remains of what
a short hour before had been over barracks. Two digging
(04:32):
machines were still ponderously moving about among the ruins, pounding
down their heavy buckets, methodically reducing the concrete structure to
a horrible dead level. Ten score prolades had been slipping
there where Ni left. As we ruse into the open,
the machines turned and made for us, But they had
not been built for spit, and we easily outdistanceed them.
(04:55):
The rest of that they will always remain a dim
haste to me. I can remember running and running, a
but broad form, always in the leads. I can remember
long minutes of trembling, undertangled, underbrust while from above sounded
the buring of an air machine searching ceaselessly for us.
I can remember seeing at last the tall white ramparts
(05:16):
of the glacier. Then the blackness swallowed me up. Hands
stuck at me, and I knew no more. The great
white whist of hummocky eyes dazzled under the blinding sun.
My eyes were hurting terribly. There was a great void
in my stomach. For two days I had not eaten.
Caston tottering weakly at my side, was in an even
(05:38):
worse state. His trembling hand could scarcelessly told the primitive
bone tipped spear. God knows, I had difficulty enough with mine. Yet, tired,
hung reciphering as we were, we forced our dragging feet along,
searching the interminable expanse for sign of polar bear or
the wild white dogs they hunted in pacts. We had
(05:59):
to find flash, any kind of flash, to feed our
severuled stomachs or go under. Caston attered a weak shout.
I looked from behind a frozen hummock. A great white
bear padded. He saw us, stiffed the air a moment,
then turned contemptuously away. He must have sensed our weakness.
(06:20):
Almost crying in his eagerness, Caston raised his spear and
cast it with what strength had at the animal that
meant food and warmed for our bodies. The weapon described
a slow arc and caught the shaggy bear flush in
the shoulder, but there had been no force behind the troll.
The sarpent and bond tip stuck in the flesh, quivered
a bit and dropped harmlessly to the eyes arouse the
(06:43):
crater riled. Weut. We caught a glimpse of small, indingintive eyes.
Then with a roar, it made for us. Look out,
I cried. Carston started to run, but I know he
couldn't match the wounded animal in speed. I threw my
fugile spear, but the bear shook it off, though it
were a pin prick and would not be diverted from
(07:03):
his prey. I ran, after shouting for help. Then Castin
stumbled and went down in a sprawl on the rough
gray eyes. The bear was almost on him, and there
was nothing I could do. Then the figure of a
man darted from behind a shaltering moon. It was Abbot's
swat and warm, white furd brownie of body, strong, well fat,
(07:25):
heavy jowled. He swung easily as long spear far heavier
than ours, and pointed with kin barbs. He stopped sword
at the sight of us, and his brutal fetters contorted
in merriment. The desperate plight of my friend seemed to
afford him in finite amusement. Nor did he make any
move to help. I shouted to him, quick kill it
(07:48):
before it's too late. So it is, Abbot, you turn now,
he sneered heavily. Abbot, whom you thought deserving of the
death bath not so long ago. No, my fine friends,
let me see you help yourself. You two who thought
you were kingpins down in the folly man, ha, wakeling,
(08:10):
that's all you are. I ran blindly over the uneven
eyes on, armed, some crazy notion in my mind of
tackling the brood with bare fists to drag him off.
My friend Abbot shuddered with lather, leaning on his spear.
For some strange animal reason, the mocking lauter enraged the beer.
(08:30):
He had almost reached the motionless figure of Caston when
he swerved suddenly and made for a butt. The ghostly
murment froze on the heavy old man. Like lightning. He
lift his heavy lungs and drove it with a powerful
arm squarely into the breast of the unfancing brute. It
sung a full foot into the blow refresh and while
the stricken bear clothed finally at the wound and sow
(08:52):
to push himself along toward the man, Abbot held as
spear firmly as in a vice, so that the animal
literally itself with the gusts of blood. It sank motionsly
to the ground. Abbot plucked the spear away with the
dexterous twist. Cassin was feebly gropping to his feet. I
was torn between joy and his delivererence, and enraged the
(09:15):
inhuman callousness of Abbot. The latter grinned at us headfully.
You see what poor weakling craters you are, he jeered,
good for nothing but to put a lot of senseless
bun down there. You were the bosses, the one to
look upon me as a dirt here on the ice
where it takes God to get along. I am the boss.
(09:38):
I let you live on my scrubs and livings simply
because it tickled me to seal, cring and back. But
I am growing weary of that sport. Henceforth, you keep
away from my camp. Don't let me catch you prowling around,
do you hear? Let's see how long you last on
the ice. And this animal is mine, he prodded the
(10:02):
carcast I kill it. I'll make the products skin and
cut it up from me. How they cring and obey me?
Abbut the dull one haha on this He strode away,
still laughing tenderously. I looked to Cassan in blank dismay.
(10:23):
What was to be over faith now but death by
cold and slow servation. Three months had passed since we
had escaped to the eyes from the dreadful machine's score
of us. For a while, it seemed that we had
fled in vain. We were not fit to cope with
the raw essentials of life. It was encountered centuries since
men fought netur were handed. So we huddled together for
(10:44):
warmth and starved. Even Kazan's kin brain was helpless in
this ways of ice, without tools, without machines. Then it
was that Abbutt rose to a command he dull brought it.
He was amid the complexities of all receivingization, fairly reveled
in this primitive combat with hunger and cold. He was
(11:05):
an anaccordnism in our meats, and throw back to our
early forebears. It did not take him along to vasion,
cunning noises and traps to catch the few beasts the
room the eyes. Once he pauns upon a wall like
crater and strangled it with bare hands. He fashioned with
app fingers, spears and barbs of bone, curved knife from
(11:26):
sin bones, and skinned the heavy fur pels and made
them into garments. No wonder the products, in their helplessness,
looked at him as their leader. Castan and I were
trust aside, but Abba did not forget his slow withn't
mind her bored dead leader and curve for former days
when we were in command, he remembered our contempt for
his slow, dull process. For the many eras he was
(11:49):
guilty of by a queer quick the very fact that
Castin had saved him from the death death on several occasions,
but fed the flames of his hatred. Perhaps that was
an ancient human trait too, So he set himself to
tweet and humiliate us. His jibes were heavy handed and gross.
He refused to let us eat the communal mess, but
(12:10):
forced us to wait until all were true. When he
taught us a few scraps, as though we were dogs.
Many times has started up in hot wretch, ready to
metch with my soften muscles against his brawn, But always
hestn't caught me in time, and whispered, patience. Some plant
was taking shape in his mind. I could see, so
I stopped short and was content to bide my time.
(12:33):
Now we were true, discorded as a last brutal gesture,
what was there to be done? Now? In other silence,
I looked at Caston. To my great surprise, he did
not seem gone cast Quite the contrary, his eyes were sparkling,
once more alive with the red fire. The wordiness was
gone from him. There was energy, decisions stamped on his
finely cut feathers. No, it's our time to act, he said,
(12:58):
I've been hesitating too long. What are you talking about?
Abbut forced my hand. Cassin explained, you didn't think we
were going to live here in the vision of the
rest of our lives. I rather die now than have
such a feature searing me in the face. No, we're
going down to Folly to fight the machines. I stared
(13:19):
at him. Aghast Man, you're crazy. They crossed us in
a minute, maybe, he said, unconcernedly, but we have no
time to lose. Abbot. We'll be back with the prolets,
and we'll have to clear out before then. Quick cut
off a few chunks of meat. We'll need them. But
(13:40):
about will kill us when he finds out what had
been done, and we'll starve if we don't, which was
an unanswerable argument. So with our bone knife, we hagged
off gubs of the still warm flask, covered with great
layers of fat. Looking up from my tols, I saw
black figures coming down towards us the direction of the camp.
(14:02):
They quickened into a run even as I noticed them.
Abbot and the prolats quick Kaston, I cried, they are coming.
Caston glanced around and started to run. I followed as
fast as I could. They'll catch us. I panted, where
can we hide down the folly? But the missions will
(14:22):
get us. Then save your breath and follow me. I
know a place. We were resting along as fast as
our waken legs could carry us, toward the edge of glacier.
I'll look back to see Abbot, his brute face distorted
with rage, getting rapidly on us. The other prolats were
being out distance. Abbut soughed threateningly for us to stop.
(14:43):
But that only made us read double our efforts. I
know he would kill us if he got off us.
He had his spear, and we were without ours. The
stabbed terminus of the great Northern Glacier hoff into view.
Far below was the broad, fertile habitable belt, stretching as
for as the eye could see, a lumb rose in
(15:03):
my throat as iron. It was our earth, our heritage,
down there, and here we are fleeing for our lives,
disposed by bits of metals and quartz machines that we
had fashioned. Hovering in the air on the level with
us were scout plants Figerland guardians of the frontier. Once
a prolette had become grazed by the eternal eyes and cold,
(15:24):
and had ventured down the side of the glacier to
reach the warm lands. His thin blood hunkered for as
soon as he had painfully clambered to the bottom within
the area of the television, a planet had swooped and
crossed him. While we laning the age had witnessed the
horror helplessly. Yet Caston ran on confidently, and but was
(15:47):
just a little way behind, blowing exultantly. When we came
to the jumping off place. He was sure he hid us.
Now Casson slid from view. It was sheer suicide to
go down there. I knew yet to where I was
man certain death abbut Spear was already poised to trust.
There was only one thing to do, and I did it.
(16:08):
I threw myself over the rim, just where Casson had disappeared.
I landed with a thud on a narrow ledge of eyes.
The surface was glassy smooth, and I started slipping straight
toward the other edge. A sheer dropped a dozand feet
to the folly below. I strove to recover my balance,
but only aslerted my progress. Another moment and I would
(16:30):
have plung into the abbyss, but a hand reached out
and grabbed me just in time. It was caston. Hold
tight and follow me, he whispered urgently. We have no
time to lose. The Master Machines is seeing us now
in the fiszer screen and will act. I had an
impulse to turn back, but Abbot's face was luring down
at us. I'll get you for this, he screamed, and
(16:53):
let himself down heavily over the ledge. Casson edged his
way along the treacherous trail. I after him. It was
Tickles's work. A midstep and there would be nothing to
break our fall. I heard a siren sound, then another
and another. I wasted a precious moment to look up.
A scout plan was daving for us on a terrific slant.
(17:15):
The air was black, with aircraft comforting on us. The
Master Machine had seen us. I sensed outter malevolence in
the speed of these senseless metals thrown at us by
the thing my friend had created. But there was no
time for thought. In desperate hate, we inched our way long.
Abbot had seen the peril too, and lost all his
truculence in the face of the greater danger. He clothed
(17:39):
after us, in sent only on reaching whatever safety we
were heading for. I could hear the zoom of the
great wings when the path took a sudden turn, and
we catapulted headlong into a black cavern, thrusting into the eyes.
We were not an instant too soon for a giant
safe swthed by our covered with a terrifying swuuze. Inch
away from Abbot's lake. He dived after us, and it
(18:02):
was followed by a grinning crash. The machine had been
directed to close to the eyes and had smashed into bits.
We crouched there in a moment, panting, struggling to regain
our wine. Cassin had regained the air of quiet power
he had once possessed. Quietly, he spoke to our enemy.
Listen to me, Abbot, up there on the ice, you
(18:23):
played the bully, relying on your brute Strange here, however,
we are up against the machines, and your intelligence is
off to low an order to compete with them. You
need my brains now. If you expect to escape from
them and live, you'll have to do exactly as I say.
I am boss. Do you understand I expected a roar
(18:43):
of rage at cassin kalm assertion, and quietly got in
back of Abbot, ready to jump him if he made
a trending move. But the big brute was a crater
of object terror. Staring out with the fair hunted eyes.
Quite humbly, he replied, you are right, you're the only
one who can beat the machines. I will follow you
in everything very well. Then this cave leads through a
(19:06):
series of tunnels down through the eyes to the bottom
of the folly. I explored nights when you were sleeping.
I look at him in amazement. I did not know
anything about his midnight wanderings. He saw my gloms. I'm sorry, Maren,
but I thought it wiser to say nothing of my plans,
even to you until I had my shirt. Let us
(19:27):
go outside. Hundreds of crafts were holding across the opening.
Escape that way was clearly impossible, no doubt the mastomachine's
hurrying over hike explosive to bless us out. Cason said, indifferently,
but we won't be here. We started down the torch's decline,
calling on hands and knees. We had not progressed very
(19:48):
far when we heard a thought and roar behind us.
Followed by a series of crasses. Just as I thought,
the master machines is firing terminis into the cavern. What
a high degree of intelligence that thing, yes to bed.
We'll have to smash it, he sighed. I fairly believe
he hated to destroy the sprint child of his, Yet
just how he was going to do it I did
(20:09):
not know. There passed hours of weary torturing, trembling and slittering,
and sudden folds down, always down, interminably. A pale, glimmering
saw us the way, a dim shining through the icy walls.
At last, vein with toil bleeding and torn from glass
sharp splinters, we reached a level chamber, folded surprisingly with
(20:30):
solid rock. It was good to see something of the
earth again, something that was not the deadly all embracing eyes.
At the fore end lay a blinding patch. I blink sunlight.
I sudded joyously. Yes, Catherin answered quietly. That opening lits
directly into the folly on our land. Abu rosted himself
(20:54):
from the unreasoning dread he had been in. It was
the first time he had spoken, let us get out
of here. I feel as diam in a tomb, are
you mad, Cassin said softly. The advisor will pick you
at once. You wouldn't last very long. Abbot stopped. Suddenly.
There was a plaintive, helpless nod to him. But we
(21:17):
can't stay here forever with starve or die of cold.
Isn't there some way to get back to the top
of the glacier? No, only the way we came, and
that's been blocked with terminite. Then what are we going
to do? You fled us into a slow death, you
with your boasted brains, dead remains to be seen, was
(21:40):
the calm retort. In the meantime, you were hungry, let
us eat. And the amazing man drew out of his
torn flapping first the gubs of meat he had cut
from the dead bear. I had quite forgotten them, with
a glad cry to reach into my garments and brought
out my supply. Abbot's eye glinted evily, his hand stole
(22:00):
stiltly to the bone knife in its skin seeth. His
spear had been dropped long before. None of that, Kasan said, surply,
we will all share equally, even though you have no food.
But if you try to hug it all or use
force it will die as well as we. They're only
enough for a meal or two, and then what will
(22:21):
you do? Ahbit so that he needed Kesan's brains. His
eyes dropped and he mumbled something about our misunderstanding his gesture.
We let it go at that we had to. He
could have killed us both if he wished. So we
divided our foot with painstaking fairness. How we girded in
the raw red, flashed in thick, greasy fat food that
(22:43):
would have discussed us when we leave and work in
the central station. Now was ambrosia towards certain appetites, when
not the least grub was left, and we had slacked
our turs with chunks of eyes from the cavern floor,
I spoke, what is that plan you spoke of for
reconquering the earth from the machines? Abbut look up abruptly
(23:05):
at my question, and it seems to me that a
crafty smile glinted in the small pink eyes. Casson hesitated
a moment before he spoke, I confess my plan have
been mortally impended by this sudden predicament we find ourselves
in thanks our good friends here, he ironically indicated, Abbot,
the big prolet merely granted. However, Casson continued, I'll have
(23:30):
to make the best of circumstances without the aid of
certain materials that I had expected to assemble. The idea
is a simple one. You've noted, no doubt, how the
terminus of the glacier opposide the central control session overhangs
the brow over a thousand feet up extends out at
least hundred feet beyond the base and of Chapter fifteen
Section fifteen of the Stounding Stories, nineteen July nineteen thirty one.
This is a librifox recording. All libery Fox recording or
in public domain. For more information to volunteer, please visit
liberfox dot org. Astounding Story is nineteen July nineteen thirty one.
The Revolt of the Machine, Part two. Out on the
(00:23):
floor was the shambles. I saw one snake like arm
whip around the stud form of tuna, then tightened. A
streak of agony ran through the hole. Another tentacle curled
about the couch of the second Aristo, opening the occupant
to it. Then Koch and owls were swung one hundred
feet in the air to be crashed down with terrific
force on the stone floor. Two arms seized, deterred at
(00:45):
the same time two sluggies to get out of the
way in time. Damn them, I heard Caston muttered true.
But not all the prolets had moved fast enough at
the warning shout, cowering under the seven keyboards, shrinking from
the metallic arms, not quite long enough to reach them.
I could count only a score the others. But what
(01:07):
used to describe the slaughter out there? I see it
in nightmare too often. A thunder from the speakers grew
till it drowned out the agonized streaks in the great Hole.
On these screens, horror flared all over the world. It
appeared the machines had gone mad. I saw antorka crass
as a dozen air frames plung through the crystal towers.
(01:31):
I saw a huge tread strip the roof or from
the Great playhouse, a smash of the straubbled crowd within
the stones it plucked from an embankment. I saw untenanted
land card shooting while through pegged streets. Gread pondrous tractors
left the field and move in ordered array on the
panic stricken cities. Methodically there pursued the fleeing aristoes and
(01:53):
crushed them beneath the thread like screwing ends. I realized
that the scraping of the tentacles reaching for us had ceased,
then that the arms had all returned to the button banks.
Then it dawned on me that Keston's Master Machines was
directing all the destruction. I was watching that the intelligence
(02:14):
he had given it was being used to differ the
machines from their regular task to conquer the world, use yours?
At something caston, I said, yes, He gasped, white faced,
something that I should have expected when that model machines
went for me. Do you understand I've given the massiones intelligence,
(02:36):
created a new risk, and they are trying to wipe
out the humans, conquer the world for themselves. The possibility
flats on me. When I was half mad with rage
and disappointment at the callous cruelty of the Aristo concil,
I threw that switch with the thought that it would
be far better for all of us to be wiped out.
But now I don't know. After all, the are men
(02:59):
like our and it hurts to see our own race annihilated.
If only I can get to that switch, he started
to push out from under the scant shelter, but an
alert tentacle hits through the air in a swift step
at him, and he dodged back helplessly. Don't be a
damn fool, I snap at him. Forget that mushy sentimentality.
(03:23):
Even if you save the arrises, we are due for
instinction just the same, better that the whole human race
be wiped up together. Then a thought struck me, maybe
we have a chance to get out of this ourselves impossible.
Where could be hid from the machines. He waved a hand,
head screened. Look the glacier, Man the glacier, He started,
(03:47):
There are no machines out there. If we can get
to the eyes, we are safe. But the aircraft will
find us. They don't know you're there. There are no
microphones or radio eyes in a waist. A roughs came
from the covering files behind us. Hey, Cas, then let's
get a move you're the smart guy around here, get
us out of this. Massive started. It was ab but
(04:09):
when so many better proades had preised, he was alive
and whole. We got out, crawling under the keyboard till
he could make a dash for the door. We emerged
into a world of blast, with light of many fires
and refuberating with the far off crossing of destruction. To
the right, we could see the tumbled remains of what
a short hour before had been over barracks. Two digging
(04:32):
machines were still ponderously moving about among the ruins, pounding
down their heavy buckets, methodically reducing the concrete structure to
a horrible dead level. Ten score prolades had been slipping
there where Ni left. As we ruse into the open,
the machines turned and made for us, But they had
not been built for spit, and we easily outdistanceed them.
(04:55):
The rest of that they will always remain a dim
haste to me. I can remember running and running, a
but broad form, always in the leads. I can remember
long minutes of trembling, undertangled, underbrust while from above sounded
the buring of an air machine searching ceaselessly for us.
I can remember seeing at last the tall white ramparts
(05:16):
of the glacier. Then the blackness swallowed me up. Hands
stuck at me, and I knew no more. The great
white whist of hummocky eyes dazzled under the blinding sun.
My eyes were hurting terribly. There was a great void
in my stomach. For two days I had not eaten.
Caston tottering weakly at my side, was in an even
(05:38):
worse state. His trembling hand could scarcelessly told the primitive
bone tipped spear. God knows, I had difficulty enough with mine. Yet, tired,
hung reciphering as we were, we forced our dragging feet along,
searching the interminable expanse for sign of polar bear or
the wild white dogs they hunted in pacts. We had
(05:59):
to find flash, any kind of flash, to feed our
severuled stomachs or go under. Caston attered a weak shout.
I looked from behind a frozen hummock. A great white
bear padded. He saw us, stiffed the air a moment,
then turned contemptuously away. He must have sensed our weakness.
(06:20):
Almost crying in his eagerness, Caston raised his spear and
cast it with what strength had at the animal that
meant food and warmed for our bodies. The weapon described
a slow arc and caught the shaggy bear flush in
the shoulder, but there had been no force behind the troll.
The sarpent and bond tip stuck in the flesh, quivered
a bit and dropped harmlessly to the eyes arouse the
(06:43):
crater riled. Weut. We caught a glimpse of small, indingintive eyes.
Then with a roar, it made for us. Look out,
I cried. Carston started to run, but I know he
couldn't match the wounded animal in speed. I threw my
fugile spear, but the bear shook it off, though it
were a pin prick and would not be diverted from
(07:03):
his prey. I ran, after shouting for help. Then Castin
stumbled and went down in a sprawl on the rough
gray eyes. The bear was almost on him, and there
was nothing I could do. Then the figure of a
man darted from behind a shaltering moon. It was Abbot's
swat and warm, white furd brownie of body, strong, well fat,
(07:25):
heavy jowled. He swung easily as long spear far heavier
than ours, and pointed with kin barbs. He stopped sword
at the sight of us, and his brutal fetters contorted
in merriment. The desperate plight of my friend seemed to
afford him in finite amusement. Nor did he make any
move to help. I shouted to him, quick kill it
(07:48):
before it's too late. So it is, Abbot, you turn now,
he sneered heavily. Abbot, whom you thought deserving of the
death bath not so long ago. No, my fine friends,
let me see you help yourself. You two who thought
you were kingpins down in the folly man, ha, wakeling,
(08:10):
that's all you are. I ran blindly over the uneven
eyes on, armed, some crazy notion in my mind of
tackling the brood with bare fists to drag him off.
My friend Abbot shuddered with lather, leaning on his spear.
For some strange animal reason, the mocking lauter enraged the beer.
(08:30):
He had almost reached the motionless figure of Caston when
he swerved suddenly and made for a butt. The ghostly
murment froze on the heavy old man. Like lightning. He
lift his heavy lungs and drove it with a powerful
arm squarely into the breast of the unfancing brute. It
sung a full foot into the blow refresh and while
the stricken bear clothed finally at the wound and sow
(08:52):
to push himself along toward the man, Abbot held as
spear firmly as in a vice, so that the animal
literally itself with the gusts of blood. It sank motionsly
to the ground. Abbot plucked the spear away with the
dexterous twist. Cassin was feebly gropping to his feet. I
was torn between joy and his delivererence, and enraged the
(09:15):
inhuman callousness of Abbot. The latter grinned at us headfully.
You see what poor weakling craters you are, he jeered,
good for nothing but to put a lot of senseless
bun down there. You were the bosses, the one to
look upon me as a dirt here on the ice
where it takes God to get along. I am the boss.
(09:38):
I let you live on my scrubs and livings simply
because it tickled me to seal, cring and back. But
I am growing weary of that sport. Henceforth, you keep
away from my camp. Don't let me catch you prowling around,
do you hear? Let's see how long you last on
the ice. And this animal is mine, he prodded the
(10:02):
carcast I kill it. I'll make the products skin and
cut it up from me. How they cring and obey me?
Abbut the dull one haha on this He strode away,
still laughing tenderously. I looked to Cassan in blank dismay.
(10:23):
What was to be over faith now but death by
cold and slow servation. Three months had passed since we
had escaped to the eyes from the dreadful machine's score
of us. For a while, it seemed that we had
fled in vain. We were not fit to cope with
the raw essentials of life. It was encountered centuries since
men fought netur were handed. So we huddled together for
(10:44):
warmth and starved. Even Kazan's kin brain was helpless in
this ways of ice, without tools, without machines. Then it
was that Abbutt rose to a command he dull brought it.
He was amid the complexities of all receivingization, fairly reveled
in this primitive combat with hunger and cold. He was
(11:05):
an anaccordnism in our meats, and throw back to our
early forebears. It did not take him along to vasion,
cunning noises and traps to catch the few beasts the
room the eyes. Once he pauns upon a wall like
crater and strangled it with bare hands. He fashioned with
app fingers, spears and barbs of bone, curved knife from
(11:26):
sin bones, and skinned the heavy fur pels and made
them into garments. No wonder the products, in their helplessness,
looked at him as their leader. Castan and I were
trust aside, but Abba did not forget his slow withn't
mind her bored dead leader and curve for former days
when we were in command, he remembered our contempt for
his slow, dull process. For the many eras he was
(11:49):
guilty of by a queer quick the very fact that
Castin had saved him from the death death on several occasions,
but fed the flames of his hatred. Perhaps that was
an ancient human trait too, So he set himself to
tweet and humiliate us. His jibes were heavy handed and gross.
He refused to let us eat the communal mess, but
(12:10):
forced us to wait until all were true. When he
taught us a few scraps, as though we were dogs.
Many times has started up in hot wretch, ready to
metch with my soften muscles against his brawn, But always
hestn't caught me in time, and whispered, patience. Some plant
was taking shape in his mind. I could see, so
I stopped short and was content to bide my time.
(12:33):
Now we were true, discorded as a last brutal gesture,
what was there to be done? Now? In other silence,
I looked at Caston. To my great surprise, he did
not seem gone cast Quite the contrary, his eyes were sparkling,
once more alive with the red fire. The wordiness was
gone from him. There was energy, decisions stamped on his
finely cut feathers. No, it's our time to act, he said,
(12:58):
I've been hesitating too long. What are you talking about?
Abbut forced my hand. Cassin explained, you didn't think we
were going to live here in the vision of the
rest of our lives. I rather die now than have
such a feature searing me in the face. No, we're
going down to Folly to fight the machines. I stared
(13:19):
at him. Aghast Man, you're crazy. They crossed us in
a minute, maybe, he said, unconcernedly, but we have no
time to lose. Abbot. We'll be back with the prolets,
and we'll have to clear out before then. Quick cut
off a few chunks of meat. We'll need them. But
(13:40):
about will kill us when he finds out what had
been done, and we'll starve if we don't, which was
an unanswerable argument. So with our bone knife, we hagged
off gubs of the still warm flask, covered with great
layers of fat. Looking up from my tols, I saw
black figures coming down towards us the direction of the camp.
(14:02):
They quickened into a run even as I noticed them.
Abbot and the prolats quick Kaston, I cried, they are coming.
Caston glanced around and started to run. I followed as
fast as I could. They'll catch us. I panted, where
can we hide down the folly? But the missions will
(14:22):
get us. Then save your breath and follow me. I
know a place. We were resting along as fast as
our waken legs could carry us, toward the edge of glacier.
I'll look back to see Abbot, his brute face distorted
with rage, getting rapidly on us. The other prolats were
being out distance. Abbut soughed threateningly for us to stop.
(14:43):
But that only made us read double our efforts. I
know he would kill us if he got off us.
He had his spear, and we were without ours. The
stabbed terminus of the great Northern Glacier hoff into view.
Far below was the broad, fertile habitable belt, stretching as
for as the eye could see, a lumb rose in
(15:03):
my throat as iron. It was our earth, our heritage,
down there, and here we are fleeing for our lives,
disposed by bits of metals and quartz machines that we
had fashioned. Hovering in the air on the level with
us were scout plants Figerland guardians of the frontier. Once
a prolette had become grazed by the eternal eyes and cold,
(15:24):
and had ventured down the side of the glacier to
reach the warm lands. His thin blood hunkered for as
soon as he had painfully clambered to the bottom within
the area of the television, a planet had swooped and
crossed him. While we laning the age had witnessed the
horror helplessly. Yet Caston ran on confidently, and but was
(15:47):
just a little way behind, blowing exultantly. When we came
to the jumping off place. He was sure he hid us.
Now Casson slid from view. It was sheer suicide to
go down there. I knew yet to where I was
man certain death abbut Spear was already poised to trust.
There was only one thing to do, and I did it.
(16:08):
I threw myself over the rim, just where Casson had disappeared.
I landed with a thud on a narrow ledge of eyes.
The surface was glassy smooth, and I started slipping straight
toward the other edge. A sheer dropped a dozand feet
to the folly below. I strove to recover my balance,
but only aslerted my progress. Another moment and I would
(16:30):
have plung into the abbyss, but a hand reached out
and grabbed me just in time. It was caston. Hold
tight and follow me, he whispered urgently. We have no
time to lose. The Master Machines is seeing us now
in the fiszer screen and will act. I had an
impulse to turn back, but Abbot's face was luring down
at us. I'll get you for this, he screamed, and
(16:53):
let himself down heavily over the ledge. Casson edged his
way along the treacherous trail. I after him. It was
Tickles's work. A midstep and there would be nothing to
break our fall. I heard a siren sound, then another
and another. I wasted a precious moment to look up.
A scout plan was daving for us on a terrific slant.
(17:15):
The air was black, with aircraft comforting on us. The
Master Machine had seen us. I sensed outter malevolence in
the speed of these senseless metals thrown at us by
the thing my friend had created. But there was no
time for thought. In desperate hate, we inched our way long.
Abbot had seen the peril too, and lost all his
truculence in the face of the greater danger. He clothed
(17:39):
after us, in sent only on reaching whatever safety we
were heading for. I could hear the zoom of the
great wings when the path took a sudden turn, and
we catapulted headlong into a black cavern, thrusting into the eyes.
We were not an instant too soon for a giant
safe swthed by our covered with a terrifying swuuze. Inch
away from Abbot's lake. He dived after us, and it
(18:02):
was followed by a grinning crash. The machine had been
directed to close to the eyes and had smashed into bits.
We crouched there in a moment, panting, struggling to regain
our wine. Cassin had regained the air of quiet power
he had once possessed. Quietly, he spoke to our enemy.
Listen to me, Abbot, up there on the ice, you
(18:23):
played the bully, relying on your brute Strange here, however,
we are up against the machines, and your intelligence is
off to low an order to compete with them. You
need my brains now. If you expect to escape from
them and live, you'll have to do exactly as I say.
I am boss. Do you understand I expected a roar
(18:43):
of rage at cassin kalm assertion, and quietly got in
back of Abbot, ready to jump him if he made
a trending move. But the big brute was a crater
of object terror. Staring out with the fair hunted eyes.
Quite humbly, he replied, you are right, you're the only
one who can beat the machines. I will follow you
in everything very well. Then this cave leads through a
(19:06):
series of tunnels down through the eyes to the bottom
of the folly. I explored nights when you were sleeping.
I look at him in amazement. I did not know
anything about his midnight wanderings. He saw my gloms. I'm sorry, Maren,
but I thought it wiser to say nothing of my plans,
even to you until I had my shirt. Let us
(19:27):
go outside. Hundreds of crafts were holding across the opening.
Escape that way was clearly impossible, no doubt the mastomachine's
hurrying over hike explosive to bless us out. Cason said, indifferently,
but we won't be here. We started down the torch's decline,
calling on hands and knees. We had not progressed very
(19:48):
far when we heard a thought and roar behind us.
Followed by a series of crasses. Just as I thought,
the master machines is firing terminis into the cavern. What
a high degree of intelligence that thing, yes to bed.
We'll have to smash it, he sighed. I fairly believe
he hated to destroy the sprint child of his, Yet
just how he was going to do it I did
(20:09):
not know. There passed hours of weary torturing, trembling and slittering,
and sudden folds down, always down, interminably. A pale, glimmering
saw us the way, a dim shining through the icy walls.
At last, vein with toil bleeding and torn from glass
sharp splinters, we reached a level chamber, folded surprisingly with
(20:30):
solid rock. It was good to see something of the
earth again, something that was not the deadly all embracing eyes.
At the fore end lay a blinding patch. I blink sunlight.
I sudded joyously. Yes, Catherin answered quietly. That opening lits
directly into the folly on our land. Abu rosted himself
(20:54):
from the unreasoning dread he had been in. It was
the first time he had spoken, let us get out
of here. I feel as diam in a tomb, are
you mad, Cassin said softly. The advisor will pick you
at once. You wouldn't last very long. Abbot stopped. Suddenly.
There was a plaintive, helpless nod to him. But we
(21:17):
can't stay here forever with starve or die of cold.
Isn't there some way to get back to the top
of the glacier? No, only the way we came, and
that's been blocked with terminite. Then what are we going
to do? You fled us into a slow death, you
with your boasted brains, dead remains to be seen, was
(21:40):
the calm retort. In the meantime, you were hungry, let
us eat. And the amazing man drew out of his
torn flapping first the gubs of meat he had cut
from the dead bear. I had quite forgotten them, with
a glad cry to reach into my garments and brought
out my supply. Abbot's eye glinted evily, his hand stole
(22:00):
stiltly to the bone knife in its skin seeth. His
spear had been dropped long before. None of that, Kasan said, surply,
we will all share equally, even though you have no food.
But if you try to hug it all or use
force it will die as well as we. They're only
enough for a meal or two, and then what will
(22:21):
you do? Ahbit so that he needed Kesan's brains. His
eyes dropped and he mumbled something about our misunderstanding his gesture.
We let it go at that we had to. He
could have killed us both if he wished. So we
divided our foot with painstaking fairness. How we girded in
the raw red, flashed in thick, greasy fat food that
(22:43):
would have discussed us when we leave and work in
the central station. Now was ambrosia towards certain appetites, when
not the least grub was left, and we had slacked
our turs with chunks of eyes from the cavern floor,
I spoke, what is that plan you spoke of for
reconquering the earth from the machines? Abbut look up abruptly
(23:05):
at my question, and it seems to me that a
crafty smile glinted in the small pink eyes. Casson hesitated
a moment before he spoke, I confess my plan have
been mortally impended by this sudden predicament we find ourselves
in thanks our good friends here, he ironically indicated, Abbot,
the big prolet merely granted. However, Casson continued, I'll have
(23:30):
to make the best of circumstances without the aid of
certain materials that I had expected to assemble. The idea
is a simple one. You've noted, no doubt, how the
terminus of the glacier opposide the central control session overhangs
the brow over a thousand feet up extends out at
least hundred feet beyond the base and of Chapter fifteen
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