Cully bumped heads with Kimber and Kordov as he flashed a torch beam into the interior. Then, with infinite care, he began to hand out to eager assistants a series of boxes, small round containers and a larger, ornamented chest. All these were fashioned of the same lightweight alloy as the large carrier and they appeared unmarked by time.
Cargo carrier, Kimber decided. What can be in these? He held one of the smallest boxes to his ear and shook it cautiously, but there was no answering rattle.
Kordov picked up the chest, examining its fastening carefully. At last he shook his head and brought out a pocket knife, working the blade into the crevice between lid and side, using it to lever up the cover.
Soft creamy stuff puffed up as the pressure of the lid was removed, fluffing over the rim. The First Scientist plucked it carefully away in strips. As the late afternoon sun struck full on the contents which had been protected by that packing, there was a concerted gasp from the Terrans.
What are they? someone demanded.
Kordov picked up a fine intwisted strand, dangling its length in the light.
Opals? he suggested. No, these are too hard, cut in facets. Diamonds? I dont think so. I confess I have never seen anything like them before.
A worlds ransom, Dard did not know he had spoken aloud. The wild beauty swinging from Kordovs hand drew him as no man-fashioned thing had done before.
Any more in there? asked Kimber. Thats a large box to hold only one item.
We shall see. Girls, Kordov held out the rope of strange jewels to the two women, hang on to that.
Another layer of the packing was pulled out to display a pair of bracelets. This time red stones which Santee identified.
Thems rubies! I prospected in the Lunar mountains and found some just like em. Good color. What else you. got there, Tas?
A third layer of packing led to the last and greatest wonder of all-a belt, five inches wide, with a clasp so set in gems as to be just an oval glitter-the belt itself fashioned of rows of tiny crystalline chains.
Trude Harmon tried to clasp it about her waist to discover it would not meet by inches. Nor was Carlee able to wear it either.
Must have bin mighty slim, the girl what wore that! Harmon commented.
Maybe she wasnt a girl at all, Carlee said.
And there was something daunting in that thought.
Carlee had been the first to put into words their lurking fear, that those who had packed the carrier had been nonhuman.
Well, bracelets argue arms, Rogan pointed out. And that necklace went around a neck. A belt suggests a waist-even if it is smaller than yours, girls. I think we can believe that the lady those were meant for wasnt too far removed from our norm.
Santee pawed another box away from the pile. Lets see the rest.
The boxes were sealed with a strip of softer metal which had to be peeled from around the edge. And the first three they forced contained unidentifiable contents. Two held packages of dried twigs and leaves, the third vials filled with various powders and a dark scum which might have been the remains of liquid. These were turned over to Kordov for further investigation.
Of the remaining boxes three were larger and heavier. Dard broke the end of the sealing strip on one and rolled it away. Under the lid was a square of coarse woven stuff folded over several times to serve as protective padding. Since this was like the jewel case the others stopped their almost delving and gathered around as he pulled the stuff loose. What he found beneath was almost as precious in its way as the gems.
He dared not put his lingers on it, but worked it out of the container gently by the end of the metal rod on which it was wound in a bolt. For here was a length of fabric. But none of them-not even those who could remember the wonders of the pre-Burn cities-had ever seen anything such as this. It was opalescent, fiery color rippled along every crease and fold as Dard turned it around in the sunlight. It might have been spun from the substance of those same jewels which formed the necklace.
Carlee almost snatched it from him and Trude Harmon inserted a timid finger under the edge.
Its a veil! she cried. How wonderful!
Open the rest of those! Carlee pointed to the two similar boxes. Maybe theres more of this.
There was more fabric, not so sheer and not opalescent, but woven of changing colors in delicate subtle shades the Terrans could not put names to. Inspired by this find they plunged into a frenzy of opening until Kordov called them to order.
These, he indicated the wealth from the plundered boxes, cant be anything but luxury goods, luxury goods of a civilization far more advanced than ours. Im inclined to believe that this was a shipment which never reached its destination.
That tube we found the carrier in, mused Kimber.
Suppose they shot such containers through tubes for long distances. Even across the sea. We didnt transport goods that way, but we cant judge this world by Terra. And they have no high tides here.
Tas, Sim, Carlee turned one of the bracelets around in hands which bore the scars of the hardworking Cleft life, could they-are they still here? Those Others-?
Kimber got to his feet, brushing the sand from his breeches.
Thats what well have to find out-and soon! He squinted at the sun. Too late to do anything more today. But tomorrow
Hey! Rogan balanced on his palm a tiny roll of black stuff he had just pried out of a pencil-slim container. I think that this is some kind of microfilm. Maybe we can check on that-if we can rig up a viewer which will take it.
Kordov was instantly alert. How many of those things in there?
Rogan took them one at a time from the box he had opened. I see twenty.
Can you rig a viewer? was Kordovs next question.
The techneer shrugged. I can try. But I11 have to get at machines we packed in the bottom storeroom-and that will take some doing.
And"- Cully had been poking about in the interior of the now empty carrier-"theres an engine in here must have supplied the motive power. Id like to dig it out and see what makes it tick.
Kimber ran his hands over the tight cap of his hair. And youll need a machine shop to do that in, I suppose? He was very close to sarcasm. Theres the problem of those still in the ship-what will we do?
Carlee broke in. You havent found any signs of civilization yet-except this. And you dont know how long this could have lain where you discovered it. We cant hold off settlement until we are sure. The cities, or centers of civilization-if there are any-may he hundreds of miles away. Suppose a space ship had landed on Terra in a center section of the Canadian northwest, on the steppes of Central Asia, or in the middle of Australia-any thinly populated district. It would have been months, perhaps years, before its arrival became known-especially since Pax forbade travel. There may exist a similar situation here. Our landing may go undiscovered for a long time-if we do share this world.
And that, you know, Kordov added, is common sense. Let us explore the valley-if it is promising, make a place there for our people. But at the same time an exploring team can operate to map the district. Only, let us not make contact with any race we find, until we know its attitude.
Or what manner of creature, Carlee said softly to herself.
"What manner of creature. Dard had caught that. Carlee most likely believed that the intelligence which might share this world was nonhuman. Mans old fear of the unknown, the not-understood, would again haunt them. This was an alien world, could they ever make it home?