Thorn shook his head. “We daren't. This is the one safe place on Erebus where a ship can land, remember. We'll have to follow on foot, in our space-suits."
He saw a quick gleam of satisfaction in the sullen eyes of the Saturnian captain. And Thorn's face tightened.
"You will come along with us,” he told the green-faced captain suspiciously.
The Saturnian went livid. “I won't go!” he gasped, all secret satisfaction gone at once, “I won't!"
Thorn seized him by the throat. “Why not?” he harked “What are you afraid of? What is it that makes you glad at the idea of us going on foot to those mountains?"
The Saturnian was silent, helpless rage and fear contending in his face.
"Tell, or I'll make you walk out there by yourself!” Thorn menaced. The threat crumpled the captain's spirit.
"I'll tell!” he gasped. “It means a hideous doom if you venture off this mountain without protection. For all the matter of those deserts and mountains out there, all the matter of Erebus except this single metal mountain, is radioactive matter.
"Erebus is a radioactive world. That's the secret the pirate girl knew, that no one else guessed. A ship that landed anywhere except on this mountain would instantly itself become radioactive by induced radioactivity from the soil on which it landed. The same fate would befall an unprotected man who stepped off this mountain. This metal mountain is the only non-radioactive matter on the whole planet!"
CHAPTER XVII
In the Shining Waste
A radioactive world! A world, every atom of which was throbbing with natural or induced radioactivity, constantly emitting streams of deadly radiation, changing slowly and spontaneously through the long ages into different elements farther down the atomic scale! This, then, was the secret of Erebus!
The thing was so stupefying that the Planeteers and old Stilicho and his pirates were silent, stunned. Every man there looked wildly at his neighbor, bewildered by the incredible assertion the Saturnian captain made.
"It's impossible!” John Thorn burst, finally. His eyes were almost dazed in expression. “A whole world of radioactive matter — it can't be true!"
"It is true!” cried the Saturnian captain fearfully. “The girl knew it all the time. Her father, that old space pirate, Martin Cain, discovered it when he came here a generation ago. If he hadn't landed on this mountain, he'd have met the same doom as everyone else who has come here, his ship and his body riddled by the terrific radiation the moment he landed."
"But why in the devil's name should this metal mountain alone on the whole planet remain non-radioactive?’ cried Gunner Welk, his massive face incredulous. “It doesn't make sense."
"I think I understand that,” Sual Av said keenly, his green eyes gleaming. “I took a good look at the black metal of this mountain as we climbed up over it. It's a solid mass of asterium."
"Asterium?” Thorn echoed. “That queer element they've found in meteors from outer space?"
Sual Av's bald head bobbed eagerly. “Yes, the element whose discovery forced them to revise the periodic table — the most inert element ever discovered. It's completely resistant to radioactive action, they found.""
"But asterium was supposed to be an element foreign to our solar system, one formed somehow in far-off giant stars!” cried Gunner. “How the devil would there happen to he a solid mountain of the stuff here on Erebus?"
"This mountain of asterium was not always native to Erebus, if my guess is right,” retorted the Venusian. “This mountain came here from outer space. It's a gigantic meteorite of almost solid asterium that fell here on Erebus in some past age."
"By heaven, I believe Sual's right!” Gunner exclaimed excitedly. “That would explain the peculiar domed shape of the mountain. It's roughly spherical, but half of it is buried."
Old Stilicho Keene had listened, only half-understanding. Now he ventured an anxious question to Thorn.
"If it's doom to step off this mountain as that there Saturnian says, then how could Cheerly and his men and Lana dare to leave here on foot to search for the radite?"
"If my guess is right, they had some sort of protection against the radioactive emanations out there,” Thorn clipped. He turned to the Saturnian officer. “What about it?"
The green-faced captain nodded nervously. “You've guessed it. We were here two days, before Cheerly figured out a way to protect them when they left the mountain. He figured that since the asterium of this mountain is proof against the radioactive emanations out there, he would melt some of the asterium and coat their space-suits with it to make them ray-proof. That's what he did, and it worked all right."
The first Planeteer looked grim. “It'll work for us, too, then!” John Thorn declared. “We'll proof three space-suits for ourselves at once, and go after Cheerly and Lana. We've got to overtake them before they find that radite — for Cheerly will do away with Lana as soon as he has the stuff!"
"But, boy, can't I go with you Planeteers?” old Stilicho pleaded.
"You're needed to stay here and see that these prisoners don't break loose,” Thorn told him. “Take some men back over to the Venture now, and bring it over and park it beside this cruiser. We've got to work rapidly to overtake Cheerly."
Soon the Venture had been brought over the mountain, and settled down beside the Gargol, the Saturnian cruiser. The prisoners were locked in a compartment of their own ship, and a guard set over them.
"You needn't be afraid of us following you out there,” the Saturnian captain told Thorn, with a shiver. “There's none of us would dream of going out in those deadly deserts, among God knows what kind of shining demons that roam there."
"Shining demons?” Sual Av asked the green man. “What are you talking about?"
"We've seen them, from atop the mountain here,” the Saturnian answered with a shudder. “Glowing, unearthly creatures of some kind far out on the blue haze. I don't know what they are."
"You must have seen some dustwhirls, that's all,” Thorn clipped. “Come on, Sual!"
The Planeteers set to work with urgent haste, helped by a party of Stilicho's men. They found the atomic furnace which Jenk Cheerly had set up to melt some asterium was still in place. They had it going in a few minutes.
Wearing their space-suits constantly, the Planeteers and their helpers soon melted down a mass of the solid asterium into liquid state. Then three of their flexible metal space-suits were dipped into the molten black asterium.
The glassite helmets, immune to all heat and cold, were also coated with the black element. Before it hardened on the helmets, Thorn scraped two spots thin, making them semi-transparent for vision.
"It means dim visions but I dare not remove it completely from the eye plates of the helmets,” he muttered. “Anything more would be dangerous, in the hell of radiation that must rage out there."
The asterium coating on the suits and helmets hardened rapidly. When it was cool, they took the ray-proofed suits into the Venture., and put them on in place of the ones they wore.
"Hell, it's as stiff as a suit of armor,” muttered Gunner Welk, as he moved in his new suit.
"And these eyeholes can scarcely be seen through,” complained Sual Av as he donned the helmet.
"Will you two stop chattering and hurry?” John Thorn demanded violently.
His two comrades stared at him. And Thorn realized that he had shouted at them.
"Sorry,” he said hoarsely, “but I'm half out of my head, thinking of Lana out there with Cheerly.",
"We understand,” Sual Av nodded. But we'll find them, sure, before anything happens to Lana. And we're sure of the radite now, if all goes well."