Astounding Stories of Super-Science, June, 1930 — John Shaqi
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, June, 1930Various
Science
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, June, 1930
Various
Science fiction -- Periodicals; Science fiction, American -- Periodicals
Single Copies, 20 Cents (In Canada, 25 Cents) Yearly Subscription,
$2.00
Issued monthly by Publishers' Fiscal Corporation, 80 Lafayette St.,
New York, N.Y. W. M. Clayton, President; Nathan Goldmann, Secretary.
Entered as second-class matter December 7, 1929, at the Post Office at
New York. N.Y., under Act of March 3, 1879. Title registered as a
Trade Mark in the U.S. Patent Office. Member Newsstand Group--Men's
List. For advertising rates address E. R. Crowe & Co., Inc., 25
Vanderbilt Ave., New York; or 225 North Michigan Ave., Chicago.
Out of the Dreadful Depths
_By C. D. Willard_
[Illustration: "_Help--help--the eyes--the eyes!_"]
[Sidenote: Robert Thorpe seeks out the nameless horror that is sucking
all human life out of ships in the South Pacific.]
Robert Thorpe reached languidly for a cigarette and, with lazy
fingers, extracted a lighter from his pocket.
"Be a sport," he repeated to the gray haired man across the table. "Be
a sport, Admiral, and send me across on a destroyer. Never been on a
destroyer except in port. It ... would be a new experience ... enjoy
it a lot...."
In the palm-shaded veranda of this club-house in Manila, Admiral
Struthers, U. S. N., regarded with undisguised disfavor the young man
in the wicker chair. He looked at the deep chest and the broad
shoulders which even a loose white coat could not conceal, at the
short, wavy brown hair and the slow, friendly smile on the face below.
A likable chap, this Thorpe, but lazy--just an idler--he had
concluded. Been playing around Manila for the last two months--resting
up, he had said. And from what? the Admiral had questioned
disdainfully. Admiral Struthers did not like indolent young men, but
it would have saved him money if he had really got an answer to his
question and had learned just why and how Robert Thorpe had earned a
vacation.
"You on a destroyer!" he said, and the lips beneath the close-cut gray
mustache twisted into a smile. "That would be too rough an experience
for you, I am afraid, Thorpe. Destroyers pitch about quite a bit, you
know."
He included in his smile the destroyer captain and the young lady who
completed their party. The young lady had a charming and saucy smile
and knew it; she used it in reply to the Admiral's remark.
"I have asked Mr. Thorpe to go on the _Adelaide_," she said. "We shall
be leaving in another month--but Robert tells me he has other plans."
"Worse and worse," was the Admiral's comment. "Your father's yacht is
not even as steady as a destroyer. Now I would suggest a nice
comfortable liner...."
* * * * *
Robert Thorpe did not miss the official glances of amusement, but his
calm complacence was unruffled. "No," he said, "I don't just fancy
liners. Fact is, I have been thinking of sailing across to the States
alone."
The Admiral's smile increased to a short laugh. "I would make a bet
you wouldn't get fifty miles from Manila harbor."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account