The Germ Growers: An Australian story of adventure and mysteryPotter, Robert
Science
The Germ Growers: An Australian story of adventure and mystery
Potter, Robert
Science fiction, Australian
When my turn came I lay down on the floor of the car, as Jack had
done, with my hat for a pillow. The lozenges in my pocket were a
little in my way; not much, but just enough to remind me of what Jack
had done. Still, I didn’t rise, only turned over. Then some of the
lozenges rolled out of my pocket. Then I jumped up, and said, “I may
as well put mine with yours.” I did so, and lay down again and slept.
So now we had all our eggs in one basket, and it never occurred to us
that we were incurring any risk at all.
It was eleven o’clock when Jack lay down for his first sleep, and we
took regular half-hour turns until five o’clock, when my sixth
half-hour was up. It was now dawn, and the light was increasing
rapidly. We had had enough rest, and it was getting near sunrise. It
was time to think of lowering the car and reconnoitring. The morning
was very fine, but there was rather a heavy bank of clouds in the east
where the sun was rising. We lowered the car a little, and slackened
our speed. Presently we disconnected the battery, and so stopped the
car. Then we rested at about four to five hundred feet from the
ground. I swept the whole field of sight with the car’s glasses in
search of the wire, but could find no trace of it. Then I looked
westward long and anxiously, but could see nothing specially worthy of
notice. At last I fell to admiring the beauty of the clouds; they were
beginning to reflect the glory of the sun which was now risen, but
still hidden by them. There was in the air that sort of shimmering
which portends a dry, hot day. I picked out a small bank of clouds to
the west, on the near side of which the shimmering which I have
mentioned appeared to be greater than elsewhere. I was quietly
speculating on the cause of this when the sun extricated himself from
the clouds to the eastward, and his rays fell straight and full upon
the clouds to westward. Then I saw strike upon the cloud upon which I
had been gazing two shadows which I recognised with horror. I cried
out to Jack to look, and I lifted the glasses which were in my hand
and turned them to the shadows on the cloud, and I saw that he did the
same with his glasses. You will remember that we were now at rest,
excepting for the motion caused by the breeze which had almost ceased
to blow.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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