"Bickering your Aunt Jenny! What do you call that?"
Sparks jerked a contemptuous thumb toward the group from which they
were separated. Upon disembarking, only Greg and Sparks had moved to
make a careful examination of their damaged craft. The others, more
or less under the direction of Breadon, were making gestures toward
removing certain necessaries from the skiff. Their efforts, slight and
uncertain as they were, had already embroiled them in argument.
The gist of their argument, so far as Greg Malcolm could determine, was
that everyone wanted "something" to be done, but no two could agree as
to just what that something was, and no one seemed to have any bursting
desire to participate in actual physical labor.
J. Foster Andrews, all traces of his former panic and confusion fled,
was planted firmly, Napoleonically, some few yards from the open port
of the life-skiff, barking impatient orders at little Tommy O'Doul
who--as Greg watched--stumbled from the port bearing a huge armload of
edibles.
'Tina, the maid, was in a frenzy of motion, trying to administer to the
complaints and demands of Mrs. Andrews (whose immaculate hair-do had
suffered in the frenetic minutes of their flight) and Crystal Andrews
(who knew perfectly well there were sweaters in the life-skiff) and
Miss Maud (who wanted a can of prepared dog-food and a can-opener
immediately, and look at poor Cuddles, momsy's 'ittle pet was _so_
hungry)!
Bert Andrews was sulkily insisting that it was nonsense to leave the
warmth and security of the skiff anyway, and he wished he had a drink,
while the harassed, self-appointed commander of the refugee corps was
shouting at whomever happened, at any given moment, to capture his
divided and completely frantic attention. His orders were masterpieces
of confusion, developing around one premise that the castaway crew
should immediately set up a camp. Where, how, or with what nonexistent
equipment, Breadon did not venture to say.
"You see what I mean?" demanded Sparks disgustedly.
* * * * *
Greg Malcolm saw. He also saw other things. That their landing-spot,
while excellent for its purpose, was not by any manner of means an
ideal campsite. It was a small, flat basin of sandy soil, rimmed by
shallow mountains. His gaze sought these hills, looked approvingly on
their greenness, upon the multitude of dark pock-marks dotting them.
These caves, were they not the habitations of potential enemies, might
well become the sanctuaries of spacewrecked men.
He saw, also, a thin ribbon of silver sheering the face of the northern
hills. His gaze, rising still skyward, saw other things--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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