I got chemicals from the supplies Axel brought from the overturned ship
and set to work.
It was fortunate that I made these tests. The Martian plants and the
dead Martian were very similar chemically, giving rise to speculation
that the evolution of life on Mars had taken place about the time the
planet had stabilized into its present state. On earth, life began
while the planet was evolving from an earlier form and the changes
continued while life developed. The changes probably brought about
the division of the animal and vegetable kingdoms and they might have
continued until sixty million years ago when the giant reptiles were
wiped out, or even later through the glacial ages.
But on Mars there was only one kingdom. It wasn't wholly animal, or
wholly vegetable, although it was more the latter than anything else.
And the tissues were formed from a very deadly series of molecules
which had cyanide as their base. In other words, Martians were poison
to us, and very likely we were poison to the Martians.
Furthermore, the water we had brought from the Martian canal was
impregnated with ammonium hydroxide, in large enough quantities
to cause serious illness should we be foolish enough to drink it.
However, it was very useful for washing the cyanide from our gloves and
spacesuits after we performed the autopsy.
And the autopsy, beyond determining that the Martians probably obtained
chemicals and oxygen by chewing up the soil, which contained many
oxides, was bewildering. Spartan made pictures and microscope slides
which could be studied if or when we got back on the earth.
All we know was that on Mars, life was a sort of mobile vegetable which
wasn't really a vegetable; and it was decidedly poisonous. We didn't
know how these creatures reproduced, but Gail expressed the opinion
that some of the "arms," all of which seemed to have different uses,
might be sex organs and that Martians gave birth to their young by a
kind of "budding," which exists among lower forms of life on earth.
"Probably every Martian is both male and female," she said, "like some
worms."
Like the electric eel, they had organs which produced a strong electric
current. But their radar equipment--the metallic hump and the black
spot on top of it--baffled us all. Nature had done the job compactly
and bewilderingly, with cells.
"Those teeth look vicious," said Gail.
"I wonder if their owners are," said Joel. "They spied on us during
the entire trip from earth. They clouded our scope so we couldn't use
radar. They chased Drake. That's an indication that they might be
vicious."
Axel shook his head. "They were just cautious," he said. "We'd have
been just as cautious if Martians had come to the earth. And they
didn't really seem to be chasing Bill. He was frightened and ran.
They saw no reason to fear him, so they followed, possibly trying to
establish communication."
"Yes," I said. "They tried to imitate our language. Did a pretty good
job, too." There had been nothing vicious or hostile in that.
"But one thing we can be sure of," said Axel, "is that the next time
they see us, they will attack us. We have lost our chance to be friends
of the Martians. I'm sure the two who saw Bill had seen sent to spy on
us and they must have notified others, by radio, that they had made
contact. Now they are missing. Only one conclusion could be drawn. We
killed them. And this is an act they'll demand revenge for."
"Bah!" said Spartan. "There's nothing to worry about. We've shown them
we are the ones to fear. We have strength. These lower forms of life
understand strength--they'll leave us alone."
"Lower forms of life?" said Axel. "And what makes a creature a higher
form? I'd say we're the lower forms on Mars, because we have difficulty
living here. We're not successful in this environment. We'd become
extinct in a short time if we were transplanted here permanently."
Dr. Spartan's face grew dark inside his helmet. His words were spoken
in a manner implying threat.
"You're forgetting, Ludson," he said, "that I'm the commander here. I'm
not to be contradicted or spoken to in the way you've just done. I'll
do all the thinking for this group."
He rinsed off his gloves with the water from the canal and went into
the ship.
_Chapter 14_
If Spartan was doing all the thinking, his mental processes were
similar to Axel's, or perhaps Axel's stated ideas had taken root. He
ordered Joel and me to get the ship ready for a lift-off, in the event
of a Martian attack. This would cut down our exploration time on Mars,
but we already had made a successful landing, and we had determined a
few facts about life on Mars. Naturally, we still would try to push
forward with our mission until the Martians drove us off. This would
include the exploration of a considerable area of the planet in our
vicinity. Later, while the Jehad was circling Mars, we would be able to
take pictures of the rest of the surface features. Later expeditions,
which would follow someday, could do the rest.
All of our supplies had been piled inside the moat and those we needed
were taken into the headquarters rocket. Spartan and Axel dismantled
the overturned rocket and obtained enough metal to construct a scaffold
and ramp from the ground to the locks, eliminating the necessity of
using a ladder to enter and leave the ship.
During the time we prepared our living quarters and defenses, all of us
were engaged in the task of learning as much as we could about Mars.
We made analysis of the soil and rocks, studied the weather and took
countless photographs. Gail made a trip to the canal, unmolested by
Martians, and brought back additional samples of Martian vegetation.
The water problem still confronted us. There were many things in the
Martian water that could not be removed by distillation. However,
the water was an excellent solvent and was used for our cleaning and
sanitary purposes.
Spartan and Axel made a short trip to Lacus Minor, which was 150 miles
west of our ship. Gail and I were left behind to analyze the plants
she had found, while Dr. Joel was picking up rock samples along the rim
of the canal.
We finished our analysis and when we'd cleaned up and disposed of
the poisonous substances we had examined, I said, "It's time to do
something about Spartan, Gail."
She gave me a sharp look. "I thought we decided the expedition came
first, Bill Drake."
"It's a matter of survival now," I said. "We all know we're in a worse
situation than before as far as the water is concerned. There's only
enough for three. Spartan needed a six-man crew mainly to get things
organized here on Mars. Now the worst is over. Even if he gets a chance
to do some more exploring, four can do it all. There are only two cars
anyway. Come to think of, two people would be enough--one to a car.
There's no reason for Spartan to delay his plans any longer. He'll
start expending the expendables."
"What of the Martians?"
I shrugged. "We've made enemies of the Martians by killing two of them.
I doubt if they'll forgive us for that. They've shown too many human
qualities--curiosity, fear, bravado, for example. They probably have
the ability to be angry and to extract an eye for an eye. So we're
fighting a whole planet. Whether there are five of us or three wouldn't
make much difference. But Spartan has us prepared for a lift-off and I
don't think he intends to wait for an attack to trim down our numbers."
She looked thoughtful, then said, "Bill, are you suggesting we murder
Dr. Spartan?"
I hadn't suggested it. All I was thinking of was saving my life and
hers. Self-protection. But that included killing in self-defense.
Possibly I'd had murder in the back of my mind. But when she said it in
so many words, I was revolted.
"Not if we can avoid it," I said.
"But there isn't enough water for five, you said. That means--" She
stopped.
"I'm willing to try it on rations," I said. And I was. "Spartan isn't.
Spartan planned to get rid of us anyhow."
Slowly she shook her head. "No, I don't believe even Spartan could be
like that. I'll admit I did think it once. But he'd have too much to
explain when he got home. Still, if he could arrange an accident--"
"He's arranged two of them. Willy and Morrie. What's to stop him from
getting rid of Axel and me? Perhaps you, if you were likely to be a
witness against him."
"We can't be a party to murder, Bill Drake," she said.
She was right. I knew that even if I had carried the idea around in my
head, I couldn't kill in cold blood. If Spartan tried to kill me and I
had to stop him, it would be a different matter. But even though I knew
he had no intention of letting me live, had already tried to kill me
once, I couldn't deliberately plan his death.
"But we can restrain him," I said. "Take him prisoner."
"That would be mutiny," she said.
"No. We have evidence that he murdered Morrie Grover," I said. "We'd be
putting him under arrest."
"But the mission!"
"The rest of us could do what has to be done. The main thing is to
prevent more killings. Arrest would make it unnecessary to kill
Spartan."
She sighed and said nothing.
"Axel will help," I said. "Joel won't interfere, either way; there's
even a possibility that he might join us once he's made to understand
what's been going on."
She sank down on a packing case we'd been using as a chair. "All right,
Bill Drake. But please be careful," she said.
That night Spartan called us by radio. He and Axel had run into a
terrific storm just as they left Lacus Minor. Red dust had practically
overwhelmed them, and winds up to 75 miles an hour had thrown the
Mars-car into a marsh. However, there had been no serious damage and
they'd return the following day.
When Joel came in, and after we had eaten our evening meal, I told him
bluntly what we'd found out about Spartan.
"He murdered Zinder and Morrie Grover," I said in conclusion. "He means
to kill two more of our party in order to insure enough water for the
return trip. You could easily be a candidate."
Joel listened, bewildered, to all I said, about finding the paper in
Morrie's helmet air valve, about Axel knowing he had tampered with the
machinery in Willy's capsule, and how Spartan had unfastened my safety
line when I brought Morrie's body from the top of the Jehad.
"I--I can't believe it," he said. "You're making it up."
"Why should I?" I asked.
"For the same reasons you're attributing to Dr. Spartan," he said. "You
want to kill him so there'll be enough water. Maybe you want to kill
me, too."
"Damnit," I said, "we don't want to kill anybody. There may not be
enough water to keep us from being thirsty, but there's enough to keep
us from dying. I'm willing to suffer to avoid murder. That's why I'm
planning to arrest Spartan."
"Arrest! It's mutiny! When you get back to the earth there'll be a lot
to answer for, Drake."
"Then we'll have to arrest you, too," I said. "The rest of us--Axel,
Gail and I--know the score, Warner. I've tried to explain it to you. If
we can't trust you--"
"Now just a minute! I didn't say that."
"Not in so many words," I told him. I put my hand on the butt of my
automatic pistol.
His eyes followed the move. There was fear in his face. "I don't know
what to do," he confessed.
"Do nothing," I said. "That's all I ask."
He gulped. He seemed a little relieved. "I don't see how I _can_ do
anything," he replied.
"Stand up!" I said.