"When I think of the genius who used to wear those stripes," I sighed,
"and then look at _you_--Oh, well! Listen to papa, whackypot. Polarium
is Element No. 106, yes! But it ain't impossible, no! Because they
found it. And I have yet to hear of anybody finding anything which
doesn't exist. It's a brand-new discovery, apparently rare as ideas in
that spongy bulb you hopefully call your 'brain,' and it's _so_ new
that nobody knows, yet, exactly what its properties are.
"Nevertheless, it's got a cash value. So we're on our way to collect
some of the aforesaid same."
Todd said aggrievedly, "That's not a very nice way to talk to a
superior officer, Sparks. Damned if I wouldn't report you--if I had
any idea who to report you to. But--Europa, you said? That's kind of
dangerous, isn't it? Our attempting to land there, I mean."
"No more dangerous," I told him, "than attempting to brush the teeth
of a sabre-toothed tiger. Any time a ship gets within umpteen miles of
Jupiter, pal, it's hold your hat and breath and give the prayerbook a
quick riffle. That hunk of red goo has gravitational power--spelled
with a capital, 'Phew!' More spaceships than you have corpuscles have
fallen within old Jupe's drag, crashed on the planet. And not a man has
ever yet managed to escape, get back to tell us what it's like.
"From what we know or can guess, the planet is not inhabited or
habitable. But that's guesswork. Until we can explore it as we've
explored its satellites, we'll never know. And we'll never be able to
explore Jupiter until some clever jasper invents an anti-gravitational
shield--"
"Say!" enthused Todd. "Now, there's a great idea, Sparks! I think I'll
work on that!"