"I certainly do. I'm curious to know what in hell way of ruining this
expedition you'll think of next."
"Aw, now, Captain, that isn't fair. How was I to know that whole ridge
was one big animal? You wouldn't have believed it yourself. Something
over five hundred feet high, with a neck even longer. We're not used to
them that big on Earth. Here the gravity's less, so it's okay. But even
Kalinoff--"
"Don't talk to me about Kalinoff," said Lamoureux fiercely. "He's as
bad as you. That screwball!"
"We're still trying to find him, aren't we, Captain?"
"Sure, we're trying to find him, but how can we expect to do it?" Was
it his imagination, or did McCracken seem pleased? Lamoureux didn't
care. He went on, very bitterly, "He starts off by telling us that the
Mercurians are intelligent. You saw how intelligent they were. Where's
that specimen we had?"
"He got lost in the shuffle," reported Gronski.
"It's just as well. Kalinoff tells us of a landmark--two mountains
with a saddlebacked ridge between them. The ridge runs away, and our
landmark isn't a landmark any more. Then there's the weather--no rain,
no hail, no snow. Nothing but pure fresh air and nice clean sunshine."
He kicked at a snowdrift. "What's this thing supposed to be, a mirage?"
McCracken said, "I know how you feel, Captain. But about this mountain
now--do you really think we ought to climb it?"
"Why not?"
"You can't see the top from here on account of the snow. It's coming
down in bigger flakes than ever now. That means you can't see here from
the top. And as the only reason we want to climb it is to take a look
around--"
"We'll climb it anyway. Maybe it isn't snowing as hard on the other
side."
* * * * *
They started off then, with Lamoureux barely keeping a tight enough
grip on his feelings to prevent his talking to himself. The mountain
was steep, but the gravity here being low, it was easy enough to
climb. McCracken demonstrated how easy it was by running up it full
speed. Lamoureux let him go, hoping that he would break his neck, but
McCracken's luck was too good. All he did was start a gentle landslide
that almost buried everybody else.
As they rose, they got more and more of the Sun's rays and the
temperature went up slightly. The snow turned to rain, drenching them
to the skin, and they climbed all the faster, anxious to get the job
over with.
At the top, the rain had died down to a faint drizzle. Lamoureux,
looking off into the distance, could see as through a veil a range
of sky-piercing mountains, their peaks gleaming in the Sun, their
roots cleft with deep shadowed valleys. Between almost every pair of
mountains was a saddlebacked ridge.
"Landmarks," commented Lamoureux sourly. "To hell with them."
"I told you it would be a waste of time, Captain."
"Not in the least, McCracken. After all, you _might_ have broken your
neck."
They started down again, and in a half hour were back at the line where
the rain changed to snow. Another hour took them to Gronski again.