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Astounding Stories of Super-Science, August 1930
·
Various
155
Since
there
was
nothing
else
to
do,
they
lay
there,
hands
clasped,
as
children
in
the
dark
clasp
hands,
and
waited
for
what
might
transpire.
Suddenly
the
discord
from
the
inside
of
the
crater
ceased,
and
all
was
still,
while
it
came
to
Sarka
that
the
cube-men
who
stood
before
him
were
in
grim
communication
with
something
invisible
to
Sarka
and
Jaska,
somebody,
perhaps,
deep
in
the
bowels
of
the
Moon,
over
inside
the
crater.
They
knew,
those
two,
that
the
cube-soldiers
were
reporting
their
presence,
and
asking
instructions;
that
the
Moon
had
gone
silent
to
listen,
and
that
within
a
few
moments
their
fate
would
be
decided.
What
should
they
do?
In
his
hand
Sarka
held
his
ray
director,
with
which
he
knew
he
could
blast
one
or
all
of
the
cubes
into
nothingness.
But
still
he
held
his
hand,
made
no
move.
Something,
however,
had
to
be
done,
for
the
discord
was
starting
again,
growing
in
volume.
It
made
Sarka
think,
oddly
enough,
of
a
deaf
mute
fighting
for
speech!
Then
came
the
first
intelligible
sound....
A
burst,
from
the
depths
of
the
crater,
of
sardonic
laughter!
"Dalis!"
said
Sarka,
and
moved.
While
Sarka
moved,
Jaska
held
fast
to
his
arm.
Casting
her
fear
to
the
winds,
furious
because
of
the
laughter
of
Dalis,
Sarka
thrust
his
ray
director
back
into
his
belt
and
stood
upright.
Bending
over
he
seized
the
first
of
the
gleaming
cubes
and
hurled
it
over
the
edge
of
the
crater,
saw
it
start
plummeting
down.
But
even
before
it
fell
out
of
sight
within
the
crater
its
gleam
had
dulled
until
it
was
almost
impossible
to
see
the
thing.
Racing
as
though
racing
against
time,
Sarka
caught
up
cube
after
cube
and
hurled
them
all
after
the
first.
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