Read Online Stowaway to Mars by John Wyndham - Free Book Online
Authors: John Wyndham
Tags: Science-Fiction, Fantasy
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sense of surging indignation. Burns sat down on the side of the table and placidly awaited the outcome. Frond, attempting to drop comfortably upon one of the couches found this casual gesture defeated by lack of weight, and hung for a time in a state of puzzled suspense. Dugan crossed to one of the unshuttered windows and examined the wonders of space with noticeably discreet attention.
It was Froud who ended the mute period.
'Well. Well. Well,' he murmured, reflectively. 'And here was I thinking that I had got the only all male assignment since sex appeal was invented. It just shows you even a journalist can be wrong sometimes. You know,' he added, 'old Oscar Wilde had his points in spite of what people said about him.'
Dugan turned from the contemplation of stars, looking puzzled.
'What the devil are you talking about?' he inquired.
'Oh, quite harmless. Only that Wilde had a theory about nature imitating art. The typical art of today is the movies hence the situation. Who but the movie minded would have thought of stowing away on a rocket? Therefore --
'That's all very well,' Dale told him, 'but this isn't as funny as you seem to think. And the point at present is what are we going to do about it?'
'Do?' echoed Froud, undismayed. 'Why, that's simple enough heave her outside.'
'Here, I say ' Dugan began.
Froud grinned at him.
'Exactly. But the fact remains that it is the only thing we can do. The alternative which we shall undoubtedly adopt is not to do anything: to lump it, in fact.'
'If it had been a man,' Dale said, 'I'd soon have settled him and it couldn't have been called murder.'
'But as it isn't a man?'
'Well, damn it all, why not? A woman doesn't eat less or breathe less. Is there any really good reason why she shouldn't be treated the same way?'
'None at all,' said Froud promptly. 'Equal pay for equal work, equal penalties for equal crimes, and all that. Entirely logical and correct procedure. But no one ever puts it into practice this is known as chivalry,' he explained, kindly.
Dale, engrossed with the problem, took no notice.
'She's just trading on her sex, as they all do that's what it is. Taking it for granted that just because she happens to be a woman we shall do her no harm.'
'No be fair to her,' the journalist said. 'It's your sex that she's trading on. If the Gloria Mundi had had a crew of women, she'd soon have been outside. But she argues that you, being a male, won't behave logically what's more, she's perfectly right.'
'Can't you be serious for a few minutes?'
'Oh, I am. I'm facing a terrible future which you chaps haven't thought of yet. By the time she's been here a week she'll be bossing the whole show and making us feel as if we were the supercargo instead of she. I know 'em.'
'If she stays.'
'Oh, she'll stay all right. I really don't know why you're making all this fuss. You know quite well none of us has guts enough to chuck her overboard, and that we'll just have to accept the situation in the end.'
'That's right,' Dugan put in. 'Anyway, she's done the really serious part of the damage already by coming at all. There'll be enough food to see us through. And I mean to say, we can't just bump her off, can we?'
He turned to Burns who nodded silent support.
Dale looked at the three faces. He wore a somewhat deflated appearance not surprising in one who felt himself to be showing weakness in the face of the trip's first emergency. He took refuge on a side track.
'Well, I'd like to know who got her aboard. I know none of you would play a damn fool trick like that, but when we get back, I'm going to find out who did, and, by God ' The return of the doctor cut short his threat.
'Well?'
'Given her a sedative. She's sleeping now.'
'Nothing broken?'
'Don't think so. Pretty well bruised, of course.'
'H'm, that's a blessing, at least. It would have been about the last straw to have been landed with an invalid.'
'I don't think you need bother about that. She'll probably be all
It was Froud who ended the mute period.
'Well. Well. Well,' he murmured, reflectively. 'And here was I thinking that I had got the only all male assignment since sex appeal was invented. It just shows you even a journalist can be wrong sometimes. You know,' he added, 'old Oscar Wilde had his points in spite of what people said about him.'
Dugan turned from the contemplation of stars, looking puzzled.
'What the devil are you talking about?' he inquired.
'Oh, quite harmless. Only that Wilde had a theory about nature imitating art. The typical art of today is the movies hence the situation. Who but the movie minded would have thought of stowing away on a rocket? Therefore --
'That's all very well,' Dale told him, 'but this isn't as funny as you seem to think. And the point at present is what are we going to do about it?'
'Do?' echoed Froud, undismayed. 'Why, that's simple enough heave her outside.'
'Here, I say ' Dugan began.
Froud grinned at him.
'Exactly. But the fact remains that it is the only thing we can do. The alternative which we shall undoubtedly adopt is not to do anything: to lump it, in fact.'
'If it had been a man,' Dale said, 'I'd soon have settled him and it couldn't have been called murder.'
'But as it isn't a man?'
'Well, damn it all, why not? A woman doesn't eat less or breathe less. Is there any really good reason why she shouldn't be treated the same way?'
'None at all,' said Froud promptly. 'Equal pay for equal work, equal penalties for equal crimes, and all that. Entirely logical and correct procedure. But no one ever puts it into practice this is known as chivalry,' he explained, kindly.
Dale, engrossed with the problem, took no notice.
'She's just trading on her sex, as they all do that's what it is. Taking it for granted that just because she happens to be a woman we shall do her no harm.'
'No be fair to her,' the journalist said. 'It's your sex that she's trading on. If the Gloria Mundi had had a crew of women, she'd soon have been outside. But she argues that you, being a male, won't behave logically what's more, she's perfectly right.'
'Can't you be serious for a few minutes?'
'Oh, I am. I'm facing a terrible future which you chaps haven't thought of yet. By the time she's been here a week she'll be bossing the whole show and making us feel as if we were the supercargo instead of she. I know 'em.'
'If she stays.'
'Oh, she'll stay all right. I really don't know why you're making all this fuss. You know quite well none of us has guts enough to chuck her overboard, and that we'll just have to accept the situation in the end.'
'That's right,' Dugan put in. 'Anyway, she's done the really serious part of the damage already by coming at all. There'll be enough food to see us through. And I mean to say, we can't just bump her off, can we?'
He turned to Burns who nodded silent support.
Dale looked at the three faces. He wore a somewhat deflated appearance not surprising in one who felt himself to be showing weakness in the face of the trip's first emergency. He took refuge on a side track.
'Well, I'd like to know who got her aboard. I know none of you would play a damn fool trick like that, but when we get back, I'm going to find out who did, and, by God ' The return of the doctor cut short his threat.
'Well?'
'Given her a sedative. She's sleeping now.'
'Nothing broken?'
'Don't think so. Pretty well bruised, of course.'
'H'm, that's a blessing, at least. It would have been about the last straw to have been landed with an invalid.'
'I don't think you need bother about that. She'll probably be all
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