doctor, who
used to grow roses, and green growing leaves absorb carbon dioxide and
produce oxygen. As the process requires light, this is another reason
for having the generator, possibly the strongest reason of all.
"And that," Wallis ended, smiling, "is how we are going to grow beans,
and why."
For a long time the only sound was the steady rasp of the hacksaw biting
through metal. The voices coming from the sick bay had stopped or had
become too low to be heard, and Dickson seemed to have been rendered
speechless. But the condition was only temporary.
"I'm impressed," he said finally. "I had no idea that you were looking
so far ahead, or working on so many projects. . . ." He hesitated, and
when he went on his tone had reverted to that of the Dickson which they
knew of old. ". . . What bothers me is that if they are successful,
I'll have to take a bath."
Trying to match the other's tone, Wallis said, "We could be rescued before
then, or the ship might sink. Try not to worry too much about it."
The doctor returned shortly afterwards. With the bare minimum of conversation
he gave his torch to Dickson and asked for directions for marking the
positions of the saddle compartments they hoped to use. Wallis, meanwhile,
worked at modifying an initial batch of three faucets, breaking off
only when it was necessary to help the doctor carry Dickson to another
tank. But when the mate's directions were finally complete and it was
time to return him to the sick bay, Radford brought up a subject which
he had obviously been avoiding since his return from the other patients.
He said, "I can't keep that girl under sedation indefinitely, not just
for the sake of peace and quiet. Her burns are still uncomfortable,
but not painful enough to warrant keeping her doped all the time. In any
case I don't have unlimited quantities of medication and what little there
is left I would like to save for emergencies."
The recent movements of his litter and the unavoidable bumps he had
received while the doctor and Wallis were pushing and hauling it over
scattered heaps of cargo could not have been pleasant for Dickson,
considering his injuries -- so unpleasant, perhaps, that he might have
felt entitled to some of the dope the doctor wanted so suddenly to
ration. But even though Wallis could sympathize with these feelings,
Dickson's reaction came as a shock.
"What the blazes d'you call this!" he yelled suddenly, in a voice too much
like the one which had come earlier from the sick bay. "We're trapped
in a sinking ship. We're deep ! The whole damn hull could cave in on us
at any minute! What bigger emergency can you have than that?"
"If we were here long enough," Radford broke in harshly, "I can think
of several. . . ."
In the following silence the sound of banging came clearly from the sick bay.
There was no screaming, just the banging. Presumably Miss Murray was still
asleep and Miss Wellman was awake and worried, and wanted someone to come
and tell her what all the shouting was about. Judging by the urgency of
the banging she could not have been very far from screaming herself.
Wallis motioned for the doctor to take the other end of the litter.
He said, "I think Mr. Dickson has need of some female companionship,
doctor. To keep him from becoming morbid."
By the time the gear was ready, it had been decided that without power
for the drills the only way of piercing the coffer dam bulkhead was
to burn a hole in it and risk the wastage of oxygen. They decided on
procedure and tried to imagine the things most likely to go wrong and to
guard against them. There was no way of measuring the passage of time,
but Wallis felt that too much of it had passed while the preparations
were going on. The deck was so steady under his feet that they might have
been hard aground. But the ship was not aground and the waves above them
were moving farther away with each hour that passed -- and there was no
way of telling
used to grow roses, and green growing leaves absorb carbon dioxide and
produce oxygen. As the process requires light, this is another reason
for having the generator, possibly the strongest reason of all.
"And that," Wallis ended, smiling, "is how we are going to grow beans,
and why."
For a long time the only sound was the steady rasp of the hacksaw biting
through metal. The voices coming from the sick bay had stopped or had
become too low to be heard, and Dickson seemed to have been rendered
speechless. But the condition was only temporary.
"I'm impressed," he said finally. "I had no idea that you were looking
so far ahead, or working on so many projects. . . ." He hesitated, and
when he went on his tone had reverted to that of the Dickson which they
knew of old. ". . . What bothers me is that if they are successful,
I'll have to take a bath."
Trying to match the other's tone, Wallis said, "We could be rescued before
then, or the ship might sink. Try not to worry too much about it."
The doctor returned shortly afterwards. With the bare minimum of conversation
he gave his torch to Dickson and asked for directions for marking the
positions of the saddle compartments they hoped to use. Wallis, meanwhile,
worked at modifying an initial batch of three faucets, breaking off
only when it was necessary to help the doctor carry Dickson to another
tank. But when the mate's directions were finally complete and it was
time to return him to the sick bay, Radford brought up a subject which
he had obviously been avoiding since his return from the other patients.
He said, "I can't keep that girl under sedation indefinitely, not just
for the sake of peace and quiet. Her burns are still uncomfortable,
but not painful enough to warrant keeping her doped all the time. In any
case I don't have unlimited quantities of medication and what little there
is left I would like to save for emergencies."
The recent movements of his litter and the unavoidable bumps he had
received while the doctor and Wallis were pushing and hauling it over
scattered heaps of cargo could not have been pleasant for Dickson,
considering his injuries -- so unpleasant, perhaps, that he might have
felt entitled to some of the dope the doctor wanted so suddenly to
ration. But even though Wallis could sympathize with these feelings,
Dickson's reaction came as a shock.
"What the blazes d'you call this!" he yelled suddenly, in a voice too much
like the one which had come earlier from the sick bay. "We're trapped
in a sinking ship. We're deep ! The whole damn hull could cave in on us
at any minute! What bigger emergency can you have than that?"
"If we were here long enough," Radford broke in harshly, "I can think
of several. . . ."
In the following silence the sound of banging came clearly from the sick bay.
There was no screaming, just the banging. Presumably Miss Murray was still
asleep and Miss Wellman was awake and worried, and wanted someone to come
and tell her what all the shouting was about. Judging by the urgency of
the banging she could not have been very far from screaming herself.
Wallis motioned for the doctor to take the other end of the litter.
He said, "I think Mr. Dickson has need of some female companionship,
doctor. To keep him from becoming morbid."
By the time the gear was ready, it had been decided that without power
for the drills the only way of piercing the coffer dam bulkhead was
to burn a hole in it and risk the wastage of oxygen. They decided on
procedure and tried to imagine the things most likely to go wrong and to
guard against them. There was no way of measuring the passage of time,
but Wallis felt that too much of it had passed while the preparations
were going on. The deck was so steady under his feet that they might have
been hard aground. But the ship was not aground and the waves above them
were moving farther away with each hour that passed -- and there was no
way of telling
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