The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Unprotected Species, by Melvin Sturgis

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Title: The Unprotected Species

Author: Melvin Sturgis

Release Date: April 18, 2010 [EBook #32036]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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The Unprotected Species

By Melvin Sturgis[1]

[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Fantastic Universe
September 1956. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the
U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]

[Sidenote: It was a chill, terrifying planet inhabited by furtive
gnomes. And something was forcing the crew into homicidal insanity. But
what?]

Early on the first morning after the camp had been secured--scarcely
twenty-four hours after the first plastic shack had been erected--four
members of the surveying section brought in Bradshaw.

Gallifa, the senior biologist of the party, was loading the halftrack in
preparation for a field trip when the men placed the stretcher in the
shade of the truck. He took one look; and immediately stopped
congratulating himself on the ease of operations.

"Damn! Is he dead?" asked the stunned Gallifa.

"He isn't dead," the mapping officer said lamely. "But he's damn well
beat up."

Gallifa nodded awkwardly and looked down at the stretcher. Bradshaw was
one of his team. A good man. Gallifa hadn't known he wasn't in the
compound. Bradshaw wasn't a pleasant sight. Blood covered his face from
a deep gash above the temple, and his clothes and body were cut and
scratched in a dozen places.

"Better get him over to the hospital," Gallifa ordered brusquely. "I'll
be along as soon as I can."

The mapping officer gestured, and the men moved away with their burden.
The officer inspected the toes of his boots uncomfortably.

"How did it happen?" Gallifa asked quietly. "I would say that he had
been clawed by some kind of animal."

"That's possible," the other agreed unconvincingly. He licked his lips
nervously. "Of cou