webbed feet and hands. Besides, I
told you not to touch anything. You stick close to me and you won't
get into trouble."
"Yes, sir. I'll remember."
"There used to be hundreds of people on that beach, and now look at
it."
"I don't see anything alive."
"There are still plenty of fish. Most of them did all right, even
through the crash. Come along now. There's more to see."
* * * * *
A hidden door popped open and Garth stepped back into the corridor. He
trotted beside The Visitor for several minutes, and then another door
popped open. It led to a ramp. Garth climbed it to find himself again
in wonderland. He was standing in the middle of a village. There were
houses, trees, schools, sidewalks and lawns. Somehow the general
perspective was wrong. It made Garth's eyes water a little, looking at
it.
"Actually, this living level ran all the way around the ship," said
The Visitor. "When I stopped spin--artificial gravity, you know--to
set down here, the various sections swung to keep 'down' pointed
right. This is the bottommost thirty-degree arc. It makes two streets,
with houses on both sides of them--a strip three hundred feet wide and
three-quarters of a mile long."
"But how could you afford so much space for passengers? I thought
they'd be all cramped up in a spaceship."
The Visitor chuckled. "Use your eyes, boy! You've seen this ship. It's
about a mile long and a third of a mile high. In space, she spins
about her long axis. One ring, fifty feet high, takes care of
passengers' quarters. Another ring, split up into several levels,
takes care of all food and air-replenishment needs. These trips take a
year or more. Crowding would drive the people crazy. Remember, this is
basically a cargo ship. Less than a quarter of the available space is
used for passengers. But come on down the street here. I want to show
you my museum."
As they walked along the quiet street, with the leaves of trees moving
in the breeze and leaving sun-dappled shadows on the sidewalk, Garth
realized what a tremendous task it must have been for one crippled man
to repair landing damages. The houses must have been flattened and the
trees shattered during the landing. But with thousands of years in
which to work, even an injured man obviously could do much. At least,
thought the boy compassionately, it must have given the old man
something to do.
"How sorry he must have been," murmured Garth with su
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