The Project Gutenberg eBook, To Choke an Ocean, by Jesse F. (Jesse
Franklin) Bone, Illustrated by Wood

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Title: To Choke an Ocean

Author: Jesse F. (Jesse Franklin) Bone

Release Date: April 24, 2010 [eBook #32124]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TO CHOKE AN OCEAN***

E-text prepared by Robert Cicconetti, Mary Meehan, and the Project
Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net)

Transcriber's note:

This etext was produced from the September, 1960, issue
of _If_. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence
that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.

TO CHOKE AN OCEAN

by

J. F. BONE

Illustrated by Wood

[Sidenote: _Gourmets all agree that nothing can beat oysters on the
half-shell--not even the armed might of the Terran Confederation!_]

"Nice that you dropped in," the man in the detention room said. "I never
expected a visit from the Consul General. It makes me feel important."

"The Confederation takes an interest in all of its citizens' welfare,"
Lanceford said. "You _are_ important! Incidentally, how is it going?"

"Not too bad. They treat me all right. But these natives sure are tough
on visitors. I've never been checked so thoroughly in all my life--and
now this thirty day quarantine! Why, you'd think I was carrying the
plague instead of a sample case!"

The chubby little commercial traveller probably had a right to complain,
Lanceford thought. After all, a Niobian quarantine station isn't the
pleasantest sort of environment. It's not meant to be comfortable,
physical discomfort being as good a way as any to discourage casual
visitors. The ones who have fortitude enough to stand the entry
regulations can get in, but tourists seldom visit Niobe. However, the
planet's expanding economy offered a fertile field for salesmen, and men
of that stripe would endure far worse hardships than a port of entry in
pursuit of the Almighty Credit.

Now this fellow, George Perkins, was a typical salesman. And despite his
soft exterior there was a good hard core inside.

Lanceford looked h