large/10361/astoundingstories18_1605_librivox_64kb_mp3/astounding_stories18_13_various_64kb_31
large/10361/astoundingstories18_1605_librivox_64kb_mp3/astounding_stories18_13_various_64kb
English
10361
Visibility was good that day, but despite the unusual clarity of the atmosphere there was a suggestion of the sinister about the lifeless scene  the vast, irresistible river, the riotously colored jungle roof. The vastness of nature dwarfed man's puny work. VISIBILITY WAS GOOD THAT DAY BUT DESPITE THE UNUSUAL CLARITY OF THE ATMOSPHERE THERE WAS A SUGGESTION OF THE SINISTER ABOUT THE LIFELESS SCENE THE VAST IRRESISTIBLE RIVER THE RIOTOUSLY COLOURED JUNGLE ROOF THE VASTNESS OF NATURE DWARFED MAN'S PUNY WORK
rs had long suspected that Mercury always presented the same side to the sun, though they were ignorant that the little planet had water and air. Its sunward side is a dreary, sterile, hot and hostile desert. Its dark side is warm and humid, and resembles to some extent the better known jungles and swamps of Venus. But it has a favored belt, some hundreds of miles wide, around its equator, where the enormous sun stays perpetually in one spot on the horizon. Sunward is the blinding glare of the desert; on the dark side, enormous banks of lowering clouds. On the dark margin of this belt are the "ringstorms," violent thunderstorms that never cease. They are the source of the mighty rivers which irrigate the tropical habitable belt and plunge out, boiling, far into the desert. Olear's little ship passed through the ringstorms, and he did not take over the controls until he recognized the familiar mark of the trading company, a blue comet on the aluminum roof of one of the larger buildings. ERCURY ANCIENT ASTRONOMERS HAD LONG SUSPECTED THAT MERCURY ALWAYS PRESENTED THE SAME SIDE TO THE SUN THOUGH THEY WERE IGNORANT THAT THE LITTLE PLANET HAD WATER AND AIR ITS SUNWARD SIDE IS A DREARY STERILE HOT AND HOSTILE DESERT ITS DARK SIDE IS WARM AND HUMID AND RESEMBLES TO SOME EXTENT THE BETTER KNOWN JUNGLES AND SWAMPS OF VENUS BUT IT HAS A FAVOURED BELT SOME HUNDREDS OF MILES WIDE AROUND ITS EQUATOR WHERE THE ENORMOUS SUN STAYS PERPETUALLY IN ONE SPOT ON THE HORIZON SUNWARD IS THE BLINDING GLARE OF THE DESERT ON THE DARK SIDE ENORMOUS BANKS OF LOWERING CLOUDS ON THE DARK MARGIN OF THIS BELT ARE THE RING STORMS VIOLENT THUNDER STORMS THAT NEVER CEASE THEY ARE THE SOURCE OF THE MIGHTY RIVERS WHICH IRRIGATE THE TROPICAL HABITABLE BELT AND PLUNGE OUT BOILING FAR INTO THE DESERT ELIZ LITTLE SHIP PASSED THROUGH THE RINGSTORMS AND HE DID NOT TAKE OVER THE CONTROLS UNTIL HE RECOGNIZED THE FAMILIAR MARK OF THE TRADING COMPANY A BLUE COMET ON THE ALEMNIUM ROOF OF ONE OF THE LARGER BUILDINGS
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