﻿The Project Gutenberg eBook of Quest On Phoebe, by James R. Adams

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you
will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before
using this eBook.

Title: Quest On Phoebe

Author: James R. Adams

Release Date: January 07, 2021 [eBook #64228]

Language: English

Character set encoding: UTF-8

Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed
             Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK QUEST ON PHOEBE ***




                            QUEST ON PHOEBE

                           By James R. Adams

            Savagely, Ron Farr tore and blasted through the
            Saturnian moon's jungle, snarling at the timid
               natives to keep their distance. He sought
            eternal life--and they might get in his way....

           [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
                      Planet Stories Summer 1947.
         Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
         the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]


Others before him had tried--and failed. Ron Farr meant to succeed. He
had come fully prepared to surmount whatever obstacles might lie in
his path, to conquer the dread guardian jungle and its unknown terrors
and return triumphant to Earth, master of destiny and possessor of
undreamed of power.

Farr knew the obstacles would be there, for he sought the secret of
eternal life, the fabulous elixir that lay hidden somewhere on Phoebe,
enigmatic moon of Saturn, and there was little doubt in his mind that
the ancients of the ringed planet had made ample provision for the
protection of this, their most cherished treasure. One by one, a dozen
eager men had gone in quest of the secret--none had returned. That was
enough proof for him.

But, in spite of this grim evidence, Farr was not afraid. He was
ready to face death itself, if need be, to gain the goal that would
prostrate the world at his feet. He was ready to face death, but he
had taken every precaution against it. For instance, in selecting a
likely landing place, he had shunned the area in which the life secret
was reputed to be, for his instruments had detected some sort of
force-field above the region. Invisible to the eye, the field would
have crushed his ship in an instant, had he attempted to enter the area
without consulting the instrument panel.

The region was boxed in on three sides by sheer cliffs, leaving but one
avenue of approach. That was through the dense and foreboding jungle
that stretched for miles across the face of the canyon.

Farr had taken that avenue. Now, as he stepped from his ship and
regarded the jungle's fringe with clear, steady eyes, he looked
anything but the ruthless brigand he was.

Straight black hair, high forehead, firm, unsmiling lips--all gave the
man the appearance of a gentlemanly scholar. But behind those austere
features lurked a cunning, treacherous mind. That he should be seeking
the secret of eternal life in so surreptitious a manner was proof that
the gaining of it would be put to his own advantage, and not to the
benefit of mankind.

Now the thin lips parted in a wry smile as his searching gaze focused
on a group of watchful creatures gathered silently at the jungle's
edge. Somber eyes stared unwinkingly back at him.

Harmless beings, these, the _Mumums_ of Phoebe. They resembled Earthly
pygmies in stature, but were wholly alien in anatomy. Hairless and
ebon-skinned, they wore only a loincloth as protection against the
elements. Depending from this brief garment by means of a length of
chain swung a small silvery, tubelike affair. Some sort of tribal
fetish, Farr thought, intended to ward off evil spirits. The tubes
gave off a musical tinkling whenever the pygmies moved, and he almost
had to laugh at their ignorance in believing such nonsense could avert
sickness and injury.

They seemed to be attempting to bar his way. He drew his blaster and
balanced it in his hand, smiling grimly. If nothing more ferocious than
these miserable beings were to test his strength and cunning, securing
the life secret was going to be an easy task.

He stepped forward. The _Mumums_ did not move. His steps brought him
closer, and still they remained in his way. Farr curled his lips and
raised his blaster. If it was necessary to teach them a lesson, he
would.

One more stride and he would be touching them. "You asked for it," he
gritted and squeezed the release.

[Illustration: _"You asked for it," he gritted and squeezed the
release._]

There was a hissing crack and a bright stab of flame. The _Mumum_ in
front of Farr fell stiffly over backwards without a sound, an ugly
smoking hole drilled clean through him. The others cringed and drew
back as Farr swung the blaster in a threatening arc. "Get the idea?" he
grinned.

       *       *       *       *       *

Sweat plastered Farr's shirt to his back and streamed copiously down
his masklike face. It was only an hour since he had entered the jungle,
but already he was beginning to tire. His wiry muscles ached and his
breath came wheezily, laboriously. Wearily he sat down on a porous rock
and produced a vacuum-carton from his tunic pocket. The mushy food
mixture contained in the carton was tasteless, but nourishing, and he
ate in contemplative silence, keeping a wary eye on the foliage around
him.

Thus far he had successfully avoided contact with malignant life-forms,
but he did not allow this fact to lull him into a complacence that
might prove his undoing. Even though the jungle denizens had not yet
manifested themselves, he knew they were there, waiting for him to grow
lax in his vigilance, waiting for his eyes to close in sleep--a sleep
from which he would never awaken.

The _Mumums_--the pygmy people--were still with him. They stood a few
feet away, soulful eyes watching him devour his meal. Their stares
vaguely irritated Farr. What made it the worse, was that they never
uttered a sound, but just watched silently, fingering those crazy
silver tubes, moving when he moved, freezing into immobility when he
called a halt, always keeping between him and the goal toward which he
progressed.

Farr uttered a sneering laugh. They couldn't stop him! Let them stare.
Let their saucer eyes reproach him. He would go on and emerge from the
jungle with the secret that would place the fate of the world in his
hands.

He laughed again and wiped the last particles of the meal from his
lips. The food was making him sleepy. Gratefully he allowed leaden lids
to close over sun-dazzled eyes. A keen sense of danger prodded his
drowsy mind, telling him to awake, to throw off the torpor before the
perils of the jungle closed in on him.

By will-power alone, Farr forced his eyes open and strove desperately
to rise. He seemed to be rooted to the rock, and the insidious lump of
matter was sucking out his life-force, draining him of vitality. Where
he had been prepared to face fang and claw, this inanimate foe had
caught him completely off-guard and was swiftly fulfilling the purpose
for which it had been placed here--the destruction of interlopers who
sought the secret of immortality by way of the jungle.

A less determined man than Farr would have succumbed to that compelling
force, would have fallen back on the stone and let the life flow from
his exhausted body. But Farr was made of stern stuff, and as long as
there was life in him, there was fight.

Sweat stood out in glistening beads on his forehead and his lips
compressed in a bloodless slit as he marshaled his powers of
concentration. Slowly his hand moved to his side, clutching at the
blaster that hung there. Minutes passed as his fingers closed around
the butt of the gun and inched it from the holster.

His thumb adjusted the weapon to a tight beam, then he was aiming it
steadily at the rock. A thin finger of flame lanced out and drilled
into the porous stone, devouring it hungrily. A moment later he leaped
free as the chunk of mineral cracked under the heat and suddenly
collapsed in a pile of jumbled fragments.

       *       *       *       *       *

Farr was too shaken for a moment to do anything but stare in horror at
the cooling pieces of the devil stone. Then, reaction over, he became
his calculating, impassive self again. Reflection on the fate he had
narrowly averted was not for him; he must push on. But he did marvel
at the cleverness of the ancients of Saturn in placing the stone here.
It had come close to getting him--too close, for he felt strangely
lethargic and weak.

Groping in a pocket he brought forth a vitamin capsule and popped it in
his mouth. The potent stuff went to work immediately and shortly Farr
could feel his energy returning, slowly at first, then faster as the
capsule's contents worked through his bloodstream.

Feeling better, he tested his legs, then moved forward once more,
resuming his interrupted progress through the brooding jungle. Before
him the ever-present _Mumums_ retreated slowly, backing away through
the underbrush, always with their sad eyes fixed unwaveringly on the
intruder.

Farr had come to hate those eyes, in the short space of time he had
known the creatures. Though he realized now that neither they nor their
owners could do him harm, still he was somehow disturbed by the intent
and mournful gaze.

Shrugging off the feeling, he plodded on, moving ever toward the
distant goal in utter defiance of the terrors lurking around him. Farr
would not be denied his triumph and, now that he knew what to look for,
he kept a wary eye out for other such diabolical traps as the devil
stone.

But, in spite of his caution, he had not the least suspicion of the
next snare that lay in his path, and he was hopelessly enmeshed in it
before his confused mind could understand what was happening.

He had been advancing on a small grassy clearing, and as he reached
its edge he stopped to regard it dubiously. The wood-free tract seemed
innocent enough, and its flat expanse offered no concealment for
contrivances intended to dispose of meddlers. Satisfied that it was
safe, he set foot on the clearing and moved quickly across it.

Halfway across, Farr felt the ground shake under him and a low muffled
droning began somewhere far below. He knew then that it was a trap, and
with the celerity of one pursued by a fiend, lengthened his stride into
a desperate run. But it was too late.

Things suddenly went black, and with the abrupt darkness that fell
over his eyes, Farr stumbled and fell face forward in the grass.
Panic-stricken, he clambered to his feet and passed a hand across his
face. He saw only blackness.

"My Lord!" he cried in horror. "I'm _blind_!"

Farr could feel his lips moving, knew that his frantic brain had
commanded the vocal organs to speak the words--but he could not hear
them. He was deaf, too. Blind and deaf! Walking through the glade,
his footsteps had set in action machinery buried deep in the earth,
machinery that emitted a penetrating ray, blanking out the senses of
sight and hearing. Now, surely, his quest would end in blind groping
through the forest, till some ravenous denizen would put a stop to his
misery.

       *       *       *       *       *

Flinging his head back, Farr laughed shrilly, madly. Facing the guns of
the planetary police, he had never known the feel of fear, but he knew
it now; fear of the darkness, fear of the silence that pressed in on
him. He cried out again, but not the least sound pierced the stillness
in his brain.

He suddenly lunged forward and ran screaming through the glade. He did
not stop until he felt the undergrowth of the jungle whipping about his
legs, then he sank to the ground in a cringing heap, sobbing out his
despair and beating his fists against his temples.

For an hour he sat there, staring sightlessly into space. Frenzy gave
way to apathy, and he no longer strove to fight off the implacable
blackness and quiet that filled his world. Death would come soon,
creeping and crawling through the brush, and he could do nothing but
sit and wait for it, without hope of defending himself.

Despite his despair, Farr was not the least bit penitent. He had played
the game and lost, and now he was ready to pay the price of failure.
His only regret was that he had fallen short of his goal, had been
cheated of it by the infernal ray device, one of the many traps that
had been placed throughout the jungle by the now long-dead ancients of
Saturn.

His features hardened as he thought again of the secret those pitfalls
guarded--the secret of immortality. If only he could yet reach it!
Fumble his way through the jungle somehow and take the treasure from
its cursed temple. He could still be master of the world, if he could
accomplish that, master of all worlds, in fact, for who would not
prostrate himself for the chance of possessing eternal life?

But it was hopeless, Farr knew. He could wander around in here until he
dropped, and still be no nearer his destination than when he started.
Nor could he find his way back to the ship, navigate the distance to
Earth and have his eyes and ears operated on by some unprincipled, yet
skillful surgeon. No, he would never have another chance at the life
secret, never return to civilization with the power that he--

_What was that? Was it a glimmer of light in the darkness?_

Farr's heart leaped with sudden hope. Was his mind playing him tricks,
or was his sight returning? He climbed to his feet, straining his eyes
at the pinpoint of light. No, it wasn't his imagination; his vision was
definitely coming back! As he watched, the small patch of brightness
grew slowly, expanding, pushing back the fearsome darkness.

"_I--I can see again_," he whispered, voice shaking with emotion. Then,
flaming with new-born spirit, he repeated in a shout, "I can see again!"

His joy knew no bounds as he witnessed the unfolding of this miracle.
In short minutes his eyesight had completely returned to normal and
his hearing, too, was rapidly improving. He began talking to himself,
savoring the sound of each word as it impinged on his eardrums.
He caught sight of the _Mumums_, standing at a distance, mute and
motionless as ever, and he yelled to them, "Hi, you ugly things! Am I
glad to see you!"

Indeed, Farr was glad to see anything again, after that awful blackness
that had blotted out his most precious sense. The ray had been intended
to destroy his hearing and sight, but he had escaped its field in time
to avoid permanent injury. Had it not been for the unreasoning fear
that overwhelmed him, he would have remained there in the glade, to
flounder about helplessly and eventually succumb to thirst and hunger.

Now, he was again in full possession of his faculties, and just as
determined as ever to continue on to his destination. Twice he had
fallen prey to the ingenious devices of the Ancients, and both times
emerged unscathed. He was now convinced that the jungle could produce
no obstacle that his cunning could not overcome.

Thus decided, Farr took his bearings. Finding that his flight had
brought him to that side of the glade nearest his goal, he had nothing
to do but resume his march through the lush Phoebe plant-life.

On two occasions during the next few hours he came across grim
discoveries, discoveries that made him shudder in spite of his
callousness--sun-bleached, grinning skeletons. He found the first one
draped over a devil stone, picked free of carrion, mute testimony of
the insidious rock's power.

The other lay not far away in a clump of bushes. As Farr approached,
the willowy branches of the shrubs whipped into sudden action, flicking
gobs of black, gooey matter directly at the surprised spaceman. He
dodged aside with a cry of dismay, barely averting contact with the
stuff. Several of the viscid wads plopped against the bole of a tree
and began eating furiously into the bark.

Eyes bulging, Farr turned and fled, putting distance between himself
and the deadly bushes. No wonder there hadn't been much left of that
second heap of bones! The shrubs were living acid manufactories,
remaining dormant until the approach of a victim, then to spring into
life and bombard the prey with gobs of the fatal stuff.

And those blanched remains back there--they had once been living men,
like himself, in search of the legendary life secret. But unlike him,
they had not been clever enough to elude the pitfalls of the jungle,
and had died agonizing deaths, miles short of the goal. Farr was glad
it was so, else the secret would not now be there for him to pluck from
its pedestal and mold to his own use.

       *       *       *       *       *

Many hours later, Farr emerged from the jungle to stand at last at
the entrance to a desolate canyon. Aching in every muscle, battered,
bruised and hardly able to stay on his feet, he felt a surge of new
energy as he spied his objective, near the center of the valley.

The temple was old, very old. Its walls were drab gray, as if with the
grayness of age, and a great silence hung over it, unbroken by even the
strident sounds of insect life. But in spite of its gloomy, tomb-like
appearance, there was an air of magnificence about the temple, a
faint aura of greatness once known, but long since gone. It was at
once beautiful and foreboding, guardian of the heritage left by the
Ancients to those with courage and intelligence enough to win it.

Farr was not impressed. Beauty meant nothing to him, save the beauty of
power. But he noted the _Mumums_, still with him, were stirred by the
scene. Throughout the trek through the jungle, they had shown no signs
of emotion, but now they were milling about restlessly, staring at the
temple and chattering excitedly among themselves.

Drawing a deep breath, he moved cautiously into the canyon, blaster
ready at his side. There was no telling what hellish devices he had yet
to face, and he did not intend to be robbed of the life secret now,
having come this far along the road.

Sheer cliffs soared high above on three sides of him, and one look
told him that no one could scale those dizzy heights. The _Mumums_,
scampering ahead of him, silver tubes tinkling melodiously, reached
the edifice's yawning portal and stood staring apprehensively into the
impenetrable darkness. He followed quickly, eager to secure the elixir
and leave this dismal canyon far behind.

Twenty feet from the looming entrance, something rattled loosely under
his step and he bent to examine the object. A skull. His eyes traveled
across the ground and spied the body of the skeleton lying between two
boulders. He stepped over to the grisly relic and knelt beside it,
regarding it thoughtfully.

Clutched in the bony fingers was a corroded blaster, and through the
tatters of the dead man's rotted tunic protruded charred stumps of
ribs, grim indication of the last use to which the gun had been put.
Suicide! But why? Had the man been enmeshed in some trap from which
there was no escape? No; if that were the case Farr himself would
now be caught in its toils. At this realization he jumped back with
a start, cursing his thoughtlessness in approaching the spot without
first examining the surroundings.

But nothing happened and, thus reassured, he moved close again,
puzzling over the inexplicable mystery confronting him. To all
appearances the man had been free to leave the valley whenever he
so willed. Yet he had snuffed out his own life--that last desperate
measure one takes when he is faced by some barrier above which his
resources cannot lift him.

Tiring of the problem, Farr gave the remains one last scornful look and
moved away. He had no sympathy for one who comes out second best in a
contest of cunning. But as he walked on to the temple and passed into
its shadows he felt a dark premonition of danger edging into his mind.

He paused inside the structure's entrance and switched on a torch,
sweeping its beam about the chamber in which he stood. The room was
cubical, small, dank and musty with age. Blank walls stared back at him
mockingly, and for the briefest instant he again experienced a feeling
of impending doom, then it faded as before.

Before moving on into the temple proper, he looked over his shoulder to
see if the _Mumums_ had followed. They hadn't. They crowded around the
portal, jabbering shrilly and jostling one another in their eagerness
to get a better view, but carefully refrained from entering.

Shrugging, he turned away. He had no time to wonder at the stupidity
of the _Mumums_; there were more important matters to look after.
Directing the ray of the torch before him he located an inner door and
moved through it, heart leaping in sudden excitement at the sight.

There, resting in solitary splendor atop a marble pillar in the center
of a vast hall, was the object which he had braved every conceivable
type of horror to obtain. Awed in spite of himself, he walked slowly
forward, eyes riveted in fascination on the gleaming prize.

Then the spell was gone and he broke into a run, a shout of exultation
on his lips. He caught up the object from its pedestal and waved it
wildly overhead, brain enfevered by the triumph of the moment. He
brought the gleaming metal cylinder in front of his eyes and gazed at
it in rapture. Power. This represented more power than any man had
known, and plans for its use were already spinning in his brain.

Something rustled dryly in the vacuum container. Powder; it was a
powder, rather than a liquid. The legend had erred on that point,
but the discrepancy was inconsequential. He peered eagerly at the
container, expecting to see the formula of the powder inscribed
thereon. There was none, but it did not disturb him. Chemists could
analyze the stuff and manufacture it.

Flashing his light once more over the great hall to make certain he had
missed nothing, he strode buoyantly to the entrance and passed into the
small outer chamber, thrusting the container of powder in his tunic
pocket as he went.

       *       *       *       *       *

Immediately a dazzling brilliance lit up the room. Varicolored lights
played about his head, blazed radiantly in his brain and etched every
cell in bold relief. Farr fell to his knees, throwing his arms over his
eyes in a vain effort to shut out the light. The torment in his mind
was unbearable, agonizing.

The door! He had to make it to the door! Stumbling to his feet, he
propelled himself on unsteady legs to the entrance, hurtled through it
and down the temple steps, where he collapsed in a quivering, gasping
heap on the rocky valley floor.

Another narrow escape! He could not guess the nature or effect of the
lights, but undoubtedly they had been meant to dispose of him in some
hellish fashion. Apparently he had sustained no injury, though his head
did feel peculiarly light.

Shaking his head dizzily, Farr arose and felt in his pocket. The
cylindrical container was still there, and he breathed a rasping sigh
of relief. All that remained now was to return to his ship and rocket
Earthward, where his plans for the life secret would immediately be put
into effect.

The _Mumums_ brought up the rear now, apparently resigned to the fact
that their puny efforts to prevent the theft of the secret had failed.
Knowing that he would no longer be confronted by their unwinking gaze
was a comfort to Farr, and he moved quickly across the sweltering
valley.

Moving rapidly as he was, he had no time to avoid crashing into the
towering wall of rock that loomed suddenly in his path. Strangely he
felt no pain as he clambered erect, but the very unexpectedness of the
collision stunned him, confusing his befuddled mind even more.

There should be no wall here, yet here it was. Farr could not deny
that, though he could have sworn it had not been here when he entered
the canyon. There was nothing to do but walk around it.

The cliff stretched a hundred yards to either side of him. He began
moving along it, a fierce anxiety to escape this infernal place beating
in his brain. The inscrutable _Mumums_ followed, pattering along on
bare feet.

He had covered what seemed like forty yards, when he stopped and stared
in puzzlement at the craggy precipice. He looked back along the wall,
then ahead, peered up at its dizzy heights, then down at its smooth
base. Color drained from his face and his shoulders slumped in defeat.

He was beaten. Farr knew it. Knew too why that other adventurer had
never left the valley, why his brain was spinning and whirling like
a mad dervish. The ray in the temple--he could easily guess now what
it had done to him. For stone does not move of its own power, and the
cliff _had_ moved. Its terminations still reared a hundred yards in
either direction from him!

It was an illusion, that wall, an illusion conjured by his own
ray-impregnated mind. But for him it was real. He could spend eternity
walking along its face, yet never would he reach the end of the barrier.

He watched dully as a _Mumum_ scampered past and melted into the cliff.
Maddening to know that the wall existed only in his own mind. He tried
to concentrate, tried to nullify the terrible force that had invaded
his brain. If he could do that, the cliff-illusion would vanish.

Veins stood out on his forehead with the effort; but the wall remained,
seemingly solid as ever to his touch. The ray-force was too powerful.

Farr wanted to scream, wanted to hurl himself at the barrier and
pound and tear at it with all the wild energy of a trapped animal.
But he couldn't. His emotions were played out. He could only stand
like a burnt-out robot, his apathetic eyes following the antics of the
_Mumums_ as they popped in and out of the wall-illusion, taunting him,
trying to drive him mad with the realization that only he could not
pass through it to freedom.

The Ancients had triumphed. The life secret would remain in this
valley, eternally guarded by the ingenious ray that warped men's minds
and made them see illusions that to them were insuperable actualities.
Not until a Master Intellect claimed the heritage for the human race,
would it ever leave here.

Farr was not that Master Intellect, and he knew what he must do now.
His blaster came slowly from its holster. He brought the gun to his
temple.

His finger tightened on the trigger. White fire exploded in his brain,
cooking the cells, melting them. A last scream of defiance ripped from
Farr's lips, then his form went suddenly limp and crumpled to the
ground, to lay silent....

       *       *       *       *       *

It was Londar's time to return the cylinder to the temple. Its contents
were worthless, he knew, but it was the Ancients' command that the
ritual be observed, so the pygmy-creature dutifully bent and retrieved
the gleaming container and walked slowly with it toward the brooding
edifice.

To carry out his mission, Londar would be forced to pass through the
Great Lights, and Londar was afraid of the lights, much in the same way
savages of Earth fear the magic of witch doctors. But the intelligence
of the _Mumums_ was slightly above that of savages, and Londar realized
in a vague way that the lights could not harm him, could not do the
things to him they had done to the black-haired man from the sky.

For, long ago, he had swallowed several of the mysterious crystals
contained in the small silver tube swinging at his waist. The Ancients
had commanded him to do that and Londar had complied, as had all his
race, out of their great respect and love for the wise ones. The
Ancients were gone now, had vanished into the sky many seasons since.
But Londar and his people had lived on, ageless, undying, tirelessly
performing the strange duties assigned them by the masters.

Some day, another great race would come, and Londar's people would
then surrender the silver tubes. The black-haired man might have been
the representative of such a race, but he had shown contempt for the
_Mumums_ and had slain Kyrrad. That would not be the way of a true
people of supreme intellect.

Londar walked on, the silvery tube fastened at his waist tinkling
musically in rhythm to his stride.

*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK QUEST ON PHOEBE ***

***** This file should be named 64228-0.txt or 64228-0.zip *****
This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
    https://www.gutenberg.org/6/4/2/2/64228/

Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will
be renamed.

Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright
law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works,
so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the
United States without permission and without paying copyright
royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part
of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm
concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark,
and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following
the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use
of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for
copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very
easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation
of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project
Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away--you may
do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected
by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark
license, especially commercial redistribution.

START: FULL LICENSE

THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK

To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full
Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at
www.gutenberg.org/license.

Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic works

1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or
destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your
possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a
Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound
by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the
person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph
1.E.8.

1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be
used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this
agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.

1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the
Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection
of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual
works in the collection are in the public domain in the United
States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the
United States and you are located in the United States, we do not
claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing,
displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as
all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope
that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting
free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm
works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the
Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily
comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the
same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when
you share it without charge with others.

1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are
in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States,
check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this
agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing,
distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any
other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no
representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any
country other than the United States.

1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:

1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other
immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear
prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work
on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the
phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed,
performed, viewed, copied or distributed:

  This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
  most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no
  restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it
  under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this
  eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the
  United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where
  you are located before using this eBook.

1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is
derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not
contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the
copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in
the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are
redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project
Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply
either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or
obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm
trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any
additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms
will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works
posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the
beginning of this work.

1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.

1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
Gutenberg-tm License.

1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including
any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access
to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format
other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official
version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site
(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense
to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means
of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain
Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the
full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.

1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
provided that:

* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
  the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
  you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed
  to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has
  agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project
  Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid
  within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are
  legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty
  payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project
  Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in
  Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg
  Literary Archive Foundation."

* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
  you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
  does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
  License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all
  copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue
  all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm
  works.

* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of
  any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
  electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of
  receipt of the work.

* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
  distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.

1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than
are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing
from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of
the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the Foundation as set
forth in Section 3 below.

1.F.

1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project
Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may
contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate
or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other
intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or
other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or
cannot be read by your equipment.

1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGE.

1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium
with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you
with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in
lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person
or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second
opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If
the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing
without further opportunities to fix the problem.

1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO
OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT
LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.

1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of
damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement
violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the
agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or
limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or
unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the
remaining provisions.

1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in
accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the
production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses,
including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of
the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this
or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or
additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any
Defect you cause.

Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm

Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of
computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It
exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations
from people in all walks of life.

Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future
generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see
Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at
www.gutenberg.org

Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation

The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit
501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by
U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.

The Foundation's business office is located at 809 North 1500 West,
Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up
to date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site
and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact

Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation

Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without
widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest
array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
status with the IRS.

The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND
DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular
state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate

While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
approach us with offers to donate.

International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.

Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To
donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate

Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works

Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project
Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be
freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and
distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of
volunteer support.

Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in
the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not
necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper
edition.

Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search
facility: www.gutenberg.org

This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
