The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Space Rover, by Edwin K. Sloat

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Title: The Space Rover

Author: Edwin K. Sloat

Release Date: August 15, 2009 [EBook #29702]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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The Space Rover

By Edwin K. Sloat

[Transcriber's note: This etext was produced from Astounding Stories
February 1932. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the
U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]

Young Winford heads a desperate escape from the prison mines of
Mercury.

[Illustration: _Winford leaped out into space along the cable._]

Evan Winford leaned wearily against the controls of the little space
sphere, and stared out of the window at the planet, Mercury, which lay a
million miles sunward. Fail now? He gritted his teeth. No! He would
wrench victory from Fate after all, even though at this moment mine
guards must be searching the nearby mountains, for him and his
companions, and a warning was being broadcast to all the planets and
space ships to watch the little prison tender ship, the one that was
used to transfer prisoners from liners out in space to Mercury and its
Interplanetary Council prison mines to which all who were sentenced came
on one-way tickets only. This was the first time, Winford reflected
grimly, that the sphere had ever carried outbound passengers.

A long, quavering wail sounded from the hold below. Winford scowled.
That fellow, Agar, again. Too bad, for he was unquestionably an
engineering genius and thoroughly dependable when he didn't get one of
his spells and imagine he was a godo-dog on the red steppes of his
native Mars. A little rest and gentle treatment would unquestionably
work wonders. Again the wail, followed this time by a series of growls.

Winford slid open the door that separated the control nest from the hold
of the little prison tender ship. The other five men had withdrawn to
the other side of the cabin and were watching listlessly the big,
ragged, barrel-chested Martian crou