The Project Gutenberg EBook of Feline Red, by Robert Sampson

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Title: Feline Red

Author: Robert Sampson

Release Date: April 12, 2010 [EBook #31970]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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FELINE RED

By ROBERT SAMPSON

[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Planet Stories January
1954. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S.
copyright on this publication was renewed.]

[Sidenote: _It was up to Jerill to think fast ... to do something ...
before those strange beasts sucked away the last purified ore on the
freighter Bertha._]

A shouting wave of men rioted through the engine room.

From the bridge above the hulking atomics, Chief Engineer Durval vollied
orders in a thunderous voice. "You men--you!" he raged. "Use your heads,
not your feet. Drive them toward the door."

A scattering of Them--compact darting beasts the color of a
poppy--scuttled into the shadow of an engine. Heavy Davison wrenches
clubbed futilely behind them.

As Durval flew into new bursts of shouting, Scott Jerill, First Mate of
the freighter _Bertha_, grimly shook his head. His lean face was not
smiling now. "Call your men back," he commanded crisply. "We don't have
time to drive those cats out like this."

Durval turned on him with a snarl. "Take over then. Think of a better
way. If you hadn't hauled that load of space cats aboard in the first
place...."

"Look out," Scott snapped.

With a crisp smack, a red creature the size of a man's hand struck the
rail before them. It was all improbable angles, with no special shape,
no front or back. It teetered crazily over the ten foot drop to the
floor below. Then it settled, sputtering. It sounded curiously like an
angry cat.

"There's one," roared Durval. His wrench slashed down, crashed shrilly
on the rail as the cat skimmed effortlessly away. The wrench shot off
toward the floor.

Durval shook his hand and roared. The cat, some twenty feet down