The Project Gutenberg EBook of By Earthlight, by Bryce Walton

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Title: By Earthlight

Author: Bryce Walton

Release Date: October 6, 2010 [EBook #33842]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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Transcriber's Note:

This etext was produced Science Fiction Stories 1953. Extensive
research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this
publication was renewed.

_We all have to die sometime, but it's more the manner of
our going, and the reason why we must die when we do that's
the rub._

_By Earthlight_

_by_ BRYCE WALTON

* * * * *

[Illustration]

The rocket skin was like a dun-colored wall in the dim light under the
hill. Three anonymous men who were beyond suspicion, who had worked on
the rocket, were taking Barlow up in the elevator, up along the
rocket's curving walls.

Earlier, scores of men had climbed up many ladders to various
platforms where doors opened into the rocket's compartments for the
insertion and repair of the many highly-specialized instruments.

_It was still--so damn still here!_

Some guards were way down below somewhere in the shadows, but they
didn't notice anything. The three men were regular workers and there
were last minute things to be done. It all looked quite logical.

Over in the blockhouse, some of America's most important political and
military figures were sitting over instruments and charts, waiting,
discussing.

One of the three men was talking, explaining things to Barlow about
the rocket, about the pressure-suit he was to wear. Barlow listened
and got it all straight. Barlow was helped into the suit. It weighed
700 pounds, and after they had encased him in it--all but the huge
helmet-plate--he lay there absolutely helpless, on a dolly, waiting
to be rolled into the rocket's compartment.

The anonymous faces he'd never seen before, and would never s