The Project Gutenberg EBook of Plague Ship, by Andre Norton

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Title: Plague Ship

Author: Andre Norton

Release Date: October 23, 2005 [EBook #16921]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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ANDRE NORTON

(Writing As "Andrew North")

PLAGUE SHIP

Copyright, 1956 by Andrew North

All Rights Reserved

Chapter I

PERFUMED PLANET

Dane Thorson, Cargo-master-apprentice of the Solar Queen, Galactic Free
Trader spacer, Terra registry, stood in the middle of the ship's cramped
bather while Rip Shannon, assistant Astrogator and his senior in the
Service of Trade by some four years, applied gobs of highly scented paste
to the skin between Dane's rather prominent shoulder blades. The small
cabin was thickly redolent with spicy odors and Rip sniffed
appreciatively.

"You're sure going to be about the best smelling Terran who ever set boot
on Sargol's soil," his soft slur of speech ended in a rich chuckle.

Dane snorted and tried to estimate progress over one shoulder.

"The things we have to do for Trade!" his comment carried a hint of
present embarrassment. "Get it well in--this stuff's supposed to hold for
hours. It'd better. According to Van those Salariki can talk your ears
right off your head and say nothing worth hearing. And we have to sit and
listen until we get a straight answer out of them. Phew!" He shook his
head. In such close quarters the scent, pleasing as it was, was also
overpowering. "We would have to pick a world such as this--"

Rip's dark fingers halted their circular motion. "Dane," he warned,
"don't you go talking against this venture. We got it soft and we're
going to be credit-happy--if it works out--"

But, perversely, Dane held to a gloomier view of the immediate future.
"_If_," he repeated. "There's a galaxy of 'ifs' in this Sargol
proposition. All very well for you to rest easy on your fins--you don't
have to run about smelling like a spice works before you can get the time
of day from one of the natives!"

Rip put