The Best of by John Wyndham Read Free Book Online Page A

Either they have been fooling you or you must be raving mad. I never heard such rubbish. Venus, indeed!.
    I regarded the man. I liked neither his face nor his manners.
    "If Mr. Ball sees fit to challenge my report," I said. "This, I gentlemen, will scarcely surprise you, for you must know as well as I that Mr. Ball has been completely impervious to all new ideas for the past forty years...
    The emaciated Mr. Ball goggled while several of the others hid smiles. It was rarely that his millions did not extract sycophancy but I was in a strong position.
    "Insolence," he spluttered at last. "Damned insolence, Mr. Chairman. I demand that this man—.
    "Mr. Ball," interrupted the other coldly, "you will please to control yourself. The fact that Gratz is here at all is a sign not only that I believe him but what I consider his news seriously to concern us all...
    "Nonsense. If you are going to believe every fairy story that a paid spy —.
    "Mr. Ball, I must ask you to leave the conduct of this matter to me. You knew, as we all did, that I.C. was building this ship and you knew that it was intended for spacetravel. Why should you disbelieve the report of its destination? I must insist that you control yourself...
    Mr. Ball subsided, muttering indefinite threats. The chairman turned back to me. "And the purpose of this expedition?.
    I was only able to suggest that it was to establish claims over territories as sources of supplies. He nodded and turned to address the rest.
    "You see, gentlemen, what this will mean? It is scarcely necessary to remind you that I.C. are our greatest rivals, our only considerable rivals. The overlapping of interests is inevitable. Metals and chemicals obviously cannot be expected to keep apart. They are interdependent. It cannot be anything but a fight for survival between the two companies...
    "At present we are evenly balanced in the matter of raw materials—and probably shall be for years to come. But—and this is the important point—if their ship makes this trip successfully what will be the results?.
    "First, of course, they will annex the richest territories on the planet with their raw materials, and later import these materials to Earth. Mind you, this will not take place at once—but make no mistake, it will come, sooner or later, as inevitably as tomorrow...
    "Once the trip has been successfully made the inventors will not rest until they have found a way of carrying freight between the two worlds at economic rates. It may take them ten years to do it, it may take them a century, but sooner or later, do it they will...
    "And that, gentlemen, will mean the end of Metallic Industries...
    There was a pause during which no one spoke. Drakin looked around to see the effect of his words.
    "Gratz has told me," he continued, "that I.C. is convinced their ship is capable of the journey. Is that not so?.
    "It is," I confirmed. "They have complete faith in her and so have I...
    Old John Ball's voice rose again. "If this is not nonsense why have we let it go on? Why has I.C. been allowed to build this vessel without interference? What is the good of having a man there who does nothing to hinder the work?" He glared at me.
    "You mean?" inquired Drakin.
    "I mean that this man has been excellently placed to work sabotage. Why has there been none? It should be simple enough to cause an 'accidental' explosion...
    "Very simple," agreed Drakin. "So simple that I.C. would jump to it at once. Even if there were a genuine accident they would suspect that we had a hand in it. Then we should have our hands full with an expensive vendetta. Furthermore I.C. would recommence building with additional precautions and it is possible that we might not have a man on the inside.
    "I take it that we are all agreed that the Nuntia must fail—but it must not be a suspicious failure. The Nuntia must sail. It is up to us to see that she does not return...
    "Gratz has been offered a position aboard her but has not as yet returned