They joined him. Below was the dark chasm in which they had almost landed. It ran close to the ship; one jack almost touched the edge. Barnes looked — down into its awesome depths and felt no regret about expending mass to avoid it. — . —
Bowles stared at it. “I repeat, Jim, — a fine landing.”
“Too close for comfort.”
Bowles pushed his face to the quartz and tried to see — farther ‘to right and left. “I’m turned around,” he complained. “Which way is Earth?”
“Earth is east, of course,” Corley — answered. —
“Which way is east?”
“Man, you certainly are confused. East is out the other port.”
“But it can’t be. We looked out there first and Earth wasn’t in sight.” Bowles crossed back to the other port.
“See?”
Corley joined him. “That’s east,” he stated. “Look at the stars.”
Bowles looked. “But something is screwy. I saw Earth before we landed, in the screen. You saw it, didn’t you, Jim?”
“Yes, I saw it.”
“You; Doe?”
“I was too busy. How high was it?”
“Just rising. But I saw it.”
Corley looked at the sky, then at the mountains. “Sure, you did. And it’s there-back of those mountains.”
Barnes whistled tonelessly. “That’s it. I’ve landed us a few miles too short.”
Bowles looked whipped. “Out of line-of-sight,” he said dully. “I could claim it until hell freezes-and I can’t get the message back.”
Traub looked startled. “We’re cut off from Earth? But I saw it, too.”
“Sure, you did,” agreed Barnes, “you saw it while we had altitude. Now we’re down too low.”
“Oh.” Traub looked out. “But it isn’t serious, is it?
Earth is back of those mountains-but it’s in the east; it will rise after a bit. How fast does the Moon turn? Twenty-eight days and something?”
Barnes turned to Corley. “You tell him, Doe.”
“Mannie-the Earth doesn’t rise or set.”
“Huh?”
“The Moon keeps the same face to the Earth all the time. From any one spot, the Earth doesn’t move; it just hangs.”
“Huh?” Traub raised his hands, stared at them; it could be seen that he was visualizing it, using his fists for Earth and Moon. “Oh-I get it.” He looked dismayed. “Say, that’s bad. That’s really bad.”
“Snap out of it, Mannie,” Barnes said quickly. “If we • can’t contact Earth, we’ll just have to wait until we get back.” He said nothing about his own fears.
Bowles smashed a fist into a palm. “We’ve got to contact Earth! It doesn’t matter whether we get back; four casualties is cheap. But to get a message through now-this message, that a United States vessel has landed and taken possession-can mean the salvation of the United States.” He turned to Corley. “Doctor, we have enough power to — lift us over those mountains,~ haven’t we?”
“Eh? Why, yes.”
“Then let’s do it-now.” He turned toward his couch. “Hold it, Red!” Bowles stopped; Barnes went on, “If we make one lift and drop, to near those mountains, you know what that does to our chances of getting back.”
“Of course! It’s not important; we owe it to our country.”
“Maybe so. Maybe not.” Barnes paused. “If it turns out that we don’t have enough juice left to break free of — the Moon, I’ll concede your point.”
“Jim Barnes, we can’t consider ourselves against the safety of our country.”
“Speak for yourself, Red. Conceded that a claim to the Moon might help out the State Department this week — again it might not. It might stimulate Russia into going all out for space travel while the United States stumbles along as before, proud that we claimed it, but unwilling to spend real money to make it stick.”
“Jim, that’s sophistry.”
“So? That’s my decision. We’ll try everything else first. You don’t know you can’t get a message through. Why don’t you try?”
“When we’re not in line-of-sight? Don’t be silly.”
“Earth is not far down behind those mountains. Find a place that is line-of-sight.”
“Oh. Now you make sense.” Bowles looked-out at the mountains. “I wonder how far away they are?”
“Tell you in a moment,” Traub offered. “Wait till I swing the soup bowl around. — ” He started for his couch.