rubbery floor as he
walked. The small group converged around the table and stared in
silent awe at the figure before them.
It lay half covered by a sheet that stretched from its lower chest
to its feet. In these clinical surroundings, the gruesome impact of
the sight that had leaped at them from the screen in Caldwell’s
office earlier in the day was gone. All that remained was an object
of scientific curiosity. Hunt found it overwhelming to stand at
arm’s length from the remains of a being who had lived as part of a
civilization, had grown and passed away, before the dawn of
history. For what seemed a long time he stared mutely, unable to
frame any intelligent question or comment, while speculations
tumbled through his mind on the life and times of this strange
creature. When he eventually jolted himself back to the present, he
realized that the professor was speaking again.
“. . . Naturally, we are unable to say at this stage if it was
simply a genetic accident peculiar to this individual or a general
characteristic of the race to which he belonged, but measurements
of the eye sockets and certain parts of the skull indicate that,
relative to his size, his eyes were somewhat larger than our own.
This suggests that he was not accustomed to sunlight as bright as
ours. Also, note the length of the nostrils. Allowing for shrinkage
with age, they are constructed to provide a longer passage for the
prewarming of air. This suggests that he came from a relatively
cool climate. . . the same thing can be observed in modern
Eskimos.” Danchekker made a sweeping gesture that took in the whole
length of the body. “Again, the rather squat and stocky build is
consistent with the idea of a cool native environment. A fat, round
object presents less surface area per unit volume than a long, thin
one and thus loses less heat. Contrast the compact build of the
Eskimo with the long limbs and lean body of the Negro. We know that
at the time Charlie was alive the Earth was just entering the last
cold period of the Pleistocene Ice Age. Life forms in existence at
that time would have had about a million years to adapt to the
cold. Also, there is strong reason to believe that ice ages are
caused by a reduction in the amount of solar radiation falling on
Earth, brought about by the Sun and planets passing through
exceptionally dusty patches of space. For example, ice ages occur
approximately every two hundred and fifty million years; this is
also the period of rotation of our galaxy-surely more than mere
coincidence. Thus, this being’s evident adaptation to cold, the sug
gestion of a lower level of daylight, and his established age all
correlate well.”
Hunt looked at the professor quizzically. “You’re pretty sure
already, then, that he’s from Earth?” he said in a tone of mild
surprise. “I mean-it’s early days yet, surely?”
Danchekker drew back his head disdainfully and screwed up his
eyebrows to convey a shadow of irritation. “Surely it is quite
obvious, Dr. Hunt.” The tone was that of a professor reproaching an
errant student. “Consider the things we have observed: the teeth,
the skull, the bones, the types and layout of organs. I have
deliberately drawn attention to these details to emphasize his
kinship to ourselves. It is clear that his ancestry is the same as
ours.” He waved his hand to and fro in front of his face. “No,
there can be no doubt whatsoever. Charlie evolved from the same
stock as modern man and all the other terrestrial primates.”
Gray looked dubious. “Well, I dunno,” he said. “I think Vic’s got a
point. I mean, if his lot did come from Earth, you’d have expected
someone to have found out about it before now, wouldn’t you?”
Danchekker sighed with an overplay of indifference. “If you wish to
doubt my word, you have, of course, every right to do so,” he said.
“However, as a biologist and an anthropologist, I for my part see
more than sufficient evidence to support the conclusions I have
stated.”
Hunt seemed far from satisfied and started to speak again, but