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  The PEOPLE of the CRATER

  _A COMPLETE NOVELETTE_

  BY ANDREW NORTH

  _"Send the Black Throne to dust; conquer the Black Ones, and bring the Daughter from the Caves of Darkness." These were the tasks Garin must perform to fulfill the prophecy of the Ancient Ones--and establish his own destiny in this hidden land!_

  _CHAPTER ONE_

  _Through the Blue Haze_

  Six months and three days after the Peace of Shanghai was signed and thegreat War of 1965-1970 declared at an end by an exhausted world, a youngman huddled on a park bench in New York, staring miserably at the gravelbeneath his badly worn shoes. He had been trained to fill the pilot'sseat in the control cabin of a fighting plane and for nothing else. Thesearch for a niche in civilian life had cost him both health andambition.

  A newcomer dropped down on the other end of the bench. The flyer studiedhim bitterly. _He_ had decent shoes, a warm coat, and that air ofsatisfaction with the world which is the result of economic security.Although he was well into middle age, the man had a compact grace ofmovement and an air of alertness.

  "Aren't you Captain Garin Featherstone?"

  Startled, the flyer nodded dumbly.

  From a plump billfold the man drew a clipping and waved it toward hisseat mate. Two years before, Captain Garin Featherstone of the UnitedDemocratic Forces had led a perilous bombing raid into the wilds ofSiberia to wipe out the vast expeditionary army secretly gatheringthere. It had been a spectacular affair and had brought the survivorssome fleeting fame.

  "You're the sort of chap I've been looking for," the stranger folded theclipping again, "a flyer with courage, initiative and brains. The manwho led that raid is worth investing in."

  "What's the proposition?" asked Featherstone wearily. He no longerbelieved in luck.

  "I'm Gregory Farson," the other returned as if that should answer thequestion.

  "The Antarctic man!"

  "Just so. As you have probably heard, I was halted on the eve of my lastexpedition by the sudden spread of war to this country. Now I ampreparing to sail south again."

  "But I don't see--"

  "How you can help me? Very simple, Captain Featherstone. I need pilots.Unfortunately the war has disposed of most of them. I'm lucky to contactone such as yourself--"

  * * * * *

  And it was as simple as that. But Garin didn't really believe that itwas more than a dream until they touched the glacial shores of the polarcontinent some months later. As they brought ashore the three largeplanes, he began to wonder at the driving motive behind Farson's vagueplans.

  When the supply ship sailed, not to return for a year, Farson calledthem together. Three of the company were pilots, all war veterans, andtwo were engineers who spent most of their waking hours engrossed in themaps Farson produced.

  * * * * *

  "Tomorrow," the leader glanced from face to face, "we start inland.Here--" On a map spread before him he indicated a line marked in purple.

  "Ten years ago I was a member of the Verdane expedition. Once, whenflying due south, our plane was caught by some freakish air current anddrawn off its course. When we were totally off our map, we saw in thedistance a thick bluish haze. It seemed to rise in a straight line fromthe ice plain to the sky. Unfortunately our fuel was low and we darednot risk a closer investigation. So we fought our way back to the base.

  "Verdane, however, had little interest in our report and we did notinvestigate it. Three years ago that Kattack expedition, hunting oildeposits by the order of the Dictator, reported seeing the same haze.This time we are going to explore it!"

  "Why," Garin asked curiously, "are you so eager to penetrate thishaze?--I gather that's what we're to do--"

  Farson hesitated before answering. "It has often been suggested thatbeneath the ice sheeting of this continent may be hidden mineral wealth.I believe that the haze is caused by some form of volcanic activity, andperhaps a break in the crust."

  Garin frowned at the map. He wasn't so sure about that explanation, butFarson was paying the bills. The flyer shrugged away his uneasiness.Much could be forgiven a man who allowed one to eat regularly again.

  Four days later they set out. Helmly, one of the engineers, Rawlson, apilot, and Farson occupied the first plane. The other engineer and pilotwere in the second and Garin, with the extra supplies, was alone in thethird.

  He was content to be alone as they took off across the blue-white waste.His ship, because of its load, was loggy, so he did not attempt tofollow the other two into the higher lane. They were in communication byradio and Garin, as he snapped on his earphones, remembered somethingFarson had said that morning:

  "The haze affects radio. On our trip near it the static was very bad.Almost," with a laugh, "like speech in some foreign tongue."

  As they roared over the ice Garin wondered if it might have beenspeech--from, perhaps, a secret enemy expedition, such as the Kattackone.

  In his sealed cockpit he did not feel the bite of the frost and the shiprode smoothly. With a little sigh of content he settled back against thecushions, keeping to the course set by the planes ahead and above him.

  Some five hours after they left the base, Garin caught sight of a darkshadow far ahead. At the same time Farson's voice chattered in hisearphones.

  "That's it. Set course straight ahead."

  The shadow grew until it became a wall of purple-blue from earth to sky.The first plane was quite close to it, diving down into the vapor.Suddenly the ship rocked violently and swung earthward as if out ofcontrol. Then it straightened and turned back. Garin could hear Farsondemanding to know what was the matter. But from the first plane therewas no reply.

  As Farson's plane kept going Garin throttled down. The actions of thefirst ship indicated trouble. What if that haze were a toxic gas?

  "Close up, Featherstone!" barked Farson suddenly.

  He obediently drew ahead until they flew wing to wing. The haze was justbefore them and now Garin could see movement in it, oily, impenetrablebillows. The motors bit into it. There was clammy, foggy moisture on thewindows.

  Abruptly Garin sensed that he was no longer alone. Somewhere in theempty cabin behind him was another intelligence, a measuring power. Hefought furiously against it--against the very idea of it. But, after along, terrifying moment while it seemed to study him, it took control.His hands and feet still manipulated the ship, but _it_ flew!

  On the ship hurtled through the thickening mist. He lost sight ofFarson's plane. And, though he was still fighting against the will whichover-rode his, his struggles grew weaker. Then came the order to diveinto the dark heart of the purple mists.

  * * * * *

  Down they whirled. Once, as the haze opened, Garin caught a glimpse oftortured gray rock seamed with yellow. Farson had been right: here theice crust was broken.

  Down and down. If his instruments were correct the plane was below sealevel now. The haze thinned and was gone. Below spread a plain cloakedin vivid green. Here and there reared clumps of what might be trees. Hesaw, too, the waters of a yellow stream.

  But there was something terrifyingly alien about that landscape. Even ashe circled above it, Garin wrested to break the grip of the will thathad brought him there. There came a crackle of sound in his earphonesand at that moment the Presence withdrew.

  The nose of the plane went up in obedience to his own desire.Frantically he climbed away from the green land. Again the haze absorbedhim. He watched the moisture bead on the windows. Another hundred feetor so and he wo
uld be free of it--and that unbelievable world beneath.

  Then, with an ominous sputter, the port engine conked out. The planelurched and slipped into a dive. Down it whirled again into the steadylight of the green land.

  Trees came out of the ground, huge fern-like plants with crimson scaledtrunks. Toward a clump of these the plane swooped.

  Frantically Garin fought the controls. The ship steadied, the divebecame a fast glide. He looked for an open space to land. Then he feltthe landing gear scrape some surface. Directly ahead loomed one of thefern trees. The plane sped toward the long fronds. There came a rippingcrash, the splintering of metal and wood. The scarlet cloud gatheringbefore Garin's eyes turned black.