The Project Gutenberg eBook of Tony and the Beetles
    
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online
at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States,
you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located
before using this eBook.

Title: Tony and the Beetles

Author: Philip K. Dick

Release date: October 7, 2012 [eBook #40964]

Language: English

Credits: Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online
        Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net


*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TONY AND THE BEETLES ***




Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net









TONY and the BEETLES

by Philip K. Dick

[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Orbit volume 1
number 2, 1953. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]


[Illustration: A TEN-YEAR-OLD BOY GROWS UP FAST WHEN HISTORY CATCHES UP
WITH THE HUMAN RACE.]


Reddish-yellow sunlight filtered through the thick quartz windows into
the sleep-compartment. Tony Rossi yawned, stirred a little, then opened
his black eyes and sat up quickly. With one motion he tossed the covers
back and slid to the warm metal floor. He clicked off his alarm clock
and hurried to the closet.

It looked like a nice day. The landscape outside was motionless,
undisturbed by winds or dust-shift. The boy's heart pounded excitedly.
He pulled his trousers on, zipped up the reinforced mesh, struggled into
his heavy canvas shirt, and then sat down on the edge of the cot to tug
on his boots. He closed the seams around their tops and then did the
same with his gloves. Next he adjusted the pressure on his pump unit and
strapped it between his shoulder blades. He grabbed his helmet from the
dresser, and he was ready for the day.

In the dining-compartment his mother and father had finished breakfast.
Their voices drifted to him as he clattered down the ramp. A disturbed
murmur; he paused to listen. What were they talking about? Had he done
something wrong, again?

And then he caught it. Behind their voices was another voice. Static and
crackling pops. The all-system audio signal from Rigel IV. They had it
turned up full blast; the dull thunder of the monitor's voice boomed
loudly. The war. Always the war. He sighed, and stepped out into the
dining-compartment.

"Morning," his father muttered.

"Good morning, dear," his mother said absently. She sat with her head
turned to one side, wrinkles of concentration webbing her forehead. Her
thin lips were drawn together in a tight line of concern. His father had
pushed his dirty dishes back and was smoking, elbows on the table, dark
hairy arms bare and muscular. He was scowling, intent on the jumbled
roar from the speaker above the sink.

"How's it going?" Tony asked. He slid into his chair and reached
automatically for the ersatz grapefruit. "Any news from Orion?"

Neither of them answered. They didn't hear him. He began to eat his
grapefruit. Outside, beyond the little metal and plastic housing unit,
sounds of activity grew. Shouts and muffled crashes, as rural merchants
and their trucks rumbled along the highway toward Karnet. The reddish
daylight swelled; Betelgeuse was rising quietly and majestically.

"Nice day," Tony said. "No flux wind. I think I'll go down to the
n-quarter awhile. We're building a neat spaceport, a model, of course,
but we've been able to get enough materials to lay out strips for--"

With a savage snarl his father reached out and struck the audio roar
immediately died. "I knew it!" He got up and moved angrily away from the
table. "I told them it would happen. They shouldn't have moved so soon.
Should have built up Class A supply bases, first."

"Isn't our main fleet moving in from Bellatrix?" Tony's mother fluttered
anxiously. "According to last night's summary the worst that can happen
is Orion IX and X will be dumped."

Joseph Rossi laughed harshly. "The hell with last night's summary. They
know as well as I do what's happening."

"What's happening?" Tony echoed, as he pushed aside his grapefruit and
began to ladle out dry cereal. "Are we losing the battle?"

"Yes!" His father's lips twisted. "Earthmen, losing to--to _beetles_. I
told them. But they couldn't wait. My God, there's ten good years left
in this system. Why'd they have to push on? Everybody knew Orion would
be tough. The whole damn beetle fleet's strung out around there. Waiting
for us. And we have to barge right in."

"But nobody ever thought beetles would fight," Leah Rossi protested
mildly. "Everybody thought they'd just fire a few blasts and then--"

"They _have_ to fight! Orion's the last jump-off. If they don't fight
here, where the hell can they fight?" Rossi swore savagely. "Of course
they're fighting. We have all their planets except the inner Orion
string--not that they're worth much, but it's the principle of the
thing. If we'd built up strong supply bases, we could have broken up the
beetle fleet and really clobbered it."

"Don't say 'beetle,'" Tony murmured, as he finished his cereal. "They're
Pas-udeti, same as here. The word 'beetle' comes from Betelgeuse. An
Arabian word we invented ourselves."

Joe Rossi's mouth opened and closed. "What are you, a goddamn
beetle-lover?"

"Joe," Leah snapped. "For heaven's sake."

Rossi moved toward the door. "If I was ten years younger I'd be out
there. I'd really show those shiny-shelled insects what the hell they're
up against. Them and their junky beat-up old hulks. Converted
freighters!" His eyes blazed. "When I think of them shooting down Terran
cruisers with _our_ boys in them--"

"Orion's their system," Tony murmured.

"_Their_ system! When the hell did you get to be an authority on space
law? Why, I ought to--" He broke off, choked with rage. "My own kid," he
muttered. "One more crack out of you today and I'll hang one on you
you'll feel the rest of the week."

Tony pushed his chair back. "I won't be around here today. I'm going
into Karnet, with my EEP."

"Yeah, to play with beetles!"

Tony said nothing. He was already sliding his helmet in place and
snapping the clamps tight. As he pushed through the back door, into the
lock membrane, he unscrewed his oxygen tap and set the tank filter into
action. An automatic response, conditioned by a lifetime spent on a
colony planet in an alien system.

       *       *       *       *       *

A faint flux wind caught at him and swept yellow-red dust around his
boots. Sunlight glittered from the metal roof of his family's housing
unit, one of endless rows of squat boxes set in the sandy slope,
protected by the line of ore-refining installations against the horizon.
He made an impatient signal, and from the storage shed his EEP came
gliding out, catching the sunlight on its chrome trim.

"We're going down into Karnet," Tony said, unconsciously slipping into
the Pas dialect. "Hurry up!"

The EEP took up its position behind him, and he started briskly down the
slope, over the shifting sand, toward the road. There were quite a few
traders out, today. It was a good day for the market; only a fourth of
the year was fit for travel. Betelgeuse was an erratic and undependable
sun, not at all like Sol (according to the edutapes, fed to Tony four
hours a day, six days a week--he had never seen Sol himself).

He reached the noisy road. Pas-udeti were everywhere. Whole groups of
them, with their primitive combustion-driven trucks, battered and
filthy, motors grinding protestingly. He waved at the trucks as they
pushed past him. After a moment one slowed down. It was piled with
_tis_, bundled heaps of gray vegetables dried, and prepared for the
table. A staple of the Pas-udeti diet. Behind the wheel lounged a
dark-faced elderly Pas, one arm over the open window, a rolled leaf
between his lips. He was like all other Pas-udeti; lank and
hard-shelled, encased in a brittle sheath in which he lived and died.

"You want a ride?" the Pas murmured--required protocol when an Earthman
on foot was encountered.

"Is there room for my EEP?"

The Pas made a careless motion with his claw. "It can run behind."
Sardonic amusement touched his ugly old face. "If it gets to Karnet
we'll sell it for scrap. We can use a few condensers and relay tubing.
We're short on electronic maintenance stuff."

"I know," Tony said solemnly, as he climbed into the cabin of the truck.
"It's all been sent to the big repair base at Orion I. For your
warfleet."

Amusement vanished from the leathery face. "Yes, the warfleet." He
turned away and started up the truck again. In the back, Tony's EEP had
scrambled up on the load of _tis_ and was gripping precariously with its
magnetic lines.

Tony noticed the Pas-udeti's sudden change of expression, and he was
puzzled. He started to speak to him--but now he noticed unusual
quietness among the other Pas, in the other trucks, behind and in front
of his own. The war, of course. It had swept through this system a
century ago; these people had been left behind. Now all eyes were on
Orion, on the battle between the Terran warfleet and the Pas-udeti
collection of armed freighters.

"Is it true," Tony asked carefully, "that you're winning?"

The elderly Pas grunted. "We hear rumors."

Tony considered. "My father says Terra went ahead too fast. He says we
should have consolidated. We didn't assemble adequate supply bases. He
used to be an officer, when he was younger. He was with the fleet for
two years."

The Pas was silent a moment. "It's true," he said at last, "that when
you're so far from home, supply is a great problem. We, on the other
hand, don't have that. We have no distances to cover."

"Do you know anybody fighting?"

"I have distant relatives." The answer was vague; the Pas obviously
didn't want to talk about it.

"Have you ever seen your warfleet?"

"Not as it exists now. When this system was defeated most of our units
were wiped out. Remnants limped to Orion and joined the Orion fleet."

"Your relatives were with the remnants?"

"That's right."

"Then you were alive when this planet was taken?"

"Why do you ask?" The old Pas quivered violently. "What business is it
of yours?"

Tony leaned out and watched the walls and buildings of Karnet grow ahead
of them. Karnet was an old city. It had stood thousands of years. The
Pas-udeti civilization was stable; it had reached a certain point of
technocratic development and then leveled off. The Pas had inter-system
ships that had carried people and freight between planets in the days
before the Terran Confederation. They had combustion-driven cars,
audiophones, a power network of a magnetic type. Their plumbing was
satisfactory and their medicine was highly advanced. They had art forms,
emotional and exciting. They had a vague religion.

"Who do you think will win the battle?" Tony asked.

"I don't know." With a sudden jerk the old Pas brought the truck to a
crashing halt. "This is as far as I go. Please get out and take your
EEP with you."

Tony faltered in surprise. "But aren't you going--?"

"No farther!"

Tony pushed the door open. He was vaguely uneasy; there was a hard,
fixed expression on the leathery face, and the old creature's voice had
a sharp edge he had never heard before. "Thanks," he murmured. He hopped
down into the red dust and signaled his EEP. It released its magnetic
lines, and instantly the truck started up with a roar, passing on inside
the city.

Tony watched it go, still dazed. The hot dust lapped at his ankles; he
automatically moved his feet and slapped at his trousers. A truck
honked, and his EEP quickly moved him from the road, up to the level
pedestrian ramp. Pas-udeti in swarms moved by, endless lines of rural
people hurrying into Karnet on their daily business. A massive public
bus had stopped by the gate and was letting off passengers. Male and
female Pas. And children. They laughed and shouted; the sounds of their
voices blended with the low hum of the city.

"Going in?" a sharp Pas-udeti voice sounded close behind him. "Keep
moving--you're blocking the ramp."

It was a young female, with a heavy armload clutched in her claws. Tony
felt embarrassed; female Pas had a certain telepathic ability, part of
their sexual make-up. It was effective on Earthmen at close range.

"Here," she said. "Give me a hand."

Tony nodded his head, and the EEP accepted the female's heavy armload.
"I'm visiting the city," Tony said, as they moved with the crowd toward
the gates. "I got a ride most of the way, but the driver let me off out
here."

"You're from the settlement?"

"Yes."

She eyed him critically. "You've always lived here, haven't you?"

"I was born here. My family came here from Earth four years before I was
born. My father was an officer in the fleet. He earned an Emigration
Priority."

"So you've never seen your own planet. How old are you?"

"Ten years. Terran."

"You shouldn't have asked the driver so many questions."

They passed through the decontamination shield and into the city. An
information square loomed ahead; Pas men and women were packed around
it. Moving chutes and transport cars rumbled everywhere. Buildings and
ramps and open-air machinery; the city was sealed in a protective
dust-proof envelope. Tony unfastened his helmet and clipped it to his
belt. The air was stale-smelling, artificial, but usable.

"Let me tell you something," the young female said carefully, as she
strode along the foot-ramp beside Tony. "I wonder if this is a good day
for you to come into Karnet. I know you've been coming here regularly to
play with your friends. But perhaps today you ought to stay at home, in
your settlement."

"Why?"

"Because today everybody is upset."

"I know," Tony said. "My mother and father were upset. They were
listening to the news from our base in the Rigel system."

"I don't mean your family. Other people are listening, too. These people
here. My race."

"They're upset, all right," Tony admitted. "But I come here all the
time. There's nobody to play with at the settlement, and anyhow we're
working on a project."

"A model spaceport."

"That's right." Tony was envious. "I sure wish I was a telepath. It must
be fun."

The female Pas-udeti was silent. She was deep in thought. "What would
happen," she asked, "if your family left here and returned to Earth?"

"That couldn't happen. There's no room for us on Earth. C-bombs
destroyed most of Asia and North America back in the Twentieth Century."

"Suppose you _had_ to go back?"

Tony did not understand. "But we can't. Habitable portions of Earth are
overcrowded. Our main problem is finding places for Terrans to live, in
other systems." He added, "And anyhow, I don't particularly want to go
to Terra. I'm used to it here. All my friends are here."

"I'll take my packages," the female said. "I go this other way, down
this third-level ramp."

Tony nodded to his EEP and it lowered the bundles into the female's
claws. She lingered a moment, trying to find the right words.

"Good luck," she said.

"With what?"

She smiled faintly, ironically. "With your model spaceport. I hope you
and your friends get to finish it."

"Of course we'll finish it," Tony said, surprised. "It's almost done."
What did she mean?

The Pas-udeti woman hurried off before he could ask her. Tony was
troubled and uncertain; more doubts filled him. After a moment he headed
slowly into the lane that took him toward the residential section of the
city. Past the stores and factories, to the place where his friends
lived.

The group of Pas-udeti children eyed him silently as he approached. They
had been playing in the shade of an immense _hengelo_, whose ancient
branches drooped and swayed with the air currents pumped through the
city. Now they sat unmoving.

"I didn't expect you today," B'prith said, in an expressionless voice.

Tony halted awkwardly, and his EEP did the same. "How are things?" he
murmured.

"Fine."

"I got a ride part way."

"Fine."

Tony squatted down in the shade. None of the Pas children stirred. They
were small, not as large as Terran children. Their shells had not
hardened, had not turned dark and opaque, like horn. It gave them a
soft, unformed appearance, but at the same time it lightened their load.
They moved more easily than their elders; they could hop and skip
around, still. But they were not skipping right now.

"What's the matter?" Tony demanded. "What's wrong with everybody?"

No one answered.

"Where's the model?" he asked. "Have you fellows been working on it?"

After a moment Llyre nodded slightly.

Tony felt dull anger rise up inside him. "Say something! What's the
matter? What're you all mad about?"

"Mad?" B'prith echoed. "We're not mad."

Tony scratched aimlessly in the dust. He knew what it was. The war,
again. The battle going on near Orion. His anger burst up wildly.
"Forget the war. Everything was fine yesterday, before the battle."

"Sure," Llyre said. "It was fine."

Tony caught the edge to his voice. "It happened a hundred years ago.
It's not my fault."

"Sure," B'prith said.

"This is my home. Isn't it? Haven't I got as much right here as anybody
else? I was born here."

"Sure," Llyre said, tonelessly.

Tony appealed to them helplessly. "Do you have to act this way? You
didn't act this way yesterday. I was here yesterday--all of us were here
yesterday. What's happened since yesterday?"

"The battle," B'prith said.

"What difference does _that_ make? Why does that change everything?
There's always war. There've been battles all the time, as long as I can
remember. What's different about this?"

B'prith broke apart a clump of dirt with his strong claws. After a
moment he tossed it away and got slowly to his feet. "Well," he said
thoughtfully, "according to our audio relay, it looks as if our fleet is
going to win, this time."

"Yes," Tony agreed, not understanding. "My father says we didn't build
up adequate supply bases. We'll probably have to fall back to...." And
then the impact hit him. "You mean, for the first time in a hundred
years--"

"Yes," Llyre said, also getting up. The others got up, too. They moved
away from Tony, toward the near-by house. "We're winning. The Terran
flank was turned, half an hour ago. Your right wing has folded
completely."

Tony was stunned. "And it matters. It matters to all of you."

"Matters!" B'prith halted, suddenly blazing out in fury. "Sure it
matters! For the first time--in a century. The first time in our lives
we're beating you. We have you on the run, you--" He choked out the
word, almost spat it out. "You white-grubs!"

They disappeared into the house. Tony sat gazing stupidly down at the
ground, his hands still moving aimlessly. He had heard the word before,
seen it scrawled on walls and in the dust near the settlement.
_White-grubs._ The Pas term of derision for Terrans. Because of their
softness, their whiteness. Lack of hard shells. Pulpy, doughy skin. But
they had never dared say it out loud, before. To an Earthman's face.

Beside him, his EEP stirred restlessly. Its intricate radio mechanism
sensed the hostile atmosphere. Automatic relays were sliding into place;
circuits were opening and closing.

"It's all right," Tony murmured, getting slowly up. "Maybe we'd better
go back."

He moved unsteadily toward the ramp, completely shaken. The EEP walked
calmly ahead, its metal face blank and confident, feeling nothing,
saying nothing. Tony's thoughts were a wild turmoil; he shook his head,
but the crazy spinning kept up. He couldn't make his mind slow down,
lock in place.

"Wait a minute," a voice said. B'prith's voice, from the open doorway.
Cold and withdrawn, almost unfamiliar.

"What do you want?"

B'prith came toward him, claws behind his back in the formal Pas-udeti
posture, used between total strangers. "You shouldn't have come here,
today."

"I know," Tony said.

B'prith got out a bit of _tis_ stalk and began to roll it into a tube.
He pretended to concentrate on it. "Look," he said. "You said you have a
right here. But you don't."

"I--" Tony murmured.

"Do you understand why not? You said it isn't your fault. I guess not.
But it's not my fault, either. Maybe it's nobody's fault. I've known you
a long time."

"Five years. Terran."

B'prith twisted the stalk up and tossed it away. "Yesterday we played
together. We worked on the spaceport. But we can't play today. My family
said to tell you not to come here any more." He hesitated, and did not
look Tony in the face. "I was going to tell you, anyhow. Before they
said anything."

"Oh," Tony said.

"Everything that's happened today--the battle, our fleet's stand. We
didn't know. We didn't dare hope. You see? A century of running. First
this system. Then the Rigel system, all the planets. Then the other
Orion stars. We fought here and there--scattered fights. Those that got
away joined up. We supplied the base at Orion--you people didn't know.
But there was no hope; at least, nobody thought there was." He was
silent a moment. "Funny," he said, "what happens when your back's to the
wall, and there isn't any further place to go. Then you have to fight."

"If our supply bases--" Tony began thickly, but B'prith cut him off
savagely.

"Your supply bases! Don't you understand? We're beating you! Now you'll
have to get out! All you white-grubs. Out of our system!"

Tony's EEP moved forward ominously. B'prith saw it. He bent down,
snatched up a rock, and hurled it straight at the EEP. The rock clanged
off the metal hull and bounced harmlessly away. B'prith snatched up
another rock. Llyre and the others came quickly out of the house. An
adult Pas loomed up behind them. Everything was happening too fast. More
rocks crashed against the EEP. One struck Tony on the arm.

"Get out!" B'prith screamed. "Don't come back! This is our planet!" His
claws snatched at Tony. "We'll tear you to pieces if you--"

Tony smashed him in the chest. The soft shell gave like rubber, and the
Pas stumbled back. He wobbled and fell over, gasping and screeching.

"_Beetle_," Tony breathed hoarsely. Suddenly he was terrified. A crowd
of Pas-udeti was forming rapidly. They surged on all sides, hostile
faces, dark and angry, a rising thunder of rage.

More stones showered. Some struck the EEP, others fell around Tony, near
his boots. One whizzed past his face. Quickly he slid his helmet in
place. He was scared. He knew his EEP's E-signal had already gone out,
but it would be minutes before a ship could come. Besides, there were
other Earthmen in the city to be taken care of; there were Earthmen all
over the planet. In all the cities. On all the twenty-three Betelgeuse
planets. On the fourteen Rigel planets. On the other Orion planets.

"We have to get out of here," he muttered to the EEP. "Do something!"

A stone hit him on the helmet. The plastic cracked; air leaked out, and
then the autoseal filmed over. More stones were falling. The Pas swarmed
close, a yelling, seething mass of black-sheathed creatures. He could
smell them, the acrid body-odor of insects, hear their claws snap, feel
their weight.

The EEP threw its heat beam on. The beam shifted in a wide band toward
the crowd of Pas-udeti. Crude hand weapons appeared. A clatter of
bullets burst around Tony; they were firing at the EEP. He was dimly
aware of the metal body beside him. A shuddering crash--the EEP was
toppled over. The crowd poured over it; the metal hull was lost from
sight.

Like a demented animal, the crowd tore at the struggling EEP. A few of
them smashed in its head; others tore off struts and shiny arm-sections.
The EEP ceased struggling. The crowd moved away, panting and clutching
jagged remains. They saw Tony.

As the first line of them reached for him, the protective envelope high
above them shattered. A Terran scout ship thundered down, heat beam
screaming. The crowd scattered in confusion, some firing, some throwing
stones, others leaping for safety.

Tony picked himself up and made his way unsteadily toward the spot where
the scout was landing.

       *       *       *       *       *

"I'm sorry," Joe Rossi said gently. He touched his son on the shoulder.
"I shouldn't have let you go down there today. I should have known."

Tony sat hunched over in the big plastic easychair. He rocked back and
forth, face pale with shock. The scout ship which had rescued him had
immediately headed back toward Karnet; there were other Earthmen to
bring out, besides this first load. The boy said nothing. His mind was
blank. He still heard the roar of the crowd, felt its hate--a century of
pent-up fury and resentment. The memory drove out everything else; it
was all around him, even now. And the sight of the floundering EEP, the
metallic ripping sound, as its arms and legs were torn off and carried
away.

His mother dabbed at his cuts and scratches with antiseptic. Joe Rossi
shakily lit a cigarette and said, "If your EEP hadn't been along they'd
have killed you. Beetles." He shuddered. "I never should have let you go
down there. All this time.... They might have done it any time, any day.
Knifed you. Cut you open with their filthy goddamn claws."

Below the settlement the reddish-yellow sunlight glinted on gunbarrels.
Already, dull booms echoed against the crumbling hills. The defense ring
was going into action. Black shapes darted and scurried up the side of
the slope. Black patches moved out from Karnet, toward the Terran
settlement, across the dividing line the Confederation surveyors had set
up a century ago. Karnet was a bubbling pot of activity. The whole city
rumbled with feverish excitement.

Tony raised his head. "They--they turned our flank."

"Yeah." Joe Rossi stubbed out his cigarette. "They sure did. That was at
one o'clock. At two they drove a wedge right through the center of our
line. Split the fleet in half. Broke it up--sent it running. Picked us
off one by one as we fell back. Christ, they're like maniacs. Now that
they've got the scent, the taste of our blood."

"But it's getting better," Leah fluttered. "Our main fleet units are
beginning to appear."

"We'll get them," Joe muttered. "It'll take a while. But by God we'll
wipe them out. Every last one of them. If it takes a thousand years.
We'll follow every last ship down--we'll get them all." His voice rose
in frenzy. "Beetles! Goddamn insects! When I think of them, trying to
hurt my kid, with their filthy black claws--"

"If you were younger, you'd be in the line," Leah said. "It's not your
fault you're too old. The heart strain's too great. You did your job.
They can't let an older person take chances. It's not your fault."

Joe clenched his fists. "I feel so--futile. If there was only something
I could do."

"The fleet will take care of them," Leah said soothingly. "You said so
yourself. They'll hunt every one of them down. Destroy them all. There's
nothing to worry about."

Joe sagged miserably. "It's no use. Let's cut it out. Let's stop kidding
ourselves."

"What do you mean?"

"Face it! We're not going to win, not this time. We went too far. Our
time's come."

There was silence.

Tony sat up a little. "When did you know?"

"I've known a long time."

"I found out today. I didn't understand, at first. This is--stolen
ground. I was born here, but it's stolen ground."

"Yes. It's stolen. It doesn't belong to us."

"We're here because we're stronger. But now we're not stronger. We're
being beaten."

"They know Terrans can be licked. Like anybody else." Joe Rossi's face
was gray and flabby. "We took their planets away from them. Now they're
taking them back. It'll be a while, of course. We'll retreat slowly.
It'll be another five centuries going back. There're a lot of systems
between here and Sol."

Tony shook his head, still uncomprehending. "Even Llyre and B'prith. All
of them. Waiting for their time to come. For us to lose and go away
again. Where we came from."

Joe Rossi paced back and forth. "Yeah, we'll be retreating from now on.
Giving ground, instead of taking it. It'll be like this today--losing
fights, draws. Stalemates and worse."

He raised his feverish eyes toward the ceiling of the little metal
housing unit, face wild with passion and misery.

"But, by God, we'll give them a run for their money. All the way back!
Every inch!"







*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TONY AND THE BEETLES ***


    

Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will
be renamed.

Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright
law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works,
so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United
States without permission and without paying copyright
royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part
of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project
Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™
concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark,
and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following
the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use
of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for
copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very
easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation
of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project
Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away—you may
do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected
by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark
license, especially commercial redistribution.


START: FULL LICENSE

THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK

To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free
distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project
Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full
Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at
www.gutenberg.org/license.

Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg™
electronic works

1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™
electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or
destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your
possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a
Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound
by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person
or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.

1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be
used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works
even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this
agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™
electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.

1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the
Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection
of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual
works in the collection are in the public domain in the United
States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the
United States and you are located in the United States, we do not
claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing,
displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as
all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope
that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting
free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™
works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the
Project Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily
comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the
same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when
you share it without charge with others.

1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are
in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States,
check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this
agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing,
distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any
other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no
representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any
country other than the United States.

1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:

1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other
immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear
prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work
on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the
phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed,
performed, viewed, copied or distributed:

    This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
    other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
    whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
    of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online
    at www.gutenberg.org. If you
    are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws
    of the country where you are located before using this eBook.
  
1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is
derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not
contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the
copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in
the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are
redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project
Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply
either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or
obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg™
trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is posted
with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any
additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms
will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works
posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the
beginning of this work.

1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg™
License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg™.

1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
Gutenberg™ License.

1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including
any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access
to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format
other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official
version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ website
(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense
to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means
of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain
Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the
full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.

1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works
unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works
provided that:

    • You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
        the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method
        you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed
        to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has
        agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project
        Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid
        within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are
        legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty
        payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project
        Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in
        Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg
        Literary Archive Foundation.”
    
    • You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
        you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
        does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™
        License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all
        copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue
        all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™
        works.
    
    • You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of
        any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
        electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of
        receipt of the work.
    
    • You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
        distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works.
    

1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project
Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than
are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing
from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of
the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set
forth in Section 3 below.

1.F.

1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project
Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™
electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may
contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate
or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other
intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or
other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or
cannot be read by your equipment.

1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right
of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGE.

1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium
with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you
with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in
lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person
or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second
opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If
the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing
without further opportunities to fix the problem.

1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO
OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT
LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.

1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of
damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement
violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the
agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or
limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or
unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the
remaining provisions.

1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in
accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the
production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™
electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses,
including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of
the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this
or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or
additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any
Defect you cause.

Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™

Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of
electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of
computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It
exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations
from people in all walks of life.

Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™’s
goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will
remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future
generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see
Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org.

Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit
501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification
number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by
U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws.

The Foundation’s business office is located at 809 North 1500 West,
Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up
to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website
and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact

Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation

Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread
public support and donations to carry out its mission of
increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest
array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
status with the IRS.

The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND
DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state
visit www.gutenberg.org/donate.

While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
approach us with offers to donate.

International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.

Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation
methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To
donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate.

Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works

Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project
Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could be
freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and
distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of
volunteer support.

Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed
editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in
the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not
necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper
edition.

Most people start at our website which has the main PG search
facility: www.gutenberg.org.

This website includes information about Project Gutenberg™,
including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.