Chapter 9. _The Ocean Primeval_

The _Magellan_ hung in the air while the men studied the surface of this world that had so long been a mystery. The air was not the clear air of Earth; rather, it was the kind that precedes the coming of a fog, thick, heavy with moisture, the horizons fading into gray. Below them lay a mottled expanse of water, reflecting the gray sky, and verging almost to a deep brown. The water was still, occasionally stirred by a slight wave. "No tides have ever moved these waters," commented Russ quietly to Burl. "There is no …