Guide to Computer Forensics and Investigations 5th edition Bill Test Bank
Guide to Computer Forensics and Investigations 5th edition Bill Test Bank
Guide to Computer Forensics and Investigations 5th edition Bill Test Bank
Guide to Computer Forensics and Investigations 5th edition Bill Test Bank
1. Guide to Computer Forensics and Investigations
5th edition Bill Test Bank pdf download
https://testbankdeal.com/product/guide-to-computer-forensics-and-
investigations-5th-edition-bill-test-bank/
Download more testbank from https://testbankdeal.com
2. Instant digital products (PDF, ePub, MOBI) available
Download now and explore formats that suit you...
Guide to Computer Forensics and Investigations 5th Edition
Nelson Solutions Manual
https://testbankdeal.com/product/guide-to-computer-forensics-and-
investigations-5th-edition-nelson-solutions-manual/
testbankdeal.com
Guide to Computer Forensics and Investigations 4th Edition
Nelson Solutions Manual
https://testbankdeal.com/product/guide-to-computer-forensics-and-
investigations-4th-edition-nelson-solutions-manual/
testbankdeal.com
Computer Forensics Principles and Practices 1st Edition
Volonino Test Bank
https://testbankdeal.com/product/computer-forensics-principles-and-
practices-1st-edition-volonino-test-bank/
testbankdeal.com
Organizational Behavior 1st Edition Neubert Solutions
Manual
https://testbankdeal.com/product/organizational-behavior-1st-edition-
neubert-solutions-manual/
testbankdeal.com
3. Accounting Information Systems The Processes and Controls
2nd Edition Turner Test Bank
https://testbankdeal.com/product/accounting-information-systems-the-
processes-and-controls-2nd-edition-turner-test-bank/
testbankdeal.com
Juvenile Delinquency 9th Edition Thompson Test Bank
https://testbankdeal.com/product/juvenile-delinquency-9th-edition-
thompson-test-bank/
testbankdeal.com
Auditing And Assurance Services In Australia 6th Edition
Gay Test Bank
https://testbankdeal.com/product/auditing-and-assurance-services-in-
australia-6th-edition-louwers-test-bank/
testbankdeal.com
A+ Guide to IT Technical Support Hardware and Software 9th
Edition Andrews Solutions Manual
https://testbankdeal.com/product/a-guide-to-it-technical-support-
hardware-and-software-9th-edition-andrews-solutions-manual/
testbankdeal.com
Health Psychology An Introduction to Behavior and Health
9th Edition Brannon Test Bank
https://testbankdeal.com/product/health-psychology-an-introduction-to-
behavior-and-health-9th-edition-brannon-test-bank/
testbankdeal.com
4. Cornerstones of Managerial Accounting 5th Edition Mowen
Test Bank
https://testbankdeal.com/product/cornerstones-of-managerial-
accounting-5th-edition-mowen-test-bank/
testbankdeal.com
5. Name: Class: Date:
chapter 7
Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 1
Indicate whether the statement is true or false.
1. Capitalization, or lack thereof, makes no difference with UNIX and Linux commands.
a. True
b. False
2. In UNIX and Linux, everything except monitors are considered files.
a. True
b. False
3. The term "kernel" is often used when discussing Linux because technically, Linus is only the core of the OS.
a. True
b. False
4. Linux is a certified UNIX operating system.
a. True
b. False
5. The only pieces of metadata not in an inode are the filename and path.
a. True
b. False
Indicate the answer choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
6. What is the minimum size of a block in UNIX/Linux filesystems?
a. 128 bytes
b. 512 bytes
c. 1024 bits
d. 2048 bits
7. What file under the /etc folder contains the hashed passwords for a local system?
a. passwd
b. hashes
c. shadow
d. users
8. What type of block does a UNIX/Linux computer only have one of?
a. boot block
b. data block
c. inode block
d. superblock
9. What file is used to store any file information that is not in the MDB or a VCB?
a. page file
b. metadata database file
6. Name: Class: Date:
chapter 7
Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 2
c. slack file
d. extents overflow file
10. Adding the _____________ flag to the ls -l command has the effect of of showing all files beginning with the "."
character in addition to other files.
a. -s
b. -d
c. -l
d. -a
11. The ______________ command can be used to see network interfaces.
a. ifconfig
b. ipconfig
c. show interfaces
d. show ip brief
12. Select below the command that can be used to display bad block information on a Linux file system, but also has the
capability to destroy valuable information.
a. dd
b. fdisk
c. badblocks
d. mke2fs
13. Who is the current maintainer of the Linux kernel?
a. Tim Cook
b. Eric Shmidt
c. Linus Torvalds
d. Lennart Poettering
14. As part of a forensics investigation, you need to recover the logon and logoff history information on a Linux based
OS. Where can this information be found?
a. /var/log/utmp
b. /var/log/wtmp
c. /var/log/userlog
d. /var/log/system.log
15. In a B*-tree file system, what node stores link information to previous and next nodes?
a. inode
b. header node
c. index node
d. map node
16. What command below will create a symbolic link to a file?
a. ln -s
b. ls -ia
7. Name: Class: Date:
chapter 7
Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 3
c. ln -l
d. ls -h
17. The Mac OS reduces file fragmentation by using _______________.
a. inodes
b. superblocks
c. clumps
d. chunks
18. If a file has 510 bytes of data, what is byte 510?
a. The physical EOF.
b. The logical EOF.
c. The terminating EOF.
d. The end of the sector.
19. On Mac OS X systems, what utility can be used to encrypt / decrypt a user's home directory?
a. Disk Utility
b. BitLocker
c. FileVault
d. iCrypt
20. ________________ is a specialized carving tool that can read many image file formats, such as RAW and Expert
Witness.
a. AccessData FTK
b. X-Ways Forensics
c. Guidance Software EnCase
d. Foremost
21. ________________ contain file and directory metadata and provide a mechanism for linking data stored in data
blocks.
a. Blocks
b. Clusters
c. Inodes
d. Plist files
22. A hash that begins with "$6" in the shadow file indicates that it is a hash from what hashing algorithm?
a. MD5
b. Blowfish
c. SHA-1
d. SHA-512
23. Where is the root user's home directory located on a Mac OS X file system?
a. /root
b. /private/var/root
c. /private/spool/root
8. Name: Class: Date:
chapter 7
Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 4
d. /home/root
24. Within the /etc/shadow file, what field contains the password hash for a user account if one exists?
a. 1st field
b. 2nd field
c. 3rd field
d. 4th field
25. What information below is not included within an inode?
a. The mode and type of the file or directory
b. The number of links to a file or directory
c. The file's or directory's last access time and last modified time
d. The file's or directory's path
Enter the appropriate word(s) to complete the statement.
26. An assigned inode has _____ pointers that link to data blocks and other pointers where files are stored.
27. Since Mac OS 8.6, _______________ have been available for use in managing passwords for applications, web sites,
and other system files.
28. ________ links are simply pointers to other files and aren't included in the link count.
29. With Linux commands, arguments consisting of multiple letters must be preceded by two ___________ characters
instead of one and can't be grouped together.
30. The _____________ is the listing of all files and directories on a volume and is used to maintain relationships between
files and directories on a volume.
Match each term with its definition:
a. B*-tree b. data block
c. logical block d. inodes
e. Volume Control Block f. Allocation Block
g. header node h. data fork
i. superblock j. resource fork
31. In the Mac file system, a group of consecutive logical blocks assembled in a volume when a file is saved.
32. A node that stores information about B*-tree file.
33. A Mac file that organizes the directory hierarchy and file block mapping for File Manager.
34. The part of a Mac file containing file metadata and application information, such as menus, dialog boxes, icons,
executable code, and controls. Also contains resource map and header information, window locations, and icons.
35. The part of a Mac file containing the file's actual data, both user-created data and data written by applications, as well
9. Name: Class: Date:
chapter 7
Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 5
as a resouce map and header information, window locations, and icons.
36. In the Mac file system, a collection of data that can't exceed 512 bytes. Assembled in allocation blocks to store files in
a volume.
37. A key part of the Linux file system, these informatuin nodes contain descriptive file or directory data, such as UIDS,
GIDs, modification times, access times, creation times, and file locations.
38. A block in the Linux file system that specifies and keep tracks of the disk geometry and available space and manages
the file system.
39. A block in the Linux file system where directories and files are stored on a drive.
40. An area of the Mac file system containing information from the Master Directory Block.
41. Linux supports a wide range of file systems. Distinguish the three Extended File Systems of Linux.
42. What are bad blocks, and how do you find them?
43. UNIX and Linux have four components defining the file system. Identify and give a brief description of each.
44. As you’ve learned, Linux commands use options to create variations of a command. Describe the rules for grouping
letter arguments.
45. Describe a tarball.
46. Compare and contrast the data fork and resource fork of a Mac file.
47. After making an acquisition on a Mac computer, the next step is examining the image of the file system with a
forensics tool. Explain how to select the proper forensics tool for the task.
48. Explain why one should have Apple factory training before attempting an acquisition on a Mac computer.
49. Explain the differences between a hard link and a symbolic link.
50. What is a plist file?
10. Name: Class: Date:
chapter 7
Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 6
Answer Key
1. False
2. False
3. True
4. False
5. True
6. b
7. c
8. a
9. d
10. d
11. a
12. c
13. c
14. b
15. c
16. a
17. c
18. b
19. c
20. d
21. c
22. a
23. b
24. b
25. d
11. Name: Class: Date:
chapter 7
Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 7
26. 13
27. keychains
28. Symbolic
29. -
30. catalog
31. f
32. g
33. a
34. j
35. h
36. c
37. d
38. i
39. b
40. e
41. Linux supports a wide range of file systems. The early standard was Second Extended File System (Ext2), and then
Third Extended File System (Ext3) replaced Ext2 in most Linux dis- tributions. Its major difference from Ext2 was being
a journaling file system, which has a built-in file recovery mechanism used after a crash.
A few years later, Fourth Extended File System (Ext4) was introduced. Among other features, it added support for
partitions larger than 16 TB, improved management of large files, and offered a more flexible approach to adding file
system features. Because these changes affected the way the Linux kernel interacts with the file system, adoption of Ext4
was slower in some Linux distributions, but it’s now considered the standard file system for most distri- butions. The
Ubuntu version you used previously, for example, has an Ext4 partition at its core, unless you select another file system
during installation.
42. All disks have more storage capacity than the manufacturer states. For example, a 240 GB disk might actually have
240.5 GB free space because disks always have bad sectors. Windows doesn’t keep track of bad sectors, but Linux does in
an inode called the bad block inode. The root inode is inode 2, and the bad block inode is inode 1. Some forensics tools
ignore inode 1 and fail to recover valuable data for cases. Someone trying to mislead an investigator can access the bad
block inode, list good sectors in it, and then hide information in these supposedly “bad” sectors.
To find bad blocks on your Linux computer, you can use the badblocks command, although you must log in as root to
do so. Linux includes two other commands that supply bad block information: mke2fs and e2fsck. The badblocks
command can destroy valuable data, but the mke2fs and e2fsck commands include safeguards that prevent them from
12. Name: Class: Date:
chapter 7
Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 8
overwriting important information.
43. UNIX/Linux has four components defining the file system: boot block, superblock, inode block, and data block.
The boot block contains the bootstrap code--instructions for startup.
The superblock contains vital information about the system and is considered part of the metadata.It specifies the disk
geometry and available space and keeps track of all inodes. It also manages the file system, including configuration
information, such as block size for the drive, file system names, blocks reserved for inodesm and volume name.
Inode blocks contain the first data after the superblock. An inode is assigned to every file allocation unit. As files or
directories are created or deleted, inodes are also created or deleted.
The data block is where directories and files are stored on a disk drive. This location is linked directly to inodes. A data
block is equivalent to a cluster of disk sectors on a FAT or NTFS volume.
44. Linux commands use options to create variations of a command. There’s no difference between grouping letter
arguments (such as l and a) after a single - or entering them separately. Therefore, ls -la functions the same as ls -
l -a. Arguments consisting of multiple letters must be preceded by two -- characters instead of one and can’t be
grouped together, as in ls --all.
45. A tarball is a highly compressed data file containing one or more files or directories and their contents. It's similar to
Windows zip utilitied and typically has a .tar or .gz extension.
46. In Mac, a file consists of two parts: a data fork, where data is stored, and a resource fork, where file metadata and
application information are stored. Both forks contain the following essential information for each file:
-Resource Map
-Resource header information for each file
-Windows location
-Icons
The data fork typically contains data the user creates, such as text or sprreadsheets. Applications, such as Microsoft Word
or Excel, also read and write to the data fork.
When you're working with an application file, the resource fork contains additional information, such as menus, dialog
boxes, icons, executable code, and controls.
47. After making an acquisition, the next step is examining the image of the file system with a forensics tool. The tool you
use depends on the image file’s format. For example, if you used EnCase, FTK, or X-Ways Forensics to create an Expert
Witness (.e0l) image, you must use one of these tools to analyze the image. If you made a raw format image, you can use
any of the following tools:
• BlackBag Technologies Macintosh Forensic Software (OS X only)
• SubRosaSoft MacForensicsLab (OS X only)
• Guidance Software EnCase
• X-Ways Forensics
• AccessData FTK
48. To examine a Mac computer, you need to make an image of the drive, using the same techniques described in Chapter
5. You should be aware of some exceptions, however, caused by Mac design and engineering. (In addition, removing the
drive from a Mac Mini case is difficult, and attempting to do so without Apple factory training could damage the
computer. A MacBook Air poses similar problems, as you need special Apple screwdrivers to open the case.) You need a
Mac-compatible forensic boot CD/DVD to make an image, which then must be written to an external drive, such as a
FireWire or USB drive. Larger Macs are constructed much like desktop PCs, making removal of the hard drive easier.
13. Name: Class: Date:
chapter 7
Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 9
49. A hard link is a pointer that allows accessing the same file by different filenames. The filenames refer to the same
inode and physical location on a drive, and increases the link count within the file's inode. A symbolic link is simply a
pointer to other files, and does not increase the link count. Symbolic links have their own inodes, and can be used to point
to files on other drives or on remote network locations.
50. Plist files are preference files for installed applications on a system, usually stored in /Library/Preferences.
These files can exist in plain XML form, or binary form, which consists of condensed XML.
18. The Project Gutenberg eBook of
An Earthman on Venus
(Originally titled "The Radio
Man")
19. 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: An Earthman on Venus (Originally titled "The Radio Man")
Author: Ralph Milne Farley
Release date: May 27, 2016 [eBook #52167]
Most recently updated: October 23, 2024
Language: English
Credits: Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Dave Morgan and the
Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AN EARTHMAN
ON VENUS (ORIGINALLY TITLED "THE RADIO MAN") ***
20. High Adventure and Strange
Romance on a World of Mystery
When Myles Cabot accidentally transmitted himself
to the planet Venus, he found himself naked and
bewildered on a mystery world where every
unguarded minute might mean a horrible death.
Man-eating plants, tiger-sized spiders, and
dictatorial ant-men kept Myles on the run until he
discovered the secret of the land—that humanity
was a slave-race and that the monster ants were
the real rulers of the world!
But Cabot was resourceful, and when his new
found love, the Kewpie-doll princess Lilla, called for
help, the ant-men learned what an angry Earthman
can do.
AN EARTHMAN ON VENUS is a science-fiction
adventure packed with the excitement of an Edgar
Rice Burroughs, and the science-vision of an H. G.
Wells. You won’t be able to put it down once you
start it.
AN
EARTHMAN
21. ON VENUS
{Originally titled “THE RADIO MAN”}
by
RALPH MILNE FARLEY
AVON PUBLISHING CO., INC.
119 West 57th Street, New York 19, N. Y.
Published by Arrangement with the Author
On the planet VENUS you will meet—
THIS EARTHMAN
MYLES CABOT, a good-looking young Boston radio
experimenter, who accidentally broadcast himself
bodily to another world.
THESE GIANT ANTS
QUEEN FORMIS, a twelve-foot-high monster, who ruled
a world from an egg-laying couch, and could
conceive of no mercy for her human slaves.
DOGGO, who became Myles Cabot’s friend through a
curious accident and who first showed Myles the
ropes on that queer planet.
SATAN, who was given that name by Myles for the
unpleasant reason that he deserved it—and who
lived up to it.
THESE VENUSIAN PEOPLE
22. PRINCESS LILLA, the lovely girl with the Kewpie wings,
who held the key to the throne of Venus and the
key to Myles’ heart simultaneously.
YURI, the suave scoundrel who wouldn’t hesitate to sell
out his whole race to get Lilla’s hand by force.
TORON, who tipped Myles off to Lilla’s private intentions
in order to save himself from slavery.
BTHUH, the beautiful lady who conspired to win Myles
for herself, though she had to help his deadliest
enemies to do it.
The Radio Man. Copyright, 1924 and 1939, by Frank A.
Munsey Company. Copyright, 1948, by Ralph Milne
Farley.
Avon Reprint Edition
An Earthman on Venus. Copyright, 1950, by Avon
Publishing Co., Inc.
PRINTED IN U.S.A.
23. 1 The Message in the Meteor
2 Stranded in Space
3 Out of the Frying Pan
4 Go to the Ant, Thou Sluggard
5 A Vision
6 Radio Plays its Part
7 A Hunting Trip
8 The Conspiracy
9 The Rescue
10 Before Queen Formis
11 The Valley of the Shadow of Death
12 A Victim of Yuri
13 Kidnaped
14 In Disgrace
15 A New Game
16 Cabot Tells the World
3
contents
3
8
16
22
30
37
48
56
63
73
81
89
96
104
110
119
24. 1
the message in the meteor
Never had I been so frightened in all my life! It was a
warm evening late in August, and I was sitting on the
kitchen steps of my Chappaquiddick Island farmhouse,
discussing the drought with one of the farm hands.
Suddenly there appeared in the sky over our heads a
flaming fiery mass, rushing straight downward toward
us.
“Here’s where a shooting star gets me,” I thought, as I
instinctively ducked my head, just as though such a
feeble move as ducking one’s head could afford any
possible protection from the flaming terror. The next
instant there came a dull crash, followed by silence,
which in turn was broken by the hired man dryly
remarking: “I reckon she struck over to Cow Hill.” Cow
Hill was the slight elevation just back of our farmhouse.
So the meteor hadn’t been aimed exactly at me, after
all.
If that thing had hit me, some one else would be giving
to the world this story.
25. 4
We did nothing further about the meteor that night,
being pretty well shaken up by the occurrence. But next
morning, as soon as the chores were done, the hired
man and I hastened to the top of Cow Hill to look for
signs of last night’s fiery visitor.
And, sure enough, there were plenty of signs. Every
spear of grass was singed from the top of the hill; the
big rock on the summit showed marks of a collision; and
several splinters of some black igneous material were
lying strewed around. Leading from the big rock there
ran down the steep side of the hill a gradually
deepening furrow, ending in a sort of caved-in hole.
We could not let slip such a good opportunity to get
some newspaper publicity for our farm. And so on the
following Friday a full account of the meteoric visitation
appeared in the Vineyard Gazette, with the result that
quite a number of summer folks walked across the
island from the bathing beach to look at the hole.
And there was another result, for early the following
week I received a letter from Professor Gerrish, of the
Harvard Observatory, stating that he had read about the
meteor in the paper, and requesting that I send him a
small piece—or, if possible, the whole meteor—by
express, collect, for purposes of analysis.
Anything for dear old Harvard! Unfortunately all the
black splinters had been carried away by tourists. So I
set the men to work digging out the main body. Quite a
hole was dug before we came to the meteor, a black
pear-shaped object about the size of a barrel. With rock
tongs, chains and my pair of Percherons, we dragged
this out onto the level. I had hoped that it would be
small enough so that I could send the whole thing up to
26. 5
Harvard and perhaps have it set up in front of the
Agassiz Museum, marked with a bronze plate bearing
my name; but its size precluded this.
My wife, who was present when we hauled it out,
remarked: “It looks just like a huge black teardrop or
raindrop.”
And sure enough it did. But why not? If raindrops take
on a streamline form in falling, why might not a more
solid meteor do so as well? But I had never heard of
one doing so before. This new idea prompted me to
take careful measurements and to submit them to
Professor O. D. Kellogg, of the Harvard mathematics
department, who was summering at West Chop near by.
He reported to me that the form was as perfectly
streamlined as it was possible to conceive, but that my
surmise as to how it had become so was absurd.
While making these measurements I was attracted by
another feature of the meteor. At one place on the side,
doubtless where it had struck the big rock, the black
coating had been chipped away, disclosing a surface of
yellow metal underneath. Also there was to be seen in
this metal an absolutely straight crack, extending as far
as the metal was exposed, in a sidewise direction.
At the time the crack did not attract me so much as the
metal. I vaguely wondered if it might not be gold. But,
being reminded of Professor Gerrish’s request for a
sample of the meteor, I had one of the men start
chiseling off some pieces.
The natural spot to begin was alongside of the place
where the covering was already chipped. It was hard
work, but finally he removed several pieces, and then
27. we noticed that the crack continued around the waist of
the meteor as far as had been chipped. This crack, from
its absolute regularity, gave every indication of being
man-made.
Our curiosity was aroused. Why the regularity of this
crack? How far did it go? Could it possibly extend clear
way around? Was it really a threaded joint? And if so,
how could such a phenomenon occur on a meteorite
dropped from the sky?
Forgotten was the second crop mowing we had planned
to do that day. Hastily summoning the rest of the help,
we set to work with cold chisels and sledges, to remove
the black coating in a circle around the middle of the
huge teardrop. It was a long and tedious task, for the
black substance was harder than anything I had ever
chipped before. We broke several drills and dented the
yellow metal unmercifully, but not so much but what we
could see that the threaded crack did actually persist.
The dinner hour passed, and still we worked, unmindful
of the appeals of our womenfolk, who finally abandoned
us with much shrugging of shoulders.
It was nearly night when we completed the chipping
and applied two chain wrenches to try and screw the
thing apart. But, after all our efforts, it would not
budge. Just as we were about to drop the wrenches and
start to chisel through the metal some one suggested
that we try to unscrew it as a left-handed screw. Happy
thought! For, in spite of all the dents which we had
made, the two ends at last gradually untwisted.
What warrant did we have to suppose that there was
anything inside it? I must confess, now it is all over, that
28. 6
we went through this whole day’s performance in a sort
of feverish trance, with no definite notion of what we
were doing, or why; and yet impelled by a crazy fixed
idea that we were on the verge of a great discovery.
And at last our efforts had met with success, and the
huge teardrop lay before us in two neatly threaded
parts. The inside was hollow and was entirely filled with
something tightly swathed in silver colored felt tape.
Breathless, we unwound over three hundred feet of this
silver tape, and finally came to a gold cylinder about the
size and shape of a gingersnap tin—that is to say, a foot
long and three inches in diameter—chased all around
with peculiar arabesque characters. By this time Mrs.
Farley and my mother-in-law and the hired girl had
joined us, attracted by the shouts which we gave when
the teardrop had come apart.
One end of the cylinder easily unscrewed—also with a
left-handed thread—and I drew forth a manuscript,
plainly written in the English language, on some tissue-
thin substance like parchment.
Everyone clustered around me, as I turned to the end to
see who it was from, and read with astonishment the
following signature: “Myles S. Cabot.”
But this name meant nothing to anyone present except
myself.
I heard one of the hands remark to another:
“’Twarn’t no shootin’ star at all. Nothin’ but some friend
of the boss shootin’ a letter to him out of one of these
here long-range guns.”
29. 7
“Maybe so,” said I to myself.
But Mrs. Farley was quivering with excitement.
“You must tell me all about it, Ralph,” said she. “Who
can be sending you a message inside a meteor, I
wonder?”
My reply was merely: “I think that there is a clipping in
one of my scrapbooks up in the attic which will answer
that question.”
There was! I found the scrapbook in a chest under the
eaves, but did not open it until after chores and supper,
during which meal I kept a provoking silence on the
subject of our discovery.
When the dishes were finally all cleared away, I opened
the book on the table and read to the assembled
household the following four-year-old clipping from the
Boston Post.
CITIZEN DISAPPEARS
Prominent Clubman Vanishes from Beacon Street
Home
Myles S. Cabot of 162 Beacon Street, disappeared
from his bachelor quarters late yesterday
afternoon, under very mysterious circumstances.
He had been working all day in his radio laboratory
on the top floor of his house, and had refused to
come down for lunch. When called to dinner, he
made no reply: so his butler finally decided to break
down the door, which was locked.
30. The laboratory was found to be empty. All the
windows were closed and locked, and the key was
on the inside of the door. In a heap on the floor lay
a peculiar collection of objects, consisting of Mr.
Cabot’s watch and chain, pocket knife, signet ring,
cuff links and tie pin, some coins, a metal belt
buckle, two sets of garter snaps, some safety pins,
a gold pen point, a pen clip, a silver pencil, some
steel buttons, and several miscellaneous bits of
metal. There was a smell in the air like one notices
in electric power houses. The fuses on the
laboratory power line were all blown out.
The butler immediately phoned to police
headquarters, and Detective Flynn was dispatched
to the scene. He questioned all the servants
thoroughly, and confirmed the foregoing facts.
The police are working on the case.
WAS PROMINENT RADIO ENTHUSIAST
Myles S. Cabot, whose mysterious disappearance
yesterday has shocked Boston society, was the only
son of the late Alden Cabot. His mother was a
Sears of Southboro.
The younger Cabot since his graduation from
Harvard had devoted himself to electrical
experimenting. Although prominent in the social life
of the city, and an active member of the Union,
University, New York Yacht, and Middlesex Hunt
Clubs, he nevertheless had found time to invent
novel and useful radio devices, among the best
known of which is the Indestructo Vacuum Tube.
31. He had established at his Beacon Street residence
one of the best equipped radio laboratories in the
city.
His most recent experiment, according to
professional friends, had been with television.
Mr. Cabot substituted two circuits for the usual
television circuit, one controlling the vertical lines of
his sending and receiving screens, and the other
the horizontal, thus enabling him to enlarge his
screen considerably, and also to present a
continuous picture instead of one made up of dots.
The effect of perspective he obtained by adding a
third circuit.
The details of this invention had not been given out
by Mr. Cabot prior to his disappearance.
His nearest relatives are cousins.
The last was a particularly gentle touch, it seemed to
me. Well, his cousins hadn’t yet inherited his property,
although they had tried mighty hard; and perhaps this
mysterious message from the void would prevent them
from ever doing so. I hoped that this would be the case,
for I liked Myles, and had never liked those cousins of
his.
Myles had been a classmate of mine at Harvard, though
later our paths drifted apart, his leading into Back Bay
society and radio, and mine leading into the quiet
pastoral life of a farm on Chappaquiddick Island off the
coast of Massachusetts. I had heard little of him until I
read the shocking account of his sudden disappearance.
32. 8
The police had turned up no further clues, and the
matter had quickly faded from the public sight. I had
kept the Post clipping as a memento of my old college
chum.
I was anxious to learn what had become of him these
four years. So I opened the manuscript and proceeded
to read aloud.
In the following chapters I shall give the story contained
in that manuscript—a story so weird, and yet so
convincingly simple, that it cannot fail to interest all
those who knew Myles Cabot. It completely clears up
the mystery surrounding his disappearance. Of course,
there will be some who will refuse to believe that this
story is the truth. But those of his classmates and
friends who knew him well will find herein unmistakable
internal evidence of Myles Cabot’s hand in this narrative
conveyed to me in the golden heart of a meteorite.
33. 9
2
stranded in space
Thus wrote Myles Cabot:
My chief line of work, since graduating from Harvard,
was on the subject of television. By simultaneously
using three sending sets and three receiving sets, each
corresponding to one of the three dimensions, any
object which I placed within the framework of my
transmitter could be seen within the framework of my
receiver, just as though it stood there itself.
All that prevented the object from actually being made
to stand there was the quite sufficient fact that no one
had yet, so far as I was then aware, invented a means
for dissolving matter into its well-known radiations, and
then converting these radiations back into matter again.
But at just this time, by a remarkable coincidence, there
came into my hands a copy of an unpublished paper on
this subject by Rene Flambeau.
The prior experiments of De Gersdorff are well known;
he had succeeded by means of radio waves, in isolating
and distinguishing the electro-magnetic constituents of
34. all the different chemical elements. Flambeau went one
step further, and was able to transmit small formless
quantities of matter itself, although for some reason
certain metals, but not their salts, appeared to absorb
the electrical energy employed by him, and thus be
immune to transportation.
As I could already transmit a three-dimensional picture
of an object, and as Flambeau had been able to
transmit formless matter, then by combining our devices
in a single apparatus I found I could transmit physical
objects unchanged in form.
But this apparatus produced one unexpected
phenomenon—namely, that whenever I employed
excessive power, my sending set would transmit objects
placed slightly outside its normal range, and certain
small quantities thereof would turn up in other portions
of my laboratory than within my receiving set.
To test this phenomenon further, I secured some high
voltage equipment and arranged with the Edison
Company for its use.
On the afternoon when the installation was completed, I
started to place a small blue china vase in position to
send it. Something must have become short-circuited,
for there came a blinding flash, and I knew no more.
How long the unconsciousness lasted, I have no means
of telling. I was a long time regaining my senses, but
when I had finally and fully recovered I found myself
lying on a sandy beach, beside a calm and placid lake,
and holding in my hand the small blue vase.
The atmosphere was warm, moist and fragrant, like that
of a hothouse, and the lap-lapping of the waves gave
35. 10
forth such a pleasing musical sound that I lay where I
was and dozed off and on, even after I had recovered
consciousness.
I seemed to sense, rather than really to see, my
surroundings. The sand was very white. The sky was
completely overclouded at a far height, and yet the
clouds shone with such a silvery radiance that the day
was as bright as any which I had ever seen with full
sunlight on earth, but with a difference, for here the
light diffused from all quarters, giving the shadowless
effect which one always notes in a photographer’s
studio.
To my right lay the lake, reflecting the silvery color of
the sky. Before me stretched the beach, unbroken save
for an occasional piece of driftwood. To my left was the
upland, covered with a thicket of what at first appeared
to be dead trees, but on closer scrutiny were seen to be
some gigantic species of the well-known branched gray
lichen with red tips, which I used to find on rocks and
sticks in the woods as a child.
No birds were flying overhead, I suppose because there
were no birds to fly. I fell to wondering, vaguely and
pleasantly, where I was and how I got there; but for the
moment I remained a victim of complete amnesia.
Suddenly, however, my ears were jarred by a familiar
sound. At once my senses cleared and I listened intently
to the distant purring of a motor. Yes, there could be no
mistake—an airplane was approaching. Now I could see
it, a speck in the sky, far down the beach.
Nearer and nearer it came.
36. 11
I sprang to my feet, and to my intense surprise found
that the effort threw me quite a distance into the air.
Instantly the thought flashed through my mind: “I must
be on Mars!” But no, for my weight was not nearly
enough lighter than my earthly weight to justify such a
conclusion.
For some reason my belt buckle and most of the
buttons which held my clothes together were missing,
so that my clothing came to pieces as I arose, and I had
to shed it rapidly in order to avoid impeding my
movements. I wondered at the cause of this.
But my speculations were cut short by the alighting of
the airplane a hundred yards down the beach. It
seemed to land vertically, rather than run along the
ground, but I could not be sure at that distance. What
was my horror when out of it clambered not men but
ants! Ants, six-footed and six feet high. Huge ants, four
of them, running toward me over the glistening sands.
Gone was all my languor as I seized a piece of driftwood
and prepared to defend myself as well as I could. The
increase in my jumping ability, although slight, coupled
with an added buoyancy, might enable me to prolong
the unequal encounter.
The ants came slowly forward, four abreast, like a
cavalry formation, while I awaited their onslaught,
grasping the stick of driftwood firmly in my hand. When
nearly upon me they executed right-by-troopers and
started circling in an ever-narrowing circle.
Suddenly the ants wheeled and converged from all four
points of the compass, clicking their mandibles savagely
as they came. The whole movement had been executed
37. with uncanny precision, without a single word of
communication between the strange black creatures; in
fact, without a single sound except the clicking of their
mandibles and a slight rattling of their joints. How like a
naval attack by a fleet of old-fashioned Ford cars, I
thought.
When within about ten feet of me, they made a
concerted rush; but I leaped to one side, at the same
time giving one of my antagonists a crack with my club
as they crashed together in the center. This
denouement seemed to confuse them, for they slowly
extricated themselves from their tangle and withdrew
for a short distance, where they again formed and stood
glaring at me for a few minutes, clicking their jaws
angrily.
Then they rushed again, this time in close formation,
but again I jumped to one side, dealing another blow
with my club. Whereupon the fighting became
disorganized, the ants making individual rushes, and I
leaping and whacking as best I could.
I scored several dents in the armor of my opponents,
and finally succeeded by a lucky stroke in beheading
one of them. But at this the other three came on with
renewed vigor. Although each ant wore some sort of
green weapon slung in a holster at its side, they fought
only with their mandibles.
The slight difference in gravity from that to which I had
been accustomed finally proved my undoing; for,
although it increased my agility, it also rendered me a
bit less sure on my feet, and this was enhanced by the
rapid disintegration of the soles of my shoes. The result
was that, at last I slipped and fell, and was immediately
38. 12
set upon and pinned down by my enemies. One of the
ants at once deliberately nipped me in the side with his
huge mandibles. An excruciating pain shot through my
entire body; and then, for the second time that day, I
lost consciousness.
When I came to, I found myself lying in the cockpit of
an airplane, speeding through the sky. One of my ant
captors was standing on a slight incline at the bow of
the ship, operating the control levers with his front feet;
and the other two were watching the scenery. The dead
ant was nowhere to be seen. No one was paying any
attention to me.
I was not bound, and yet I was unable to move. My
senses were unusually keen, and yet my body was
completely paralyzed. I had no idea as to what sort of
country we were flying over, for I could not raise my
head above the edge of the cockpit. I didn’t know
where I was going, but I certainly was on my way all
right. And not so all right, at that.
Overhead was the same silvery glare, without a patch of
blue sky. No sound came from my sinister, indifferent
captors. The only noise was the throbbing of the
motors.
As to the time of day, or how long I had been on board,
I had no idea; and what was more, I didn’t particularly
care. Rather a pleasant sort of a jag, if it were not for
the intense pain of lickering-up.
After a while the pleasant sensation wore off, and my
throat began to feel dry. I tried to call to the ants, but of
course could not, because of the paralysis; and finally
desisted even the attempt, when I remembered that the
39. 13
ants were speechless and hence probably unable to
hear.
By a coincidence, however, one of the creatures seemed
to sense my needs, and brought me some water in a
bowl, gently holding up my head with one of his
forepaws so that I could drink. This action touched my
heart, and also filled me with hope that the ants might
not turn out to be such bad captors after all.
Then I fell to studying them. First of all, I noticed that
each ant carried on the back of his thorax a line of
peculiar white characters, somewhat like shorthand
writing; and below it several rows of similar writing, only
smaller in size.
The peculiar green-colored weapon, slung in a holster
on the right-hand side of each ant, I had already
noticed during the fight. But, apart from the white
marks and the green weapons, my captors were
absolutely naked; and so far as I could see they were
exactly like the ordinary black ants to which I had been
accustomed on earth, only of course magnified to an
enormous size.
I studied the faces which the ants now occasionally
turned toward me. These faces were sinister and
terrifying. They recalled to my memory the fright which
I had once had when, as a child, I attended an
entomological movie and was suddenly confronted with
a close-up of the head of some common insect.
But the ant who had brought me the water had a
human look which relieved him of much of his terrible
grimness. In fact, he struck me as vaguely familiar. Ah!
Now I had it! A certain stolidity of movement,
40. amounting almost to a mannerism, reminded me of one
of my Harvard classmates, a homely good-hearted boy
whom we had all known by the nickname of “Doggo.”
And so, from then on, I instinctively thought of that
particular ant as named Doggo.
Then, for the first time, it struck me as strange that
these ants, instead of scuttling aimlessly over the
ground, or having wings of their own to fly with, as in
the mating season on earth, were utilizing a carefully
and scientifically built airplane, apparently of their own
make. And it struck me as even more strange that I had
not wondered about this before.
But then the events of that day had occurred with such
startling rapidity—from the flash in my Beacon Street
laboratory, through my awakening beside that strange
lake, the approach of the airplane, my fight with the
ants, and my second lapse from consciousness, down to
my present predicament—that I was to be excused for
not considering any particular phase of my adventures
as being more extraordinary than any other.
Now, however, that I had had time to draw my breath
and collect my thoughts, it dawned on me with more
and more force that here I was, apparently on some
strange planet of which the ruling race, apparently of
human or superhuman intelligence, were not men. And
they were not even some other mammal, but were
insects—ants, to be more specific. For all that I knew, I
was the only mammal—or perhaps even the only
vertebrate—on this entire planet.
Then I remembered a remark by Professor Parker in
Zoology 1 in my freshman year at Harvard: “The two
peaks of development, in the chain of evolution from
41. 14
the amoeba upward, are the order of hymenoptera
(bees, wasps and ants) among insects, and the order of
primates (men and monkeys) among mammals. In any
other world it is probable that evolution would produce
a ruling race, in much the same way that man has been
produced upon the earth; and it is a toss-up whether
this ruling race would develop along the lines of the
hymenoptera, or in a form similar to the mammals; but
one or the other seems inevitable.”
“Well,” said I to myself, “old Parker is certainly
vindicated, at least with respect to one planet.”
Thus I mused, as the airplane sped along. Then the
purr of the motors lulled me to sleep, and for the third
time that day I became unconscious.
When I awoke the sky was losing its luminous silver
quality. On one side it was faintly pink, and on the other
the silver color merged into a duller gray. The airship
still sped along.
Doggo brought me another bowl of water, and I found,
to my joy, that I could now lift my head enough to drink
without any further assistance than to have Doggo hold
the bowl. At this sign of recovery, one of the other ants
advanced menacingly as if to bite me again. But Doggo
jumped between us, and after much snapping of
mandibles and quivering of antennae by both, the other
ant desisted.
This event decided me that Doggo was a friend worth
cultivating, but I was at a loss how to make advances
which would be understood. Finally, however, I
determined to attempt stroking the huge ant in a way
42. 15
which I had found to be very effective in making friends
with animals.
Accordingly, when Doggo came near enough, by a great
effort I overcame my paralysis sufficiently to reach up
and touch him on the side of his head just behind one
of his great jaws. Apparently this pleased the ant, for he
submitted to the caress, and finally lifted me to a sitting
position, so that the patting could be continued with
greater ease.
I later learned that this patting, to which I had resorted
purely by accident, is a universal custom of this planet,
corresponding to shaking hands on earth, and signifying
greetings, friendship, farewell, bargain binding, and the
like.
The other ant-man occasionally would advance
menacingly toward me with his head lowered, but each
time Doggo would step between us, and lower his own
head and agitate his antennae, at which the other
would desist. I nicknamed the other Satan, because of
his diabolical actions.
In my new sitting position I was now able to see over
the side of the airship. We were passing above gray
woods, with occasional silver-green fields, in which were
grazing some sort of pale green animals, too far below
to be easily distinguishable. Through the woods and
fields ran what appeared to be roads, but as nothing
was moving on them, I could not tell for sure.
Suddenly my attention was distracted from the view by
the frantic action of the ant-man who was steering the
ship. He seemed to be having difficulty with his controls.
And then, so quickly that it gave us no warning, the ship
43. reared up in the air and made a complete loop. That is,
I merely suppose it made a complete one, for when the
loop was half done, I dropped out and fell like a
plummet.
I remember a momentary exultation at being free from
my captors, and a certain spiteful joy at the thought
that I should undoubtedly be dashed to pieces and thus
rob them of their prey. Then I had just begun to wonder
whether I shouldn’t prefer captivity to death, when I
struck—
And was not dashed to pieces.
I still lived, for I had been thrown slantwise into a net of
some sort, and was now swaying gently back and forth
like a slowing pendulum. Hooray! I was both free and
safe.
But my joy was short lived, for I soon discovered that
the fine silken strands of the net were covered with a
substance like sticky fly paper, which held me firmly.
The more I struggled, the more I drew other strands of
the net toward me to entangle me. At last I paused for
breath, and then the truth dawned on me: I was caught
in a gigantic spider web! And sure enough, there came
the spider toward me from one corner of the web.
He wasn’t a very large spider. That is to say, judging by
the size of my previous captors, I should have expected
that the spiders of this world would be as big as the
Eiffel Tower. He was quite large enough however, having
a body about the size of my own, and legs fully ten feet
long. I call him a “spider,” for that is the earth word
which comes closest to describing him.
44. 16
With great assiduity he began wrapping me up into a
cocoon, a process which he seemed to enjoy much
more than I. But it did me no good to struggle, for any
part of me which showed any indications of moving was
immediately pinioned with a fresh strand of rope.
At last the job was finished, and I was completely
enveloped with a layer of thick coarse sticky silk cloth,
translucent but not transparent.
45. 3
out of the frying pan
When I had dropped from the airplane into the spider
web, the time had been nearly evening. All night, off
and on, I struggled, but to no avail. Finally, shortly after
daylight, something startled me by falling—plop—into
the net close beside me. Another victim, thought I. Well,
at least I should have company.
But this other creature was not any more inclined to
take its captivity calmly than I had been. It thrashed
and struggled violently, until finally it tore a rent in the
upper end of my shroud, so that I could see out.
My companion in misery was an orange-and-black-
striped bee about the size of a horse. He was buzzing
frantically and slashing about with his sting, while the
spider hopped around him with great agility, dodging
the thrusts of the sting, and applying a strand of silk
here and there, whenever an opportunity offered. Thus
gradually the bee’s freedom of motion became less and
less, as strand after strand were added to his bonds.
But the spider, getting bolder as his captive’s struggles
diminished, finally misjudged one thrust; and the
46. 17
imprisoned bee, putting all his effort into the stroke,
drove his sting home. The spider toppled from the web,
and the fight was unexpectedly at an end.
And now the bee and I were free, if we only could get
free. Of the two of us, I had the easier task, for my
cocoon had dried during the night and was now no
longer sticky. But it was still very tough.
Slowly, inch by inch, biting, clawing, tearing, I gradually
enlarged the hole near my head, until finally I was able
to step out and jump to the ground, which was about
ten feet away, a drop equivalent to a little less than
eight feet on the earth, not much difference, it is true,
but every little bit helped.
I now decided to assist my rescuer, the bee, to escape.
A rash decision, one would say, and yet the bee seemed
to realize that I was helping him, for not once did he
strike at me. Picking up a tree branch, I hacked at the
cords which bound him, until finally he was able to fly
away, trailing a large section of the web after him.
As he left, I noticed that one of his hind legs was gone
from the knee down, and that he bore a peculiar
scarlike mark on the under side of his abdomen. I
should know him, if ever I were to meet him again.
The web had been stretched between two large gray
leafless trees of the sort I had observed near the beach,
but without the red tips to the branches. Nearby was a
wood of similar but slightly smaller trees, bordering on a
field of thickly matted silver-green grass, very similar in
color. In this field were grazing a herd of pale green
insects a little larger than sheep, with long trailing
antennae.