The Project Gutenberg eBook of They Also Serve
    
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: They Also Serve

Author: Donald E. Westlake

Release date: November 14, 2009 [eBook #30474]
                Most recently updated: January 5, 2021

Language: English

Credits: Produced by Greg Weeks, Barbara Tozier and the Online
        Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net


*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THEY ALSO SERVE ***




Produced by Greg Weeks, Barbara Tozier and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net





    This etext was produced from Analog Science Fact & Fiction
    September 1961. Extensive research did not uncover any
    evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was
    renewed.




[Illustration]

THEY ALSO SERVE

By DONALD E. WESTLAKE

Illustrated by Douglas

    _Why should people hate vultures? After all, a vulture never
    kills anyone..._


The launch carrying the mail, supplies and replacements eased slowly
in toward the base, keeping the bulk of the Moon between itself and
Earth. Captain Ebor, seated at the controls, guided the ship to the
rocky uneven ground with the easy carelessness of long practice, then
cut the drive, got to his walking tentacles, and stretched. Donning
his spacesuit, he left the ship to go over to the dome and meet
Darquelnoy, the base commander.

An open ground-car was waiting for him beside the ship. The driver,
encased in his spacesuit, crossed tentacles in a sloppy salute, and
Ebor returned the gesture quite as sloppily. Here on the periphery,
cast formalities were all but dispensed with.

Ebor stood for a moment and watched the unloading. The cargo crew,
used to working in spacesuits, had one truck already half full. The
replacements, unused to spacesuits and, in addition, awed and a bit
startled by the bleakness of this satellite, were moving awkwardly
down the ramp.

Satisfied that the unloading was proceeding smoothly, Ebor climbed
aboard the ground-car, awkward in his suit, and settled back heavily
in the seat to try to get used to gravity again. The gravity of this
Moon was slight, of course--barely one-sixth the gravity of the Home
World or most of the colonies--but it still took getting used to,
after a long trip in free-fall.

The driver sat at the controls, and the car jerked into motion. Ebor,
looking up, noticed for the first time that the dome wasn't there any
more. The main dome, housing the staff and equipment of the base, just
wasn't there.

And the driver, he now saw, was aiming the car toward the nearby
crater wall. Extending two of his eyes till they almost touched the
face-plate of his helmet, he could see activity at the base of the
crater wall, and what looked like an air-lock entrance. He wondered
what had caused the change, which had obviously been done at top
speed. The last time he'd been here, not very long ago, the dome had
still been intact, and there had been no hint of any impending move
underground.

The driver steered the car into the open air lock, and they waited
until the first cargo truck had lumbered in after them. Then the outer
door closed, the pumps were turned on, and in a minute the red light
flashed over the inner door. Ebor removed the spacesuit gratefully,
left it in the car, and walked clumsily through the inner door into
the new base.

A good job had been done on it, for all the speed. Rooms and corridors
has been melted out of the rock, the floors had been carpeted, the
walls painted, and the ceiling lined with light panels. All of the
furnishings had been transferred here from the original dome, and the
result looked, on the whole, quite livable. As livable as the dome had
been, at least.

But the base commander, Darquelnoy, waiting for his old friend Ebor
near the inner door of the lock, looked anything but happy with the
arrangement. At Ebor's entrance he raised a limp tentacle in weary
greeting and said, "Come in, my friend, come in. Tell me the new jokes
from home. I could use some cheering up."

"None worth telling," said Ebor. He looked around. "What's happened
here?" he asked. "Why've you gone underground? Why do you need
cheering up?"

Darquelnoy clicked his eyes in despair. "Those _things_!" he cried.
"Those annoying little creatures on that blasted planet up there!"

Ebor repressed an amused ripple. He knew Darquelnoy well enough to
know that the commander invariably overstated things. "What've they
been up to, Dar?" he asked. "Come on, you can tell me over a hot cup
of restno."

"I've been practically living on the stuff for the last two dren,"
said Darquelnoy hopelessly. "Well, I suppose another cup won't kill
me. Come on to my quarters."

"I've worked up a fine thirst on the trip," Ebor told him.

       *       *       *       *       *

The two walked down the long corridor together and Ebor said, "Well?
What happened?"

"They came here," Darquelnoy told him simply. At Ebor's shocked look,
he rippled in wan amusement and said, "Oh, it wasn't as bad as it
might have been, I suppose. It was just that we had to rush around so
frantically, unloading and dismantling the dome, getting this place
ready--"

"What do you mean, they _came_ here?" demanded Ebor.

"They are absolutely the worst creatures for secrecy in the entire
galaxy!" exclaimed Darquelnoy in irritation. "Absolutely the worst."

"Then you've picked up at least one of their habits," Ebor told him.
"Now stop talking in circles and tell me what happened."

"They built a spaceship, is the long and the short of it," Darquelnoy
answered.

Ebor stopped in astonishment. "No!"

"Don't tell me no!" cried Darquelnoy. "I _saw_ it!" He was obviously
at his wit's end.

"It's unbelievable," said Ebor.

"I know," said Darquelnoy. He led the way into his quarters, motioned
Ebor to a perch, and rang for his orderly. "It was just a little
remote-controlled apparatus, of course," he said. "The fledgling
attempt, you know. But it circled this Moon here, busily taking
pictures, and went right back to the planet again, giving us all a
terrible fright. There hadn't been the slightest indication they were
planning anything _that_ spectacular."

"None?" asked Ebor. "Not a hint?"

"Oh, they've been boasting about doing some such thing for ages,"
Darquelnoy told him. "But there was never any indication that they
were finally serious about it. They have all sorts of military
secrecy, of course, and so you never know a thing is going to happen
until it does."

"Did they get a picture of the dome?"

"Thankfully, no. And before they had a chance to try again, I whipped
everything underground."

"It must have been hectic," Ebor said sympathetically.

"It was," said Darquelnoy simply.

The orderly entered. Darquelnoy told him, "Two restno," and he left
again.

"I can't imagine them making a spaceship," said Ebor thoughtfully. "I
would have thought they'd have blown themselves up long before
reaching that stage."

"I would have thought so, too," said Darquelnoy. "But there it is. At
the moment, they've divided themselves into two camps--generally
speaking, that is--and the two sides are trying like mad to outdo each
other in everything. As a part of it, they're shooting all sorts of
rubbish into space and crowing every time a piece of the other side's
rubbish malfunctions."

"They could go on that way indefinitely," said Ebor.

"I know," said Darquelnoy gloomily. "And here we sit."

Ebor nodded, studying his friend. "You don't suppose this is all a
waste of time, do you?" he asked, after a minute.

Darquelnoy shook a tentacle in negation. "Not at all, not at all.
They'll get around to it, sooner or later. They're still boasting
themselves into the proper frame of mind, that's all."

Ebor rippled in sympathetic amusement. "I imagine you sometimes wish
you could give them a little prodding in the right direction," he
said.

Darquelnoy fluttered his tentacles in horror, crying, "Don't even
_think_ of such a thing!"

"I know, I know," said Ebor hastily. "The laws--"

"Never mind the laws," snapped Darquelnoy. "I'm not even thinking
about the laws. Frankly, if it would do any good, I might even
consider breaking one or two of the laws, and the devil with my
conditioning."

"You _are_ upset," said Ebor at that.

"But if we were to interfere with those creatures up there," continued
Darquelnoy, "interfere with them in any way at all, it would be
absolutely disastrous."

The orderly returned at that point, with two steaming cups of restno.
Darquelnoy and Ebor accepted the cups and the orderly left, making a
sloppy tentacle-cross salute, which the two ignored.

       *       *       *       *       *

"I wasn't talking necessarily about attacking them, you know," said
Ebor, returning to the subject.

"Neither was I," Darquelnoy told him. "We wouldn't have to attack
them. All we would have to do is let them know we're here. Not even
_why_ we're here, just the simple fact of our presence. That would be
enough. _They_ would attack _us_."

Ebor extended his eyes in surprise. "As vicious as all that?"

"Chilling," Darquelnoy told him. "Absolutely chilling."

"Then I'm surprised they haven't blown themselves to pieces long
before this."

"Oh, well," said Darquelnoy, "you see, they're cowards, too. They have
to boast and brag and shout a while before they finally get to clawing
and biting at one another."

Ebor waved a tentacle. "Don't make it so vivid."

"Sorry," apologized Darquelnoy. He drained his cup of restno. "Out
here," he said, "living next door to the little beasts day after day,
one begins to lose one's sensibilities."

"It has been a long time," agreed Ebor.

"Longer than we had originally anticipated," Darquelnoy said frankly.
"We've been ready to move in for I don't know how long. And instead we
just sit here and wait. Which isn't good for morale, either."

"No, I don't imagine it is."

"There's already a theory among some of the workmen that the blow-up
just isn't going to happen, ever. And since that ship went circling
by, of course, morale has hit a new low."

"It would have been nasty if they'd spotted you," said Ebor.

"Nasty?" echoed Darquelnoy. "Catastrophic, you mean. All that crowd up
there needs is an enemy, and it doesn't much matter to them who that
enemy is. If they were to suspect that we were here, they'd forget
their own little squabbles at once and start killing us instead. And
that, of course, would mean that they'd be united, for the first time
in their history, and who knows how long it would take them before
they'd get back to killing one another again."

"Well," said Ebor, "you're underground now. And it can't possibly take
them _too_ much longer."

"One wouldn't think so," agreed Darquelnoy. "In a way," he added,
"that spaceship was a hopeful sign. It means that they'll be sending a
manned ship along pretty soon, and that should do the trick. As soon
as one side has a base on the Moon, the other side is bound to get
things started."

"A relief for you, eh?" said Ebor.

"You know," said Darquelnoy thoughtfully, "I can't help thinking I was
born in the wrong age. All this scrabbling around, searching
everywhere for suitable planets. Back when the Universe was younger,
there were lots and lots of planets to colonize. Now the old problem
of half-life is taking its toll, and we can't even hope to keep up
with the birth rate any more. If it weren't for the occasional planets
like that one up there, I don't know what we'd do."

"Don't worry," Ebor told him. "They'll have their atomic war pretty
soon, and leave us a nice high-radiation planet to colonize."

"I certainly hope it's soon," said Darquelnoy. "This waiting gets on
one's nerves." He rang for the orderly.


THE END








*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THEY ALSO SERVE ***


    

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.