The candidate on Matt's left spoke up. "Do you mean to say we ride down that thing?"
"No less," Tex answered. "Then they gather the pieces up in a basket and haul 'em up the other one."
"How fast does it go?"
"You'll see in a mom- Hey! Thar she blows!"
A silvery, windowless car appeared inside one guide frame, at its top. It poised for a split second, then dropped. It dropped and dropped and dropped, gathering speed, until it disappeared with what seemed incredible velocity- actually about two hundred and fifty miles per hour-into the building below. Matt braced himself for the crash. None came, and he caught his breath.
Seconds later the car reappeared at the foot of the other framework. It seemed to crawl; actually it was accelerating rapidly during the first half of the climb. It passed from view into the building at the top of the cliff.
"Squad nine!" a loudspeaker bawled behind them.
Tex let out a sigh "Here I go, Matt," he said. "Tell mother my last words were of her. You can have my stamp collection." He shook hands and walked away.
The candidate who had spoken before gulped; Matt saw that he was quite pale. Suddenly he took off in the same direction but did not line up with the squad; instead he went up to the cadet mustering the squad and spoke to him, briefly and urgently. The cadet shrugged and motioned him away from the group.
Matt found himself feeling sympathetic rather than contemptuous.