The Project Gutenberg EBook of When Whirlybirds Call, by Frank Banta
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere 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/license
Title: When Whirlybirds Call
Author: Frank Banta
Release Date: February 6, 2020 [EBook #61334]
Language: English
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WHEN WHIRLYBIRDS CALL ***
Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
WHEN WHIRLYBIRDS CALL
by Frank Banta
Five-Gun DeCrabbe was the terror of
every planet--especially to his friends!
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Worlds of If Science Fiction, January 1963.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
Those of the city of Featherton, on Grimes Planet, were with him to a
man. Feathertonians cheered and waved from their windows that morning,
not daring to come out for fear of the whirlybirds, and admiring
Five-gun Charles DeCrabbe all the more for riding down the main stem
of the town with the bubble of his convertible space coupe slid
back--ignoring the menace from the skies.
Five-gun Charles DeCrabbe rode down the exact center of the street,
looking neither to right or left, not acknowledging the screams of
adulation that poured from the windows. His bare head was up, his
mouth was pressed into firm, haughty lines of self-confidence and even
his battle dress of dark green seemed to exude the aura of a competent
killer.
Five-gun Charles DeCrabbe had come to clean up the town. Of whirlybirds.
He stopped his space convertible in front of the white stone building
titled City Hall on its facade. The two men waiting to greet him stayed
safely under the bullet-shaped marquee as he alighted. He jumped over
the side, checked his two holstered needle pistols, slung his explosive
pellet rifle over one shoulder, his N-ray flashburn gun over the other
shoulder and picked up his rocket-powered stun-gas spray gun in his
hands. He strode over to the waiting men.
"I'm Alson Prince, Mayor of Featherton," said the older man shaking
hands with the one DeCrabbe stuck out from under the spray gun. "And
you are Five-gun Charles DeCrabbe?"
"Yes yes yes!" exclaimed DeCrabbe impatiently in his clipped speech.
"I'm the mayor's son," introduced the younger man with admiration
shining in his eyes. "You sure look like you're ready to whip those
whirlybirds."
"Yes yes yes!" exclaimed DeCrabbe haughtily. "Always dislike long
conversations you know. Supposing you tell me what you know so can
exterminate them without further delay. No doubt solution before dusk."
"Before dusk?" asked the mayor, dumfounded. "Oh, no, not today, I'm
afraid. They've been around too many years to whip in one day."
"Perhaps shall require two days then," said Five-gun Charles DeCrabbe
graciously. "But doubt it. Tell me what you know of them."
* * * * *
"Very well," assented the older man. "Perhaps the best place to
begin is with their name. When we first occupied this planet, a
bare twenty years ago, we called them wolfhawk-whirlybirds and
tigerhawk-whirlybirds because they preyed on vicious animals. The
whirlybirds were our best friends in those days. The only trouble is
that they ran out of tigers and wolves to eat."
"Presumed they are now called peoplehawk-whirlybirds?" DeCrabbe
frowningly asked in his clipped speech.
"Exactly!" answered the older man. "Although that isn't their full
name. From the way they attack--"
"Most important," interrupted Five-gun. "Give to me in detail."
"They prefer to attack strollers, although they have attacked on city
streets when there is little traffic. They fly with amazing speed,
considering they are an untidy ball forty feet in diameter, and they
are on top of their victims before the unlucky ones are aware of the
menace. Blowing their victims down with a rush of air from their
feathers, they grab them up by the heels, carry them high aloft and
drop them on piles of rock outside of town."
"They are _downdraft_-peoplehawk-whirlybirds then?" asked DeCrabbe.
"That's almost it," agreed the mayor. "I have not yet told
you of their cries. As they rise in the air with the victim
dangling from their talons by his heels, they utter a pleased
'Coo! Coo!' like a gentle dove. That is why they are called
Coocoo-downdraft-peoplehawk-whirlybirds."
"Approve of adequate names," nodded Five-gun, unbending a trifle.
"First step toward efficiency. Only one thing haven't made clear.
Presumably have shotguns and rifles. Why unable drive off these
predators yourselves?"
The mayor laughed bitterly. "It would be easy to tell you'd just
arrived on this planet--although the birds are not well known in the
other cities either; they are all concentrated in this area. Yes, our
sportsmen tried to shoot down the whirlybirds. No luck, of course.
Imagine the problems you have when one of these forty-foot balls of
commotion comes at you: You try to aim but you can't hold your arm
still because of the swirling wind they raise; and then the dust clouds
thicken and you're firing wildly, and you can't begin to tell which is
body and which is feathers anyway."
"Very well," accepted Charles DeCrabbe mercifully. "You've made
attempt. My first step therefore the attachment of high explosives to
boobytrapped mannequins. Brought these with me."
* * * * *
"Great winds of catastrophe. I'm glad you mentioned it before you did
it!" exclaimed the mayor. "We tried that once. The city was six weeks
digging out from under the feathers--and it didn't kill the whirlybird!"
"Aren't you exaggerating difficulties encountered in picking up few
feathers?" loftily inquired DeCrabbe.
"How do you think we got the name of Featherton? Before the deluge we
were called West Applebury!"
"Then why haven't you attempted lure them into boobytraps outside town?
Could detonate them there without even slight inconvenience of picking
up feathers."
"Believe me, if there were only a _few_ feathers," insisted Mayor
Prince, "few enough for you to pick up by yourself, we wouldn't mind
you blowing up a whirlybird."
"Wasn't considering picking up _any_ feathers," replied Five-gun with
dignity. "Had supposed a menial or two could be supplied for that."
The mayor shook his head. "It would take everybody in town to clean
up. And as for blowing one up outside the city, one of our orchardists
tried it. He blew it to bits all right, but eighty acres of his apple
trees were smothered under the debris!"
"Now anticipate that the extermination of the whirlybirds will almost
certainly take me up to two days," conceded Five-gun DeCrabbe calmly.
"However will be all the more interesting to defeat them without
recourse large explosives."
"Gee, what a man!" admired the mayor's son. "Only two days!"
"If you will now lead me to your city park will begin campaign of
extermination at once."
"It's down that way," said the mayor, pointing. Plainly he had no
intention of leaving the shelter of the marquee. "You can't miss it."
As Five-gun Charles DeCrabbe leaped back into his craft and started
off, the mayor's son called after him, "Aren't you scared, going out
exposed like that?"
DeCrabbe turned. "Am armed, young man," he retorted severely.
"Yeah, but those whirlybirds don't pay any attention to guns."
"Soon will," DeCrabbe replied, unruffled.
Slowly he drove down the center of the empty street, receiving more
cheers from heads thrust out of windows. He arrived at the city park
and turned in. He unloaded most of his equipment under the roof of the
bandstand.
A few minutes later one of his robot mannequins moved slowly around
the clearing before the bandstand, its control set for slow walking to
conserve its atomic battery. The predator hunter unlimbered all his
guns as he sat under the bandstand roof waiting.
It was an hour before the first whirlybird attacked.
His first warning was the rising wind. His gaze moved around the sky
until he found the rapidly growing black spot. A few seconds later
it became a universe-engulfing blackness as it spotted the mannequin
and came down for it. As soon as the wind-screaming blackness reached
the mannequin, the needle guns in his hands emptied their hundreds of
anesthetizing needles into the turbulence. But it was as the mayor had
said. Where did the bird's body end and the feathers begin? When the
needle pistols were empty he dropped them and snatched up the rocket
powered stun-gas weapon; its immense flare poured into the blackness
without visible result. He dropped it and grabbed the N-ray flashburn
gun. The forty-foot ball of fury was beginning to rise high with its
prey now, as the gun stuttered fifty bolts of burning lethal radiation
into it. He smelled feathers that time. Finally as the giant bird,
without faltering, rose above the range of the N-ray gun, he took to
the explosive pellet rifle. It had only ten shots; all of these went
into the center of the blackness well before the whirlybird had flown
beyond range. And as it neared the horizon with its mannequin prey, he
heard its sweet song:
"Coo! Coo!"
"How _dare_ it coo after all I did to it?" muttered DeCrabbe grimly.
"Shall not coo next time!"
* * * * *
Half an hour later a new mannequin stood out in front of the bandstand.
Its arms waved ceaselessly but it stood still. Nestled against its
back was a ten gallon drum of gas, which would be exploded--blanketing
most of the park in fumes--as soon as the mannequin was moved. Charles
DeCrabbe waited, his mask ready, his potent weapons all reloaded.
Ninety minutes later the huge black menace arrived--either the first
whirlybird or another forty-foot wind-screaming fury. Slipping his
gas mask on, the man waited for the right moment to begin firing. The
whirlybird swooped down, the tank exploded in a fog, and the giant
wobbled!
DeCrabbe emptied all his weapons again. The bird arose, wobbling, its
speed greatly impaired, but making its getaway despite all he could do.
"Damn well didn't coo that time," he said when the monster had reached
the horizon. "Next time won't fly either."
But just then the monstrous bird mocked him in the distance with a
loud, sweet, "Coo! Coo!"
Shortly after lunch he had it all set up. A new mannequin stood out in
front of the bandstand, its arms waving and a pair of slim, gleaming,
ten-gallon drums of stun gas nearby.
It was one o'clock before the third whirlybird struck.
Down it sank until it became a huge, ebony blot in the afternoon sky.
Underneath the bandstand roof DeCrabbe got ready for his supreme
effort. He slipped on his gas mask and made sure his N-ray flashburn
gun was ready for instant action, its safety off. He was determined
that if he got the bird prostrate he would climb aboard and fire N-ray
bolts into it until something _gave_!
The huge black, wind-screaming monster plummeted the last few yards
down and grabbed the mannequin. Both tanks of stun gas exploded. The
giant whirlybird slumped unconscious--and DeCrabbe scrambled aboard!
The feverishly hurrying hunter was not long discovering why he had
not--and never would--penetrate the bird's feathers with any of his
weapons: He burrowed down into the feathers the length of his arm and
there were yet more feathers beyond! A feather pillow would stop a
rifle bullet, he knew, and this monster had the probable equivalent of
a thousand feather pillows protecting it, invulnerable as a battleship.
And just then the maneater awoke, wobbled into the air, and flew away
before DeCrabbe could get off!
* * * * *
The following afternoon, as Five-gun Charles DeCrabbe made his farewell
of the city of Featherton, he once more drove down the center of the
street with the bubble of his space convertible slid back.
Yet there was a difference this time. The mayor and his son rode beside
him on the seat, and all of the people were now out of doors standing
along the curb, cheering their deliverer wildly as he passed.
"I can't tell you how much I personally appreciate what you've done for
us," said the mayor humbly.
"Quite quite quite!" returned Five-gun haughtily in his clipped speech,
hoping to shut off the man's tendency toward windyness.
With awe in his voice the mayor's son admired, "So instead of being
scared to death you were all ready for action when you and the
whirlybird landed at their rocky, mountain lair?"
"Yes yes yes! Slid off its back, hid between two boulders, waited
for the appropriate moment. After bagging that one, waited for other
monsters as they landed, one by one. Bagged them."
"Just like that!" said the youngster. "You just get up close enough for
those peoplehawks to grab you and then you bagged them."
"Only possible way is my way," clipped DeCrabbe immovably.
"Its eyes couldn't be buried deeply in feathers if they were to be of
use."
"So?"
"So eye is proximate to beak--and brain," said the hunter with dignity.
"Where one of its _coo-coos_ came out, one of my N-ray bolts went in,
and that was that!"
End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of When Whirlybirds Call, by Frank Banta
*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WHEN WHIRLYBIRDS CALL ***
***** This file should be named 61334.txt or 61334.zip *****
This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
http://www.gutenberg.org/6/1/3/3/61334/
Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
will be renamed.
Creating the works from public domain print editions 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-tm electronic works to
protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project
Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you
do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. 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-tm 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-tm License (available with this file or online at
http://gutenberg.org/license).
Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic works
1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
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-tm electronic works in your possession.
If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
Gutenberg-tm 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-tm 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-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm 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-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the
collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an
individual work is in the public domain 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-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm 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-tm 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-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning
the copyright status of any work in any country outside 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-tm License must appear prominently
whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm 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 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/license
1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
from the public domain (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-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
1.E.9.
1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm 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-tm 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-tm
License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
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-tm 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-tm work in a format other than
"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (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-tm
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-tm 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-tm electronic works provided
that
- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is
owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm 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-tm
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-tm 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-tm works.
1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm 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
public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm 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-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
Gutenberg-tm 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-tm electronic works in accordance
with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm 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-tm
work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
Project Gutenberg-tm 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-tm's
goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm 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-tm 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 web page at http://www.pglaf.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. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
http://pglaf.org/fundraising. 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 principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at
809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
[email protected]. Email contact links and up to date contact
information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
page at http://pglaf.org
For additional contact information:
Dr. Gregory B. Newby
Chief Executive and Director
[email protected]
Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation
Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
spread 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 http://pglaf.org
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: http://pglaf.org/donate
Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
works.
Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain 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 Web site which has the main PG search facility:
http://www.gutenberg.org
This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
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.
