e.

They'd have starved outright. In fact, they were in not much better case
right now. Because there was nowhere else that they could go! There was
no new colony which could absorb so many people, with only their bare
hands for equipment to live by. There was no civilized, settled world
which could admit so many paupers without starving its own population.
There was nowhere for these people to go!

Hoddan's anger took on the feeling of guilt. He could do nothing, and
something had to be done.

"Why ... why did you come to Darth?" he asked. "What can you gain by
orbiting here? You can't expect--"

The old man faced him.

"We are beggars," he said with bitter dignity. "We stopped here to ask
for charity--for the old and worn-out machines the people of Darth can
spare us. We will be grateful for even a single rusty plow. Because we
have to go on. We can do nothing else. We will land on Thetis. And one
plow can mean that a few of us will live who otherwise would die
with ... with the most of us."

Hoddan ran his hands through his hair. This was not his trouble, but he
could not thrust it from him.

"But again--why Darth?" he asked helplessly. "Why not stop at a world
with riches to spare? Darth's a poor place--"

"Because it is the poor who are generous," said the bearded man evenly.
"The rich might give us what they could spare. But simple, not-rich
people, close to the soil, will give us what they need themselves. They
will share what they have, and accept a share of our need."

Hoddan paced up and down the ancient flooring of this compartment in an
ancient ship. Presently he said jerkily:

"With all the good will in the world.... Darth is poverty-stricken. It
has no industries. It has no technology. It has not even roads! It is a
planet of little villages and tiny towns. A ship from elsewhere stops
here only once a month. Ground communications are almost nonexistent. To
spread the word of your need over Darth would require months. But to
collect what might be given, without roads or even wheeled vehicles-- No.
It's impossible! And I have the only space vessel on the planet, and
it's not fit for a journey between suns."

The bearded man waited with a sort of implacable despair.

"But," said Hoddan grimly, "I have an idea. I ... ah ... have contacts
on Walden. The government of Walden does not regard charity with favor.
The need for charity seems a ... ah ... a criticism of the Waldenian
standard of living.