on of the spaceship. She
displayed an overwhelming saccharinity that was appalling. She was
sweetness and light among criminals who respectfully did not harm her,
and she sweetened and lightened the atmosphere of the space yacht until
Hoddan's followers were close to mutiny.

"It ain't that I mind her being a nice girl," one of his mustachioed
Darthians explained almost tearfully to Hoddan, "but she wants to make a
nice girl out of me!"

Hoddan, himself, cringed from her society. He could gladly have put her
ashore on Krim with ample funds to return to Walden. But she was
prettily, reproachfully helpless. If he did put her ashore, she would
confide her kidnaping and the lovely behavior of the pirates until
nobody would believe in them any more--which would be fatal.

He went to his lawyers, brooding. The news astounded him. The emigrant
fleet had appeared over Krim on the way to Walden. Before it appeared,
Hoddan's affairs had been prosperous enough. Right after his previous
visit, news had come of the daring piratical raid which captured a ship
off Walden. This was the liner Hoddan'd brought in to Krim. All
merchants and ship owners immediately insured all vessels and goods in
space transit at much higher valuations. The risk-insurance stocks
bought on Hoddan's account had multiplied in value. Obeying his
instructions, his lawyers had sold them out and held a pleasing fortune
in trust for Hoddan.

Then came the fleet over Krim, with its letter threatening planetary
destruction if resistance was offered to single ships which would land
and loot later on. It seemed that all commerce was at the mercy of space
marauders. Risk-insurance companies had undertaken to indemnify the
owners of ships and freight in emptiness. Now that an unprecedented
pirate fleet ranged and doubtless ravaged the skyways, the insurance
companies ought to go bankrupt. Owners of stock in them dumped it at any
price to get rid of it. In accordance with Hoddan's instructions,
though, his lawyers had faithfully if distastefully bought it in. To use
up the funds available, they had to buy up not only all the stock of all
the risk-insurance companies of Krim, but all stock in all off-planet
companies owned by investors on Krim.

Then time passed, and ships in space arrived unmolested in port. Cargoes
were delivered intact. Insurers observed that the risk-insurance
companies had not collapsed and could still pay off if necessary. They
continued thei