shook hands all around--and it again seemed strange to all the
four from Earth to find themselves with their feet more or less firmly
planted on a solid floor, but their bodies wavering erratically to right
and left and before and back, because there was no up or down.

"Just had reports from Earth," Brown told Joe comfortably. "The news of
your take-off was released to avoid panic in Europe. But everybody who
doesn't like us is yelling blue murder. Somebody--you may guess who--is
announcing that a fleet of ninety-one war rockets took off from the
United States and now hangs poised in space while the decadent American
war-mongers prepare an ultimatum to all the world. Everybody's
frightened."

"If they'll only stay scared until we get unloaded," said Joe in some
satisfaction, "the government back home can tell them how many we were
and what we came up for. But we'll probably make out all right, anyhow."

"My crew will unload," said Brown, in conscious thoughtfulness. "You
must have gotten pretty well exhausted by that acceleration."

Joe shook his head. "I think we can handle the freight faster. We found
out a few things by going back to Earth."

A section of plating at the top of the lock--at least it had been the
top when the Platform was built on Earth--opened up as on the first
journey here. A face grinned down. But from this point on, the procedure
was changed. Haney and Joe went into the cargo-section of the rocketship
and heaved its contents smoothly through weightlessness to the storage
chamber above. The Chief and Mike stowed it there. The speed and
precision of their work was out of all reason. Brown stared
incredulously.

The fact was simply that on their first trip to the Platform, Joe and
his crew didn't know how to use their strength where there was no
weight. By the time they'd learned, their muscles had lost all tone. Now
they were fresh from Earth, with Earth-strength muscles--and they knew
how to use them.

"When we got back," Joe told Brown, "we were practically invalids. No
exercise up here. This time we've brought some harness to wear. We've
some for you, too."

They moved out of the airlock, and the ship was maneuvered to a mooring
outside, and a drone took its place. Brown's eyes blinked at the
unloading of the drone. But he said, "Navy style work, that!"

"Out here," said Joe, "you take no more exercise than an invalid on
Earth--in fact, not as much. By now the original crew would have