re save in dreams.
Above their heads hung a huge round greenish globe, with a white polar
ice-cap plainly visible. It hung in mid-sky and was four times the size
of the Moon as seen from Earth. If one stood still and looked at it, it
would undoubtedly be seen to be revolving, once in some twenty-four
hours.

Mike scuffled in the dust in which he walked. Nobody had emerged from
the Moonship yet. The four of them were literally the first human beings
ever to set foot on the surface of the Moon. But none of them mentioned
the fact, though all were acutely aware of it. Mike kicked up dust. It
rose in a curiously liquid-like fashion. There was no air to scatter it.
It settled deliberately back again.

Mike spoke with an odd constraint. "No green cheese," he said absurdly.

"No," agreed Joe. "Let's go over to the Moonship. It looks all right. It
couldn't have landed hard."

They went toward the bulk of the ship from Earth, which now was a base
for the military occupation of a globe with more land-area than all
Earth's continents put together--but not a drop of water. The Moonship
was tilted slightly askew, but it was patently unharmed. There were
faces at every port in the hull.

The Chief stopped suddenly. A sizable boulder rose from the dust. The
Chief struck it smartly with his space-gloved hand.

"I'm counting coup on the Moon!" he said zestfully "Tie that, you guys!"

Then he joined the others on their way to the Moonship's main lock.

"Shall we knock?" asked Mike humorously. "I doubt they've got a
door-bell!"

But the lock-door was opening to admit them. They crowded inside.

Commander Brown was waiting for them with an out-stretched hand. "Glad
to have you aboard." And there was a genuine smile creeping across his
face.

* * * * *

Joe talked with careful distinctness into a microphone. His voice took a
little over a second to reach its destination. Then there was a pause of
the same length before the first syllable of Sally's reply came to him
from Earth.

"I've reported to your father," said Joe carefully, "and the Moonship
has reported to the Navy. In a couple of hours Haney and the Chief and
Mike and I will be taking off to go back to the Platform. We got rockets
from the stores of the Moonship."

Sally's voice was surprisingly clear. It wavered a little, but there was
no sound of static to mar reception.

"Then what, Joe?"

"I'm bringing written reports and photo