ly. Martian Irrigation still was unexplainably low, as was
Pluto Chemical and Asteroid Mining.

Trading through two brokers, Ben Wrail bought 10,000 shares of Venus
Farms, Inc. when the market opened at 83-1/2. A few minutes later they
bought 10,000 shares of Spacesuits Ltd. at 106-1/4. The farm stocks
dropped off a point. Spacesuits gained a point. Then suddenly both rose.
In the second hour of trading the Venus stocks had boomed a full five
points and Wrail sold. Ten minutes later they sagged. At the end of the
day they were off two points from the opening. In late afternoon Wrail
threw his 10,000 shares of Spacesuits on the market, sold them at an
even 110. Before the close they had dropped back with a gain of only
half a point over the opening.

Those were only two transactions. There were others. Spaceship
Fabrication climbed three points before it fell and Wrail cashed in on
that. Mercury Metals rose two points and crashed back to close with a
full point loss. Wrail sold just before the break. He had realized a
cool half million in the day's trade.

The next day it was a million and then the man who had always been a
safe trader, who had always played the conservative side of the market,
apparently sure of his ground now, plunged deeper and deeper. It was
uncanny. Wrail knew when to buy and when to sell. Other traders watched
closely, followed his lead. He threw them off by using different brokers
to disguise his transactions.

Hectic day followed hectic day. Ben Wrail did not appear on the floor.
Calls to his office netted exactly nothing. Mr. Wrail was not in. So
sorry.

His brokers, well paid, were close-mouthed. They bought and sold. That
was all.

Seated in his office, Ben Wrail was busy watching two television screens
before him. One showed the board in the New York exchange. In the other
was the image of Gregory Manning, hunched in a chair in Page's mountain
laboratory back on Earth. And before Greg likewise were two screens, one
showing the New York exchange board, the other trained on Ben Wrail's
office.

"That Tourist stuff looks good," said Greg. "Why not buy a block of it?
I happen to know that Chambers owns a few shares. He'll be dabbling in
it."

Ben Wrail grinned. "It's made a couple of points, hasn't it? It's
selling here for 60 right now. In 45 minutes it'll be quoted at 62."

He picked up a telephone. "Buy all you can of Tourist," he said. "Right
away. I'll tell you when to sell. Get