in sight of it, the mesa-top was deserted. Fawzi began wondering
where in Nifflheim all the drilling rigs, and the seismo-trucks, were.
Somebody with a pair of binoculars called attention to activity on the
side of the high butte on top of which the relay station was located.
Fawzi began swearing exasperatedly.

"Might be something Mr. Leibert thought of," Franz Veltrin suggested.

"Then why in blazes didn't he screen us about it?"

"Who is this Leibert?" Conn asked. "Somebody mentioned him this
morning, I think."

"He joined us after you left, Conn," Dolf Kellton said. "He's a
clergyman from Morven. No regular denomination; he has a sect of his
own."

"Yah, he would!" Klem Zareff rumbled. "Pious fraud!"

"He's really a good man, Conn; Klem's prejudiced. He says we ought to
use Merlin to show us the true nature of God, and how to live in
accordance with the Divine Will. He says Merlin can teach us a new
religion."

A new religion, based on Merlin; that would be good. And then the
fanatics who thought Merlin was the Devil would start a holy war to
wipe out the servants of Satan, and with all the combat equipment that
was lying around on this planet.... For the first time since this
business started, he began to feel really frightened.

An aircar came bulleting away from the butte and landed on the mesa as
the _Lester Dawes_ set down. The man who met them at the head of the
vertical shaft wore Federation fatigues--baggy trousers, ankle boots
and long smock, dyed black. He was bareheaded, and his white hair was
almost shoulder-long. He had a white beard.

"Welcome, Brothers," he greeted, a hand raised in benediction. "And
who is this with you?"

His voice was high and quavery; not a good pulpit voice, Conn thought.

Kurt Fawzi introduced Conn, and Leibert grasped his hand with a grip
that was considerably stronger than his voice.

"Bless you, young man! It is to you alone that we owe our thanks that
we are about to find the Great Computer. Every sapient being in the
Galaxy will honor your name for a thousand years."

"Well, I hadn't counted on quite that much, Mr. Leibert. If it'll only
help a few of these people to make a decent living I'll be satisfied."

Leibert shook his head sadly. "You think entirely in material terms,
young man," he reproved. "Forget these things; acquire the higher
spiritual values. The Great Computer must not be degraded to such
uses; we should let it show us how to lift ourselve