One of the best officers in the
Service, Kincaide. Level-headed, and a straight thinker. He was a man
for any emergency. I remember--but I've already told that story.

* * * * *

I turned back to my reports, and forgot all about this wandering
Strobus. Then I turned in, to catch up somewhat on my sleep, for we had
had some close calls in a field of meteors, and the memory of a
previous disaster was still fresh in my mind.[1] I had spent my "watch
below" in the navigating room, and now I needed sleep rather badly. If
the scientists really want to do something for humanity, why don't they
show us how to do without food and sleep?

[1] See "The Ghost World" in the April issue of Amazing
Stories.--Ed.

When, refreshed and ready for anything, I did report to the navigating
room, Correy, my first officer, was on duty.

"Good morning, sir," he nodded. It was the custom, on ships I
commanded, for the officers to govern themselves by Earth standards of
time; we created an artificial day and night, and disregarded entirely,
except in our official records, the enar and other units of the
Universal time system.

"Good morning, Mr. Correy. How are we bearing?"

"Straight for our objective, sir." He glanced down at the two glowing
charts that pictured our surroundings in three dimensions, to reassure
himself. "She's dead ahead, and looming up quite sizeably."

"Right!" I bent over the great hooded television disk--the ponderous
type we used in those days--and picked up Strobus without difficulty.
The body more than filled the disk and I reduced the magnification
until I could get a full view of the entire exposed surface.

Strobus, it seemed, bore a slight resemblance to one view of my own
Earth. There were two very apparent polar caps, and two continents,
barely connected, the two of them resembling the numeral eight in the
writing of Earth-men; a numeral consisting of two circles, one above
the other, and just touching. One of the roughly circular continents
was much larger than the other.

"Mr. Kincaide reported that the portions he inspected consisted
entirely of fluid sir," commented Correy. "The two continents now
visible have just come into view, so I presume that there are no
others, unless they are concealed by the polar caps. Do you find any
indications of habitation?"

"I haven't examined her closely under high magnification," I replied.
"There are some si