on white hills, huge, glittering ice sheets, yawning
chasms. And sometimes, farther in the distance, there would be awesome
alien vistas.

The dark thread of Brad Nellon's thoughts was broken abruptly by the
sudden hum of his helmet earphones. He looked up with guilty quickness.
Awareness of his companion, of the frigid hell of his Titanian
surroundings, rushed back in a flood.

"On the watch, guy," the voice of Big Tim Austin cautioned. "We're
almost near Tower Point."

Nellon moved his head in a jerky nod of understanding. His eyes probed
momentarily into those of the other, then dropped quickly back to the
snow. His earphones hummed again.

"Say, Brad, anything wrong?"

Nellon's face tautened in sudden panic. Again his eyes flashed to
Austin. But he did not find in them the suspicion which he expected.
There was only solicitous wonder.

"I'm all right," Nellon answered. "Just a bit tired, that's all." He
realized that his voice sounded hoarse and unnatural. With masked gaze,
he tried to learn its effect upon Austin.

* * * * *

But it was the content of his voice, not its tone which had registered
upon Big Tim. Nellon was startled by the unexpected flood of vehemence
which poured in through his earphones.

"That's the result of short rations, damn it! I knew it would get us
sooner or later. We should've been on our way home long ago. The whole
expedition has been a mess from beginning to end.

"You shouldn't have come with me, Brad, when I volunteered to go after
old Ryska's stuff. But I thought it would be all right, because we're
the only real he men among all those runty scientists. They're good for
nothing but theory-spinning. They've thrown the expedition off schedule
with their mental butterfly chasing, and got the rest of us down on
short rations. And now, just as we're ready to leave at last, one of
them has to remember that he left a pile of valuable equipment lying
around somewhere in the snow."

Austin was silent a while. When he spoke again, the old laughter-lights
were back twinkling in his eyes.

"Oh, hell, Brad. I guess I'm just sore because I'm being kept away from
Laura every second the brain-gang holds us back. I can't wait to see her
again."

"Yes, I know how it is," Nellon muttered.

"Swell kid, isn't she?"

"Yes." Nellon forced out the answer with difficulty.

"Well, keep your eyes peeled for Tower Point up there. As soon as we've
got old Ryska