What good will it do
to know how much 'ship juice' there is, anyway? We can't _make_ it! This
hole wasn't built for self-respecting men to crawl through."

"I don't know, John, but this trip may not be as easy as it appears.
They've been driving at full force for months, when it seems to me that
less power might carry us when we're not within the pull of some planet.
I want to make _sure_ that there's plenty of fuel. According to the
books, the designers didn't expect the ship to be driven this hard."

John did a little cussing when they located the gauges, and found them
so thick with grime that they had to be cleaned. He headed back through
the dust for a cloth, with Dick's laugh following. "Alright, alright,
but don't rub it in. Just because you happened to be in front of me, and
there isn't room to pass, don't give you the right to laugh. Some day
you'll be eating your share of dust, and will _I_ laugh! I bet that the
domes are _all_ a mess."

Dick wrote down the reading of each gauge, as John cleaned the surfaces.
He couldn't understand the strange numerals, and had to go over them
with Morquil. Both men breathed a sigh of relief as they crawled back
through the floor of the hold, and dropped the trap door in place.

* * * * *

An hour later Dick began to worry. According to Morquil, the tanks were
_less than one-eighth full_. The big-headed man had gone over the
figures twice, and was showing signs of agitation as he checked them
again at Barrow's request. When he glanced up, Dick knew there was no
mistake.

"The fuel _is_ low Dick. According to the other trip, the greatest use
of power is at the time we approach the planet, to fight the pull of
gravity. Our trip from earth is only half completed, with the greatest
need of fuel still ahead. You must think my race very stupid not to have
thought of it?"

It took Dick a long time to answer. His mind was searching frantically
for some solution. It was useless to ask help of the crew--they
couldn't even _think_ scientifically!

"No, Morquil. I don't think you're stupid, but I do consider your people
very foolish. From the appearance of things _we will never reach the
domes_!

"Unless something drastic is accomplished, the ship will smash to pieces
on your planet. You don't know _anything_ about the ship's operation,
and we've only studied it for a short time."

They decided to inform the men immediately but say nothing to the