s, maybe fifty. If
the population couldn't be thinned out one way by then, it would have to
be done by another.

* * * * *

For six years, now, Rod had worked on the job of establishing a
self-supporting colony on Venus. Three different colonies had been
started, and each had died out in less than two years. Resignations
would come in slowly at first, and then in a rush, until only twenty or
thirty people would be left, of which the majority would be short-term
scientific teams. By the terms of the colonists' contracts no man could
be left on Venus more than a month after his resignation; so the bulk of
two colonies had simply had to be shipped back to Earth, and plans made
for another try.

And now the third colony was quitting, rushing home, leaving nothing on
the jungle planet but a few small clearings soon to be taken over by the
vegetation.

Several times in the last year Rod had thought of volunteering himself;
but he knew it for a futile gesture. He wasn't five hundred men. He
didn't even have the special skills or physique that were needed.

His gloomy thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the men.

Biddington was first. Then in twos and threes came the interviewers, all
looking like the home team at the half, three touchdowns behind and just
waiting for their coach.

If psychologists made good colonists, Rod thought, here would be a dozen
more volunteers.

The arrival of Homer Jaimison brought the only cheerful face in the
group. The project historian was a young man, just over thirty, and
considerably over six feet. He wore the expression of a man who is
itching to do something. Jaimie had never really been busy yet on the
project--the colonies had died out so quickly that his work had been
mostly clerical, and he'd had to fill in time as best he could. So far
he had done it making up improbable contests of skill for drinks, with
such a weird assortment of shifting rules and scoring that he hadn't
paid for a drink since his arrival. He made a valuable contribution to
the project, however, since he helped to keep the group's minds off
their troubles a part of the time.

Rod genuinely liked Jaimie, and expected to miss him strongly when Venus
became self-supporting to the point where the historian would have to
complete his work in residence.

* * * * *

When they were all seated, Rod leaned against his desk and said, "I can
see y