months on Venus a while back," said Arcot, "studying with
one of their foremost telepathists. Actually, most of that time was
spent on theory; learning how to do it isn't a difficult proposition. It
just takes practice.

"The whole secret is that everyone has the power; it's a very ancient
power in the human brain, and most of the lower animals possess it to a
greater degree than do humans. When Man developed language, it gave his
thoughts more concreteness and permitted a freer and more clearly
conceived type of thinking. The result was that telepathy fell into
disuse.

"I'm going to show you how to do it because it will be invaluable if we
meet a strange race. By projecting pictures and concepts, you can
dispense with going to the trouble of learning the language.

"After you learn the basics, all you'll need is practice, but watch
yourself! Too much practice can give you the great-granddaddy of all
headaches! Okay, now to begin with ..."

Arcot spent the rest of the evening teaching them the Venerian system of
telepathy.

* * * * *

They all rose at nine. Arcot got up first, and the others found it
expedient to follow his example shortly thereafter. He had brought a
large Tesla coil into the bedroom from the lab and succeeded in inducing
sufficient voltage in the bedsprings to make very effective, though
harmless, sparks.

"Come on, boys, hit the deck! Wade, as chief chemist, you are to
synthesize a little coffee and heat-treat a few eggs for us. We have
work ahead today! Rise and shine!" He didn't shut off the coil until he
was assured that each of them had gotten a considerable distance from
his bed.

"Ouch!" yelled Morey. "Okay! Shut it off! I want to get my pants! We're
all up! You win!"

After breakfast, they all went into the room they used as a calculating
room. Here they had two different types of integraph calculators and
plenty of paper and equipment to do their own calculations and draw
graphs.

"To begin with," said Fuller, "let's decide what shape we want to use.
As designer, I'd like to point out that a sphere is the strongest, a
cube easiest to build, and a torpedo shape the most efficient
aerodynamically. However, we intend to use it in space, not air.

"And remember, we'll need it more as a home than as a ship during the
greater part of the trip."

"We might need an aerodynamically stable hull," Wade interjected. "It
came in mighty handy on Venus. They'