him, study
him, free him. Then it will be his problem to free his race. If you are
very lucky, you may still be alive at that time."

"And if he never reaches--"

"You will never know. Are you ready?"

Phil looked desperately at the setting sun and the long, long shadows,
as though he were a doomed man awaiting execution.

"Get on with it," he said huskily.

* * * * *

Very little happened. There was a small lapse of time during which
an observer would have seen certain lines of tension vanish almost
magically from the man's face--might even have thought that some
years seemed to drop from his age. Presently the man roused himself,
stretching with the careless vigor of a youth as he experienced a serene
peace of mind that he had not known since he was very young indeed. He
glanced casually at the boy seated near him--a boy who looked at the
world with an air of fleeting puzzlement--then dropped on his knees and
cradled an ugly, grizzled head in his arms. A last flicker enlivened the
eyes and a dry tongue touched his hand just once.

That was all.

THE END

[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Astounding Science
Fiction October 1955. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence
that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]

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