o decide whether he had enough strength
left to strangle Hellman.

"For example," Hellman said, "what kind of vehicle would be used in a
place like this? Not one with wheels, since everything is up and down.
Anti-gravity? Perhaps, but what _kind_ of anti-gravity? And why did
the inhabitants devise a boxlike form instead--"

Casker decided sadly that he didn't have enough strength to strangle
Hellman, no matter how pleasant it might be. Very quietly, he said,
"Kindly stop making like a scientist. Let's see if there isn't
_something_ we can gulp down."

"All right," Hellman said sulkily.

* * * * *

Casker watched his partner wander off among the cans, bottles and
cases. He wondered vaguely where Hellman got the energy, and decided
that he was just too cerebral to know when he was starving.

"Here's something," Hellman called out, standing in front of a large
yellow vat.

"What does it say?" Casker asked.

"Little bit hard to translate. But rendered freely, it reads:
MORISHILLE'S VOOZY, WITH LACTO-ECTO ADDED FOR A NEW TASTE SENSATION.
EVERYONE DRINKS VOOZY. GOOD BEFORE AND AFTER MEALS, NO UNPLEASANT
AFTER-EFFECTS. GOOD FOR CHILDREN! THE DRINK OF THE UNIVERSE!"

"That sounds good," Casker admitted, thinking that Hellman might not
be so stupid after all.

"This should tell us once and for all if their meat _is_ our meat,"
Hellman said. "This Voozy seems to be the closest thing to a universal
drink I've found yet."

"Maybe," Casker said hopefully, "maybe it's just plain water!"

"We'll see." Hellman pried open the lid with the edge of the burner.

Within the vat was a crystal-clear liquid.

"No odor," Casker said, bending over the vat.

The crystal liquid lifted to meet him.

Casker retreated so rapidly that he fell over a box. Hellman helped
him to his feet, and they approached the vat again. As they came near,
the liquid lifted itself three feet into the air and moved toward
them.

"What've you done now?" Casker asked, moving back carefully. The
liquid flowed slowly over the side of the vat. It began to flow toward
him.

"Hellman!" Casker shrieked.

Hellman was standing to one side, perspiration pouring down his face,
reading his dictionary with a preoccupied frown.

"Guess I bumbled the translation," he said.

"Do something!" Casker shouted. The liquid was trying to back him into
a corner.

"Nothing I can do," Hellman said, reading on. "Ah, here's the error.
It