ed, he
reached up and cut down the valve that fed oxygen into his suit.

Then, of his own will, he went cataleptic.

* * * * *

A single note, sounded by the instruments in the case by his side, woke
him instantly. He came fully awake, as he had commanded himself to do.

Immediately, he turned up his oxygen intake, at the same time glancing at
the clock dial in his helmet. He smiled. Nineteen days and seven hours. He
had calculated it almost precisely. He wasn't more than an hour off, which
was pretty good, all things considered.

He consulted his instruments again. The supply ship was ten minutes away.
The smile stayed on his face as he prepared for further action.

The first two minutes were conscientiously spent in inhaling oxygen. Even
under the best cataleptic conditions, the body tended to slow down too
much. He had to get himself prepared for violent movement.

Eight minutes left. He climbed out of the little grotto where he had
concealed himself and moved toward the spot where he knew the air lock to
the caverns underneath the planetoid's surface was hidden. Then again, he
concealed himself and waited, while he continued to breathe deeply of the
highly oxygenated air in his suit. Five minutes before the ship landed, he
swallowed eight ounces of the nutrient solution from the tank in the back
of his helmet. The solution of amino acids, vitamins, and honey sugar also
contained a small amount of stimulant of the dexedrine type and one per
cent ethanol. Then he unholstered his gun.

It wasn't a big ship. He had known it wouldn't be. It was only a little
larger than the one he had used to come here. It dropped down to the
surface of the small planetoid only ten meters from the hidden trapdoor
that led to the air lock beneath the surface.

He could suddenly hear voices in the earphones of his helmet.

_Lasser?_

_It's me, Fritz. I got your supplies and good news._

The air lock trapdoor opened, and a spacesuited figure came out. _How
about the deal?_

_That's the good news,_ said the second suited figure as it came from the
air lock of the grounded spaceboat. _Another five million._

The man who was hidden behind the nearby crag of rock listened and watched
for a minute or so more while the two men began unloading cases of
foodstuffs from the spaceboat. Then, satisfied that it was perfectly safe,
he aimed his gun and shot twice in rapid succession. The range was almost
po