eez--a whole bushel. Let's see how many you can eat, Neely.... Damned
if this ain't gonna be rich! Don't let us down, Neely! Nobody's hurtin'
yuh. All you have to do is eat--all them nice tamadas.... Hey, Neely--if
that bushel ain't enough for you, I'll personally buy you another, at
the reg'lar price. Haw-haw-haw.... Lucky Neely! Look at him! Having a
swell banquet. Better than if he was home.... Haw-haw-haw.... Come on,
Pun'kins--make him eat!..."

Yeah, under certain conditions human nature can be pretty fickle.
Wonderingly, John Endlich felt himself to be respected--the Top Man. The
guy who had shown courage and ingenuity, and was winning, by the harsh
code of men who had been roughened and soured by space--by life among
the asteroids.

* * * * *

For a little while then, he had to be hard. He thrust another tomato
toward Neely, at the same time directing a thin stream from the
blaster just past the big nose. Neely ate six more tomatoes with a will,
his eyes popping, sweat streaming down his forehead.

Endlich's next blaster-stream barely missed Neely's booted toe. The
persuasive shot was worth fifty-five more dollars in garden fruit
consumed. The crowd gave with mock cheers and bravos, and demanded more
action.

"That makes thirty-two.... Come on, Neely--that's just a good start. You
got a long, long ways to go.... Come on, Pun'kins--bet you can stuff
fifty into him...."

To goad Neely on in this ludicrous and savage game, Endlich next just
scorched the metal at Neely's shoulder. It isn't to be said that Endlich
didn't enjoy his revenge--for all the anguish and real danger that Neely
had caused him. But as this fierce yet childish sport went on, and the
going turned really rough for the big asteroid miner, Endlich's anger
began to be mixed with self-disgust. He'd always be a hot-tempered guy;
he couldn't help that. But now, satisfaction, and a hopeful glimpse of
peace ahead, burned the fury out of him and touched him with shame.
Still, for a little more, he had to go on. Again and again, as before,
he used that blaster. But, as he did so, he talked, ramblingly, knowing
that the audience, too, would hear what he said. Maybe, in a way, it was
a lecture; but he couldn't help that:

"Have another tomato, Neely. Sorry to do things like this--but it's your
own way. So why should you complain? Funny, ain't it? A man can get even
too many tomatoes. Civilized tomatoes. Part of somethin