ct again, and with giant strides bounded along the
cliff. Fantastic figure in the blue-lit gloom! A child's dream of crags
and rocks and strange lights with a single monstrous figure in
seven-league boots.

He went the length of the ledge with his twenty-foot strides, inspected
the lights, and made adjustments. Came back, and climbed with agile,
bounding leaps up the spider ladder to the dome on the crater top. A
light flashed on up there. Then it was extinguished.

The goggled, bloated figure came leaping down after a moment.
Grantline's exterior watchman making his rounds. He came back to the
main building. Fastened the weights on his shoes. Signaled within.

The lock opened. The figure went inside.

It was early evening, after the dinner hour and before the time of
sleep, according to the camp routine Grantline was maintaining. Nine P.
M. of Earth Eastern-American time, recorded now upon his Earth
chronometer. In the living room of the main building Johnny Grantline
sat with a dozen of his men dispersed about the room, whiling away as
best they could the lonesome hours.

[E] Within the Grantline buildings it was found more convenient to use a
gravity normal to Earth. This was maintained by the wearing of
metal-weighted shoes and metal-loaded belt. The Moon-gravity is normally
approximately one-sixth the gravity of Earth.

* * * * *

"All as usual. This cursed Moon! When I get home--if ever I do get
home--"

"Say your say, Wilks. But you'll spend your share of the gold-leaf and
thank your constellations that you had your chance!"

"Let him alone! Come on, Wilks, take a hand here. This game is no good
with three."

The man who had been outside flung his hissing helmet recklessly to the
floor and unsealed his suit. "Here, get me out of this. No, I won't
play. I can't play your cursed game with nothing at stake!"

"Commissioner's orders."

A laugh went up at the sharp look Johnny Grantline flung from where he
sat reading in a corner of the room.

"Commander's orders. No gambling gold-leafers tolerated here."

"Play the game, Wilks." Grantline said quietly. "We all know it's
infernal doing nothing."

"He's been struck by Earth-light," another man laughed. "Commander, I
told you not to let that guy Wilks out at night."

* * * * *

A rough but good-natured lot of men. Jolly and raucous by nature in
their leisure hours. But there wa