he crew a first-class pep talk. There'll
be no stampeding while I'm in command here."

He turned to the radio operator. "Tune in the control room. Tell the
captain I want every member of the crew lined up on this screen
immediately."

The face in the visiplate paled. "I can't do that, sir. Ship's
regulations--"

Lawton transfixed the operator with an irate stare. "The captain told
you to report directly to me, didn't he?"

"Yes sir, but--"

"If you don't want to be cashiered, _snap into it_."

"Yes--yessir."

The captain's startled face preceded the duty-muster visiview by a full
minute, seeming to project outward from the screen. The veins on his
neck were thick blue cords.

"Dave," he croaked. "Are you out of your mind? What good will talking do
_now_?"

"Are the men lined up?" Lawton rapped, impatiently.

Forrester nodded. "They're all in the engine room, Dave."

"Good. Block them in."

The captain's face receded, and a scene of tragic horror filled the
opalescent visiplate. The men were not standing at attention at all.
They were slumping against the Perseus' central charging plant in
attitudes of abject despair.

* * * * *

Madness burned in the eyes of three or four of them. Others had torn
open their shirts, and raked their flesh with their nails. Petty officer
Caldwell was standing as straight as a totem pole, clenching and
unclenching his hands. The second assistant engineer was sticking out
his tongue. His face was deadpan, which made what was obviously a terror
reflex look like an idiot's grimace.

Lawton moistened his lips. "Men, listen to me. There is some sort of
plant outside that is giving off deliriant fumes. A few of us seem to be
immune to it.

"I'm not immune, but I'm fighting it, and all of you boys can fight it
too. I want you to fight it to the top of your courage. You can fight
_anything_ when you know that just around the corner is freedom from a
beastliness that deserves to be licked--even if it's only a plant.

"Men, we're blasting our way free. The bubble's wearing thin. Any minute
now the plants beneath us may fall with a soggy plop into the Atlantic
Ocean.

"I want every man jack aboard this ship to stand at his post and obey
orders. Right this minute you look like something the cat dragged in.
But most men who cover themselves with glory start off looking even
worse than you do."

He smiled wryly.

"I guess that's all. I'