* * * * *

As they exchanged clothes, Plato was almost feverish with excitement.
But he knew that if he expected to get past the guard, he would have to
control himself. The clothes didn't fit too well, even though the
messenger was small, and he must do nothing that would arouse the
guard's suspicion.

He said to the messenger, "Gee, thanks. You don't know how much this
means to me." And then, with a mental grip on himself so tense that it
hurt physically, he approached the guard, and said casually, "Earth
'gram for Captain Halverson."

The guard hardly looked at him. He was past the gate!

He had been tricky again. Once out of sight of the guard, he made not
for the _Space Symphony_, but for the _Long Ranger_, bound for
Aldebaran.

"Earth 'gram for Captain Brinjar," he muttered, doing his best to look
bored, as if delivering 'grams to ships was an old thing to him. And
then he was aboard!

It was not quite what he expected. The smooth walls were such as he
might have found in his own dormitory. The quarters, he saw, were
cramped, although for someone his size they were at least adequate. And
the passageways, although brilliantly lighted, were mere narrow tunnels.

From the main passageway, other tunnels branched off bewilderingly, and
Plato hesitated until he realized that his very confusion gave him an
excuse for poking his nose into all sorts of places. He followed one of
the tunnels until he came to a door: ENGINE ROOM--KEEP OUT.

He entered. A mechanic looked up.

"Earth 'gram for Captain Brinjar. They said he was around here."

"Not here," replied the mechanic. "Try the cargo hold."

Plato backed out and set off down the corridor again, noting the
direction arrows and signs. TO MAIN LOUNGE--no good. TO CAPTAIN'S
CABIN--worse. He didn't want to find the captain and lose his excuse for
being there.

And then he saw TO FOOD STORAGE and knew that he need look no further.
This was a place both to hide and to eat, until the ship took off, and
the crew found him, and had to accept him as one of themselves.

He opened the door to the food storage hold with an elaborate caution
that turned out to be unnecessary. There was no one inside. He settled
down between two packing cases and let out his breath. He had made it.
He had stowed away successfully, and in a few hours he would be out in
space, traveling between the stars, fighting, adventuring--

A yawn almost wiped the smile