ubbornly. "The others
feel the same way I do."

Barret stepped forward. Arrogantly and before Connel could stop him, he
began addressing the men. "Listen, you men!" he shouted. "You're being
childish! Why, you built this ship! How can you possibly allow
yourselves to be so stupid as to believe in an idiotic thing like a
jinx. Now, why don't you just get aboard and stop being so ridiculously
superstitious!"

Connel could have reached out with one of his big hands and squeezed
Barret's neck to shut him up. Instead of allaying their fears, which
even he would admit were real enough, the man was creating further
resentment with his attack on their pride as thinking, reasoning men.

"All right, all right!" he bellowed. "That's enough for now, _Mister_
Barret!" He turned to the men and he could tell by the expressions on
their faces that he had lost them. They would not take the ship aloft.
But he had to try.

"Now listen," he growled. "This is a very important project and someone
has been trying to get us to wash out the whole idea. If you don't come
through, he'll succeed. You are the best men in your fields, and if
each of you attend to your particular job, then the ship will blast off
and be a success! Now, how about it?"

He was met with the stony faces of men who were afraid. Nothing he could
say or offer them would get them to take the ship off the ground. He
tried a new tack. "I'm offering you _double wages_!" he roared.

The men were silent.

"Double wages _and_ a bonus!"

Silence.

"All right! Beat it!" he growled. "Don't ever show your faces around
here again!"

Connel turned to Professor Hemmingwell. "I'll see if I can't muster a
crew from the ranks of the Solar Guard," he said.

"Major," said the professor, his face worn and haggard from the long
ordeal of completing the project, "I wouldn't want men _ordered_ to man
this vessel."

"They're in the Solar Guard and they take orders," said Connel.

"No," persisted Hemmingwell. "I will not let a man on that ship that
does not want to go. Remember, Major, it is still my personal property."

"All right," said Connel grimly. "I'll see if I can recruit a crew from
the civilian workers around the Academy."

But Major Connel encountered the same superstitious dread everywhere.
The word had spread that the projectile ship was jinxed. Old tales of
other ships that had gone out into space, never to be heard of again,
were recalled, and the men found instan