something he could never quite forget, but from the way
he looks at us we might almost be Space Force personnel,--low-grade of
course but respectable.

Everything is at last worked out and he has it on paper in front of
him; he puts the paper four square on the table, gazes into the middle
distance and proceeds to recite.

"One. This ship will go off Mass-Time on 2nd August at 11.27 hours
ship's time....

"Thirty-six hours from now.

"... At a point one thousand miles vertically above Co-ordinates
165OE, 7320S, on Planet Incognita, approximately one hour before
midnight local time.

"Going on planetary drive as close as that will indicate that
something is badly wrong to begin with.

"Two. This ship will descend, coupled to _Gilgamesh_ as at present, to
a point seventy miles above the planetary surface. It will then
uncouple, discharge one hopper, and go back on Mass-Time. Estimated
time for this stage of descent forty minutes.

"Three. The hopper will then descend on its own engines at the maximum
speed allowed by the heat-disposal system; estimated at thirty-seven
minutes. _Gilgamesh_ will complete descent in thirty-three minutes.
Engines of _Gilgamesh_ will not be used except for the heat-disposal
and gyro auxiliaries. The following installations have been made to
allow for the control of the descent; a ring of eight rockets in
peltathene mounts around the tail and, and one outsize antigrav unit
inside the nose. "Sympathizer" controls hooked up with a visiscreen
and a computer have also been installed in the nose.

"Four. _Gilgamesh_ will carry one man only. The hopper will carry a
crew of three. The pilot of _Gilgamesh_ will establish the ship on the
edge of the cliff, supported on antigrav a foot or so above the ground
and leaning towards the sea at an angle of approximately 20 deg. with the
vertical. Except for this landing will be automatic.

"Five."

The colonel's voice has lulled us into passive acceptance; now we are
jerked into sharper attention by the faintest possible check in it.

"The greatest danger attaching to the expedition is that the
Incognitans may discover that the crash has been faked. This would be
inevitable if they were to capture (a) the hopper; (b) any of the new
installations in Gilgamesh, especially the antigrav; (c) any member of
the crew.

"The function of the hopper is to pick up the pilot of _Gilgamesh_ and
also to check that ground appearances are consistent. If not,