an a few splinters adding color. But I could see
your manly beauty wasn't gone forever. We pried you loose from the
rocket and stretched you out on the lawn. Your pulse was pretty good and
you were breathing steadily, so we gave you a few whiffs of oxygen from
Scotty's tank for good luck."

Rick could appreciate how worried his friends must have been in spite of
their half-humorous report.

"Lefty spoke up," Steve continued. "It was the only time he spoke. He's
said nothing since. He said, 'There's a first-aid kit in the kitchen.'
We got it, and went to work on you. Of course we put in a call to the
police, and asked for an ambulance. Joe Vitalli kept a watch on the
crowd and Chuck went into the barn while we pulled splinters out of you.
He found Orvil, and he also found Lincoln Harris."

"I remember meeting him," Rick nodded. "I was too groggy to be
surprised."

"He was okay. They hadn't mistreated him. Link said he had gone up the
creek just in time to see them launch a balloon with a rocket on it, and
they got the drop on him with rifles, then grabbed him. His curiosity
got the better of him. He'd heard about the people at Calvert's Favor
and decided to take a look, the waterways being free to all navigators.
Orvil had a bump on his head, but otherwise was all right. Lefty hasn't
talked, but I suspect he had plans for their release, once he was safely
out of the country."

"Where is Lefty?" Rick asked.

"He and his friends are in the local jail. You know, Lefty is a chump.
But he's also an excellent example of what happens to people when they
start operating in unfamiliar fields."

"Why is he a chump?" Rick demanded.

"Because every bit of data he went to so much trouble to collect was his
for the asking, if he'd only waited until it was processed."

The light dawned. Rick knew at once what Steve meant. "That's what was
trying to get to the surface in this addled brain of mine last night. Of
course! Wallops Island is an unclassified launch site. Everything about
the launchings is reported in scientific publications! But, Steve, the
Soviet Embassy was interested in buying the stuff!"

Steve chuckled. "Sure, but not for a very high price, I suspect. The
Reds are so suspicious they can't believe that a country like the United
States can afford to give away data. They'd buy the tapes just to make
sure we weren't holding back information they could use."

"Even a casual investigation would have told Lefty the