ing else in the room, for it
flew over to the secretary's desk and alighted on it. It hopped up to
her electro-writer.

That was too much. The girl rushed over, waving her hands. "Shoo!" she
scolded. "Get off my desk, you crazy creature!"

But Admiral Hawarden was no fool. This was far beyond any experience he
had ever had, but there was such a purposefulness in the bird's actions,
strange and unusual though they were, that he felt this little drama
should be played out without interruption.

"Leave it alone!" he commanded sharply in a tone that startled her, so
different was it from his usual polite manner.

Looking at him in astonishment, she stepped back, and watched with him
this unprecedented action.

With its foot Hanlon made the bird throw the little switch that
activated the writing mechanism, and then with its beak began pecking at
the keys. Luckily there was paper in the machine, a letter she had not
finished. The admiral stepped up to where he could see, but waved the
girl back when she started to follow. It seemed impossible that the bird
could write anything sensible ... but the admiral was beginning to be
not too sure of that.

His eyes opened wide with surprise as he saw the letters appear one by
one on the paper:

a n d r m a 7

No longer did he doubt. How it was possible, the future might tell. But
he did know the significance and the urgency of that message. He ripped
the paper from the machine and pocketed it, then jumped to his desk and
flipped the intercom switch.

"Captain Jessup! A company of marines, in full armor and all weapons, at
the main gate in trucks in two minutes. _Hipe!_"

He ran to a cabinet in one corner of the room and threw open the door.
"Come and help me!" he commanded the astonished girl, dragging his own
long-unused space armor out and starting to climb into it. With her help
he was completely encased in the minute, and was strapping on his
weapons. "You can go home now," he told her.

He turned to the desk where the bird was watching with its beady eyes,
and held out his arm curved at the elbow. With a quick swish of wings
the pigeon launched itself toward the suited figure and rested on the
out-stretched wrist.

The admiral plunged through the door and into the hall, where his
private elevator waited. "Ground!" he yelled, and the bird was lifted
from his wrist by the sudden plunging descent, but fluttered back and
rode that wrist as the admiral dashed out of th