At dinner time, Dick came into the house slowly, a thoughtful look in his eyes. When they were seated he said, suddenly, "Have any of you seen the Wilkes lately?" Grampaw said, "I seen Old Man Wilkes. He was pitchforkin' land down by our south forty, oney on the opposite side o' the river. Fat ol' sinner. I chucked a rock at 'im!" Bobby looked interested. "You hit him, Grampaw?" "I don't never miss. In the right leg." "I bet he hollered." Grampaw sucked his upper plate fiercely. "Nary a holler, durn him! He jist pulled up his pants-leg and made a face at me. _De_-crepit ol' fool's got a wooden leg!" Pop said, "Why did you ask, Richard?" "I was wondering if any of you had noticed what I did." "What do you mean?" Dick started to answer, stopped, rose. "Come," he said. "It's dark. I'll show you." They followed him out to the porch. From there the Wilkes settlement could not ordinarily be seen. Which is why, as they stood there, one and all gasped astonishment. The thick, black Erosian night lay heavy about them everywhere except in the direction of the Wilkes' new home. There it was light; startlingly, dazzlingly, brilliantly gay and bright! Like a great white dawn on the river's edge. "Power!" cried Pop. "Atomic power! They must have a hypatomic!" "They never said they hadn't. They told us their spaceship cracked up; we just took it for granted that since we hadn't been able to salvage our hypatomic, neither could they." Bobby said wonderingly, "Gee, Pop, it looks like at home, doesn't it? I forgot lights were so bright." Pop said, "I'm afraid we've underestimated our competitors, son. If they have power, they can accomplish all we have, and more! And in one-tenth the time." "That's just," said Dick slowly, "what I'm afraid of. There's only one answer to this challenge. I've _got_ to get our hypatomic from the _Cuchulainn_. And quickly." "But you said--" "I know what I said. But I also know what they can do. In three days they can have a house ... a fine, big, plastic house that will make our hand-hewn log cabin look like a cowshed. They'll have electricity, fuel, running water, all the things we've had to do without. When the inspectors see their house and compare it with ours--Mom--get me my bulger. I'm leaving for the north shore." "Tonight, Richard?" "Immediately." Pop said, "And Bobby and I will go with you." * * * * * They were there before morning. The A shore looked much as Bobby remembered it, except that now there was a raft there; the craft which Dick had used to float out to the sunken ship on previous visits. The three of them boarded this, paddled out to the bobbing buoy that marked the _Cuchulainn's_ watery resting-place. Dick donned his bulger, weighted his boots, and went below. The sun rose higher in the east. After a while, green wavelets rolled and Dick was up again.