Terry nodded. He was not exactly absorbed in what Davis had to say. But he said suddenly, "I make a guess. They didn't want to start a colony here. The sea-bottom here is too cold to be comfortable for the beings from Venus, and far too hot to suit those from Jupiter. But both needed terrific pressure. In order to keep contact with each other, in order to do business, they could have set up a trading post here. To meet and trade. Neither one could take over the earth. When you think of it, we couldn't take over Venus or Jupiter! Maybe that's the answer!" "Eh?" said Davis. "We won't have to fight as planets," said Terry, "when we have space-ships like they do. We couldn't gain anything by fighting. All we can gain by is trade. They'll be pleased. It must have been horribly inconvenient to have to set up a trading post here on earth. There were always the natives, you know. Lately, they've noticed that we've been getting restless. We have been. I imagine that now they'll wait for us to make space-ships and start up interplanetary trade." Davis said, "Very true. There's going to be the devil of a mess, though. Morton will still have to explain the accuracy of his prediction about the bolides' landings. I suspect he'll be censured for assuming anything as unlikely as the truth has turned out to be." Terry did not answer. Deirdre was saying something, and he did not hear at all. "There are still loose ends," added Davis. "For instance, how do you suppose they controlled those squids down below? What did they use for eyesight? How the devil would Jovians and Venusians agree on a meeting place in our oceans?" Terry answered what Deirdre'd said. She smiled at him. They'd forgotten that Davis was there. End of Project Gutenberg's Creatures of the Abyss, by Murray Leinster