"Sir, Mr. Milton says he thinks he can land us but he can't promise exactly where." "Tell Mr. Milton that's good enough." Captain Webber waited for the young man to leave, then looked again into the glass. "What do you make of it, sir?" "Not much, Friden, not much. It's a city and that's an asteroid; but how the devil they got there is beyond me. I still haven't left the idea that we're crazy, you know." Mr. Friden looked. "We're positioning to land. Strange--" "What is it?" "I can make things out a bit more clearly now, sir. Those are earth houses." Captain Webber looked. He blinked. "Now, _that_," he said, "_is_ impossible. Look here, we've been floating about in space for--how long is it?" "Three months, sir." "Exactly. For three months we've been bobbling aimlessly, millions of miles from earth. No hope, no hope whatever. And now we're landing in a city just like the one we first left, or almost like it. Friden, I ask you, does that make any sense at all?" "No, sir." "And does it seem logical that there should be an asteroid where no asteroid should be?" "It does not." They stared at the glass, by turns. "Do you see that, Friden?" "I'm afraid so, sir." "A lake. A lake and a house by it and trees ... tell me, how many of us are left?" Mr. Friden held up his right hand and began unbending fingers. "Yourself, sir, and myself; Lieutenant Peterson, Mr. Chitterwick, Mr. Goeblin, Mr. Milton and...." "Great scott, out of thirty men?" "You know how it was, sir. That business with the Martians and then, our own difficulties--" "Yes. Our own difficulties. Isn't it ironic, somehow, Friden? We band together and fly away from war and, no sooner are we off the earth but we begin other wars.... I've often felt that if Appleton hadn't been so aggressive with that gun we would never have been kicked off Mars. And why did we have to laugh at them? Oh, I'm afraid I haven't been a very successful captain." "You're in a mood, sir." "Am I? I suppose I am. Look! There's a farm, an actual farm!" "Not really!" "Why, I haven't seen one for twenty years." The door flew open and Lieutenant Peterson came in, panting. "Mr. Milton checked off every instruction, sir, and we're going down now." "He's sure there's enough fuel left for the brake?" "He thinks so, sir." "Lieutenant Peterson." "Yes sir?" "Come look into this glass, will you." The young man looked. "What do you see?" "A lot of strange creatures, sir. Are they dangerous? Should we prepare our weapons?" "How old are you, Lieutenant?" "Nineteen, Captain Webber." "You have just seen a herd of cows, for the most part--" Captain Webber squinted and twirled knobs "--Holsteins." "Holsteins, sir?" "You may go. Oh, you might tell the others to prepare for a crash landing. Straps and all that." The young man smiled faintly and left. "I'm a little frightened, Friden; I think I'll go to my cabin. Take charge and have them wait for my orders."