I said, "Listen, Biggs--your theory is no good. _Clab_ and _mekel_ have to be kept in a cool, dry atmosphere or they rot. As a matter of fact, they _are_ rotten! That's why the captain and I came down here--to investigate the smell. If you weren't wearing a bulger you'd notice it yourself." "Smell?" said Biggs. "Why, now, come to think of it, I have noticed a curious odor about the ship from time to time. But I thought it was rats!" Rats! On a space ship! Imagine! That was the last straw for Hanson. He'd been trying, and trying hard. But now he exploded. "Biggs!" he roared, "You've ruined this cargo! Now you're relieved from your command! But before you report to your quarters, I want every bit of this mess cleaned up. And I mean every last bit, understand? Junk it! Clear it out!" Biggs faltered, "B-but, Captain, I only tried to--" "You heard me!" The skipper wheeled, fiery with wrath, and strode to the doorway. I hurried after him. I whispered in his ear, "Take it easy, Captain. He's the vice-president's nephew. Maybe you ought to go slow!" "Slow?" groaned the skipper. "A fifty thousand dollar cargo ruined--and you tell me to go slow? I'll see that idiotic son-of-a-space-wrangler fryin' in chaos. I'll blast him out of space if I'm blacklisted for it!" I said nothing more. What was there to say? Fifty thousand bucks worth of cargo rotting in the hold. The Board would love that! * * * * * That was all until the next morning. The next morning I was on the bridge when Captain Hanson had a visitor. Garrity, the Chief Engineer. Garrity _never_ came to the bridge. So I knew, the minute I saw him, that something was vitally wrong. It was. Garrity's first words made that clear. He glared at the skipper accusingly from eyes that were still faintly purpled. "Captain Hanson," he exploded. "Would you be so kind as to tell me where I can find my Forenzi jars?" Hanson said, "Forenzi jars? What are you talking about, Chief?" "You'll be knowing what a Forenzi jar is, no doubt?" said Garrity caustically. "'Tis a lead container for battery solution. Yesterday there were thirty of them in the storeroom. Today there are only a half dozen left!" Hanson said pettishly, "Now, Chief, be kind enough to conduct your own search for the jars. I don't know anything about them. If you can't watch your own equipment, don't complain to _me_ about it!" "I'm complaining to you, sir," said the Chief, "for the verra simple reason that 'twas one of your men who removed them from the locker. Your third mate, Mister Biggs!" "Biggs!" said Hanson. "Biggs!" His face reddened. He walked to the intercommunication unit, jabbed the button that connected with Biggs' quarters. "Mr. Biggs?" he yelped, "Chief Garrity is up here in the turret asking about twenty-four lead containers that disappeared strangely from his equipment locker. Do you know anything about--"