Southeast a long narrow spur of rock rose and crawled over the floor of the crater for several miles before it dipped again into its ashy bed. Crag calculated that a beeline to Bandit would just about skirt the southeast end of the spur. Another rock formation dominated the middle-expanse of the plain to the south. It rose, curving over the crater floor like the spinal column of some gigantic lizard--a great crescent with its horns pointed toward their present position. Prochaska promptly dubbed it "Backbone Ridge," a name that stuck. Crag suddenly remembered what he had to do, and coughed meaningfully into his lip mike. The group fell silent. He faced the distant northern cliffs and began to speak: "I, Adam Crag, by the authority vested in me by the Government of the United States of America, do hereby claim this land, and all the lands of the moon, as legal territory of the United States of America, to be a dominion of the United States of America, subject to its Government and laws." When he finished, he was quiet for a minute. "For the record, this is Pickering Field. I think he'd like that," he added. There was a lump in his throat. Prochaska said quietly, "Gotch will like it, too. Hadn't we better record that and transmit it to Alpine?" "It's already recorded." Crag grinned. "All but the Pickering Field part. Gotch wrote it out himself." "Confident bastard." Larkwell smiled. "He had a lot more faith than I did." "Especially the way you brought that stovepipe down," Nagel interjected. There was a moment of startled silence. Prochaska said coldly. "I hope you do your job as well." Nagel looked provocatively at him but didn't reply. Larkwell had been studying the terrain. "Wish Able had made it," he said wistfully. "I'd like to get started on that airlock. It's going to be a honey to build." "Amen." Crag swept his eyes over the ashy surface. "The scientists figure that falling meteorites may be our biggest hazard." "Not if we follow the plan of building our airlock in a rill," Larkwell interjected. "Then the only danger would be from stuff coming straight down." "Agreed. But the fact remains that we lost Able. We'll have to chance living in the Aztec until Drone Baker arrives." "If it makes it." "It'll make it," Crag answered with certainty. Their safe landing had boosted his confidence. They'd land Baker and Charlie, in that order, he thought. They'd locate a shallow rill; then they'd build an airlock to protect them against chance meteorites. That's the way they'd do it; one ... two ... three.... "We've got it whipped," Prochaska observed, but his voice didn't hold the certainty of his words. Crag said, "I was wondering if we couldn't assess the danger. It might not be so great...." "How?" Prochaska asked curiously.