"But the grass and trees," Thettumir said doubtfully. "They were not here when we began our tour." Kasthel shrugged. "Hidden by the fog, perhaps. I'll have to admit that when I first saw the vegetation, it occurred to me that some omnipotent being overheard our remarks earlier and made them come true. But naturally there has to be a logical explanation." "Naturally," Thettumir muttered. But he was disturbed. He remembered only too well that the ground had been smooth naked rock--and grass does not grow from rock. Aboard the flagship, Thettumir found the men in a state of great excitement. Everyone seemed delighted with the change that had taken place outside. He reflected that it was good for morale and decided that if now they only had the materials for repairs things would almost be perfect. * * * * * The buzzing of the inter-ship communication interrupted him as he filled his smoke-tube in his cabin. It was Rhondu, the chief engineer. "Commander Thettumir, a crewman just found a supply of parts near No. 2 escape port. I've checked my list, and everything we need is there. May I ask where you obtained the parts?" "Obtained...." Thettumir's voice failed him. He leaped from the cabin. It was as Rhondu had said. Several yards from No. 2 escape port, Thettumir found a small gleaming hill of repair materials. Re-entering the ship, Thettumir unleashed a torrent of questions. But, strangely enough, nobody knew where the parts had come from. To add to the confusion, calls by audio beam began coming from the other vessels of the fleet. Men from each had discovered further mounds of much-needed supplies. Thettumir did not try immediately to explain this bewildering turn of events. Like the leader he was, he gave orders that the mysterious supplies were at once to be used in completing repairs. "This materialization of replacements is like a gift from the gods," Thettumir told Kasthel and Sthalor. "Wish I knew how to account for it." "I've thought of mass hallucination," Sthalor said. "But ... well, Rhondu showed me the stuff. It's real enough, all right." Kasthel remained silent. He gazed through the cabin viewport at the rolling expanse of tree-dotted grass beyond, and his yellow orbs were clouded. Thettumir said slowly, "Gift from the gods ... I wonder, Sthalor. We took it for granted that this planet was uninhabited--but suppose it isn't? Suppose that there are creatures here, intelligent, invisible, possessed of such superhuman powers that they can create tangible objects from the nebulous stuff of our thoughts?" Sthalor shrugged uneasily. "Who can say? This is a strange planet. Our standards of true and false, possible and impossible, do not apply here." The inter-ship communicator buzzed. It was Rhondu again.