And he was past anger now. What they had done to him they had done through hate and fear. Only hate and fear could conceive of so fantastic a torture for a fellow being. There was no satisfaction now in the knowledge that they had feared him; nor did he care about their hate.... They had won. They would have their way, and all the people of the Loten would suffer in consequence.... Loten! A wave of sick loneliness swept over him.... A point in the sky, obscured by a weird curtain of blue--his home! * * * * * Certainly, no man had ever suffered thus! A surge of self-pity welled up within him. Certainly no being had ever been forced to long for the world--the globe which gave it birth! This horror was reserved for him alone.... He clenched his fists. Reason returned to rescue him from emotion. Loten did not exist for him. He was outside of the world--a tiny flame of consciousness in space. And what did that amount to, after all, he asked himself.... What, but Death?... For a long time he lay there in the sand, quite motionless. The sun was sinking. Its blazing heat was abating somewhat; its face was large, and red. For miles, across the surface of the sand, the shadows of the dunes were stretching out.... And out of the sunset a tiny speck of black appeared. Where he lay the man heard the sound of it--a steady drone, or buzz. At first it did not catch his attention, its inception was so gradual; but soon it became a roar, and he opened his eyes with a start. He had heard no sound since the departure of the space ship--had expected none. An uneasy excitement gripped him. He strained his eyes upward.... Suddenly, over the dune against which he lay, there shot a something, roaring thunderously. He cowered down, stunned by the terrific sound of it; but he watched it with wide eyes, as it moved across the sky. It was T-shaped; with the cross-piece going before. Beneath it hung two wheels. It gleamed metallically. Without attempting to rise, he howled shrilly, time after time, catching his breath in gasps--while the thing moved steadily away. Following an undeviating line, it left him far behind, diminished to a speck, and disappeared. The sound of it lingered when he could see it no longer. His breath came quickly, spasmodically, through parted lips; his throat was tight, and his heart pounded. The staggering surprise of what he had seen and heard left him incapable of thought. His mind was a racing turmoil of questions. His contentment, his resignation were gone--destroyed in a moment; and in their place rose a great uneasiness. The return of Hope, to a man who has definitely put it away from him, is a joy closely akin to pain in its intensity. His whole body shook as he struggled with the sand, attempting to rise.