Their mother came in just then. "I thought it felt like we had landed. What are you going to do here?" She glanced out of the port. "We have to lay out a townsite," Jon answered, and at her astonished look he explained. She shook her head admiringly and with surprise. "You boys continually amaze me--you seem able to do anything." Jon shrugged that off. "When a thing has to be done, a fellow usually can figure out some way of doing it." "Besides," Jak grinned, "we're like those old chaps on Terra who used to say, 'The difficult we do immediately, the impossible takes a little longer.'" They left her then and hurried out of the ship. Even though they felt there could be no possible danger here--they could see for miles in every direction, and noticed nothing moving--they were wise enough from experience to carry their rifles slung across their backs, and wore bandoliers of ammunition. In addition, both carried tools and what equipment they felt might be needed. Once outside, they ran first to the river, and tested the water. It was fresh and clear, and they knew this would be a good source of water for their proposed city ... until men might pollute it with their garbage and wastes. "Got your pedometer?" Jak asked. "Sure, right here in my coverall pocket. Why?" "I suggest this would be a good place for the center of the town's north side...." "Yes, here by the riverbank would...." "I'll go east and you go west a half mile each, then we'll set our corner stakes." "Then we'll both walk south a mile and set those, and have the four corners done. Sometimes, Owl, I have to give you credit for having brains." "Wish I could say the same about you." Jak reached out and gave his brother a friendly shove. "Get going, Stupe. And when we start south, be sure you keep your line straight." "Look who's yelping. Mine'll be as plumb as yours--probably more so, because I'm a better plumber than you are." Jon started his pacing, while Jak went in the opposite direction after a pretended "_grrr_" at Jon's horrible pun. When they returned to the ship, as the sun was going down, they felt they had made a good beginning. But as they went into the control room to talk alone, away from their mother's hearing--lest they worry her--they were not too cheerful. "You know anything about surveying?" Jak slumped into a seat. "Nope, not a sardine's worth." Jon paced forth and back in the little room. "That's what has me worried. How're we going to place those other marking stakes in exactly the right spots." "Guess we'll have to measure them some other way." "How?" "Darned if I know. You're the mechanically--minded one--I thought you could figure it out." Jon continued his pacing, his young forehead creased with thought. Finally, just as their mother called them to dinner, he looked up excitedly. "Hey, it'll be easy, after all!" "How?" Jak was as excited as his brother as they went in to the living quarters and sat down at the table.