Then Lamoureux sat down on a snowy rock, leaned back, and thought everything over. It was improbable now that any of his kids would ever get to Lunar Tech. Well, that wasn't anything to be sorry about. The life of ease and luxury of the place had ruined more than one promising youngster. His wife would have to get along with a single robot. It would do her good to wait on the family for a change. As for his relatives--to hell with them. Let them find somebody else to sponge on. He was busy with these cheerful reflections when he heard McCracken shout, "Hey!" A figure loomed out of the snow ahead. The figure paused and stared at Lamoureux. McCracken yelled, "Hey, Captain!" The figure came forward, bowed, and showed its teeth. "Mr. Stanley, I presume?" * * * * * Looking back at it later, Lamoureux decided that this was the most mortifying moment of his life. He had been sent to save Kalinoff. Instead, Kalinoff had saved him. It was the screwball explorer, of course. Lamoureux recognized him at once. Kalinoff was a shrimp, a fraction of an inch below five feet in height, and he had a face like a monkey's. Having taken a good look at him, Lamoureux felt, "My God, is this what we've been trying to rescue?" Kalinoff was not alone. He was accompanied by a pair of penguin-like Mercurians, who looked just as sly and acted with as little intelligence as the one they had previously encountered. Lamoureux had no idea how Kalinoff had managed to get along with them. Kalinoff, it seemed, was angry. "Why in hell," he demanded, "didn't you have sense enough to return to the ship?" Lamoureux stared. "You mean the _Astrolight_ is still here?" "Of course it's here. And the radio beam is on." "You're sure--the beam is on?" "Of all the nitwits to let loose on an unfriendly planet, you're about the worst. I've just told you it's on, haven't I? It's been on for the past two hours." Lamoureux swallowed hard. "And Carvalho?" "There's a man who I assume is Carvalho. He's tied up. I've got a couple of friends watching him to make sure he doesn't get away." "Friends?" "Like these." Kalinoff indicated the Mercurians. "Come on. I'd like to get back to Earth. There's a girl I've got to see." "But who--what happened to Carvalho?" "He seemed anxious to leave, so I pushed my fist down his throat. Incidentally, there was a radio going, with a code message." "Short distance, radio?" "Interplanetary. The ship's hull acted as a receiver, naturally. You could get the message anywhere on the planet by arranging a short distance automatic re-broadcast." "So that's what Carvalho did." "If I'm late this time," said Kalinoff worriedly, "she and I are finished. She's willing to put up with dates six months in advance, but there's a limit, and I've been late too often. And she's too nice to lose. Get a move on, quick."