A single sheet fell out of the bundle. "... _have taken the precaution of sending the treaty secretly in a ship of colonists, in care of the captain who knows nothing of its nature. It has been rumored that our mutual enemy, the Martio-Venusian Alliance, may try to intercept it, possibly with the aid of hired pirates. This would, as you know, mean war. It is my prayer that the treaty will safely_...." Samel stared at the bundle. He shook it, his face looking dazed, like a man just hit in the stomach. Then he threw it down and shook the box. It was empty. In a black fury he turned on the larger box and ripped the cover back, and there was nothing under it but thick transparent bottles with heavy caps, holding a tiny bit of matter in oily liquid. There was silence in the room, thick with the breathing of stunned and angry men. "Power," said Samel. "Power, and gold! Nothing! Nothing to make even a spear-head!" He picked up the empty box and the bundle and hurled them out through the riven wall into the gorge. Then he caught up the larger box and threw it after. Kirk had time to see tears running out of Samel's eyes. After that there was an agony of light and sound and motion, and then nothing. The first thing he knew about was heat. More heat than he'd ever felt in his life, pouring over him. He opened his eyes. Men were piled against the walls, beginning to struggle back to life. The Ship had changed position. Samel was crouched with his arms around his knees, motionless, staring at nothing. The yellow girl was helping her father out of a mound of Piruts. And it was hot. There was light beating in through the broken wall. Kirk crawled over and peered out, his pupils contracted to little points. The bottom of the gorge was split open, and it was burning. The father of the Captain's great-grandfather had remembered vaguely something about radioactivity and crystalline rocks that harnessed it and made heat. The father of _his_ great-grandfather had had great hopes for the unique form of radiation and what it could be made to do. But all his time was taken hunting meat and heat-stones, and growing moss. The heavy heart of the little world was burning up through the crack, and for the first time, Kirk was really warm. Kirk put his hand on Samel's shoulder. "You got heat," he said. "That's better than power and gold, whatever they are." Samel shivered and closed his eyes. His hands went with blind speed to Kirk's throat and closed, hard. His mouth was twisted, like a child crying with pain. * * * * * Kirk clawed at his thumbs. "Don't be a fool!" he croaked. "There's heat now. Heat for everybody. The kids won't cry any more. Samel, bring your people in out of the gullies!" "Heat," repeated Samel. "Yeah." He took his hands away slowly. "There's that, isn't there? Heat."