There is only one decent landing place, a beach near the flat plateau of the Island's top. All the rest of the perimeter is composed of sheer cliffs that drop straight into the surf. The lower cliffs at the southern end of the Island have since been blasted away to make a harbor, but at that time only the small beach afforded an approach. The sailors of the fishing smack dropped anchor a good hundred yards offshore. Above them, on the flat of the plateau, loomed the huge, weatherstained bulk of the _IHCS Caduceus_. "This is the prescribed distance," said Yon's First Officer, who was now in charge of the little vessel. "I wouldn't want to go in any farther, even with you aboard." "I wouldn't want you to," Hale assured him honestly. "You will row in by yourself?" asked the First Officer. "Naturally," said Hale, although the thought hadn't crossed his mind. He climbed into a little rowboat, was lowered over the side, and propelled himself toward the blue sand of the beach. Suddenly, a voice boomed out from a loudspeaker in the big hospital ship. "Don't beach that boat! Who is it?" Hale let the boat drift a few yards from the shore and stood up in it. They must have a directional pickup on him, or they wouldn't be asking questions; he was too far away from the ship for a shout to carry clearly. "Lieutenant Doctor Leland Hale, Interstellar Health Commission!" he called out. "What ship are you?" Although they had challenged him in the dialect of Cardigan's Green, Hale answered in Standard Terran. There was a choking sound from the loudspeaker. Then, for a full half minute there was only silence. Finally: "_My God--we're saved!_" Another short silence ensued before the voice said, "Lieutenant Hale, this is the IHC Ship _Caduceus_." Hale put surprise into his voice. "The _Caduceus_? Good heavens! Why, you were wiped off the slate ten years ago!" "We--we know." The voice was choked with emotion. "Just a minute, Lieutenant Hale; Captain Doctor Latimer Wills wants to talk to you." Another silence. "Lieutenant Hale," said a different voice from the speaker, "this is Captain Wills." "A pleasure, sir. I've heard a great deal about you. I--I hardly know what to say. Imagine--meeting a man who has practically become a legend in the IHC." Leland Hale had never heard of Wills before; he didn't know if the man had ever done anything in his life. But it's a good bet that a man doesn't become the commander of an IHC hospital ship without doing _something_ noteworthy--or at least something that he, himself, thinks is noteworthy. "Lieutenant," said the captain doctor, in a tone that was strangely husky, "we have been marooned on this planet for twelve years, fighting for our very existence. It is you, not I, who are a hero." * * * * * Leland Hale had said nothing about heroism, but he let it pass. "May I come into the ship, sir? I have something important to talk to you about."