Baker smiled forgivingly. "Mercy. There, my friend, is a word I much prefer to that other one you used a while ago. Mercy, charity, forbearance.... My friends, we are all here together--let us try to live in true fellowship and to make the most of what has been given us. I can think of nothing more tragic than to start this great adventure on a note of strife and suspicion. I hope rather that we all go forward with hearts full of trust--trust in the future, and trust in each other." His voice rose--his eyes again fixed themselves on a point above the heads of his audience. "If we work together, if we keep our eyes on the distant horizon, and ignore the advocates of spite, the petty minds that spin their miserable webs in the dark, I am sure we can all look forward to a bright and glowing future. We stand, my friends, on the threshold of a brave new world. Let us all go forward with hope and faith. Under such banners, I know we cannot fail." Slowly, Martin Baker walked off the stage. Harvey looked around helplessly at the faces of his fellow-voyagers who were staring at the stage in half-dazed fascination. "Look, we're not going to let him get away with this," he pleaded. "This is exactly the way he talked us into signing up." Harvey got some irritated looks in return. "Hell, we're here, ain't we?" somebody growled. "Harvey," Dr. Lurie said, "I'd suggest we avoid conclusions until we've given this a fair trial." A murmured chorus of approval rose around him. At that moment, Carsing reappeared on the stage. "All right, everybody," he said briskly, "go back and finish loading up, and pick up your oxygen packs. Everybody's eager to see their homesteads, so let's not anybody hold us up. Let's go." With a surge of relief, the homesteaders flowed down the aisles to the exits. * * * * * The oxygen packs turned out to be, in fact, wonderfully comfortable. A small outlet cup fitted over the nose with no more pressure than a pair of spectacles. Two narrow tubes curved over the shoulders and ended in a small pack weighing about two pounds, most of that being the weight of a replaceable metal capsule. There was no interference with speech. "You see," Ruth laughed tremulously--"you see, it actually improves your appearance." She grimaced at Harvey. "All right, sourpuss, you can smile, can't you?" The air outside was soft and golden, laced with a cool, gentle wind. The excited voices of the homesteaders rang with startling clarity. They looked with delight at each other, and called out at each other, and laughed, not knowing exactly why. "Don't seem anything wrong with this air," said Red Brace. "Feels like any other air. I wonder if the old bird was kidding us."