A little later there came the announcement that Garry had known must be coming finally. Captain Eaton had been in the observatory for the last time, and now he had returned with a final announcement: “It’s now or never, Ben. Which is it?” Ben straightened up, and there was a pleased look on his weary face. “Just finished, Captain. The instrument panel isn’t as good as new, but I’m pretty sure the flier can be navigated by it, at least long enough for a safe landing on Luna. Come here, Mac. Let me show you a few things about the console.” Garry wondered why Ben was taking time to instruct Mac in the navigation of the ship. Why couldn’t he do the piloting himself? Garry could see that Mac was a little puzzled too, as he went over to the instrument panel. Captain Eaton was looking at his wrist watch. “Ben, there’s no more time. We’ve got to get off the _Carefree_ within five minutes, not a second longer.” After a few more hurried moments of instruction, Ben said, “We’re ready, Captain. Everybody into the rocket.” Those who were not already in filed into the rocket and belted down into the seats. That is, everybody but one—Ben. “Ben, where are you going?” Captain Eaton asked. “To check on the air lock, Sir,” Ben answered, and walked through the flier’s doorway into the air lock between the two ships. Mac had belted down in the pilot’s seat, as Ben had asked him to do. “How are you going to ride without a seat, Ben?” Mac called. “Everybody ready?” Ben called from the air lock. All answered that they were. “Start the motors, Mac,” Ben said. Mac started the rocket motors, at the same time calling, “Hurry up, Ben!” Garry heard a whirring sound, and the outer door of the flier slid shut, with Ben still in the air lock beyond! “Hey, wait!” Isaac shouted. “Ben’s in the air lock, and the door’s closed!” No one could do anything, for in the very next moment the flier kicked out violently sideways, bending everyone over in his seat. There was another jerk forward as the flier went into motion. “What’s happened?” Captain Eaton called. “Ben’s tricked us!” Mac replied. “He cut off the magnetic grapples from the air lock that held us fast to the _Carefree_. How stupid I was! He told me to take over while he checked on some last-minute things.” “I see it all,” Isaac added. “If we check the weights we’ll probably find out that we would be overloaded with one more passenger. Ben was that one more, and he chose not to come aboard rather than risk the safety of the rest of us!” “Yes,” the captain said in a choked voice, “it seems that Ben elected to go down with the _Carefree_.” 14. FIRST HOURS ON LUNA Ben lost to them! Garry could hardly believe it. Surely Ben could have found _some_ way to save himself. Did he really have to make such a costly sacrifice? No one aboard the flier cared to speak for several minutes after Mac’s tragic announcement. It had come as a devastating blow to all of them.