The Colonists

slipped it into the fire. "Ihave not been such a bad administrator during my first term of office,have I Jorden?"

  "That is for the people to decide--on election day."

  "But why should they want to change a perfectly capable administrator,"said Boggs in an injured tone, "and put in a very capable engineer andfarm manager--who has no qualifications in administrative matters?"

  "That too is a question to be answered on election day."

  Boggs shifted in his chair, dropping the deliberately maintained smilefrom his face. "There have been some stories circulating about thecolony recently," he said. "It is possible that you have heard them andbelieve them."

  "Possibly," said Jorden.

  "I wouldn't. I wouldn't believe them if I were you. I wouldn't evenlisten to them because it might lead to dangerous and erroneousconclusions, which would cause you to convict in your mind an honestman."

  "That would be my error then, wouldn't it?" said Jorden.

  The Governor nodded. "A grave one as far as it concerns the welfare ofyourself and your family, Jorden."

  Jorden's face hardened. "Threats of that kind aren't appropriate to yourposition, Governor."

  "Perhaps you are not aware of my exact position."

  "I think I am! And I intend to do everything in my power to change it.You are a small time chiseler who saw a good chance to set yourself upfor life in a cushy situation where five hundred other people would obeyyour slightest whim. That's an old fashioned situation, Boggs, and youcan't set it up here even if you are willing to resort to sabotage andmurder."

  Boggs eyes narrowed and he looked at Jorden for a long time. "I amafraid, then," he said, "that there is nothing I can do except put astop to your repeating these lying stories about me."

  The Governor's eyes never moved, but Jorden shifted in sudden, wildindecision. Almost simultaneously there were two shots exploding in thenarrow cabin, and then a third. Jorden and Boggs leaped out of theirchairs.

  From the kitchen doorway came the steel-taut voice of Bonnie. "Don'tmove any further, Mr. Boggs. Put your hands in the air. Get his gun,Mark--in the pocket on this side."

  For a moment Jorden hesitated, his eyes held by the sight of Boggs' twogunmen on the floor, blood spreading in tiny rivulets. He took thepistol from the Governor's pocket and held it in readiness.

  "I ought to kill you now, Boggs," he said. "Fortunately, orunfortunately, we have to set a precedent in such matters if the colonyis to survive. We have to go through the formality of a trial forsabotaging the power plant and murdering those killed there. Actually,it would be a good idea if you just took off over the hills and went asfar as you could before the jungle got you. It would save us all a greatdeal of trouble."

  Hope surged in Boggs' eyes as he recognized that Jorden was incapable ofshooting him down. Then bitterness mingled with that hope. "You won'tget away with this, Jorden. We'll see what the people have to say aboutyour wife shooting my men down while my back is turned."

  "_Their_ backs weren't turned," said Jorden. "Get them out of here now.If you want to save explanations as to why you came here tonight youmight find a convenient spot and bury them--before you take out over thehills yourself."

  Watching until they could no longer see the lights of Boggs' car, theyclosed the door. Bonnie collapsed with a moan, cringing in Jorden'sarms.

  "Now they'll kill us all," she said in a lifeless voice. "We haven't gota chance. For this we followed your great dream of colonizing an outpostof the Universe!"

  * * * * *

  That night Roddy was sick. Six days later he was dead. Before theydecided to go through with this section of the program there were longand heated conferences between Bonnie and Ashby and the staff working atthe test pit. Bonnie insisted the program should be dropped here. Theyalready knew that Jorden was what they were searching for. They had onlyto analyze the factors that had brought him to the test and they wouldhave what they needed to identify as many colonists as the projectrequired. He didn't need to be broken down any further.

  Ashby knew this was not true. Jorden's basic purpose as a colonist hadnot yet been brought into sight. Ashby recognized that his goal wasalmost certainly the perpetuation of the colony--and he was the firstone who had maintained such a goal this far--but they had to know thedrive that existed behind the goal. If it should develop a basis whollyin flight it would still crack before completion of the program.

  But Ashby continued to be hesitant on Bonnie's account. Roddy's illnessand death meant a continuous tour in the test pit for the full six days.And this was cut from the scheduled eight it normally occupied. Why itwas impossible for Bonnie to reduce her own personal tension on theproject, Ashby didn't know, but she had become increasingly susceptibleas time went on.

  Word of Jorden's persistence was spreading among the staff personnel ofother sections of the lab. A subdued excitement was stirring among them.In most cases so far examined, the colonist had by now either knuckledunder to Boggs or engaged in a futile personal duel with him. If theywent further, they almost invariably collapsed under the pressure ofBonnie's blame and began cursing Serrengia as well as the Earth fromwhich they fled.

  Ashby ordered resumption of the program. It was an agony for him, too,watching Bonnie during the long hours of Roddy's illness. It seemedevery bit as much a test of her strength and endurance as it was of MarkJorden's. With the televiewer Ashby brought an image of her face upclose, studying her from every angle during the long nights when she andMark Jorden exchanged vigil over Roddy. He scanned her face by thefirelight of the rough cabin.

  After three days, Jorden was running close to exhaustion, but in spiteof the strain Bonnie seemed capable of remaining there forever. Her eyeswatched Jorden's face, taking in his every movement and expression.

  And after three days of watching Bonnie's face in close-up, Ashbysuddenly murmured aloud to himself in disbelief and astonishment.

  Dr. Miller, who was Tibbets in the program, came up to his side. "Whatis it, Ashby? Has something gone wrong?"

  Ashby shook his head slowly in wonder and pointed to the image in theviewer. "Look at her," he said. "Can't you see what has happened toBonnie? We should have caught it long ago. No wonder this job is tearingher apart--no wonder she doesn't want it to end the way it must--or endat all, for that matter!"

  "I still don't see what you are talking about," said Miller inexasperation. "I don't see that anything has happened to her. She lookslike the same old Bonnie to me."

  "Does she?" said Ashby. "Watch her when she looks at Jorden. Can't yousee she has fallen in love with him?"

  * * * * *

  There was probably a whole class of people like Roddy, Jorden thought.People incapable of surviving beyond the world on which they were born.Since the day of his coming Roddy had fought an unceasing battle withthis hated, alien world of Serrengia. He awoke each morning to renew theunequal contest before he was even out of bed--and knowing fully that hewas beaten before he started.

  Jorden had tried every way he knew to instill into his son some of hisown love for this new world. It was a good world and the men who grew upon it in the years to come would love it with all their hearts. ButRoddy could not give up his reaching back, his longing for Earth. Heshrank before the problem of their doubtful food supply. He caughtsnatches of adult worries and nourished them with a dark agony that madeit appear to Jorden sometimes as if the boy were walking in a nightmare.

  It had been cruel and brutal to bring him. But there was no use blaminghimself for that. If only Bonnie would stop blaming him! He couldn'thave known ahead of time that Roddy was one of those who could notbe--transplanted. Fervently, he prayed for the boy's life now and vowedthat when the ships came again he would be free to go home.

  And always Bonnie's eyes were upon him. Sitting in the firelight of thecabin, he could feel her staring at him, accusing him, hating him forbringing them to Serrengia.

  Once he looked up and caught her glance.
"Don't hate me so much,Bonnie!" he said. "You're driving Roddy down. I can feel it. Reach outto him with your love and don't let him go."

  But Roddy said later that same evening, "Maybe I'll go back to Earthnow, Daddy. Do you think that's where little boys go when they die?"

  He wanted to return so badly that he was willing to die to achieve it,Jorden thought. That's what Dr. Babbit said: "Roddy doesn't even want tolive, Jorden. As incredible as it seems, he's literally dying ofhomesickness. I'm afraid there's not a thing I can do for him. I'msorry, but it's up to you. You and Bonnie