"No. They'll be put on short rations like everybody else. And people
will watch them. The Wealdians expect to die of plague any minute
because they've been with Darians. So people look at them and laugh.
But it's not very funny."

"It's natural," said Calhoun, "but perhaps lacking in charity. Look
there! How about those astrogators? I need them for a job I have in
mind."

Maril wrung her hands.

"C--come here," she said in a low tone.

There was an armed guard in the control room of the ship. He'd watched
Calhoun a good part of the previous day as Calhoun performed his
mysterious work. He'd been off-duty and now was on duty again. He was
bored. So long as Calhoun did not touch the control board, though, he
was uninterested. He didn't even turn his head when Maril led the way
into the other cabin and slid the door shut.

"The astrogators are coming," she said swiftly. "They'll bring some
boxes with them. They'll ask you to instruct them so they can handle
our ship better. They lost themselves coming back from Orede. No,
they didn't lose themselves, but they lost time, enough time almost to
make an extra trip for meat. They need to be experts. I'm to come
along, so they can be sure that what you teach them is what you've
been doing right along."

Calhoun said, "Well?"