Waldo

‘I don't like your attitude, my man. If I should die in the tank, you would never get another job.

The pilot muttered something

‘What was that?' Waldo demanded sharply. ‘Well, I said it might be worth it.

Waldo started to turn red, opened his mouth

Grimes Cut in: ‘Easy, Waldo! Remember your heart.

‘Yes, Uncle Gus.

Grimes snaked his way forward, indicated to the pilot that he wanted him to join him there

‘Don't pay any attention to anything he says,' he advised the man quietly, ‘except what he said about acceleration. He really can't stand much acceleration. He might die in the tank.

‘I still don't think it would be any loss. But I'll be careful.

‘Good.

‘I'm ready to enter the tank,' Waldo called out. ‘Will you help me with the straps, Uncle Gus?

‘Be there in a second.

The tank was not a standard deceleration type, but a modification built for this one trip. The tank was roughly the shape of an oversized coffin and was swung in gimbals to keep it always normal to the axis of absolute acceleration. Waldo floated in water - the specific gravity of his fat hulk was low -from which he was separated by the usual flexible, gasketed tarpaulin. Supporting his head and shoulders was a pad shaped to his contour. A mechanical artificial resuscitator was built into the tank, the back pads being under water, the breast pads out of the water but retracted out of the way

Grimes stood by with neoadrenalin; a saddle had been provided for him on the left side of the tank. Baldur was strapped to a shelf on the right side of the tank; he acted as a counterweight to Grimes

Grimes assured himself that all was in readiness, then called Out to the pilot, ‘Start when you're ready.

‘OK.' He sealed the access port; the entry tube folded itself back against the threshold flat of Freehold, freeing the ship. Gently they got under way

Waldo closed his eyes; a look of seraphic suffering came over his face

‘Uncle Gus, suppose the deKalbs fail?

‘No matter. Ambulances store six times the normal reserve.

‘You're sure?

When Baldur began to feel weight, he started to whimper. Grimes spoke to him; he quieted down. But presently - days later, it seemed to Waldo - as the ship sank farther down into the Earth's gravitational field, the absolute acceleration necessarily increased, although the speed of the ship had not changed materially. The dog felt the weary heaviness creeping over his body. He did not understand it and he liked it even less; it terrified him. He began to howl

Waldo opened his eyes. ‘Merciful heavens!' he moaned. ‘Can't you do something about that? He must be dying.

‘I'll see.' Grimes undid his safety belt and swung himself across the tank. The shift in weight changed the balance of the load in the gimbals; Waldo was rocked against the side of the tank

‘Oh!' he panted. ‘Be careful.

‘Take it easy.' Grimes caressed the dog's head and spoke to him. When he had calmed down, Grimes grabbed a handful of hide between the dog's shoulders, measured his spot, and jabbed in a hypo. He rubbed the area. ‘There, old fellow! That will make you feel better.

Getting back caused Waldo to be rocked again, but he bore it in martyred silence

The ambulance made just one jerky manoeuvre after it entered the atmosphere. Both Waldo and the dog yelped. ‘Private ship~' the pilot yelled back. ‘Didn't heed my right-of-way lights.' He muttered something about women drivers

‘It wasn't his fault,' Grimes told Waldo. ‘I saw it.

The pilot set them down with exquisite gentleness in a clearing which had been prepared between the highway and Schneider's house. A party of men was waiting for them there; under Grimes's supervision they unslung the tank and carried Waldo out into the open air. The evolution was performed slowly and carefully, but necessarily involved some degree of bumping and uneven movement. Waldo stood it with silent fortitude, but tears leaked out from under his lowered lids

Once outside he opened his eyes and asked, ‘Where is Baldur?

‘I unstrapped him,' Grimes informed him, ‘but he did not follow us out.

Waldo called out huskily, ‘Here, Baldur! Come to me, boy.

Inside the car the dog heard his boss's voice, raised his head, and gave a low bark. He still felt that terrifying sickness, but he inched forward on his belly, attempting to comply. Grimes reached the door in time to see what happened

The dog reached the edge of his shelf and made a grotesque attempt to launch himself in the direction from which he had heard Waldo's voice. He tried the only method of propulsion he knew; no doubt he expected to sail through the door and arrest his flight against the tank on the ground. Instead he fell several feet to the inner floor plates, giving one agonized yelp as he did so, and breaking his fall most clumsily with stiffened forelegs

He lay sprawled where he had landed, making no noise, but not attempting to move. He was trembling violently

Grimes came up to him and examined him superficially, enough to assure him that the beast was not really hurt, then returned to the outside. ‘Baldur's had a little accident,' he told Waldo; ‘he's not hurt, but the poor devil doesn't know how to walk. You had best leave him in the ship.

Waldo shook his head slightly. ‘I want him with me. Arrange a litter.

Grimes got a couple of the men to help him, obtained a stretcher from the pilot of the ambulance, and undertook to move the dog. One of the men said, ‘I don't know as I care for this job. That dog looks vicious. Look't those eyes.

‘He's not,' Grimes assured him. ‘He's just scared out of his wits. Here, I'll take his head.

‘What's the matter with him? Same thing as the fat guy?

‘No, he's perfectly well and strong; he's just never learned to walk. This is his first trip to Earth.

‘Well, I'll be a cross-eyed owl!

‘I knew a case like it,' volunteered the other. ‘Dog raised in Lunopolis - first week he was on Earth he wouldn't move -just squatted down, and howled, and made messes on the floor.

‘So has this one,' the first said darkly

They placed Baldur alongside Waldo's tub. With great effort Waldo raised himself on one elbow, reached out a hand, and placed it on the creature's head. The dog licked it; his trembling almost ceased. ‘There! There!' Waldo. whispered. ‘It's pretty bad, isn't it? Easy, old friend, take it easy.

Baldur thumped his tail

It took four men to carry Waldo and two more to handle Baldur. Gramps Schneider was waiting for them at the door of his house. He said nothing as they approached, but indicated that they were to carry Waldo inside. The men with the dog hesitated. ‘Him, too,' he said

When the others had withdrawn - even Grimes returned to the neighbourhood of the ship - Schneider spoke again. ‘Welcome, Mr Waldo Jones.

‘I thank you for your welcome, Grandfather Schneider.

The old man nodded graciously without speaking. He went to the side of Baldur's litter. Waldo felt impelled to warn him that the beast was dangerous with strangers, but some odd restraint - perhaps the effect of that enervating gravitational field - kept him from speaking in time. Then he saw that he need not bother

Baldur had ceased his low whimpering, had raised his head, and was licking Gramps Schneider's chin. His tail thumped cheerfully. Waldo felt a sudden tug of jealousy; the dog had never been known to accept a stranger without Waldo's specific injunction. This was disloyalty - treason! But he suppressed the twinge and coolly assessed the incident as a tactical advantage to him