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“There’s no way,” said the mayor, “to tell you anything.”
“Liar!”
An expression of pity came into the mayor’s face as he looked at Hart.
“You’re very tired,” he said. “You’ve traveled a long way and you belong to a tired people who’ve been without faith a long time, and you want to believe so much now that you’re interfering with yourself. You’ll only make it harder if you kill. You’ll never find him that way.”
“Where’d he go? He told you; you know. Come on, tell me!” The captain waved the gun.
The mayor shook his head.
“Tell me! Tell me!”
The gun cracked once, twice. The mayor fell, his arm wounded.
Martin leaped forward. “Captain!”
The gun flashed at Martin. “Don’t interfere.”
On the floor, holding his wounded arm, the mayor looked up. “Put down your gun. You’re hurting yourself. You’ve never believed, and now that you think you believe, you hurt people because of it.”
“I don’t need you,” said Hart, standing over him. “If I missed him by one day here, I’ll go on to another world. And another and another. I’ll miss him by half a day on the next planet, maybe, and a quarter of a day on the third planet, and two hours on the next, and an hour on the next, and half an hour on the next, and a minute on the next. But after that, one day I’ll catch up with him! Do you hear that?” He was shouting now, leaning wearily over the man on the floor. He staggered with exhaustion. “Come along, Martin.” He let the gun hang in his hand.
“No,” said Martin. “I’m staying here.”
“You’re a fool. Stay if you like. But I’m going on, with the others, as far as I can go.”
The mayor looked up at Martin. “I’ll be all right. Leave me. Others will tend my wounds.”
“I’ll be back,” said Martin. “I’ll walk as far as the rocket.”
They walked with vicious speed through the city. One could see with what effort the captain struggled to show all the old iron, to keep himself going. When he reached the rocket he slapped the side of it with a trembling hand. He holstered his gun. He looked at Martin.
“Well, Martin?”
Martin looked at him. “Well, Captain?”
The captain’s eyes were on the sky. “Sure you won’t—come with—with me, eh?”
“No, sir.”
“It’ll be a great adventure, by God. I know I’ll find him.”
“You are set on it now, aren’t you, sir?” asked Martin.
The captain’s face quivered and his eyes closed. “Yes.”
“There’s one thing I’d like to know.”
“What?”
“Sir, when you find him—if you find him,” asked Martin, “what will you ask of him?”
“Why—” The captain faltered, opening his eyes. His hands clenched and unclenched. He puzzled a moment and then broke into a strange smile. “Why, I’ll ask him for a little—peace and quiet.” He touched the rocket. “It’s been a long time, a long, long time since—since I relaxed.”
“Did you ever just try, Captain?”
“I don’t understand,” said Hart.
