The sky was a dull gray now, and the patter of rain drowned out his
words. He realized suddenly that he was becoming soaked.
Haskell was running for the ship. Lamoureux followed him and slammed
the door shut. The men who had not been sent to search for Kalinoff
were already inside. The rain rattled on the hull of the _Astrolight_,
and on the parched ground.
Lamoureux stared through the side port and repeated blankly, "But it
doesn't rain on Mercury!"
Fortunately, the noise of the rain was so loud that no one heard him
say it.