were widely separated, so far that a billion miles gives no fair hint of the distance.
Many new stars, previously invisible, now shone in great glory so that the whole celestial field presented new aspects. Far away I looked toward our Sun; it sparkled like a tiny star, and none of the planets of our Solar System were visible.
I paused not at Dubhe, but sped onward to one of the busy worlds that revolve around it, which I shall call Plasden. This is two hundred times as large as our world, and "slin" covers seven-eighths of its surface. Slin is a liquid much resembling water and serves practically the same purpose.
Plasden is truly a wonderful water world. Its inhabitants are not confined to the under-water life like those found in Stazza, neither are they strictly compelled to remain in the atmosphere, although that is their normal condition. The Plasdenites can sustain life under water, but only with discomfort. They have three times as many ribs as we possess, and between them are openings into which air or water enters for life sustentation. These flabby ribs slowly
