Chapter VII: "Hello, Brofessor."

The Herr Professor Oberburger looked up, startled. There was no one in sight. "Vot?" he asked, of the air. "Who iss?"

"It iss I, Brofessor. Mitkey, der mouse whom you sent to der moon. But I vas not there. Insteadt, I--"

"Vot?? It iss imbossible. Somebody blays der choke. Budt--budt nobody _knows_ about that rocket. Vhen it vailed, I didn't told nobody. Nobody budt me knows--"

"And me, Brofessor."

The Herr Professor sighed heavily. "Offervork. I am going vhat they call battly in der bel--"

"No, Brofessor. This is really me, Mitkey. I can talk now. Chust like you."

"You say you can--I do not belief it. Vhy can I not see you, then. Vhere are you? Vhy don't you--"

"I am hiding, Brofessor, in der valll chust behind der big hole. I vanted to be sure efferything vas ogay before I showed myself. Then you vould not get eggcited und throw something at me maybe."

"Vot? Vhy, Mitkey, if it iss really you und I am nodt asleep or going--Vhy, Mitkey, you know better than to think I might do something like that!"

"Ogay, Brofessor."

Mitkey stepped out of the hole in the wall, and the Professor looked at him and rubbed his eyes and looked again and rubbed his eyes and--

"I _am_ grazy," he said finally. "Red bants he vears yet, und yellow--It gannot be. I _am_ grazy."

"No, Brofessor. Listen, I'll tell you all aboudt."

And Mitkey told him.

Gray dawn, and a small gray mouse still talking earnestly.

"But, Mitkey--"

"Yess, Brofessor. I see your boint, that you think an intelligent race of mices und an intelligent race of men couldt nodt get along side by sides. But it vould not be side by sides; as I said, there are only a ferry few beople in the smallest continent of Australia. Und it vould cost little to bring them back und turn offer that continent to us mices. Ve vould call it Moustralia instead Australia, und ve vould instead of Sydney call der capital Dissney, in honor of--"

"But, Mitkey--"

"But, Brofessor, look vot ve offer for that continent. _All_ mices vould go there. Ve civilize a few und the few help us catch others und bring them in to put them under der ray machine, und the others help catch more under build more machines und it grows like a snowball rolling down hill. Und ve sign a non-aggression pact mitt humans und stay on Moustralia und raise our own food und--"

"But, Mitkey--"

"Und look vot ve offer you in eggschange, Herr Brofessor! Ve vill eggsterminate your vorst enemy--der _rats_. Ve do not like them either. Und vun battalion of vun thousand mices, armed mitt gas masks und small gas bombs could go right in effery hole after der rats und could eggsterminate effery rat in a city in vun day or two. In der whole vorld ve could eggsterminate effery last rat in a year, und at the same time catch und civilize effery mouse und ship him to Moustralia, und--"

"But, Mitkey--"

"Vot, Brofessor?"

"It vould vork, but it voul dnot work. You could eggsterminate der rats, yess. But how long vould it be before conflicts of interests vould lead to der mices trying to eggsterminate der people or der people trying to eggsterminate der--"

"They vould not dare, Brofessor! Ve could make veapons that vould--"

"You see, Mitkey?"

"But it vould not habben. If men vill honor our rights, ve vill honor--"

The Herr Professor sighed.

"I--I vill act as your intermediary, Mitkey, und offer your broposition, und--Vell, it iss true that getting rid of rats vould be a greadt boon to der human race. Budt--"

"Thank you, Brofessor."

"By der vay, Mitkey. I haff Minnie. Your vife, I guess it iss, unless there vas other mices around. She iss in der other room; I put her there chust before you arriffed, so she vould be in der dark und could sleep. You vant to see her?"

"Vife?" said Mitkey. It had been so long that he had really forgotten the family he had perforce abandoned. The memory returned slowly.

"Veil," he said "--ummm, yess. Ve vill get her und I shall construct quvick a small X-19 prochector und--Yess, it vill help you in your negotiations mitt der governments if there are sefferal of us already so they can see I am not chust a freak like they might otherwise suspegt."