"They're about your size."
"Enormous," admitted Steve to the compact two-footer. "Go on."
Peachy didn't seem to be made for any position other than an upright one. He shifted his communication wire to another hand and continued:
"A few years ago my people began to realize that our continent would not be big enough to hold us very much longer. We are already utilizing every available inch of space in our country and we must have more room, otherwise many of our people will starve.
"Spurred on thus, we quickly built a small fleet of extraplanetary ships to seek habitation on other worlds. The fleet became useless when it left our atmosphere, and the eight ships crashed. But we had profited by our mistakes, and the next fleet successfully navigated the upper air."
Steve looked incredulous. "Do you mean to say those were the first space ships you ever made?"
"Yes," said the Siykulan simply. "We had never needed them before."
Steve whistled.
"Look," said Myra. "What was the idea of dashing all over the Solar System for this elbow room, when you have all you needed on the other continent?"
"We had no way of getting there," said Peachy.