How Did Joseph Shwartzman First Got Involved With Weston And Devine?

Joseph Shwartzman first got involved with Weston and Devine when they hired him to run

errands for them. One day, the thirteen year old boy became curious about what his employers did shut

up in the house all day, and, taking advantage of his employer’s rare absence, sneaked into the

laboratory. He had a beginner’s knowledge of science, and was amazed by the complicated tools and

pages of calculations he found there. As he investigated the laboratory, he glanced out the window and

saw an enormous round form covered in cloth, resting there in the backyard, but didn’t think much of it,

as he had become used to his employer’s rather strange ways over the last few months. He turned to

leave the laboratory, but stopped in fear when he saw Devine standing in the open doorway, with
He was told, in the same way as Ransom after him, that he was in space, heading toward Mars. Weston

was annoyed that he was forced to bring an unwanted passenger and vented his anger by filling poor

Joseph’s waking hours with meaningless and annoying tasks for twenty-eight days, until finally the ship

landed on the uncharted planet. Joseph, already frightened, was petrified in fear until a quick shove

and command from Weston brought him to his senses. After unloading supplies from the ship, Devine

proceeded to tell Joseph that they would be leaving him here, and from now on he would have to fend

for himself. Joseph was unable to reply and watched in shock as Weston and Devine walked off wearing

heavy packs, warm clothes, and boots, leaving him standing there in the cold. Little did Joseph know

that behind their bravado they too had no idea where they were going.

For the next two days Joseph wandered through Malacandra, finding shelter under a tree or

shrub at night and eating little. The third day of his fateful stay on the planet, he saw the strange