A megaphone barked from a taxi which screeched to a halt on the edge of the milling crowd.

There has been, barked the megaphone, a major scientific break-in! Through. Breakthrough, it corrected itself. The door flew open and a small man from somewhere in the vicinity of Betelgeuse leapt out wearing a white coat.

Hold it! he shouted again, and this time brandished a short squad black rod with lights on it. The lights winked briefly, the ramp paused in its ascent, and then in obedience to the signals from the Thumb (which half the electronic engineers in the galaxy are constantly trying to find fresh ways of jamming, while the other half are constantly trying to find fresh ways of jamming the jamming signals), slowly ground its way downwards again.

Ford Prefect grabbed his megaphone from out of the taxi and started bawling at the crowd through it.

Make way, he shouted, make way, please, this is a major scientific breakthrough. You and you, get the equipment from the taxi.

Completely at random he pointed at Arthur and Fenchurch, who wrestled their way back out of the crowd and clustered urgently round the taxi.

All right, I want you to clear a passage, please, for some important pieces of scientific equipment, boomed Ford. Just everybody keep calm. It’s all under control, there’s nothing to see. It is merely a major scientific breakthrough. Keep calm now. Important scientific equipment. Clear the way.

Hungry for new excitement, delighted at this sudden reprieve from disappointment, the crowd enthusiastically fell back and started to open up.

Arthur was a little surprised to see what was printed on the boxes of important scientific equipment in the back of the taxi.

Hang your coat over them, he muttered to Fenchurch as he heaved them out to her. Hurriedly he manoeuvred out the large supermarket trolley that was also jammed against the back seat. It clattered to the ground, and together they loaded the boxes into it.

Clear a path, please, shouted Ford again. Everything’s under proper scientific control.

He said you’d pay, said the taxi-driver to Arthur, who dug out some notes and paid him. There was the distant sound of police sirens.

Move along there, shouted Ford, and no one will get hurt.

The crowd surged and closed behind them again, as frantically they pushed and hauled the rattling supermarket trolley through the rubble towards the ramp.

It’s all right, Ford continued to bellow. There’s nothing to see, it’s all over. None of this is actually happening.

Clear the way, please, boomed a police megaphone from the back of the crowd. There’s been a break-in, clear the way.

Breakthrough, yelled Ford in competition. A scientific breakthrough!

This is the police! Clear the way!

Scientific equipment! Clear the way!

Police! Let us through!

Walkmen! yelled Ford, and pulled half a dozen miniature tape players from his pockets and tossed them into the crowd. The resulting seconds of utter confusion allowed them to get the supermarket trolley to the edge of the ramp, and to haul it up on to the lip of it.

Hold tight, muttered Ford, and released a button on his Electronic Thumb. Beneath them, the huge ramp juddered and began slowly to heave its way upwards.

Ok, kids, he said as the milling crowd dropped away beneath them and they started to lurch their way along the tilting ramp into the bowels of the ship, looks like we’re on our way.

一辆出租车里的一个扩音器中高喊着，出租车尖叫着在挤成一团的人群边缘停下。

“有了一个，”扩音器高喊着，“重大的科学闯入！不是。突破！”它纠正了一下。车门打开，一个来自参宿四附近的小个子男人穿着一件白色大衣跳了出来。

“等一下！”他又叫了一声，这次还挥舞这一根上面有灯光的黑色小棍。灯光轻轻闪烁着，坡道停止了上升，而后跟随着“拇指”的信号（银河系中一半的电气工程师都一直在想找点新的办法把它堵塞住，而另一半则一直在想找点新办法来堵塞住堵塞信号），又重新慢慢放了下来。

福特·长官从出租车里掏出扩音器，开始用它对着人群大喊大叫。

“让让路，”他叫喊着，“请让让路，这是一个重大的科学突破。你和你，去把出租车里的设备拿来。”

出于彻底的偶然他正好指着了阿瑟和芬切琪，他俩挣扎着从人群中挤了出来，急急忙忙来到出租车边上。

“好了，我想请你们帮忙让条路，有些重要的科学设备，”福特叫喊着，“请大家放心。一切都在控制之中，没什么好看的。只是一个重大的科学突破。请放心。重要的科学仪器。让让路。”

人群正渴求着新的兴奋点，福特突如其来的打断了他们的失望事件，于是人们都热心地后退让出了一条路。

阿瑟看到出租车后面装着重要科学设备的箱子上面印刷的内容后有点吃惊。

“把你的衣服搭在上面，”他把箱子递给芬切琪的时候活。然后他匆匆忙忙把卡在后座里面的大型超市购物车拖出来。购物车咔哒一声落到地上，他俩一起把那些箱子放了进去。

“请让让路。”福特再次嚷嚷着，“一切都在正确的科学控制之中。”

“他说你会给钱的，”出租车司机对阿瑟说，阿瑟翻出几张钞票付了钱。远处有警笛的声音传过来。

“后退一点。”福特喊着，“不会有人受伤的。”

人群涌动，又在他们背后合在一起，他们拼命地推着、拉着咔哒作响的超市购物车穿过碎石地面走向坡道。

“没什么的，”福特继续对下面喊，“没什么可看的，都结束了。这些实际上都没有发生。”

“请让让路。”人群的后方传来警方扩音器的声音，“发生了一起闯入事件，请让路。”

“突破，”福特尖叫着反对，“一次科学突破！”

“我们是警察！请让路！”

“科学设备！请让路！”

“警察！让我们过去！”

“随身听！”福特尖叫着从兜里掏出半打随身听来扔到人群里去。随之而来的几秒钟骚乱使他们得以把购物车推倒了坡道边上，然后把它拖了上去。

“抓紧了。”福特小声说，然后松开了他的电子拇指上的一个按钮，巨大的坡道颤动着开始缓慢的向上合拢起来。

“好了孩子们，”福特说，这个时候汹涌的人群已经在落在下方，他们推着购物车沿着倾斜的坡道踉踉跄跄地往飞船里面走，“看起来我们已经上路了。”