Illuminatus! Excerpt: What?

"How you doing, Malik?" called Hagbard. 

"Great, Hagbard, just great," said Joe. 
"We're gonna save the earth, aren't we, Joe?" Hagbard yelled. "Gonna save the earth, that right?" 
"Jesus saves," said George. He began to sing: 
I've got the peace that passeth understanding 
Down in my heart, 
Down in my heart, 
Down in my heart. 
I've got the peace that passeth understanding 
Down in my heart— 
Down in my heart—to—stay! 
Hagbard and Stella laughed and applauded. Harry Coin shook his head and muttered, "Takes me back. Sure does take me back." 
Joe took a few steps away from George, moving so he could face Hagbard across the table. "What do you mean, save the earth?" 
Hagbard looked at him stupidly, his mouth hanging open. "If you don't know that, why are you here?" 
"I just want to know— we're going to save the earth, but are we going to save the people?" 
"What people?" 
"The people that live on the earth." 
"Oh— those people," said Hagbard. "Sure, sure, we're gonna save everybody." 
Stella frowned. "This is the silliest conversation I've ever heard."

The Illuminatus! Trilogy is a series of three novels written by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson.