ost everything they had. If so, with all our own stuff
and most of theirs besides, we should be able to take them. They must
have neutralization, too, to take off like that; and if it's one hundred
per cent we'll never catch them ... but it isn't--there they are!"

"And this time I'm going to hold her or burn out all our generators
trying," Cleveland declared, grimly. "Are you fellows down there able to
handle yourselves yet? Fine! Start throwing out your cans!"

Space-hardened veterans all, the other Terrestrial officers had fought
off the horrible nausea of inertialessness, just as Rodebush and
Cleveland had done. Again the ravening green macro-beams tore at the
flying cruiser, again the mighty frames of the two space-ships shuddered
sickeningly as Cleveland clamped on his tractor rod, again the highly
dirigible torpedoes dashed out with their freights of death and
destruction. And again the Nevian shear-plane of force slashed at the
Terrestrial's tractor beam; but this time the mighty puller did not give
way. Sparkling and spitting high-tension sparks, the plane bit deeply
into the stubborn rod of energy. Brighter, thicker, and longer grew the
discharges as the gnawing plane drew more and more power; but in direct
ratio to that power the rod grew larger, denser, and ever harder to cut.
More and more vivid became the pyrotechnic display of electric
brilliance, until suddenly the entire tractor rod disappeared. At the
same instant a blast of intolerable flame erupted from the _Boise_'s
flank and the whole enormous fabric of her shook and quivered under the
force of a terrific detonation.

"Randolph! I don't see them! Are they attacking or running?" Rodebush
demanded. He was the first to realize what had happened.

"Running--fast!"

"Just as well, perhaps, but get their line. Adlington!"

"Here!"

"Good! Was afraid you were gone--that was one of your bombs, wasn't it?"

"Yes. Well launched, just inside the screens. Don't see how it could
have detonated unless something hot and hard struck it in the tube; it
would need about that much time to explode. Good thing it didn't go off
any sooner, or none of us would have been here. As it is, Area Six is
pretty well done in, but the bulkheads held the damage to Six. What
happened?"

"We don't know, exactly. Both generators on the tractor beam went out.
At first, I thought that was all, but my neutralizers are dead and I
don't know what else. When the G-4's went out th