uch good company,
too."

"Fortunes of war, Schwartzmann," declared Harkness; "we know how to
accept them, and we don't hold it against you. We are down now, but
your turn will come."

The man's reply was a sputtering of rage in words that neither Chet
nor Harkness could understand. The latter turned to the girl with a
question.

"Did you get it, Diane? What did he say?"

"I think I would not care to translate it literally," said Diane
Delacouer, twisting her soft mouth into an expression of distaste;
"but, speaking generally, he disagrees with you."

Herr Schwartzmann was facing Harkness belligerently. "You think you
know something! What is it?" he demanded. "You are under my feet: I
kick you as I would _meinen Hund_ and you can do nothing." He aimed a
savage kick into the air to illustrate his meaning, and Harkness' face
flushed suddenly scarlet.

* * * * *

Whatever retort was on Harkness' tongue was left unspoken; a sharp
look from Chet, who brought his fingers swiftly to his lips in a
gesture of silence, checked the reply. The action was almost
unconscious on Chet's part; it was as unpremeditated as the sudden
thought that flashed abruptly into his mind--

They were helpless; they were in this brute's power beyond the
slightest doubt. Schwartzmann's words, "You know something. What is
it?" had fired a swift train of thought.

The idea was nebulous as yet ... but if they could throw a scare into
this man--make him think there was danger ahead.... Yes, that was it:
make Schwartzmann think they knew of dangers that he could not avoid.
They had been there before: make this man afraid to kill them. The
dreadful alternative that Chet had feared to think of might be
averted....

All this came in an instantaneous, flashing correlation of his
conscious thoughts.

"I'll tell you what we mean," he told Schwartzmann. He even leaned
forward to shake an impressive finger before the other's startled
face. "I'll tell you first of all that it doesn't make a damn bit of
difference who is on top--or it won't in a few hours more. We'll all
be washed out together.

"I've landed once on the Dark Moon; I know what will happen. And do
you know how fast we are going? Do you know the Moon's speed as it
approaches? Had you thought what you will look like when that fool
pilot rams into it head on?

"And that isn't all!" He grinned derisively into Schwartzmann's
flushed face, disregarding the h