fe, but as I did so I saw a better weapon. On
the floor lay a bar of silvery metal about thirty inches long and an
inch in diameter. I picked it up and toyed with it idly, meanwhile
edging around to get behind the insect which I had marked for my first
attentions. Jim was talking again by means of the notebook with his
beetle friend. They walked around the ship, examining everything in it.

"Are you ready, Pete?" came Jim's voice at last.

"All set," I replied, getting a firmer grasp on my bar and edging toward
one of the insects.

"Well, don't start until I fire. You notice the bug I am talking to?
Don't kill him unless you have to. This ship is a little too complicated
for me to fathom, so I want this fellow taken prisoner. We'll use him as
our engineer when we take control."

"I understand."

"All right, get ready."

I kept my eye on Jim. He had drawn the beetle with whom he was talking
to a position where they were behind the rest. Jim pointed at something
behind the insect's back and the beetle turned. As it did so, Jim
whipped out his pistol and, taking careful aim, fired at one of the
insects.

As the sound of the shot rang out I raised my bar and leaped forward. I
brought it down with crushing force on the head of the nearest beetle.
My victim fell forward, and I heard Jim's pistol bark again; but I had
no time to watch him. As the beetle I struck fell the others turned and
I had two of them coming at me with outstretched arms, ready to grasp
me. I swung my bar, and the arm of one of them fell limp; but the other
seized me with both its hands, and I felt the cruel hooks of its lower
arms against the small of my back.

* * * * *

One of my arms was still free; I swung my bar again, and it struck my
captor on the back of the head. It was stunned by the blow and fell. I
seized the knife from the floor, and threw myself down beside it and
struck at its eyes, trying to roll it over so as to protect me from the
other who was trying to grasp me.

I felt hands clutch me from behind; I was wrenched loose from the body
of my victim and lifted into the air. I was turned about and stared
hard into the implacable crystalline eyes of one of the insects. For a
moment my senses reeled and then, without volition, I dropped my bar. I
remembered the children and realized that I was being hypnotized. I
fought against the feeling, but my senses reeled and I almost went limp,
when the sound