of a pistol shot, almost in my ear, roused me. The spell
of the beetle was momentarily broken. I thrust the knife which I still
grasped at the eyes before me. My blow went home, but the insect raised
me and bent me toward him until my head lay on top of his and the huge
horns which adorned his head began to close. Another pistol shot
sounded, and I was suddenly dropped.

I grasped my bar as I fell and leaped up. The flyer was a shambles. Dead
insects lay on all sides while Jim, smoking pistol in hand, was staring
as though fascinated into the eyes of one of the surviving beetles. I
ran forward and brought my bar down on the insect's head, but as I did
so I was grasped from behind.

"Jim, help!" I cried as I was swung into the air. The insect whirled me
around and then threw me to the floor. I had an impression of falling;
then everything dissolved in a flash of light. I was unconscious only
for a moment, and I came to to find Jim Carpenter standing over me,
menacing my assailant with his gun.

"Thanks, Jim," I said faintly.

"If you're conscious again, get up and get your bar," he replied. "My
pistol is empty and I don't know how long I can run a bluff on this
fellow."

* * * * *

I scrambled to my feet and grasped the bar. Jim stepped behind me and
reloaded his pistol.

"All right," he said when he had finished. "I'll take charge of this
fellow. Go around and see if the rest are dead. If they aren't when you
find them, see that they are when you leave them. We're taking no
prisoners."

I went the rounds of the prostrate insects. None of them were beyond
moving except two whose heads had been crushed by my bar, but I obeyed
Jim's orders. When I rejoined him with my bloody bar, the only beetle
left alive was the commander, whom Jim was covering with his pistol.

"Take the gun," he said when I reported my actions, "and give me the
bar."

We exchanged weapons and Jim turned to the captive.

"Now, old fellow," he said grimly, "either you run this ship as I want
you to, or you're a dead Indian. Savvy?"

He took his pencil and notebook from his pocket and drew a sketch of our
Hadley space ship. On the other end of the sheet he drew a picture of
the Mercurian ship, and then drew a line connecting the two. The insect
looked at the sketch but made no movement.

"All right, if that's the way you feel about it," said Jim. He raised
the bar and brought it down with crushing force on