s trance. He glanced
back at the _NX-1_. He still had time to retreat. He might be able to
get back inside before these monsters seized him.

But that meant abandoning his job. And already his own submarine was
nosing into the cavern. The choice between the octopi and retreat
stared him in the face. He pulled himself together and jerked his arms
back to action.

* * * * *

Eyes bulging, Keith Wells peered at the dim teleview screen. He saw
the creatures approaching Hemmy. And then, suddenly, he remembered his
radiophone.

"Hemmy! Come back, for God's sake!" he cried. "Come back while you
can--it's hopeless!"

But Bowman had already seized the depth charge from his back and
hooked it on the hawser arm above.

Immediately, with that action, all caution fled from the approaching
monsters. Their tentacles whipped furiously; and in a great arc they
sprang for the tiny figure of the diver.

With a deep breath, Hemmy staggered forward to meet them. "Keith!" he
gasped. "I'll try to hold 'em away from the charge! When it bursts,
zoom! Zoom like hell to the surface!" And then the tentacles had him.

Keith watched, cursing his impotence to help. Hemmy had no weapon; he
was trying to hold them back by the weight of his body; he reached out
and grasped a tentacle and hugged it to him, shoving forward with all
his puny strength. But all his effort was as nothing. One of the
octopi writhed past him and darted onto the depth charge. Its
tentacles tugged at the bomb; pulled furiously.

The time charge exploded. The _NX-1_ rocked like a quivering reed;
Wells was knocked violently to the floor; a vast roar smote his
ear-drums. When he staggered to his feet he found that the octopus
that was pulling at the charge had disappeared--blown into fragments
of flesh and metal. But the hawser arm was broken! The _NX-1_, free,
shot back a full fifty feet under the pull of her reversed screws. A
cry echoed in her commander's ears:

"Go back, Keith! Go like hell!"

He saw the remaining octopus lift Bowman and whip to the exit port of
its submarine. The lid slid into place, closing on the monster and his
friend, and the enemy ship vanished into the black cavern....

* * * * *

Once clear of the opening, Keith set his motors full forward and
brought the diving rudders up. Quickly the ship sped from the haunted
sea-floor to the sun-warmed surface. A last thin call rang in his