said Captain Blake through set teeth. "How
many of them are there, Mac? Tell me what you know: we've got a hell
of a fight on our hands."

"They're all here," McGuire told him, in jerky, breathless speech.
"These are transports on the ground. Their weapons are gas and speed,
and the rams on their beaked ships. There are other weapons--deadlier
ones!--but they haven't got them: they belong to another race. I'll
tell you all that later!"

"Keep them at a distance, Blake," he said. "Make them come to
you--then nail them as they come."

"Right!" was the answer; "that's good dope. We didn't know what they
had; expected some devilish things that could down us before we got
within effective range; had to mix it with them to find out what they
could do, and get in a few solid cracks before they did it.

"How high are we?" He glanced quickly at an instrument. "Ten thousand.
Order all ships to withdraw," he instructed his aide. "Rendezvous at
fifty thousand feet for echelon formation."

* * * * *

Another brush with an enemy craft that slipped quickly to one
side--then the smoke clouds were behind them, and a score, of silvery
shapes were climbing in vertical flight for the level at fifty
thousand.

They were fewer now than they had been, and the line that formed
behind the flagship of Blake was shorter than the one that had made
the V which shot down so bravely to engage with an unknown foe.

The enemy was below; an arrangement of mirrors showed this from the
commander's station. They were emerging from the clouds of smoke to
swarm in circling flight through the sky. And now the bow of their own
craft was depressed at an order from Blake, and the others were behind
them as they drove to renew the attack.

"They're ganging up on us again," said Blake. "We'll fool them this
time; we'll just kid them a little."

The flagship swerved before reaching the enemy, and the others
followed in what looked like frightened retreat. Again they were in
the heights, and some few of the enemy were following. Blake led in
another descent.

* * * * *

No waiting swarm to greet them now! Blake gave a quick order. The
roaring column shifted position as it fell: the flagship was the apex
of a great V whose arms flung out and backward on either side--a V
formation that curved and twisted through space and thundered upon the
smaller formations that scattered before the blasti