g uneven in the slight
vibration of the ship; nothing that might possibly forbode trouble. Up
on his perch, the engineer peered down curiously and asked:

"Anything wrong, sir?"

"Not yet," Carse answered shortly. "You're sure everything is regular
here?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. But check every vital spot at once--and quickly. Then keep
alert."

They passed on into the following compartment, the mess-room and
sleeping quarters for the crew. Solid, rhythmical snores were issuing
from the cook's open mouth as he lay sprawled out on his bunk; the
smell of coffee hovered in the air; the cabin was quiet and
comfortable with an atmosphere of sleep and rest. The radio-man,
reading in his bunk, looked over and, seeing it was Carse, sat up.

"Notice anything wrong?" he was asked.

"Wrong? What--Why, no, sir. You want me for duty?"

"Yes. Stay here and keep your eyes open for signs of trouble. I'm
expecting some. General alarm if the slightest thing happens." And
Carse went noiselessly into the last division of the ship.

This was the cargo hold. The boxes of phanti horns were neatly stacked
in precise rows; the dim tube burning overhead showed nothing that
gave the smallest cause for alarm. The Hawk's narrowed eyes swept
walls, deck and ceiling in a search for signs of strain or buckling,
but found none.

* * * * *

Then he let himself down into the ship's belly, in the three-foot-high
space between the deck and the bottom outer hull. He found the three
rows of delicately adjusted gravity plates in good order. Harkness
joined him.

Their hand-flashes scanned every inch of the narrow compartment as
they made the under-deck passage from stem to bow and up through the
forward trap-door into the control cabin. They found nothing abnormal.
The water and fuel tanks, built in the space between the inner and
outer shells above the living quarters, also yielded nothing; likewise
the storeroom.

Nothing. Nothing at all. The whole ship was in excellent condition.
Everything was working as it should. Carse went forward again with
Harness; turned and faced him with puzzled eyes.

"I can't understand it," he said. "Why that threat, when everything
seems all right? How can Judd reach me to kill me? And in minutes?"

The navigator shook his head. "It's beyond me, sir."

The Hawk shrugged his shoulders. "Well, we'll see. It might be
something altogether new. You report to the engine-room and keep