seven-foot Martian men. I was all in white, the costume
used in the warm interior of the Grantline camp. Bareheaded, white
silk _Planetara_ uniform jacket, broad belt and tight-laced trousers.
Anita was a slim black figure beside me, somber as Hamlet, with her
pale boyish face and wavy black hair.

The gravity being maintained here on the ship we had found to be
stronger than that of the Moon--rather more like Mars.

"There are the heat-rays, Gregg."

* * * * *

A pile of them was visible down the deck-length. And I saw caskets of
fragile glass globes, bombs of different styles; hand-projectors of
the paralyzing ray; search-beams of several varieties; the Benson
curve-light, and a few side-arms of ancient Earth-design--swords and
dirks, and small bullet projectors.

There seemed to be some mining equipment also. Far along the deck,
beyond the central cabin in the open space of the stern, steel rails
were stacked; half a dozen small-wheeled ore-carts; a tiny motor
engine for hauling them--and what looked as though it might be the
dismembered sections of an ore-shute.

The whole deck was presently strewn with this mass of equipment.

Potan moved about, directing the different groups of workers. The
news had spread that we knew the location of the treasure. The
brigands were jubilant. In a few hours the ship's armament would be
ready, and it would advance to attack Grantline.

I saw many glances being cast out the dome side-windows toward the
distant, far-down plains of the Mare Imbrium. The brigands believed
that the Grantline camp lay in that direction.

Anita whispered, "Which is their giant electronic projector, Gregg?"

I could see it amidships of the deck. It was already in place. Potan
was there now, superintending the men who were connecting it. The most
powerful weapon on the ship, it had, Potan said, an effective range of
some ten miles. I wondered what it would do to a Grantline building!
The Erentz double walls would withstand it for a time, I was sure. But
it would blast an Erentz fabric-suit, no doubt of that. Like a
lightning bolt, it would kill--its flashing free-stream of electrons
shocking the heart, bringing instant death.

I whispered, "We must smash that before we leave! But first turn it on
Miko, if he signals now."

* * * * *

I was tensely watchful for that signal. The electronic projector
obviously was not yet ready. But