em!"

* * * * *

"Heavens, Steve!" A look of alarm flashed over Nadia's face, then
disappeared as rapidly as it had come into being. "But of course, comets
aren't really dangerous."

"Sure not. A comet's tail, which so many people are afraid of as being
poison gas, is almost a perfect vacuum, even at its thickest, and we'd
have to wear space-suits anyway. And speaking of vacuum ... whoopee!
We don't need mercury any more than a goldfish needs a gas-mask. When
we get Mr. Tube done, we'll take him out into space, leaving his mouth
open, and very shortly he'll be as empty as a flapper's skull. Then
we'll seal him up, flash him out, come back here, and start spilling
our troubles into Brandon's shell-like ear!"

"Wonderful, Steve! You do get an idea occasionally, don't you? But how
do we get out there? Where is this Cantrell's Comet?"

"I don't know, exactly--there's one rub. Another is that I haven't
even started the transmitter and receptor units. But we've got some
field-generators here on board that I can use, so it won't be so bad.
And our comet is in this part of the solar system somewhere fairly
close. Wish we had an Ephemeris, a couple of I-P solar charts, and
a real telescope."

"You can't do much without an Ephemeris, I should think. It's a good
thing you kept the chronometers going. You know the I-P time, day, and
dates, anyway."

"I'll have to do without some things, that's all," and the man stared
absently at the steel wall. "I remember something about its orbit, since
it is one thing that all I-P vessels have to steer clear of. Think I can
figure it close enough so that we'll be able to find it in our little
telescope, or even on our plate, since we'll be out of this atmosphere.
And it might not be a bad idea for us to get away, anyway. I'm afraid of
those folks on that space-ship, whoever they were, and they must live
around here somewhere. Cantrell's Comet swings about fifty million
kilometers outside Jupiter's orbit at aphelion--close enough for us to
reach, and yet probably too far for them to find us easily. By the time
we get back here, they probably will have quit looking for us, if they
look at all. Then too, I expect these savages to follow us up. What say,
little ace--do we try it or do we stay here?"

"You know best, Steve. As I said before, I'm with you from now on, in
whatever you think best to do. I know that you think it best to go out
there. Therefore, s