it can be attacked and conquered."

Conversation always cheered the naturally social Friday; he seldom had
the opportunity for it with his usually curt master. He objected:

"But what good'll that do us, suh, if we take what we've learned to
where it won't help anybody, least of all us? An' what chance we got
against Ku Sui now, when we're prisoners? Why, he's a magician; it ain't
natural, what he does. Lands in our ship plop right out of empty space!
Puts us out with a wave of his handkerchief!" With final misery in his
voice he added: "We're sunk, suh. This time we surely are."

Carse smiled at his emotional friend. "All you need is a good fight,
Eclipse. It's thinking that disintegrates your morale; you should never
try to think. Why--there was an anesthetic on that handkerchief! Simple
enough; I might have expected it. As for his getting into our ship, he
entered from behind, through the after port-lock, while we were looking
for his ship on the visi-screen. I don't understand yet why we could not
see his craft. It's too much to suppose he could make it invisible.
Paint, perhaps, or camouflage. He might have a way of preventing, from a
distance, the registering of his ship on our screen. Oh, he's dangerous,
clever, deep--but somewhere, there'll be a loophole. Somewhere. There
always is." His tone changed, and he snapped: "Now be quiet. I want to
think."

* * * * *

His face stiffened into a cold, calm mask, but behind his gray eyes lay
anything but calmness. Ku Sui's easy assumption that the information as
to Eliot Leithgow's whereabouts would be forthcoming from his lips,
puzzled him, brought real anxiety. Torture would probably not be able to
force his tongue to betray his friend, but there were perhaps other
means. Of these he had a vague and ominous apprehension. Dr. Ku was
preeminently a specialist in the human brain; he had implied his will to
have that information. Suppose he should use something it was impossible
to fight against?

And he alone, Hawk Carse, brought the responsibility. He had asked
Leithgow where he would be, and he remembered well the place agreed
upon. He dared not lose the battle of wits he knew was coming!...

His eyes shot to the door. It was opening. In a moment Ku Sui stood
revealed there, and behind him, in the corridor, were three other
figures, their yellow coolie faces strangely dumb and lifeless above the
tasteful gray smocks which