e Gene began talking. "All right, then, I've a plan. First,
we'll try to find out how to maneuver this craft. I believe we can
persuade one of the Mates to show us the controls without much trouble."

"Yah!" interrupted Schwenky. "They show!"

"We'll set a course for Earth by the sun. We'll come in with the sun at
our back, which means we'll have to make a wide circle off the traveled
spacelanes, through unknown space, and come in from the direction of the
inner planets, which are uninhabited and unvisited. Also, with the sun
behind us, we won't be observed from Earth. Then, with all our speed,
we'll come in, land at high noon in Chicago, right in front of the
offices of the _Sentinel_, the newspaper for which I work."

There was a chorus of exclamations. Ann looked at him in amazement.
"You, a newspaperman!" she gasped.

"Yes. I was sent out by my boss to find out what was behind the secrecy
of the space ships. I got shanghaied as a crew member. Now, with your
help, maybe I can complete my assignment. Once we get to my boss, the
show will be over. He'll blast the story wide open."

"Wonderful!" shouted Maher. "Come, Schwenky! We will get Perkins and
make him show us how to run the ship!"

Schwenky chortled in glee. "Yah! We get. By golly, I know that Gene
O'Neill is good man! Maybe I get my picture in newspaper?"

Maher stared at him. "God forbid!" he said. "Unless it's in the comic
section!"

"Yah!" agreed Schwenky. "In comic section!"

* * * * *

Two weeks later, as the ship crossed Earth's orbit and headed in behind
the planet in the plane of the sun, the meteorite hit. It tore a great
hole in the passenger side of the ship, and knocked out the port jets.

The ship veered crazily under the influence of its lopsided blast, and
the crew was hurled against the wall and pinned there as the continuing
involuntary maneuver built up acceleration.

Gene, who had been in his bunk, was pressed against the wall by a giant
hand. Savagely he fought to adjust himself into a more bearable
position, then tried to figure out what had happened. Obviously the ship
was veering about, out of control.

"Meteorite!" he gasped. "We've been hit."

He pulled himself from the bunk, slid along the wall to the door. It was
all he could do to open it, but once in the companionway outside, he
found that he could crawl along one wall, off the floor, in an inching
progress. He made it finally to the co