e vision panel, they could see Craven's ship. Freed now of the
space field, it was floating slowly, still under the grip of the
momentum they had built up in their dash across space. It was so close
that they could see the lettering across its bow.

"So they call it the _Interplanetarian_," said Russ.

Greg nodded. "Guess it's about time we talk to them. I'm afraid they're
getting pretty nervous."

* * * * *

"Do you have any idea where we are?" demanded Ludwig Stutsman.

Craven shook his head. "No more idea than you have. Manning snaked us
across billions of miles, clear out of the Solar System into
interstellar space. Take a look at those stars and you get some idea."

Spencer Chambers stroked his gray mustache, asked calmly: "What do you
figure our chances are of getting back?"

"That's something we'll know more about later," said Craven. "Doesn't
look too bright right now. I'm not worrying about that. What I'm
wondering about is what Manning and Page are going to do now that they
have us out here."

"I thought you'd be," said a voice that came out of clear air.

They stared at the place from which the voice had seemed to come. There
was a slight refraction in the air; then, swiftly, a man took shape. It
was Manning. He stood before them, smiling.

"Hello, Manning," said Craven. "I figured you'd pay us a call when you
got around to it."

"Look here," snarled Stutsman, but he stopped when Chambers' hand fell
upon his shoulder, gripped it hard.

"Got plenty of air?" asked Greg.

"Air? Sure. Atmosphere machines working perfectly," Craven replied.

"Fine," said Greg. "How about food and water? Plenty of both?"

"Plenty," said Craven.

"Look here, Manning," broke in Chambers, "where's all this questioning
leading? What have you got up your sleeve?"

"Just wanted to be sure," Greg told him. "Would hate to have you fellows
starve on me, or go thirsty. Wouldn't want to come back and find you all
dead."

"Come back?" asked Chambers wonderingly. "I'm afraid I don't understand.
Is this a joke of some sort?"

"No joke," said Greg grimly. "I thought you might have guessed. I'm
going to leave you here."

"Leave us here?" roared Stutsman.

"Keep your shirt on," snapped Greg. "Just for a while, until we can go
back to the Solar System and finish a little job we're doing. Then we'll
come back and get you."

Craven grimaced. "I thought it would be something like that." He
squ