!" exploded the major. "When? Where? You
didn't do that much visiting! You were too tired to move!"

"That's just it, sir," said Tom, shaking his head. "I was so tired
everything was a blur. Faces are all mixed up. I--I--" The boy stopped
and put his hands to his head as though trying to squeeze the one vital
face out of his hazy memory.

Connel kept after him like a hungry, stalking animal. "Where, Corbett?
When?" he shouted. "You've got to remember. This is important! Think,
blast you!"

"I'm trying, sir," replied the cadet. "But it just won't come to me."

The buzz of the intercom suddenly sounded and Connel reluctantly left
Tom to answer it. Roger's voice crackled over the speaker. "I have
Commander Walters now, sir. Feeding him down to the control-deck
teleceiver."

"Oh, all right," replied Connel and turned to Tom. "Come on, Corbett. I
want you to report to the commander personally."

"Yes, sir," replied Tom, walking slowly to the teleceiver. "I'm sorry I
can't remember where I saw that man."

"Forget it," Connel said gruffly. "It'll come to you again sometime." He
paused and then added as gently as he could, "Sorry I blasted you like
that."

When Commander Walters' face appeared on the teleceiver screen, Connel
reported the incident of the cab driver and the news that Tom, Roger,
and Astro had seen the three men who had taken the priorities on the
_Venus Lark_.

"Just a minute," said Walters. "I'll have a recorder take down the
descriptions."

Connel motioned to Tom, who stepped before the screen. When he saw
Walters nod, he gave a complete description of the three men he had seen
in the Atom City spaceport.

"Let's see, now," said Walters, after Tom had concluded his report. "The
man who asked for the tickets was young, about twenty-two, dressed in
Venusian clothing, dark, six feet tall, weighed about one hundred and
fifty pounds. Right?"

"Yes, sir," replied Tom.

Connel suddenly stepped before the screen to interject, "And Corbett saw
him in Venusport again sometime during the last two days."

"Really? Where?"

Connel glanced at Tom and then replied hurriedly, "Well, he can't be
sure, sir. We rushed him around pretty fast and he saw a lot of people.
But at least we know he's in Venusport somewhere."

"Yes," nodded Walters. "That's something to work on, at least. And you
have nothing more to add to the descriptions of the other two, Corbett?"

"Not anything particular, sir," said Tom. "Th