th, unmindful of the pain. He heard a sharp gasp from Mrs. Hill
and then felt the rope become damp. His wrists were bleeding. But at the
same time he felt the rope slipping over his hands. He gave a quick tug
and the rope slipped off and dropped to the floor, a bloody tangle. He
spun around and untied the foreman and his wife quickly, removing the
gags from their mouths gently.

"Your wrists!" cried Mrs. Hill.

"Don't worry about them, ma'am," said Tom. He looked at Hill. "How long
have you been tied up?"

"Just about an hour before you came," answered the foreman. "I found
Sinclair in front of a teleceiver in his room. It's in a secret panel
and I didn't know it was there. I waited and heard him talking to
someone in Venusian. But he spotted me and pulled a ray gun."

"Do you know where he's gone?" asked Tom.

"No, but I sure wish I did!" said the burly foreman stoutly. "I have
something to settle with him."

"That'll have to wait until the Solar Guard is finished with him. Come
on!" Tom started toward the door.

"Where are we going?" asked Hill.

"To the _Polaris_! I've got to warn the Solar Guard of their plans.
They're going to attack the Venusport garrison and take over Venus!"

"By the stars!" gasped Mrs. Hill. "Here I've been feeding that man all
these years and didn't know I was contributing to a revolution!"

Tom was out of the door and running toward the _Polaris_ before she had
finished talking. George followed right behind him.

As the cadet raced across the dark clearing one hope filled his
mind--that the _Polaris_ would be in the same condition in which they
had left it.

The port was still open where Sinclair had caught him and he climbed
inside the giant ship quickly. As soon as he entered, he snapped on the
emergency lights and searched the ship carefully. After examining every
compartment, and satisfied that there was no one aboard, he made his way
back to the radar bridge. There, he saw immediately why Sinclair had
felt free to leave the ship. All radar and communications equipment had
been completely smashed.

The young cadet returned to the control deck and called down to George
Hill, waiting in the air lock. "George! Get Mrs. Hill aboard quickly.
We're blasting off!"

"Blasting off?" the foreman called back. "But I thought you were going
to contact Venusport!"

"I can't," replied Tom. "Sinclair has smashed the communications and the
radar. We'll have to take our information to Ve