to come on a pretended treasure-hunt. He was careful to stress the
wealth of the party, and John Dark reacted as he had expected.

"If they're that wealthy, their families can pay big ransoms. You've
done very well, Kenniston."

"What about Ricky?" asked Kenniston tensely. "He's all right?"

"Sure he's all right--he's up at the camp," Dark answered.

Gloria said bitterly to Kenniston, "You can congratulate yourself.
You've managed to save your brother."

John Dark addressed her. "Miss Loring, I presume you and your
companions are willing to pay ransom for your crew also? I never take
prisoners, unless they promise a good profit."

"Yes, of course we'll pay the ransom of the crew!" Gloria agreed
hastily.

"Good!" said the pirate calmly. "You'll not find your captivity any
more irksome than necessary."

Mrs. Milsom, the dumpy chaperon, was goggling at the notorious pirate
in an extreme of terror. A sardonic gleam came into Dark's eyes as he
glanced at her.

"You're a handsome wench," he told the plump dowager with mock
admiration. "I've half a mind to keep you and let the ransom go."

"No, no!" shrieked the terrified woman.

Dark burst into a roar of laughter. "All right, my shrinking beauty,
we'll accept ransom for you."

He turned and shot efficient orders to his subordinates, who by now
had gathered behind him.

"Get that stuff out of the hold, rig up power-sledges, and start
freighting it up to the camp. You'll have to cut a path through the
jungle--use atom-blasters to burn one out."

One of the pirates, a hard-faced Martian, said uneasily, "That will
make a racket that'll bring every Vestan on the asteroid down on us."

"You can keep the Vestans off if you keep your eyes open," Dark
retorted. "Get to work, now! We've got to get the stuff up there and
repair the _Falcon_ at once. I'll take these prisoners up to camp."

Kenniston was grouped with the other prisoners. With a strong escort
of armed pirates guarding them, and Dark and Holk Or ahead, they
started through the jungle toward the pirate camp.

CHAPTER VI

Asteroid Horror

The pirate encampment was a big clearing hacked from the jungle a mile
west of the little lake. In this space lay the long, looming black
mass of the most dreaded corsair ship ever to sail the void. The
_Falcon_ had been righted to even keel, but its crippled condition
was evident in the fused, wrecked condition of its tail rocket-tubes.

The whole camp was enc