the ear, instead of directly in the back of the head. Cold sweat
bathed the boy at the nearness of it. He had almost missed!

But there wasn't time to think about that now. Scotty and Zircon were
already moving into action. The big scientist unwound the rope ladder
from around his waist while Scotty drove spikes into a cleft in the
lava. His wooden mallet, muffled with cloth padding, made only a dull,
almost inaudible sound.

Zircon secured the end of the ladder to the spikes, then put his weight
on it, testing. It held. He moved forward, and lowered the free end over
the cliff.

Rick and Scotty stood by to give a hand to the men on the ledge below.
They were already on their way, Howard Shannon first.

Rick eyed the village anxiously. He was sure they were practically
invisible against the dark lava, but he wouldn't feel secure until they
had moved out of sight.

Shannon reached the top, and Rick and Scotty helped him over. A Filipino
boy was next up, and Rick knew this must be the famous Elpidio Torres.
The boy came up the ladder like a sailor and scrambled over the top
without help.

Tony Briotti was last. The youthful archaeologist wasted no time in
swarming up the ladder to the top, and in a moment the six of them were
shaking hands in silent glee.

Scotty pulled the ladder up, so it wouldn't be seen dangling, then
whispered urgently, "Let's get going."

By prearrangement, Scotty led the way with Zircon next in line, followed
by Shannon, Briotti, and the Filipino boy, with Rick bringing up the
rear. He paused long enough to unstring the bow and put it back in the
quiver.

As the group paused before making the difficult stage of the journey
around the cone, Rick took the Megabuck unit from Tony. In the
excitement no one had called Chahda.

"On our way back now, Chahda," Rick said calmly. "All six of us."

The Hindu boy's yell of triumph and relief almost shattered Rick's
eardrum. He whispered, "Stow it, you wild Indian. You'll ruin my
hearing."

"Sorry," Chahda said, but he didn't sound it. "Hurry back now. I wait
for word to come."

Rick followed as the group started off again. He wondered how the guard
was doing. By all reckoning, the man should still be unconscious. He'd
better be!

The party reached the eastern slope of the volcano, directly under the
cone, and started the last descent. The rope ladders made the trip
comparatively easy, except for the final drop before the ground leveled
off