me part of the world
quite a few thousand miles removed from India. Back on Kinchinjunga,
it is still ten o'clock at night, but here, it is quite obviously
daytime."

"That must be the explanation," Stoddard agreed. "But it certainly
gave me a start at first!"

Approaching the door, followed by the professor, he peered cautiously
out, to confront a desolate stretch of scrubby growth, hemmed in by a
background of rugged mountains.

"Now where the devil would you say we are?" he demanded, gazing around
perplexedly.

"Either in the United States or in Mexico," was the astonishing
reply.

"But how can you say that?"

"Because it must be some place approximately twelve hours distant from
India in time, to judge from the sun, which is not far past the
meridian."

"But why not Australia, for instance?"

"Because Australia is too far. It would be three o'clock tomorrow
morning there, since it is ten o'clock last night now in India."

* * * * *

Stoddard pondered this a minute, then admitted its correctness.

"All right, then. Assuming that we are somewhere on the North American
continent, the next thing is to give Krassnov the slip; otherwise it
won't be big enough for all of us!"

And that Professor Prescott conceded readily enough.

But before making any further move, they looked over their
surroundings carefully, to satisfy themselves none of their late
captors were in view.

"They're evidently somewhere on the other side of the rocket,"
Stoddard concluded at length. "So let's make a break for it while
we've got the chance."

"Lead the way!" said the professor.

"O. K., here we go!"

And, stepping through the door, they dropped to the ground and raced
off under the glare of the burning sun toward the rugged mountains
that loomed ahead.

* * * * *

For a hundred yards or so they were able to keep the rocket between
themselves and the Russians but soon the ground sloped up to such an
extent that they realized they must be in full view.

Dropping behind the scant shelter of a scraggly tree, they turned and
glanced down--and there, beyond the rocket, they could now see a
group of men standing around outside a small wooden shack, shouting
and gesticulating in their direction.

"Damn it, they've seen us!" muttered Stoddard.

"But why don't they come after us?" queried Professor Prescott.

The answer came even as he spoke, for out of the