rea that blast off regularly without a customs
search."

"You mean," stammered Strong, "Wallace and Simms are dumping"--he could
hardly say the word--"_dirt_ in space?"

"They have a ship. The cadets say the ship blasts off loaded and returns
light. And we've got the sky full of dirt. Venusian dirt!"

"But why?"

"I suggest we go out to the exposition grounds right now and ask them!"
said Hawks coldly. "And believe me, they'd better have some
rocket-blasting good answers!"

CHAPTER 5

The great educational exhibits had long been closed and only a few
sections of the amusement park of the big exposition remained open. The
giant solar beacon, its brilliant colors changing every second,
maintained a solemn solitary watch over the exhibition buildings, while
here and there groups of fair visitors wandered wearily back to their
hotels.

There was a sudden flurry of activity at the space-ride concession. Gus
Wallace and Luther Simms tumbled out of the shack and raced into their
ship. Once inside the ancient craft, they secured the hatch and turned
toward each other smiling broadly. Wallace stuck out his hand.

"Put 'er there, Simms. We did it!"

The two men shook hands heartily.

"By the craters of Luna," said Simms, "I thought we'd never make it! And
if we did, that it wouldn't be there!"

"But it was, Simms! It was! And now we've got it!"

"Yeah," agreed the other. "I never worked so hard in all my life. But
it's worth it. Are we going to set the Solar Guard back on its ear!"

Wallace laughed. "Not only that, but think of what the boss will say
when we show up with it!"

"You know, Wallace," said Simms, a sly look on his face, "we could take
it and use it ourselves--"

"Don't even think a thing like that!" snapped Wallace.

"Oh, of course not," said Simms hurriedly. "It doesn't pay to cross the
boss. There's enough here for all of us."

"You know," mused Wallace, "there's only one thing I regret."

"What's that?" asked his partner.

"That I didn't get a chance to kick the space dust out of that punk,
Cadet Manning!"

"Forget him," said Simms, waving his hand. "You'll meet him again
someday. Besides, why think about him, when you've got the whole
universe at your finger tips?"

"You're right. But someday I'm going to catch him and tear him apart!"
snarled Wallace. "Come on. We've got to change over to atomic drive on
this baby. I don't want to hang around here any longer than I have to."