ts in their hand-members.

Ferrati opened a chest built against the back of the seat and took out a
light machine gun. Climbing into the front, next to Haines, he kneeled
down behind the windshield, raised the gun, and blazed away.

The steam carts suddenly swerved, one after the other, ran wildly into
the side of a building, and turned over. The jeep roared past them,
raced across the last hundred feet of city paving and out onto the
desert. Haines had to slow down to navigate safely the uneven layers of
barren soil, rock and sand. Burl holstered his gun and reached across
for one of the abandoned walkie-talkies.

In the excitement of their exit, none had noticed the change in the
Martian scenery. But now it occurred to Burl that the day was distinctly
lighter, and he fancied the Sun--small though it was--felt warmer. The
Sun-tap demolished, this was to be expected, and by the same token,
radio communication should now be practical.

Sure enough, he got Lockhart's voice at once. Hastily, he warned the
commander of what had happened.

As they drew nearer the _Magellan_, the great spaceship lowered toward
the ground and let down its grapples and ladders. Burl saw that there
was no time to be lost. A stream of Martians and steam carts was pouring
out of the city on their trail.

They reached the spaceship and slammed to a halt. The men leaped out.
Burl and Russ lifted Boulton's unconscious body from the jeep and,
between them, managed to hoist him awkwardly up the dangling rope
ladder.

The others hooked grapples onto the jeep, and when it was secure, leaped
for safety themselves.

As the first of the Martian steam carts was almost on them, the
_Magellan_ lifted into the air. It rose high above the surface and swung
off into the desert. The Martians drew to a halt. Burl, looking down
from the doorway of the cargo hatch, could see them milling aimlessly
around. None, he noticed, ever glanced up. Air flight, apparently, was
an inconceivable phenomenon to them.

After the jeep had been pulled into the cargo hold and secured, the
outer ports were sealed. When everyone was safely in the inner sphere,
the _Magellan_ drew away from Mars and started on the next lap of its
long mission.

Boulton was carefully examined. Nothing could be made of his condition.
He seemed to bear no physical hurt, although he slept on. He was placed
in his bunk, and there he rested, breathing slowly, temperature normal,
dormant.

The li