d. And I could not understand it.

My accursed, witless incapacity! If only I had taken warning!

"Here," commanded Miko. "A score of 'graphs with the zed-ray. I tell
you I will comb this surface if we have to stay here until our ship
comes from Ferrok-Shahn to join us!"

The Martian brigands were coming. Miko's signals had been answered. In
ten days the other brigand ship, adequately manned and armed, would be
here.

Snap helped me connect the zed-ray. He did not dare even to whisper to
me, with Moa hovering always so close. And for all Miko's sardonic
smiling, we knew that he would tolerate nothing from us now. He was
fully armed and so was Moa.

I recall that several times Snap endeavored to touch me significantly.
Oh, if only I had taken warning!

We finished our connecting. The dull gray point of zed-ray gleamed
through the prisms to mingle with the moonlight entering the main
lens. I stood with the shutter trip.

"The same interval, Snap?"

"Yes."

Beside me, I was aware of a faint reflection of the zed-ray--a gray
cathedral shaft crossing the room and falling upon the opposite wall.
An unreality there, as the zed-ray faintly strove to penetrate the
metal room side.

I said, "Shall I make the exposure?"

Snap nodded. But that 'graph was never made. An exclamation from Moa
made us all turn. The gamma mirrors were quivering! Grantline had
picked our signals! With what was undoubtedly an intensified receiving
equipment which Snap had not thought Grantline able to use, he had
caught our faint zed-rays, which Snap was sending only to deceive
Miko. And Grantline had recognized the _Planetara_, and had released
his occulting screens surrounding the ore.

And upon their heels came Grantline's message. Not in the secret
system he had arranged with Snap, but unsuspectingly in open code. I
could read the swinging mirror, and so could Miko.

And Miko decoded it triumphantly aloud:

"Surprised but pleased your return. Approach Mid-Northern Hemisphere
region of Archimedes, forty thousand off nearest Apennine range."

The message broke off. But even its importance was overshadowed. Miko
stood in the center of the radio room, triumphantly reading the little
indicator. Its beam swung on the scale, which chanced to be almost
directly over Anita's head. I saw Miko's expression change.... A look
of surprise, amazement, came over him.

"Why--"

He gasped. He stood staring. Almost stupidly staring, for an instant