iding his clutch.

He went over, and fell soundlessly, his body whirling end over end
down into the shadows, far below.

I drew back. My senses faded as I sank panting to the rocks. But with
inactivity, my heart quieted. My respiration slowed. The Erentz
circulation gained on my poisoned air. It purified.

That blessed oxygen! My head cleared. Strength came. I felt better.

Coniston had fallen to his death. I was victor. I went to the brink
cautiously, for I was still dizzy. I could see, far down there on the
crater floor, a little patch of Earthlight in which a mashed human
figure was lying.

I staggered back again. A moment or two must have passed while I stood
there on the summit, with my senses clearing and my strength renewed
as the blood stream cleared in my veins.

I was victor. Coniston was dead. I saw now, down on the lower
staircase below the camp ledge, another goggled figure lying huddled.
That was Wilks, no doubt. Coniston had probably caught him there,
surprised him, killed him.

My attention, as I stood gazing, went down to the camp buildings.
Another figure was outside! It bounded along the ledge, reached the
foot of the stairs at the top of which I was standing. With agile
leaps, it came mounting at me!

Another brigand! Miko? No, it was not large enough to be Miko. I was
still confused. I thought of Hahn. But that was absurd: Hahn was in
the wreck of the _Planetara_. One of the stewards then....

The figure came up the staircase recklessly, to assail me. I took a
step backward, bracing myself to receive this new antagonist. And then
I looked further down and saw Miko! Unquestionably he, for there was
no mistaking his giant figure. He was down on the camp ledge, running
toward the foot of the stairs.

I thought of my revolver. I turned to try and find it. I was aware
that the first of my assailants was at the stairhead. I swung back to
see what this oncoming brigand was doing. He was on the summit: with a
sailing leap he launched for me. I could have bounded away, but with a
last look to locate the revolver, I braced myself for the shock.

The figure hit me. It was small and light in my clutching arms. I
recall I saw that Miko was halfway up the stairs. I gripped my
assailant. The audiphone contact brought a voice.

"Gregg, is it you?"

It was Anita!

XXVI

"Gregg, you're safe!"

She had heard the camp corridors resounding with the shouts that Wilks
and Haljan were fighting