trate our visor panes, even though our suits might temporarily
resist it.

"Anita, it's too dangerous here!"

Had I been alone, I might perhaps have leapt up to lure Miko. But with
Anita I did not dare chance it.

"We've got to get back to camp," I told her.

"Perhaps he has gone--"

But he had not. We saw him again, out in a distant patch of
Earthlight. He was further from us than before, but on still higher
ground. We had extinguished our small helmet lights. But he knew we
were here and possibly he could see us. His projector flashed again.
He was a hundred feet or more away now, and his weapon was of no
longer range than mine. I did not answer his fire, for I could not
hope to hit him at such a distance, and the flash of my weapon would
help him to locate us.

I murmured to Anita, "We must get away."

Yet how did I dare take Anita from these concealing shadows? Miko
could reach us so easily as we bounded away in plain view in the
Earthlight of the open summit! We were caught, at bay in this little
bowl.

The camp was not visible from here. But out through the broken gully,
a white beam of light suddenly came up from below.

_Haljan._ It spelled the signal.

It was coming from the Grantline instrument room, I knew.

I could answer it with my helmet light, but I did not dare.

"Try it," urged Anita.

We crouched where we thought we might be safe from Miko's fire. My
little light beam shot up from the bowl. It was undoubtedly visible to
the camp.

_Yes, I am Haljan. Send us help._

I did not mention Anita. Miko doubtless could read these signals. They
answered, _Cannot_--

I lost the rest of it. There came a flash from Miko's weapon. It gave
us confidence: he was unable to reach us at this distance.

The Grantline beam repeated:

_Cannot come out. Ports broken. You cannot get in. Stay where you are
for an hour or two. We may be able to repair ports._

I extinguished my light. What use was it to tell Grantline anything
further? Besides, my light was endangering us. But the Grantline beam
spelled another message:

_Brigand ship is coming. It will be here before we can get out to you.
No lights. We will try and hide our location._

And the signal beam brought a last appeal:

_Miko and his men will divulge where we are unless you can stop them._

The beam vanished. The lights of the Grantline camp made a faint glow
that showed above the crater edge. The glow died, as the camp now was
plunged