gh it. After that puncturing,
the end came soon. A secondary SX7 beam was now in place on mighty Ten's
inner rings, and one fierce blast blew a hole completely through the
Nevian cruiser. Into that hole entered Adlington's terrific bombs and
their gruesome fellows, and where they entered, life departed. All
defenses vanished, and under the blasts of the _Boise's_ batteries, now
unopposed, the metal of the Nevian vessel exploded into a widely
spreading cloud of vapor. Sparkling vapor, with perhaps here and there a
droplet or two of material which had been only liquefied.

So passed the sister-ship, and Rodebush turned his plates upon the
vessel of Nerado. But that highly intelligent amphibian had seen all
that had occurred. He had long since given over the pursuit of the
speedster, and he did not rush in to do hopeless battle beside his
fellow Nevians against the Tellurians. His analytical detectors had
written down each detail of every weapon and of every screen employed;
and even while prodigious streamers of force were raving out from his
vessel, braking her terrific progress and swinging her around in an
immense circle back toward far Nevia, his scientists and mechanics were
doubling and redoubling the power of his already Titanic installations,
to match and if possible to overmatch those of Triplanetary's
super-dreadnaught.

"Do we kill him now or do we let him suffer a while longer?" Costigan
demanded.

"I don't think so, yet," Rodebush replied. "Would you, Cleve?"

"Not yet," said Cleveland, grimly, reading the other's thought and
agreeing with it. "Let him pilot us to Nevia; we might not be able to
find it without a guide. While we're at it we want to so pulverize that
crowd that if they never come near the Solarian system again they'll
think it's twenty minutes too soon."

Thus it was that the _Boise_, increasing her few dynes of driving force
at a rate just sufficient to match her quarry's acceleration, pursued
the Nevian ship. Apparently exerting every effort, she never came quite
within range of the fleeing raider; yet never was she so far behind that
the Nevian space-ship was not in clear register upon her observation
plates.

Nor was Nerado alone in strengthening his vessel. Costigan knew well and
respected highly the Nevian scientist-captain, and at his suggestion
much time was spent in reenforcing the super-ship's armament to the
iron-driven limit of theoretical and mechanical possibility.

In mi