r Connel. Suddenly Tom
jerked free. "Roger!" he cried.

"What is it?" replied the cadet. "Do you see him?"

"There!" Tom pointed back to the ship. "On the stern! He's hanging on to
the cleat over the main tubes!"

[Illustration: "_He's hanging on to the cleat over the main tube!_"]

"Astro," Roger called, "we're coming back in. We've spotted him."

"I heard you!" said Astro. "Must've come back on his own steam. Go get
him, quick!"

Turning the nozzles of their oxygen tanks, the two cadets shot toward
the ship. They quickly clambered onto the stern where Connel lay
stretched out on the side of the hull, arms extended, his gloved hands
gripping the small cleat on the side of the hull.

In a matter of minutes, the two boys had the Solar Guard officer safely
inside the air-lock chamber and had removed his space helmet and suit.
His eyes were closed, and his face was deathly white. Tom immediately
clapped an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose, while Roger applied
heating units to the wrists and neck.

Astro burst into the chamber, followed by the professor. "Will he be all
right?" Hemmingwell asked anxiously.

"Think nothing of it, Professor Hummingbird," said Roger. "The old major
will come around any second, and when he does, stand back. The first
thing he'll do is yell."

"Roger, the name is Hemmingwell," hissed Tom.

"Oh, yeah, sure," nodded Roger, and then turned to Astro. "Is Barret
still locked up?"

"Yeah," replied the Venusian. "And I hid the key, so Connel can't get to
him until he cools off."

"The major is coming around," said Tom.

As they watched, Connel stirred, coughed several times, and then opened
his eyes. He stared in amazement at Tom, then turned to blink
unbelievingly at Roger and Astro. "What in the star-blazing--?"

"It's us all right, sir!" Tom assured him.

"Yeah," chimed in Roger. "And you're not in heaven or--er--any place
else either."

As Connel suddenly flushed with anger and sat up, Hemmingwell spoke
quickly. "They saved your life, Major," he said.

"They did?" Connel's face clouded in confusion. "I don't understand. How
did you three get aboard, anyway?"

"It's a long story, sir," said Tom. "Right now, maybe we'd better--"

Before the cadet could finish, there was a loud crashing and a series of
jolting bumps as the ship lurched.

"What the blue blazes!" roared Connel, jumping to his feet in alarm.

"The projectiles!" exclaimed Roger. "We've got to get out of here