clung to the casement. Across the space of the weightless room the
hooded intruder was also clinging. His hood fell back. It was Johnson.
He leered at me.

"Killed him, the bully! Well, he deserved it. Now for you, Mr. Third
Officer Haljan!"

But he did not dare fire at me--Miko had forbidden it. I saw him reach
under his robe, doubtless for a low-powered paralyzing ray such as Miko
already had used on me. But he never got it out. I had no weapon within
reach. I leaned into the room, still holding the casement, and doubled
my legs under me. I kicked out from the window.

The force catapulted me across the space of the room like a volplane. I
struck the purser. We gripped. Our locked, struggling bodies bounced out
into the room. We struck the floor, surged up like balloons to the
ceiling, struck it with a flailing arm or a leg and floated back.

* * * * *

Grotesque, abnormal combat! Like fighting in weightless water. Johnson
clutched his weapon, but I twisted his wrist, held his arm outstretched
so that he could not aim it. I was aware of Miko's voice shouting on the
deck outside.

Johnson's left hand was gouging at my face, his fingers plucking at my
eyes. We lunged down to the floor, then up again, close to the ceiling.

I twisted his wrists. He dropped the weapon and it sank away. I tried to
reach it, but could not. Then I had him by the throat. I was stronger
than he, and more agile. I tried choking him, his thick bull-neck within
my fingers. He kicked, scrambled, tore and gouged at me. Tried to shout,
but it ended in a gurgle. And then, as he felt his breath stopped, his
hands came up in an effort to tear mine loose.

We sank again to the floor. We were momentarily upright. I felt my feet
touch. I bent my knees. We sank further.

And then I kicked violently upward. Our locked bodies shot to the
ceiling. Johnson's head was above me. It struck the steel roof of the
chart-room. A violent blow. I felt him go suddenly limp. I cast him off,
and, doubling my body, I kicked at the ceiling. It sent me diagonally
downward to the window, where I clung and regained stability.

And I saw Miko standing on the deck with a weapon levelled at me!

CHAPTER XIII

_The Torture_

"Haljan! Yield or I'll fire! Moa, give me the smaller one. This
cursed--"

He had in his hand too large a projector. Its ray would kill me. If he
wanted to take me alive, he would not fire. I chanced it.

"No