ion for days
past, and now the reaction was exacting its inevitable toll.

He came stumbling heavily along the beach, his feet dragging through
its coarse sand, and it seemed as if he would drop any moment. With a
slight smile he greeted Friday, then Eliot Leithgow and Wilson, all
running down.

"Hello, Eclipse," he murmured, "and Eliot--and Ban--"

There he wavered and half fell against the Negro's body. Friday wished
to carry him, but he would have none of it: by himself he walked up to
the ranch-house, where he slumped into a chair while Ban Wilson went
shouting into the galley for a mug of hot alkite.

After draining it, Carse revived slightly. Again aware of the three
men grouped around him, and recognizing their eagerness for his news,
he forced himself to speech.

"Sleepy--must sleep. But--yes--some things I'll tell you." In quick,
staccato sentences, his tired eyelids shut half the time, he sketched
his adventure at Lar Tantril's ranch, explaining how, even though
captured, he had destroyed the figures, telling of the location of
Leithgow's laboratory; and a slight smile appeared on his lips as he
told of the ruse by which he had escaped. "Got away. Told them the
lake-front was very dangerous to them. Made them let me show them. I
walked out--dozens of them round me, guns on me--walked out till I
went under water. Could do it in the suit. I walked under water half a
mile or so, then came up and cached the suit. I guess they're still
watching! Easy!"

* * * * *

He chuckled, and then, after a short pause, went on:

"But here's what's important--Ku Sui is alive. Yes, I know it. He has
an assignation with Tantril at Tantril's ranch. In five days. And the
coordinated brains I promised to destroy--they still exist. So, Eliot,
these are orders: prepare plans for infra-red and ultra-violet
devices--they ought to do it--so we can see Dr. Ku's invisible
asteroid when it comes. Friday, you go down and get my space-suit:
it's cached ten miles down the beach, beneath a big watrari tree. And
then--" His head slumped over; he appeared to have abruptly fallen to
sleep.

"Yes, Carse? What is your plan?" Eliot Leithgow asked softly. But the
Hawk was only making a great last effort to gather the threads of his
idea.

"Yes," he responded, "the plan. Ban stations a man to keep watch on
Tantril's ranch, while we go back to your laboratory, Eliot, where
you'll make the devices and repair t