e would have to control his temper or
he'd make a mess of things.

"Because, my dear Carson, it will so displease the Zara."

With this cryptic remark he turned on his heel and left them. A number
of his technical experts awaited him at the eyepiece of the great
telescope.

Dantor whispered swiftly before following him, "Keep up your courage,
Carson. A way may yet be found."

The group by the telescope was an excited one. Something had occurred
which must be of great moment. It came to Blaine in a flash that the
reverberations of the copper shell of Antrid had ceased. The
rocket-tube was silent.

"I don't know why we shouldn't be in on this," he said to the girl.
"Let's go over there and see what it's all about."

* * * * *

One of the astronomers was reporting to Ianito, referring to a sheet of
calculations he held in nervous fingers. "Our orbital velocity has
increased greatly," he was saying, "and the new path lies at an average
distance of eighty-three erds from the mother planet. According to my
figures it will require six more charges to free us from her pull and
another to redirect us toward our destination."

Eighty-three erds! Practically a million Earth miles. Already they had
swung out to a new orbit between those of Ganymede and Callisto. And
what of the effect on the other satellites? Blaine listened carefully
as the astronomer continued.

"Perturbations in the movements of the other bodies in our own system
are marked, and, in the case of the first satellite, have proved
disastrous. It has commenced its inward journey and soon will have
fallen into the gaseous envelope of the mother body. But this need
occasion us no concern; it is small and there will be stabilization of
the others after the second charge is fired."

Colossal conceit! What amazing ignorance or oversight of natural laws!
These Llott scientists could see no farther than their snub noses, or
at least no farther than the satellite system of Jupiter. And Ianito
was complimenting the astronomer on his good work!

The group broke up now and the Dictator turned to the controls of his
crystal sphere. Blaine and Ulana caught the view of the underground
laboratory at the base of the great rocket-tube.

All was as it had been when they first saw this chamber. The breech of
the huge cannon had cooled and its massive block was open. Tommy was
there, fishing the radium capsule from the powdery resi