ily as we could a smaller bite, and that much mass will
help us hold that other stuff together when we catch up with it."

* * * * *

The voyage to Osnome was uneventful. They overtook the wreckage, true to
schedule, as they were approaching the green system, and attached it to
the mass of metal behind them by means of attractors.

"Where'll we land this junk, Dunark?" asked Seaton, as Osnome grew large
beneath them. "We'll hold this lump of metal and the fragment of the
ship carrying the salt; and we'll be able to hold some of the most
important of the other stuff. But a lot of it is bound to get away from
us--and the Lord help anybody who's under it when it comes down! You
might yell for help--and say, you might ask somebody to have that
astronomical data ready for us as soon as we land."

"The parade ground will be empty now, so we will land there," Dunark
replied. "We should be able to land everything in a field of that size,
I should think." He touched the sender at his belt, and in the general
code notified the city of their arrival and warned everyone to keep away
from the parade ground. He then sent several messages in the official
code, concluding by asking that one or two space-ships come out and help
lower the burden to the ground. As the peculiar, pulsating chatter of
the Osnomian telegraph died out, Seaton called for help.

"Come here, you two, and grab some of these attractors. I need about
twelve hands to keep this plunder in the straight and narrow path."

The course had been carefully laid, with allowance for the various
velocities and forces involved, to follow the easiest path to the
Kondalian parade ground. The hemisphere of "X" and the fragment of the
_Kondal_ which bore the salt were held immovably in place by the main
attractor and one auxiliary; and many other auxiliaries held sections of
the Fenachrone vessel. However, the resistance of the air seriously
affected the trajectory of many of the irregularly shaped smaller masses
of metal, and all three men were kept busy flicking attractors right and
left; capturing those strays which threatened to veer off into the
streets or upon the buildings of the Kondalian capital city, and
shifting from one piece to another so that none should fall freely. Two
sister-ships of the _Kondal_ appeared as if by magic in answer to
Dunark's call, and their attractors aided greatly in handling the unruly
collection of wreckage. A