until after he has
actually been shown. Well, I imagine he will be shown plenty by this
evening."

"Well, I'll never tackle him with heat. How does he get that way?"

"He's naturally fast, and has practiced sleight-of-hand work ever since
he was a kid. He's one of the best amateur magicians in the country, and
I will say that his ability along that line has come in handy for him
more than once."

"I see where you're right in wanting to get something, since we have
only ordinary weapons and they have all that stuff. This trip is to get
a little something for ourselves, I take it?"

"Exactly, and you know enough now to understand what we are out here to
get for ourselves. You have guessed that we are headed for Osnome?"

"I suspected it. However, if you were going only to Osnome, you would
have gone alone; so I also suspect that that's only half of it. I have
no idea what it is, but you've got something else on your mind."

"You're right--I knew you were keen. When I was on Osnome I found out
something that only four other men--all--dead--ever knew. There is a
race of men far ahead of the Osnomians in science, particularly in
warfare. They live a long way beyond Osnome. It is my plan to steal an
Osnomian airship and mount all its ray screens, generators, guns, and
everything else, upon this ship, or else convert their vessel into a
space-ship. Instead of using their ordinary power, however, we will do
as Seaton did, and use intra-atomic power, which is practically
infinite. Then we'll have everything Seaton's got, but that isn't
enough. I want enough more than he's got to wipe him out. Therefore,
after we get a ship armed to suit us, we'll visit this strange planet
and either come to terms with them or else steal a ship from them. Then
we'll have their stuff and that of the Osnomians, as well as our own.
Seaton won't last long after that."

"Do you mind if I ask how you got that dope?"

"Not at all. Except when right with Seaton I could do pretty much as I
pleased, and I used to take long walks for exercise. The Osnomians tired
very easily, being so weak, and because of the light gravity of the
planet, I had to do a lot of work or walking to keep in any kind of
condition at all. I learned Kondalian quickly, and got so friendly with
the guards, that pretty soon they quit trying to keep me in sight, but
waited at the edge of the palace grounds until I came back and joined
them.

"Well, on one trip I was fifteen m