uit
could withstand the ray for several minutes.

* * * * *

We were, however, well equipped with explosives. Grantline had brought
a large supply for his mining operations, and much of it was still
unused. We had, also, an ample stock of oxygen fuses, and a variety of
oxygen light flares in small fragile glass-globes.

It was to use these explosives against the brigands that Snap and I
were working out our scheme with the gravity-plates. The brigand ship
would come with giant projectors and with some thirty men. If we could
hold out against them for a time, the fact that the _Planetara_ was
missing would bring us help from Earth.

"A month," said Grantline. "A month at the most. If we can hold them
off that long--even in a week or two help may come."

Another day. A tenseness fell on us all, despite the absorption of our
feverish activities. To conserve the power, the camp was almost dark,
we lived in dim, chill rooms, with just a few weak spots of light
outside to mark the watchmen on their rounds. We did not use the
telescope,[3] but there was scarcely an hour when one or the other of
the men was not sitting on a cross-piece up in the dome of the little
instrument room, casting tense searching gaze into the black, starry
firmament. A ship might appear at any time now--a rescue ship from
Earth, or the brigands from Mars.

* * * * *

Anita and Venza during these days could aid us very little save by
their cheering words. They moved about the rooms, trying to inspire
us; so that all the men, when they might have been humanly sullen and
cursing their fate, were turned to grim activity, or grim laughter,
making a joke of this coming siege. The morale of the camp now was
perfect. An improvement indeed over the inactivity of the former
peaceful weeks!

[Footnote 3: An old-fashioned telescope, of limited field and needing
no electronic power, would have been immensely serviceable to
Grantline, but his was of the more modern type.]

Grantline mentioned it to me. "We'll put up a good fight, Haljan.
These fellows from Mars will know they've had a task before they ever
sail off with this treasure."

I had many moments alone with Anita. I need not mention them. It
seemed that our love was crossed by the stars, with an adverse fate
dooming it. And Snap and Venza must have felt the same. Among the men
we were always quietly, grimly active. But alone.... I ca