s, Potan, I'm sure we will."

A man entered the cubby. Potan looked frowningly around. "What is it,
Argle?"

The fellow answered in Martian, leered at Anita and withdrew.

Potan stood up. I noticed that he was unsteady with the drink.

"They want me with the work at the projectors."

"Go ahead," I said.

He nodded. We were comrades now.

"Amuse yourself, Haljan. Or come out on deck if you wish. I will tell
my men you are one of us."

"And tell them to keep their hands off Miss Prince."

He stared at me. "I had not thought of that--a woman among so many
men."

His own gaze at Anita was as leeringly offensive as any of his men
could have given. He said, "Have no fear, little tigress."

Anita laughed. "I am afraid of nothing."

But when he had lurched from the cabin she touched me. Smiled with her
mannish swagger, for fear we were still observed, and murmured:

"Oh, Gregg, I am afraid!"

We stayed in the cubby a few moments, whispering--trying to plan.

"You think the signal room is in the tower, Gregg? This tower outside
our window here?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Shall we go out and see?"

"Yes. Keep near me always."

"Oh, Gregg. I will!"

We deposited our Erentz suits carefully in a corner of the cubby. We
might need them so suddenly! Then we swaggered out to join the
brigands working on the deck.

CHAPTER XXX

_Desperate Plans_

The deck glowed lurid in the queer blue-greenish glare of Martian
electro-fuse lights. It was in a bustle of ordered activity. Some
twenty of the crew were scattered about, working in little groups.
Apparatus was being brought up from below to be assembled. There was a
pile of Erentz suits and helmets, of Martian pattern, but still very
similar to those with which Grantline's expedition was equipped. There
were giant projectors of several kinds, some familiar to me, others
of a fashion I had never seen before. It seemed there were six or
eight of them, still dismantled, with a litter of their attendant
batteries and coils and tube-amplifiers. They were to be mounted here
on the deck, I surmised; I saw in the dome-side one or two of them
already rolled into position at the necessary pressure portes.

Anita and I stood outside Potan's cubby, gazing around us curiously.
The men looked at us, but none of them spoke.

"Let's watch from here a moment," I whispered. She nodded, standing
with her hand on my arm. I felt that we were very small, here in the
midst of these