y, "in the wreck of the
_Planetara_. You heard of it? We know where the treasure is."

This duty-man was a full seven feet tall, and the most heavy-set
Martian I had ever seen. A tremendous, beetling-browed, scowling
fellow. He stood with hands on his hips, his leather-garbed legs
spread wide; and as I fronted him I felt like a child. He was silent,
glaring down at me as I drew his attention from Anita.

"You speak English? We are not skilled with Martian."

I wondered if at the next time of sleep this fellow would be on duty
here. I hoped not; it would not be easy to trick him and find an
opportunity to flash a signal. But that task was some hours away as
yet; I would worry about it when the time came. Just now I was
concerned with Miko and his little band, who at any moment might
arrive in sight. If we could persuade this scowling duty-man to turn
the projector on them....

He answered me in ready English:

"You are the man Gregg Haljan? And this is the sister of George
Prince--what do you want up here?"

"I am a navigator. Brotow wants me to pilot the ship when we advance
to attack Grantline."

"This is not the control room."

"No, I know it isn't."

I put my helmet carefully on the floor-grid beside Anita's. I
straightened to find the brigand gazing at her. He did not speak; he
was still scowling. But in the dim blue glow of the cubby I caught the
look in his eyes.

* * * * *

I said hastily, "Grantline knows your ship has landed here on
Archimedes. His camp is off there on the Mare Imbrium. He sent up a
signal--you saw it, didn't you?--just before Miss Prince and I came
aboard. He was trying to pretend that he was your Earth-party, Miko
and Coniston."

"Why?"

The fellow turned his scowl on me, but Anita brought his gaze back to
her. She put in quickly:

"Grantline, as Brother always said, has no great cunning. I believe
he's planning now to creep up on us, catch us unaware by pretending
that he is Miko."

"If he does that," I said, "we will turn this electronic projector on
him and annihilate him. You have its firing mechanism here."

"Who told you so?" he shot at me.

I gestured. "I see it here. It's obvious. I'm skilled at
trajectory-firing. If Grantline appears down there now, I'll help
you--"

"Is it connected?" Anita demanded boldly.

"Yes," he said. "You have on your Erentz suits: are you going to the
dome-roof? Then go."

But that was what we did