measures." Pink laughed, but before he could ask her what the hell they
_had_ been trying, she hurried on. "Find out where the home of these
monsters is; it must be an asteroid. Then go there. Land and get out
with your guns. They will think our friend in there brought us to
them--and you'll have the advantage of surprise. You have about a dozen
firearms that will take lead bullets. That's enough for twelve of us. I
think we'd stand a chance of success."

"And if they murder us all? What about the ship?"

She said, "Leave orders to blow it up if we fail."

Pink scratched his jaw. The girl had something, or the nucleus of
something, there. He saw other possibilities in it--it was tantamount to
suicide, but there was nothing else left to try. He said, "If we live
through this, Circe, I'll see you make lieutenant!"

"I'd rather make ... well, never mind." She turned to go into the room.
He wondered if she had had Joe Silver in mind.

CHAPTER XVI

He said to the alien, "Where's your home planetoid?"

"Why?" it asked, mockery still in its weak voice.

"I'm capitulating. I want to make a deal with your people."

It said, "Ah, the human has sense after all. Our home is the largest of
the asteroids, as you call them. The one you said at supper last night
had a diameter of 440 miles. We call it Oasis--and a poor one it is,
when we remember Earth."

Jerry said, astounded, "_What?_" His narrow face worked with surprise.

"Shut up, Jerry." Pink still had things to find out. "Can you tell your
race, telepathically, what we're doing? I don't want them to lose
patience and tear up the hull. We have a very angry gent atop us."

"It's the girl," snarled Jerry, before the alien could answer. "She's
got you fooled like a--like a--good Lord, Pink, are you so crazy about
her you can't see she's been waiting to put this idea in your head all
this time?"

"Jerry," he said through his teeth, "shut your damn mouth. I'm captain
of the _Elephant's Child_."

Jerry was aiming the Colt at him; accidentally, Pink hoped. Then the O.
O. said, "If I have to blow out your guts to save us, Pink, I will." His
tortured features writhed with pain. "Oh, hell, boy, wake up!"

"Give me one more minute, before you fly off the handle and make an ass
of yourself--and a mess of me." Pink had to have that minute. It was so
vital he couldn't save himself from the angered Jerry with the one
phrase that would explain everything. "Jerry, one lou