inarily
polished and smooth as the surface of a mirror, were dull and deeply
eroded.

"Notice, sir," emanated Hendricks excitedly, "how much brighter the
things are! They _are_ feeding, and they are growing stronger and more
brilliant. They--look out, sir! They're attacking! Our copper
helmets--"

But I had seen it as quickly as he. Half a dozen of the glowing things,
sensing in some way the presence of a metal which they apparently
preferred to that of the _Ertak's_ hull, suddenly detached themselves
and came swarming directly down upon us.

I was standing closer to the ship than Hendricks, and they attacked me
first. Several of them dropped upon me, their glowing bodies covering
the vision-piece, and blinding me with their light. I waved my arms and
started to run blindly, incoherent warnings coming to me through the
menore from Hendricks and the sentries.

The things had no weight, but they emitted a strange, electric warmth
which seemed to penetrate my entire body instantly as I ran unseeingly,
trying to find the ship, tearing at the fastenings of my mask as I ran.
I could not, of course, enter the ship with these things clinging to my
garments.

Suddenly I felt water splash under my feet; felt its grateful coolness
upon my legs, and with a gasp I realized I had in my confusion been
running away from the ship, instead of toward it. I stopped, trying to
get a grip on myself.

The belt of the breathing mask came loose, and I tore the thing from me,
holding my breath and staring around wildly. The ship was only a few
yards away, and Hendricks, his mask already off, was running toward me.

* * * * *

"Back!" I shouted. "I'm all right now. Back!" He hesitated for an
instant until I caught up with him, and then, together, we gained the
safety of the air-lock. Without orders, the men swung shut the ponderous
door, and Hendricks and I stood there panting, and drawing in breaths
of the _Ertak's_ clean, reviving air.

"That possibility was one we overlooked, sir," said Hendricks. "Let's
see what's happening."

We opened the shutter of a port nearby and gazed out onto the beach we
had so hurriedly deserted. There were three or four of the glowing
things huddled shapelessly around our abandoned suits, and ragged holes
showed in several places in the thin copper helmets. Even as we looked,
they dissolved into nothingness, and after a few seconds of hesitation,
the things swarmed swift