ad
been on his way back, with Kurt a prisoner in the cat. As his waiting
hours wore on he began to think it might mean very little indeed. This
time there was no show on the wall of his cell, nothing but time to
think--too much of that--and no pleasant things to think about.

But he had learned one valuable lesson on that cold expedition.
Kelgarries and the others at the base were the most formidable
opponents he had ever met, and all the balance of luck and equipment lay
on their side of the scales. Ross was now convinced that there could be
no escape from this base. He had been impressed by Kurt's preparations,
knowing that some of them were far beyond anything he himself could have
devised. He did not doubt that Kurt had come here fully prepared with
every ingenious device the Reds could supply.

At least Kurt's friends had had a rude welcome when they did arrive at
the meeting place. Kelgarries had heard Ross out and then had sent ahead
a team. Before Ross's party had reached the base there had been a blast
which split the arctic night wide open. And Kurt, conscious by then, had
shown his only sign of emotion when he realized what it meant.

The door to Ross's cell room clicked, and he swung his feet to the
floor, sitting up on his bunk to face his future. This time he made no
attempt to put on an act. He was not in the least sorry he had tried to
get away. Had Kurt been on the level, it would have been a bright play.
That Kurt was not, was just plain bad luck.

Kelgarries and Ashe entered, and at the sight of Ashe the taut feeling
in Ross's middle loosened a bit. The major might come by himself to pass
sentence, but he would not bring Ashe along if the sentence was a really
harsh one.

"You got off to a bad start here, Murdock." The major sat down on the
edge of the wall shelf which doubled as a table. "You're going to have a
second chance, so consider yourself lucky. We know you aren't another
plant of our enemies, a fact that saves your neck. Do you have anything
to add to your story?"

"No, sir." He was not adding that "sir" to curry any favor; it came
naturally when one answered Kelgarries.

"But you have some questions?"

Ross met that with the truth. "A lot of them."

"Why don't you ask them?"

Ross smiled thinly, an expression far removed and years older than his
bashful boy's grin of the shy act. "A wise guy doesn't spill his
ignorance. He uses his eyes and ears and keeps his trap shut----"

"