nsity on
Terra, this being partly due to the masking of the sun by the clouds and
partly to their tremendous distance from that radiant body. Odd that it
was not colder, he thought. Probably those vibratory radiations of
Saturn's rings had something to do with the temperature in addition to
their other effects.

Detis was on his knees, examining a queer specimen of purplish moss
which had drawn his eye. The eternal scientist in the man could not be
downed. Mado had come out armed with one of the bulky kalbite
torpedo-projectors and was looking around belligerently.

Ora drew herself erect and took a deep breath as soon as her feet
touched the ground, her eyes bright and her cheeks flushed with
excitement. "Oh, Carr," she breathed, "it's marvelous; an
honest-to-goodness virgin forest. We've neither of us ever seen one, you
know. Aren't you thrilled?"

"We-e-ll," he admitted, "I've always looked forward to wandering in just
such places. But, with you along, and thinking of those barbarians we
saw--"

"Silly. I'm as capable as any of you. And, even if I couldn't look out
for myself, I know that you will be at my side." She pursed her lips and
tossed back her head provocatively.

What was a man to do?

* * * * *

A deep-toned booming note came then from the hills, commencing like the
warning siren of a space liner approaching its berth and swelling to a
bombilation of ear-shattering sound that set the steel of the _Nomad's_
hull vibrating and their very flesh and bones a-tingle. Then it died
away as had the bird note which was the first sound of this world to
greet them.

"Jupiter! What's that?" Mado unslung his torpedo-projector.

As if in answer to his startled question, a weird object drifted over
the treetops and poised directly above them, about fifty feet up. An
egg-shaped thing, six or seven feet in length, and seemingly made of
white metal. It swayed there gently, without visible means of support,
and they could make out a transparent disk on its side, back of which
there was a human head with eyes that regarded them curiously.

Mado raised his torpedo tube and took aim.

"Hold it!" Carr warned him. "This fellow's no savage. Probably he's one
of those who tried to break our fall. Friendly, perhaps."

Two more of the ovoids drifted in from the woods and joined the first
one, all three settling a few feet lower and their occupants staring
intently at the intruders.

"I'