I can't even guess intelligently about them. However," Usher
broke off with a wry grin, "all these philosophical observations are of
no importance while our own necks are threatened with the ax."

Vega was straight overhead when they found the ship. One of the advance
scouts came hurrying back with the information.

"She is lying in a little meadow beside the lake," the scout reported.
"They're doing something to her. I can't tell what. But the trees extend
to within fifty yards of her. We can approach that near without being
seen."

CHAPTER VI

The Capture of the Ship

Nielson made his dispositions with care. The ship lay in a little meadow
where the trees bent inward from the blue water of the lake to form a
cove. Her nose was pointed toward the water and her tail was almost in
the trees. Nielson sent three men on a wide circuit. They were to attack
from the farther side. It was to be a feint. While the three men drew
attention to them, the main body was to charge.

"We have every chance of succeeding," Nielson said. "And if we do gain
the ship again, this time we won't stay here. Vega has at least two
planets. The ship will fly to the other one without repairs. You should
have thought of that, Hargraves."

"There are a lot of things I should have thought of and didn't,"
Hargraves answered. There was no animosity in his tone. "What I would
like to know is what they are doing there beside the ship?"

Thulon and his three companions were visible beside the vessel. They
were busily engaged in setting up a device of some kind. Others of their
species had joined them until there were possibly thirty or forty
present. Through the the gaping hole in the hull, still others could be
seen peering out. What they were doing Hargraves could not discern.

"Odd," said Usher beside him.

"What is?"

"It's odd that they should still seem to be human in form," the
archeologist answered. "Ah. Perhaps there is the reason."

Both locks were open. The thing that looked like Hal Sarkoff had just
emerged from the nearest one. He went directly to the main group. They
were erecting something that looked like a tripod. Several were carrying
pieces of metal from the ship which they were fastening together to form
the legs of the tripod. At the apex of the tripod something that looked
like a box was coming into existence.

"They are completely unarmed," Hargraves heard Nielson say. "There isn't
a weapon in the whole damned