ox?" he shrilled. "We'll chase them off
the Earth, sweep 'em out into space."

"Why, you little gamecock," the giant observed affectionately, "I'm
beginning to believe you can do it."

"We thought you had gone for good," said Hilary, holding Joan tightly
to him as if he feared to lose her again. "What happened to you on the
Robbins Building?"

"Can't get rid of us that easily, can he, Joan?" The little man
smirked knowingly at the girl. "It was all very simple," he went on.
"No sooner had you two left us than we heard the thud of a flier
landing on the other end of the roof. The pilot looked out at us
startled. We recognized each other simultaneously. It was our old
friend--Urga."

Hilary clenched his fist. He had a good many scores to settle with the
Cor.

Wat saw his action. "I did my best," he stated apologetically. "I ran
for the machine gun. But by that time Urga had shot aloft again.
Didn't seem as though he wanted to wait. I heard his whistle shrilling
in the air. Fliers came thick as flies."

He spread his hands in a quaint gesture. "What could I do, Hilary?"
his voice was appealing. "Any minute I expected to have a ray on us. I
couldn't wait for you two, the _Vagabond_ would have been a little
pile of ashes. Besides, there was Joan. She kicked and struggled: she
wanted to stay for you, but I shoved her in the ship, locked the port,
and went scooting up like a rocket. You should have seen the
Mercutians scatter."

* * * * *

For the first time in his life words seemed to fail him.
"You--are--not--angry?" he fumbled, looking for all the world like a
bedraggled dog who knows he has been in mischief.

"Angry?" Hilary fairly whooped. "What for? For saving the ship, Joan,
all of us? Why, you little bit of pure gameness, you did the only
sensible thing."

Wat grinned from ear to ear.

"But why," Grim interrupted, "didn't you have sense enough to come
back here, instead of scaring everybody to death?"

Wat turned on him indignantly. "Sure," he squeaked, "and bring all the
Mercutians along with me? No sir, I shot straight up into the
stratosphere, and headed for the Canadian woods. Felt we'd be safe
there."

Hilary looked at him. "I've heard," he said overcasually, "that an
accident happened to one of the Mercutian diskoids. Know anything
about it?"

The redhead grinned. "I was the accident. I wasn't staying cooped up
in the wilderness. Joan and I decided we'd do some