ied. Craig saw the pilot
of one of the planes, obviously wounded, signal to the other Ogrum to
help him. His flier was sinking and he was unable to swim. His comrades
completely ignored his cries for help. The plane sank and the Ogrum
pilot, after vainly attempting to swim, went under too. There were
planes near that could have rescued him and certainly some of the Ogrum
saw him, but they made no attempt to help.

"Devils!" Craig said huskily. "They're devils. They don't even take care
of their own wounded comrades."

"If they treat their own men that way, what will they do to their
captives?" Michaelson questioned.

Craig could only stare at him in horror.

"Ask him," he jerked a finger toward Guru, "if the gas _kills_ the
people who inhale it."

The scientist put the question. Guru, squatting on his haunches,
answered slowly.

"He says they are only asleep, that after awhile they will wake up,"
Michaelson said.

"God!" Craig groaned. "I was afraid of that. Ask him what the Ogrum will
do with their captives?"

Again the scientist questioned the dawn man.

"He says the Ogrum will take them to their city and feed them to the
white beast that is always hungry."

Craig said nothing. He turned and looked at the Idaho. The skin was
drawn tight across his face and knots were bulging at the corners of his
jaws. He could see the Ogrum dancing on the decks. They looked something
like humans except that their bodies were distorted, out of proportion.
One was tall and very skinny. Another was short and fat. A third had one
long arm and one short arm. Another had a long body and two very short
legs. Just looking at them, he hated them.

"Damn you," he whispered. "Damn you--"

Something touched his arm. He turned and saw that Guru had risen to his
feet. The dawn man, a look of sympathy on his face, was awkwardly trying
to pat him on the shoulder.

"Guru is trying to tell you that he is sorry," Michaelson said.

"Thanks," Craig said chokingly. "We--we're not licked yet."

In his heart, he knew that he was whistling to keep up his own courage
when he said they weren't licked. If the Ogrum could conquer the Idaho,
what could a handful of sailors do against them? True, there were
several exploring parties ashore, but all of them did not total fifty
men.

What chance had fifty men against the might of the Ogrum? Fifty men
armed with sub-machine guns when there had been more than a thousand men
on the Idaho, armed wi