verness, "that I am facing you with what will,
undoubtedly, be a monotonous and wearying vigil, for we shall probably
be gone several weeks." He referred, I must explain, to a period of
seven Earth days, a common unit of time on Earth.

"We'll make the best of it," I said, thinking of Correy, and how he
would rage at such a period of inaction. "The best of luck to you!"

"Thanks; we'll remain no longer than necessary," smiled Inverness,
smiling, his shining eyes already fixed on the river ahead.

"And that will be no short time," said the taciturn Brady. "Shall we
start?"

* * * * *

Correy raged. I had expected that, and I was in complete sympathy with
him. Routine patrol was better than being earth-fast on this barren
and uninteresting ball of mud.

"Have I your permission, sir," asked Correy on the fourth day, "to
make a little tour of inspection and exploration? We might run into
some fresh meat."

"I'm not sure that would be wise. These spider creatures--"

"Pardon me, sir," interrupted Correy eagerly, "but we could take a
small landing force, armed with pistols and grenades. Even a field ray
tube. Certainly we could handle anything which might turn up, then."

"And, you rather hope that something will turn up, Mr. Correy?"

Correy grinned and shrugged his shoulders.

"It would break the monotony, wouldn't it, sir? And, too, if anything
should happen to them"--and he glanced up the river, in the direction
taken by the three scientists--"we'd know something about what we had
to contend with, wouldn't we?"

I'm not sure whether it was Correy's argument or my own venturesome
disposition which swayed me, but immediately after lunch Correy and I,
with a picked crew of men, started out from the ship.

Up until that time, we had confined our activities to the area between
the ship and the shore--a small enough space at best. Now we rounded
the shining blunt bow of the _Ertak_ and headed inland, Correy and
myself in the lead, the two portable disintegrator ray-men immediately
behind us, and the four other men of the party flanking the ray
operators, two on each side.

It was hot, but the air was dry and invigorating. There was not a
cloud visible in the sky. Far ahead was a low line of bluish, fronded,
vegetation; whether small trees or some fern-like undergrowth, we
could not determine. The ground between the ship and the line of
vegetation was almost completely barren, the