od of them is
in an ugly mood, the old fellow tells me. We were fools to come!"

I didn't argue the matter. You can't argue such a matter with a man
like Tipene. Instead, I lifted my voice in a shout which echoed down
the long corridors.

"Brady! Inverness! Can you hear us?"

For a moment there was no reply, and then, as our _ethon_ lights
played hopefully along the passage, a circular door opened, and
Inverness, his pistol drawn, peered out at us. A moment later, both he
and Brady were running toward us.

"Hanson!" cried Inverness. "Man, but we're glad to see a human face
again--but why did you come? Now they've got us all."

"But they'll let us all go," I said, with a confidence I did not feel.
"I've demonstrated to one of their leaders just what the _Ertak_ can
do--and will do--if we aren't aboard, safe and unhurt, in three
hours."

"The young bloods don't obey well, though," said Brady, shaking his
head. "Look at them, milling around there in the central passage! They
didn't see your demonstration, whatever it was. They started for us
some time back, and we had to rip a couple of them to pieces, and
barricade ourselves."

"Well," said Correy grimly, "we'll soon find out. Ready to start back,
sir?"

* * * * *

I turned to Tipene, who was staring at the packed mass of Aranians,
who choked the tunnel in both directions.

"Tell them to make way," I commanded. "We're leaving."

"I've--I've been in communication with him," moaned Tipene. "And he
hasn't any power over these youngsters. They want blood. Blood! They
say the ship won't dare do anything so long as so many of us are
here."

"It will, though," I snapped. "Kincaide will obey my orders to the
letter. It'll be a wholesale slaughter, if we're not there by the
specified time."

"I know! I know!" groaned Tipene. "But I can't make them understand
that. They can't appreciate the meaning of such discipline."

"I believe that," put in Brady. "Their state of society is still low
in the scale. You shouldn't have come, Commander. Better the two of us
than the whole group."

"It may not be so simple as they think. Mr. Correy, shall we make a
dash for it?"

"I'd be in favor of that, sir!" he grinned.

"Very well, you take three of the enlisted men, Mr. Correy, and give
us a brisk rear-guard action when we get into the main passage--if we
do. Use the grenades if you have to, but throw them as fast as
possible, or we'll hav