* *

At first they came in small groups, and our pistols readily disposed
of them, but as the dust filled the air, and it became increasingly
difficult to see their spidery bodies, they rushed us in great masses.

Correy and I, shoulder to shoulder, fired at the least sign of
movement in the cloud of dust. A score of times the rushes of the
Aranians brought a few of them scuttling almost to our feet; inside of
a few minutes the passage was choked, waist high, with the riddled
bodies--and still they came!

"We're through, sir!" shouted one of the ray operators. "If you can
hold them off another fifteen minutes, we'll have the hole large
enough to crawl through."

"Work fast!" I ordered. Even with Inverness, Brady, and the three of
the _Ertak's_ crew doing what they could in those narrow quarters, we
were having a hard time holding back the horde of angry, desperate
Aranians. Tipene was useless; he was cowering beside the ray
operators, chattering at them, urging them to hurry.

Had we had good light, our task would have been easy, but the passage
was choked now with dust. Our _ethon_ lamps made little more than a
dismal glow. The clattering Aranians were almost within leaping
distance before we could see them; indeed, more than one was stopped
in mid-air by a spray from one pistol or another.

"Ready, sir," gasped the ray man who had spoken before. "I think we've
got it large enough, now."

"Good!" I brought down two scuttling Aranians, so close that their
twitching legs fell in an untidy heap almost at my feet. "You go
first, and protect our advance. Then the rest of you; Mr. Correy and I
will bring up the--"

"No!" screamed Tipene, shouldering aside the ray men. "I...." He
disappeared into the slanting shaft, and the two ray men followed
quickly. The three members of the crew went next; then Brady and
Inverness.

Correy and I backed toward the freshly cut passage.

"I'll be right behind you," I snapped, "so keep moving!"

* * * * *

Correy hesitated an instant; I knew he would have preferred the place
of danger as the last man, but he was too good an officer to protest
when time was so precious. He climbed into the slanting passage the
ray had cut for us, and as he did so, I heard, or thought I heard, a
cry from beyond him, from one of those ahead.

I gave Correy several seconds before I followed; when I did start, I
planned on coming fast, for in that shoulder-tig