ng.

"I'm certain there has been foul play aboard the _Martian Queen_," he
said. "Krell you saw for yourself, Jandron is pure brute, and their men
seem capable of anything.

"I gave the suit-phone to the girl, however, and if she can call us with
it, we can get the truth from her. She dared not tell me anything there
in the presence of Krell and Jandron."

Crain nodded, his face grave. "We'll see whether or not she calls," he
said.

Kent took a suit-phone from one of their space-suits and rapidly, tuned
it to match the one he had left with Marta Mallen. Almost at once they
heard her voice from it, and Kent answered rapidly.

"I'm so glad I got you!" she exclaimed. "Mr. Kent, I dared not tell you
the truth about this ship when you were here, or Krell and the rest
would have killed you at once."

"I thought that was it, and that's why I left the suit-phone for you,"
Kent said. "Just what is the truth?"

"Krell and Jandron and these men of theirs are the ones who killed the
officers and passengers of the _Martian Queen_! What they told you about
the explosion was true enough, for the explosion did happen that way,
and because of it, the ship drifted into the dead-area. But the only
ones killed by it were some of the tube-men and three passengers.

"Then, while the ship was drifting into the dead-area, Krell told the
men that the fewer aboard, the longer they could live on the ship's food
and air. Krell and Jandron led the men in a surprise attack and killed
all the officers and passengers, and threw their bodies out into space.
I was the only passenger they spared, because both Krell and
Jandron--want me!"

* * * * *

There was a silence, and Kent felt a red anger rising in him. "Have they
dared harm you?" he asked after a moment.

"No, for Krell and Jandron are too jealous of each other to permit the
other to touch me. But it's been terrible living with them in this awful
place."

"Ask her if she knows what their plans are in regard to us," Crain told
Kent.

Marta had apparently overheard the question. "I don't know that, for
they shut me in my cabin as soon as you left," she said. "I've heard
them talking and arguing excitedly, though. I know that if you do find
fuel, they'll try to kill you all and escape from here in your ship."

"Pleasant prospect," Kent commented. "Do you think they plan an attack
on us now?"

"No; I think that they'll wait until you've refueled your ship