damn sick. Something like a cold hand seemed to have
closed over my stomach and for an awful moment I gagged and tried to
retch. But the moment passed and I forced open my eyes and focused them
on two tough-looking, hard-eyed gents who stood in front of me. Another
unpleasant-looking little man knelt along side of me, twisting my good
arm behind my back.

"Okay," I gritted, "what's the gag?"

The tallest of the three, evidently their leader, smiled at me. "It's no
gag," he murmured calmly, "we happen to need the radium you're carrying.
We're going to take it. Any objections?"

"You'll never get away with this," I snapped, "your names and
descriptions are registered with the passenger office. You'll be tracked
down in twenty-four hours."

I was bluffing, of course, and I knew from their contemptuous smiles
that they knew it, too. They probably had given fictitious names, and
the descriptive information which the bureau required consisted of a few
generalities, such as height, weight and the like. I cursed myself for a
stupid, careless fool. The three men had been the only passengers from
Venus and they had kept to themselves the entire trip. Once or twice I
had wondered at their reticence and quietness but I had not been
suspicious enough to make a check-up.

One of the men laughed shortly. "Let us worry about that. We've covered
every angle that could possibly come up. With the help of your friend up
front, this ship will be flown to a certain deserted asteroid where a
few friends of _ours_ are to meet us with another ship. How you come out
afterward will depend on how you co-operate now. Clear enough?"

It was clear enough all right. Lucky and I wouldn't last long after we
served our purpose.

The tall man turned from me and nodded significantly to the man standing
next to him and then pointed to the closed door to the pilot's chambers.

"Take care of the pilot," he murmured, "and tell him if he isn't
obliging we'll take the cast off his friend's arm and--" he smiled at
me, "massage it a bit."

I felt a cold sweat break out on my forehead.

The thug grinned wolfishly at me and then winked at his leader. "I'll
tell him, boss." He dug his hand into his pocket and drew out a stubby
atomic pistol. "If he won't listen to me maybe this'll persuade him."

Still grinning he turned and headed up the aisle, the gun clenched in
his huge fist.

* * * * *

I glanced at the tall figure