round the stabilizer air lock of the invading
ship.

Tom dropped to his stomach and watched the knot of men. Suddenly the
air-lock portal slid open. There was a loud cheer and the prisoners
began scrambling aboard.

Tom knew he would have to move fast. Taking a dangerous chance, he rose
to a half-crouch and dashed to one of the small white huts only a
hundred feet away. With a final glance at the thinning crowd of escaping
men around the ship, he ran straight for an open window, diving headlong
through it.

Inside, Tom waited breathlessly for a shout or warning that he had been
seen, but none came. He glanced through the window and saw that only
seven or eight men remained outside the port. He turned away quickly and
began searching the hut.

He found what he was looking for rolled up on the bed where its owner
had used it as an extra pillow. He shook out the prison suit of white
coveralls, stripped off his own blue cadet's uniform, and hurriedly put
on the distinctive prison gear. It was a little large for him and he
rolled up the sleeves and trouser legs, hoping no one would notice in
the excitement. Then, with a deep breath, he stepped out of the hut into
full view of the prisoners still left at the air lock.

"Hey, wait for me!" he yelled, running for the ship.

The men paid no attention in their haste to get aboard the ship. When
Tom reached the air lock, there were only two left. He slapped the
nearest man on the back.

"Pal, I've been waiting for this a long time!"

"Yah," the man answered, "me too!" Then he looked at Tom closely. "Say,
I've never seen you around here before!"

"I just got in on the supply ship last week. They kept me in the tower
for a while," Tom replied.

"Oh, well," said the man, "they ain't keepin' anybody there anymore!"

"Come on you guys," snarled a heavy-set man in the air lock above them.
"We ain't got all day!"

Tom looked up, and without being told, he felt he was looking into the
face of Bull Coxine. And when the other prisoner spoke, he was certain.

"Yeah, Bull," said the man. "Comin', comin'!" He reached up and Bull
grabbed his outstretched hand. When Bull pulled, the man literally
leaped through the air into the air lock.

"All right, space crawler," roared Bull to Tom, "you're next!" The big
man stuck out his hand. Tom gulped. For one desperate second he thought
of turning and running away.

"Well?" growled Bull. "You coming or ain't cha?"

"You're blasted r