d until they could see that
something was just above them. The fire vanished as swiftly as it came,
but a white spot of light remained.

"It's a parachute!" Burl shouted. "It's a rocket or something, braking
to a stop above us, and coming down by parachute!"

In the pale light of the full Moon they saw that something metallic and
glistening hung from the white mushroom of a parachute. There was a
clanging sound as it hit the rocky earth with a soft, sighing whoosh.
The cloth of the parachute settled.

They ran across the dry stone of the valley floor, but Burl's long,
athletic legs outdistanced the others. He reached it first.

It was a cylinder of metal, about three feet long and a foot in
diameter.

"It's the nose of a message missile--dropped from a guided missile,"
Burl announced. "And--look!" He dramatically pointed the beam of his
flashlight upon its side.

There, written in black, heat-resistant paint, were the words: _To the
Denning Andes Expedition, from U.S. Air Force Base, California Region.
By Guided Missile Post by Moon Base control, Ptolomaeus Crater.
Official. Open Without Delay._

Chapter 2. _The Valley of Stolen Sunlight_

For a moment all three were silent with amazement. "From California--and
Moon Base--for _us_?" gasped Burl, finally. "But why? What can they want
of us?"

His father frowned. "Only way to find out is to open it and see." He
squatted down to study the cylinder closer. Burl pointed a finger at the
nose.

"Looks like a crack there. Maybe it unscrews. Let's lift it."

It was not as heavy as it had appeared, for, like all rocket missiles,
it was made of the light but tough alloys that were necessary to
conserve weight-lift costs and fuel reserves. They stood it upright and
tried to turn the top. After a little resistance, it unscrewed slowly.
Inside, they found a rolled document bearing the seal of the United
States Air Force.

Burl took it out, and unfolded it with unsteady hands. His father read
over his shoulder.

Gonzales poked at the empty cylinder, impatiently. Finally, he burst
out, "What does it say? What do they want?"

Burl turned to him. "It's unbelievable! It's--it's just so darned
surprising! The dimness of the days, the drop in temperature--it wasn't
just around here! It was all over the world!"

Quickly, he went on to tell the Peruvian what they had just learned. The
communication was from the U.S. Space Commission and it had been
directed on its