he ship was gathering speed. He was five feet away from the open
air-lock when they got the range. A sharp searing pain right across
his shoulder. The creatoid material of his suit was cut away as with a
knife. A layer of flesh lay exposed. The skin had been whiffed into
nothingness.

But that very instant he was leaping off the ground with a mighty
effort. The ship was going upward with a rush now. His fingers clawed
desperately at the edge of the air-lock. For one breathless instant he
clung; then, to his horror, the smooth creatoid covering refused to
hold. Slowly he slipped, in spite of every effort, as the surface of
the hull refused purchase to his bleeding hands, then down he went
with a thud.

A cry of triumph arose from the onrushing Ganymedans as Grant
scrambled to his feet, bruised and shaken. He cast a swift, despairing
glance upward. The huge liner was a hundred feet up now, gathering
speed swiftly. To one side was the Gorm, a place of dread and menace.
The gloating enemy were almost upon him. Even the comfort of a weapon,
the grim satisfaction of taking some of his foes to death with him,
was denied him.

The pencil-ray had been jarred out of his hand by the impact and had
doubtless fallen into the Gorm.

Grant felt that he had come to the end of the rope. There was no
tremor of fear in him, only regret that he had met the girl and lost
her so soon. What would she do, out in space, alone with Miro? No time
to think of that now, though. The foremost of the Ganymedans were
almost upon him. They intended taking him alive, did they? He braced
himself for the attack, ready to go down fighting.

* * * * *

Then a brilliant plan beat suddenly upon his dazzled mind. It was
breath-taking, so simple, yet so desperate did it appear. If it
worked--he would win through. If not--but Grant dismissed that thought
quickly; one form of death was no worse than another.

Without an instant's hesitation, he whirled and jumped as high as he
could--directly over the Gorm! There was a yell of astonishment from
the Ganymedans--one had already clutched at his intended victim--as
they fell back in horror from the edge. This Earthling was mad to
brave the terrors of the Gorm!

But Grant heard nothing. He was instantly conscious of a searing,
racking pain that penetrated his every fiber. He forced his eyes
upward, anywhere but beneath him. Was his theory correct, or was he
destined to drop int