lunge to destruction there....

* * * * *

A thought came to Carse, and he said:

"Perhaps Ku Sui would like to see what has become--"

On the last word he stopped and whirled around. His eyes were suddenly
intense and his face startled.

"I heard a hiss!" said Friday.

"You too? Then it was a port-lock!" Carse turned to the visi-screen.
"Look there!" he cried.

In the screen Earth made a titanic background against which, a
falling, dwindling figure in a clear-cut in the sunlight, gleamed
space-suit. Down it went, rapidly, even as they stared, until it hung
just off the also-falling asteroid. It was obviously preparing to
enter the dome.

"Take the helm, Ban, and watch him!" Carse ordered harshly, and ran
aft from the control cabin.

Leithgow and Friday, following at once, found him inside the open door
of Dr. Ku Sui's cabin, examining two figures stretched limp at his
feet. The men were Thorpe and Williams, who had been set to gas and
guard the Eurasian. Carse said:

"Both dead. Poison. Look at Thorpe's wrist."

On the right wrist of the dead man was a line of red, a scratch, and
swollen, discolored flesh was ugly around it. One cheek of Williams
bore a similar patch. Both had been armed with rayguns, but now they
were gone. Half to himself, the Hawk murmured:

"Yes, poison. It might have been in the ring. Everyone else was in the
control cabin. The men entered the door, Ku Sui was waiting--quick
death.... Well, I'm going after him."

Not understanding, still horrified by the contorted face of the man on
the deck, the other two gazed at the adventurer.

"But, Carse!" Leithgow broke out. "How can you? How can you
possibly--"

"He's gone back to the dome," the Hawk cut in frostily. "He can't make
it to Earth as he is now, for we'd see him and easily be able to pick
him up. No; he's got some reason for returning, to the dome. Something
important. He thinks he's escaped.... He's mistaken."

A shudder passed over Friday, for Hawk Carse's eyes had fallen on him,
and they were deadly.

"Let me by, Eliot," the man whispered. "This time he goes or I go, but
by the gods of space it'll be one of us!"

CHAPTER XV

_There Is a Meteor_

His face set and cold, Carse ran to the stores cabin, just as the
Eurasian must have hurried there a few minutes before. He took one of
Dr. Ku's self-propulsive space-suits down from the rack and slipped
into it, sticking a raygun in