some way, and would watch us
carefully.

* * * * *

By now daylight had begun to peer in through the ports, a greenish
daylight which grew out of the north, and with its coming I resolved on
a plan of action.

"I am done with Hargrib," I said suddenly to Captain Crane. "We'll lock
him up in one of the staterooms, and after that we'll see if we can't
get busy with something that will at least help Earth, even if it
doesn't help us."

Hargrib, still terrified by those radio sounds he could not stand, made
no protest when I ordered him into the stateroom which had belonged to
the ship's second officer, and we were rid of him in a moment.

I now called LeConte from the radio room and Koto in from the deck, and
after Captain Crane and I had told them what we had learned, I made my
proposal.

The plan was simply that LeConte should continue to work on his sending
apparatus until he reached Earth, while Koto, Captain Crane and I set
out on a reconnaissance. I said that I hoped to be able to locate
Leider's headquarters and learn what method of attack he intended to use
against Earth; and that I hoped further that at least one of us would be
able to bring word back to LeConte, who could send it to Earth. Finally
I indicated that we would see what could be done with our two tons of
kotomite as soon as we had made the attempt to send information home. I
told LeConte, who would stay with the ship, to fire the explosive
himself if anything happened to make him believe that we had been killed
while scouting.

I did not fail to point out that since our atomic guns were useless
against the Orconites and Leider, we should have to go unarmed on our
expedition, and I did not fail to state that the whole effort seemed
futile. But the opportunity offered by Leider's present withdrawal was
one we could not afford to miss. We were drowning people, I said, and we
must clutch at straws. And my friends were good enough to agree.

* * * * *

As soon as the conference was ended, therefore, we disposed of our six
dead by the simple process of disintegrating them with one of the atomic
guns, and then LeConte returned to the radio, and Koto, Captain Crane
and I went on deck to have our first look at Orcon by daylight.

The first thing we saw was the small, rocky islet just off the shore
whence had come the cable. It seemed a harmless place now, with onl