d the dozen or so about the tunnel
closed in toward the opening, but no restraint was put upon us.

"We seem to have the freedom of the place and the key to the city!" was
Captain Crane's dry comment.

"Yes," I answered. "I'm pretty sure it's going to be a case of lambs led
to the slaughter. Looks as if--Oh, good Lord, look!"

At the moment when I spoke those last words, we had approached to within
thirty or forty feet of the pile of stalactites, and from the quick
movement which eight or ten Orconites made ahead of us, drawing
themselves up in a line across the tunnel mouth, I knew that we had
almost reached the limit of our freedom. But it was not that fact, or
the movement of our guards, that brought the exclamation from me.

"Look!" I cried again, even though I knew each of the others had seen as
clearly as I.

From where we were walking slowly forward, it was possible to see clear
down the tunnel to the tall, lighted cavern beyond our own. In the
center of that cavern, with her nose pointing toward a wide tunnel down
which showed a glimmer of daylight, rested the long, needle-like, bright
hull of the most beautifully designed space flier I had ever seen.

We did not need to be told that this was Leider's own cruiser. A ship of
such magnitude and exceeding beauty could have been nothing else.

* * * * *

The guards knew we had seen and were aware of our excitement, but
contented themselves by standing fast in the line they had already
formed across the tunnel. We advanced another few yards.

"Mother of Mercy!" LeConte whispered, almost in awe.

"There's a chance for us!" Koto gasped. "A chance! We'll set one of the
guns going in the hold of our own ship, and then--"

Captain Crane's face was flushed with intense excitement, and her
fingers were moving as though she felt the delicate controls of the
space ship under them even now.

"Could you pilot it?" I asked.

"_Could_ I! Give me the chance!" she cried.

"All right," I snapped, "we will!"

And in that second I enlarged my plans to take this gorgeous new
development into account.

"Fight to take the cruiser," I ordered. "Captain Crane, Koto, LeConte,
get aboard as soon as you can cut your way through. I'll take care of
our ship and the kotomite at that time and join you, if possible. Come
on!"

Thus was it decided. Thus did we enter our fight with an outlook as
utterly different from our original one a