ll him anyway, I guess--Bad as it is, I'd hate to
bump him off in cold blood."

He threaded new spools into the machine, and for three hours, mile after
mile of tape sped between the magnets as Seaton explored every recess of
that monstrous, yet stupendous brain.

"Well, that's that," he declared finally, as, the last bit of
information gleaned and recorded upon the flying tape, he removed the
body of the Fenachrone captain into space and rayed it out of existence.
"Now what to do?"

"How can we get this salt to Osnome?" asked Dunark whose thoughts were
never far from that store of the precious chemical. "You are already
crowded, and Sitar and I will crowd you still more. You have no room for
additional cargo, and yet much valuable time would be lost in going to
Osnome for another vessel."

"Yes, and we've got to get a lot of 'X', too. Guess we'll have to take
time to get another vessel. I'd like to drag in the pieces of that ship,
too--his instruments and a lot of the parts could be used."

"Why not do it all at once?" suggested Crane. "We can start that whole
mass toward Osnome by drawing it behind us until such a velocity has
been attained that it will reach there at the desired time. We could
then go to 'X,' and overtake this material near the green system."

"Right you are, ace--that's a sound idea. But say, Dunark, it wouldn't
be good technique for you to eat our food for any length of time. While
we're figuring this out you'd better hop over there and bring over
enough to last you two until we get you home. Give it to Shiro--after a
couple of lessons, you'll find he'll be as good as any of your cooks."

* * * * *

Faster and faster the _Skylark_ flew, pulling behind her the mass of
wreckage, held by every available attractor. When the calculated
velocity had been attained, the attractors were shut off and the vessel
darted away toward that planet, still in the Carboniferous Age, which
possessed at least one solid ledge of metallic "X," the rarest of all
earthly metals. As the automatic controls held the cruiser upon her
course, the six wanderers sat long in discussion as to what should be
done, what could be done, to avert the threatened destruction of all the
civilization of the Galaxy except the monstrous and unspeakable culture
of the Fenachrone. Nearing their destination, Seaton rose to his feet.

"Well, folks, it's like this. We've got our backs to the wall. Dunark
ha