in hereand disposed of us, he'll be ready for the space ship. Her captaincan't suspect anything wrong. He must have left Earth at the time ofthe ultimatum, and would easily get here before any ship could be sentout from Mars. He'll come on till he's within range of thebeam-thrower, and the Martian will aim, press the trigger and theEarth ship and her crew of a half a thousand brave lads will bestar-dust."
"Oh God!" Jim was white-faced. "Isn't there anything we can do? Maybeif he doesn't get our all-clear signal he'll sheer off." This wasclutching at straws.
"Why should he? He must know how short-handed we are, and will simplythink we're not on watch, or that our signal lights are out of order.Matter of fact, if he were at all suspicious he should be alternatinghis course right now--and he hasn't. Look."
Seemingly motionless, but really splitting the ether with terrificspeed, the warship was coming straight on to garrison the beleagueredpost. She had never wavered from her straight course for the Dome. Thelittle group was silent, watching the help that was coming at last,coming too late.
* * * * *
From below there came a thunder of sound. Jim slid down the stairs. Anirregular disk on the wall was glowing cherry-red from the heat of theblow-torch without, and the metal was quivering under the Mercurian'ssledge-hammer blows. "Darl's right," he almost sobbed as he gazedhelplessly. "They'll be through in no time. The Dome's gone, we'regone, the space ship's gone!"
"Let me pass, Jim." Thomas' quiet voice sounded behind him. Holcombturned. His leader was in a space suit, the helmet still unfastened.
"Blazes! Where the devil are you going?"
"Here, cover me with this till I reach the gyrocopter, then get backquick, and seal the air-lock." Darl thrust into Jim's hand the ray-gunhe had previously reserved. "There's only one way to kill off theMartian and his mob. I'm taking it."
Suddenly Jim Holcomb understood. "No, Darl, no--you can't do it! Notyou! Let me go! I'm just a dumbhead. Let me go!"
"Thanks, Jimmy, but it's my place." Darl's voice was low, and verycalm. "I was in charge, and I lost the Dome. If I can save the boys onthe ship, and you two, it's the least I can do. Good-by, old man. Givemy regards to Earth."
Thomas' face was gray-white. The thick bandages that still swathedhim, Jim glimpsed them through the open neckpiece of the suit, gavehim the semblance of a mummy. The helmet clicked shut. Swallowing alump that rose in his throat, Jim pulled open the door. A wave ofMercurians surged in, to be seared into nothingness by his weapon. Hewas in the doorway, his ray sweeping the platform clear.
Darl was out now, stepping into the flier that still hung by itshooked moorings. Jim caught a flash of blue and looked up. The Martianwas hanging to a girder just above, his green tube pointing straightat Darl. A white ray spurted from Jim's gun. The Martian's weapon andthe hand that held it vanished in the sizzling blast. The plane wasloose! Jim leaped inside the air-lock, slammed the steel door shut,clamped it, and sprang for the quartz peer-hole.
* * * * *
Darl's gyrocopter was diving on a long slant for the Dome wall. Fasterand faster it went, till all Jim could see was a white streak in thesmoky dimness. And now he could see the vast interior, the teemingplain, the dwarf-festooned girders and roof-beams. He stood rigid,waiting breathlessly. Then the plane struck--fair in the center of agreat panel of quartz. The wall exploded in a burst of flying,shattered splinters. A deafening crash rocked the Dome.
Jim clung to his port-hole, tears rolling down his cheeks, unashamed.The plane, and Darl, vanished. Jim saw the black smoke masses whirlthrough the jagged hole in the Dome's wall as the air burst out in acyclonic gust. He saw the vast space filled with falling Mercurians,saw a blue form plunge down and crash far below. He knew that in allthat huge hemisphere, and in the burrows beneath it, there was no lifesave himself, and Angus, and the faithful Ran-los. For only in thiscompartment that clung to the roof of the Dome was there left air tobreathe. And, from the void beyond, the silver space ship sped ontoward Mercury, sped on to a safe landing that, but for Darl Thomas'ssacrifice, would have been her doom....
Guided by Jim and Angus, a party of men from the battle-flier,equipped with oxygen respirators, went to the aid of Darl. They dughim out from under his crumpled plane and the piled splinters ofquartz. His metal was dented and twisted, but unpierced. They carriedhim tenderly to the space ship, and carefully set him down. The ship'sphysician listened long with his stethoscope, then looked up andsmiled.
"He's alive," the doctor said, "just barely alive. The thick paddingof bandages must have saved him from the full shock of the crash.They're hard to kill, these ITA men. I'll be able to bring him around,God willing."
* * * * *
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