Page:Wonder Stories Quarterly Volume 2 Number 2 (Winter 1931).djvu/39

 sleeve and twist it about until it screwed off one of the connecting joints, it being immaterial which, since it was the sole coupling.

It was a dangerous feat for Davidson to undertake in view of the fact that either by accident or purposely, he might be blown from the hose at terrific speed. But he was confident that the torpedo-door, where Hal-Al hoped to gain entrance to the planet-plane, would be bolted from the inside—as the landing-deck trap had been—and in such a manner that the bolt could not be shot free with an automatic. The hurricane-hose seemed to offer the only possibility of gaining an entrance to the plane, and the little corporal proposed to stake his life on the attempt. He felt in his heart that life would be intolerable to him on the great scarlet planet, his one interest being to get away on the heels of the first opportunity.

The coupling-sleeve yielded and turned as he pressed it about with his palms, and he succeeded in working it from the threads of the upper joint. Then he hurled himself against the sides of the great rubber hose and jolted the hose sufficiently aside to get his hand through to the floor without. With this leverage he pushed the heavy stiff hose to one side till he was enabled to squeeze his body free of the hose and stand upright within the planet-plane.

Stark naked, with his automatic in his hand, he stole forward in the obscurity of the dynamo room. He must capture Jaquet, dock the plane and let his companions enter. Perhaps the cleanest joy in life, to an active, robust man, is the overcoming of physical difficulties, with an attendant spice of danger. He felt jubilant at his success and hurried forward towards the fore of the plane, to take command of the pilot-keys.

Suddenly Chow, the cat, came racing playfully around a corridor, followed by Chang, the dog. Chow's tail bristled at the unexpected sight of Davidson, and Chang braced his forelegs and started to raise a rumpus, when he called them by name and they recognized him. Choking the dog's too enthusiastic greeting, and followed by the cat, he proceeded forward.

He reached the master key-board of the plane without being challenged or stopped, then pressed the key that released the door of the landing deck. Immediately he docked the plane in a wide field of scarlet grass.

He had just queered the switch-board by a secret combination, so that if he should be overcome by an enemy the plane could not be manipulated, when Bailee and Hal-Al came hurrying from above, having found he had released the bolt of the door of the landing-deck. Hal-Al had failed to gain an entrance by way of the torpedo-door, as Davidson had anticipated, and now the two younger men credited the little corporal with more courage and genius than he believed he deserved for having successfully crawled through the hurricane hose.

But he let their praise stand as they would be less inclined to rebel or desert him in the future, holding him their superior in sagacity at least, and so worth standing by through thick and thin.

HEY immediately began a search for the man Jaquet, or whoever had charge of the planet-plane. By the sleek condition of the cat and dog they were certain the animals had been