Transcriber's Note:

 This etext was produced from Astounding Stories March 1933. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U. S. Copyright on this publication was renewed. 

 The Death Traps of FX-31

 _A Commander John Hanson Adventure_

 By Sewell Peaslee Wright

 * * * * *

[Sidenote: Commander John Hanson recalls his harrowing expeditionamong the giant spiders of FX-31. ]

I do not wish to appear prejudiced against scientists. I am notprejudiced, but I have observed the scientific mind in action, on agreat many occasions, and I find it rather incomprehensible. 

It is true that there are men with a scientific turn of mind who, atthe same time, you can feel safe to stand with shoulder to shoulder, in an emergency. Young Hendricks, who was my junior officer on the_Ertak_, back in those early days of the Special Patrol Service, aboutwhich I have written so much, was one of these. 

Nor, now that I come to think of the matter in the cool and impartialmanner which is typical of me, was young Hendricks the only one. Therewas a chap--let's see, now. I remember his face very well; he was oneof those dark, wiry, alert men, a native of Earth, and his namewas--Inverness! Carlos Inverness. Old John Hanson's memory isn't quiteas tricky as some of these smart young officers of the Service, sonewly commissioned that the silver braid is not yet fitted to thecurve of their sleeves, would lead one to believe. 

I met Inverness in the ante-room of the Chief of Command. The Chiefwas tied up in one of the long-winded meetings which theSilver-sleeves devoted largely to the making of new rules andregulations for the confusion of both men and officers of the Service, but he came out long enough to give me the _Ertak's_ orders in person. 

"Glad to see you here at Base again, Commander, " he said, in hiscrisp, business-like way. "Hear some good reports of your work; keepit up!"

"Thank you, sir, " I said, wondering what was in the air. Any time theChief was complimentary, it was well to look out for squalls--which isan old Earth term for unexpected trouble. 

"Not at all, Commander, not at all. And now, let me present CarlosInverness, the scientist, of whom you have undoubtedly heard. "

I bowed and said nothing, but we shook hands after the fashion ofEarth, and Inverness smiled quite humanly. 

"I imagine the good captain has been too busy to follow the activitiesof such as myself, " he said, sensibly enough. 

"A commander"--and I laid enough emphasis on the title to point out tohim his error in terminology--"in the Special Patrol Service usuallyfinds plenty to occupy his mind, " I commented, wondering more thanever what was up. 

[Illustration: _At the same instant two other trap-doors swung up. _]

"True, " said the Chief briskly. "You'll pardon me if I'm exceedinglybrief, Commander, but there's a sizeable group in there waiting myreturn. 

"I have a special mission for you; a welcome relief from routinepatrol. I believe you have made special requests, in the past, forassignments other than the routine work of the Service, Commander?"

He was boxing me up in a corner, and I knew it, but I couldn't denywhat he said, so I admitted it as gracefully as I could. 

"Very well, " nodded the Chief, and it seemed to me his eyes twinkledfor an instant. "Inverness, here, is head of a party of scientistsbent upon a certain exploration. They have interested the Council inthe work, and the Council has requested the cooperation of thisService. "

He glanced at me to make sure I understood. I certainly did; when theSupreme Council _requested_ something, that thing was done. 

"Very well, sir, " I said. "What are your orders?"

The Chief shrugged. 

"Simply that you are to cooperate with Inverness and his party, assisting them in every possible way, including the use of your shipfor transporting them and a reasonable amount of equipment, to thefield of their activities. The command of the ship remains, of course, in you and your officers, but in every reasonable way the _Ertak_ andher crew are to be at the disposal of Inverness and his group. Is thatclear, Commander?"

"Perfectly, sir. " Nothing could have been clearer. I was to run theship, and Inverness and his crew were to run me. I could just imaginehow Correy, my fighting first officer, would take this bit of news. The mental picture almost made me laugh, disgusted as I was. 

"Written orders will, of course, be given you before departure. Ibelieve that's all. Good luck, Commander!" The Chief offered his handbriefly, and then hurried back to the other room where theSilver-sleeves had gathered to make more rulings for the confusion ofthe Service. 

 * * * * *

"Since when, " asked Correy bitterly, "are we running excursions forcivilians? We'll be personally conducting elderly ladies next thing. "

"Or put on Attached Police Service, " growled Hendricks, referring tothe poor devils who, in those days, policed the air-lanes of thepopulated worlds, cruising over the same pitiful routes day after day, never rising beyond the fringe of the stratosphere. 

"Perhaps, " suggested the level-headed Kincaide, "it isn't as bad as itsounds. Didn't you, say, sir, that this Inverness was rather a decentsort of chap?"

I nodded. 

"Very much so. You'd scarcely take him for a scientist. "

"And our destination is--what?" asked Kincaide. 

"That I don't know. Inverness is to give us that information when hearrives, which will be very shortly, if he is on time. "

"Our destination, " said Correy, "will probably be some little ball ofmud with a tricky atmosphere or some freak vegetation they want tostudy. I'd rather--"

A sharp rap on the door of the navigating room, where we had gatheredfor an informal council of war, interrupted. 

"Party of three civilians at the main exit port, Port Number One, sir, " reported the sub-officer of the guard. "One sent his name:Carlos Inverness. "

"Very good. Admit them at once, and recall the outer guards. We areleaving immediately. "

As the guard saluted and hurried away, I nodded to Correy. "Have theoperating room crew report for duty at once, " I ordered, "and askSub-officer Scholey to superintend the sealing of the ports. Mr. Kincaide, will you take the first watch as navigating officer? Lifther easily until we determine our objective and can set a course; thisis like shoving off with sealed orders. "

"Worse, " said Hendricks unhappily. "Sealed orders promise somethinginteresting, and--"

"Carlos Inverness and party, " announced the guard from the doorway. 

Inverness nodded to me in friendly fashion and indicated his twocompanions. 

"Commander Hanson, " he said, "permit me to present Godar Tipene andCleve Brady, who are my companions on this expedition. " I bowed, andshook hands with Brady; Tipene was a Zenian, and hence did not offerme this greeting of Earth. Then, quickly, I completed the round ofintroductions, studying Inverness's companions with interest as I didso. 

 * * * * *

Brady was short, and rather red-faced; a beefy, taciturn type, with atrap-like mouth and thoughtful discerning eyes. He struck me as beingone with whom most men would like to be friendly, but who would haveexceedingly few friends. 

The Zenian was a perfect foil for him. Tipene was exceedingly tall andslender, like all his race, and very dark. His eyes were almostwomanly in their softness, and he had the nervous grace of athoroughbred--which is an Earth animal of particularly high breeding, raised for show purposes. He had the happy faculty of speaking thelanguage of Earth without a trace of Zenian or Universal accent; theZenians are exceeded by none in linguistic ability, which was a realaccomplishment before these decadent days when native languages areslipping so rapidly into obscurity. 

"And now, " said Inverness crisply, when the introductions were over, "I presume you'll wish to know something about our destination and theobjects of this expedition, sir?"

"It would be helpful in charting our course, " I admitted, smiling. 

Inverness, with beautiful disregard for the necessities of spacenavigation, spread voluminous papers over the table whose surface wasformed by the pair of three-dimensional charts which were the_Ertak's_ eyes in outer space. 

"Our destination, " he said, "is a body designated on the charts asFX-31. You are familiar with it, Commander Hanson?"

"Hardly familiar, " I admitted, smiling at Correy. "The universe israther sizable, and even the named bodies are so numerous that one isable to be familiar with but an exceedingly small percentage. Itsdesignation, of course, gives me certain information regarding itssize, location and status, however. "

"How much information, Commander?" asked Tipene nervously. 

"Well, 'F' indicates that it is large; larger than Earth, for example. The numerals tells me where to locate it upon our space charts. Andthe 'X' would indicate that it is inhabited, but not by intelligentbeings. Or that there is reasonable doubt as to the nature of thoseinhabiting it. "

"A very good summary of the knowledge we have, " nodded Invernessapprovingly. "I can add but one bit of information which may or maynot be accurate: that the sphere known as FX-31 is populated by aruling class decidedly unusual in type, and possessed of a degree ofintelligence which has made them virtual masters of the sphere. "

"What are they like?" asked Correy. "Will they put up a fight? Arethey dangerous?"

 * * * * *

"Our knowledge came from a luckless tramp liner which set down onFX-31 in search of water, their water-producing equipment having beendamaged by carelessness. They found water, a great river of it, andsent a party of five men to determine its fitness for humanconsumption. They were snapped up before they had gone a hundred feetfrom the ship--and no more men were sent out. They hovered over thestream and drew up the water in containers devised for the purpose. "

"Snapped up?" asked Correy impatiently. "By whom? Or what?"

"By spiders!" replied Inverness, his eyes shining with the fanaticalgleam of a scientist who scents something strange. "Greatspiders--perhaps not true spiders, but akin to them, from thedescriptions we have--of what is known on Earth as the trap-doorvariety, but possessed of a high degree of intelligence, the power ofcommunication, and definitely organized. "

"Organized, " put in Tipene, "in the sense that they work togetherinstead of individually; that there are those to command and those toobey. "

"You say they are large, " I commented. "How large?"

"Large enough, " said Inverness grimly, "to enable one of them toinstantly overpower a strong man. "

I saw Correy glance forward, where our largest disintegrator-ray tubeswere located, and his eyes lit up with the thought of battle. 

"If there's anything I hate, " he gritted, "it's a spider. The hairy, crawling beasts! I'll man one of the tubes myself, just for the fun ofseeing them dissolve into nice brown dust, and--"

"I'm afraid not, Mr. Correy, " said Inverness, shaking his head. "We'regoing to study them--not to exterminate them. Our object is to learntheir history, their customs, their mode of communication, and theirdegree of intelligence--if possible. "

"Yes, " grunted Brady. "If possible. "

 * * * * *

Kincaide set the _Ertak_ down on FX-31, close to the shore of a river, as gently as a feather settling to earth. Correy and I made our way tothe exit port, where Inverness and his companions had gathered, with aconsiderable amount of scientific apparatus, and what seemed to be aboat, ingeniously taken down for shipment. 

All three of the scientists were clad in suits of some gray material, flexible as cloth, but possessed of a certain metallic sheen, whichcompletely covered them. The material had been stiffened to form asort of helmet, with a broad band of transparent material set in atthe eye level, so that the wearer could see to both sides, as well asto the front. I could also discern the outlines of menores--the crudeand cumbersome type of thought-transference instrument used in thatday--apparently built into the helmets. Belted around their middleswere atomic pistols of the latest and most deadly model. 

"For emergency use only, Commander, " explained Inverness, observing myglance. His voice came quite clearly through the fabric which coveredhis face, so I gathered it was sufficiently porous to admit air forbreathing. "This garment we wear will be sufficient protection, webelieve; their mandibles are the weapons of the creatures we are tostudy, and this fabric should be ample protection against much moredeadly weapons. 

"Now, we shall walk to the shore of the river; if we are notmolested--and I believe we shall not be, here, because theinfiltration of water would quickly fill any passage sunk into thissandy earth so close to the river--please have your men bring oursupplies to us, the boat first. "

I nodded, and the three men walked through the open port, out acrossthe gleaming, golden sand, to the water's edge. A number of greatscarlet birds, with long, fiercely taloned legs, swooped about themcuriously, croaking hoarsely and snapping their hawkish beaks, butoffering no real molestation. 

My men quickly carried their supplies to them, and before the last ofthe equipment had been delivered, the boat was assembled and afloat: abroad-beamed craft with hollow metal ribs, covered with some shiningfabric which was unfamiliar to me. There was a small cabin forward anda small atomic engine housed back near the stern. 

I walked to the edge of the water and shook hands with Inverness andBrady; with Tipene I exchanged bows. 

"I am sorry, " said Inverness, "that I am facing you with what will, undoubtedly, be a monotonous and wearying vigil, for we shall probablybe gone several weeks. " He referred, I must explain, to a period ofseven Earth days, a common unit of time on Earth. 

"We'll make the best of it, " I said, thinking of Correy, and how hewould rage at such a period of inaction. "The best of luck to you!"

"Thanks; we'll remain no longer than necessary, " smiled Inverness, smiling, his shining eyes already fixed on the river ahead. 

"And that will be no short time, " said the taciturn Brady. "Shall westart?"

 * * * * *

Correy raged. I had expected that, and I was in complete sympathy withhim. Routine patrol was better than being earth-fast on this barrenand uninteresting ball of mud. 

"Have I your permission, sir, " asked Correy on the fourth day, "tomake a little tour of inspection and exploration? We might run intosome fresh meat. "

"I'm not sure that would be wise. These spider creatures--"

"Pardon me, sir, " interrupted Correy eagerly, "but we could take asmall landing force, armed with pistols and grenades. Even a field raytube. Certainly we could handle anything which might turn up, then. "

"And, you rather hope that something will turn up, Mr. Correy?"

Correy grinned and shrugged his shoulders. 

"It would break the monotony, wouldn't it, sir? And, too, if anythingshould happen to them"--and he glanced up the river, in the directiontaken by the three scientists--"we'd know something about what we hadto contend with, wouldn't we?"

I'm not sure whether it was Correy's argument or my own venturesomedisposition which swayed me, but immediately after lunch Correy and I, with a picked crew of men, started out from the ship. 

Up until that time, we had confined our activities to the area betweenthe ship and the shore--a small enough space at best. Now we roundedthe shining blunt bow of the _Ertak_ and headed inland, Correy andmyself in the lead, the two portable disintegrator ray-men immediatelybehind us, and the four other men of the party flanking the rayoperators, two on each side. 

It was hot, but the air was dry and invigorating. There was not acloud visible in the sky. Far ahead was a low line of bluish, fronded, vegetation; whether small trees or some fern-like undergrowth, wecould not determine. The ground between the ship and the line ofvegetation was almost completely barren, the only growth being alichenous sort of vegetation, gray-green in color. 

 * * * * *

Here and there on the ground were the imprints of sharp, split hoofs, and Correy pointed these out to me with the comment that one of theguards had reported seeing a number of slender-legged animals roaminghere in the star-light, apparently seeking water, but frightened bythe strange apparition of our ship. 

"From the way he described them, they're something like the deer weused to have on Earth, " he said. "I've seen the fossils in themuseums, and they had little sharp, split hoofs like--"

One of the men behind us shouted a warning at that instant, and weboth whirled in our tracks. My eyes fell instantly upon one of thestrangest and most fearsome sights I have ever seen--and I haveexplored many strange and terrible worlds. 

To our left, a huge circular section of the earth had lifted, and wasswinging back on a hinge of glistening white fibers; a disk as greatin diameter as the height of a man, and as thick as a man's body. 

Where the disk had been, gaped a tunnel slanting down into the earth, and lined with the same glistening white fibers which covered thebottom of the disk, and hinged it in place. As I looked, there sprangfrom this tunnel a _thing_ which I shall call a spider, yet which wastoo monstrous to be called by such an innocuous name. 

It was rust red in color, with eight bristling legs, each tipped withthree curved and tufted claws. On each side of its face was an armoredmandible, tipped with shining fangs, and beside them, slender, six-jointed palps stretched hungrily. 

The man who had seen the disk fly up opened fire without orders, andif he had not done so, some of us would not have returned to the ship. As it was, the atomic pistol whispered a steady stream of death whichspattered the hairy body into an oozing pulp while it was still inmid-air. We leaped away, adding our fire to that of the alert guardwho had first seen the apparition, and the spider, a twitching bundleof bespattered legs, fell on the spot where, an instant before, we hadbeen. 

Almost at the same instant two other great circular trap-doors swungup, just beyond the first, and their hairy, malignant occupants leapedtoward us. 

 * * * * *

Our pistols were ready, now, however, and the portable ray equipmentwas humming. The ray dissolved the first into a sifting of reddishdust, and our pistols slashed the other into ribbons. 

"Back to the ship!" I shouted. "Look, Mr. Correy--there are hundredsof them!"

Before us score upon score of the great disks were lifting, and fromthe tunnel each revealed, monstrous rust-red bodies were pouring. 

Our retreat covered by the two ray operators, we made our way swiftlyto the ship. The great spiders, apparently alarmed by the magicaldisappearance of those of their comrades upon which the disintegratorray rested, hesitated for a moment, their tremendous legs tensed, andtheir mandibles quivering with venomous anger, and then scuttled backinto their holes, swinging their covers into place as they did so. 

"We didn't do so badly, at that, " grinned Correy rather breathlessly, as we gained the welcome shelter of the _Ertak_. "There are a scoreand more of those potlids still standing open--which means that manyspiders didn't go back to tell about what happened to them. "

"True--but had they waited until they could have surrounded us, the_Ertak_ would have been short-handed on the return trip. She wouldhave been just two officers and six men short. "

I have never seen a real expression of fear on Correy's face, but Icame as close to it then as I ever did. 

"They're tough customers, " he said. "I never did like spiders, and Ilike them less, now. Those things stood half again as high as a man ontheir long legs, and could jump half the length of the ship. "

"Hardly that, " I said. "But I'll say this: if they're the gentryInverness and the other two are investigating, they're welcome totheir jobs!"

 * * * * *

There wasn't any difficulty in keeping the men close to the ship afterthat, although waiting was a tedious and nerve-racking procedure. 

We watched the spider-infested territory closely, however, and foundthat they fed at night upon the deer-like creatures Correy hadmentioned. These unwary beasts, seeking water, were pounced upon theinstant they came close to one of the hidden dens, and dragged swiftlyout of sight. These observations were made by television, and Correyin particular would sit up half the night watching the creatures atwork. 

It was the second day of the fourth week that the sentry on dutycalled out that the boat was returning. We hastened down to the riverto welcome them back, and I for one felt very much relieved. 

But as the boat approached, I felt my fears returning, for there wasonly one man visible: Tipene. 

The Zenian, bedraggled and weary, had lost or discarded the protectivesuit he had worn, and his lean, dark face was haggard. 

"We leave immediately, Commander Hanson, " he said as he disembarked. "Please give the necessary orders. "

"But the others, sir? Where are Inverness and Brady?"

"Dead, " said Tipene. "The Aranians got them. I barely escaped myself. "

"And who are the Aranians?" I asked. 

"The creatures which control this world. The spider creatures. Aranians, they call themselves. Do we leave at once, as I ordered?"

I thought quickly. I didn't like Tipene, and never had, and I fanciedeven less the high-handed attitude he was taking. 

"I would suggest, sir, that you first give us an account of what hashappened, " I said shortly. "If there is anything we can do for theother two, perhaps--"

"I said they were dead, " snapped Tipene. "You can't do anything fordead men, can you?"

"No. But we must have a report to enter on our log, you understand, and--I'll be very busy on the return trip. I'd like to have your storybefore we start. " Somehow, I was suspicious of Tipene. 

"Very well. Although I warn you I shall report your delay to yoursuperiors. " I shrugged, and led the way to the dining saloon which, small as it was, held chairs enough to seat us all. 

 * * * * *

"My story is very brief, " he said, when my three officers, Tipene, andmyself were seated. "We proceeded up the river to a spot which wedeemed suited as a point of entry into the country, and far enoughfrom the ship so that its presence would not be alarming to theinhabitants. 

"We permitted ourselves to be captured by the Aranians, knowing thatour protective suits would prevent them from doing us serious bodilyinjury. 

"You have seen the creatures--word of your adventure with themprecipitated our misfortune, I might say here--and you know of theirtunnels. We were taken down one of these tunnels, and into a stilllarger one. This in turn gave onto a veritable subterranean avenue, and, in time, led to a sort of underground metropolis. "

"What?" growled Correy. "An underground city of those things?"

"I should like to ask that you do not interrupt, " said Tipene coldly. "This metropolis was really no more than a series of cubicles, openingoff the innumerable crisscrossing tunnels, and many layers inthickness. Passage from one level to another was by means of slantingtunnels. 

"Some of these cubicles were very large, and utilized as storagerooms. Others were used for community activities, schools, entertainments, and so forth. We learned these things later, andexplored them by means of our _ethon_ lamps--the entire system oftunnels being, of course, in utter darkness. 

"The first few days they were exceedingly hostile, and tried to tearus to pieces. When they could not do this, word was sent to some oftheir more learned members, and we were investigated. By the use ofextra menores we had brought with us, we established a contact withtheir minds; first by the usual process of impressing pictures of ourthoughts upon their minds, and later by more direct process. "

 * * * * *

"I will say nothing of the great scientific value of our discoveries, for you would neither understand nor appreciate them--although theywill set the scientific universe agog, " continued Tipene, his eyesgleaming suddenly with a triumphant light. "As we perfectedcommunication, we convinced them that we were friendly, and we gainedtheir complete confidence. 

"They are a very ancient race. Very slowly have they come to theirpresent stage of mental development, but they now possess reasoningfaculties, a language--and a form of community government. There ismuch more, which, as I have said, would be of no significance to you. 

"And then word came that beings like ourselves had attacked and killedmany of the Aranians. The news had traveled slowly, for their systemof communication is crude, but it reached the community center inwhich we were staying. 

"Instantly, all was hostility. They felt they had been betrayed, andthat we might betray them. Brady and Inverness, always rash andthoughtless, had discarded their protective suits, feeling sure theywere perfectly safe, and they were torn to pieces. 

"I, having a more scientific and cautious mind, doubting everything asa true scientific mind must, still wore my armor. By the liberal useof my pistol, I managed to fight my way to the surface, and to theboat. And now, Commander Hanson, will you start back, as I haveordered?"

I don't know what I would have said if I had not caught a peculiarglance from Correy, a glance accompanied by a significant, momentaryclosing of one eye (a gesture of Earth which means many things, andwhich is impossible to explain) and a slight nod. 

"Very well, Mr. Tipene, " I said shortly. "We'll start at once. Gentlemen, will you join me in the navigating room?"

 * * * * *

Correy was the last to arrive in the navigating room, and when he camein his eyes were dancing. 

"I've just transferred Tipene to another stateroom, sir, " he said. "Aspecially equipped stateroom. "

"You what?"

"If you'll give orders, sir, for an immediate start, I'll tell you allabout it, " chuckled Correy. "Tipene says he's worn out, and is goingto retire as soon as we start. And when he does--we'll learnsomething. "

I nodded to Kincaide, and he gave the general attention signal. In afew seconds the outer sentry was recalled, and the exit port had beensealed. Slowly, the _Ertak_ lifted. 

"Maybe I'm wrong, sir, " said Correy then, "but I'm convinced thatTipene is lying. Something's wrong; he was in altogether too much of ahurry to get away. 

"So, before I transferred him to the other stateroom, I concealed amenore under the mattress of his bunk, immediately under where hishead will lie. It's adjusted to full strength, and I believe it willpick up enough energy to emanate what he's thinking about. We'll be inthe next stateroom and see what we can pick up. How does that sound, sir?"

"Like something you'd cook up, Mr. Correy!" I said promptly. "And Ibelieve, as you do, that if it works at all, we'll find out somethinginteresting. "

We equipped ourselves with menores, adjusted to maximum power, andsilently filed into the stateroom adjacent to Tipene's. 

He was moving about slowly, apparently undressing, for we heard firstone boot and then another drop to the floor. And we could sense vagueemanations, too faint to be intelligible, and unmistakably coming fromhim. 

"Probably sitting on the edge of his bunk, " whispered Correy. "When helies down, it'll work like a charm!"

It did--almost too well. Suddenly we caught a strong emanation, in theUniversal language. 

 * * * * *

"Surly individual, that Hanson--didn't like my giving orders--hurt hisdignity. But I had my own way, and that's all that's important. Seemedto be suspicious--they all were. Maybe I was a bit urgent--but I wasafraid--those damned Aranians might have changed their spidery minds. 

"They can't be very intelligent--to think I'd come back with tributeto pay for the spiders that fool Hanson and his men killed. Why, theship's rays could wipe them all out, drill a hole in the ground--theydidn't realize that. Thought that by holding Brady and that conceitedInverness for hostages, they'd be safe--and I'd be idiotic enough tonot see this chance to get all the glory of the expedition formyself--instead of sharing it with those two. You're a quick thinker, Tipene--the true, ruthless, scientific mind.... "

I motioned for my officers to follow me, and we made our way, silentand grim-faced, to the navigating room. 

"Nice, friendly lad, isn't he?" snarled Correy. "I thought there wassomething up. What are your plans, sir?"

"We'll go to the rescue of Inverness and Brady, of course. Mr. Correy, place Tipene under arrest, and bring him here at once. Mr. Kincaide, take over the ship; give orders to set her down where we were. Andyou, Mr. Hendricks, will take personal command of the forward raytubes. "

My officers sprang to obey orders, and I paced restlessly up and downthe room, thinking. Just as the _Ertak_ settled softly to earth, Correy returned with his prisoner. Two men stood on guard with drawnatomic pistols at the door. 

"What's the meaning of this indignity, sir?" flared Tipene. He haddressed hurriedly, and was by no means an imposing spectacle. He drewhimself up to his full height, and tried to look domineering, butthere was fear in his eyes. "I shall report you--"

"You'll do no reporting, Tipene, " I broke in coldly. "I'll do thereporting. You see, we know all about your little plan to desert yourcomrades, held by the Aranians as hostages, and to grasp all the gloryof your findings for yourself. But--the plan doesn't work. We're goingback. "

 * * * * *

Tipene's face drained a dirty yellow--a Zenian can never be actuallypale. 

"You ... How.... " he floundered. 

"A menore, under your pillow, " I explained crisply. "But that doesn'tmatter, now. You will guide us to the spot where you found the Araniancity, and establish communication with the Aranians. When that's done, I'll give you further orders. "

"And if I won't?" breathed Tipene, his teeth clenched in a shakingrage. 

"But you will. Otherwise, we'll permit you to continue yourexplorations on this interesting little sphere--minus your protectivesuit. "

Tipene stared at me with horror-stricken eyes. I think he saw that Imeant exactly what I said--and I was not bluffing. 

"I--I'll do it, " he said. 

"Then watch the river carefully, " I ordered. "Kincaide, lift her justenough so we can get a good view of the river. Tipene will tell youwhere to set her down. "

Navigating visually, Kincaide followed the winding course of theriver, covering in a few minutes a distance it had taken thescientists a day to navigate. 

"There--there is the place, " said Tipene suddenly. "Just this side ofthe patch of vegetation. "

"Very good. And remember what happens if you play any tricks, " Inodded grimly. "Descend to within a few yards of the ground, Mr. Kincaide; we'll drop Tipene through the trap. "

Correy hurried the prisoner away, and I ordered the trap in the bottomof the _Ertak's_ hull to be opened. 

"Now, " I informed Tipene, "we'll let you down and you will establishcommunication with the Aranians. Tell them you have brought back, nottribute, but an enemy powerful enough to blast their entire city outof existence. It will be a simple matter for you to picture what anatomic grenade or one of the ship's rays will do. We'll arrange alittle demonstration, if they're not convinced. And tell them that ifthey don't want to be wiped out, to bring Inverness and Brady to us, unharmed, as fast as their eight long legs will manage. "

"They won't do it, " whined Tipene. "They were very angry over thekilling of those others. I'm just risking my life without thepossibility of gain. "

"You obey my orders, or you go down and stay there, " I said abruptly. "Which?"

"I'll do as you say, " he said, and the cage dropped with him swiftly. 

 * * * * *

As soon as he was on the ground he reached up and adjusted his menore, peering around anxiously. For several minutes nothing happened, andthen, the length of the ship away, one of the great trap-doors flewopen. Out of it came one of the spiders, not rust-red like those wehad seen, but faded to a dirty yellow. Close behind him were two ofthe rust-red Aranians, which fell in one on each side of the yellowchap. 

The first Aranian, I presumed--and rightly--was one of the old learnedmembers of the race. As he scuttled closer to the cowering Tipene, Isaw that, amidst the bristles which covered his head and thorax, was amenore. 

The three great spiders approached the ship warily, watching itconstantly with huge, glittering eyes. A safe distance away theypaused, and the old one fixed his attention on Tipene. 

Evidently, what Tipene emanated caused the old fellow to become veryangry; I could see his legs quivering, and his withered old mandiblesfairly clattered. 

"He says he won't do it!" Tipene called up to me, excitedly. "Says wecan't reach them underground, and that they'll kill their hostages ifwe try to harm them. "

"Ask him if there are any tunnels between the ship and the river, " Icommanded. "We'll demonstrate what we can do if he harms Inverness andBrady. "

The two were in silent communion for a moment, and Tipene looked upand shook his head. 

"No, " he shouted. "No tunnels there. The water would seep into them. "

"Then tell him to watch!"

I stepped back and pressed an attention signal. 

"Mr. Hendricks?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Open up with the starboard tube, full power, concentrated beam, atany spot halfway between here and the river. At once. "

"At once, sir!"

 * * * * *

The ray generators hummed instantly, their note deepening a momentlater. The ray bit into the dry, sandy soil, boring steadily into theearth, making an opening over twice the height of a man in diameter. 

The fine, reddish-brown dust of disintegration hung swirling above themouth of the tunnel at first, and then, as the ray cut deeper into theearth, settled quickly and disappeared. 

"Cease operation, Mr. Hendricks!" I commanded. "Keep the generatorson, and stand by for further orders. "

As soon as Hendricks' quick acknowledgment came back, I called down toTipene. 

"Tell your friend to inspect the little hole we drilled, " I said. "Tell him to crawl down into it, if he wishes to see how deep it is. And then inform him that we have several ray tubes like this one, andthat if he does not immediately produce his hostages, unharmed, we'llrise above his city and blast out a crater big enough to bury the_Ertak_. "

Tipene nodded and communicated with the aged Aranian, who had coweredfrom the shaft in the earth disintegrated by our ray, and who now, very cautiously, approached it, flanked by his two far from eagerguards. 

At the lip of the slanting tunnel he paused, peered downward, andthen, circling cautiously, approached the lidded tunnel whence he hademerged. 

"He agrees, " Tipene called up sullenly. "He will deliver Inverness andBrady to us. But we must come and get them; he says they havebarricaded themselves in one of the cubicles, and will not permit anyAranian to approach. They still have their atomic pistols; theAranians did not realize they were weapons. "

"Very well; tell him a party from the ship will be ready in a fewseconds. You will go with us as interpreter; you understand how tocommunicate with them. "

 * * * * *

I pressed Correy's attention signal and he answered instantly. 

"Pick five good men for a landing party, two of them portabledisintegrator ray operators, with equipment. The others will beprovided with _ethon_ lamps, pistols, and atomic grenades. Get the mento the trap as quickly as possible, please. "

"Immediately, sir!"

I had the cage drawn up, and by the time I had secured my ownequipment and returned, Correy was waiting with his men. 

"One second, Mr. Correy, and we'll leave, " I said, calling thenavigating room. "Mr. Kincaide, I'm leaving you in command. We aregoing into the Aranian city to pick up Inverness and Brady. Ianticipate no trouble, and if there is no trouble, we shall returnwithin an hour. If we are not back within three hours, blast thisentire area with atomic grenades, and riddle it with the rays. Isthat clear?"

"Yes, sir, " said Kincaide. 

"And then proceed immediately to Base and report. I have made an entryin the log regarding this expedition, as official evidence, ifneeded. "

"Right, sir, " said Kincaide, who was as near a perfect officer as Ihave ever seen. 

"Mr. Correy, you've heard my orders. So have you, men. We're goingunderground, into a veritable warren of these spider creatures. If anyof you wish to refuse this service, you have my permission towithdraw. "

Not a man moved. Correy hardly repressed a grin. He knew the men hehad picked for the job. 

"Good!" I said, and signaled to the cage operator. Swiftly we droppedto earth, where Tipene and our three hairy guides awaited us. 

 * * * * *

The descent into the white-lined tunnel was a terrifying experience. The lining was tough and fibrous, a sort of coarse materialcorresponding to the silk of a spider of normal size, although thesestrands were as large as my little finger, and strong as cables. 

A close inspection of our guides added nothing to my confidence orbravery; their eight beady eyes, set at strategic spots about theirheads, seemed unwinkingly ominous. And their mandibles, with fangsfolded back like the blades of a pocket-knife, paired with theirbristly palps, seemed like very capable weapons. 

The Aranians ran ahead of us, our _ethon_ lamps making strange anddistorted shadows on the curving walls of the tunnel. Correy and Iherded the unwilling Tipene just ahead of us, and the five picked menbrought up the rear. 

About forty feet down, the floor of the tunnel curved sharply andleveled off; a short distance farther on a number of other leveltunnels merged with it, and the shape changed; from a tube perfectlycircular in cross-section, it became a flattened oval, perhaps halfagain the height of a man, and at least three times that dimension inwidth. 

Our party was joined by scores of other Aranians, who darted in fromside passages; some going ahead, some closing in behind us, until thetunnel was filled with the peculiar brittle sound of their walking. 

"They don't lack for numbers, " muttered Correy softly. "Think they'llmake trouble, sir?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. I showed them what the ray would do; Ibelieve it threw a scare into the old chap. Did you tell them what wewould do if they played any tricks, Tipene?"

"Certainly; my own life is endangered, isn't it?" snapped the Zenian. 

"It certainly is, " I told him grimly. "And not only by the spiders, ifyou make any suspicious moves. "

 * * * * *

We went on without further conversation, until we came to thebeginning of the cubicles Tipene had mentioned. 

Each of these was closed, or could be closed, by a circular door suchas those which concealed the outer entrance to the tunnels, save thatthese were swung on a side hinge. From the central passage we werefollowing, smaller ones branched off in all directions: to the left, to the right; upward and downward. And all were lined with thecubicles, from which a constantly increasing army of Aranians emergedto accompany us. 

We had gone but a short distance into the "city" when our ancientguide paused, turning to stare down a deserted passage. 

"He says, " grunted Tipene--as near a grunt as the high-pitched Zenianvoice is capable of, "that they're down there. He asks that we go andget them; he is afraid. They have killed two of the Aranians alreadywith their atomic pistols. "

"For which I don't blame them in the least, " said Correy. "I'd get asmany as I could before I let them sink their mandibles into me. "

"But I thought they were hostages, and being treated as such?"

"The Aranians got tired of waiting; some of the younger ones tried todo their own executing, " explained Tipene. "The whole brood of them isin an ugly mood, the old fellow tells me. We were fools to come!"

I didn't argue the matter. You can't argue such a matter with a manlike Tipene. Instead, I lifted my voice in a shout which echoed downthe long corridors. 

"Brady! Inverness! Can you hear us?"

For a moment there was no reply, and then, as our _ethon_ lightsplayed hopefully along the passage, a circular door opened, andInverness, his pistol drawn, peered out at us. A moment later, both heand Brady were running toward us. 

"Hanson!" cried Inverness. "Man, but we're glad to see a human faceagain--but why did you come? Now they've got us all. "

"But they'll let us all go, " I said, with a confidence I did not feel. "I've demonstrated to one of their leaders just what the _Ertak_ cando--and will do--if we aren't aboard, safe and unhurt, in threehours. "

"The young bloods don't obey well, though, " said Brady, shaking hishead. "Look at them, milling around there in the central passage! Theydidn't see your demonstration, whatever it was. They started for ussome time back, and we had to rip a couple of them to pieces, andbarricade ourselves. "

"Well, " said Correy grimly, "we'll soon find out. Ready to start back, sir?"

 * * * * *

I turned to Tipene, who was staring at the packed mass of Aranians, who choked the tunnel in both directions. 

"Tell them to make way, " I commanded. "We're leaving. "

"I've--I've been in communication with him, " moaned Tipene. "And hehasn't any power over these youngsters. They want blood. Blood! Theysay the ship won't dare do anything so long as so many of us arehere. "

"It will, though, " I snapped. "Kincaide will obey my orders to theletter. It'll be a wholesale slaughter, if we're not there by thespecified time. "

"I know! I know!" groaned Tipene. "But I can't make them understandthat. They can't appreciate the meaning of such discipline. "

"I believe that, " put in Brady. "Their state of society is still lowin the scale. You shouldn't have come, Commander. Better the two of usthan the whole group. "

"It may not be so simple as they think. Mr. Correy, shall we make adash for it?"

"I'd be in favor of that, sir!" he grinned. 

"Very well, you take three of the enlisted men, Mr. Correy, and giveus a brisk rear-guard action when we get into the main passage--if wedo. Use the grenades if you have to, but throw them as fast aspossible, or we'll have the roof coming down on us. 

"The two ray operators and myself will try to open a way, backed up byInverness and Brady. Understand, everybody?" The men took the places Ihad indicated, nodding, and we stood at the mouth of the side tunnel, facing the main passage which intersected it at a right angle. Themouth of the passage was blocked by a crowded mass of the spidercreatures, evidently eager to pounce on us, but afraid to start anaction in those narrow quarters. 

As we came toward them, the Aranians packed about the entrance gaveway grudgingly, all save two or three. Without an instant'shesitation, I lifted my pistol and slashed them into jerking pulp. 

"Hold the ray, " I ordered the two men by my side, "until we need it. They'll get a surprise when it goes into action. "

 * * * * *

We needed it the moment we turned into the main corridor, for here thepassage was broad, and in order to prevent the creatures from flankingus, we had to spread our front and rear guards until they were no morethan two thin lines. 

Seeing their advantage, the Aranians rushed us. At a word from me, theray operators went into action, and I did what I could with mycomparatively ineffective pistol. Between us, we swept the passageclean as far as we could see--which was not far, for the reddish dustof disintegration hung in the quiet air, and the light of our _ethon_lamps could not pierce it. 

For a moment I thought we would have clear sailing; Correy and his menwere doing fine work behind us, and our ray was sweeping everythingbefore us. 

Then we came to the first of the intersecting passages, and aclattering horde of Aranians leaped out at us. The ray operatorsstopped them, but another passage on the opposite side was spewing outmore than I could handle with my pistol. 

Two of the hairy creatures were fairly upon me before the ray swung tothat side and dissolved them into dust. For an instant the partystopped, checked by these unexpected flank attacks. 

And there would be more of these sallies from the hundreds of passageswhich opened off the main corridor; I had no doubt of that. And therethe creatures had us: our deadly ray could not reach them out ahead;we must wait until we were abreast, and then the single ray could workupon but one side. Correy needed every man he had to protect our rear, and my pistol was not adequate against a rush at such close quarters. That fact had just been proved to me with unpleasant emphasis. 

It was rank folly to press on; the party would be annihilated. 

"Down this passage, men, " I ordered the two ray operators. "We'll haveto think up a better plan. "

They turned off into the passage they had swept clean with their ray, and the rest of the party followed swiftly. A few yards from the maincorridor the passage turned and ran parallel to the corridor we hadjust left. Doors opened off this passage on both sides, but all thedoors were open, and the cubicles thus revealed were empty. 

 * * * * *

"Well, sir, " said Correy, when we had come to the dead end of thepassage, "now what?"

"I don't know, " I confessed. "If we had two ray machines, we couldmake it. But if I remember correctly, it's seven hundred yards, yet, to the first of the tunnels leading to the surface--and that meansseveral hundred side passages from which they can attack. We can'tmake it. "

"Well, we can try again, anyway, sir, " Correy replied stoutly. "Betterto go down fighting than stay here and starve, eh?"

"If you'll pardon me, gentlemen, " put in Inverness, "I'd like to makea suggestion. We can't return the way we came in; I'm convinced ofthat. It was the sheerest luck that Commander Hanson wasn't broughtdown a moment ago--luck, and excellent work on the part of the two rayoperators. 

"But an analysis of our problem shows that our real objective is toreach the surface, and that need not be done the most obvious way, byreturning over the course by which we entered. "

"How, then?" I asked sharply. 

"The disintegrator ray you have there should be able to cut a passagefor us, " said Inverness. "Then all we need do is protect our rearwhile the operators are working. Once on the surface, we'll be able tofight our way to the ship, will we not?"

"Of course! You should be in command, Inverness, instead of myself. "His was the obvious solution to our difficulty; once proposed, I feltamazingly stupid that the thought had not occurred to me. 

I gave the necessary orders to the ray men, and they startedimmediately, boring in steadily at an angle of about forty-fivedegrees. 

The reddish dust came back to us in choking clouds, and the Aranians, perhaps guessing what we were doing--at least one of their number hadseen how the ray could tunnel in the ground--started working aroundthe angle of the passage. 

 * * * * *

At first they came in small groups, and our pistols readily disposedof them, but as the dust filled the air, and it became increasinglydifficult to see their spidery bodies, they rushed us in great masses. 

Correy and I, shoulder to shoulder, fired at the least sign ofmovement in the cloud of dust. A score of times the rushes of theAranians brought a few of them scuttling almost to our feet; inside ofa few minutes the passage was choked, waist high, with the riddledbodies--and still they came!

"We're through, sir!" shouted one of the ray operators. "If you canhold them off another fifteen minutes, we'll have the hole largeenough to crawl through. "

"Work fast!" I ordered. Even with Inverness, Brady, and the three ofthe _Ertak's_ crew doing what they could in those narrow quarters, wewere having a hard time holding back the horde of angry, desperateAranians. Tipene was useless; he was cowering beside the rayoperators, chattering at them, urging them to hurry. 

Had we had good light, our task would have been easy, but the passagewas choked now with dust. Our _ethon_ lamps made little more than adismal glow. The clattering Aranians were almost within leapingdistance before we could see them; indeed, more than one was stoppedin mid-air by a spray from one pistol or another. 

"Ready, sir, " gasped the ray man who had spoken before. "I think we'vegot it large enough, now. "

"Good!" I brought down two scuttling Aranians, so close that theirtwitching legs fell in an untidy heap almost at my feet. "You gofirst, and protect our advance. Then the rest of you; Mr. Correy and Iwill bring up the--"

"No!" screamed Tipene, shouldering aside the ray men. "I.... " Hedisappeared into the slanting shaft, and the two ray men followedquickly. The three members of the crew went next; then Brady andInverness. 

Correy and I backed toward the freshly cut passage. 

"I'll be right behind you, " I snapped, "so keep moving!"

 * * * * *

Correy hesitated an instant; I knew he would have preferred the placeof danger as the last man, but he was too good an officer to protestwhen time was so precious. He climbed into the slanting passage theray had cut for us, and as he did so, I heard, or thought I heard, acry from beyond him, from one of those ahead. 

I gave Correy several seconds before I followed; when I did start, Iplanned on coming fast, for in that shoulder-tight tube I would beutterly at the mercy of any who might attack from behind. 

Fairly spraying the oncoming horde, I drove them back, for a moment, beyond the angle in the corridor; then I fairly dived into the tunneland crawled as fast as hands and knees could take me toward theblessed open air. 

I heard the things clatter into the space I had deserted. I heard themscratching frantically in the tunnel behind me, evidently handicappedby their long legs, which must have been drawn up very close to theirbodies. 

Light came pouring in on me suddenly, and I realized that Correy hadwon free. Behind me I could hear savage mandibles snapping, and coldsweat broke out on me. How close a terrible death might be, I had nomeans of knowing--but it was very close. 

My head emerged; I drew my body swiftly out of the hole and snatched agrenade from my belt. Instantly I flung it down the slanting passage, with a shout of warning to my companions. 

With a muffled roar, the grenade shook the earth; sent a brown cloudspattering around us. I had made a desperate leap to get away, buteven then I was covered by the shower of earth. 

I looked around. Trapdoors were open everywhere, and from hundreds ofthese openings, Aranians were scuttling toward us. 

But the ray operators were working; not only the little portablemachine, but the big projectors on the _Ertak_, five or six hundredyards away; laying down a deadly and impassable barrage on either sideof us. 

 * * * * *

"They got Tipene, sir!" said Correy. "He dodged out ahead of the raymen, and two of them pounced on him. They were dragging him away, tearing him. The ray men wiped them out. Tipene was already dead--tornto fragments, they said. Back to the ship now, sir?"

"Back to the ship, " I nodded, still rather breathless. "Let the raymen cover our retreat; we can take care of those between us and theship with our pistols--and the _Ertak's_ projectors will attend to ourflanks. On the double, men!"

We fought every step of the way, in a fog of reddish dust from the bigdisintegrator rays playing on either side of us--but we made it, atorn, weary, and bedraggled crew. 

"Quite an engagement, sir, " gasped Correy, when we were safely insidethe _Ertak_. "Think they'll remember this little visit of ours, sir?"

"I know we'll remember it, anyway, " I said, shaking some of the dustof disintegration from my clothes. "Just at the moment, I'd welcome atour of routine patrol. "

"Sure, sir, " grinned Correy. "So would I--until we were a day or twoout from Base!"

 * * * * *