phosphorescence that seemed inherent to the rocks themselves. It was a narrow passage, seeming to wind upward. At intervals, other little corridors crossed it. Occasionally it widened into grottos. They came to a large one with a jagged rocky floor, broken, rocky walls.Here they halted. "Not so far now," Nada was saying. Her face in the dimness was turned toward Morgan, and she was trying to smile--a frightened, puzzled smile. And suddenly he sucked in his breath. Her teeth were shining with blue-green iridescence; luminous with a blue-green light streaming from them! Radioactive, stroboscopic light! The treasure of Zolonite he had come here to find. It must be here close at hand! Morgan gripped the girl and stood still, peering around. "What is it?" she murmured with new terror. "Wait! I'm looking around for something." And then he saw it. Zolonite in almost its pure state. The vein of its out-cropping was a crescent curve diagonally up the wall; and beneath it, shining chunks had crumbled and were lying strewn. Swiftly Morgan stooped, gathered up handfuls, stuffed them into his pockets. Samples, and then he would bring back a mining crew to open this up. And even the samples would be worth a sizable fortune. But the space-pirates wanted this, too. Solo Morgan, at that instant, was not quite clear in his mind what he would try to do. But the feel of the girl's pliant waist within his arm as they ran, decided him. She was certainly more important than the Zolonite. "I'm taking you to my ship," he murmured suddenly. "Don't bother to put up any argument now. That's where you're going." He saw her turn and stare at him. They had come abruptly to the end of the tunnel; the sheen of Saturn-light was on her face, shining in her misted eyes as she regarded him. "Taking me to earth?" she said uncertainly. "I sure am. You can't live out your life here, just for a bunch of weird animals." "But some time you'd bring me back?" she murmured tremulously. "Sure I would. Got to come anyway to mine the Zolonite."
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