"Clamp!" yelled Jonny Land, in a cry that was like a hoarse howl of agony.

Carlin's blood left his heart as he glimpsed the most horrible and heroic sight he had ever beheld. The other strained tube had been about to blow open, and Jonny Land had flung his arms around it and was holding it together by agonized effort while the white-hot vapor sprayed his body.

Harb Land wildly snatched his brother away as Carlin flung the big clamp around the pipe and convulsively spun its bolts shut.

He staggered around then. Harb was bending over his brother.

"Jonny! Jonny!"

Jonny's whole chest and neck were blackened and blasted. His face was a ghastly, sooted mask as his eyes looked up at them.

Another salvo went off close by, and again the "Phoenix" rocked wildly.

"Cut the dredge!" Carlin cried. "We've proved the process is successful, and we can't stay here now or your brother will die!"

Loesser cut off the dredge and Harb Land rushed for the pilot room. Carlin heard him shouting there into the communic:

"Control cruisers from 'Phoenix!' We're putting out to surrender. Be ready to give injured man medical treatment."

"Break out of your orbit at once and we'll contact you for surrender by locator when you're outside the corona," came the sharp, fast answer.

The generators of the "Phoenix" started roaring their shrillest note as Harb Land frantically flung power into the drive-plates. Beneath the thrust of its propulsion vibrations the battered ship began to move, to fight its way out of the gigantic pull of Sol, breaking slowly out in a tangent off its orbit.

Carlin, Loesser, all of them in the hold, were bending over Jonny Land when Floring, released by Harb, came back. The officer looked down and then shook his head somberly.

"No chance," he said. "He won't even last until we reach the cruisers."

Jonny was lying, unhearing, fighting for breath, looking up at them without seeing them, his sooted face a writhing mask. Carlin felt tears sting his eyes, and saw everything through a blur.

"Jonny, we did it—you did it!" Loesser was choking. "Made Sun-mining possible! Why, soon now there'll be scores of ships, 

 Prev. P 50/54 next