The blue giants, he saw, had broken through the last of the trees into
a lush meadow of mauve fen grass.
"Look, Mia!" he pointed toward the center of the meadow. "The second
lap of our journey is provided for. Our kidnapper shows considerable
foresight."
In the center of the meadow, a small surface plane rested on the fen
grass like a silver bullet. There was no sign of life inside or out.
* * * * *
"It's deserted," said Mia in surprise. Cosmo frowned, but didn't reply.
The Jovian Dawn Men trotted straight to the empty plane. They opened
a door in the side, shoved them within, cage and all. Cosmo heard the
door click shut. The Dawn Men had not followed them inside.
He glanced curiously about the interior. All the seats had been
removed, even the pilot's chair.
"Where's the pilot?" asked Mia in a subdued voice.
He shook his head. Through the port, he could see the blue giants
disappearing among the trees.
Just then the plane gave a jerk.
"It's moving!" With a shriek, Mia flung herself onto Cosmo.
He felt the plane lurch again, then shoot upward. At a hundred feet it
leveled itself off, darted away on what he judged to be a southerly
course. There was still no evidence of a pilot.
Mia MacIver held onto Cosmo like a drowning man to a straw as the
pilotless plane hurtled southward.
He drew a long breath. "Robot pilot." He patted her shoulder. "There's
nothing supernatural about it."
Mia pulled herself away. "I didn't mean to throw myself on you like
that. I ... I...." She halted lamely.
"Don't apologize." Cosmo flashed her his quick wolfish grin. "I enjoyed
it. You've been hurling yourself at me at fairly regular intervals all
day."
"I think you're horrid." Mia's cheeks colored, but her gray eyes
twinkled.
"Mia," he said serious all at once, "if Bemmelman--er--disposes of me,
you'll have to contact my man yourself. I told you I had a spy planted
in his household. His name is Penang-ihtok."
She looked suddenly startled.
"He's a Venusian, an outcast Fozoql. You can recognize him by the blue
star tattooed on his forehead. Tell him that my orders are to have the
men raid Bemmelman's plantation and carry you to Venusport."
"Penang-ihtok," she repeated.
"Of course," he added dryly; "I'm hopeful Bemmelman won't kill me right
off, and I can contact Penang-ihtok myself. In which case, you won't
need to bother your pretty head about it."
He yawned, stretched out as comfortably as he could arrange himself in
their confined quarters, closed his eyes.
"You're not going to sleep," exploded Mia in alarm.
"Certainly. Nothing else to do." He patted his shoulder. "Make yourself
comfortable."
She eyed him with suspicion.
"Go ahead. I haven't any designs on you," he said dryly.
"Well you don't need to be so assertive about it," said Mia, and laid
her head gingerly on his shoulder.
"Sure," said Cosmo. He was staring at the roof of the cage.
Presently, she said in a sleepy voice, "I haven't leprosy either, in
case you're worried."
"Of course not."
Mia muttered something unladylike under her breath.
"What's that?"
"I think," said Mia distinctly; "that you're a worm!"
Cosmo chuckled. The plane continued to steer itself arrow-like into the
South of Mu.
A faint jerk brought Cosmo wide awake as some jungle animal. The plane,
he realized had stopped, settled to Venus.
It was night. The green phosphorescent light of the luminous vegetation
flooded through the port holes. From somewhere, the sound of a muffled
bell, ringing, ringing, reached his ears.
Through the port, he could see a corner of a tower, part of a slate
roof. The grotesque arms of a telo-antenna sprouted from the peak of
the tower. He heard a door squeal open. The bell sounded louder, then
it stopped to be replaced by the mutter of voices approaching.
"Wake up." He shook Mia MacIver gently.