Dynamon picked himself up off the floor with a rueful smile. "I thought
we were _all_ through for a minute," he observed.
"Well! That was a bad minute there!" said Borion excitedly. "I thought
that one fellow was going to get us, but I kicked him off by throwing
the beam on him and giving him the repellor. But you can see for
yourself, they are far behind now, and they'll never in the world be
able to catch up."
Dynamon peered into the port and starboard quarter screens and saw a
group of rapidly diminishing red specks. He looked up with a sigh of
relief.
"Good work, Borion," he said, and the navigator grinned.
"I don't think we will have to worry any more about the Martian ships
from now on, if we're careful," Borion said. "I'm going to run for
the shadow of the moon and from there I'll plot a course straight for
Jupiter, avoiding Mars entirely."
* * * * *
The door to the control room opened, and a smiling, spectacled face
peered in. It was Thamon, the scientist.
"That was quite a bump," Thamon observed. "Were we trying to knock down
an asteroid?"
Dynamon gave a short laugh. "No, that was merely some of our friends
from Mars trying to head us off. But they're far behind now and we
don't anticipate any trouble for a good many days."
"Ah, round one to the Earth people," Thamon observed. "In that case,
Dynamon, have you decided how you are going to conduct affairs within
the Carrier in the immediate future?"
"Not quite," Dynamon replied. "Suppose we discuss that, in my quarters?"