An open space in a little valley spread invitingly before him, and he laid the ship down there in a jungle of lush grasses--set it down as gently as if he were landing from a jaunt of a thousand miles instead of two hundred times that distance straight away from Earth. The others were looking at him with glowing, excited eyes. In the cabin was silence. Harkness felt that he must speak, must say something worthy of the moment--something to express in slight degree the upwelling emotion that filled them all, three adventurers about to set foot upon a virgin world.... The pause was long-drawn, until he ended it in a voice that had all the solemn importance of a head-steward's announcement on a liner of the high-level service. But the corners of his lips were twitching to a little smile. "This," he announced, "is as far as we go. This is the end of our run." The tension that had held them emotionally taut was ended. With outstretched hands Diane ran toward him, and her broken laugh betrayed the hysteria she was holding back. "Congratulations!" she cried, and clung tightly to his hands. "Congratulations, M'sieu Walter--" Her voice choked and she could not go on; but the eyes that were raised to his were luminous through the tears that filled them. From the cabin beyond came a clash of levers, where Chet was preparing to open a port. And Harkness followed with unseeing eyes where the pilot waited that their commander might be the first to step forth upon an unknown globe--upon the surface of what men had called "The Dark Moon." CHAPTER VI _Trapped_ Walter Harkness, piloting his ship to a slow, safe landing on a new world, had watched his instruments with care. He had seen the outer pressure build up to that of the air of Earth; the spectro-analyzer had shown nitrogen preponderating, with sufficient oxygen to support life. And, below him, a monstrous thing that flopped hurriedly away on leather wings had told him that life was there. But what would that life be? This was the question uppermost in the minds of all three as they stepped forth--the first of Earth's people to ask the question and to find the answer. Chet had gone to their stores. He strapped a belt about his waist, a belt banded with a row of detonite cartridges, and a pistol hung at his hip. He handed another to Harkness. But the pistol he offered Diane was refused. "My many accomplishments," she laughed, "do not include that. I never could shoot--and besides I will not need to with both of you here." Her hand was resting confidently upon Chet's arm as they followed where Harkness led.