Dival had made no mistake. Directly beneath me, as I looked, was a clearing, a perfect square with rounded corners, obviously blasted out of the solid forest by the delicate manipulation of sharply focused disintegrator rays. And upon the naked, pitted surface thus exposed, side by side in orderly array, were the missing ships! * * * * * I studied the strange scene with a heart that thumped excitedly against my ribs. What should I do? Return and report? Descend and investigate? There was no sign of life around the ships, and no evidence of damage. If I brought the _Kalid_ down, would she make a third to remain there, to be marked "lost in space" on the records of the Service? Reluctantly, I drew my head from beneath the shielding hood. "What were the two reports, Dival?" I asked, and my voice was thick. "The other two television observers?" "Yes, sir. They report that they cannot positively identify the ships with their instruments, but feel certain that they are the two we seek." "Very good. Tell them, please, to remain on watch, searching space in every direction, and to report instantly anything suspicious. Mr. Correy, we will descend until this small clearing becomes visible, through the ports, to the unaided eye. I will give you the corrections to bring us directly over the clearing." And I read the finder scales of the television instrument to him. He rattled off the figures, calculated an instant, and gave his orders to the control room, while I kept the television instrument bearing upon the odd clearing and the two motionless, deserted ships. * * * * * As we settled, I could make out the insignia of the ships, could see the pitted, stained earth of the clearing, brown with the dust of disintegration. I could see the surrounding trees very distinctly now: they seemed very similar to our weeping willows, on Earth, which, I perhaps should explain, since it is impossible for the average individual to have a comprehensive knowledge of the flora and fauna of the entire known Universe, is a tree of considerable size, having long, hanging branches arching from its crown and reaching nearly to the ground. These leaves, like typical willow leaves, were long and slender, of rusty green color. The trunks and branches seemed to be black or dark brown: and the trees grew so thickly that nowhere between their branches was the ground visible. "Five thousand feet, sir," said Correy. "Directly above the clearing. Shall we descend further?" "A thousand feet at a time, Mr. Correy," I replied, after a moment's hesitation. "My orders are to exercise the utmost caution. Mr. Dival, please make a complete analysis of the atmosphere. I believe you are familiar with the traps provided for the purpose?" "Yes. You propose to land, sir?"