Dynamon saw Keltry's startled eyes on him and he felt an acute embarrassment. It was an impossible situation. He could not repress a little glow within him from the frank approval of the beautiful, imperious little queen. But at the same time, he knew that he must soon devise some means of making a graceful exit from her presence. His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden cry from the edge of the surrounding crowd. He turned his head and looked along the base of the cliff. A column of cloaked figures, helmeted and masked, were streaming out of the passageway to the pit. "It's a search party coming after us!" cried Keltry. They were twenty or so of the soldiers from Earth, and they covered the distance toward Dynamon and Keltry in a short time and forced their way through the crowd of bearded Saturnians. The one in the lead unfastened his oxygen mask and revealed the spectacled face of Thamon. "Thank goodness, you're alive!" said the scientist fervently. "We never expected to find you. What a fantastic place this is!" "You are in the kingdom of the Boltons," said Dynamon, "and this is Queen Diana." The man behind Thamon unmasked, revealing the lean, dark features of Mortoch. "Congratulations, Dynamon," said the Chief Decurion, dryly, as he in turn was presented to the wide-eyed little queen. "You certainly picked a sort of paradise to fall into. A paradise, I might add, presided over by an angel." A coy smile crept over the queen's face, then died away at Mortoch's next words. "I bring you grave news, Dynamon," the Chief Decurion said. "There are two Martian Carriers in the vicinity. We haven't seen them yet, but we intercepted a long-wave conversation between them. What do you intend to do about it?" "Why, I think we should go right back to the surface," Dynamon replied. "Could you tell from their conversation whether they knew that we were on Saturn?" "Apparently they knew we were somewhere around," said Mortoch, "but hadn't located us yet." "Well, we'd better hurry right on up then," said Dynamon, "so that we can get back to our Carrier before they find it." "Oh, but you can't go!" said the little queen in a shrill voice, "I forbid it." "I wish we could stay, Queen Diana," Dynamon answered, "but there's dangerous work to be done up on the surface." "But why go to the surface at all?" the queen demanded. "Why not stay down here and keep away from the danger?" "No, Queen Diana," Dynamon said, keenly conscious of Mortoch's lurking smile. "Duty calls and we must go. Perhaps when we have finished our work we will pay you another visit. All right, men, here we go." * * * * * The centurion, Keltry by his side, led the way back to the entrance to the pit, while the Saturnians, grouped around their little queen, gaped after them. As the little force stood in the bottom of the pit adjusting their helmets and oxygen masks preparatory to ascending to the surface, Mortoch leaned over to Dynamon.