It seemed that we could hear muffled shouts far behind us. But presently we outdistanced them, and then at last, after an eternity, we came safely out onto the upper surface. It was night; glittering starlight on this doomed little world, heading for the heat of our giant sun. And there, quite near us, was the dark little globe of the _Planeteer_, with the starlight glittering on its glassite dome-top. "Wait, Tara--just a moment--" Unexpectedly, here on the sloshing half-melted surface, I came upon the pickaxe, shovel and big canvas bags, which Carruthers had dropped here when we were captured. The sword-slash of gray Xalite ore was visible, a gleaming inlay in the cliff-face nearby. I ran there. It chipped out readily under the axe and then I shoveled it up, stuffed a hundred pounds or so of it into a bag and staggered away. The _Planeteer_. Never was anything so welcome as that lower little door-oval. I tossed the bag into it. Barely in time. From over by the cliff, the first of the pursuing Zurians were pouring out. "Hurry! Get inside, Tara--I'll close the door--" Mutely she obeyed. The oncoming Zurians were led by a huge figure. Zogg. Grimly I leveled my gun, sizzled a bolt which struck him full, crumpled him. It checked the others for a moment as I slammed the _Planeteer's_ door and with Tara rushed up to its upper control turret. The mechanisms hummed as they went into operation. And then slowly, silently, we lifted. The Zurians were in a horde down there around the _Planeteer_, milling and scrambling. A few of them dropped off as we rose, up into the starlight with the strange little world sliding away beneath us. * * * * * "Tell me more of what I will see on earth," Tara said. The _Planeteer's_ journey was nearing its end. In the pale glittering starlight, Tara and I sat in the control room, watching the approaching earth, which was spread in a great crescent before us. "You're too warm, Tara?" "No, I'm getting used to it." "The cold, on Zura--you never felt it?" "I was born to that," she said. "My father, when I was a little girl, he did everything to make me fitted for it. But I will like earth's warmth." Then again, as a hundred times before, I was telling her of earth--the things that we were going to do there together. She was seated now on a blanket on the floor-grid. Her knees were hunched up to her chin, with her hands clasping them and her eager little face over her rounded knees turned to me. Just an interested little earthgirl, making plans. And presently I sat beside her on the blanket, with my arm around her, and her head tilted so that her cheek was resting against my shoulder. Then we fell silent as we stared out to the approaching crescent of earth. Good or bad--our world. End of Project Gutenberg's Revolt in the Ice Kingdom, by Ray Cummings