"There _are_ men left on Earth," he mouthed secretively to the little circle of heads. "The Mercutians went down like animals--fifteen of them killed, I hear. The whole company of guards retreated in a hurry"--he paused for greater effect, and continued slowly and impressively--"from--three--Earthmen." Hilary raised his head sharply. They were discussing his exploit, evidently. With exaggerations of course. That was inevitable. "Yes, sir," the speaker proceeded, "that shows you. These damned Mercutians are not invulnerable. They can be overcome, chased off the Earth. But we've got to be men, not slaves." High excitement shone in the surrounding faces. "But we ain't got no weapons," a small, weak-chinned man protested. The other spat carefully: "No weapons, huh? Man, I could show you--" A dark, silent man standing uninterestedly next to him jabbed him in the ribs. The orator gulped and stammered: "I--I mean--" "Psst," someone hissed hurriedly, "the Mercutians." * * * * * Three giant Mercutian guards, their sun-tubes at the ready, stumbled heavily down the aisles of the express, sagging with the pull of Earth's gravitation. Their gray, warted faces were black as thunderclouds. They stopped before the hastily scattered group. "You heard the orders," the hugest one barked: "no congregating of Earth slaves on the conveyors or elsewhere. Next time you disobey, I'll ray you. You understand?" "Yes, Magnificent," the weak-chinned man muttered hurriedly. But the little knot reformed immediately after the guards had passed on. "Magnificents!" The first speaker spat viciously. "I'd like to wring their necks." Hilary shifted unobtrusively to another excited cluster. There the same procedure was followed. A quiet-voiced man was talking, lauding the exploit of the three embattled Earthmen, skillfully and subtly enkindling enthusiasm, raising wholesome doubts as to the invulnerability of the hated Mercutians. Numerous patrols of guards stalked up and down the conveyors, arrogant, manifestly itching for a pretext to ray the conquered. But the Earthmen gave them no opportunity. The groups melted at their approach into meek, vacuous individuals; reformed instantly as they moved on. And there were no informers. The Earthmen had resumed their almost forgotten Earth solidarity in fronting the invaders. * * * * *