Shep could see that his friend was genuinely distressed. He concealed the harrowing pain he felt in his ankle and tried to think of their next move. Minutes passed without Rock speaking. He merely stared out the port at the star-jeweled sky and the shimmering ball of Earth that could look so close to a person in space and yet be so far away. “You said that two could run this ship in a pinch,” Shep spoke to break the silence. “We’ll just have to take the _Northern Cross_ back to port ourselves and get help from the Space Guard. The boys will probably try to stall longer and keep the _Dog Star_ on the ground.” “I guess that is the only way,” Rock admitted, then added dismally, “If the ship isn’t here when the Guard comes back, we probably won’t see the fellows anymore, that’s all.” “What you need is a good rest, Rock,” Shep told him. “None of us has had one since we came here. Let’s get a few hours of sleep, one at a time, and then get back to the problem when we’re more refreshed. I’ll stand first watch to see if the _Dog Star_ takes off.” “I am pretty tired,” Rock said. “This time we’ll do what you say, Shep,” he smiled feebly. “You be sure to wake me to relieve you.” Rock stretched out in a chair and fell asleep almost immediately. The next thing he remembered was his friend shaking him. Rock stirred sleepily. “I guess I’ll be shot for going to sleep on guard duty,” Shep confessed. “I just couldn’t help it, though.” Rock had no reason to doubt that the _Dog Star_ would not still be in its same spot, but some impulse prompted him to look out the port just the same. His heart suddenly seemed to go dead inside of him. “The ship is gone, Shep!” “Oh, no!” The glasses revealed indisputably that the ship had blasted off. There was only a blackened ring and a depression where the _Dog Star_ had been before. “They’ve gotten the jump on us again!” Rock said brokenly. “Kalmus must have threatened the boys, or else Judas got the ship off,” Shep said. “Whatever it was, they’re gone now,” Rock said hopelessly. “They can be heading for almost any place in the solar system.” “What do you think we should do now?” Shep asked. “Go ahead with our same plan to notify the Guard, I guess,” Rock replied tonelessly. “They’ll probably send out some cruisers to look for the _Dog Star_.” Rock stared solemnly out the port. “It’s my fault all this has happened. My fault that we ever started out on this crazy treasure hunt and my fault that the boys are in the hands of these space pirates!” “Don’t blame yourself, Rock. The fellows knew very well what they were getting into. It’s not your fault that things haven’t worked out.” Rock tried to shake off the pall of despair that had dogged him for the past few hours and got busily to work. “Well, no use just sitting here on Luna talking about it,” he murmured. “Let’s get that ankle of yours bandaged and then we’ll start up the engines.”