Jerry was standing with a hand on Pink's shoulder; he had forgotten Circe in the tenseness of the bid for freedom. She came up on the other side and put her own hand on the captain's other shoulder. He was startled, and realizing that she could have killed or captured them both, had she wished, chalked up another doubt in his mind against the theory of her alienness. "Please come outside," she said urgently. "I want to suggest something to you." He rose at once and followed her to the door, while Jerry frowned and the dying giant watched him out of faded red eyes. In the hall, she said, "You're almost licked, Captain. It's time for desperation measures." Pink laughed, but before he could ask her what the hell they _had_ been trying, she hurried on. "Find out where the home of these monsters is; it must be an asteroid. Then go there. Land and get out with your guns. They will think our friend in there brought us to them--and you'll have the advantage of surprise. You have about a dozen firearms that will take lead bullets. That's enough for twelve of us. I think we'd stand a chance of success." "And if they murder us all? What about the ship?" She said, "Leave orders to blow it up if we fail." Pink scratched his jaw. The girl had something, or the nucleus of something, there. He saw other possibilities in it--it was tantamount to suicide, but there was nothing else left to try. He said, "If we live through this, Circe, I'll see you make lieutenant!" "I'd rather make ... well, never mind." She turned to go into the room. He wondered if she had had Joe Silver in mind. CHAPTER XVI He said to the alien, "Where's your home planetoid?" "Why?" it asked, mockery still in its weak voice. "I'm capitulating. I want to make a deal with your people." It said, "Ah, the human has sense after all. Our home is the largest of the asteroids, as you call them. The one you said at supper last night had a diameter of 440 miles. We call it Oasis--and a poor one it is, when we remember Earth." Jerry said, astounded, "_What?_" His narrow face worked with surprise. "Shut up, Jerry." Pink still had things to find out. "Can you tell your race, telepathically, what we're doing? I don't want them to lose patience and tear up the hull. We have a very angry gent atop us." "It's the girl," snarled Jerry, before the alien could answer. "She's got you fooled like a--like a--good Lord, Pink, are you so crazy about her you can't see she's been waiting to put this idea in your head all this time?" "Jerry," he said through his teeth, "shut your damn mouth. I'm captain of the _Elephant's Child_." Jerry was aiming the Colt at him; accidentally, Pink hoped. Then the O. O. said, "If I have to blow out your guts to save us, Pink, I will." His tortured features writhed with pain. "Oh, hell, boy, wake up!"