The drugs were kept from the public, of course. But these bandit Togarite leaders had them; and they could not be discovered and confiscated either. The Togarites wanted, Drake said, about a half million followers. With this multitude they would conquer the earth and populate it with their own race. "Why?" I demanded. "Why do that?" My question sounded inane. Drake shrugged. "Why has any conqueror lusted for power? The original Togarite leaders are evil fellows, renegades. Togaro himself tried to conquer Dianne's world, and failed. They want power, riches, plunder. Togaro wants all that. And he wants--Dianne." I could feel Dianne stir against me. I said nothing, and in a moment Drake went on: "There are ten million of Dianne's people, upon a little globe which they populate fully. Just the one nation. Perhaps by now the Togarites have their half million followers. They plan to transport them out--up to our world--" "How?" I demanded. "A single flyer, like this, to transport five hundred thousand people! Why, it would take thousands of trips! Ten or twenty years--" But as I said it, I understood why that was not so--and comprehended the deadly danger to Dianne's world. I began: "If they make their vehicle large enough to contain half a million people at once--" I never finished. Once before, in the room at King's Cove, Ahlma had given a cry to warn us of impending danger. She did that now. She and Alt were sitting near us, listening to our words. Drake had previously taken the automatics from me. We had put them on a vacant chair; one lay on the floor close by my feet. I heard Ahlma give a startled cry. The automatic on the floor had been lying between Drake and me. I remembered clearly where I had placed it, but it was not there now! I followed Ahlma's glance. The weapon was on the floor, over by the wall. It was moving--sliding soundlessly toward the door of the room. I saw that a small human figure was tugging at it--a man eight or ten inches high As tall as he dared get. The weapon was larger than himself. He was struggling to drag it to the doorway, get it beyond our sight. Ahlma's cry made us all leap to our feet. And Dianne and Ahlma together recognized the tiny figure. "Togaro!" He dropped his burden and scuttled from the room. Dianne gripped me. "Wait, Frank! You're unsteady yet--you'll hurt yourself." I found the floor swaying under me as I stood up; I had to drop back. Drake and Alt dashed into the passage. We could hear their cries giving the alarm. Several members of the crew came running. The passages and all the cabins were searched. Useless! Togaro had taken the diminishing drug. With such a start, he had escaped into smallness beyond pursuit. Drake and Alt came back. "It was too dark. We could not see where he went at all. No use trying to follow him." Togaro, a stowaway on board! CHAPTER XIV _The Locked Door_