When they dared peep at the picket he had started serenely back on his walk away from them again. He had noticed neither them nor their tracks! With revived courage and strength they resumed the grilling struggle toward safety. Once more they reached a welcoming shadow without discovery. “Boy, howdy!” gasped Taggert. “When do we--quit this caterpillar glide?” “If our luck--holds, we’ll--soon be beyond--the danger zone,” puffed Robert, resting on the flat of his back. * * * * * Taggert’s escape and the fate of the _Sphere_ were still puzzling Robert, as they had not yet had an opportunity to mention these things. At Robert’s query now Taggert enlightened him briefly. “When I saw them overpower you and lead you away,” he recounted, “I realized that I could help most by holding the _Sphere_, and coming to your assistance later if I succeeded. So I drew the manhole trap to and waited for developments. Peeping cautiously, I was fortunate in being able to spot the tent they took you to. “Well, they howled round the outside for a while, but made no attempt to break in. I suppose they feared to tamper with the _Sphere_ after its exhibition of its destructive powers. Finally they withdrew at a command from an officer. Still I was careful not to show myself. I tinkered with the engine some more, quietly, but without results. “Finally darkness came on. The Martians were camped about the _Sphere_ but all seemed anxious to give it a wide berth, for the nearest were a hundred paces or more away. They were scattered pretty well, so I took a long chance and slipped out into the darkness, snapping the trap-door shut. Luck was with me. You know the rest.” “But man, you were banking on a chance in a thousand of getting through!” “Oh, chances. Like kisses, they are to be taken.” They both laughed a little at this, and it lightened their spirits. The situation did not seem so hopeless after all. “Then the _Sphere_ is still unharmed,” mused Robert. “Not only unharmed but not far from us right now. Look over there.” Robert looked off to their right as indicated by Taggert. A familiar dark shape reared itself above the level of the desert, probably a quarter of a mile distant. He breathed a sigh of relief. Though useless to them just then it relieved him to know that the Martians had not wrecked it. The still glare of the stars piercing the narrow Martian belt of clear atmosphere shone coldly upon them.