"Yeah, I hear you," he replied tonelessly, looking out at the Patrol ship which was nearer than he had supposed. "Commander Graham of Patrol ship _Terra_ speaking! Lucky thing for you, Jordan--we've had you in our magniview plate for the past half-hour, and in our phones for the past ten minutes. We heard everything, so don't worry, you're in the clear. That _is_ the _Lucifer_ I suppose?" "You suppose right, Commander! Come and get it!" Ron looked back at the Silicytes. They were still at it! The damn things were insatiable! The gaping hole had widened perceptibly, and they were working in his direction now. Ron could almost imagine he felt the heat of them already. He leaped to his feet and turned on his helmet phone full power. "Hey, Commander!" he yelled. "Pardon me for asking, but how long would it take you to hurry? You'd better get here in five minutes or I'll be a mere hunk of dessert for these animated rock-piles. Step on those rockets!" He heard someone chuckling, and then he sighed his relief as he saw the Patroller respond with full blast. End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Thief of Mars, by Henry Hasse