tacked on,” Seaworth commented as they a steady roar of air against the rocket’s walls moved across the station.
that was audible even above the thunder of
“Yes, refueled and ready for you continued explosions from the rear; and the air whenever we’re near enough the moon for you
grew suddenly warm about them. Then the
to leave safely.”
roar of air had ceased, the walls of the pilot-
They passed inside and the stern-door
house were cooling, and the diffused bright
closed and whirred as Hartley spun it carefully
sunlight of the atmosphere was gone. For in
shut. Climbing the light metal ladders inside
the immensity of space the sun flared fiercely
the upreared craft the four men gained the
on one side, while a rayless gloom, gemmed
pilothouse, where Calden took his accustomed
with steady-burning stars, stretched away on
seat at the controls. Strapped into their shock-
the other.
Air Wonder Stories
10
Ahead, the moon’s brilliant disk,
“I told you it was crazy to think he’d
almost completely illumined by the sun, tackle us,” Hartley rejoined, “though I admit gleamed calm and white amid the throbbing
I’ve been hoping he would.”
fires of the encircling stars. Evans and
“Well, I haven’t,” Seaworth told them,
Seaworth contemplated its beauty with a silent
grinning. “It may be just play to you lads in
wonder that not even long familiarity with the
the Earth-Guard, but the Hawk nearly settled
sight could dull. Calden, meantime, was me twice and I hate to think what he’d do if he calmly checking over dials and controls, while
got me now.”
Hartley had already gone below to sleep
“No danger,” Evans told him as
against the next watch at the controls. This
Seaworth followed the yawning Hartley down
vital station was filled by the craft’s three
out of the pilot-house. “We’ll have you safe
officers in successive watches of four hours
and sound on the moon in a half day more,
each.
and if you can nab the Hawk there, it’ll punish
In the hours that followed, Evans felt
him for not showing up this trip.”
slipping away from him the hope that he had
cherished of meeting the Hawk in straight
LEFT alone in the pilot-house, Evans sat at
battle in mid-space. Since Commander Cain’s
the control-board with eyes glancing from one
warning to him, he had persuaded himself that
to another of the recording dials above it. Now
because of Seaworth’s presence the Hawk and then he depressed a firing-lever, firing one might really attack. Like all others in the of the rocket’s side tubes to keep it from Earth-Guard, Evans desired nothing more leaving its proper space-lane, but for the most ardently than a final battle with the elusive
part the great craft hurtled steadily onward in
and dreaded corsair.
its course, and he occupied himself in
But though the lookouts at every one
contemplating through the windows the
of the great rocket’s observation-cells kept an
moon’s bright sphere and the dazzling light-
unceasing watch through the void, no sign of
patches on it that marked the position of the
the black rocket was to be seen. The Earth-
lunar cities.
Guard ship might have been alone in space,
Evans had been sitting thus in solitude
had it not twice caught sight of great cargo-
at the controls for some minutes before he
rockets plowing their way moonward in the
heard a strange popping sound from
slower space-lanes, and once passed an earth-
somewhere in the rocket’s interior beneath
bound Earth-Guard craft closely enough in a
him. He listened sharply, and heard other
neighboring lane to exchange with it a quick-following popping sounds, as of slight flashing “Salute” signal in passing.
detonations; then came a babel of cries from
When Evans ascended to the pilot-
beneath, cries that were cut sharply short!
house for his third watch at the controls, Evans sprang to his feet. There was silence thirty-two hours after their start from earth,
below now, but suddenly the door of the pilot-
the moon’s gleaming sphere was huge in the
house was flung open and Seaworth burst up
heavens before them.
into it, his face livid.
“A dozen hours more and we’ll be
“The Hawk!” he gasped. And then, his
there,” he commented disappointedly to eyes suddenly widening, he pointed out Hartley and Seaworth, as he relieved the through the windows beyond Evans. “Look former at the controls. “I guess there’s no
there!” he cried.
chance of your wreaking your wrath on the
Evans whirled toward the window. In
Hawk this trip, Hartley.”
the next instant he seemed to see a curtain of
Evans of the Earth-Guard
11
flame descending before his eyes as will stop at the command of an Earth-Guard something struck him a crashing blow on the
ship, and since they all look alike we could do
head. The flame-curtain was succeeded just about as we pleased with the rocket-instantly by the black depths of commerce if we had one. Therefore I decided unconsciousness.
to get one.
It was only slowly that he came back
“It was easy. I merely embarked in a
to himself. He became aware that he was
little one-man ship and when I knew your
sitting against the wall, that the thunder of the
craft would be on the space-lane returning to
rocket’s firing-tubes was coming to his ears,
earth, I had my crew, in our regular black
that his brain ached. He tried to move, but
rocket, stage a faked attack upon me. I called
found that his hands were tightly tied, his feet
for help, you came; after a brief clash my crew
were bound, and every movement made his
fled as instructed, and you took me aboard.
head throb. He opened his eyes, then stared
You’d seen the Hawk attacking me, and so
uncomprehendingly, as if stupefied.
believed me implicitly when I told you I was a
He was sitting against the pilot-house
secret agent whom the Hawk was anxious to
wall, and a half-dozen feet from him, at the
capture. Secret agents, you should be aware,
control-board, sat Seaworth. He was calmly
are really not so communicative as that. And
manipulating the firing-levers, and he looked
of course, I couldn’t expect you to know that
up and smiled as he saw Evans’ astounded
my card was forged.
gaze upon him.
Then it was not hard for me to draw
“It really was the Hawk after all, you
out from you the suggestion that I might
see,” he said. “Only instead of being outside
return to the moon with you on this trip. That
the rocket he was inside!” He laughed with
was just what I was playing for,
of course—
genuine amusement.
the chance to travel back in this rocket. My
Evans struggled to speak. “Then you—
mission on earth was the purest falsehood—
you—”
the only thing I did there was to enjoy the
“Yes, the Hawk, at your service,” witty remarks about the Earth-Guard and the Seaworth calmly told him. “And as a word of
Hawk which I heard all around me. That case
friendly advice, Captain Evans—when I brought with me held enough gas-bombs to someone tells you excitedly to look—look at
paralyze your whole crew. They’re all down
them.”
there now unconscious—I used a mask for
Evans, striving to understand, did not
myself, of course—but they’re not hurt and
hear the mocking final words.
will be coming to in an hour.
“You the Hawk! But we saw the
“But I’m afraid that will be a little late.
Hawk’s rocket attacking you there—we came
For I waited to make this coup, to gas the crew
and saved you—”
and stun you, until we were just at this
particular position in space. It is the
THE Hawk laughed again. “I’m sorry to take
prearranged position, and less than five
the glory of your rescue away from you, thousand miles off this space-lane my own Evans, but it was really no rescue at all. You rocket and crew are waiting for me. We’re
don’t understand? It’s simple enough. I heading toward them now, and before your decided some time ago that the possession of
crew wakes, Evans, we’ll be with them and
an Earth-Guard rocket would give me very
this rocket will be in their hands. You and
great advantages in my trade of—ah—
your crew won’t be harmed, of course—we
buccaneering. You see, every rocket in space
can set you loose in a life ship near the
Air Wonder Stories
12
moon—but this Earth-Guard craft we’ll keep
before his eyes, the shame and rage of fierce
and it should prove highly useful. An old Commander Cain when the news reached ingenious plan, everything considered, don’t
him, and the shame of all his companions in
you think? Nothing overlooked.”
the Earth-Guard.
Evans’ brain was spinning as the
Hawk’s amusement-filled voice ceased. The
HE could hear the thin, derisive laughter of
great rocket was out of the space-lane by now,
the crowds; the new and side-splitting
he knew—was heading under the Hawk’s witticisms in the teletheaters, the laughter of guiding hands to the prearranged position in
all on earth and moon alike became audible to
space where the black rocket of the corsair
him. A fierce resolve, a last expedient of his
waited with its crew to take complete despair, rose in Evans’ brain. He rose to his possession of the prize. And the Hawk had
feet, tied as they were, and swaying, leaned
captured it, had captured an Earth-Guard forward to catch at the control-board’s corner rocket, alone!
with his bound hands supporting himself. The
Evans raged at his bonds in senseless
Hawk watched him curiously, with nothing to
fury. His hands, tied before him, were cut
fear from this one man, who, bound hand and
deeply by the cords holding them as he foot, alone remained conscious of the rocket’s strained to break these. The Hawk looked up
crew. Evans leaned across the control-board
from the bank of firing-levers with which he
and its banked levers toward the Hawk, and as
was busy to shake his head in mocking he did so his two bound hands were moving, reproof.
slowly, unobtrusively, toward the control-
“Now, now, Captain Evans,” he board.
soothed, “don’t take it so hard. Lots of
“No Earth-Guard rocket has ever yet
captains have found themselves in your been captured,” he said slowly and hoarsely, position before this, remember. Though I’ll
his hands very near the black plug at the
admit this is the first Earth-Guard rocket I’ve
control-board’s corner, “and none is ever
taken.”
going to be.”
“No Earth-Guard rocket has ever been
The Hawk’s dark eyes, contemplating
taken by an enemy,” said Evans thickly.
him, held something that seemed to be almost
“Not until now,” the Hawk conceded,
sympathy. “Sorry, Captain Evans,” he said
depressing two more firing-levers. “But there
lightly. “I know how you must feel about it—
has to be a first time for everything—and from
but we’re almost there now. My rocket will be
what I heard on earth I don’t think the capture
showing up in a few minutes—we’ve almost
of an Earth-Guard rocket will excite any reached it.”
anger.”
Evans laughed grimly. “Your rocket
It would not, Evans reflected dully,
will never see us again nor will anyone else.
sinking for the moment into an apathy of
You said you’d overlooked nothing, Hawk,
laughter, that the Earth-Guard would be met
“And that?” The Hawk’s figure was
when this latest and greatest exploit of the
suddenly tense.
Hawk became known. What derision would
“That is something that you didn’t
meet the news of this single-handed capture of
know—that is the fact that in every Earth-
a great rocket and all its crew, by the man they
Guard rocket is placed a device for destroying
were hunting! Evans could picture at the the rocket in case it has to be abandoned in moment as clearly as though a face were space. That device is a plug which when
Evans of the Earth-Guard
13
pulled out ignites the rocket’s fuel tanks in six
void, with rocket-gun available, he could still
minutes. And that plug—”
blast the Earth-Guard ship to pieces. Evans
The Hawk’s hands flashed toward saw the little rocket swooping down until it Evans but before they could reach his bound
was just before and above him, and braced
hands, Evans had seized with them the black
himself with tight-set teeth for the blast from
plug at the control-board’s corner and with a
its electric gun.
crazy laugh had jerked it out!
It did not come. Instead, as the Hawk’s
For an instant there was a supreme
little rocket dipped low, there flashed from it
silence in the pilot-house of the hurtling the vari-colored lights of a signal.
rocket, the Hawk and Evans facing each other
Red—yellow—red—purple—Evans
like two statues. Then with a single motion the
read the signal automatically,
Hawk had whirled, was out of the pilot-house.
uncomprehendingly for the moment. It was
There came the clang of contact-doors above
“Salute!” And then he understood. The Hawk,
being opened and shut with lightning rapidity,
knowing himself tricked, had
come back not
and then a blast of firing-tubes as, in his own
to take revenge but to give that sportsmanlike
little rocket, the Hawk drove clear from the
hail to the man who had tricked him. Evans’
great Earth-Guard craft. Evans stood still for a
bound hands touched the signal-studs, and
moment, then dragged himself to the control-
from the great Earth-Guard rocket’s nose in its
board’s other side.
turn flashed the same signal “Salute!” Salute
His bound hands pressed the firing-
of the Earth-Guard’s captain to the Hawk, as
levers in quick succession and as the great
they roared past each other in space! And then
rocket lurched beneath their impetus it was
the Hawk was gone, his little ship hurtling
turning in space, turning back toward the away into the chartless void outside the space-space-lane from which the Hawk had taken it!
lanes where his great black rocket waited.
Evans grasped the black plug on the board and
Evans slumped weakly against the control-
thrust it back into its socket. A small board.
ventilating fan at the other side of the pilot-
They found him there when they burst
house that had ceased running when he had
up into the pilot-house a half-hour later,
withdrawn the plug began spinning again. Calden and Hartley and the others, babbling Evans laughed weakly.
excitedly and uncomprehendingly. They had
He straightened. There was a flash of
just returned to consciousness. They found
fire above and he saw that it was the tiny
Evans against the control-board with hands
rocket of the Hawk, driving back over the
and feet still bound, keeping the great rocket
great Earth-Guard craft. Evans knew that the
steady on the space-lane to which he had