the_Ertak_."
Tipene nodded and communicated with the aged Aranian, who had coweredfrom the shaft in the earth disintegrated by our ray, and who now,very cautiously, approached it, flanked by his two far from eagerguards.
At the lip of the slanting tunnel he paused, peered downward, andthen, circling cautiously, approached the lidded tunnel whence he hademerged.
"He agrees," Tipene called up sullenly. "He will deliver Inverness andBrady to us. But we must come and get them; he says they havebarricaded themselves in one of the cubicles, and will not permit anyAranian to approach. They still have their atomic pistols; theAranians did not realize they were weapons."
"Very well; tell him a party from the ship will be ready in a fewseconds. You will go with us as interpreter; you understand how tocommunicate with them."
* * * * *
I pressed Correy's attention signal and he answered instantly.
"Pick five good men for a landing party, two of them portabledisintegrator ray operators, with equipment. The others will beprovided with _ethon_ lamps, pistols, and atomic grenades. Get the mento the trap as quickly as possible, please."
"Immediately, sir!"
I had the cage drawn up, and by the time I had secured my ownequipment and returned, Correy was waiting with his men.
"One second, Mr. Correy, and we'll leave," I said, calling thenavigating room. "Mr. Kincaide, I'm leaving you in command. We aregoing into the Aranian city to pick up Inverness and Brady. Ianticipate no trouble, and if there is no trouble, we shall returnwithin an hour. If we are not back within three hours, blast thisentire area with atomic grenades, and riddle it with the rays. Isthat clear?"
"Yes, sir," said Kincaide.
"And then proceed immediately to Base and report. I have made an entryin the log regarding this expedition, as official evidence, ifneeded."
"Right, sir," said Kincaide, who was as near a perfect officer as Ihave ever seen.
"Mr. Correy, you've heard my orders. So have you, men. We're goingunderground, into a veritable warren of these spider creatures. If anyof you wish to refuse this service, you have my permission towithdraw."
Not a man moved. Correy hardly repressed a grin. He knew the men hehad picked for the job.
"Good!" I said, and signaled to the cage operator. Swiftly we droppedto earth, where Tipene and our three hairy guides awaited us.
* * * * *
The descent into the white-lined tunnel was a terrifying experience.The lining was tough and fibrous, a sort of coarse materialcorresponding to the silk of a spider of normal size, although thesestrands were as large as my little finger, and strong as cables.
A close inspection of our guides added nothing to my confidence orbravery; their eight beady eyes, set at strategic spots about theirheads, seemed unwinkingly ominous. And their mandibles, with fangsfolded back like the blades of a pocket-knife, paired with theirbristly palps, seemed like very capable weapons.
The Aranians ran ahead of us, our _ethon_ lamps making strange anddistorted shadows on the curving walls of the tunnel. Correy and Iherded the unwilling Tipene just ahead of us, and the five picked menbrought up the rear.
About forty feet down, the floor of the tunnel curved sharply andleveled off; a short distance farther on a number of other leveltunnels merged with it, and the shape changed; from a tube perfectlycircular in cross-section, it became a flattened oval, perhaps halfagain the height of a man, and at least three times that dimension inwidth.
Our party was joined by scores of other Aranians, who darted in fromside passages; some going ahead, some closing in behind us, until thetunnel was filled with the peculiar brittle sound of their walking.
"They don't lack for numbers," muttered Correy softly. "Think they'llmake trouble, sir?"
"Your guess is as good as mine. I showed them what the ray would do; Ibelieve it threw a scare into the old chap. Did you tell them what wewould do if they played any tricks, Tipene?"
"Certainly; my own life is endangered, isn't it?" snapped the Zenian.
"It certainly is," I told him grimly. "And not only by the spiders, ifyou make any suspicious moves."
* * * * *
We went on without further conversation, until we came to thebeginning of the cubicles Tipene had mentioned.
Each of these was closed, or could be closed, by a circular door suchas those which concealed the outer entrance to the tunnels, save thatthese were swung on a side hinge. From the central passage we werefollowing, smaller ones branched off in all directions: to the left,to the right; upward and downward. And all were lined with thecubicles, from which a constantly increasing army of Aranians emergedto accompany us.
We had gone but a short distance into the "city" when our ancientguide paused, turning to stare down a deserted passage.
"He says," grunted Tipene--as near a grunt as the high-pitched Zenianvoice is capable of, "that they're down there. He asks that we go andget them; he is afraid. They have killed two of the Aranians alreadywith their atomic pistols."
"For which I don't blame them in the least," said Correy. "I'd get asmany as I could before I let them sink their mandibles into me."
"But I thought they were hostages, and being treated as such?"
"The Aranians got tired of waiting; some of the younger ones tried todo their own executing," explained Tipene. "The whole brood of them isin an ugly mood, the old fellow tells me. We were fools to come!"
I didn't argue the matter. You can't argue such a matter with a manlike Tipene. Instead, I lifted my voice in a shout which echoed downthe long corridors.
"Brady! Inverness! Can you hear us?"
For a moment there was no reply, and then, as our _ethon_ lightsplayed hopefully along the passage, a circular door opened, andInverness, his pistol drawn, peered out at us. A moment later, both heand Brady were running toward us.
"Hanson!" cried Inverness. "Man, but we're glad to see a human faceagain--but why did you come? Now they've got us all."
"But they'll let us all go," I said, with a confidence I did not feel."I've demonstrated to one of their leaders just what the _Ertak_ cando--and will do--if we aren't aboard, safe and unhurt, in threehours."
"The young bloods don't obey well, though," said Brady, shaking hishead. "Look at them, milling around there in the central passage! Theydidn't see your demonstration, whatever it was. They started for ussome time back, and we had to rip a couple of them to pieces, andbarricade ourselves."
"Well," said Correy grimly, "we'll soon find out. Ready to start back,sir?"
* * * * *
I turned to Tipene, who was staring at the packed mass of Aranians,who choked the tunnel in both directions.
"Tell them to make way," I commanded. "We're leaving."
"I've--I've been in communication with him," moaned Tipene. "And hehasn't any power over these youngsters. They want blood. Blood! Theysay the ship won't dare do anything so long as so many of us arehere."
"It will, though," I snapped. "Kincaide will obey my orders to theletter. It'll be a wholesale slaughter, if we're not there by thespecified time."
"I know! I know!" groaned Tipene. "But I can't make them understandthat. They can't appreciate the meaning of such discipline."
"I believe that," put in Brady. "Their state of society is still lowin the scale. You shouldn't have come, Commander. Better the two of usthan the whole group."
"It may not be so simple as they think. Mr. Correy, shall we make adash for it?"
"I'd be in favor of that, sir!" he grinned.
"Very well, you take three of the enlisted men, Mr. Correy, and giveus a brisk rear-guard action when we get into the main passage--if wedo. Use the grenades if you have to, but throw them as fast aspossible, or we'll have the roof coming down on us.
"The two ray operators and myself will try to open a way, backed up byInverness and Brady. Understand, everybody?" The men took th
e places Ihad indicated, nodding, and we stood at the mouth of the side tunnel,facing the main passage which intersected it at a right angle. Themouth of the passage was blocked by a crowded mass of the spidercreatures, evidently eager to pounce on us, but afraid to start anaction in those narrow quarters.
As we came toward them, the Aranians packed about the entrance gaveway grudgingly, all save two or three. Without an instant'shesitation, I lifted my pistol and slashed them into jerking pulp.
"Hold the ray," I ordered the two men by my side, "until we need it.They'll get a surprise when it goes
The Death-Traps of FX-31 Page 5