What had happened? Atomic energy! Atomic energy at last! The words fairly shrieked through his brain. But what of it? It was too late to do anything. Besides, that terrific power couldn't be controlled. He'd almost forgotten that. It couldn't be controlled!

He grabbed a long buckler-like sheet of lead which had a hand-grip on one side of it. It was convex and was as tall as a man and resembled the shields which archers of a forgotten antiquity had used. It would protect him from the dangerous rays.

He held it out in front of him and peered through the glazed peep-hole which was on a level with his eyes. The bottom of the furnace must have melted away. There was a dazzling mass of bluish incandescence visible beneath the lead shields around the caldron-like piece of apparatus. It was hissing and spitting like a violently active chemical. The steel floor was burning! And the atomic fire was spreading — consuming everything in its path! In a few minutes the whole ship would be a fiery mass of incandescence!

...A CRAZY idea, that marked him forever as a genius, came to Sark Ahar. How it was born no man may tell. Quick as a flash he gripped the steering lever and swung it around a full quarter turn. The space flier lurched, then it swung inward and headed straight toward the moon, falling more and more rapidly every instant!

...The pieces of the space-ship glowed brighter and continued their headlong descent. Still Sark Ahar dove after them. In a few minutes the fragments crashed into the satellite, scattering themselves over mountain, crater and dead sea bottom. Nor did their fire die out! It increased in intensity fed by the fine sand which covered most of the moon. It was spreading rapidly, enveloping everything in its path.

Sark Ahar was smiling. "Do you understand, Chief?" he asked.

Aggar Ho had completely forgotten his habitual calm. "I do !" he cried. "You meant to kindle an atomic fire on the moon and make it take the place of our sun! And you have succeeded!"