Thorn whirled, wild with rage and apprehension. The cunning Uranian, seizing the opportunity when the Planeteers were engaged in the wild melee, had with his remaining follower stolen away with the radite. They could, be seen now in the distance, hurrying along the shelf by which the Planeteers had come to the ledge.
"After them!” Thorn cried.
They rushed back along the shelf, Nison and Chan Gray following joining in pursuit of the two fugitives. Rapidly they gained on the two fugitives who were encumbered with the sledge.
They saw Cheerly and his follower round a narrow place in the shelf ahead. As they rushed after them, atomic shells burst ahead and a mass of the shimmering cliff was dislodged by the flare of energy and fell in an avalanche across the shelf. It blocked the narrow way completely, halting the Planeteers.
"Cheerly used their pistols to cause that rock-fall!” Sual Av cried furiously.
"Down to the floor of the chasm! We'll follow that way and beat them back to the ship!” Thorn shouted.
"We can't!” the Venusian cried. “Look, that mob has followed us!"
The maddened crowd of radioactive men below, seeing the Planeteers’ party moving away along the narrow ledge, had followed along the floor of the chasm. They were gathered now below, preparing to climb up in furious attack once more.
"We're trapped!” Gunner Welk yelled. “We can't go further along the ledge and we can't go down through that crazy mob!"
Already the crazed radioactive men were climbing up to the ledge. Lana uttered a hopeless cry.