Captain Brand was staring at the tall, smiling man, with a curious expression on his red, square-chinned face. Suddenly he spoke.
"Your Highness, or whatever we must call you——"
"Just call me Prince. Cain is not my name. Once I had a name—but now I am nameless!"
The thin dark face suddenly lined with pain, the lips closed in a narrow line. The Prince swept a hand across his high forehead, as if to sweep something unpleasant away.
"Well, Prince, I'm with you. That is, if you want an officer from the Moon Patrol." A sheepish smile overspread his bluff features. "I would have killed a man for suggesting that I would ever do such a thing. But I'll fight for you as well as I ever did for the honor of the Patrol."
"Thanks, Brand!" The Prince took his hand, smiling again.
"Count me in too, of course," said Bill.
"Both of you will be valuable men," said the Prince.
He picked up a sheaf of papers, scanned them quickly, seemed to mark off one item from a sheet and add another.
"The Red Rover sets out for the earth in one hour, gentlemen. We're going to try a surprise attack on that blue globe in the desert. You will both go aboard."