They had flashed on through the night for about half an hour when Jake yelled, "They're after us!"
Like tiny streaming rockets a fleet of the little ships danced over the horizon in pursuit, still so distant as to seem but fireflies.
"Don't be alarmed," said Zingar, leaving Mary and staring behind them, somberly, "they will slowly overtake us but we will make the underground city in time. They have no weapons, for our civilization had no need for them. It will take time to invent and manufacture the means of destruction."
In half an hour, their ship slid slowly to the ground as Zingar deftly manipulated the controls. They donned the opaque and clumsy insulation garments, fastened helmets above them, and ran across the frozen sand toward the great copper door, dull in the starlight. John fumbled at the hand lock, but finally got it open, just as the first of the pursuing ships began its perpendicular descent from the higher air. The second metal door slid noisily into place before the lifting rays could touch them, and Hilda snapped on her radilight flash to guide the party down the sandy tunnel toward the colony.
In another half hour they were sitting in council, with Major Mattson, Hemingway, the old chemist, Dr. Henderson and other officials.
Dr. Henderson paid little attention to his recovered companions but questioned Zingar rapidly. The Mind Sounder and an occasional written question, or reference to a lexicon, kept the interview going smoothly. Finally Zingar stood and addressed the entire group.
"My people are ruthless and unemotional, but they are not equipped for war. I think this will be their plan of attack. They will set their machinery to work, producing the war weapons of several of the primitive planets, but that will take time, perhaps six months. Meanwhile they will try strategy, and perhaps drive the Mars beasts at us with their ship flares at night."
"What's them Martian beasts like?" grunted Jake. "That's maybe something I could fight."
"Oh, they're horrible!" murmured Mary. "Here, look at the pictures in this manual."
The old marine's weatherbeaten face paled a bit, but his voice was steady, as he said, "Well, anyway, they can't get through them copper doors."